Assignment 3 - Feature Design Exercise
This assignment is due on Friday 5/18.
From Game Design Workshop pg. 165, 168.
The exercise from the book is below.
Exercise 6.9, 6.10: Feature Design Exercise
Think of a feature you would like to see added to one of your favorite games. I am sure you have plenty of ideas on this one. It does not matter how far-fetched or technically difficult the idea is at first because you are not going to actually build it. Rather you are going to illustrate how it works using storyboards and words.
Create a visual storyboard stepping through the use of the feature idea. Assemble the storyboard so that it tells a visual story of a player successfully playing the game. For example, the storyboard for Karaoke Revolution World Party could show all of the interfaces as if a player starts as a beginner and moves all the way to winning a prize.
Details
Since I am asking for a visual storyboard, I’ll let you submit it a number of ways.
- If you want to draw out the storyboard using software, then submit an image or PDF on Polylearn.
- If your storyboard is on paper, you can scan or photograph it and upload that image to Polylearn.
- Or, you can just hand in your storyboard on paper to me in office hours or after class on any day. If you choose this option, however, your deadline is now 4:00pm on the duedate instead of the 11:59pm PolyLearn deadline (since I must be physically present for you to turn in).
For more information on what your storyboard should look like, check the figures on pg. 165 in the book:
and the description on pg. 168:
The most powerful way to explain your ideas for new features is to visualize them. You can use Photoshop or any other image editing program you have access to. A good way to begin is to use screenshots from the existing game and edit them to explain what the player sees when they use your new feature ideas. For example, show how the feature starts (e.g., exactly what the player sees on the screen when the feature is activated) and how the interface changes as the player manipulates the controls to use the feature. Show a series of still images — each with a slightly different on-screen condition — to simulate a player moving through the game using the feature. Storyboards like this can include dozens of still images — each just incrementally different than its predecessor — to show exactly how the feature works. Do not worry if you have poor art skills. The goal is not for the graphics to look perfect but rather to communicate your ideas with simple imagery. Assemble the storyboard and add some light explanatory text. You can assemble the storyboard using presentation programs such as PowerPoint or Keynote. These programs make it easy for you to put together a long series of images and add light text. Do not put much text on the images because you want your ideas to be communicated visually.
I am looking for one to three images like what you see on pg. 165.