On this page information regarding my progress updates will be posted here.
- PROGRESS REPORT 1 – PANEL 1
For the first panel I got very helpful and insightful feedback. The panel of professors asked me questions that helped me to think more in depth about CON-NECTION as a whole. Some instances being what I want the player to get from completing the game and the challenges I may face when it comes to time. I explained during my presentation that I was behind schedule but since meeting with my mentor, Professor Hosni Auji, I was able to really think about my project and have more confidence in what I wanted to do.
The panelists provided a lot of helpful information that provided a clearer path for me to follow regarding what I needed to focus on. Professor Farooqi stated that my goals were clear and what I needed to do was good in terms of project scope but recommended that I spend more time on the characters and develop the background, intentions, and character presentation so that the story will be engaging and interesting. Professor Smith provided feedback on narrowing down the scope of the project and having diagrams to illustrate the process (regarding choices and paths). As well as how the story will end.
The feedback and insight that was provided was also very helpful because I was able to get an outside perspective on my project to see if what I was trying to convey could be understood by others. I definitely understood the feedback regarding narrowing things down, since at this point I was still in the process of trying to figure everything out in a way that was cohesive. When it comes to developing the characters I definitely agreed that flushing them out and developing them more would be beneficial to my project and vision.
- PROGRESS REPORT 2
Regarding the status on my project currently I have made a breakthrough with how to really make my game impactful. I have decided on having one character be a sort of conscience for the player, therefore making the gameplay more interesting and impactful. While also providing direction and feedback for the player. Meeting with my mentor (Professor Hosni Auji) also helped in making this breakthrough because Professor Auji, provided interesting feedback and perspectives on my work and ideas thus far. The guidance allowed me to push past the block I had regarding this project, since for a bit I was behind with my project. Since, I was unsure on how to proceed and what to do. However, I feel as though I am now more on track and can really narrow down my work to make my game interesting and engaging for people to play and interact with.
Professor Smith recommended some resources for using and implementing images into my game. As well as stated some outcomes that he expected to see me achieve by the end of my project such as a better grasp on non-linear interactive narrative, proficiency in working with Twine, and having a better understanding of what the social interactions would be and entail. Professor Viera stated in the feedback that he wanted to see more visuals regarding what the game would look like as well as have more visual aids to help with my presentation. Professor Farooqi stated in his feedback that his expectations are for me to have implemented the outcomes of the assessment system (happy, neutral, and sad) and more of the visual art style of the game overall. He also recommended as other Professor’s had also recommended to find an easier and better way to show the Twine side of things within my presentation. I received a lot of great feedback from the panelists regarding my game and what they believed that I should focus on. I feel as though the feedback regarding having more visual aids and having a better understanding of the social interactions made a lot of sense and definitely is something I want to provide a better representation of in my final presentation and poster. I feel as though as I continue with this project my experience with non-linear narrative and interactive storytelling will improve. Since, I feel as though only through experience and lots of trial and error will I be able to hone those skills.
I also got a lot of helpful feedback on my rough draft of my poster such as font sizing, images to include, things to take out, etc. as well as different approaches I can take when displaying my work. Since my game is more writing focused.
- PROGRESS REPORT 3
At this point in the project, there are a lot of trials and difficult spots to get through regarding my project. Some challenges being time, implementation, and finalization of story. Time was a factor since spending time making sure everything connected and fit cohesively was definitely challenging and required a lot of review and thought. Implementation and finalization of the story has also been tricky because finding out how I wanted everything to wrap up and work within Twine was definitely challenging. However, despite these different challenges significant progress has been made and I have been able to further figure things out about my story and project overall.
To elaborate more on my progress, while finishing the writing and researching, CON-NECTION began to evolve. The concept of CON-NECTION remained the same but my ideas changed slightly. The changes that I have made (such as feedback, assessments, and aesthetic choices) were for the better in terms of making CON-NECTION all that I want it to be. Through guidance from Professor Auji and reviewing the story. I was able to gain greater insight into how this project was turning out and would turn out in the long run. The process of working on and creating this project has been incredibly insightful (in terms of challenges, research, and work ethic) and helped me learn more about myself. The project is making significant progress and I feel as though it’s turning out much better than I expected.
- FINAL REFLECTION
CON-NECTION is an interactive non-linear story game in which the player will get to experience social situations in an inconsequential space. My inspiration and purpose behind this game was to have a game where people could not only explore different social situations without outside risk but also explore their own sense of self and boundaries. However, the interesting thing about that statement is that throughout the process of creating this project I was able to more deeply understand myself.
