PROGRESS REPORT
Creating a combined strategy game on Alanya Castle
ie_pioneers
Reporting Period: 3 march 2009 - 18 April 2009
Introduction
The purpose of this project is to look at the major issues in creating a strategy game based on a war to defend or conquer Alanya castle. This game includes similarities with popular startegy games like Medieval Total War as well as having original components. There is no specific costumer profile since our game has different elements such as chess, strategy game, card game (bridge). Briefly, this report is prepared to show our progress in the research of problems encountered, changes in requirements and estimation on how the project is going.
Major issues
1. How to visualize our work: Since our game has lots of elements and each individual may be attracted by different elements, we are trying to visualize the game as much as possible although it requires certain research and information to do that.
2. Manufacturing & Finding someone who knows about software: Since we are not capable of creating a computer game, we have to find a company or an individual to help us about that subject.
3. Marketing: There are certain rivals in the market of strategy games and we have to overcome the prejudices that Turkish people cannot create a good game.
4. Advertising: Without advertissement, we would not be able to make people aware of our game. We research to find the ultimate source to prepare an advertissement including TV commercial, radio commercial, newspaper adverissement, internet commercials and brochures on techno markets.
What we did to reach the game on our mind?
Empathy, the ability to put ourselves in the shoes of someone else on screen, was an important concept for us because we believe that it is the best way to understand our costumers.
We took “The Global Game Jam Team” as an example of success and we tried to find what was behind their success. Later, it turned out to be their passion and hardwork with a well orginized team member which created their accomplishement.
We followed the latest news on the market of games and the companies in that business, which helped us a lot since we need to be aware of the situation in the market at the moment.
We watched many game trailers to have a general idea on both graphics and scenarios of the latest games.
Thanks to the great site we found* we had a chance to improve our knowledge about advertising business and we obtained a clear point of view about the subject.
The chart above showed us that there are two huge markets in games industry namely America and Japan. Also, it can be seen clearly that nintendo leads the market with 101.15M and thus, we took a closer look to the strategies of that brand in order to understand why they are so successful.
Finally, we interviewed with people who are known to be game “maniacs” and listened their expectations from a strategy game.
DETAILS OF THE GAME
CARDS
Our game will be based on a card game which needs strategic thinking. The one who wins one step of the card game will have the right to move on the game. This movement can be used to transform troops, ships, constructing rafts, boats and for mining, speech of generals and so on. That is, any kind of movement will be done by winning one step of the card game.
UNITS OF THE GAME
1) Admiral of the fleet and commander of the castle: the speech of admiral of fleet and commander of the castle increases bravery amoung his soldiers.
2) Workers = Crew
Repairs the walls the ships
Water channel rafts
Administration building boats
Mosque floating shipyard
Mining construsting fishing rafts
Combining fishing rafts to floating shipyard
Doctors: there are doctors on both sides increasing the resistances of the soldiers
Servant = fisherman
Cutting trees to obtain wood fishing on the rafts
Farming
Cutting animals to get meat
WATER CHANNEL IN IN THE CASTLE
When it is highly damaged, plague which gradually kils the people in the castle emerges. The plague can be effect the invader via messenger pigeon.
MESSENGER PIGEON
By using messenger pigeon, a different type of negotiation may be established. However, when there is epidemic plague in the castle, pigeon going from castle to fleets wolud maket his plague a danger fort he fleets also. In this case, it will first affect the admiral of the fleet a deven he can die because of plague.
MESSENGER SOLDIER
Messenger soldier can be put into a boat and sent to the own country land of the invaders to demad help, food stock and materials like steel, wood for construction purposes.
RELIGION
On both sides there are religious staff fostering faith of their troops when they come enough close to each other.
TREBUCHET AND CATAPULT
There are trebuchets and catapults on the ships which would able to damage a deven destroy the walls. These engines also have the ability to shoot fire balls. Because the walls are so high, it not possible to locate these kind of engines on the walls. Trebushets and catapults of the castle will fire from the city and probably with less range distange compared to the invaders.
FIRE RANGE
There are two invisible lines on the sea, which represents two fire range; on efor the archers and other engines of the castle. When ships pass these lines, they will be open to archer and trebuchet attacks.
