Week 1 - Orientation and Journal Set up: January 25th 2021
Today I have spent most of the day going through the assignments for this week & setting up my CRJ (Critical Reflective Journal). I have been researching about the different types of time management styles, and more on Agile development. Understandably the waterfall method makes most logical sense being in a linear structure. This is easy to follow and can easily be understood by many due to it's predictability. It is however also said that the waterfall method is monolithic and lacking in flexibility because of this. Personally I find this to be somewhat true given the fact there are different learning styles and traits that people posses. Activists will most likely follow this path due to them knowing what is expected of them so they can just go and get on with it. Theorists however will take an approach more akin to the scrum method since this allows for more creative freedom, and also allows for them to choose many of the agile methods that exist.
Diving back into the waterfall method however, there are many pro's that people may opt for when deciding to use this method. The most important pro being that everyone keeps to their timescales and gets up to speed quickly.
"According to Royce, the waterfall model should be run at least twice: first for the development of a prototype and then for the development of the actual software product".
DEVELOPMENT, WEB and WATERFALL METHODOLOGY. 2021. "Waterfall Methodology". IONOS Digital guide [online]. Available at: https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/websites/web-development/waterfall-methodology [accessed 25 Jan 2021].
There are a couple of additional aspects of the waterfall method that my research has provided. Evaluation and disposal. The Evaluation Methodology is a tool to help one better understand the steps needed to do a quality evaluation. By following this process, a team member can learn what he or she needs to know to determine the level of quality of a performance, product, or skill. Some of the steps used to help create a robust evaluation to help better support the product or design in the long term are:
- Purpose - Scope - Intervention logic - Evaluation questioning - Methods and data - Resources for evaluation
Alongside this my research has also lead me to uncover and look into the disposal stage in the waterfall method. I am fully aware that disposal is hard, especially in an age where we rely on technology to store our information. Second hand goods and recycled objects can still contain data if not disposed of or sold properly. Just like we rely on technology to store our information, that same technology can be used to uncover what we think is erased. As technology moves forward and business and individuals upgrade and update their equipment, it opens up the risk of data breaches, identity theft and viruses. However I also believe that this extends to personnel who have not performed in their said roles and can be utilised elsewhere as part of the maintenance section.
A juxtaposed style to this would be the scrum method where there can be changes at any point in the development cycle and welcomed additions creating for a more complex but ultimately more rewarding outcome.
With scrum there are many positives including daily meetings or huddles as they are often referred to. This allows team members and stakeholders to stay up to date more frequently and allows for more inputs from key stakeholders. These have to be approved and then implemented of course, but it allows for a more open and honest development.
The additional benefit to the scrum method is the scrum master who is essentially in charge of keeping everything on track and can better support the team by providing a one stop shop for questions and answers.
In conclusion I feel that both methodologies work, but it all comes down to what type of team members you have and what their traits are. Some people like clear and direct instructions with a clear plan of instructions and steps to follow (waterfall), and others prefer a more managed approach where their input is constantly evolving and opens the door to wider ideas.
If I had to choose which method I prefer my preference would be scrum. I enjoy the interaction, the daily meetings and welcoming new ideas or approaches that could eventually lead to a better product overall.
Week 1 Update: 27th January 2021
We had our first webinar today with the academic team and got to know more of our peers by asking questions and talking through a presentation. It was good to finally set some things in stone and ask some questions that had been burning in the back of my skull. Everyone seems really nice and I am eager to start working on projects and activities as we move further into the course. I feel more at ease now that I have had the chance to talk with the academic team, and now understand more what is expected of me.
We also discussed the 2021 Global Game Jam which was exciting to hear about since I am taking part in this. This will be my first jam where I have had to complete something in 48 hours. Most game jam games are seven to ten days so this both excites me and concerns me. But I shall do my best.
