Game Design

Concept board

2009-01-08T21:30:00.000-08:00

Finally....
The Concept Board.

Thank you.

Test out screen

2009-01-08T21:21:00.001-08:00

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Option 5

Option 6

Option 7

Finally, I chose Option 5 as my final submission.

Main reference

2009-01-08T21:13:00.001-08:00

The PSP Bomberman Land helps me a lot throughtout this whole project. I get most of my inspirations and ideas from it. From character design to game assets to screen, it provides me the best reference.

sketches in A4

2009-01-08T20:57:00.001-08:00

A simple sketch for screen and gimmicks.^^
More graphics were created in the digitalization part.

game asset: Speedup power. I thought of replacing the 'car' in Bomberman with this " speedup cloud". This is the first version of my idea.
In the final, the speedup cloud is slightly different.

Buddha sketches:

From the first sketch to second sketch, buddha transform into cuter version.
(front view)

(side view)

(back view)

Lotus sketches:

simplification of the lotus.

Digitalizations..

2009-01-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

From the reference above, the main character of my game : Flower Buddha.
below is the digitalized versions.

The main assets of my game: the lotus (bomb).
I took reference of the lotus from google.
Below is the digitalized version which consists frame by frame animatic sequence of each item.

Here are some gimmicks in different colors and graphics.
I have only chosen a set of gimmicks for the soft block, hard block and the melt block.

The background paper of my FlowerBuddha game.
Generally I use checkered floor. It is an idea from the PSP version Bomberman Land.
It looks tidy and nice.

These are all that I have created.
Nicely arranged.

digitalizing game assets

2009-01-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

At this stage, I am creating some game assets to replace the bombs, powerups, etc. The purple color item is actually an image of a lotus seed. It is the "fireup" asset.

These lotus in different colors have different powers.
Red : powerbomb
Pink : bomb
Yelllow : getpower
Blue : bomb up

This is one of the gimmicks I have created using Photoshop.
They have to be very small in size : 16x16px. Thus the pixelated image.

Next, I am creating the soft block. Do not missunderstand it as an image of a puppy head. It is actually a creature with 2 eyes and 2 legs. no hands and no mouth.

This is how i draw using pen tool in photoshop. I first drew in a4 paper and i scanned it.
This was supposed to be the buddha image. But later on, i have modified it into a simpler and cuter version. so that it suits my audience : the 4-7 years old kids.

The final visualisation in digital of my main character.
simple color and lines and shapes.

The process of editting in photoshop.
At times I got really mad dealing with these files.
The ones in pencil drawing are the side view and back view of the buddha.

Back look of the buddha done!
I saved them all in .tiff format and basically all in very small size :
not more than 30x30 pixels in 72 dpi. When i reduce the size it definitly got blur.
But that was okay. because the character in my game was small in the game's actual size.

Reference/ credit

2009-01-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

http://www.nintendo8.com/genre/puzzle/

http://www.agame.com/game/Bomb-It-2.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomberman

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Bomberman

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j110/Beethovenv/ChessProblem64-RecruitingtheEnemy.jpg

Similar Games Example

2009-01-07T04:40:00.001-08:00

These are some games similar to Bomberman:

1. "Bomb It 2"

cover screen

loading screen

game setting screen

4 options for characters

battle screen

2. Fire and Bombs

starting screen

game setting

battle ground

Walkthrough

2009-01-07T04:26:00.000-08:00

Laying BOMBS

The trick to succeeding in Bomberman is understanding effective bomb placement. Bombs are more destructive when they are released in intersections instead of between blocks. When they are placed in intersections, they explode in four directions. When they are placed between blocks, they only explode in two directions. As long as you have one bomb power-up and one flame power-up, you can chain bombs that are placed one intersection apart. This technique is useful for fast clearing of brick walls, and trapping enemies in no-win situations. The more bombs that you can lay simultaneously, and the longer their flames reach, the more likely you are to be successful at destroying an enemy no matter how fast it travels.

There is a downside to this however. When you gain the ability to lay four or more bombs, it can be tempting to lay them down continuously, believing that you will have enough time to escape from the blast. Beyond the fourth bomb, it gets progressively more difficult and dangerous to lay a chained bomb and make it to safety unless you have the Flamepass or Detonator power-ups. If you have the Flamepass power-up, then you have nothing to fear except the touch of an enemy. Otherwise, don't lay more than four bombs at a time, and make sure that when you do, you can reach a safety point before the bombs explode. Even if you have the Detonator, think before you move after you lay each bomb down so that you don't end up trapping yourself behind your own bombs without a Bombpass power-up.