ABOUT THE SEA
There are visible rocks on the sea limiiting the actions of the ships. Invaders can plant their flags on the rocks when they reach them.
TRANSFERING UNITS AMOUNG THE SHIPS
Religious staffi admiral of the fleet, troops, and ranked soldiers can be transformed amoung ships. This would be possible via a boat except troops. To transfer troops, two ships must get close enough to each other so that trop can pass to other ship.
TYPES OF SHIPS
Fırstly, each ship can carry troops in dictinct proportions. Secondly, each ship can also stock any kind of material (steel, wood, meat) in dictinct proportions. That is, the stock capacity of a ship for troops and materials are different. Each ship has different sizes and quality.as a result of this, the flexibility, range and variety on motion of ships but probably in limited number.
EFFECTIVENESS EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY
For each player, a bar will show the effectiveness, efficiency and productivity rate. Productivity rate is based on how much material you produced. In unıt time how much useful movement the player did will determine the efficiency rate. The effectiveness rate will be based on which players are closer to victory. If the battle ends draw. The winner will be chosen by looking into these rates.
Progress Summary
In this part, we would like to refer to a summary of the tasks we have completed, the things we are doing and works we are planning to do. Since we are dealing with a process, which must come to an end in a limited time period and which requires preliminarily determined tasks, we would like to approach the issue by a method implying both project tasks- and time-periods approach, namely the combined approach. By this way, it is much easier for us to make group work and to deal with limited time, we thought. Now, the more detailed schedule of our work can be simply composed as follows:
-Work Done
Right from the beginning of this project, we were given some directions by our instructor and assistants, among which the preliminary research about Alanya Castle played a pivotal role, since it constitutes the main idea of our computer game. So far, we also made researches about types of computer games, board games, toys and games industry, and tried to observe the developments occurred during the time. All was published in our blogspot, which we made at the beginning of the semester. Then, we set up meetings and, based on a strategic game structure, we drew the first draft of our game, with main parts and game rules, by hand of course. After having contact with Ferhan Özkan, an engineer in Metutech Atom, we went to the Galyum Block in Teknopolis, where we found the computer lab of Atom and made researches about what we have to do in our own process, such as taking actions according to data retrieved from previous industrial issues.*
-Work in Progress
Because the game can still be improved, we are examining other strategic games, which could inspirate us to add new details. For example, we are looking at the screenshots of games or play those ourselves. As for manufacturing, we are trying to get information about how to get an URL address or how much does it cost to get the patent. So far we got some general information about the sites such as kolyos.com.
-Work to be done
Because the manufacturing and marketing of our product constitutes the preeminent issue of what we have got to do in this process, we have some objectives to be completed by interacting with other people. First we are to find a company, an organization to software our game. This involves signing agreements and investing capital. In fact we did find one, that Metutech Atom, but we need to have some more choices in order to decide. Consequently this makes the existence of a sponsor necessary, which also requires agreements. As for marketing, we will need to find a renowned organization such as a game magazine which could sell and introduce our game by interpreting it or advertise it, at least. We also want to advertise it through different methods, by that web page considered above, for example. Our game, we thought, must include more brain work; hence we will also add some card games which will not base on luck but for subtle solutions or challenges between players when played online. The winner will get the right to make his/her movement in the real game. So, we will determine the rules of this mini card game and will maybe design them according to belongings of Alanya Castle such as history or conquerers of it. In our probable web page we will probably be able to make it possible to make comments about the game, a kind of forum, which will lead to attraction of more people.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
In our project, firstly we need capital to develop the software program of the game. Also, we must give money to the programmer. Therefore, capital has vital role to start the project. The other problem which we encountered is about the format of the game. The game is actually complex and difficult. While building the structure of the game, one side turned out to be more advantageous than the other. Therefore, we try to balance powers of two sides. So, the game becomes much more enjoyful. Moreover timing is another problem that we encountered. The period of time for us to complete the process of creating the game got longer and longer. Also, the programmer needs certain time in order to understand the game globally and use his knowledge to develop the game. To be honest, we need to be given professional advice since we do not know how to advertise the product. There are serious rivals in the game market, which made our job more difficult to deal with. Hence, we have to enter the market well-organized and take careful steps. In conclusion, we as group members cooperated well to accomplish the project. We need to develop the product as through to be having the features which are below:
*Multiple language options
*Multiple rule sets
*Multiple playing options
*Advanced community features
*Local feels, international capability
*Strong brand partnerships
CHANGES IN REQUIREMENTS
At the beginning, we indented to create a prototype of Alanya Castle in such a way that it can also be used as pencil box with its towers, an inserted digital clock instead of its bricks and a note paper box at one side. Overall, it would be a useful object for people with its esthetic look and it would include clock, paper box and note paper box at one piece instead of three. We thought it would create space in the table and become a good souvenir of Alanya. Although we were amazed with that idea, when we started to research we found out that it conflicts the main principles of industrial engineering and such five guys like us could not handle it. We interviewed with people from Ostim who have knowledge about the subject and finally we canceled doing it. From that moment we decided on another project that is mentioned in this report in detail and the process was not easy again. We’ve changed our mind several times and decided to follow other paths. At first we were planning to arrange interviews with people who know about the games but then we agreed that we as ourselves had to know certain things about games and then interview with them. Changes happen all the time but we hope when the time that no changes are allowed comes we will have our heads up and present our game confidently.
REFERENCES:
http://www.brentscarcliff.com/blog/category/video-game-branding/
http://brandnoise.typepad.com/brand_noise/video_games/
http://www.globalgamejam.org/
http://www.gamasutra.com
http://www.gamespot.com
http://www.gametrailers.com
http:// www.gamesindustry.biz
http://www.vgchartz.com
http://www.casualconnect.org
http://www.iab.net/
Appendices: *i.e. The research from the Nielsen Company and the Monitor-Plus advertising monitoring service showed that the games industry reportedly spent $823 million on marketing and promotion in the US during 2008.
References: Batchelor J., 2009, para 1, The Games Business. 18/04/2009 Retrieved from http://www.mcvuk.com/news/33207/US-823-million-spent-on-games-marketing-in-2008
Creating a combined strategy game on Alanya Castle
ie_pioneers
Reporting Period: 3 march 2009 - 18 April 2009
Introduction
The purpose of this project is to look at the major issues in creating a strategy game based on a war to defend or conquer Alanya castle. This game includes similarities with popular startegy games like Medieval Total War as well as having original components. There is no specific costumer profile since our game has different elements such as chess, strategy game, card game (bridge). Briefly, this report is prepared to show our progress in the research of problems encountered, changes in requirements and estimation on how the project is going.
Major issues
1. How to visualize our work: Since our game has lots of elements and each individual may be attracted by different elements, we are trying to visualize the game as much as possible although it requires certain research and information to do that.
2. Manufacturing & Finding someone who knows about software: Since we are not capable of creating a computer game, we have to find a company or an individual to help us about that subject.
3. Marketing: There are certain rivals in the market of strategy games and we have to overcome the prejudices that Turkish people cannot create a good game.
4. Advertising: Without advertissement, we would not be able to make people aware of our game. We research to find the ultimate source to prepare an advertissement including TV commercial, radio commercial, newspaper adverissement, internet commercials and brochures on techno markets.
What we did to reach the game on our mind?
Empathy, the ability to put ourselves in the shoes of someone else on screen, was an important concept for us because we believe that it is the best way to understand our costumers.
We took “The Global Game Jam Team” as an example of success and we tried to find what was behind their success. Later, it turned out to be their passion and hardwork with a well orginized team member which created their accomplishement.
We followed the latest news on the market of games and the companies in that business, which helped us a lot since we need to be aware of the situation in the market at the moment.
We watched many game trailers to have a general idea on both graphics and scenarios of the latest games.
Thanks to the great site we found* we had a chance to improve our knowledge about advertising business and we obtained a clear point of view about the subject.
The chart above showed us that there are two huge markets in games industry namely America and Japan. Also, it can be seen clearly that nintendo leads the market with 101.15M and thus, we took a closer look to the strategies of that brand in order to understand why they are so successful.