Week 1 Update: 29th January 2021
It's the end of the week and I feel like my first week has gone well. I'm starting my plans for the game jam this weekend and also looking over the new assignments that have been uploaded to canvas. Feeling confident on what I want to do with the game jam, but equally nervous. 48 hours isn't long to make something, let alone create music, a game page & bug test. But I am optimistic I can do it. The idea I have gone with for the jam theme which is lost and found, is about the Misaka mountain forest in Japan where over 200 people a year go missing.
CUSTOM AVATAR ACTIVITY
On the module website we were asked to:
Use objects from around your home to create a custom avatar of yourself. The objects selected should not be random: they must tell a story or mean something to you. There are no other rules and you are encouraged to get visual and have some fun. Once finished, take a picture and post it to the forum. Include a paragraph or two about the objects selected and what they mean to you. You might want to use the avatar as your profile picture.
Here is my submission:
The second activity this week has also been quite interesting as it has allowed me to get to know people a lot better. Looking through pictures posted on the open forum has given me an insight not only into their personalities, but also what drives them. Looking back on this I can see similarities between us all and also some differences. Through the freedom of creation and telling a story, people have allowed us a window into their lives. I've enjoyed speaking to people and replying to their posts, getting to know them and learning about their passions. This is especially interesting to me because other people's passions can drive creativity through another.
For example, I read a post about Japan and saw a picture of Final Fantasy and was immediately engaged and wanted to reach out and say hi. It also got me thinking about what I wanted to do in the future. Seeing all of these posts has made me challenge and think about my own life decisions, what I regret not doing or what I wished I had done and then using those feelings to make sure I change that.
We were also asked to post something about ourselves accompanied by an image or artefact that ultimately lead us to this course.
"Week 1 Spark Forum." 2021. Flex.falmouth.ac.uk [online]. Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/911/discussion_topics/19891?module_item_id=49133 [accessed 26 Jan 2021].
Since I have been lucky enough to have been accepted by two very talented game developers I decided to use an image from one of their games as this was ultimately the inspiration behind what lead me to this course. Looking back on this, I feel incredibly lucky to have found two very dear friends who have helped me get on the right path and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I feel blessed and I am looking forward to doing them both proud and also myself.
In terms of the actual brief I feel I delivered on this by providing a wide selection of items that contribute to my overall personality trait. By now if you have been reading my blog you would have deduced I am a hard core gamer with an affinity for creation. I don't just love to play games, but I enjoy making them, breaking them down and figuring out what makes them tick and how I would go about recreating some of these things in my own work.
GOOD ACADEMIC PRACTICE
Today I have read the Developing Good Academic Practice information. There has been some really helpful advice on here, not just on writing essays and reports but on my personal work in games development. Plagiarism is a serious breach of trust and results in learning nothing. Ideas should be original and reflect you and your beliefs. I have really enjoyed looking into the citation websites such as cite this for me and Zotero. I believe these will be a huge help over the coming years when needed.
Today I have started planning my game jam game idea and taken a look at next weeks work and activities. The theme for the game jam is "Lost and Found" and I am currently brainstorming ideas that can allow me to use my signature style in this jam. Horror is a subjective concept in that it can take many forms. Certain people might find the notion of clowns scary, whereas others find them funny and appealing. For me however, I try to delve into the unknown. A shared notion of fear by luring people into a false sense of security, and when all is said and done, go in for the scare.
Japan has always been one of the many places dear to my heart, from it's scenery to it's nightlife and it's culture to it's folklore. I have been playing with the notion of Japan's infamous suicide forest Aokigahara. What I am enjoying most though about this game jam is the practice of rapid ideation. Having read a lot about this over the last week and also forming part of our studies, it's given me a lot to think about in terms of time management & development cycles of certain projects or when this would be used alongside certain methodologies. Looking back on what we discussed last week, I feel rapid ideation is more suitable when paired with a waterfall methodology as there is very little time for changing plans during this time. With 48 hours if we were to use the game jam as an example, I would find the waterfall method would work best as it allows for a more streamlined & focused work group.
