Space Invaders 2k21 Final Release - Design Discussion

                      Throughout the development process of our Godot game, we can certainly say that we encountered a lot of difficulties and had to spend a lot of time fixing bugs. The fact that we had to implement a moderately complex game within a short period of time meant that we had to plan early on in terms of learning the technologies and tools necessary. To start off, we had to review the C# programming language. Because everyone in the group had previous exposure to this, it only took us 2 weeks to review the syntax and fundamentals. After this, we had to watch a tutorial video on how to use Godot. Likewise, this was not too difficult due to our experience with Unity. We would say that the difficulties started arising during the planning stage. Because we had no clear idea or vision of what we wanted our game to be, it was quite hard to decide on which classic game we wanted to build upon. Not so long after, we decided to stick with Space Invaders due to our passion for it. 

                     In terms of design, the user story helped us define what kind of player experience we wanted for audiences. Because the classic version was too simple and boring, we decided to increase the difficulty with our version of the game. In order to do this, we obviously had to add in additional features and implement a smarter enemy AI. To start off, we had to create one-page designs and also sketch out what we wanted our menu to look like. The level itself wasn’t too bad to design just as well. Right before implementation, we had to decide how our game was going to look based on the use of assets. Whether it was the background choice, the enemies, player ship, the bullets, or asteroid, we knew that all these factored into the player experience based on how well they complimented each other. After worrying about the visuals, we had to decide the kind of features and mechanics we wanted to implement. Because the original game was a bit too boring in our eyes, we knew that including more objects was necessary. First off, we implemented the giant asteroid that appears throughout the game. Next, we knew that it would be more challenging if each specific alien moved in their own direction. Implementing the AI was quite hard, but the lecture from Professor Summerville helped a lot. We definitely were stuck on this part for a bit, but eventually overcame it through communication and dealing with the issues over voice chat. Next up, we had to implement the player and enemy bullets. This took a few playtesting sessions in order for us to perfect the speed of it. We then implemented the paralyzing orb that prevents players from firing their weapons for a period of time. Because we included a game item that works against the player, we needed one that will help the players survive throughout the game. This ended up being a shield because we knew that the amount of bullets being fired from the enemy requires a lot of player focus. The last aspect of the player experience for the reboot was the upgrade system. We had to work on three different kinds of upgrades. The first one ended up being an extra life. The second most expensive one that we implemented was a health bar that is twice the default amount. The most expensive one was the dual burst firing system. This allows players to fire quickly and kill enemies more efficiently. After building our reboot game, we certainly had to go back and make a lot of refinements. Some issues that we came across included bugs related to the game ending early for no reason and the game crashing for no reason. 

                    Once we figured all these issues out, we moved on to working on the classic version. Because we already had the reboot version complete, it was quite easy to transfer our development knowledge to this one. The only unique features that we had to learn to implement were the barricade and the bonus item. Overall, this classic version was developed very smoothly with minimal issues. Once finishing, we had to create all the buttons so that players can access both versions of the game. In conclusion, this game was definitely a fun experience for us. Aside from all the technical skills, we realize how important it is to communicate well on a team and plan out deadlines according to the time given. We were very happy that the game ended up as we wanted. However, we would definitely implement additional features like providing different maps to choose from if given more time. Our game development knowledge is now solidified, and we can certainly say that we have the ability to create many more games if we choose to do so in the future. Hopefully, you all will enjoy playing our game!

Contributors:

Benjamin Mai

Marcos Herrera

Antonio Walker

Alex Neoh