Website Design: Assignment one - the drafts

Website Design - Draft 1

Cover Page:
The Airless Tire

Contents Pages: 
Home Page: The Basic information needed to understand what the airless tire is, with a little of information from all pages.

Impact/Ethics: This will include both the Impact and Ethics side of things based on the airless tire.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Showing the advantage and disadvantage the airless tire has in different situations and environments

The Evolution: Where the Tires have evolved from, and what might evolve from this tire in the far future

Extra: Any information that I found to not have much link with the previous pages but worth reading about.

Prototypes: This will link with the evolution of the tires and how they have changed through time.

Background: I decided to choose a dark grey image of dried paint for the website. I wanted to keep the background image as close to the colour scheme as possible (Black, grey, white). I chose the image of dried paint as it gave the look of mud and what the lower part of a vehicle would look like if it was travelling through mud or bad terrain. I also liked how it didn't stretch the image when placing it in the background.
The command given to the background was "100% 100%" which means the image will take the entire background vertically and horizontally.
I did have a previous image that was a tire, however the image had too many issues based around its resolution and problems reading the font in front.

HCI - Human Computer Interaction.

Reference: http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

Colours:

Dark Purple: Boundary.
I'm using a dark purple to dominate sections of the webpage to show areas of importance.
I've chosen dark purple to organise my information like a table. as it clearly shows where a new topic starts and finishes. I've also decided to chose this colour as it goes nicely with dark blue.

Dark Blue: Headings/subheadings
I'm using a dark blue for all the headings/subheadings, to give a formal and professional feel to the website.

Light Blue: For other information
This colour is used for any secondary important information like:
Stats/facts
links
image-boundarys
I've chosen this colour as its close to the previous colours and will be suitable for the emerging technology.
The main reason for choosing a light blue is to give life to the website, which will stop the website looking boring and dull. Its also a great way to make certain text or information standout.
-May change to black to give the website some depth and feel to the website. I think that it could also make the website look much more formal and grown-up.

Font: White for headings
Due to the heading being a dark purple a white will allow the font to standout.

Font: Black for normal information
Due to the background being a much lighter tone of blue it allows the font to be seen well in black.

Originally I would have chosen the colour scheme of white, black and grey as it would be suitable for the tires, however due to them being airless and prototypes I thought that using some colour would relate to the fact its emerging technology and that soon they maybe the new generation of tires.

Colour meanings in different Cultures:

Blue:
Blue has the most meanings in the world and is very positive. Blue in most religions is sign of hope and good health, while countries such as america see it as masculine. These meanings are similar and which my website wants to portray a masculine yet friendly website for smart purposes.

Black:
The colour black is an absence of colour. Is a mysterious colour typically associated with unknown or the negative. Black is also associated with power, authority, elegance. Black is required for all other colours to have depth and variation of hue. As i'm aiming at businesses and wealthy people the colour black will give the website a formal look and feel.

Dark Purple: 
Purple combines the stability of blue. It symbolises power, nobility, luxury and ambition. As i'm excluding lower class people the colour is suitable as it gives the website class. The colour also conveys wealth and extravagance, which would make it obvious who the target audience is.

With these colours used, it would seem that I would not be offending or excluding any culture, of course their maybe a few different meanings to the colours, however its a much smaller target group which wouldn't be a problem to exclude.

Power Distance Index - The Airless tire is a prototype and is only being released to construction companies and the military. This means that the website will have to aim at rich and big companies in order to make relevance to the emerging technology.

Femininity vs Masculinity index - Due to the world having more male drivers I have chosen to use more masculine colours i.e. blue and black.
Update keeping this in mind I have changed the colour scheme a little by choosing black, white and grey.

Client Brief:
To create at least 5 pages about your chosen Emerging Technology (The Airless Tires)
The pages must include:
A Homepage
The Impact
The Ethics
The Evolution
And a added page of your choice:
(Prototype, Extra, Advantage/Disadvantage and a Reference Page)

Initial Brief:
The basic template for all pages:

I wanted a side menu to give the website that little bit more of a professional look. It will also be the location where I can add more page links without creating problems with the normal template. This will be likely the place where I will add more information that doesn't relate to the main pages and the references that I used.

The side menu icon can be located near the top left that can be clicked on, which will open up the side menu. The icon looks like 3 lines like most other side menu icons look like.
(Edit: I may change the icon to look like a tire to relate more to the emerging tech).
Note: You will only see the side menu if you click the icon. The icon doesn't move existing tables when it appears and in stead has the command to go over the existing table.

The idea of having two videos in each page maybe changed i.e. the location...as it can make the pages look like they've been copied and pasted. The videos that are in each page link with the page topic.

I've added in a <<Marquee>> command as i like how it makes the website look active and not dead. I've also checked that most websites that sell products that are low key have a <<Marquee>>

The logo is a airless tire, which is located at the top right. I chose the tire as the logo as its very suitable to the website and its an image that can be made small and people can still be aware what the image is.

I've placed a "title" in the middle of the page to show the viewer what that page is about. While this changes the title "The Airless tire" (Located at the top right), will not be changed.

The footer will contain the words "all rights reserved" with my name.

