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1. Evaluation
Cameron Whapples

2. Research
For my research into video games I looked at three different existing products, Arma 3, Just Cause 3 and Gunpoint. These were
researched as they each contained elements that I wanted to include in my own game. This was very helpful to look at such a
variety. Arma was chosen because of its FPS traits. The game relied heavily on its realistic mechanics such as movement,
ammunition for weapons and the sound effects. Although my game was not going to be a simulator it was useful to look at a
leading FPS to gain an idea of what would be needed for each of these things. All of these things were necessary for my game but
I could change the way they worked as to better suit my own product.
I looked at Just Cause next because of its theme and general tone. This game was light-hearted despite its serious plot and setting.
My game was not going to this light-hearted, but it was not to be taken seriously. The colour scheme was also looked as well as
the mechanics though these were not something that I would be replicating. I was more focused on looking at the way in which
the game held itself against other, more serious titles.
I then looked at Gunpoint as this was a 2D side-scroller with a pixel art style. I looked at how the game was constructed with such
low textures, compared to the other two, and still captured the world perfectly. Environments and objects were recognisable
despite the lower resolution which was something that I needed to look at if I was to create my own pixel art game.
Overall my research was clear and concise. Even though I used each game to look at a different element, I researched all the
features of the product to gain a clear understanding of them.

3. Planning
My planning was very helpful as it gave me a clear idea of what I was going to create once production started. I looked at style
sheets that contained colour schemes of environments I was going to create along with art styles and contingency plans.
To get an idea of what colours would be used in a jungle environment I looked at two games that featured the setting. One was
Arma 3, and the other Just Cause 2. One being a more realistic game I expected a higher amount of duller colours which I was
correct about. The jungle in Arma used colours that were a lot more muted than the environment from Just Cause. This was
because JC was less serious and overall a much brighter game. I decided to go for a palette in between both of these as a
compromise was the most sensible thing to do.
I then looked at some art styles of popular games such as Sonic. This was in a tropical environment and so this would give me an
idea of what this would look like in a different art style. The contingency plans also gave me an awareness for what could go
wrong and how to avoid it.
Overall the planning process was very helpful to the production. It clarified an art style that I would draw the characters and
environment in and also the colours that they would feature.

4. Time Management
Overall my time was managed well. The planning and pre-production processes gave me a large insight into what and I how I was
going to produce my work. This made production swift and it was finished in good time. This was also helped as I divided my work
into sections.
I made the background in my own time as this was time consuming and other tasks such as animation could not be done at home.
The background took the most time to create but it did not eat into any precious time because of the way that I had organised my
work schedule.
I broke the character animation up using frames and templates to create the base animation and added the textures later, much
like a professional animator working on a film would do. This was a lot more basic. I drew one leg at a time performing a walk
cycle of around seven or eight movements. This would done in a bright pink for the right leg and a pink for the right. This was so I
could differentiate between the two. After the legs ran in a semi-realistic way I started the draw the camouflage textures onto the
trousers.
This sort of animation helped massively and meant that the game was finished quickly. Because of this I had more time to spend
on the title screen and the menu.

5. Technical Qualities
Despite the massive difference in the graphics, both games are very similar. Both are in the FPS genre and so the characters can
move and shoot. The player has the option of what to shoot and when and are able to traverse the environment in a way that
suits them. The content of the games are similar. The character of my game is very similar to the customisable characters of Arma.
They also feature very similar environments. This can be seen in my planning, as I based the colour scheme of my own game from
Arma’s Apex jungle setting. This features thick tree lines and hidden temples in the foliage, very similar to my own product.
The sound effects are also very similar, with mine being slightly cartoon-ish but the overall effect is the same.

6. Aesthetic Qualities
I think that my game and the game Gunpoint are very similar in the way that they look. My game is a little more basic than the
existing product but I think that my research has paid off. The textures were based around the way in which the game looks, this
can be seen in the image of the temple in my game. This is because I used a specific selection of three or four colours which were
used for every detail. This can be seen in the textures of the wall, especially where the lights shine as only a number of shades
have been used. The background image of the cityscape in Gunpoint is also an example also this uses a wider variety of colours
and tones.
The characters are also similar as they appear to be a similar size. The detective characters looks as though he is as tall as my
apocalypse survivor character. Although Gunpoint has a much higher resolution they appear to be created on a similar scale.
The way in which the camera moves is the same. The movement in Gunpoint is done so that the character is always in frame,
however the camera is not rigid. This is done in my own game where the camera follows the character, however slightly more
fixed.

7. Audience Appeal
I believe that my product is appealing to the audience that I set out to target. I stated that my game would be appealing to males
between the age of 15-24. I believe this to be correct as I have included most if not all the tropes that successful games have used
to target their audience. The first being the genre, an FPS. This is the most appealing genre to this demographic. I also used
zombies as enemies which is a politically neutral and so can be enjoyed by everyone playing.
I also used imagery such as weapons and gore to entice this audience further. These are things included in very successful existing
products and so I decided to include them into my own game.
The colours are also bright and attractive which I think helps to the general appeal of the game.