Finally, we interviewed with people who are known to be game “maniacs” and listened their expectations from a strategy game.
DETAILS OF THE GAME
CARDS
Our game will be based on a card game which needs strategic thinking. The one who wins one step of the card game will have the right to move on the game. This movement can be used to transform troops, ships, constructing rafts, boats and for mining, speech of generals and so on. That is, any kind of movement will be done by winning one step of the card game.
UNITS OF THE GAME
1) Admiral of the fleet and commander of the castle: the speech of admiral of fleet and commander of the castle increases bravery amoung his soldiers.
2) Workers = Crew
Repairs the walls the ships
Water channel rafts
Administration building boats
Mosque floating shipyard
Mining construsting fishing rafts
Combining fishing rafts to floating shipyard
Doctors: there are doctors on both sides increasing the resistances of the soldiers
Servant = fisherman
Cutting trees to obtain wood fishing on the rafts
Farming
Cutting animals to get meat
WATER CHANNEL IN IN THE CASTLE
When it is highly damaged, plague which gradually kils the people in the castle emerges. The plague can be effect the invader via messenger pigeon.
MESSENGER PIGEON
By using messenger pigeon, a different type of negotiation may be established. However, when there is epidemic plague in the castle, pigeon going from castle to fleets wolud maket his plague a danger fort he fleets also. In this case, it will first affect the admiral of the fleet a deven he can die because of plague.
MESSENGER SOLDIER
Messenger soldier can be put into a boat and sent to the own country land of the invaders to demad help, food stock and materials like steel, wood for construction purposes.
RELIGION
On both sides there are religious staff fostering faith of their troops when they come enough close to each other.
TREBUCHET AND CATAPULT
There are trebuchets and catapults on the ships which would able to damage a deven destroy the walls. These engines also have the ability to shoot fire balls. Because the walls are so high, it not possible to locate these kind of engines on the walls. Trebushets and catapults of the castle will fire from the city and probably with less range distange compared to the invaders.
FIRE RANGE
There are two invisible lines on the sea, which represents two fire range; on efor the archers and other engines of the castle. When ships pass these lines, they will be open to archer and trebuchet attacks.
ABOUT THE SEA
There are visible rocks on the sea limiiting the actions of the ships. Invaders can plant their flags on the rocks when they reach them.
TRANSFERING UNITS AMOUNG THE SHIPS
Religious staffi admiral of the fleet, troops, and ranked soldiers can be transformed amoung ships. This would be possible via a boat except troops. To transfer troops, two ships must get close enough to each other so that trop can pass to other ship.
TYPES OF SHIPS
Fırstly, each ship can carry troops in dictinct proportions. Secondly, each ship can also stock any kind of material (steel, wood, meat) in dictinct proportions. That is, the stock capacity of a ship for troops and materials are different. Each ship has different sizes and quality.as a result of this, the flexibility, range and variety on motion of ships but probably in limited number.
EFFECTIVENESS EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY
For each player, a bar will show the effectiveness, efficiency and productivity rate. Productivity rate is based on how much material you produced. In unıt time how much useful movement the player did will determine the efficiency rate. The effectiveness rate will be based on which players are closer to victory. If the battle ends draw. The winner will be chosen by looking into these rates.
Progress Summary
In this part, we would like to refer to a summary of the tasks we have completed, the things we are doing and works we are planning to do. Since we are dealing with a process, which must come to an end in a limited time period and which requires preliminarily determined tasks, we would like to approach the issue by a method implying both project tasks- and time-periods approach, namely the combined approach. By this way, it is much easier for us to make group work and to deal with limited time, we thought. Now, the more detailed schedule of our work can be simply composed as follows:
-Work Done
Right from the beginning of this project, we were given some directions by our instructor and assistants, among which the preliminary research about Alanya Castle played a pivotal role, since it constitutes the main idea of our computer game. So far, we also made researches about types of computer games, board games, toys and games industry, and tried to observe the developments occurred during the time. All was published in our blogspot, which we made at the beginning of the semester. Then, we set up meetings and, based on a strategic game structure, we drew the first draft of our game, with main parts and game rules, by hand of course. After having contact with Ferhan Özkan, an engineer in Metutech Atom, we went to the Galyum Block in Teknopolis, where we found the computer lab of Atom and made researches about what we have to do in our own process, such as taking actions according to data retrieved from previous industrial issues.*
-Work in Progress
Because the game can still be improved, we are examining other strategic games, which could inspirate us to add new details. For example, we are looking at the screenshots of games or play those ourselves. As for manufacturing, we are trying to get information about how to get an URL address or how much does it cost to get the patent. So far we got some general information about the sites such as kolyos.com.