Draft of Homepage:

The Draft Impact and Ethics page

The Draft Pros and cons page

The Draft Prototypes and its replacements page

The Draft Evolution page

Client Feedback: 

What was Said?
That the overall design and structure was nice. I should keep the colour scheme and remove the sidebar and include a different title font. I should add another page that would replace the sidebar to the homepage making 6 unique pages. Each page will include two YouTube videos. The 6th video may not include any videos as its just an add page for anything I wanted to add in extra.

No Changes Made:
The Background, colour scheme, structure

The Changes Made:
The Sidebar, add an extra page, add two videos per page, change title font.

Show Correspondence with client?
I shown a title page, 5 unique pages with added details of what I will include. I also explained on reasons behind all my decisions in front of the client in which the client explained what they liked and disliked.

What was Agreed?
The Client agreed on the background and thought it went well with the colour scheme. The overall structure of the website was liked and agreed on. The Colour of the font (White/Black/Grey) was chosen to stay the same.
We also agreed with two videos per page =10 in total. (They may not be in similar positions depending on changes).
The font of the title would like to be changed to represent tires "a tire font". We agreed that the font could relate more to the topic and give the page a better look and understanding

Difference in opinion?
I thought having a side bar would make the website more interesting and more formal. However, I do understand that it is not needed due to the website not having much content involved... resulting in the side bar being useless.
Instead I will design an extra page on the homepage which will have any extra information i wanted to put in the sidebar in this page.

Suggestions you gave to the client?
I suggested that the sidebar could have different information instead of having the same links that the homepage provides. The Idea was considered but the client chose to remove the sidebar all together.

Disagreement?
Their was no disagreement that I had with the choices that the client made. I understood what the client suggested and the reasons behind it.

Time?
6:04 Mins

Date?
11/01/2018


Second Draft: 

Changes Made:
The Sidebar and its context has been removed - (The icon used for the sidebar has also been removed)

The Title for the webpage has a different font (Rugged Ride). Due to the design of the font a box had to be designed to make it clear.

A page has been added to the homepage which will include anything extra I wanted to show or explain in the website.

The Size of the page links and font size has also been updated to make room for the other page link.

Two videos will be in each page... the 6th page may only contain one video (Not sure) as its just an added webpage that wont be big.

The Homepage:

The Evolution Page

The Impact and Ethics Page:

 Pros and Cons Page:

 Prototypes Page:

 The Extra Page:

Concluding Points: N/A

HNC-Computering: Task 3 and Task 4

Task 3: Evaluate the importance of using primary information sources

Primary Research: This type of research involves gathering new data that has not been collected before. For example, surveys using questionnaires or interviews with groups of people in a focus group.

Secondary Research: This type of research involves gathering existing data that has already been produced. For example, researching the internet, newspapers and company reports.

Why is Primary Information Important?

1. Primary Information allows you to take control of how you collect data which will later let you form the response you want. It allows you to ask your own questions which helps narrow down similar responses. For example, asking about vehicles would be brief but being able to specify what type of vehicle, would help answer the reason of the research. This makes primary information very important as having secondary information you may not get a straight answer.

2. Primary research is a tired, tested and proven method of conducting effective research so you know the results that you gather can be relied on. Having to trust unknown secondary research you are risking the information in being incorrect or outdated. Primary information can be relied on due to the information being conducted by yourself/group.

3. The Primary Information is much better than secondary sources as it's been carried out by yourself/group, which gives you ownership of the results you've collected. The research is unique to your requirements and the insight you gain from it can give you an edge over your competitors. Some Primary information can also be worth some money to companies such as; online shops that would want to know what their customers would want. In-turn gives your research some value, which secondary sources you own no rights to.

4. Primary market research is the only way of getting direct feedback from clearly defined target groups and it allows you to ask very precise questions to a very specific group of people. This type of research is best undertaken anonymously or from an independent point of view and can be turned into very valuable content in the form of white papers as well as helping you to develop new marketing and customer profiling/engagement strategies

5. Primary information is important as you're gathering the first-hand, what you gather will be more accurate and timely. Its up to you how detailed the responses you want through the questions you ask. Having the chance to ask qualitative and quantitative questions it gives you the chance for a range of different responses of your choice. This would be helpful if your trying to find out a number results or opinions.

6. Primary information offers a deeper insight - by directly recording the thoughts, words and feelings of your primary data you can really get under the skin of what your prospects, clients or competitors are really saying. This is very useful if you are trying to gain detailed information on projects/items that the clients have witnessed or used.

Task 4: You will use Harvard referencing for all your research on the course. Describe this method of referencing.

Harvard Referencing is a system that students, writers and researchers can use to incorporate other peoples findings and ideas in their work in order to support and validate their conclusion without breaching any intellectual property laws.
This type of referencing is usually used in assignments and publications for people, nature, social and behavioural sciences

In Harvard referencing is a parenthetical referencing system that us made up of two main components: The authors surname and the year of publication which will be shown in a bracket wherever another source has been used to contribute to your work (In-text references).
A reference list is outlining all of the sources directly cited in your work.

In-text references are used to indicate where you have directly quoted or paraphrased a source. This is a great technique of referencing as it allows any reader to understand that the information has came from a different source.
The reference list is alphabetised of complete references that enables your reader to locate each source with ease.

Harvard Referencing allows companies, universities etc. to gain an idea on the length that you have gone to, to gain the research for your chosen topic.

The information allows readers to know if the information is outdated or incorrect. This makes any further research creditable due to you being aware that the information you have gained is up to date and has reliable sources.

