Take Initiative

This is a simple method to generate ideas with restrictions in places where you have limited resources. All you need is a piece of paper and a pen.

1. On the piece of paper write the letters of the alphabet down the side of the sheet.
2. For each letter think of a random word beginning that letter and write it down next to it.
3. Now close your eyes and move you hand randomly over the letters on the page until you land on one of the letters.
4. Do this two more times until you have three words.
5. Once you have your words, come up with a game concept using those words.  The concept can use the words in their literal sense or a vague relation, it’s completely up to you!

I found this method very useful whilst stuck on a very long train journey recently.  Its an adapted form of picking random words out of a hand, but that can be quite difficult without a receptacle to put the words in, time to create the individual words and space to create them.  I highly doubt the person sitting next to me on the train would have appreciated

Game Design

Placing lighting and learning how to correctly light a level when beginning level design may be considered boring to novices, but lighting in levels can be very important.  If used correctly lighting levels in specific ways can be used to aid players when navigating difficult levels and also create interesting gameplay experiences.

Lighting, like colour, can be used to draw the players attention to useful objects or paths to take especially when the light is coloured in certain shades.

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Game Design, Level Design

Rachel Cordone has been using the Unreal Engine for various projects from simulation contracts to her very own mod conceptions.  Last year, Rachel received 4th place in the Grand Finals of the Make Something Unreal Contest with her mod Prometheus.    As Rachel is a great example of how persistence, hard work, being self taught and learning the full potential of your tool can produce great unique projects, Take Initiative caught up with Rachel to see if she would share her experiences with us.

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Interviews

This Summer Ian Schreiber is holding another online game design course.  Last year, the course’s theme was surrounding game design concepts.  This year Schreiber visits the topic of game balancing.

The course will start on the 5th July and will run up until 8th September.   However this year Schreiber will offer two options for his course: the free blog posts that are available to anyone to view and additional content for his course which will include live lectures, posted recordings, additional multimedia content and direct email response (which will be available for a small fee).

Get more information about the course, an intro video and download the syllabus from here.

Game Design

Iconic game characters in my opinion, are an integral part of a AAA title.  A well built character gives more depth to the story, someone that the player can identify with (if not totally maybe in small ways) or just simply enjoy their personality.  They also become a recognisable figure for your game so much so that players my just buy your title because their favourite character is featured within it.

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Character Design