-Work to be done
Because the manufacturing and marketing of our product constitutes the preeminent issue of what we have got to do in this process, we have some objectives to be completed by interacting with other people. First we are to find a company, an organization to software our game. This involves signing agreements and investing capital. In fact we did find one, that Metutech Atom, but we need to have some more choices in order to decide. Consequently this makes the existence of a sponsor necessary, which also requires agreements. As for marketing, we will need to find a renowned organization such as a game magazine which could sell and introduce our game by interpreting it or advertise it, at least. We also want to advertise it through different methods, by that web page considered above, for example. Our game, we thought, must include more brain work; hence we will also add some card games which will not base on luck but for subtle solutions or challenges between players when played online. The winner will get the right to make his/her movement in the real game. So, we will determine the rules of this mini card game and will maybe design them according to belongings of Alanya Castle such as history or conquerers of it. In our probable web page we will probably be able to make it possible to make comments about the game, a kind of forum, which will lead to attraction of more people.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
In our project, firstly we need capital to develop the software program of the game. Also, we must give money to the programmer. Therefore, capital has vital role to start the project. The other problem which we encountered is about the format of the game. The game is actually complex and difficult. While building the structure of the game, one side turned out to be more advantageous than the other. Therefore, we try to balance powers of two sides. So, the game becomes much more enjoyful. Moreover timing is another problem that we encountered. The period of time for us to complete the process of creating the game got longer and longer. Also, the programmer needs certain time in order to understand the game globally and use his knowledge to develop the game. To be honest, we need to be given professional advice since we do not know how to advertise the product. There are serious rivals in the game market, which made our job more difficult to deal with. Hence, we have to enter the market well-organized and take careful steps. In conclusion, we as group members cooperated well to accomplish the project. We need to develop the product as through to be having the features which are below:
*Multiple language options
*Multiple rule sets
*Multiple playing options
*Advanced community features
*Local feels, international capability
*Strong brand partnerships
CHANGES IN REQUIREMENTS
At the beginning, we indented to create a prototype of Alanya Castle in such a way that it can also be used as pencil box with its towers, an inserted digital clock instead of its bricks and a note paper box at one side. Overall, it would be a useful object for people with its esthetic look and it would include clock, paper box and note paper box at one piece instead of three. We thought it would create space in the table and become a good souvenir of Alanya. Although we were amazed with that idea, when we started to research we found out that it conflicts the main principles of industrial engineering and such five guys like us could not handle it. We interviewed with people from Ostim who have knowledge about the subject and finally we canceled doing it. From that moment we decided on another project that is mentioned in this report in detail and the process was not easy again. We’ve changed our mind several times and decided to follow other paths. At first we were planning to arrange interviews with people who know about the games but then we agreed that we as ourselves had to know certain things about games and then interview with them. Changes happen all the time but we hope when the time that no changes are allowed comes we will have our heads up and present our game confidently.
REFERENCES:
http://www.brentscarcliff.com/blog/category/video-game-branding/
http://brandnoise.typepad.com/brand_noise/video_games/
http://www.globalgamejam.org/
http://www.gamasutra.com
http://www.gamespot.com
http://www.gametrailers.com
http:// www.gamesindustry.biz
http://www.vgchartz.com
http://www.casualconnect.org
http://www.iab.net/
Appendices: *i.e. The research from the Nielsen Company and the Monitor-Plus advertising monitoring service showed that the games industry reportedly spent $823 million on marketing and promotion in the US during 2008.
References: Batchelor J., 2009, para 1, The Games Business. 18/04/2009 Retrieved from http://www.mcvuk.com/news/33207/US-823-million-spent-on-games-marketing-in-2008
