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GDC 2014 Roundup

4/28/2014

Open up the Vault!

I put together a collection of some of the talks I watched online, for free from the GDC vault website. I wanted to share my list of what I found to be the most informative, interesting and educational talks from the GDC 2014 vault. I present to you my GDC 2014 video roundup!

Ellie: Buddy AI in The Last of Us by Max Dychoff

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of The Last of Us, and this talk by Max Dychoff is an interesting look at how they designed and implemented the character of Ellie into the game.

This is a great watch for anyone that wants to work with Ai Programming and design, or for anyone who likes Ellie.

Video Here

Creating Bioshock Infinite's Elizabeth by Shawn Robertson

Shawn Robertson goes into detail over the start and finish of how Elizabeth was constructed, from sketches to a fully realized character in the final game. I highly recommend this video to anyone who wants to be an animator in the game industry.

Video Here

Why Is Gone Home a Game? by Steve Gaynor

Gone Home was one of those games that took me by surprise. I went into it completely blind and it amazed me. In this talk Steve Gaynor discusses the process of putting this game together.

A lot of people talk about the story elements and characters, but I have to say I really loved the setting. I personally wish that he discusses the importance of music in Gone Home . Nothing like reading your sister's diary while punk rock softly plays in the background to take me back to the early 90's.

Video Here

Note: Steve Gaynor also has a radical podcast called Tone Control. You should definitely check it out.

The Art of The Witness by Luis Antonio

This is a really cool look at the process of the Art Direction The Witness has gone through. I was really impressed to see just how much thought has gone into the overall presentation and aesthetics.

If you like environmental art, this talk is right up your alley. Luis Antonio goes over the process of how the team at Thekla Inc went about creating a visually striking world by removing clutter and noise to create simple yet visually rich objects.

Video Here

#1ReasonToBe by

Brenda Romero, Lauren Scott, Colleen Macklin, Anna Kipnis, Deirdra Kiai, Leigh Alexander and Laralyn McWilliams

If you come to this talk with an open mind I think you will most definitely walk away with something,. I would like to think that I am aware of the things that go on in the industry but this talk made me realize that things are not perfect they way they are, that things can still be improved.

This talk also enforced my belief that diversity is key to strengthening our industry as a whole. Which means more representation of minorities in games and as developers/creators.

Video Here

Anitchamber: An Overnight Success, Seven Years in the Making and Antichamber: Three Years of Hardcore Iteration by Alexander Bruce

   These two talks were amazing. In his first talk Alexander Bruce goes over the journey of creating Antichamber, and he doesn't hold back. As an indie myself, I found a lot of what he discussed to resonate with me.

   In his second talk he talks about the intensive iteration and design Antichamber went through before it's release. I was pretty much blown away at the complexity of the design behind the game. Alexander really maximized the results he got from every play test to expertly polish Antichamber.

    I played Antichamber back when it was still known as Hazard. I downloaded the demo from the UDK site. After seeing these talks I added it to my list of "Games I Need to Play".

Video 1 Here

Video 2 Here

SCALE and the Ethics of Kickstarter by Steve Swink

If you're thinking about or are in the process of putting together a Kickstarter, this video is probably essential viewing.

Steve Swink shares his Kickstarter experience and breaks down the ups and downs of running a successful kickstarter campaign. If you want to launch a kickstarter, please watch this video.

Video Here

- Danny Q
@Dannylv100

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Level Design 101: Freeze-E Frosty's - Level Two Breakdown

4/21/2014

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Diving Deeper into the Factory

After the layout for the first level was underway I began construction of the second. I knew that this level had to be quite a change visually and tonally from the first.

The first level was bright and inviting, this level was going to be dark and a bit hostile. I took inspiration from Super Mario Bros. for the NES. World 1-1 was a bright happy place that was above ground. However, as soon as you get to world 1-2 the Mushroom Kingdom was no longer so inviting. And that was the tone I was attempting to convey with this level.

Level Goals and Objectives

Level Type: Campaign

Level Name: Factory Depths
- Single Mission

Mission Location

- World Famous Freeze-E Frosty's Ice Cream Factory
- Lower factory, lots of machinery and equipment

Visual Themes

- Dark industrial setting
- Lower level of the factory, not meant to be seen by the general public

Mission Difficulty

Level 2 is where the difficulty begins to ramp up slowly. The player will have to use everything they learned from the previous level in order to progress. The player faces a series of platforming sections and simple puzzle solving.

Level Story

After the meltdown, Frosty finds himself trapped in the deep dark depths of the factory.

Frosty must now make his way through the bowels of the factory so he can find the "Shut-off Valve" room.

Level Goals

- Player will now use everything thing they learned from the previous level to traverse the challenges of this level

- To tell more of the story through background elements and events.

Enemy Units

- There are no enemy units present in this level
- There are hazards in the level that may injure or kill the player

Level 2 -Side View

The second level has a large shift in terms of tone from the first.

Level 2 is where the gloves come off a bit. Players will now have to face an array of challenges that will test their abilities and reflexes. This levels also builds up to the final confrontation with the T-Rex from the previous level.

