From EQUIS Lab Wiki

This page is a part of Big Bad World of Exercise project, backtracking.

Contents 1 First Brainstorming 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Generated ideas 1.3 Conclusion 2 Second Brainstorming 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Generated ideas 2.3 Conclusion 3 Third Brainstorming 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Generated ideas 3.3 Conclusion

First Brainstorming

• What ? (goal)
  

The input technics use since the prototype developpement have been choose arbitrary, so we need a brainstorming session to give new (differents) ideas.

• Where ?
  

This brainstorming take place in the new metting room of the EQUIS: the garden.

• Who?
  

Actors:
Eril Berkok, undergraduate student working in BBWoE project
Andrew ..., undergraduate student
Claire Joly, Master HCI student
Louis Noval, myself

• When?
  

date: 20/05/2010

• Why?
  

See next.

Introduction

The meetings before this first brainstorming genereates sometimes few ideas, but have not been organize for that. Specially project meetings, where we

decide what kind of input we want to use. After a lot of decision takes because the xbox 360 pad is use like that in 90% of the cases. We want to have a real user center input method. Before this meeting: The bike is use to move the avatar: if you pedaling clockwise, the avatar go forward (if avatar facing forward). Contrary, if you pedaling counter-

clockwise, the avatar go backward (if you facing forward). The player can change de facing direction of the avatar using pad's left thrumstick, left or right for facing left or right. the other actions on the avatar are:

• Brake using B button.
• Use when the avatar touch the object using X button.
• Jump when the jump progess bar is full, using A button.
• Zooming in/out by pressing the crossbar pad up or down.
• The last functionnality add to the avatar is the rotation management. First the user can stabilize the rotation by pressing the Use button when the avatar don't touch something. But i had other buttons for directly rotate the avatar clockwisely and counter-clockwisely. This buttons are: the triggers (left or right for clocker or counter-clokerwise rotation). The buttons upper this triggers for the same using easily to try on user if the function can be tested on real time).

All of our has already play at BBWoE, but the improvement of the game vary in hour mind: Andrew has been play just few hours before the meetings, claire play BBWoE 2 weeks later. She don't know all the changing about the rotation. But actors don't remember all the controls.

Generated ideas

After a introduction in a brief talk about our point of view on how the brainstorimings works, the idea generation and discuss start.

• Why using the pedals for moving the avatar, pedals are not better to use for stabilize the avatar in the air. Or using pedaling for moving and for stabilizing when you are in the air.
• The actors thinks that the triggers is a good solution for this rotation problem too.
• The changing of avatar direction can be simple by using a simple button (Y should be just perfect for that).
• After the discuss about how the use function works for the moment, claire ask why we not choose to take right thumbstick direction + press it to give a specific direction and intensity to the force. This should be use in addition to the simple way that we find to do that (press just a button).
• About the zoom, andrew talk why we don't take RB and LB for managing the zoom (buttons upper the triggers).
• After this meettings, we start a discuss why us about the hypotetic future of this project, and i talk about the nick idea: the climbing. Eril in joking said "like the batman grappling hook ?". This idea can be interesting in next.

Conclusion

This meetings has two point of view about this conclusion: In one hand we don't have generated a lot of real ideas. But in an other, a lot of idea generated is near already implemented function. The strategy to assign buttons at already using function seems to pay.

Second Brainstorming

• What ? (goal)
  

A start of reflexion about track editor have to be done before the next sprint, we need some ideas from different people on this part of the game.

• Where ?
  

This brainstorming take place the main room of EQUIS lab.

• Who?
  

Actors:
Eril Berkok, undergraduate student working in BBWoE project
Andrew ..., undergraduate student
Claire Joly, Master HCI student
Louis Noval, myself

• When?
  

date: 26/05/2010

• Why?
  

See next.

Introduction

This track editor are not really important for our user testing, in first time. Because for longer user testing we have to add a good gameplay for keep the player in the game enough time for his healthy. So this first version of track editor don't really aim a good design. Some features should probably not implemented, but we want a quick, basic and easy to use editor. The idea is to add a second iterate to really take the time for developping this editor.

