Control Design

Keyboard Controls


- WASD - commonly used for walking, easy to access
- Shift - since the 'Shift' key is when using 'wasd' keys the pinky rest easily over the shift key
- Mouse - for camera control easy to use, because of complete control of your right hand
- Space bar - i choose because the left thumb rests on it easily, plus it is a common button for the jump command
- for attacking i used the left and right mouse buttons, they are easy to control, and are usually attacking buttons in FPS's
- the special is 'F' because if is very close to the main keys 'wasd'
- blocking and pick up are 'e & r' this is because they are close to the everything on the left side of the keyboard, also they are the easiest keys to get to without to much effort.
- for laptops it will be alot harder to navigate with the mouse pad, so it could be possible to move the camera with 'ijkl' & attack with 'h & u', the reason for this is to make it easier for laptop players.

Playstation 3 Controls

- Anolog Sticks - Since the playstation has the action keys on the right hand side and left hand side has the directional keys the anolog sticks are easy to use for walk and running for the L Anolog stick and the R Anolog stick for camera movement (Since playing Call of Duty with the playstation controls) you don't really need the camera anymore while attacking
- the X button is used for jumping in most games as from (Crash Bandicoot Series, Call of Duty, Spyro Series) this button is very easy to use for the right thumb
- O and square are your attack buttons, because they are easy to get too
- since triangle was a button that is close to the attacking buttons I choose to make triangle the special move button, since it is further than the others, yet easy to access.
- Block and Pick up, I choose the R1 and L1 buttons because your first fingers rest nicely on the buttons

Accessibility

For anyone who has a disability, it is sad, so this game can still be played by people with hearing problems also colour blindness. The fact for hearing for this game is that it isn't really needed, the characters are just battling, though if a campagin mode was added subtitles would be used so you can still understand the story and what is happening throughout the game. Colour blindness, not a great deal of a problem because the characters will be different from each other, but there can still be a mode for colour blindness which will be able change the environment colour so the characters can be easier to see, or the characters to see the environment your choice.

Interface Design

The in game menu 'Super Smash Bros.' uses is percentage base, i have thought to try that concept myself i'm sure it could work, but there is always the good old health deduction, that has worked for alot of games like 'Battlefield 2, Star Wars Battlefront and World of Warcraft' there are alot of other games that use it as well, so it is reliable. Though percentage increase could have a different effect on the gameplay mechanic.

Since the game is in a 3D World split screen has always been used upto four players like 'Crash Bash, Mario Kart Wii and others' that is why the character you are is a bigger icon to the others, this shows exactly what 'Super Smash Bros.' interface shows. To the left of each icon there is what weather effect is in play at the moment, see the thunder clouds this means the 'Thunder storm' effect is play. In the middle is where your character goes, and above is your name, notice the arrows above your opponents this is telling you where they are and what type also. Lastly the timer to the top right hand side is how long is left for the match.

Maybe this interface should also show how many kills have happened through time. This interface design looked good with 'Super Smash Bros.' I changed it match the elemental colours.

The reason for this interface is that it is simple and shows everything that is needed through the game, making sure you know what your opponents have too.

The Menu is simple but there wasn't much work put into it, not as much as the actual game interface when playing.

Interaction Design

Interaction with characters battling, random weapons and the environment. These interactions are all collision except if you pick up the random weapons action happen witin the game. the only interaction that is timed randomly is the weather effect and that makes the character that gets it greater.

Level Design - Protype

This is my levels link to vimeo, except this a japanese snow land which wasn't exactly the environment i was building, but it still has some textures i was going to use this level maybe be good for a campagin mode for a boss fight.

Link is here Unity 3d Level (Japanese Snow Land)

Level Design - Initial Design

The weapon placements are random and so are the weapons, every single time you play the gameplay changes because you don't know what is going to give a advange or a disappointment to the match. Just like 'Super Smash Bros.' weapons are random every single weapon can give an advantage if you know how to use them. Having alot of different weapons makes the gameplay change completely from the first expirence, even though it could be on the same map the match is never the same. Each of the environments in 'Elemental Bash' will give an Element the advantage but the weaker element can still win with the random weapons, these are the weapons that can change exprience everytime.
Weapons like shield reduces damage without blocking, also if everyones vision is blurred it is harder to see which gives an advantage to that player. Weather Effects are added to give a bonus to the player who picks up the 'Weather Effect', if 'Firesu' gets the effect the weather changes, which can cause blur to the weaker 'Type' also increasing damage on it's special attack. There are seven weather effects, if there is already a weather effect, and the player that had the weather effect looses that effect if another player gets the weather effect. Only one weather effect can be active at one time so 'Perfect Day' removes the effect and allows it to change next time it is picked up.

