April created a video game project focused on Minecraft. She researched game mechanics and analyzed aspects of Minecraft like the game world, characters, and interface. For her project, she created some pixel art experiments and planned ideas like a Candy Crush-style Minecraft game and a Minecraft dungeon. She practiced pixel art and designed a dungeon where the player fights a zombie boss. She finished her pixel art game, which has a title screen, characters, and sound effects she created. While pixel art was difficult for her, she was glad to complete the project and hopes to improve her skills.

1. April-Wimmer

2. Progression Diary

3. 20TH FEB
We started up the video project with a case study. In the case study we had to include
research on general games including game addiction. We also wrote about different
aspects of games. I chose my focus to be Minecraft as I play it almost every night with
my friends who are programmers and coders who also know how to use and make plug-
ins.
I researched the “mechanics” of Minecraft and some general information on it. We
analysed parts of the game such as: the game world itself, characters, feedback
interface, perspective, game types and game setting.

4. 27TH FEB
We started on experiments. My two experiments were: a candy crush style
game also a small snippet of “in game” clip I’d made with pixel art. Pixel art is
very hard for me to do It just never seems to look right but I kept going and it
still looked bad but at least it wasn’t awful.
I started to plan for my product. We had to come up with 3 ideas.
My first idea was of a candy crush Minecraft themed game, a dungeon I made
on actual Minecraft and a Minecraft creeper snake style game.
I found out I couldn't’t actually build a dungeon in Minecraft and needed to do
more so I had to change my ideas so now I’m focusing on a Minecraft Pixel art
style Dungeon.

5. 6TH MARCH
This week we started production. I started to practice Pixel art on ‘Make 8-bit
art’. I discovered it wouldn't’t copy ad paste as the pixel sizes were different so I
had to re draw my characters and I wasn’t really pleased with my character but
it wasn’t that awful I guess. I got a template for a Minecraft zombie and traced it
on Photoshop.
I designed a simple dungeon and made my character fight a zombie but the
main boss is going to attack and he won’t dodge and dies.

6. 13TH MARCH
I finished my product this week. I was glad to finish it as I find pixel art
animation difficult and I’d never choose to do it if I had the choice. Overall, I
think it looks ok. It has a title screen, characters and action. I also added my
own sound effects which I created on Beepbox. I used 3 of my sound effects.
The sound effects help the game feel more like it was an actual game not just a
cheap knock up. I struggle with Pixel art so I will keep trying to improve my
skills.
If I were to do this again, which I hope I won’t have to, I guess I could try do a
more detailed pixel art but I’m not very good anyway but I can try. I can also,
perhaps, make it longer with another level, if I had the patience and time.

8. SCREENSHOTS

9. PIXEL ART PRACTICE

10. PIXEL ART PRACTICE