PLAN

Step One:

Task: My idea

Process: I have decided to create a game that teaches the player a little Spanish (preferably students with a little Spanish background/beginner level). So first I need to explore different worlds to see which one will best fit my game. I tried to create a simple background but then I had the thought of using someone else’s except I will adapt and change it to fit my idea.This should only take a restricted amount of time, in order to start placing other objects and lands i can place in my world/game to change it.

Due Date: 3/4-11-11 

Step two:

Task: Programming Kodu’s

Process: I programmed a few Kodu’s and start creating the world, along with adapting the world to my idea. Create a certain layout, adding objects. I have decided to use a few Kodu's that were already placed in the world.

Due Date: 23-11-11

Step three:

Task: Programming Kodu’s continued

Process: The fish that was already located in the world was programmed to assist the player with their first clue towards completing the game. Also there was a man on top of a bridge who asks for a coin in order to cross the bridge i thought i was a great idea so i adjusted it and moved the coin further away from the player.

Due Date: 23-5th-11-11

Step four:

Task: figuring out the clues and ideas of the game.

Process: basically for this task I brainstormed of what I could do to lead the player into the next clue and what the clue is. With this so far I added what the fish says to the player when the player bumps into him which is the first clue.This leads the player to "una casa roja" meaning a red house.

Due Date: 28-11-11

Step five:

Task: exploring the rest of the world and adding Kodu’s and objects. Plus evaluating and testing the game.

Process: I added apples, trees and a few Kodu’s. Along with I played the game and figured out the faults along with editing them.When the player bumped into the apple, they eat it and receive a few points. I had completed a total of two clues, i did not create another clue as i was limited in time. I asked my peers to complete my evalutation questions, therefore allowing me to have a variety of responses. I reflected on these responses, therefore listing the objects and ideas i could improve on.

 Due Date: 2-12-11

My evaluation questions & My response

For this evaluation the peers in my class filled out the questions below. Therefore allowing me to write a precise evaluation.

One of the problems with these questions was the fact of when i put them on my blog off my laptop at home the questions didn't come up because i typed it in word with a different font. The blog doesn't have this font in its variety therefore it showed up on my blog with just dots rather than the writing. I fixed this by changing the font to something that the Blog has.

1.    After viewing, and experiencing this game, have you learned and picked up on any Spanish words?

2.    Do you think it would be more helpful if I had other Kodu’s tell you what certain words were?

3.    Did you enjoy playing this game? Is the layout (ground and environment) appropriate for this subject?

4.     Would you recommend this game to others who are learning and prepared to learn Spanish?

5.    Is there anything you would adjust, or remove in this game?

My Response:

This game didn’t help anyone who did not already have a background in Spanish. I was given the idea by Mats to make it more interactive. If I had another chance to remake I would definitely move forward with this suggestion. Another great suggestion was to make roads, I agree with this idea completely as the game did look confusing of what to do as it was just land rather than a path to use. It appeared to be hard to understand the Kodu’s as they were speaking in Spanish, I did change this half way during the Evaluation, as people found it to hard to understand. Therefore I added other Kodu’s to tell the player key words that the instructor told them and what they meaned in English. I moved this suggestion further has suggested by John and Mats therefore the audience could understand the main idea of this game. Also Sonia brought up the idea of adding more tasks therefore rising the achievement bar for the players.

 

Daily post

Today i am going to work on programing the Kodu's. I will make them interact when one kodu's sees another. Also create things that they will say in order for the player to complete the game.

I accomplished:
i created various Kodu's in which instruct the player how to perform the next clue.

Daily Post

Today i revisited my plan. With this i got a basic outline on how my plan in steps, will appear.

Daily Post --> questions for our evaluation

Evaluation Questions:

• 1st good points
• 1st bad points
• how useful?
• how is the layout?
• points of improvement

Today we learned about how to write a proper question for our evaluation. Along with what questions a good and which are bad. For instance: Did you learn anything is pretty much the worst question that could be possibly formed. These are known as template questions.

