Overview

The goal of this project is to create a multiplayer video game from the ground up. Taking influence from the 2-D era of arcade games.

problem

This game must be created from the ground up, and appeal to a target audience.

Audience

It is important that this game results in an easily accessible experience for the average person. The purpose of this is to appeal to a wide variety of people. The target audience for this content is people who enjoy retro-style video games. This can be of all ages but may lean towards older generations who lived during this era.

Scope

This project is relatively small to complete for a game studio but large and complex for a single person. Both the Java scripting and art design were created by me. Due to the fact that it was a single person working on this project, it took three workdays to complete.

Production

On the first day, the foundation for the code is created. Once a baseline is created, the key features like screen select and movement code are able to be worked on. After the many different screens are coded, demo artwork is made as a placeholder to complete the rest of the code. Demo art is also made for character movement sprites.

Day two is focused on developing the art style and finalizing all of the initial demo art. The art style is influenced by classic arcade video games. Using photoshop, the background map and stage are painted in pixel art style. Next, concept art is created for the three playable characters. Using this concept art, the running sprite art is finished for all three characters. The character concept art is updated to match the pixel art visual style.

On the final day, all art is uploaded into the program and coding is completed. Using the code for the original playable character, two more movement codes are created and tied to the other characters. Effects like the title screen sandstorm are added with code to enhance the visual style. Finally, the code is tested for any bugs.

project outcome

The outcome of this project is a recreation of retro video games on a digital platform. As for the gameplay, there are three playable characters that can all be moved with different keyboard keys. There is a title screen, instructional screen, character select, and a main playable stage.

The main takeaway for this project is the importance of planning ahead. I was able to complete my code using demo art before anything official was made. By finishing the code before the art, I saved time with my art because I knew exactly what was needed. If the artwork was created beforehand, it might not have matched the code.