References:
Task 3:
(12/10/2017)
http://blog.gcldirect.com/blog/info/5-reasons-why-primary-market-research-is-essential

(23/10/2017)
https://www.sccollege.edu/Library/Pages/primarysources.aspx

Task 4:
(23/10/2017)
http://www.citethisforme.com/uk/referencing-generator/harvard

HNC Computering Unit 5: Emerging Technology

Unit 5 Emerging Technology - "The Airless Tire"

Emerging technology and explain how it is used 

Find a YouTube clip with the tech explained

Look at the impact on society, how it impacts lives

Ethical implications, how does this technology impact ethically in our lives?

What does this technology replace (if anything)

Where does this technology evolve from?
Wiki

Emerging technology	Status	Potentially marginalized technologies	Potential applications	Related articles
Airless tire	Research, development, early prototypes[135][136]	Conventional tire	Safer tires	Tweel

My videos:

The Positive:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByXZGwzVUoM&feature=youtu.be

The Negative (Bonus Video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gWvkwM1oW0&feature=youtu.be

Q&A Link:
https://youtu.be/oV_8XWT8IuU


Links to videos that were used: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l62wQ6zoKK8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IDmpXbK-Mk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqT176quVb4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wAvxQfusWU

Costs Per Tire:
Golf Cart: $350 / £263
Loader: $750 / £563
Bike: $35 / £26

Some Interesting Websites (Airless Tires):
(2017)

http://www.thedrive.com/news/9570/bridgestone-set-to-introduce-airless-tires

https://www.bridgestonetire.com/tread-and-trend/tire-talk/airless-concept-tires

http://www.michelintweel.com/

Airless tires - Research, development, early prototypes

Main Advantage/Disadvantage of the Airless Tire:

Advantages:
Airless
Long Life Span
Strong

Disadvantages:
Low Suspension
Burning (Long journey)

Weight/Shape (Hard to mount)

Information I didn't mention in the videos:

"The Pentagon investigates the use of a new type of airless tire designed to get troop-carrying through hot spots without stopping"

The tire is also handy to other companies that require good, strong equipment. such as construction builders.

An example: Loaders may go through tough terrain which may cause the some materials to fall if the tires are flat. - Airless tires keep the vehicles from stopping on unwanted terrain and will not cause any damage or problems to the equipment

These tires are made to be strong and with hold most off-road or bad terrain areas. The airless tires target companies that have heavy vehicles. 

The tires are used on some small vehicles such as riding lawn mowers and motorised golf carts. They also use the tire on heavy equipment such as backhoes, which are required to work on sites that are dangerous which tire punctures are high.

The main advantage of airless tires is that they cannot go flat. Other advantages are that airless tires will need to be replaced less often resulting in savings. Heavy equipment outfitted with airless tires will be able to carry more weight and engage in more rugged activities. Airless bicycles tires can be easy to install. These tires are also good as they can come in a variety. (Wiki-21/11/2017)

Airless tires generally have higher rolling resistance and provide somewhat less suspension than similarly shaped and sized pneumatic tires. 

Other problems for airless heavy equipment tires include dissipating the heat build up that occurs when they are driven.

Mounting airless tires on a bike will require little to no effort in mounting it, however heavy equipment will require special equipment to mount the tire.

The tires are not replacing other tires as they are only focusing on heavy equipment and small vehicles.

These tires have evolved from previous tires that we still use today. These airless tires are still being tested and have managed to bring out a few different prototypes. The reason for this evolve is that many heavy and small equipment that are placed in harsh terrains will need strong tires.

Script: (Video 1)

Emerging Technology

I have chosen the Airless Tire or the so called non-pneumatic tire. Theses tires do not support air pressure compared to the normal pneumatic tires which is why they are seen as special.

The airless tire is made up of four main factors:
The tread
The shear band
The Deformable wheel
And the flexible spokes

The flexible tread and the shear bands deform temporarily as the spokes bend, it then quickly returns back to its initial shape allowing a comfortable and smooth ride.

The Airless tire is used on some small vehicles such as riding lawn mowers and motorised golf carts.They are also used on heavy equipment such as backhoes which are required to operate on sites such as building demolition where risks of tire punctures are high

Many companies that require large equipment or small vehicles that will travel on harsh terrain would highly benefit using these airless tires. An example would be construction companies. Many of their equipment would require tires that are puncture proof due to the terrain and the type of construction/destruction work they do.

Another top company that is interested in the development of the airless tire is the military. In 1910 the military vehicles had honey comb tires that used little to some air pressure. A decade ago a UK engineer Macneillie brought out a similar tire the same time as a engineering company came out with their own airless tire.
The airless tires are bullet proof,can withstand the force of explosions, gun fire, extreme terrain, improvised explosive devices and have a maximum speed of 25 mph.

However, the airless tire does have negative affects, due to the tire having high rolling resistance it causes the tire to have a much lower suspension compared to other tires. This could cause damage to the lower part of your vehicle if you go over bumps or uneven terrain.

Another issue with the wheels are that they are hard to mount, although most of the airless tires will be pre-mounted on heavy equipment and small vehicles, most cyclists will have to mount the wheels themselves if they get the wheels separately.

The airless tires haven't replaced pneumatic tires however they have replaced certain tires such as the honeycomb tires in the military. Due to the airless having many prototypes the tire hasn't been able to replace anything as of yet.

