CCDN311: Promotinal Material

For my promotional material I decided to make small business card type things that slide out to reveal the main points of my manifesto.

Here is are a few pics of my set up and promotional material.

CCDN331: Final Manifesto

Digital Design Manifesto

Have Fun

Design for yourself as much as your audience. Be excited about what you are doing, have fun. This will come through in your work, and even if not everyone enjoys the final product, there will be someone the either does enjoy it, or at least enjoys the process you went through to make it.

Take risks

Innovate and try something new. Stand out. Experiment with different software, mechanics, art styles or methods of creating. Experimenting with new software and techniques can help push your designs further.

Iterate

Iterate and build upon your ideas. Iteration will help you identify problems with your design early on in the process, which will make the entire process more effective.

Be critical

Find holes and gaps in your designs, and find ways to fix them or work around them. A bug, glitch or mistake can end up being a feature, and can take your project in a new exciting direction.

Be Receptive

Feedback is important. Take what your audience has said on board. Listen to feedback you are given, rethink how you have done things, and find a way to improve their experience, which will improve the overall quality of the final piece.

 

References

AndersRamsay.com. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2014, from http://www.andersramsay.com/2009/03/01/three-reasons-to-start-designing-iteratively/

Become A Better Designer Through Critical Thinking - Vanseo Design. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.vanseodesign.com/web-design/critical-thinking/

CCDN331: Final Manifestation

Here is my final manifestation.

CCDN331: Iteration

After talking to my tutor about my idea of a manifestation, we both decided it would be better for me to do something digital, rather than a physical 3D puzzle. He also mentioned that people who also think about things and do things in a way similar to my manifesto would probably already be interested/involved in a 3D puzzle, and that I should think about something that those types of people wouldn't usually be involved with.

So I had the idea to make an app in which a user would type pseudo code commands, and they would see an interesting visual result. 
Coding is something that is often portrayed as boring/difficult/constantly typing numbers etc to make software for 24/7, which I aimed to change, by showing how it can produce interesting and engaging shapes and movements, through my app.

I started with the coding and was able to get the user to draw a simple square

 






Unfortunately I wan't having a lot of success trying to get it to do anything else, so I ended up changing my idea to better suit my abilities and time frame.

I decided to switch to making an animation instead, in which the shapes would move around based on code input that would pop up on the screen.

My final animation was cut short by about 20 seconds as I had an extra bit on the end that played around with spinning circles, but I was unable to change the colours of them, and the alack and white looked weird tacked onto the end of my video which used blues/yellows, so I cut it out.

CCDN331: Manifestation Progress

I've been struggling to come up with an idea for my final manifestation.
Here are the two ideas I have that would actually make sense in relation to my manifesto:

A progress video
- Showing progress towards a final digital piece (whether it's a video or game or some other kind of media)
- Would have a montage of multiple different task building up to the creation of different things
-  Can include many different types of media

3D puzzle
- Fun to make (you enjoy the process of putting them together)
- The final product isn't really complete if you don't use all aspects of the puzzle (manifesto points)
- The pieces could potentially have the main points of my manifesto engraved on them?
- Show ideas like iteration (user would iterate through different ways of putting it together)

 

I have also made a mock up of the cube in maya

CCDN331: Manifesto Draft

 Digital Design Manifesto

Have Fun

Make what  you want to make. Make what you want to see/play/interact with. Design for yourself as much as your audience. Be excited about what you are doing, have fun, design based around what you like or what you are passionate about. This will come through in your work, and even if not everyone enjoys the final product, there will be someone the either does enjoy it, or at least the process you went through to make it.

Don’t be afraid to take risks

Don’t be scared to innovate and try something new. Stand out. Experiment with different software, mechanic, art styles or methods of creating. Experimenting with new software and techniques can help push your designs further. 

Iterate

Take the simplest idea for you have, then design and make it. iterate and build upon it, or make something new! Even if the project doesn’t end up working out, the skills you learn from simply making a range of small pieces will greatly help you with future projects. Iteration will help you identify problems with your design early on in the process, which will make the entire process more effective. 

Be critical

Find holes and gaps in your designs, and find ways to fix them or work around them. A bug, glitch or mistake can end up being a feature, and can take your project in a new exciting direction.

Be open to feedback

Feedback is important. Take what your audience has said on board. If the people playing your game or watching you short film say something doesn’t work or feel right, take what they have said try to rethink how you have done things, and find a way to improve their experience, which will improve the overall quality of the final piece.

