THE JURASSIC PERIOD MARIO KART TRACK - Oliver Cooke

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Games Design 1b. CW000916. The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track. Influences/ Theme. The era of history I have chosen is the Jurassic period. I chose this era.
Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

Influences/Theme

The era of history I have chosen is the Jurassic period. I chose this era because I believe it is full of refreshing environments which in itself create countless opportunities for track set pieces. There is a lot of different terrain to work with, which, when compiled into a track will immerse the player as different terrain will relate to the different obstacles they have to overcome. Though I will

The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

not be looking at mechanics, these same traits allow numerous game play options.

Research

I chose to do a Mario Kart track over a Smash Bros level because my theme will have more space to evolve as the track progresses. Upon researching Mario Kart I started to realise where the possible shortcuts were and how they plan an important role to pro players. Small changes like a broken bridge or a jumping The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

section really scramble game play, as well as harsh bends and “choke points” where the track funnels into a narrow path. The tracks are also split up into two different types. There are some levels which have set track constraints, like a set track line that is clearly visible, where as some tracks have more open ended islands and planes of space.

Colour Palette

Although Mario Kart generally uses a more primary colour based palette, I believe the colour palette I have produced is a good basis for my tracks theme. Though a lot of the colours look muddy or washed out, a lot of the blues and greens are considerably vibrant, especially when enhanced by my lighting solution. If anything the seemingly washed out colours would be used as blending options.

The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

Lighting

Only one third of the Jurassic period had any polar ice, where as the climate for the other 2 thirds was warm and moist, with a high sea level. There were also subtropical forests and extensively flooded areas. I have decided to focus on the larger portion of the Jurassic and give my lighting colour palette a very warm almost sunset range of colours. Using these colours in conjunction with my original colour palette will dramatically alter the levels overall feel, it will was the whole level with rich warm colours, delivering the vibrancy any Mario Kart track requires.

The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

Mood Board

My completed mood board conveys all of the information I now need to merge together to make my track.

The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

2D Track Layout

The level is split up into 4 main sections, grassy, muddy, cliffs and sandy. Throughout the more open sections of the track there will be a lot of wildlife suitable for the Jurassic period. In the cliff section in the top right there will be a lot of flying wildlife and low swooping Pterodactyls.

The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

A Detailed Analysis

Main Hazards 1 – The first scripted hazard is this basic but effective water blockage. The inspiration for this first hazard was the over flooding of certain areas during the Jurassic Period, hence revisiting the idea later on in the track. The water hazards, though at opposite ends of the track, follow each other numerically, giving the player a sense of the flood Is linked, like it could be running straight through the middle of the area. The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

The hazard itself can be tackled in one of two ways. The desirable faster route indicated by the red line is to hit the ramp/booster to jump over the entire hazard. The slower route indicated by the blue line is to go around the edges and suffer a slow penalty for going through the water, this route also requires the driver to center themselves on the track a lot later than the first route. 2 – The second hazard is a wide open area scattered with trees. This section leads straight onto number 3 where there is a prominent rainforest environment. In this particular section I also wanted to incorporate some cliff faces and dangerous edges which were well depicted in my reference images. The whole black area is the cliff drop, making the inner and outer edges very dangerous. There is no desired route for this particular section, but the blue lines on the diagram show a few possible routes. 3 – The third hazard is very skill based. The idea is to hit the boosters, then hit the ramp into one of the two openings into the rainforest section. The red lines show the desired route, which is to hit the booster and prepare for the immediate next turn. The blue lines show the possibilities of failure, not hitting the boosters will not project the player fast enough to make the jump. Tactics for this section comes down to strategic bumps and nudges to other karts, obviously bumping the kart out of the boosters path is ideal, but bumping an already boosted cart into that middle danger zone requires skill. 4 – The fourth hazard is yet again representational of the floods and moistness of the climate at this particular part in history. It’s a basic slow down hazard which pits every player into a figure of 8 piece of track. The middle sections are both thick mud which slows down the carts twice as much as the previous water hazard. The red line is simply the best route to take as it follows the flow of the shape, although there is still a high chance of collision in the middle of the crossover. The blue line shows the worst possible way to tackle this hazard, which is to drive directly through the two mud patches. 5 – The last hazard is a straight water hazard. The water is a little deeper that the previous water hazard but not as dense as the previous mud. Under the water is two boosters to escape the hazard as quick as possible. As before the red The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

lines show the desired approach, using the later booster gives you more boost on land, though the earlier boost gets you out of the hazard quicker. This forces the player to make lap by lap decisions as to which will benefit them at that given time. The blue route is again the worst route to take, not hitting any boosters and taking the full down time. Green Arrows Additionally the green arrows on the map indicate the best places to boost through the course, cutting out certain harsh corners to easier progress the track. Note how no major hazards can be skipped, even using boosts through slowdown effects will manipulate the boost slightly.