The airless tire has evolved from pneumatic tires. The reason for this is most heavy equipment or vehicles are used on harsh terrain which could cause punctures and damage to the vehicle, which the airless tire would prevent.

The airless tire has made job opportunities to many people/engineers around the world. It has also saved companies money as they don't need to pay for repairs or replacements

The impact is mostly positive with many companies and works benefiting from it. The tires are also making life easier for buyers that travel off road or on harsh terrain saving them money and time. Most online sources are showing that the airless tires have helped in some way, however their are a few complaints. Mentioning burning on the tire because of long travels making the tire weak, and the difficulty in mounting due to its shape.
With that said the Airless Tire is still seen as a good emerging technology for those that need it.

Here is a video of some of the positives of the airless tire.
Here is the links to the videos I used and for any information I missed will be in the description of the video or on my blog.

Thanks for listening.

Script: (Video 2)

Airless tires may have more benefits to buyers and companies and maybe more favoured in their production as a whole, however the tires negatives could be the reason for many buyers to ignore the tire all together.

One of the main problems with airless tire, are that they heavier than normal non-pneumatic tires. The tires are usually filled with compressed plastic, combined with the durable rubber used on the non-pneumatic tires, and you're looking at one heavy object. This could have a drastic effect on your cars fuel economy. And with costs of fuel increasing its a negative which most cannot afford.

Besides keeping your tires inflated, air plays additional roles in your tires performance. The air in the tires can often absorb impact of a hole or bump because of its high suspension capabilities. On airless tires, the suspension would be lower, resulting in a rougher ride.

Your tires wont need to be checked, but your car certainly will. This could cause more harm to your vehicle than a normal non-pneumatic tire could do.

When driving for long periods of time can cause your tires get warm, but not burning hot. That's because the air in the tire allows the heat to dissipate, and this vicariously keeps your tire safe.
Without the air in the tires, there's no way for the heat to disperse. this means airless tires would get considerably hotter than standard tire, which could result in blowouts and accidents.

Vibration is a big problem for Airless tires. Vibrations become considerate once a vehicle is driving above 50mph, while causing a lot of noise and heat, any long journeys with these tires would be very unpleasant for any driver.

Lack of adjustability is a also big problem. When the airless tires have been manufactured, it cannot be adjusted. In this case if the car needed a different kind of setting, a whole new set of tires will be required. Which again will cost you money and time.

Here are the links to the videos I've have used.

Thanks for listening

References:

http://korichambo.blogspot.co.uk/ (My blog)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airless_tire  (Viewed on: 12/10/2017)

(The website was last updated on 01/11/2017)

https://www.designboom.com/technology/michelin-visionary-concept-tire-06-15-2017/

(Viewed on: 19/10/2017) (The website was last updated on (15/06/2017)

https://gizmodo.com/bridgestones-airless-tires-will-soon-let-cyclists-aband-1794492775 (Viewed on: 02/11/2017) (The website was last updated: )

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/tech-dept-the-latest-on-the-airless-tire-and-wheel-combo-tech-dept

(Viewed on: 05/12/2017)

(Published: May 2012. Authors Don Sherman, Illustration by Sean Mccabe)

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/reinventing-the-wheel-a-guide-to-michelins-airless-tire-19937.html#

(Viewed on: 03/12/2017)

Unit 4 - Production Management project Unit 5 - Working to a brief in media.

Designing The Killer Klown Game.

Link to Gameplay video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9Ug7PNcL7Q

Playlist of videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVDbH3ZMTWuN-epvDNgKfI_aJe6hTlymS

Our storyline has changed many times as we were not completely sure what was the best option. The first idea was that "Mike" the character from the movie was sleeping and dreaming about the Klowns. Our second idea was similar to the first but instead we said he was crazy and an alcoholic which made him see people as Klowns. Our last idea which we kept with was that Mike was kidnapped and placed into a candyfloss cocoon which they slowly harvested him. After some time the clowns interrupted the process expecting Mike to be a complete clown, however he wasn't. Half human, half clown, he searches to find the Killer Klowns spaceship to end it once and for all.

My first thought when designing my concept art was that I would design 3 clowns, each one being entirely different with looks and talents. In the tutorial level before entering the next level you can see the wanted posters which are my clown concept art. I also planned to make the environment the last level however, we changed this and made it the second level (not including the tutorial).
My thoughts when designing my other environment (Tutorial) was to make it simple and to make it easy for the player navigate. I though adding simple text on the players HUD would work.
My thoughts on the characters was to have a female. I was aware many people were doing male clowns so I thought it would be unique. After designing the clown I thought it would be better if the character was just overseeing the environment rather than actually having any function. The main reason this changed was because of her complex design.

Our game relates a little to the Killer Klowns movie, with the odd object such as "candyfloss cocoons, footprints etc" The story also relates to the story as we have kept the character mike. I designed the objects to relate to the movie, without actually changing our game dramatically. I thought adding these objects will make any previous Killer Klown fans excited to see some relation to the movie.
Our game wanted to be loosely based around clowns, so we designed environments such as; castles and temples, and gave them the story that they have been overrun by clowns because it's a good environment for them to plan and takeover the city.
We knew that our game would contain clowns and objects such as balloons and circus tents. But before adding those assets we used pre-made objects to get an idea on how the levels layout and design would look.
The brief allowed us to be flexible with our ideas and so we designed these "ancient buildings and areas". As we wanted to make it seem that the clowns have overrun the area we wanted the assets to look like they have been placed by clowns rather than them being connected to the environment.
As the brief isn't very detailed it allowed us to meet the briefs requirements while designing what we wanted.