Early Stage Strategy

In the early stages, the enemies are your biggest threat. You begin the game very weak, with the ability to drop only one bomb at a time, and an explosion range of only one square. This makes it very difficult to hit the enemies with your bombs. Even with one Bomb power-up and one Flame power-up, it's still very difficult to hit a fast moving enemy. The more alleys that an enemy has access to, the better its chances of escape are. Therefore, the best strategy to employ against enemies in early stages is to get as close as you dare, and trap them in closed off alleys. The less room they have to roam, the better. You only need to get as close as your explosion range. In the early stages, it is best to seek out the power-up item in each stage before actively going after enemies to give yourself the best possible advantage. But if an opportunity arises to kill and enemy quickly before the power-up is found, always take it.

Later Stage Strategy

In the later stages, the biggest threat to your survival... is you. That is, without some of the better power-ups like Flamepass, Bombpass, or even Detonator, you have to be very careful not to set yourself up in a situation where you are caught in your own explosions. By the time you reach the higher levels, you should be very familiar with the bomb explosion timing, so you should know exactly how many bombs you can lay down and still reach a safe place in time. Only expert players should attempt to lay more than four bombs down at a time. If you have the better power-ups, then it becomes easier to stay alive even if you make a mistake. But remember that getting killed means you will revert to a less powerful state and be forced to rely on your reflexes more. As the enemies get more aggressive, you may find yourself in a no win situation, so don't become too reliant on your powers to save you all of the time.

Bonus Stages

Roughly every fifth stage is a bonus stage (the later bonus stages occur one stage earlier.) During the bonus stage, there are only thirty seconds on the timer, and you cannot be killed. An unlimited number of one particular enemy will appear and you will be able to withstand the explosions from your bombs. You are encouraged to walk around and blow up as many enemies as you can within the time limit. As with ordinary stages, the point value for an enemy rises when they are part of a chain of enemy kills. Because you can't be killed by explosions, if you are fast enough, you can continuously drop bombs and keep a chain explosion going indefinitely, but this won't necessarily help you earn more points unless the enemies are grouped closely together.

Bonus

2009-01-07T04:06:00.001-08:00

There are six bonus items that are very difficult to come upon, each more difficult than the last. Only one particular bonus item is available to you on each stage. You not only need to know how to make each bonus item appear, you also need to know which bonus item it is that you are attempting to trigger, making them nearly impossible to find without advanced knowledge.

Power Ups

2009-01-06T23:09:00.000-08:00

There are eight different power-ups. Some are more rare or valuable than others, but it's a good idea to make sure you find the particular power-up hidden in every stage. To miss out on one is to put yourself, and Bomberman, at a disadvantage.

Character Research

2009-01-06T22:40:00.000-08:00

Players

You control Bomberman throughout his efforts to climb the 50 floors of the underground labyrinth and reach the surface in order to become human. In order to do this, you must accomplish two things on each floor: You must destroy every enemy, and you must reveal the exit which can only be used once ever enemy is defeated. In addition to this, every floor contains one power-up that can increase Bomberman's abilities, as well as his chances for survival. Bomberman begins the game with ability to produce one bomb at a time with an explosion range of one square. Power-ups can be collected to increase both the number of bombs he can drop, and the range of the explosions. The touch of an enemy, and being caught in an explosion are both lethal to Bomberman (but he can withstand explosions if he collects the Flamepass power-up). Ordinarily, the bombs detonate on their own a couple of seconds after being dropped, but the Detonator power-up can give Bomberman the useful ability to detonate the bombs on command whenever he chooses. Bomberman's bombs can also detonate one another in chain reactions.

Enemies

There are eight different enemies in the underground labyrinth, each one a little different from the others. They move at a variety of speeds, with the fast monsters capable of overtaking Bomberman at full speed. They have varying degrees of intelligence. Some wander aimlessly about the stage, while others hone in on you and stay on your trail when you try to get away. And three of the monsters are capable of passing through the walls effortlessly. They are much harder to destroy, but if you happen to blow up a wall that they are inside of, they will be killed in the process.

