EXPOsed!

The course ended.

We did not.

The summer course's last sprint review was quite not a typical one - it was a pitching event. Or then again, we surely were there, so it was even madly typical. Ha ha... ha... However, what especially separated it from earlier reviews was that we had prestigious judges watching our presentations, sharing their standpoints and giving some constructive feedback - which, to be mentioned, gave a lot of new ideas while supporting many existing ones.

Besides a short review/pitch, our team presented a combination of Powerpoint slides, trailer video and gameplay. There was a strict maximum of ten minutes for presentation (minimum being six minutes), so many things were left unsaid and many things would maybe be done and said differently now. Still, we got a lot of valuable feedback. It's interesting how one can have a brainstorm/think tank by self even during a presentation and while listening judges' comments. Good talks!

The course being sponsored by OnePlus, their representative was naturally part of the honorable jury. The other ones were representatives from EA and Snowfall (they make Moomin games!). So yeah, we had some pressures... or at least I did: I spend the night before editing our presentation video/game trailer at the university, so I was standing there pitching basically with the power of coffee.

(

Really, that liquid (which I btw just googled to be a "psychoactive drug" - rather interesting since I've never thought it as such, thanks Wikipedia!) has made possible for me to stay awake so many nights (and/or the day after staying awake all night) that I need this mug.

)

But, to cut back to the chase, also our game has now a logo! And a new name, since after long pondering we made a poll among our fellow students. From several suggestions the winning name was chosen and you can see it here:

Scarecrow Awakened! On the game's main menu you'll find this logo as a green version! We are now having a demo and you are welcome to ask it from us. Unfortunately, cause of several bugs we are not quite yet adding it to Google Play, but there're still several opportunities for you to come and play it - also with us!

One of those opportunities was right after the pitch: we had an EXPO at the main lobby of the Lapland University of Applied Sciences (the same very building we had our course during the summer). Also here we got some great feedback, as any time someone has tested our game. Big thanks for each of you!

It's also a great feeling when somebody compliments your production. At this level of intensity as the course has been, there's naturally a great amount of feelings and personal value involved. Perhaps especially as a designer (even hardass? Haha)!

The course games were also available for playing during the IGDA event at the Bull Bar. There our team also heard something...

From amongst all 13 teams, we were chosen as one of teams to represent on GameXpo at Messukeskus, Helsinki 2.-4.11.2018! There are also 3-5 other teams. From what I've heard, these choices were based on the recommendations of the jury. So a huge thank you for them!

So as the development of this game could otherwise have stopped after the course (since we have a demo, which was the goal), there's now hope for continuation!

So check your schedules already to come and meet us during GameXpo and we'll inform you of our whereabouts!

- Mirko

The End Is Nigh w/ #madskills

Just wanted to tell you guys (in case you missed it on our Instagram or the profile bar on the right side of this blog): we have a new logo! On the last days of this summer game course project our graphic designer Kara created this, among many other things! So quickly, much beautiful! Such skills!

For more, there're also versions with grey backgrounds (lighter and darker grey, as well as versions without the name), but I think this background really makes the logo to stand out! Awesome work!

There's only couple of days left before the demo should be ready/as ready as it is (perfectionist's view, haha!). Then the EXPO on Thursday - check the link and come to see all the games we've made! And after that.. well, we'll see! ;)

I'll also post material on Instagram, so check the link posted above, there's still more to come before the release!

- Mirko

Breaking Point

MWHAHAHAHAHA!

It's gone a while since the last entry! A way too long while, several entries missed. Naturally the tight schedule has made us (as well our team as others on the course) rush a bit, but I guess the lack of entries is more because of my will to have some new content to show. Feels kinda boring to show just 3D models all the way (not for me, but for a reader... would it be?) or to say "we've done things", eh? Yeah. But we've done things. A lot of things.

Despite couple of problems to solve (you know, there's always some) our game goes ahead so quickly I'm not actually even sure how many things we've done since the last... But let's handle bygones as such and move forward. Here's some UI for you guys! Above you can see our app icon as we've planned it (Kara did great work with that) and here's our pause menu (though some changes may still come up):

Beneath the menu you can see how the player's point of view will be. What do you think? Also notice those game view buttons on the top left corner - and the inventory (having the hide/show button on the corner, but which may be removed)! That black box beneath the menu is the text area/"speech bubble", which was already modified so that the inventory doesn't show up anymore while the text area is in use.

All in all, this has appeared to be a rather experimental game and process on the whole... and then again pretty traditional. Funny how it comes like that, but then again I guess there's always good to have some experimenting, especially with a student project with no intention to gain huge piles of money (not that we wouldn't though - of course we will, since our game is awesome... oh wait, it's free without micropayments hahaha)!

More content showing to come on the following days - and we've having a GAME EXPO on the Lapland University of Applied Sciences on the following week, when the course ends! So be sure to come, a lot of fun and a AWESOME games!

See ya!

- Mirko

But it's better if you do

Past week we've made a lot of progress and... now it's another holiday week of the summer course. My holiday plans went down the drain, so... guess I could do some more modelings? Perhaps. Kinda addictive stuff.

We're now having over 40 modelings at our little demo-ish game and there are more to come. There's also at least couple of dozen textures, background images and other 2D art. Mechanics keep improving while our coders keep gaining more knowledge and skill - while we're of course playtesting the game too! Considering how short time we have at our disposal, it's great to see the variety of neat games being created on this course.