Firstly, I designed a environment that was based in the woods which is a ancient castle. With mountains and the trees to give the level depth and the feeling on abandonment. I then designed the second environment which is the tutorial level, this was originally just an environment I was testing out which I suddenly decided will become a level before the village. After the design of my second level I went back to the first level and added lighting and clown assets. I also added in my concept art and clown. Furthermore I went back to the second environment and added in lighting and snow assets.
I also designed a scene which the player watches before playing, this was to give the player an overview on what the games environment would look like, we then decided to put this as a trailer for our game, which we then decided not to do and so I have disconnected the blueprint, so it cannot activate. The main reason for not showing this scene was it contained spoilers for the player while also the video being very long.
After the two levels were close to finishing I started editing and fixing the other two levels (My groups levels), adding assets, adding boundaries, fixing bugs etc.
I then went back to my tutorial level and added in the document blueprint and then added in clowns.
The other environment I had to add some ruins to stop the player from accessing parts of the castle before they should, I also removed the scene at the beginning as it was too long. Then I added in the clowns and health packs that the level needed. The object doesn't actually have an objective except escape. I did this for the other two levels and finished.
I then designed the main menu. The main menu was design using "Photoshop" This was then given to (Josh) to blueprint.
In addition to this the story that is connected to the main menu was designed by me. Our plot of our game was very confusing and didn't really have a good explanation. So I thought of the story and went from there.
I chose the main menu design as I liked the idea of red that represents blood and the face of a clown/statue which our game has a lot of.
The ending was also designed by which I simply changed the main menu and replaced it with our names.

My idea for the first environment was to create a castle that had a large outside environment and a up and down level for the castle. I wanted my clown to be placed on a tower that could overlook the entire environment. I wanted the castle to have some sort of horror feeling, so I designed a nice environment with light to give the environment a opposite feeling of horror. In the basement I added in the candyfloss cocoons and skeletons to add a dramatic affect. I wanted to give the environments more relation to the clowns by adding in some similar designs from the movie. When designing the basement I had in mind of a long, dim lighted corridor with jumpscares and clowns, adding in rooms to the left gave the corridor more depth and more of a horror vibe.
I wanted it to be possible for the player to see outside the castle, so I designed a gate that you could see past this gave me the chance to add more objects that could relate to the movie or brief in someway. My favourite feature of this environment was the view at the beginning and the basement. I think that the tower and the lighting of a dim orange gave the environment life.
One problem that I came across was textures which didn't load after adding in some assets, this was quickly solved after correctly importing the objects. Another problem was sorting out boundaries and where the player can and cannot pass. Some object boundaries had much larger boundaries than they should have.

The second environment that I designed was an extra feature which I felt was a good idea in order to give a tutorial. I felt that the game would be more understandable and easier to play knowing the controls and plot of the game. This also gave me the chance to make the first level (village) make more sense as the environment is based in snow. The environment was an experiment and wasn't actually going to be placed into our game until I designed documents that added information to the player.
When designing the level I wanted it to seem peaceful and to be the total opposite of what the game should be like further on. The best feature in this level is that the documents allow the player to understand the game, which the the level was supposed to do.
A bug that I encountered was the snow texture wasn't showing in some locations in the map. I fixed the bug by fixing/building the light then assigning the texture to an alternative root of the blueprint. Another bug that I encountered was the text being stuck to the player if they collide with the player at the same time or if the clown runs through the document. This was solved by changing the collision command and assign it only to the player.

My favourite parts of the game are:
Tutorial - The Documents (Explains, Guides and gives Tips)
I like this part of the game as it helps the player understand how to play the game and what to look for in the environment. Its also good as it makes the first level make sense.

The Village - The Text (Relates to the story)
I like how the player can feel as if they are talking to people in the game. I also like how it can stop the player and let them read which gets them more invested in the storyline.

Temple/Castle - The View (At spawn)
I like how the tower oversees everything and that the castle is intimidating. I like how you can see the spaceship straight away when loading into the level. I also find the dim lighting and the natural light very nice.

Castle -  The Ending (The boss)
I really like how we have an actual objective which you cannot bypass. I like how the boss is the spaceship rather than an actual clown, and I find that it spawning clowns is much more interesting and makes the combat better.
Dungeon (Bonus Room)
I like this room as it contains a special clown which requires 4 hits rather than two, its also much larger than a normal clown. The reason I like the room as theirs a reason for people to go down there as theirs a sword which does double the damage to the clowns meaning (1 hit kill). This is before reaching the top of the castle where you fight the clowns and boss.

If I was able to improve the game I would fix things such as the running and the clowns animation. I would also like to add objectives such as "find 3 items". I think the game would benefit with different clown types and more clown assets. If the clowns were able to shoot or hit with animation I think the game would improve a great amount. Sounds would be a great add in the game as sounds usually make environments have life and atmosphere which you try to create. I Would of liked to add a clown boss similar to the clown in the movie "Killer Klowns". I think adding these would make our game much better.
My most wanted function was to add a boss in each level that had different attacks and different abilities. I think this would have made our game unique, fun and have something that the player could say they enjoyed doing.