References

AndersRamsay.com. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2014, from http://www.andersramsay.com/2009/03/01/three-reasons-to-start-designing-iteratively/

Become A Better Designer Through Critical Thinking - Vanseo Design. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.vanseodesign.com/web-design/critical-thinking/

CCDN331: Manifesto Beginnings

So here is a few points I have come up with for my manifesto. I wanted to center it around game design, and how to effectively design and make a game.

Magical Game Design Manifesto

1. Make the games you want to make- Be excited about what you are doing, have fun, design based around what you like/are passionate about

2. Take risks and innovate- Make something new- stand out- we don’t want or need 50,000 flappy bird clones.

3. Practice! take the smallest idea for a game you have and make it smaller! then design and make that! and do another one! Iteration
4. Be critical about your work, nitpicking mechanics and bugs etc.
5. Be open to feedback- play testing is important
6. Design to the platform your game is going to be released on - Don’t make touchscreen controls for an Xbox game etc.

CCDN331: Project 3 Essay

My final essay for this third project evolved as I was writing it, and ended up being about the role of media design and hacktivism in internet censorship, and how design can help prevent it.

Because of this I went with an 'official looking document' aesthetic with my final essay, including a watermark of the New Zealand coat of arms (pictured below), and blacked out some aspect of the title page as if it were redacted or censored information.

CCDN311: Thesis Statement

The topic I am looking at is Hacktivism.

With the recent introduction of new technology and communication methods design has evolved. A new way of communicating political ideas and opinions across has developed in the form of social media and websites. Design has a huge influence over the way these opinions and statements are expressed in digital spaces, and the way that people interpret the information presented to them. ‘Hacktivism’ is the name given to digital acts of activism. Hacktivism offers people a new way to express themselves, and share their ideas with other like minded people, and even reach those that do not share their views on the world. This can be an effective way to cause change, by encouraging protesting in both digital and physical forms, which can actually have an effect on real world causes and policies.

References

Jordan, T., & Taylor, P. A. (2004). Hacktivism and cyberwars: Rebels with a cause? London: Routledge.

This book looks at the different forms of hacktivism, and the relationship between hacking and activism. It also looks at the history of hacking and how it evolved into a form of activism. The rise and evolution of the hacking underground scene is also talked about, and there is a brief timeline about the rise of hacking as a’god’ and ‘bad’ form of communicating ideas.

http://books.google.co.nz/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hew6jmcZvD4C&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=hacktivism&ots=Wc4TE2hZZm&sig=hS7EmYKzMhTySzLLDZNFBo6T1uw#v=onepage&q=hacktivism&f=false

Joyce, M. (2010). Digital activism decoded: The new mechanics of change. New York: International Debate Education Association.

This book talks about the relationship of digital activism and social media (such as twitter and facebook), and how these social outlets have allowed ordinary people from around the world to share their political opinions and views. It talks about the social, economic and political factors involved with digital activism, the potential dangers and values of hacktivism.

http://books.google.co.nz/books?hl=en&lr=&id=w3AOzoq7VfIC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=digital+activism+as+design&ots=WleL2I1s8n&sig=ho7hWkRFLIhaqK_fpHNKvfENeeQ#v=onepage&q=digital%20activism%20as%20design&f=false

Samuel, A. W. (2004). Hackivism and the future of political participation.

This thesis talks about the relationship between digital activism and politics. It has a detailed description of what Hacktivism is actually defined as, and also has some examples of political hacktivism. It also goes on to look at the way hacktivism is perceived by the world, and how it is often considered to be a form of cyber terrorism.

http://www.alexandrasamuel.com/dissertation/pdfs/Samuel-Hacktivism-frontmatter.pdf

CCDN331:Haiku

Liquid gold, warm brew

Holding our lives together

fresh, awake, alive.

Observation: 

Coffee is a key part of our culture and westernize culture.

Critique Theory:

Coffee is something that we need to function, and is a key part of our routines and social interactions. 

 

 

Link to article

In the article "Coffee Culture: Local Experiences, Global Connections" the researcher looks at the way we are connected to each other and have ties to a global culture surrounding coffee. She states that coffee has "Acquired a plethora of meanings that vary across individuals and societies. She goes on to talk about how coffee used in multiple ways; to hang out with friends, a way to relax, and can help promote productivity.

CCDN311: Final Photos

CCDN331: A Shift in Idea

I kinda had a change of idea as I was putting together my contact sheet tonight. I am now leaning more towards investigating the ways people express themselves to others in the city (whether through street art, music or clothing/attire). I changed my idea around a bit because I found images with people to be a lot more interesting than ones of just street art/graffiti. My images for this hand in don't quite represent this idea though, I will need to go out and take some more around this idea.

CCDN311: Progress #2

A community,

expressing identity,

vibrant and alive.