Balloom

Doll

Minvo

Portan

Kondoria

Ovapi

Pass

Oneal

Research

2009-01-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

Reference:

Bomberman

Developer: Hudson Soft

Publisher: Hudson Soft, Sinclair Research Ltd. (Spectrum, UK), Paraninfo soft (Spectrum, Spain), Nintendo (Game Boy Advance)

Platform(s) : MSX, ZX Spectrum, NEC PC-6001, NEC PC-8801, Sharp MZ-700, FM-7, Famicom/NES, Famicom Disk System, Game Boy Advance

Release date(s):

1983 (MSX, ZX Spectrum, FM-7, PC-6001/8801, Sharp MZ-700), December 19, 1985 (Famicom)
1987 (NES), April 2, 1990 (Famicom Disk System), 2004 (Game Boy Advance)

Genre: Arcade/ maze / strategy

Mode(s) : Single player

Media: Audio cassette, 320kb cartridge

Input methods: keyboard/ joystick (MSX, ZX Spectrum), Famicom/NES controller (NES)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Introduction

Bomberman is an arcade-style maze-based video game developed by Hudson Soft. It was first released in 1983 in Japan and Europe later on under the English language title “Eric and the Floaters”, Spanish “Don Pepe Y Los Globos”. Bomberman spawned the long-running series with many installments building on its basic gameplay. The earlier game ‘Warp and Warp’ by Namco is a most likely inspiration for the Bomberman gameplay.

The Bomberman series may be as well know to video game players as Mega Man, Castlevania, and even Super Mario. It has certainly been around as long. And like many of these other series, the first version of the game is a rapid departure from what later games in the series would ultimately become, but the series as a whole is indebted to its roots for being a successful game in the first place. Although it didn't reach one million sales, it did sell approximately 800,000 copies in its lifetime.

The Bomberman series actually starts even before this particular NES version. A very simple, drastically different looking "Bomber Man" (according to the title screen) was released for the MSX. The gameplay was more abstract, featured only one enemy and no power-ups, and the only goal was to find the exit without dying. Hudson Soft dramatically improved the game for its Famicom release by adding a number of enemies, horizontally scrolling stages, and the power-ups that make keeping Bomberman alive so worthwhile. But they also made the first steps in shaping the Bomberman character that we know and recognize today. The sprite used for Bomberman actually came from an enemy sprite used in Hudson Soft's very successful Famicom conversion of Lode Runner. One of the robotic enemies that chased the Lode Runner hero learned that he might become human if he can climb fifty underground floors to escape from his plant and reach the surface of the world. The only weapon at Bomberman's disposal, of course, are bombs.

As a gift to the platform that Bomberman started on, Hudson Soft released an updated version for the MSX called Bomberman Special that was updated to reflect the Famicom version. It was five years before Bomberman was followed up by two sequels, the first of which was actually made for the TurboGrafx-16 in 1990. Outside of Japan, it was known as Dyna Blaster, while in Japan it shared the same name as its predecessor even though it was a tremendously enhanced game. The second sequel was a proper NES sequel entitled Bomberman II. Subsequent releases on the TurboGrafx-16 and the series debut on the Super Nintendo lead to the definition of the White Bomber character as a mainstay hero of the video game realm. In 2004, Nintendo gave Bomberman the distinction of being included in they Famicom Mini, and Classic NES lines of Game Boy Advance conversions. Hudson Soft re-released the game on the GBA along with Bomberman II in Hudson Best Collection Vol. 1, published only in Japan.

Story

The original Bomberman is a robot forced to work at a bomb factory. He is the best bomb maker there. Bomberman starts growing bored of making bombs in a factory day in and day out. He hears a rumor that any Bomberman that makes it from the underground factory gets a wish. Bomberman, desperate to escape his job, sets out on a journey to the surface and to turn Bombermen into human bombermen, using his wish. The only thing standing in his way is the factory security guards who will do anything to keep the factory working.

Gameplay

The eponymous character, Bomberman, is a robot that wants to be free from his job at an underground bomb factory. He must find his way through a maze while avoiding enemies. Doors leading to further maze rooms are found under rocks, which Bomberman must destroy with bombs. There are items that can help improve Bomberman's bombs, such as the Fire ability, which improves the blast range of his bombs. Bomberman will turn human when he escapes and reaches the surface. Each game has 50 levels in total.

Summary:

Bomberman starts each round in the upper left corner of every stage.
Bomberman must first destroy every enemy in the stage, and second locate the exit and escape to the next stage.
Bomberman can destroy enemies and walls with bombs. Bombs can also harm Bomberman unless he has a special power-up.
The number of bombs that Bomberman can deploy at one time, and the range of the explosions can be increased through power-ups.
Bomberman losses one life if he is touched by an enemy, or if he is caught in a bomb explosion.
If Bomberman bombs the exit, or if he runs out of time, enemies will pour out of the exit.
Bombs ordinarily detonate on their own after a set amount of time. One power-up gives Bomberman the ability to detonate the bombs at will.

