Mirrors edge as a formal system
Objects - The objects of Mirrors edge is Faith the avatar you control throughout the whole game and the environment which is mostly set on top of buildings, there are some levels and times where you are on street levels but you will be set to move back up to rooftop level because the rules stated you are vulnerable on street level so you need to escape to the rooftops where Faith has more Advantage, this is a attribute Ill explain this later.
Attributes - The attributes to Mirrors edge are that the avatar is a free runner so you consume the characteristics of a free runner. Attributes of a Free runner are that they mostly use themselves to conquer what obstacles they choose to over come, this is exactly the same with the avatar in Mirrors edge you choose what path to take to get to the goal but in the process you have to overcome obstacles to progress.
The rules only let you interact with certain rooftops because the ones that are not interact-able because they are too far away to get to, this would be a type of sandbox design. The building you can interact with are usually in jumping range or you need to reach a high peek to jump and have gravity at your side to help your momentum. So the avatar can jump quite far because she's a free runner and jumping is one of their main attributes. Falling on the other hand, you can fall quite a distance but if you do not roll you won't absorb the impact and get hurt.
Internal relationships - Most of the time in Mirrors edge you are in danger because of being chased by the blue (police AI.) These as a CPU are trying to stop you from progressing by trying to kill you.
Going back to attributes Faith has hand to hand combat to use so she can disarm or takedown the AI when they are at close range, she can also use the AI's weaponry but this leads to a downfall because however larger the weapon the slow the avatar will move/run and moving and running is I would say 'the core mechanic' in this game because you can outrun the AI if you choose not to fight.
Environment - The environment is a modern revolutionized free running playground that is in a linear format.
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Saturday, 27 November 2010
The Core Mechanics (from rules of play)
Every single game has a core mechanic. The core mechanic is a very important play activity that players experience and perform again and again throughout a game.
So from what I have read a core mechanic of a first person shooter game would be a set of related iterative actions the player conceives while playing the game. For example such as moving, aiming, shooting and also rationing health, stored ammo and armor. If these actions are not repeated or carried out in play the player won't promotionally move on to a higher rank or level. In a abbreviated matter of speaking the player won't progress.
So from what I have read a core mechanic of a first person shooter game would be a set of related iterative actions the player conceives while playing the game. For example such as moving, aiming, shooting and also rationing health, stored ammo and armor. If these actions are not repeated or carried out in play the player won't promotionally move on to a higher rank or level. In a abbreviated matter of speaking the player won't progress.
Friday, 26 November 2010
Game and play
Play is both a larger and smaller term than game depending on how it's stated for example, on one side Play is a bigger term that includes Game as a subset. However in reverse its true as well: Game is the bigger term and shares Play within it. (Still these relationships are separate just linked by similar characteristics)
Games as a subset of play
If you was to think of all activities we could call play, from a baby running with a ball to a young teenager rolling on a skateboard, to a community of online players, it seems that only some of these versions of play would actually be classed as a game. Playing Football is playing a game because there are formalized rules thats players must obey to compete and win.
So going back to the baby running with a ball, this doesn't necessarily count as a game but it is a form of play because how to baby interacts with the ball. A young teenager skateboarding doesn't have rules so its not a game but is a form of play just depends how the teenager interacts with the skateboard. Although skateboarding can be a form of game from competing in competitions this way there is a formal set of rules added to the activity to make it a game.
Play is a subset of games
In another sense games can be thought of as containing play. The experience of play is but many ways of looking at and understanding games.
The play of the game represents one aspect of games, though play is a crucial area of games, basically you can interact and 'play' with a set of formalized rules this is why these to words have the same meaning vise versa.
enjoyment and like are a big part of play I think. Enjoyment and like can make us want to play. So for example forget about football for the time beings; if you were to like the look of kicking a ball around a field this would draw you to play but not in a game sense, add formalized sets of rules to kicking that ball around the field then you would have a game and also enjoyment as a outcome because if you didn't have the liking of play then you wouldn't think of turning it into a game so with out some sort of satisfaction you wouldn't have something become a game.
Games as a subset of play
If you was to think of all activities we could call play, from a baby running with a ball to a young teenager rolling on a skateboard, to a community of online players, it seems that only some of these versions of play would actually be classed as a game. Playing Football is playing a game because there are formalized rules thats players must obey to compete and win.
So going back to the baby running with a ball, this doesn't necessarily count as a game but it is a form of play because how to baby interacts with the ball. A young teenager skateboarding doesn't have rules so its not a game but is a form of play just depends how the teenager interacts with the skateboard. Although skateboarding can be a form of game from competing in competitions this way there is a formal set of rules added to the activity to make it a game.
Play is a subset of games
In another sense games can be thought of as containing play. The experience of play is but many ways of looking at and understanding games.
The play of the game represents one aspect of games, though play is a crucial area of games, basically you can interact and 'play' with a set of formalized rules this is why these to words have the same meaning vise versa.
enjoyment and like are a big part of play I think. Enjoyment and like can make us want to play. So for example forget about football for the time beings; if you were to like the look of kicking a ball around a field this would draw you to play but not in a game sense, add formalized sets of rules to kicking that ball around the field then you would have a game and also enjoyment as a outcome because if you didn't have the liking of play then you wouldn't think of turning it into a game so with out some sort of satisfaction you wouldn't have something become a game.
Friday, 19 November 2010
The Chris Goodwin talk
From the lecture with Chris Goodwin I got inspired a lot to try new programs and new techniques on the course, however on the other hand I was a bit disappointed when he mentioned his story of being out in the game business. He basically said that he didn't like what he was doing most of the time, this made me a bit uncomfortable about being in the business, but one must think optimistic because no one knows what the future holds
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Inspired games of the present times
Now days I play the xbox 360, the games that inspire me at the moment are the star wars unleashed games, Dante's inferno, silent hill homecoming, halo reach and gears of war.
All these games evaluate how my art style is today because I draw quite messy and use grungy textures most of my drawings always turn out linked to either one of the games mentioned above; not so much star wars because i have only just recently got back into it.
Times will change though there are a lot of games out there that will inspire me more, maybe even take me away from my comfort zone then I might be drawing completely different or be drawing different things besides what Im comfortable with at the moment.
All these games evaluate how my art style is today because I draw quite messy and use grungy textures most of my drawings always turn out linked to either one of the games mentioned above; not so much star wars because i have only just recently got back into it.
Times will change though there are a lot of games out there that will inspire me more, maybe even take me away from my comfort zone then I might be drawing completely different or be drawing different things besides what Im comfortable with at the moment.
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