Generated ideas

After a introduction in a brief talk about our point of view of why we do this meeting, the ideas generation and discuss start.

• Prompt the track editor.
  • We can start the editor during the game by pressing the big X button (in the middle of the pad)
  • We can use Back button too for that.
  • This action do the game in pause for the player.
  • Directly acces by a game menu ?

• Acces to the different shapes, different textures.
  • Using Dpad combine with a basic 2D menu presenting different items.
  • During this action, you can change texture apply on the object using LB or RB.
  • Or by pressing LB + a direction with the left thrumbstick.
  • Another idea is using two menus (one for the textures, and another for the entities).
  • Another idea about this menus is using pie menu: LB you pop a menu entity, RB you pop a texture menu.

• Editing the size of shape:
  • You can change the sizae of the shape after his selection.
  • Or, you can change the size when you have selected one.
  • For changing this size, using right thrumbstick seems to be the simple way. You increase the width by moving the stick right, reduce by left. You increase the height by moving the stick up, reduce by down.

• Actions based on buttons:
  • (A) Pick up something.
  • (X) (When you have nothing already selected) Pick up something (more close than the original gameplay).
  • (X) (When you have something selected) Apply the modification and unselect you object.
  • (B) Undo operation on current object if you have selected one, if you are not, undo last operation.
  • (A) Start a physics testing.
  • Dpad for check and edit physics properties of the current object (Y button is free and can be use to prompt this menu)

Conclusion

All this idea are really interesting, and give new orientations on a more precise design. But because we probably will devellop a basic editor, we have to refine this idea to keep the most simple and remove all to complex functionnality. After this, we should bring some interaction problem, and need to find news ways. This meeting reach this simple goal.

Third Brainstorming

• What ? (goal)
  

Reflect about how to split houses for easily personnalize them. How to re-use as less as pieces of terrain possible for making a nice world ? What kind of terrain you imagine in this game ?

• Where ?
  

This brainstorming take place the garden of the EQUIS lab.

• Who?
  

Actors:
Eril Berkok, undergraduate student working in BBWoE project
Claire Joly, Master HCI student
Louis Noval, myself

• When?
  

date: 26/07/2010

• Why?
  

See next.

Introduction

The main goal of this meeting is reduce de number of different sprites that we need on the game. This number can be reduce by factorize quite similar sprites (like with the houses) or by reusing the same texture lot of time (but in this case we want to hide this to the user).

Generated ideas

After a introduction in a brief talk about our point of view of why we do this meeting, the ideas generation and discuss start.

First we start to discuss about the houses:

• We can split the houses by isolated each scenery pieces.
  • Very flexible, highter level of tuning
• Contrary, we can isolated houses stairs by stairs.
  • Very simple to use, the most lego like ?
• A mix: An atom for each stairs (a piece of wall + window) for generating building in height AND in Width.
  • A real mix before the two other solutions

After we go on the different surfaces: (already exist surfaces that works: ice/wood/grass

• you can add this kind of surfaces:
  • pavement(road)
  • stone
  • mud
  • sand/gravel
  • steel -> girder

For avoid to have always the same details that user see by traveling the world:

• You can adding scenery object on top of this surfaces (like in sonic the hedgehog)
• Changing the size in Width can be a solution for re-using textures.

Conclusion

The solution of splitting houses stairs by stairs are really simple to use, and you can add stairs for long term achievement easily. But after a discuss with Nick, it seams not enough flexible for further developments of the game. It's the reason why we will take the opposite solution, even we will not have enough time for implement it. Moreover this little pieces can be collect by the player easily in different parts of the word. For the new ground, i will give to Chris this different surfaces ans ask him wich ones should be the best in term of visual effect (depending of what he want) This surface will have maximum details remove for be able to add it in a second time directly in the XML file of the "level".