Feedback Strategies

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Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset

In this article they talk about how thinking of your feedback as a mirror can be helpful in how the critisism will be taken on.

to focus on what is there and not what isn't "a mirror stays focused on what is in front of it, A mirror cannot reflect back what is not there". You are asked to focus on the process and the work that was put into the work instead of what its missing.

How to Give Bad Feedback Without Being a Jerk

In this article they talk about faults in the "Compliment sandwich" approach to feedback which is "Put a slice of praise on the top and the bottom, and stick the meat of your criticism in between".

the positives fall on deaf ears. When people hear praise during a feedback conversation, they brace themselves. They’re waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it makes the opening compliment seem insincere. You didn’t really mean it; you were just trying to soften the blow.

Instead of this you don't need to compliment or say something nice if you dont mean it.

1. Explain why you’re giving the feedback

now you sound as if you have their best interest at heart instead of just plain criticism.

2. Take yourself off a pedestal 

“I’ve benefited a lot from people giving me feedback, and I’m trying to pay that forward.”

3. Ask if the person wants feedback

They may not even want it.

4. Have a transparent dialogue, not a manipulative monologue

“I have some negative feedback to give you. I’ll start with some positive feedback to relax you, and then give you the negative feedback, which is the real purpose of our meeting. I’ll end with more positive feedback so you won’t be so disappointed or angry at me when you leave my office.”

GAME IDEA RESEARCH

So to start off, here is what I was previously researching to do with my game ideas:

Computer role playing game
Platform game
Racing game
Shooter game

Im choosing to further research and develop ideas for a platform game as i have played these sort of games growing up and have a better understanding of them rather than choosing a game i would have less experience on.
I like the idea of doing a single screen platform game like games such as Donkey Kong.

So Typically the objectives for that game is to climb to the top while avoiding the barrels and enimies.

once the single screen objective is complete the player moves on to a different screen or stays on the same screen, but in both cases, the objective and goals for that next screen typically become more challenging.

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My idea for a single screen:

I was thinking of a game where the player controls a mouse with a gun and they are tying to collect cheese at the highest platform while avoiding roaming cats by jumping over them or shooting and climbing up to the next platform.

Game Mechanics i could use:

http://www.theknowledgeguru.com/learning-game-design-mechanics/

Physics: The player falls when they miss a jump or is killed by a enemy.

Tactical manuvering: The player has to jump to avoid enemies.

Level remains locked until a player successfully completes the previous level: The player will only advance to a harder level when they reach the top of the game map.

Unity Tutorial 02

This was difficult.

In the first tutorial i was taught how to import a sound object through an audio and FX folders.
The code for collecting the gem was complicated for me to make the gem play the noise and disappear but i copied exactly what jimmy said and i got it to work in the end although i'm not completely sure about the mechanics behind it all.
Next i made a box collider and jimmy also spoke about mesh colliders, which make the object disappear script relate to you touching off the gem with your character.
He was confusing me when he spoke about referencing the object, he seemed confused himself as to  why the script didn't work when you put in "this" referring to the object. I ending up using the code that works for him which references the gem and i had no problems with that. 

Then i moved on to making my little pond of water using the prefabs and dipping the terrain to create a space for the water to go which worked out nicely and was simple enough to create.
After that i worked on making my box into a wall by stretching it out and applying wall texture to it with the normal map texture i made from the assets, and i also was able to duplicate the wall which i can see saving me lots of time in the future! 
With the rock texture i played around and tried blending for the first time, i found it to be difficult to get a nice blend even with the lowest opacity but i personally think the textures really didn't blend well to start with. I also was able to add shadows now, i like the big difference shadows made to my world and how simplistic it is because its built into unity there is no code involved and you gotta love that! 

In the second tutorial i explored UI elements. 
I made the curser which defines where we look in the game and focus where we go by using canvas. I liked this addition i made mine a white diamond and it made walking around in my game less confusing and really focused my attention to the centre.
Then i started with the ray cast element. I learned that this is a way of defining how far away the object your looking at is from the player.
i made a player casting script, but i didn't quite understand the terminology he used about how he can reference this script in others by making it a "static variable". The ray cast worked in the end and i got it to show me how far objects are away from my player. 
I thought this was the hardest tutorial so far and im still quite confused on how i got some things to work which annoyed me because i would rather know how so i can do it again when  i need it for my own game.