Still missing all sounds though! There's some work for the following weeks. They keep saying that it's not very important on mobile games, but proper audio would still be nice. Too many games out there with just some poor mumbling. As a student of audiovisual media culture and an amateur voice actor, I really don't want to leave it there.

Here's a quick look at our game (camera angle's not the actual one):

Also, we are now on Instagram: GO FOLLOW! :)

- Mirko

Never give you up

Whoooo! What is this?

Time flies and blog is leaving without entries!

Let's fix this!

Since the last entry we've:
- had one week of holiday
- made a LOT of new assets (as well 3D models as 2D art)
- ditched Substance Painter as the texture making software, since our 2D artist Kara turned out to be pretty awesome 2D artist!
- and compressed our game to (basically) three levels, though one still having two rooms.

As a team leader I've stressed more than enough about game getting ready in time, but so it seems now that there is a great chance for it!

And all in all, THIS is what the game is about!:

Platform: Mobile/Android
ESRB: E

Scarecrow's Tale is a 2.5D point-and-click dark fantasy adventure game in which the player learns more about the story through puzzles and problem solving.

The demo version of the game has 3 (or 4) levels of which each hold one puzzle and is currently available only for Android.

The player unfolds a story of a scarecrow that has recently come to life. The people of a nearby village have fallen gravely ill by some unknown reason. Out of its gratitude towards villagers that gave it purpose, the scarecrow begins the journey to find the cure - and the cause.



This part is getting pretty ridiculous cause of multiple changes with modelings and art, but on the next week I'll finally post some pictures of how the game's assets will really look like!

Have a great weekend!

- Mirko

P.S.: Revamped blog looks!

Timeline convergence

hello_world.en!

So, first of all... while doing this post, I decided that it may be best to write this blog in English from now on. After all, we have pretty many things here in English already: our team name, entry headlines, and... well, of course hopefully some of you readers out there now. And surely it's also handy with the terminology.

While it doesn't seem really necessary to recollect past entries in English - though you can check our team photo below - there may be a need to quickly reintroduce our team (or feel free to skip the next two paragraphs). So who are we? Let's keep it quick and simplify this up a bit with some line breaks (beats and rap solos voluntarily):

We are a team of students
   named Typical Mad Studios
      for the summer course
         organized by a cooperative project named ArcticShell
            between The University of Lapland and Lapland University of Applied Sciences
               with a goal to create mobile game
                  by the end of August 2018.

Our team consists of:
Kara: game design (storyline, world, characters, puzzles), 2D
Tuomas: Unity, sounds
Miika: level design, Unity
Henrik: game design (story), Unity, 3D
Mirko (me): project lead, game design (storyline, world, characters, puzzles), 3D (Blender), sounds, Unity&C#-wannalearn. Also responsible for updating this project blog. (Yeah, I often tend to do too many things, especially if it's unclear how much is enough for example to complete a course..)

So after this small repeat, here we are, having done this game for a month and a half now and... well, let's see what comes up. A bit terrified with this time limit of three and a half months, including full day workshops among other things. At this point our course teams have had their third (two week) sprint review with small playable demos on last Thursday, but even so our team checked the schedule and decided to simplify the modelings and structure a bit to keep up. That's also why there's no new pictures of production to put in here - for now. Next time then!

On past weeks our team's continued the work and is now working up three levels of five. Also UI has been put in the making. The next week is a Midsummer holiday week, but despite of that I (must) also continue doing those modelings, so that they will be ready (as far as possible) when others come from spending their holidays.

But also I like to remember Jack. Do you? He had no play. Don't be like Jack.

Happy holidays!

- Mirko

Public class. Private void. Stay sharp.

Tällä viikolla maanantai oli omistettu omien projektien edistämiselle. Työpajat vievät kuitenkin muina päivinä niin paljon aikaa, että tuntuu ettei pelimme pääse kunnolla etenemään ja kuin olisimme edelleen miltei lähtökuopissa. Suunniteltavaa riittää vielä tulevillekin päiville, mitä toivottavasti ehdin kuroa viikonlopun aikana.

Tiistai ja torstai puolestaan olivat C#:n opettelua, keskiviikko ja perjantai ääniopintoja (ja hieman C#:n koodausta), sekä molemmissa tapauksissa niiden implementointia Unityyn. Itselleni C#&Unity on sitä pihviä, jota tulin kurssille opettelemaan, joten kyselen paljon ja olen luultavasti rasittava opettajille, mutta haluan oppia - ja nautin haasteesta!

Muu tiimi on myös jatkanut omien osa-alueidensa työstöä: Kara suunnitellut kenttiä, sekä Miika, Tuomas ja Henrik opetelleet Blenderiä ja Unitya koodaten kenttää ja puzzlea eteenpäin. Hitaasti pelimme etenee, mutta etenee kuitenkin. Jospa tästä vielä peli saadaan. Tosin näillä näkymin tietysti vasta toisella puolikkaalla eli heinä-elokuulla, jolloin toivottavasti minäkin pääsen liittymään koodarien puolelle - mallinnusten valmistuttua!

Pelisuunnittelusta vastaavina olemme myös Karan kanssa hieman tuumailleet (mm. edelliseen merkintään linkatun tutoriaalin pohjalta) assettien realistisempien (Substance Painter) tekstuurien yhteensovittamista piirrettyjen taustojen kanssa eli pitäisikö pelin visuaalinen tyyli vaihtaa kokonaisuudessaan animaatiotyylisempään, jolloin se luultavasti tehtäisiin mallinnusten tapaan Blenderillä. Saa nähdä. Ensi viikolla sitten lisää kuvia ym.

Hyvää viikonloppua!

- Mirko