These weather effects are:

Drought - the effect for the Land Element

Blaze - the effect for the Fire Element

Whirlwinds - the effect for the Wind Element

Perfect Day - remove any weather effect from the field

Thunderstorm - the effect for the Thunder Element

Flood - the effect for the Water Element

Blizzard - the effect for the Ice Element

This is where the risk and reward system is greatly used, the weather effect will float and move around the level randomly, (this is very much like the 'Smash Bros' showdown move)
If you want the advantage you have to go after the 'Weather Effect', this would create other players to chase for it. Since playing 'Super Smash Bros Wii' i see how important it is to get the characters 'Smash Move' because it can give the advantage to the battle.

Having balanced characters are vital for the gameplay too, but since they are elements and everything caren't have the same 'Special Attack'. Otherwise if they did it would depend on the Random Weapons would be the only way to win. Since every character is different for instance, 'Pokemon', there are pokemon that are great at physical and others at special and speed. If every pokemon was the same, but different types it would depend on the type frame instead of the stats pokemon have used now a days. So i have only made a two changes and that is too there special and speed. Since each element is different I have based them on the speed factor, using this creates element to be different from each other. For example, Land would be slow because it is heavy where as Wind is very light, so speed should naturely be faster for Wind over Land.

The specials can't be used all the time, so the timer depends if a special can be used, this would glow your icon where damage is shown. There are different time for each element, but if player has the weather effect for it's type damage is doubled if used. You will never know exactly how much time is left because it is always random, which makes the game different everytime.

Speedy Shoes just increases speed of an elemental that gets them. Just like 'Super Smash Bros.' there is a time limit to every weapon except the weather effect will remain, as long as the that element is still alive or perfect day has arisen.

This ice field is the home land of the 'Ice Element' "Irisutika.

The Crystals are scatter along the level as they are apart of the snow, also there are platforms that are made of ice, with a frozen river.

Assets
High Priority
- Plaforms
- Frozen River
- Snow
- Characters

Medium Priority
- Crystal
- Ice Shards

Low Priority
- Trees

The trees weren't placed in, to keep the environment open to see your opponents easier.

Character Sounds
-Fire
-Ice
-Wind
-Land
-Thunder
-Water
-Pysical Attack hits

Others Sounds
Dialog for characters when speaking
Other then that some amibent sounds, that sound like a fued.

Textures
- Ice

- Snow

- Crystal

Due to the fact the environment is dull there aren't going to be alot of textures, i have looked at the ice level and think with some hills in the terrain can change what it actually looks like. Instead of a flat environment. Though just maybe i am missing something, but my imagination is limited.

Objective of this level is the same a mulitplayer 'Super Smash Bros.', before the time runs out get as many kills a possible to trimph.

Character Design

Ice Elemental - The name of the Ice Elemental is "Irisutika", it's physical body is very light due to it's sharp ice shards that surround it's body.
The Special 'Irisutika' uses is called 'Freeze', this freezes the closest opponent, for a greater thrashing from 'Irisutika'.

The Body Shape of every character is similar.

Fire Elemental - This Fire Elemental's name "Firesu", it's physical body is engulfed in flames, it's quite aggressive and gets to a very high rage.
'Firesu's' Special is 'Volcanic Lava', this burns the closest player to 'Firesu' with fire slowly damaging the opponent overtime.

Water Elemental - "Cosui" the Water Elemental, is very much similar to 'Firesu' except it's body is water, it looks calm but can cause alot of damage if not carful.
It's Special is called 'Wave Storm' this wave may look friendly at first but pack alot of damage closest player.

Game Proposal

Back millions of years, the elements have made this beatiful planet and kept earth prosperous.
Now present time, the elements are seeing who is greater and battling to the death.
Your goal is to decide the element of choice. There are six elements, including some of the sub-elements.
The elements are Fire, Water, Air, Land, Ice and Thunder see who triamphs over all.

This game is very much like 'Super Smash Bros.' though it is a third person camera view, and is in a three demensional environment.
The game mechanic is also similar to 'Super Smash Bros.' where you play multiplayer with friends and family or even verus computer players.
The aim, is to knock out the other opponent/s as many times as possible before time runs out.
This game is also targeted to 12 years and higher, also family's, groups of friends and you can even play on your own.
I have decided these age groups because there is no gore, plus it isn't a realistic game, it is fanstasy.
Just like 'Super Smash Bros.' ('Elemental Bash') is very much similar in game play.

This game I believe would be delivered to the Sony Playstation 3, this would be split screen, though for PC's it would be able to be played through LAN, also I believe, with the technology we have with Playstation, X-box, Wii and PC's to connect to others through the internet, you could be able to play with other people like (Call of Duty).

I have also thought about the Wii, because it is made for the casual gaming market, but I think Playstation can also be marketed to both casual and hardcore gamers.