Week 1 Update: 30th January 2021
I am tired. I ran the code in unreal engine & packaged the first attempt to make sure everything was okay and I was met with an unknown error. No indication on what was causing it. I started by removing each map from the build & re-compiling but to no avail. I then proceeded to go through each blueprint & digging into each mechanic. Nothing. At this point I had been awake 24 hours almost but I don't want to give in.
Not knowing where to look I decided to restart the game from scratch, saving what I could from the original first build & packaging after each milestone to eliminate any errors. Eventually I got to the point where I was almost to where I was before. I packaged again & this time the game worked. No idea what I did differently, perhaps a bug. Upon reflection of this, I guess I should be more mindful of debugging as I move along to avoid any issues with my idea and potentially missing any deadlines.
The methodology I used to complete the game jam this week was definitely the waterfall method since working on my own there was only one linear line to follow. I definitely would have used the scrum method had I worked in a team.
Week 1 Update: 31st January 2021
All bugs are stamped out and the game has been completely uploaded to the jam site and also onto my itch.io site. So far so good. I have already had some downloads and some paid donations for the game. It's been a little while since I published a proper solo project so it's good to see videos of my video game played by YouTubers. This is always a driver for me. On top of completing the jam and feeling a lot better now that it's done, next weeks coursework is out and I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. I know I have time to get to it, but right now the thought of going on my computer makes me feel sick. I think I will take a break this coming week from game development and put all my focus into the course to ensure I feel satisfied I am where I should be.
"Aokigahara is sometimes referred to as the most popular site for suicide in Japan. In 2003, 105 bodies were found in the forest, exceeding the previous record of 78 in 2002. In 2010, the police recorded more than 200 people having attempted suicide in the forest, of whom 54 completed the act."
In-text: (Mentalfloss 2021)
MENTALFLOSS. 2021. Aokigahara, Misaka Mountains [image]. Available at: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/73288/15-eerie-things-about-japans-suicide-forest. [accessed 29 Jan 2021]
Each year many people go missing, not just for suicide but for exploration as well. The Misaka mountains area is over 35km squared making it one of the largest forest areas in the world. There is a strict path to follow when visiting the Aokigahara woods but many people venture from this path in search of adventure only to get lost and to never be seen again. With the theme of lost & found I figured I can write & create something about loss. Loss can mean things in different ways & losing someone dear to you can be heart-breaking. My idea stems around the idea of the Misaka forest also known as the suicide forest. As detailed above hundreds of people go missing each year, even through exploring the area. I want to create a story about someone going into the forest to leave their life behind & having someone follow them on their final moments to try & capture what that must be like. Update on Week 1 :30th January 2021
The first full day of game development is finished for the Global Game Jam. What a day. I'll write more in my reflection journal about my experience so far, but for development I think I have an idea on what I want to do next. I love juxtaposition so I want to create a forest that is now set in the night time but is creepy. There are these Shinto shrines that are supposed to be houses for the dead & dolls that people leave in the woods for children who have gone missing.
Pintrest, 2021. Suicide Forest Dolls. [image] Available at: <https://in.pinterest.com/pin/384072674459880867/> [Accessed 31 January 2021].
Overall it's a really creepy experience and unsettling image to look at but I think with my background in Horror, this could work both ways in terms of fitting the theme and appealing to my audience.
Development for the Falmouth Global Game Jam has begun and I am super excited. The theme for this game jam is "Lost & Found".
Idea Misaka Mountains - Japan. Over 200 people a year get lost either seeking adventure or to attempt suicide. You play as a character looking for his girlfriend after she can no longer take it anymore. You must brave the forest & make you way through a seemingly endless maze & bring her back.
Mechanics Flashlight and sprinting mechanics, along with an interaction system.
This will give the player a feeling of attachment to the character as they play through the game looking for their girlfriend.
Gameplay
A narrative walking adventure driven story game where you can explore a semi small open world forest with many twists and turns. Procedurally generated terrain will help make each experience different.
Engine and Sound Design Unreal Engine 4 will be used for the development of this game. All sound design will also be completed myself.
Other Software Reallusion software for animation and character design, Blender for modelling and Video pad for working on credits and sound.