Game Elements

We need a shared language of game design.

cat

From what I've read, i understand that game designing is more progressive using tools by which we can analyse and design the games. This really made sense to me "After all, how can you design a game if you don’t know how all the different parts fit together?"
When i design my game it would be helpful to think of it as a system, when designing you must give thought to the elements or "tools" of design and make sure that each is a deliberate choice. Elements are interrelated, and changing one can affect others. 
https://learn.canvas.net/courses/3/pages/level-3-dot-1-atomic-elements-of-games

This is a summary i did for these elements/tools:

Players

Solitaire

“PvE”

One-against-many

Free-for-all 

Separate individuals (against the system)

Team competition 

Predator-Prey.

Five-pointed Star.

Objectives (goals)

Capture/destroy.

Territorial control.

Collection.

Solve. 

Chase/race/escape

Spatial alignment

Build

Negation of another goal.

Rules

operational (xs and os), constituative ( abstract, 3 to 15), and implied

Resources and Resource Management

Territory in RISK

Number of questions remaining in Twenty Questions

Objects that can be picked up in video games (weapons, powerups)

Time (either game time, or real time, or both)

Known information (as the suspects that you have eliminated in Clue)

Game State

 what are rules, but the means by which the game is transformed from one game state to another?

Information

A few games offer total information, where all players see the complete game state at all times. Chess and Go are classic board game examples.Games can include some information that is private to each individual

Sequencing

In what order do players take their actions? How does play flow from one action to another?

turn based

simultanious turn based

real time

Player Interaction

Direct conflict 

Negotiation 

Trading 

Information sharing 

Theme (Narrative, Backstory, Setting)

the setting provides an emotional connection to the game. I find it hard to really care about the pawns on my chessboard the way I care about my Dungeons & Dragons character. And while this doesn’t necessarily make one game “better” than another, it does make it easier for a player to become emotionally invested in the game.

emotion. 

a well-chosen theme can make a game easier to learn and easier to play, because the rules make sense. 

Games as Systems

 When designing a game, give thought to each of these elements, and make sure that each is a deliberate choice.

elements are interrelated, and changing one can affect others. 

https://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/articles/four-elements-of-game-design-1--cms-22720

I find these tools very helpful to keep in mind and refer back to during the designing process as a critical analysis.

Critical analysis is making use of the elements, how they relate and work together and finally why the designer chose those elements and not others.

Im trying to understand types of games and analyse them this way.

I read that its easier to understand the game when you've played it, I want to put this into practice and throughout the game to keep questioning the designer in relation to their choices to benefit from it and learn from their uses of the tools.

https://learn.canvas.net/courses/3/pages/level-3-dot-2-critical-analysis-of-games?module_item_id=44530

Learning Challenge :Sleep deprivation is not a badge of honor

Sleep deprivation is not a badge of honor

Currently my sleeping schedule is pretty good and consistent.

I have been sleeping before 12am everyday and waking up before 10am.

 These are concequences of sleep deprivation

Lack of creativity:

"What separates programmers who are 10x more effective than the norm is not that they write 10x as many lines of code. It’s that they use their creativity to solve the problem with a tenth of the effort. The creativity to come up with those 1/10 solutions drops drastically when I’m tired." I didn't know that sleep deprivation links to not feeling creative.. i would definitely think about this next time im feeling a little un-creative.

Irritability: 

I have always been aware of how irritated i get when i don't sleep its not pretty. 

Diminished morale:

" My motivation to attack the problems of real importance is not nearly up to par." -I never thought about if i got less motivated when im tired.

Feedback thoughts

FEEDBACK: is about listening actively, taking the time to analyze, and then thinking of the best possible solution to perform better. It provides positive criticism and allows to see what everyone can change to improve their focus and results.

The first article i read was "7 ways to crush self- doubt in creative work".

• 1. Don’t Compare Yourself to Others. 
• 2. Abandon Perfectionism. 
• 3. Be Vulnerable to a Trusted Community. 
• 4. Embrace a Growth Mindset. 
• 5. Set Goals that are within your control. 
• 6. Treat Your Work Like an Experiment. 
• 7. Trust Yourself. 

I found this article very informative and helpful.

one of the points i found very inspirational is setting goals within your control. 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-kJ6ieIPZAlP6khjLb0LhlP2czgsNy5t6GruVWywy724EyK7644dwSgOTIXbxEyCL1di-k9vgYN5BFJNC3qjGOEBecyqti2E40obBVn4UkBET6P4KNRwzAEOpIA-kgL8sJTnMnb4Ftc/s1600/success.png

The second atricle i read was "Why rejection hurts so much — and what to do about it".