Evauation & Process

Currently my file as been misplaced, but i think this is a good thing because i had adjusted and improved my idea. I have decided to make it into 3 different levels, in each level a different type of ground and background will be on it. At first as soon as the person enters the game, a bubble will pop up with instructions of how to get to the first instructor who will help them find their way. However some directions will be in Spanish so they will have to figure out the code with different Kodu's telling them specific words.

For instance: you will find your first clue al lado a tree. However it is not only next to a tree, this is the first clue & step to finding your treasure! Another idea would be teaching the audience numbers, i could do this by having a certain amount of apples and having them tell us how many there are.

My first level will consist of a friendly environment which will have a lake, 20 trees, a few bushes. Things like this will make the player feel comfortable in the game.

HOWEVER the second environment will invite them into a whole new world. I am going to create a lava like environment, to enforce that the player will be intrigued in the game. Therefore helping them learn beginners Spanish easier. 

I also thought that it may be hard on English speakers because they may not be able to relate their language to Spanish unlike Europeans who have a language background. SO i thought my audience would consist of English speaking Europeans, as they can relate more to the Spanish language. 

TODAY was my brain storming lesson and a little of looking at worlds i could use, the above ideas are the ones that i thought of today and plan on using.  

TIMELINE:
Monday 14th: work on layout and display. Along with programming a few Kodu's

Expanding my idea.

However i have a new idea, along with having one conductor ( another kodu who helps) i have decided to have a few. Each one gives a different task. As an example: The game begins but the conductor is speaking in English and says something like--> Welcome to espanol reles, hoy, today we are working on teaching you how to speak a little, un poco espanol. For more information visit the...... who is next to the.........

My Game Design.

Today I came out with yet a new idea, this game will teach possibly younger children or beginners espanol in general. This game will be similar to a game like Mario racing, except it will be like a relay sort of thing. As in the player will have a time limit (i have to find out how to put a time limit on) so they will have to race and answer a questions. Such as: Me llamo es what do you think this means? There will be multiply choice answers: 

1. Hello, how are you

2. My name is

3. What is your name

This is the way i will teach the audience beginners espanol.

There will be stages for instance:
Stage 1: Search for the lost treasure, (maybe i could hide a tree or a rock under water) therefore as soon as they find the treasure they have to answer a question. For instance: Este es una roca especial. What does this mean:

1. This is a rock
2. This is a nice stone
3. This is a special rock

*** Another idea came to mind and that was to say the instructions in Spanish and to have different clues of how to play the game.

I choose to go with this idea because my other idea was to be something to do with swimming. I preferred this idea as i have a background in Spanish. I have studied it for 2 years, and i thought wouldn't it be nice to be taught Spanish while playing a game. This is why i decided to go with this idea rather than continuing on with the idea of creating a game revolving around swim. Which might not have been as fun to make and play as the game i am creating.

Daily Plan 1

Today I plan on investigating different lands I plan to put into my game, I also plan on learning how to operate a kodu. My game idea is similar to Mario Kart & Grand theft auto. I will create a game that is not only racing on land but also in water. This will be something like a relay.

My Technology Reflection

At the start of this project I was confused with the ideas that were flowing in my brain; I didn’t comprehend how I would create 10 pieces of work within a short amount of time. As it came along for a few days I finally came up with the way I would create and display my final format. I created a format that was simple yet it got the idea across. In my format I came up with a visually appealing idea to place a fish tank on right hand side of the poster to show a symbol of irony. The background would fade from yellow at top hand right to white at the left hand bottom.  The fish tank was to present the IB Learner Profile, by having the tank full of water and the fish demonstrating the profile in action. I eventually did not agree with this idea as the colors would fight with each other and display a horrible poster which nobody agreed with.

One of the challengers I came across was the short time, I had missed out on a double block on Friday morning the 23^rd which sent me back quite a bit. Also I had a very major disadvantage; I have no Photoshop at home. This meant I had no time to complete it at home and I had to try my best to complete it during class periods. Next time I would definitely get my format up and running earlier than I did. I would get more class feedback, and definitely include it into my final product.

In the duration of creating my posters I learned about how colors come together to create a piece that is attractive rather than hurting the viewers eyes. How the rule of thirds represents your main idea in your poster, for my rule of thirds represents the IB Learner Profile name.

