Argos Games | Final 05/06/2019
Argos Games has spent the last 4 weeks perfecting “Garden Heist” for this final presentation. The majority of our advancements have been on the art front, with usability enhancements, UI changes, environment changes, animations, and modeling/rigging our farmer character.
Trailer:
In terms of development advancements, we’ve accomplished:
- Fake rabbits can now be picked up
- Rabbits can now see the farmer (Gesture Synced)
- UI text for VR players
- Added main menu + Winning/Losing condition
- Grass clipping
- Added Moving scarecrow
- Added more indications
- Added different types of veggies
- Added animations for rabbits + synchronized
Our play-testing was vital in informing these development changes, and even more instrumental in creating the following design changes. We learned that users wanted better UI indications, more variability in the space, the ability to see the farmer better (if playing as the rabbit), and more challenges in the scene to make the gameplay more dynamic. The following changes to the design of the game address these needs, and further iterate on previous builds.
New farm design:
Level design features:
Feature 1: Staircase
- Purpose for rabbits: A more hidden path to the vegetables, but it takes longer to move through. The grass on both sides helps disguise where rabbits are hidden.
- Purpose for farmer: The farmer can go up the staircase to get a better view of the layout of the area (and a better view of the close part of the garden maze).
- Concerns: The current prototype model has rails, but the professor said to avoid things the player might lean against in VR. Additionally, I’m envisioning the staircase collider to basically be a ramp for the farmer, but I don’t know how vertical change will work in VR. There also needs to be something blocking the house porch, so the player doesn’t try to continue up it.
Feature 2: Garden maze
- Purpose for rabbits: Basically the same purpose as the hedge maze, but with more diversity in graphics. Stretch goal: rabbits would be able to take some plants (herbs, edible wildflowers) for bonus points, but at the cost of less cover.
- Purpose for farmer: Basically the same as the hedge maze. Plants on the path shake as the rabbits pass through, alerting the farmer that something is there. Using the current leaf vertex shader, the farmer can look into the area by dragging the net or shovel through it. Stretch goal: pots and other obstacles able to be knocked over; knocking over pots or watering cans makes a sound, further alerting the farmer.
- Concerns: Needs to be playtested to make sure it’s not too claustrophobic for rabbit players. Heights of plants will probably need to be adjusted.
Feature 3: Stepping stone path
- Purpose for farmer: A visual indicator for the area the farmer can walk within VR.
- Purpose for rabbits: Not anything planned in particular. This is the area the rabbits can dash across easily, but also the most visible, most dangerous area. Stretch goals: could possibly make stepping noises when rabbits walk across if the rabbits are too OP.
- Concerns: Nothing in particular. Need to playtest to make sure rabbits don’t just always run across.
Feature 4: Tall vegetables (tomatoes)
- Purpose for farmer: Easier to detect rabbits going after than ground plants. Having far-away tall plants allows stage to feel bigger but still playable to the farmer.
- Purpose for rabbits: A change in gameplay from just picking up ground vegetables. Rabbits would have to jump to grab the vegetables, making them more visible.
- Concerns: Would have to code additional vegetable pickup/networking.
Feature 5: Rabbit safe zone area has a hill
- Purpose for rabbits: Using the current fence model, rabbits can see into the farm area from the safe zone, letting them strategize more. Having the rabbit start area be a hill enhances this effect, and allows the rabbits to set up a surveillant in the safe area.
- Purpose for farmer: N/A
- Concerns: Needs to not be steep enough that the rabbits can jump over the fence.
Feature 6: Fence
- Purpose: two entrances prevents the farmer from just spawn-camping at the entrance points and getting the rabbits before they have the chance to play, like Tom mentioned while playing. Achieves the same effect as the multiple entrances in the maze scene. The two rabbit entrance/exit points have flowers next to them to help guide the rabbits.
In terms of sound, we wrapped up the majority of the sounds and attributed them appropriately. The majority of the sounds had already been in the game before this build, but we spent the last few weeks polishing, and ensuring that each action was met with an equally balanced sound to represent it:
- “Brightly Fancy” by Kevin MacLeod for in-game music
- Original theme composed by Dean for main menu music
- Added in-game sound FX for variable wind chime, farmer scoring, referee whistle (game end), and ambient wind
- Sound FX for menu selection is in