Bomberman in action on the NES.

Ports and Sequel

The game was subsequently ported to the Famicom and released in Japan on December 20, 1985, arriving for the U.S. Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. This version would later define Bomberman's more famous design, a robotic anime-like character with a pink antenna. In 2004, this version of Bomberman was re-released for the Game Boy Advance, part of the Classic NES Series. There are two additional MSX games, Bomberman 3D and Bomberman Special, both released only in Japan (in 1984 and 1986 respectively). Bomberman Special is based on the NES game. The NES had its own sequel, Bomberman II, in 1991. The game Bomberman World was released for Playstation and PC in 1998. More recently Bomberman has been released on the Xbox 360 through the Xbox Live Arcade Service. This latest Bomberman game called Bomberman Live features play against up to 8 people both locally and over the Internet. Another recent game, called Bomberman Blast, was released for Nintendo's Wii console, its WiiWare downloadable content. It also has up to 8 players battle on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and even has Mii support. More recently Bomberman has been ported to mobile phones. Across Europe one can find many different versions of these games such as Bomberman Deluxe, Bomberman Kart and even a Bomberman 3D. In Japan, some of the NTT DoCoMo handsets come with Bomberman Wide installed. Some mobile versions of the game feature a multiplayer option via the bluetooth connection. Bomberman Blast was released also on September 29, 2008.

Additional

Generation 1 (1983 - 1992)

Bomberman · Special Bomberman · Bomberman II · DynaBlaster

Generation 2 (1990 - 1994)

TG-16 · '93 · Mega

Generation 3 (1997 - 2001)

Saturn · Saturn Fight!! · Atomic · Neo · 64 (1997) · World · Hero · 64: The Second Attack · Party Edition · 64 (2001)

Generation 4 (2001 - Present)

Generation · Jetters · Bomberman Bakufuusentai Bombermen · PSP · Act Zero · Live · DS · Blast · Gachapin☆Bomberman · Custom Battler · Ultra ·

Super Bomberman series

Super · Super 2 · Super 3 · Super 4 · Super 5

Online series

Bomberman Online · Online Bomberman · Net de Bomberman · Bomberman Online Japan ·

Bomberman RPG

Bomberman Quest · Tournament · Bomberman Story DS

Bomberman Max series

Max · Max 2

Bomberman Land series

Bomberman Land · Land 2 · Land 3 · Land Touch! · Land Wii · Land Touch! 2 · Land PSP

Spin-offs

3D Bomberman · Robowarrior · Wario Blast! · Panic Bomber · Hardball · Bomberman Fantasy Race · Kart · Bomberman Wars

Compilation

Bombeman Collection · Bomberman Collection Vol.1 · Bomberman Collection Vol.2 · Hudson Best Collection Vol.1 ·

Atomic Punk series

GB · Arcade · Atomic Punk 2 ·

Anime

Bomberman Jetters · Bomberman B-Daman Bakugaiden · Bomberman B-Daman Bakugaiden Victory

proposal

2009-01-05T03:08:00.000-08:00

Theme :

‘Unreal’

Interactive entertainment:

Title:

Flower Buddha

Target Audience:

4 – 7 years old children

Genre:

Puzzle

Objective:

To collect power in order to get through the gateways faster
To uplift into another level
To obtain advanced power
To rescue a friend from monsters

Mode:

single player

Storyline:

The main character- Flower Buddha is assigned by the Cosmos Lord to accomplish an impossible mission. The mission is about to procure the Bible of the World from the West nation. The bible is to rescue the world from evil power. He has to pass through a desert guarded by the notorious Monsters and their followers in order to get it. Along the journey, he will face a lot of difficulties from the attack of the monsters. However, Flower Buddha was awarded a special weapon “lotus”, which is a type of flower to protect himself from the attack. Along the way, he can also use the flower to break through obstacles and uplift his power. Eventually he has to face the five monsters one by one. When he has successfully defeated them, he can finally save the world.

Game play :

Arrow keys : left, right, up, down

Spacebar : Flower

Concept:

This game is about breaking through obstacles to achieve the main goal. It is a 2D maze environment game which is very similar to ‘Bomberman’. There are five key monsters. Player has to defeat the key monsters one by one in different level. It is considered a simple and fun game. The difficulty level will increase along with the level upgrade.

Software required:

Adobe Photoshop CS3
Game Maker 7.0 Pro
Adobe Illustrator CS3
Image Icon Converter