Timothy Liu — Project 12 — Proposal

The original Frogger from 1981!

For my final project, I want to build an homage to Frogger. I’d like to try programming a game that involves a character trying to reach the end of the stage by making it through a series of moving obstacles and objects. This is an idea that really appeals to me, because

  1. I haven’t had the chance to try coding a game in this class and I think it’d be a really fun challenge to take on, and
  2. I’m excited to play around with the graphics, design, and gameplay in this project!
Some sketches of my initial ideas for my game. On the left is what the gameplay will look and feel like, as well as the keyboard controls used to move the character. On the right are some potential character ideas!

I’ve come up with a few ideas for gameplay and graphics which mainly involve animal characters moving across a terrain filled with natural obstacles. For instance, a penguin waddling across snow while dodging moving snowballs to try to make it to an igloo is something I’d love to build.

From a functional standpoint, my ultimate goals for this project are to build a smooth, well-oiled game with a soundtrack and irresistible charm. I want the arrow keys to direct the character’s motion and for the movement of the obstacles to feel natural, not mechanistic.

Artwork from the original Frogger that my game’s concept will be modeled off of.

In terms of art-style/design, I really admire video games that incorporate cel-shading and minimalism. I hope to utilize color palettes and shapes to establish a calming, consistent feel with my game, as I think it would add to the desired natural ambience.

The Legend of Zelda, Wind Waker utilizes cel shading and bright, cheerful color palettes. It feels fun and clean!
Monument Valley, a popular iPhone game, also uses really clean graphics, designs, and colors.

I can’t wait to get started!

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