Level 2 - Forklift Area

Once the player reaches the bottom of the elevator shaft they may catch a glimpse of their boss attempting to talk to them through a TV. Before the player gets a chance to hear what the boss is trying to say, the monitor explodes. The player can't go left so as they must continue on their journey by heading to the right.
As the player moves toward the right they will encounter the first health vent of the game. The health vent will heal the player gradually as they stand in its healing breeze.

Once the player gets near a large fan they are contacted by the Boss via the walkie talkie on their hip. The first obstacle they face will be a large fan is blowing air that is so powerful that the player can not get though. The solution to this puzzle is to freeze the fan blades causing it to fall apart.

In the forklift area the player must jump up and down on the steel crates to reach the catwalk overhead. Inside the workstation we can overhear some NPC characters talking. If the player continues forward they will set off an event where the T-Rex will appear and eat an NPC in the background.

Now that the boss can no longer reach the player with his TV monitor he will use the walkie talkier on Frosty's hip. The Boss will tell the player over the walkie talkie to get to the shutoff valve room. This is the player's ultimate goal, reaching this area will end the game and result in a victory for the player.

The boss will act as a sort of guide for the player. He will dispense directions/tips/hints through the walkie talkie and will help the player get to their ultimate goal.

Once the player gets into the vent they will encounter more fans. As the player learned from earlier the fans are strong enough to move the player. So if the player must now stand on top of the fan so that it will carry them further up into the higher parts of the vents.

In the highest part of the vents the player will encounter a frozen NPC worker. Instead of having the option to freeze them the player is told to use the "E" key to knock him down over the spike pit effectively making a bridge. As the player travels further into the vents they will see another worker trapped in the vents floating inside a vent in the background.

Frosty watches another worker float helplessly in another pipe.

At the very top of the vents is the first checkpoint of level 2. This checkpoint is implemented in this are because the vents will have few spots where the player can die, frequent checkpoints will prevent the player from becoming frustrated.

Level 2 - Vents Part. 1

Now that the player has reached the checkpoint they encounter the first real danger, a icicle pit. There is a small sign on the inside of the vents that will remind the player to use their dash ability. Dashing is the only option because the vents do not give the player enough space to jump.

Frosty must be careful not to fall into a deadly icicle pit.

After the spike pit we encounter the second danger of this level, Falling Icicles. With some careful maneuvers the player can avoid being hit by the icicles altogether and continue on their journey to safety.

The last thing the player will encounter is a running man NPC inside one of the vents overhead. The player then drops down into the next section of vents.

Level 2 - Vents Part. 2

Once the player is in the new area they will have to dash over another spike pit and avoid another group of falling icicles. This area has two checkpoints very close to each other because the risk of dying is very high is this section.

Frosty makes a daring jump as he tries to find a way out of the maze of vents.

As the player nears the broken steam pipe area there is a group of NPCs below him. Once the player is able to make it past the steam and event occurs. One of the NPCs in the vent below the player loses his grip and slams into a wall of icicles. He is impaled on the wall as the player drops down to the second checkpoint in this area. The second checkpoint in this area is near a large icicle pit.

If the player is capable of passing over the spike pit they have an easy ride to the next checkpoint.

The next checkpoint is in preparation for the next area known as the "Cookie Crumbler".

Frosty is just about to exit the maze of vents.

Level 2 -The Cookie Crumbler

This is one of the trickiest area in the game. As you enter this room, the Boss will tell the player to find a way out. When the player reaches the center platform under the health vent they will be told to find "Tim's Office".

There is a large Kill zone volume underneath the center platform. If the player were to fall inside it would send him back to the checkpoint at the start of this section, outside of the vent on the wall.. If the player were to stand on either of the platforms going up or down they will be taken into a kill zone volume.

Tim's office.

Once the player reaches Tim's office they will need to flip a switch which will then cause an explosion. The explosion will open up the giant vent on the right side of the map, which in turn allows the player to exit this area.

Level 2 - Air Vents and B-team Commandos Staging Area

This area of the factory is all about moving the player along quickly. This is achieved by having the player walk into an air vent. The vents will quickly propel the player into the staging area with very little trouble.

The staging area has a brief interaction with some NPCs (The B-team Commandos). Once the player engages them they will be treated to a brief cut scene. After the cut scene the player walks through the door and the level ends.

- Danny Q
@Dannylv100

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GDC 2014 Roundup

Open up the Vault!

Ellie: Buddy AI in The Last of Us by Max Dychoff

Creating Bioshock Infinite's Elizabeth by Shawn Robertson

Why Is Gone Home a Game? by Steve Gaynor

The Art of The Witness by Luis Antonio

#1ReasonToBe by

Anitchamber: An Overnight Success, Seven Years in the Making and Antichamber: Three Years of Hardcore Iteration by Alexander Bruce

SCALE and the Ethics of Kickstarter by Steve Swink

Level Design 101: Freeze-E Frosty's - Level Two Breakdown

Diving Deeper into the Factory

Level Goals and Objectives

Level Type: Campaign

Mission Location

Visual Themes

Mission Difficulty

Level Story

Level Goals

Enemy Units

Level 2 -Side View

Level 2 - Forklift Area

Level 2 - Vents Part. 1

Level 2 - Vents Part. 2

Level 2 -The Cookie Crumbler

Level 2 - Air Vents and B-team Commandos Staging Area

Dannylv100

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