Fulfilling the roles of Project Manager, Game Designer, Writer, and Artist on my own was definitely challenging. As a Project Manager, I had to think about: How can I make this all come together without compromising my vision for the game? Lots of work needed to be done in order to make sure that everything was timed out and fit perfectly. However, those plans I had quickly became re-arranged once I finally immersed myself fully into the project. I utilized a Project Management site to keep everything organized and together so I knew what I needed to do and how I needed to do it. After getting a general idea of the milestones and everything that needed to be done; I then had to think like a Game Designer. I needed to figure out what mechanics I wanted and needed to make the game impactful. What things can I implement that make this experience feel organic? Research needed to be done in order to learn more about Twine as a software and engine as well as learn the coding language for it called Harlowe. Referring to Twine tutorials, forums, and the Twine Cookbook were essential to me learning and understanding everything I needed to do in order to make CON-NECTION come to life. After that I had to think like a Writer. I had to think about not only the time constraints but also how do I keep this experience as close to an actual social situation as possible? How do I have the dialogue options differ but not make the outcomes too obvious? The writing took the longest to complete because I was constantly finding new ways to improve or re-arrange the story to make sure everything fit in an organic way. However, once I got the core parts and also with the suggestions from the panelists I was able to narrow the story down. Thus just small details and changes needed to be made to have everything come together. As for the Artist role, I had to consider: How can I utilize the pixel art minimalist style to add a visual aid but not take away from the content within the game? The Artist role I felt was the easiest to accomplish because once I saw where I wanted to go with my idea it was just a matter of creating the design on Aseprite (a pixel art maker program).
Through facing these challenges and getting feedback from not only the panelists as well as Professor Hosni Auji, my mentor for this project, I was able to understand a lot about the design process. I gained not only an outsider but an insider perspective on what working on creative projects is like. Gaining an outsider perspective on my progress, presentation, and explanation allowed for questions to be asked that truly made me think about the detail and aspects of my project that I wanted to explore. Since, I wanted my project to have impact and meaning to those who experienced it. I had to figure out ways to have no obvious choices, make the dialogue and options feel organic, and allow the player to experience the game in its entirety. Therefore gaining the insight of my mentor and the panelists provided me the chance to dive deeper into what CON-NECTION was and what impact it had before it was even completed.
These questions allowed me to find design solutions for the issues I was facing. I figured out ways to keep the player engaged by modifying the assessment system within the game to keep track of the player’s mood and overall feeling. I was able to find different ways to add more engagement and interest by adding in CONA (pronounced KAH-NA) as the player’s “conscience”, so to speak, throughout the game. I was able to find ways to help CONA stand out, to have more feedback and craft a pseudo-personality for her, thus adding another character to the game that the player would be able to engage with but not directly. I was able to explore all that CON-NECTION could offer even with the limited time I had to make it happen. However, the time limit being a factor served as an even greater inspiration for what I could make out of CON-NECTION with what I had. CON-NECTION inspired me to be creative and be ambitious with what I wanted to do.
Creating CON-NECTION involved a lot of learning not only about myself but about Twine, Non-Linear Storytelling, and also the Design Process. Learning Harlowe (one of Twine’s coding languages) was difficult to get accustomed to since the syntax was a bit different from the other coding languages I had encountered in the past. However, through lots of research and tutorials I was able to work my way through those challenges so that I could program my game the way I desired. Through playtesting the game multiple times and troubleshooting the different problems that I encountered with the variables and different passages, I was able to work my way to the finished product.
CON-NECTION as you see it now is the product of many hours of hard work and research. It is something that I am proud of and worked hard to create. From the art to capture the minimalist aesthetic to make sure the writing of the story was impactful. To the development of the three characters (Blake, Alex, and Riley) and finally the completion of the game. The process of designing, learning, and developing CON-NECTION helped me to figure out who I was as a creator. From my own design process, to how I learn concepts best, to developing my skills as a writer and designer, I was able to develop a connection with myself. With the experience I’ve gained I now have a deeper knowledge of who I am as a creator and what impact I want to have with the media I create now and going forward. I want to create projects that allow others to feel represented and seen within the media. Something that allows people to have some sort of connection or relatability with what they are consuming. Representation is important in any form of media that exists, even within the smallest of nuances people can relate or feel as though they’re being heard.
CON-NECTION is a representation of my growth as a creator. I am hoping that with the final product of CON-NECTION my creative vision can be understood as well as my writing skills. The journey I went through to get to this final product is definitely one that provided a lot of challenges. However, through experiencing those challenges I was able to think on a grander scale about how to solve those challenges without compromising the vision I had for CON-NECTION. This experience will definitely have a large impact on me not only professionally but personally and creatively. This project will definitely impact how I approach projects in the future in terms of my time management, creativity, and research skills. This is certainly an experience that will not be forgotten and I hope that from here on that my growth and experience will only continue to increase.