I am starting at 6pm tonight and will diving straight into the mechanics. Making the first person controller and head bob with step sounds. My partner will be starting to do some models for the Japan setting such as shrines and Sato Gates with dolls and statues.
Update Week 1: January 30th 2021 After a successful night of designing models I am ready to start building the world. I will be using the terrain tool today to flesh out designs for a world similar to the Misaka Mountains. Here is an example of what I was going for.
MENTALFLOSS, 2021. Misaka Mountains Picture. [image] Available at: <https://mentalfloss.org/japan/File:Aokigahara_and_Misaka_Mountains.JPG> [Accessed 7 February 2021].
Here is my end result.
As you can see I have directly used the influence from the actual Misaka Mountains and incorporated it into my game.
On top of this I was also able to complete most of the foliage today and have the player character walk around and explore. Shrines, statues and Sata Gates were also added along with a small stream under a bridge giving it a really authentic look.
Update Week 1: January 31st 2021
The final day of the Jam today & I will finalising audio and animations for the girlfriend and the main character along with the cutscenes.
As this was orientation we mainly focused on getting to know each other and also creating a picture using objects that tell a story about ourselves. We were also asked to think about the following: What are your aspirations for after graduation?
What skills and competencies do you bring with you into your postgraduate studies?
What skills and competencies do you need to improve upon in order to achieve your aspirations?
What do you need to create in order to evidence your skillset?
How can you optimise your journey through the course to ensure you achieve the desired results?
Given the focus on reflection, I think it would be fair to revisit these later on in the course. Week 1 - Time Management and Agile Development: 29th January 2021
For this weeks research I looked into the different types of methodologies people use when dealing with time management. Waterfall, Scrum Lean, PRINCE2, XP and Kanban. The two videos provided are Waterfall and Scrum but for the course we primarily focus on Scrum.
For my research I used the following videos on Canvas System Development Lifecycle (SDLC) Waterfall Method and System Development Lifecycle (SDLC) Scrum Agile Framework. Flex.falmouth.ac.uk. 2021. Log in to canvas. [online] Available at: <https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/911/pages/week-1-time-management-and-agile-development?module_item_id=49134> [Accessed 29 January 2021].
Scrum vs Waterfall:
As discussed in my reflection journal, Waterfall works best for projects completed in a linear fashion and does not allow going back to a prior phase. Agile methods break projects into smaller, iterative periods. Kanban is primarily concerned with process improvements. Scrum is concerned with getting more work done faster.
there are many different methods to consider when creating a work flow, however for the sake of continuity and contrast, we will be focusing on the Scrum method during this course as this is industry standard in the UX and game development scene.
Developing Good Academic Practice:
My research for this subject has lead me to a website called OpenLearn which focuses on the two main principles of good academic practice. Part 1 being plagiarism.
For most students studying at undergraduate level or on a taught postgraduate programme, your assignments will be the main work reviewed by others. When you produce answers to assignments, it is important that the person reviewing it:
knows that the words on the page originated with you, the author;
can easily distinguish your own thoughts and the ideas you use to emphasise your viewpoint or illustrate a specific point.
In other words, the assignment should be a true reflection of your understanding of the subject and it should demonstrate your academic skills and abilities.
Writing in your own words and applying good academic practice is not simply about showing others the depth of your understanding and current skills. It is also about helping you to make sense of what you are studying; in other words, ‘internalising’ what you are reading and learning by putting it into context and into practice.
Developing your academic writing skills will also:
allow you to develop confidence in using ideas and examples, and in making the course and the topics it covers ‘your own’;
help you to recall the materials when you revise at the end of the course;
put you in a much stronger position when preparing for the end-of-course examination;
enable you to apply what you have learned in this and other courses, as well as in your working life.
In summary, academic integrity and writing in your own words are central components of effective learning development and will help make things more intelligible and pertinent to you.
OpenLearn. 2021. Developing good academic practice. [online] Available at: <https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education/educational-technology-and-practice/educational-practice/developing-good-academic-practice/content-section-1> [Accessed 29 January 2021].
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