MONTH 4: POLISH, PLAYTESTING & POSTMORTEM

This month was primarily focused on polishing the game’s aesthetics with any sound effects, music or visual effects. We were also tasked with creating a game trailer for our game (see above) and a postmortem video (see below). I happily took responsibility in creating both videos. We wanted to create a lot of energy and excitement so editing the videos and creating custom transition segments helped build the overall representation of the game as well as editing in a music score that swells the excitement further.

Similar to the beginning of the game when the player runs through an exciting cave-in event, I wanted to also create another adrenaline pumping ending to the game where the player has to descend a collapsing mountain. Working under many constraints, experience primarily being one of them, it was challenging to find assets that could not only illustrate this event, but also keep the frame rate at a decent quality so as not to break the immersion. While I was able to still execute the event, there is still much room for improvement as far as performance is considered. But in a rush to complete the game on time, I did what I could to keep the event in the game.

This month I also redesigned the final level with an updated look and replaced enemy spawners in a more balanced way that keeps the player challenged yet not so overwhelmed that they cannot win. This final level has been redesigned to be more of a ‘gauntlet’ where enemies continually spawn onto the player, unless they are successfully able to defeat them all in each area within a timely manner that they stop spawning. The player can choose to avoid enemies altogether and try to out run them instead and still be successful in this as well, however the challenge still remains as the enemies continue to spawn by the dozen as the player runs through the level. I felt this could cater to different types of players and play styles; either the fighter or the player who would rather make a run for it.

Also, for an extra layer of polish and player feedback, we added a visual effect onto the player’s staff that emits a colorful trail reflecting the type of elemental gem that the player has selected at any given time. We felt this was a great addition since the player’s eyes are primarily focused on the center of the screen. So the player never has to divert their attention to the UI bar at the upper-left hand corner of the screen to check what Gem they have selected.

Finally, outside all the bug fixing and playtesting, I also created a postmortem video that has been presented by my fellow groupmate and myself. This postmortem video will be played during a live stream on campus for other students and faculty to see.

Outside of this postmortem video, I can add that I personally learned a lot about myself throughout this capstone process. Not only technical skills, but also learning about what my drive and passion can accomplish. I have logged hundreds of hours over the course of 4 months working on this project. And while I know that this game is not complete by any industry-standard; it is arguably one of the most fleshed-out and complete capstone projects that may have come out of Full Sail’s game design degree program in some time. And by that recognition, I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the project.

While my time studying at Full Sail University may be ending, it is just the beginning of the work I aspire to accomplish. This is merely the first step toward what I am hoping will be a long and rewarding career in the video games industry. I look forward to one day applying my passion and dedication in a professional game studio, helping create the AAA titles I have always long admired.

“Sic Parvis Magna.” (Greatness from small beginnings)
- Uncharted Series