Boss Battle Analysis

For my boss analysis, I'm reviewing one of my favorite games, Zelda Twilight Princess. Out of the many boss battles in this game, the Blizzeta was one of my favorites. At this point in the game, the player needs to gather mirror shards to progress with the story. The boss has one of the shards, and is kind at first and is willing to give you the shard until they fall under its power and suddenly turn. 

The battle is introduced during the boss's transition. The environment also changes into an ice covered scene, with a reflective ice floor. The boss goes through 2 stages of transformation for the player to battle, each which require different mechanics.

During the battle, players can use multiple weapons that they have gained throughout the game to pick how they attack Blizzeta. Since the ice is slippery, running is more difficult

In the first stage, Blizzeta rolls in an ice protected spinner that projects towards the player to do damage. 

In the second stage, Blizzeta is protected by a crystal casing, surround by more pointed crystal casings and flies around in the air. The camera view now changes towards a 3/4 downward angle so that the player can see the reflections in the floor. Blizzetta will try to crush you with one of the many crystal casings if you don't move fast enough. This is the main mechanic for this boss battle, using the reflections to see where the casings are and to avoid them. Once they fall down, the player must attack the protective casing around Blizzeta until the level is over. 

There are no other obstacles or blocking objects during the level. This allows the player to run around freely when threatened by the falling casings. 

The reward for this boss battle is the mirror shard, a heart for your health, and reuniting two lovers (one being Blizzeta)

Layout

ice texture (google)

Nighttime Digie:

It's been a while since I've done quick digital pieces, so here's one from last night that was my break drawing. Trying to do simple gradients with bursts of color. 

Machine Design: Steampunk Bionic arm

Here are my designs for my environmental machine. I chose to challenge myself and will be 3D modeling a steampunk bionic arm. The top designs are influenced by the movie, Hugo, and the bottom half are influenced by Tim Burton. I will be combining 3 and 5 to make my final piece. 

Game Mechanic Ideas

Now that we've finished the shooter project, we're moving onto creating a game mechanic. Here's some of my ideas of what I would like to do:

1. Grappling hook: A simple hook mechanic that would pull the player to wherever they aimed the curser
2. Mechanic that shoots ice and "freezes" enemies in place
3. Clinging double pulley ropes (like in Attack on Titan): This would be really cool to do and the player would be able to have sort of a spider man swing and cling motion to fly through buildings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAIo3pdG14s
4. Evolution of form: Meaning the player gathers an object that would make them evolve into a stronger form.
5. Claw climbers (like wolverine claws): Claws that can latch onto walls so that the character can climb and get around
6. Hoverboard: Possibly have some sort of hover board that the player can use to navigate to higher areas at a faster speed with more ease.
7. Up copter: The player can grab an object that will move them upward. Player would stand underneath it and the object would raise the player up to a higher point
8. Zip line: The player can use it to travel between buildings
9 Portal: So that players can teleport from one area to another
10: Electric shocker spary: A glove that sends out sparks to stun enemies
11: Simple Jump pad

Level Design: Shooter

For my level design, I'm thinking maybe some sort of futuristic mall with a setup like the game Dead Rising.

The architecture would be very modern, sleek and angular. Since this is an interior area, there wouldn't be any type of vegetation except for the occasional fake plant. I want to have middle key lighting with lighting to help direct the player throughout the gameplay. I want the mall to be abandoned, so various clutter pieces will be scattered throughout the level.

Level Layout:

Some artistic referernces

Multiplayer Shooter Analysis

For my analysis, I chose from my favorite game, Bioshock. The multiplayer levels are in the second game however. You first select whichever character you desire, and then are placed with an online team with other live players. Your goal is simply to rank as many points and kills as possible, more than the other team. The difference between this game and many other multiplayer shooters, is that you can interact with the environment a bit more uniquely than you would a normal shooter. 

For anyone who is familiar with the regular Bioshock gameplay, they would be revisited by various weapons, characters, and power ups. Players are able to kill with either vigors (deadly powers cast from the hands. All of these have different powers ranging from death from electricity, flame, or ice, exc.) In all the sessions, you are able to regain health kits, bullets, power ups for vigors, or power ups for weapons through vending machines that are also presented in the original games. The players are able to hear these vending machines from a distance with the multiple sayings that the vending machine sounds. Along with the regular weapons like guns and vigors, players are also able to use placed turrets in the level that they can set to target any enemy team member. Just like in the regular games, these turrets take a little bit of time to program, so the using player will be a sitting duck for a small period of time. There is also a hidden big daddy suite somewhere in each play, and if your lucky enough to find it, nobody will be "screwing around" with you. 

The environment is very traditionally identical to the style of the regular games, and you get to visit certain trademarks that are presented in the storylines. There are multiple maps, some ranging with a more enclosed, tight space, while others are more outspread and mazy. While players are frantically running around trying to kill other players, the creepy happy 1920s music is playing in the background. Everything is as it was in the storyline gameplay, just with lots and lots of more killing :)

Overall, when this game was in its peak, it was a thrill to play, but I'm always a sucker for interesting ways to kill people in games, rather than just using a gun and bang. Unfortunately though, I wasn't able to play this recently, as it seems nobody is really playing it online. :/

Here's my level layout for this particular area

Here's a player using a vigor power to attack another player

Crazy Caverns, Platform layout

For my platformer, I want to have the location be in a dark cavern.

The main conflict for the level is about the character being trapped in a cave, and needs to find a way out. With various obstacles like moving platforms, falling spikes and timing your jumps correctly, this can be a fun course.

The twist of this level is that if you make one wrong move in certain areas, you have to start all over again so tread carefully. The level is located in a deep cavern with various crystals and spikes dangling from the ceiling. I would like to put some tribal paintings on the walls to give it a bit of culture behind the environment. Since the area is underground, the time of day isn't really important, but I suppose it would be during midday during winter since I want to have some rays peeking through. The only other residents to this cave would be the creatures and tribal people who have decided to call this home. Since these people have only lived in the cave their entire lives, I want the bits of architecture to be blocky and ancient looking, like the animated version of Atlantis.

Prior to the character arriving here, there was a collapse in the cave that caused the natives to evacuate their homes, so everything is abandoned. The player arrives, simply looking to explore, and has accidentally ended up being trapped in a deep cave with a beast, and must quickly find a way out.

Here's my layout for a rough overview of how I want my level to look.

I definitely want to have a color glow similar to this picture.

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/GXH64w5fiXc/maxresdefault.jpg

But still be cartoony like this