Overall I think the game we've created has accomplished what we wanted, which was ancient environments with clown assets. The games environments I think are very unique and are very different to each other, I like how two of or environments are based in snow and the other two are based in the woods. The games blueprints were better than I expected for us to have and I think we managed to get a lot of our ideas into the game and that the game is unique in some ways. The game has managed to make the game easy for players that don't know how to play and to make people aware on the games plot. I think the combat is decent and the overall function of the clowns are nice. I also like how we managed to get a boss in the game that spawns in clowns. The objectives of the games could be better but I do like the boss at the end. We wanted all the objects that related to the movie to either be concept art or bonus objects, as our main idea was to keep away from the movie. Due to us not creating a player model we decided to add a texture to the model and add in the storyline that mike is half human, half clown which explains the way he looks. Overall, I think we have managed to create a game that has decent gameplay and design that relates to the brief in someway.

Animation

The Killer Klowns Animation

My animation is 1 minute 33 seconds long and contains all animation listed.

1. ball rolls

2. clown shuts door

3. clown moves suddenly (gets closer to camera)

4. statue holding ball drops

5. clown is seen behind a door then goes

6. door bangs

7. light flashes

8. hand moves

9. clown legs move

10. head turns 

11. wardrobe opens

12. camera moves to end which a clown jump scares

(Light flicker continuously).
13 Sounds: Insidious soundtrack - edited.

The first animation is a ball rolling, the animation is quick and short which is used to grab the viewers attention, furthermore I decided to place the ball rolling from that direction as it connects to another animation. The idea behind this was to make it seem that someone has kicked or pushed the ball in order for it to move, this makes the camera turn left to see whats going on. The animation uses staging to make the viewer aware that the camera will look left rather than right, it's also used to stop unnecessary details from being a focus.

(The camera slows down as it reaches the corner to build tension).

The corridor on the left has a door open with a visible hand holding it, it then suddenly shuts. This again is to build tension and to give a reason on why the ball moved. The animation uses anticipation with the hand as it makes the viewer aware that a further action will take place which in this case was the door shutting. The speed of the door is really quick as i'm trying to give the idea that something is strong, mad or even trying to stay hidden, which makes the scene more creepy in my opinion.

(Camera stays still as the animation starts, then looks right after animation finishes).


The next animation can be missed, as you need an eye for detail. The clown originally was placed at the very end of the first corridor, however after the camera looks left the clown is much closer to the centre of the corridor. I designed this as an extra animation as i'm aware most wont notice it, however for those that do will question if it's moved it makes the scene more creepy. The animation doesn't have any other actions after moving to the other location.

(This happens while the animation is turning right).



Just after the animation the ball that is connected to the stand drops and falls to the ground, this is staging as i want to make the viewer focus on the right side. The animation also uses 'slow in and slow out' technique. as the ball drop the speed of the ball increases, this makes the animation more realistic and gives the object more volume. I wanted to make a none moving object move to give the scene more life rather than predicted movement of doors and clowns.

(This happens while the animation is turning right).

When slowly turning in front of the door on the right corridor you manage to see a clown looking behind a door, which it then moves slowly back behind the door. Originally the clown did the opposite, however the animation made it look less scary and more fake. It also made the build up of tension go. The animation is similar to the 3rd animation as it was two frames. As it was a quick action I didn't want any more frames to be added.

(The camera slowly turns in front of the door, after clown hides the camera continues down the corridor).

After turning left from the open door, a door in front of you will animate to move a few times quickly this gives the affect that the door is banging. The animation is an extra function and is only used to give some sort of movement within and moment of time. As the lighting is not as powerful in that area it makes the animation more effective.

(The camera is turning left as the animation is activated).

The next animation is a clown clicking a flashlight. Originally is was a flashlight that was just flickering, however I wanted to give the animation a secondary action by adding in a clowns hand. This makes the animation more effective as two different objects are acting making it seem more realistic. I also stops the flow of one animation after another.

(The camera turns and stays still until the other animation finishes).

The next animation is the clowns legs and face moving. The legs before the animation is supposed to make the clown look like a doll and fake. After a few seconds in the room one leg drops in height and goes up and and down which is slow in and slow out as i want it to look like it could have been wind rather than making the object seem real. At the last mini second the clown looks at you. This can be missed, however I added it in anyway as another attention to detail.

(The camera slowly moves into the room and looks around) - (The sound track has increased in pitch to increase tension).

The animation uses the flashlight and the cameras movement as anticipation for the animation, which gets the viewer ready for some sort of scare. The wardrobe opens with the doors going left and one right. This makes it easier to see the clown and to make the animation easier. The light turns off after the clown is seen so the textures on the clown and the atmosphere better.

(Camera slowly moves up to the wardrobe) - (The flash light flashes to cause tension before opening the wardrobe).

The camera then quickly moves out of the room and takes an alternative path. All the lights are turned off except a long light that is along the original corridor, the light then turns off and on. The lights speed then gets quicker as you reach the exit. After a few seconds of staying still a jumpscare is seen. I decided you make my clown get close to the camera on the last second of the animation to give it that last touch.

(The cameras movement is quick, after reaching the long corridor the cameras speed slows down) - (The sound track connects with the lights and speed of the camera, in addition to this a bang is created when the jumpscare appears).