The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

Corners, Choke Points and Speed

Red boxes The red boxes in this map signify all the purposely difficult corners/bends. The particularly tricky one is the first red box on the track, it is a tight bend which has the capability to push players clean off the track. This can be overcome though by the previous stated method of boosting across the bend completely. Blue boxes The blue boxes all represent the maps choke points or funneled track. I have tried to use these points in close proximity of particular hazards to create a The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

sense of pressure or confusion, which can be best described by the middle of the figure of 8 part of the track. Yellow boxes The yellow boxes signify sections of the map which are built for speed. I wanted to put these speedy sections together as to give the player a chance to catch up just before the finish line. Breaking up the 3 sections with harsh corners leaves a lot of room for error, creating fun pressure filled experiences.

Points of Interest

1 – In this particular section of the course there are scattered trees. If bumped into hard enough, or if a certain item is used and hits them, the tree will fall over, creating a barricade.

The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

2 – This long stretch is hosted in a sandy section of the track similar to a desert. Periodically throughout the length of the course, sand will blow from either the west or the east, pushing the karts in that direction and possibly off the track. 3 – The water in the flooded section of the course changes its height and depth depending on when you arrive at it. Much like the sand, its modification is random.

Evaluation Many Mario Kart tracks are primitive in construction and design; I believe that I have conveyed those core principles over into my work. If I had to place the track in game I would place it in the mid to high difficulty range, due to the amount of harsh corners and pit falls there are. Mario Kart hazards are never so difficult as to near enough stop play and confuse the player, they are quick and often simple in design. I have continued that same simplicity in my hazards, creating obstacles that can be overcome by both luck and skill, and can also have devastating effects to a race. Mario Kart encompasses many themes throughout its series, and I think my choice of Jurassic period would fit perfectly in. Many themed tracks in the game normally have numerous iterations to encompass their landscape on larger scales but for the purpose of this I have placed all my environments within one track. I don’t believe it clutters the track as I have justified all of the locations with a suitable condition to aid or halter the player. Overall, my track is easily recognisable and relatable to the Mario Kart track conventions, as well as a strong environmental basis derived from the Jurassic period.

The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

Bibliography Image library - http://www.snesmaps.com/maps/SuperMarioKart/SuperMarioKartMapSelect. html - The Official Mario Kart Wii Strategy Guide Brady Games - http://science.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Scie nce/Images/Content/jurassic-landscape-be5062-ga.jpg - http://universe-review.ca/I10-68-Jurassic.jpg - http://www.affirmation.org/images/humor/dinosaurs.jpg - http://www.texas-geology.com/Jurassic%20scene.jpg - http://www.rain.org/campinternet/southwest/dinosaurs/jurassiclandscape.jpg - http://www.sflorg.com/ear/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/jurassic_period.jpg - http://science.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/science/photos/jurassicperiod/stegosaurs-walking/ - http://science.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/science/photos/jurassicperiod/allosaurus-artwork/ - http://www.mywii.com.au/img/gallery/full/7W6SLSYD.jpg - http://blogs.sundaymercury.net/weirdscience/Pterosaur.jpg - http://optics.kulgun.net/Blue-Sky/red-sunset-casey1.jpg - http://www.theodora.com/wfb/photos/christmas_island/sunset_at_rocky_po int_christmas_island_photo_australian_gov.jpg - http://www.thomaslaupstad.com/bilder/red_sunset800.jpg

The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track

Oliver Cooke

Games Design 1b

CW000916

Other Websites - http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/dinosaurbasics/a/dinosaurages_3.htm - http://www.cssdrive.com/imagepalette/index.php Programs and Equipment - Adobe Photoshop - Wacom Graphics Tablet

The Jurassic Period Mario Kart Track