Also, a link to an article about expressing yourself through graffiti

CCDN331: The Idea

I am looking at how people express themselves through signs and writing on spaces for other people to see

CCDN311: Initial images + Haiku

 

 

 

 

How you show yourself,

what you believe, is written

for the world to see.

CCDN311: Final Video

This is our final video for this project.

CCDN311: Process

Today we filmed our video.

These are a few process videos of Shunyao cutting up the piece of wood.

 

 

We filmed the stop motion video as well, but the colours were off so we will re-film at a later date.

CCDN 331: Project 1

We were given the phrase 'design should be environmentally sustainable', which we are for.

We have decided to do a stop motion video, with various objects built out of small pieces of wood cut from our larger piece of wood. This will show the idea of recycling old materials, and creating new designs from old objects.

MDDN 343: Idea Tweaking.

I have made a slight change to my game idea again.

I had a friend ask me why the player would choose to go for either cannonballs or loot, because there wasn't really an advantage to either of them. They did the same thing in the end really.

So the change I have made is this:

Rather than having ship lose health when they are hit with cannonballs, they will now only lose loot (if the player has already collected loot for their ship that is). So now, the only way to win is to fill your ship with loot, and you can decrease the amount of loot your opponent has by shooting at them with cannonballs.

This also means that the player must choose between interesting their own loot stash, and damaging their opponents' which could lead to some interesting matches.

MDDN 343: Some Sketches

Here are a few of the sketches and stuff I have been working on.

  

Including the kinds of obstacles you will find around the dick (crates, shests. ropes etc.) and some ships n' stuff.

MDDN 343: A Few Changes.

So I've made a few changes to my initial idea. Rather than two players constantly going for cannonballs to fire at each other, they will now have a few more options.

-Players can still win by destroying the enemy ship with cannonballs.
-Players now also have the option of 'looting the village' that they have made port at. 

Looting the village involves stealing barrels of mead/chests of gold from the storage shed in the village. The player must then carry said barrels/chests back to their ship. They move slower while carrying them, and can be caused to drop them if they are tackled by the enemy player.

So there are now multiple win conditions. I did this because I though only having one could get quite repetitive.

-Players win if they enemy ship loses all of it's health.
-Player wins if they get the maximum amount of loot.
-Player wins if they have the most loot when the timer runs out.

Whenever a player fires a cannon at an enemy, the ship taking damage also loses a small amount of their loot.

MDDN 343: Context!

I have come up with context for my game idea! I was watching Pirates of
the Caribbean, and came up with a pirate-y scenario for my game.

-Both players are pirates.
-Instead of the player getting a ball, they would be collecting cannonballs from the middle of the map to take back to their ships. 
-Once they have taken it back to their ship, it would be loaded into a cannon and shot across the map at the other player ship, damaging it.
-The player whose ship get to 0 health first loses the game.
-Ship would both be parked at a dock.
-Obstacles would include: Crates, Barrels, Ropes and bottles of rum.

Sketch book stuff:

MDDN 343: Game Idea.

I have decided to go with my multiplayer 'rob the nest' (crossed with rugby?) style game idea. I think it would be the most fun.

Basics of the gameplay:
-Multiplayer split screen (2 players)
-Players start on opposite sides of the map, and must get to the ball in the middle.
-After they have acquired the ball, they must get it to the other side of the map (the side they didn't start on).
-First player to a certain amount of points (5?) wins.
-First or third person view. Not sure which yet.
-Players are able to tackle/trip each other. This causes the player holding the ball to drop it, allowing the other player to pick it up.
-Player holding the ball moves slower.
-Players trip/stumble if the come into contact with obstacles around the map. 

I still need to work out some sort of context for my game. Why are the players trying to score goals? Are the players human? Animals? When will it be set? Will the map be futuristic? Medieval?

I don't knoooooowwww.

MDDN 343: Ideas!

So we've been given the task of coming up with a game idea to pitch next week. I'm not really sure what I want to do yet, but here are a few ideas I have though of so far...

-Laser Shark. Has to eat things (people?) to defend it's home. Multiplayer?

-Player plays as 'mythical creature' (i.e: Loch Ness Monster/Bigfoot etc.) and has to get as close to tourists as possible without being seen (maybe to get food or something?)

-Animal herding game. Upgradeable ranch which helps with herding. Have to herd lower level creatures before you can herd bigger ones.

-Platformer. Player has to climb a tree by swinging for branch to branch, Tarzan style.

-Multiplayer 'rob the nest' kind of game. Player must get 'ball' from the middle and take it to his/her goal to score a point.

I don't want to do something that is really story driven. I feel like that would be hard to pull off in the small amount of time we have to make the game. I want to make something that is light hearted and fun.