I decided to use the Insidious soundtrack as I wanted to give a dark and creepy affect to the scene. I edited the soundtrack to suit the speed of the animation (When light changes or animation like doors) and to also make the loud bang at the end to make the ending have more of an effect.

The scene is based in a deserted building that has some weird stuff inside. I wanted to give a dark and creepy feeling for the scene and so I designed the objects to give it that affect. (All objects are created by me). The scene is basically long corridors that have animation to scare you, it then leads you into a main room that has the most animation active. The person runs to the exit to then be stopped by a clown in its path.

Overall I think the animation uses a good amount of the basic principles of animation and uses a unique style of technique. The sounds and speed of the animation I think go well together and make the scene better. I think the overall animation is okay and that it has used a range of different techniques. The scene in my opinion does what it's meant to and grabs the creepy and scary vibe.

Object-Oriented Design Assignment 2.

Object-Oriented Design

My level has many different blueprint types, which respond in different ways according to what it's linked to, for example; AI actions, Object movement/animation, colours and environment.

 Boundaries/light volumes etc.

This allows any light to be cased within the boundaries to be correct. It's also used to make any other additional affects to be added such as lighting strength. This is usually used when a section of an environment is going to be different.
In GameMaker you could either make all the objects you create to be dark or to use some simple code to make the screen darker, in my opinion this makes Gamemaker better in this case   

Object movement and reverse

One of the main blueprints i use in this level is the matinee technique that links with a blue print and a trigger box.

An example is a door that will be opened and shut when the player is near. In order to make the door move and animate the matinee allows you to move and time the animation as you want it. Then adding the blueprint above and the correct trigger box connected to the blueprint it would work

The blueprint is basically instructing:

The matinee (clip/animation) and the trigger box (when collision with player) will play and repeat its animation every time it's triggered.

Lights on and off.

This has a similar blueprint to the movement of a object. As the blueprint requires a trigger box, however in this case the trigger box is much larger as when the player reaches the other side of bridge the bots glow red.

This uses a matinee however instead of making a selection for movement you would choose "colour", this allows the object to glow any colour after being triggered, this is also effective when making objects gradually change colour, which could be used on objects that need it. I found later on that the blueprint was to complicated for a simple task and removed the blueprint and placed a point light on both objects and connected them both. I then made a blueprint for the point lights to do a similar task that I wanted before and made it where they turned on and off depending on where the character was.

The blueprint was much more simple and didn't require much thought as it only required a trigger box and a point light that had two choices (visible/invisible) when triggered.

TriggerBox

The trigger box is a simple blueprint that can be edited or connected to an object to make animation or actions occur. This is can either take shape as a square or sphere depending on how you want the collisions to work. Usually a trigger box is used when the player has moved into a certain room or area. Due to it being difficult to have multiple blueprints for every object a trigger box can make triggering a blueprint much easier.   

AI Movement and following the player

AI movement can be very difficult depending on how much blueprint is in it. In this case the blueprint is allowing the AI to move in random positions with set times and delays. It also repeats after the movement has occurred. The blueprints other function is to run to the player and run away if the player is in site and within the "Navmeshboundsvolume"  The AI is a basic double of the player with some things removed such as the camera. 

The blueprint is basically instructing that the AI should move to a (random) position every time its finished its action. As their is a delay the AI doesn't look to robotic. 

The AI has a range that it can see (can be changed), and when the player enters the range the AI will follow until the player is out of site which the blueprint is basically doing.

Both sections are similar with some connections changed and some timing differences. As this is basically the main blueprint for a AI movement other actions can easily be added such as walking, running and jumping.

 Boundary of character 

The boundary of the character has two useful tasks, the first is that any object that requires the player to collide with it would need to collide with characters boundary. Secondly, it behaves as a hidden object, this helps stop any bugs that could cause the character from accessing parts of the map that the original object could have accessed and accident.
If boundaries were to be on the object, many glitches involving animation with other objects such as AI would be a problem as it would look like a delay.
In GameMaker the boundary would be the size of the actual character, that also includes the size of the square where you designed the character in the first place.

NavMeshBoundsVolume-Area in which the AI can go

This is basically a box that can be re-sized depending on what you would want. This shows where the AI can move to and where it cannot access. This is useful to stop certain AI from accessing sections of the map where you may not want them

It can also be useful to see if your terrain is walk-able for your AI or object etc, by pressing "p".

A basic movement for a object that will has only got one function

This is for one of my few objects that have this blueprint. This allows an object to animate only once. In this case I have used the blueprint for a door which i wanted to be left open after it opened.
Before, in Gamemaker the design would have needed commands on where they should go, and which I think Gamemaker gets the upper hand with code as its very easy to make an object or character move as you only have to move the commands into the object.

Box trigger on door

This is the door that has the blueprint to act once. The room is accessible by entering the basement or by moving a statue. By it being able to accessed both ways I made the trigger box on one side so the player cannot access the basement without going the correct way.
What I find very useful about trigger boxes is that all they need is to be connected to some sort of code to make the action work.  

Opening sequence for level

My opening scene for my game is to give you an idea on what your dealing with while also giving you an idea on where you should go. The blueprint seems complicated however its very simple for what it does.

The scene first required a camera which was connected to the blueprint. the camera was animated to move all around my level and then return to the player. After the matinee was finished being edited I placed it into the blueprint and gave it commands.

