INTRODUCTION

1. INTRODUCTION Pacman Escapes • Game concept – Boris • Graphical design – Stefan • Level design – Marc • Playtesting – Tim • Development issues - Dirk

2. Genre: Classical platform • Utilizing the strength of the Game Maker engine. • Focus on game mechanics > graphics • Level design critical

3. Meta-game • Mixing of classical games both platform and otherwise. Pacman/Super Mario/Doom. • Merging gameplay into a new cohesive whole. • Selling point: recognizable game components that are widely loved.

4. Narrative • Pacman escapes his labyrinth and finds himself in a strange place between game worlds. • Pacman tries to find his way to the outside world where he dreams of a sunny beach, a cool long-drink and Miss Pacman. • He finds that other video game heroes are also imprisoned in their respective game worlds and to make his final escape Pacman needs their help.

5. Character development • Pacman learns and assimilates defining characteristics and abilities from the video game heroes/worlds he comes into contact with during the game. • Abilities: Jump (Mario), Roll (Sonic) • Physical attributes: Legs (eating mushrooms, Mario world) • Items: Shotgun (Doom 1+2), Flashlight (Doom 3), Sunglasses (Duke Nukem).

6. Goals • Immediate goals: collecting items to unlock the next level and progress in the game. (coins in the Super Mario chapter) • Pacmans ultimate goal is to meet his maker and hold him accountable for the imprisonment in the labyrinth. Ultimately Pacman wants what we all want: a sunny beach, a nice cool long drink – and Miss Pacman!

7. Platform game - the graphics for the game should be somewhat coherent - experience of playing one game. We chose to make the graphics in the same resolution and look Graphical Design- Designing the game

8. To give the game a coherent look and feel - Chose to mimic the original game’s graphic as much as possible. The graphical mix of games – Pacman / Mario / Doom

9. Chose original platform style with 8 bit graphics Would mimic the original game as much as possible To get the player the feeling of actually playing the old Mario game Super Mario game graphic

10. Chose a style that would fit in the gamestyle - platform games. Doomgame graphics - We sought similar graphic as in the original game Doom game graphic

11. Wanted to give Pacman personality We chose a more modern look to make him stand out compared to the graphics on each level. Mario game - we gave him eyes and legs. Doom game we gave him hands, sunglasses and a pumpgun. A bit more character to Pacman - gave him a “waiting”-animation The new Pacman

12. Chose an interfacestyle - would look like the ones in the original game. Mario game, with Score, Lives left – Pacman icons, Coins collected and Time. Doom game - Classic Doom interface w. Pacman Interface

13. Menu - under construction Simple and functional menu / submenu’s Control layout - simple graphical way Menu – How to

14. LEVEL DESIGN

15. The classical Super Mario

16. The classical Super Mario

17. Pacman Escapes - First level

18. Pacman Escapes - The Doom level

19. Pacman Escapes - The Doom level

20. Pacman Escapes - collecting coins

21. Pacman Escapes - collecting even more coins

22. Pacman Escapes - Pacman level in SMB.

23. Pacman Escapes - Final Mario level

24. Iterative design • Design • From idea to game mechanic • Implementation • From implementation to initial testing • Playertest • From playertest to evaluation

25. Playtesting

26. Play-testing The process One player, one PC One observer Taking notes about the players reactions Player determines length of playtesting Use of questionaire Tested with diffent kind of people Few from target group

27. DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

28. Sources of error • Known sources of error • Use of gamelab • Potentially distract the player from testing • Player determines length of playtesting • The player potentially stops playing when the game becomes boring. • Bugs/problems only visible through long play stays hidden. • Use of questionaire • Potentially guide the player towards bugs/problem already known, thus hide unkown bugs/problems, limit feedback from the player.

29. Result of the playertest • Result • Is the game fun? • Difficulty • Monsters • Goals of the game

30. Is the game fun Is the game fun? 20 % answer yes 40 % answer initially fun but loose appeal 40 % answer no Why is the game not fun? 80 % claims the game is too difficult Sidenote: The 20 % answering that the game is fun are also the only ones thinking the game is fun all the time.

31. Difficulty Player comments: You start over each time To many ghosts Monsters are not transparrent The number of coins to collect is too high

32. Monsters Yellow ghost Range from very annoying to very fun Over-aggressive Red ghost Over-aggressive Goomba Not transparrent Very buggy

33. What to do next • Reduce difficulty • Seems there is a close relationship between the difficulty and the fun factor

34. Development Issues • Unimplemented game mechanics • Sonic Level • Problems with ramps • Learning curve of new abilities • User Interface • Needs to be adjusted • Keys for new abilities? • More testing needed.

35. Back to the Future • Future Fixes • Multiple dificulty levels. • More of an introduction, thing are not obvious enough. • Reimplementation • The ability of the team to work at the same time on the game. • Ability to test game mechanics that do not work well in Gamemaker

36. Questions?