"The greatest damage rejection causes is usually self-inflicted. Just when our self-esteem is hurting most, we go and damage it even further"

There are better and healthier ways to respond to rejection, things we can do to curb the unhealthy responses, soothe our emotional pain and rebuild our self-esteem. Here are just some of them:

• Have Zero Tolerance for Self-Criticism

Thinking, “I should probably avoid talking about my ex on my next first date,” is fine. Thinking, “I’m such a loser!” is not.

• Revive Your Self-Worth

 Make a list of five qualities you have that are important or meaningful. Applying emotional first aid in this way will boost your self-esteem, reduce your emotional pain and build your confidence going forward.

• Boost Feelings of Social Connection

 we need to feel wanted and valued... 

Rejection destabilizes our need to belong, leaving us feeling unsettled and socially untethered. Therefore, we need to remind ourselves that we’re appreciated and loved so we can feel more connected and grounded.

Game Brainstorm

CRPG  - Computer role playing game

WHAT IS A CRPG? : Players control a central game character, or multiple game characters, and win by completing lots of quests or getting to the end of a central storyline. Players explore a game world, while solving puzzles and engaging in combat. A key feature of the genre is that characters grow in power and abilities, and characters are typically designed by the player. RPGs rarely challenge a player's physical coordination or reaction time, with the exception of action role-playing games.Role-playing video games typically rely on a highly developed story and setting, divided into a number of quests. Players control one or several characters by issuing commands, which are performed by the character at an effectiveness determined by their own skill level. It goes up each time the player accumulates a certain amount of experience. 

RPG LINK

SOURCE.

Im interested in this type of game because i grew up playing games like Sims 2,3 and 4. That Pretty much concludes my knowledge of RPG games. Id like to learn how to create a mini world and how to form quests and put them into action for my game. I would try making a 2D game with simply one character to control in a small map. I was thinking of the idea where your controlling a farm animal and your trying to avoid being slaughtered and get out of the farm by completing quests using health management as you travel through the farm So your going through all these quests to defeat the farmers to up your skills and find the way out of the farm map. 

So more like a survival RPG Game from what i have researched..

Platform game

WHAT IS A PLATFORM GAME? :A Platform game is a video game which involves guiding an avatar to jump between suspended platforms and/or over obstacles to advance the game. The player controls the jumps to avoid letting the avatar fall from platforms or miss necessary jumps.

PLATFORM LINK

SOURCE.

I have the idea of making a simple platform game with a mouse who has to jump over the mousetraps and avoid cats to collect cheese and reach the end of the map.

Racing game

WHAT IS A RACING GAME? : The racing video game genre, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, water, air or space vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings. In general, they can be distributed along a spectrum anywhere between hardcore simulations, and simpler arcade racing games. Racing games may also fall under the category of sports games.

RACING LINK

UNITY RACE GAME TUTORIAL

Ive played games like mario kart and racing game apps and I've really enjoyed simply steering around and avoiding obstacles. I would try making a simple 2D race game like shown above, using a creative vehicle like a space ship and include obstacles such as meteors in a space setting. https://learn.unity.com/project/space-shooter-tutorial

Shooter game

WHAT IS A SHOOTER GAME? : Shooter games are a sub-genre of action video game, which often test the player's spatial awareness, reflexes, and speed. The purpose of a shooter game is to shoot opponents and proceed through missions without the player character being killed or dying.

source.

I have never played one these games so i have no expectations but the 2D shooter game i would try to make would use a point and shoot mechanism. where you control a weapon and shoot at enemies coming towards the weapon.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-8nE9_FwWs

Unity Tutorial 01

I watched and did tutorials in real time with Johnny Vegas and managed to make a start on my first game world.

i found it quite overwhelming and intimidating at first but quickly got to work with the tutorials and eased any original worries because of how slow paced and easy they are!

I downloaded a 2017.2 version of unity and got to work with the tutorials..

I was taught to place terrain and manipulate it with all the design tools unity has like textures and bumps.

Unity

I learned how to put material in things giving them what look i want and placing objects with script attached..

Although i wish he explained more about what kind of platform id be making the terrain for? and why i need to place things the way he is.. what the spacial limits are for games in unity.

Also the coding C# script seems difficult to get used to with how lower and uppercase sensitive it is theres room for many stupid mistakes id like to avoid.

and remembering the folders for everything to organise will be something i see myself mistaking on and forgetting about.

Im still not sure about how games go from design to play but ill keep going with these tutorials and hopefully learn more about that!

Im exited to see where i can take all the looks and tools into account for my own game.