A part of the blueprint is instructing that it has full commands over the HUD which then allows the scene to be played before you actually play. The other section of the blueprint is confirming the size of the clip i.e. how long. and when it should finish and who should the commands go to next.

This was very easy to get my head around after adding the first section in.

 The Camera
Reaches the top of the tower with spaceship in view, then returning to the player.

This is a scene that the camera reaches and then returns to the player. I made this happen as I thought it would look more effective that it includes the player in some way, rather than it showing a scene and then giving you control.

Can be used for objects, weather and other effects

I used a similar blueprint for object movement and change it a little in order to make effects such as rain and water. By also changing the material and size and instructions on how it behaves it made the effect.
Gamemaker would allow background movements and changes in style but weather wouldn't be very effective for what code it would require.

Special effects in textures

These are basic blueprints that instruct what the object will take as its texture, however removing a texture and replacing it with an animated texture can make the texture better and more affect. 

In this case the texture was rock, I added in a lava animation and made a glowing lava/rock texture.

If I was to do this in Gamemaker I would have had to make the actual object animate to change colour, rather than just changing the texture.

Fire and smoke effects plus the material effect.

As this is in the back ground the detail isn't much of a must and so I added in a smoke affect, the blueprint connected to this is to get larger and smaller at random times with delays.
The previous texture I made was added and replaced the previous brown texture which makes the design look more mechanical.
This was very simple blueprinting and duplicating.

Making changes to the original texture

I wanted my gate to have the similar style to my spaceship so I duplicated the texture and then added the animation. 

Very simple and effective.

GameMaker

This software has many ways of tackling a situation with code however, in my opinion I find that the Unreal Engine has an easier coding process.

GameMaker offers either the actual code to be entered or the drag and drop technique, which is basic code instructions which need other parts of the code to be connected i.e. a puzzle piece.

Unreal Engine is similar to the drag and drop as its visual code and needs connections in order to work. 

I personally think unreal is self explanatory on basic code and if the code is in correct it will usually say why. Adding on to this GameMaker does show what "line" of code is incorrect which can help.

When designing the animation of the objects and characters in GameMaker the code seems in my opinion to be too much code for a simple action. Unreal on the other hand is usually smaller as its the icons that take most of the space. 

For organising Unreal is by far the better software as you know what blueprint does what as you can label what the code actually does, GameMaker doesn't offer that feature.      

My older games that were designed using GameMaker was:

Brainbox, Shapeman and a hacking game.

In all 3 games my main way of coding was using the drag and drop technique as it was a lot easier than the normal way of coding. 

The games have very basic functions and yet have loads of code, which is why i think that Unreal blueprinting is much better.

Overall I believe that blueprinting can be simple depending on what root you take. I have personally taken a similar root in all my blueprints in order to make sense of it all, while also making it very simple in my eyes. I noticed that their are also many shortcuts in blueprinting which can make it much easier. 

GameMaker is a great software for beginners however I think the code is very limited and difficult for even the basic of actions.

Creating your animation Brief

Creating your animation brief

Overview: Trailer
An abandoned building that has been trashed. Broken family frames will be the focus on the camera which then takes you to the unreal engine which shows you a little clip of the trailer, as if a memory. This then goes back to the building and continues to find more frames... which would result into more scenes from my game. At the end of the scene it takes you back to the building and a clown will be scene (Jump-scare). - Original idea.

(Changed)
A creepy abandoned building that has the feeling of being endless. The camera flows through the corridors and reaches the middle room which contains basic objects and a wardrobe that will open and a clown scares you. The camera suddenly moves back and reaches the exits which then the viewer is greeted by a jumpscare.
- Reason was that we have designed the game based in environments that are very serious or old such as castles and temples, these environments are then taken over by the clowns.
(As it's a dream the locations are not meant to make sense).

Colour-scheme:
Warm colours such as brown and dark colours. No natural light. Long light halls and a torch.

Objective:
The main focus for this trailer is to give an zombie apocalypse feel. Using the abandoned building and objects to show memories on what happened before.
(Changed) The main focus is to give a creepy and an abandonment feeling. This is scene will be scene at the very start of the game rather than before a level or during.

Schedule:
1. Create Building
2. Duplicate objects from unreal into Maya.
3. Clean scene... (Add lighting/collisions)
4. Add frames
5. Record

Target Audience:
16+ Blood and gore wont be seen in the game, however some violence and content rises the target audience. 16+ is a good age in order to grab the past killer klown fans and also teens that would like to play.

Materials and objects required:
Clown, building, photo frames, flooring, housing objects such as bin, window etc
Edited: Barrels, paper, books and boxes.

Unreal objects:
Walls, housing objects, effects etc. - Original idea.
Edited: Unreal will not be used.

Overall style:
A dark, abandoned feeling to the game. With Gothic Victorian art style.

Sounds:
Insidious soundtrack edited.
- At the beginning the level will be quite and only the moving objects and character will make sound i.e. the door or your footsteps.

Basic Storyline:

Walk into the building.

Turn left and see a door quickly shut with some other objects moving around.

Camera turns right and goes through an open door.

As the character gets ready to turn in the dark open room the clown is seen.

The character then continues and stops and watches a torch flicker.

The camera zooms close to the wardrobe which it then opens with the clown inside.

This makes the camera push back and quickly heads towards the exit.

After a slowly walking towards the exit the viewer is then jumpscared a few seconds after.