In the right hand bottom of the poster I have the IB symbol that has the world made up of puzzle pieces, in each a different IB Learner Profile. Using the rule of thirds the left hand 3^rd of the page I would present the IB Learner Profile name. I liked the two ideas above so I kept them, however I removed the yellow background. Keeping the fish tank (which was empty symbolizing the irony of the IB Learner Profile) creating a more intriguing image with the background made of water (swimming pool).  I had finished creating the format however I still needed to work on the actual posters themselves.

In my posters I found that the fish tank works, as it symbolizes the school and the children inside. Also how the IB Learner Symbol is small yet still readable, as well as how the IB Learner Profile name is used in a font that matches and agrees with the rest of the picture. I used a ocean like background and kept the fish tank white as I thought it would intrigue the audiences. It would bring their attention from far away as it would confuse them on why the fish tank had no water and yet there is an ocean in the background. I focused on what would be held inside the fish tank as that is one of the main points to represent the IB Learner Profile.

My final product consists of a ocean like background, the learner profile name on the left (rule of three thirds), the IB puzzle symbol on the bottom right hand corner, as well as a fish tank that contains the information of the poster and the main scheme.

In this unit I learned about the rule of three thirds, hierarchies and when they are used, contrast and how it should be limited and not overwhelming the viewer, repetition and how the picture or the main idea should not be repeated more than three times, K.I.S.S, alignment, and proximity. As a result of this unit I am more comfortable with designing anything really, however whenever I see another’s poster I find myself deconstructing it. IT IS EXTREMLY ANNOYING! However it is one of the lessons that really helped me comprehend the ways of design and what a good and bad poster look like.

Kodu Tutorial's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-FjskAHgN0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdfBico590&feature=related

Caring

Communicator

Risk Taker

Format

 

My Movie Representing The Three Thirds Rule:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLqCug7otCw&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL99AE79F3EA0B168D

Color wheels

The list of Rules:

Rule of the....
Thirds: power shown starting from the left moving onto the right, and also from top to bottom.

Hierachies: objects and people that are placed above or in front  or another have greater power and importance.


Contrast: is the use of darkness and brightness specifically to emphasize objects. Contrast is used to create a feeling of mystery, suspense, or sense of uncertainty.

Repetition: this rule is used for emphasizing the main aim of the product, and also to reinforce however the creater should always remember K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Stupid).

Alignment: this is done by a certain object or thing being aligned with another, such as a word or a phase.

Proximity: things that are equal, for example: distance from another and the edges of the document.

Popping an image

Today i researched and found a picture of robots which i thought would look good if they popped, this is why i choose this effect with this image.

My cool photoshop effect Pg. 4

 http://www.digital-photography-school.com/4-easy-photoshop-techniques-to-make-your-pictures-pop

Steps:

#1: blur/overlay

Duplicate your picture layer by dragging the layer to the ‘new’ icon in the layers palette (ctrl+j).

Apply a gaussian blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur…). Blur it enough that the detail disappears but the shapes mostly keep their form.

In the layers palette, change the blending mode from ‘Normal’ to ‘Overlay.’

If you look at the before and after, you can see that this method makes the light tones lighter and the dark tones darker while softening it a touch. Basically, it softly boosts the contrast. If you want a more dramatic effect, try changing the blending mode to ‘Vivid Light’ instead of ‘Overlay.’

Rule of the three thirds

In the rule of the three thirds the object or person that is the strongest is placed on the left hand side, and held on the right side is the weaker. This is performed by most directors, usually when the characters are fighting the stronger is held on the left and weaker on the right.It is also true that the object\person that is contained in the middle is the weakest in the picture. Hierarchies is not only higher and lower it is also front of the frame and back of the frame. Also whats at the top and whats at the front.

Contrast number 2

Contrast number 1

Repetition number 2

Repetition number 1

Final

Contrast occurs in this final poster as the product has a clear difference to the first poster.

Second Draft

In this poster there is a clear use of repetition, because the picture of the butterfly has occurred more then once. 

First Draft

Welcome M5 Students & Teachers

Welcome! This is a blog where you can ask your class peers the homework that you have been given that day, or anything else you need help with :)