Seed Reflection: Orange Lab D

In reflection, we just want to start with this.

This project has been amazing! The lab teams, the project staff, the Mustard Seed Staff, and those who came out to visit us at the Open House were awesome. Everyone who has contributed or seen the project, you are what made this all worth working on. Thank you to everyone who made this project brilliant for all of us.

But now back to business. This last week has been a tough one, what with exams coming up, but the team pulled it all together. Essentially, it was a rush to get all of the finished projects handed in. Each team had been assigned to build their own mini game, and they all had to end up in the finished installer. Groups hustled to get their last tidbits added into their games before handing in. By Wednesday night, everything was in distributable condition and ready for the open house.

As far as the open house goes, it was an overall success. A display of 3 computers and a tidy little poster assisted all those who presented into getting what we're sure were at least decent marks. Visitors seemed genuinely interested and impressed with what was being presented. Overall, it seemed to just flow together. It appeared we had gotten the job done and were leaving our visitors with smiles on their faces.

The only thing that would be good for this project is a longer time frame to develop the project. Too much time was just spent worrying as to how to get things done in time for the presentation. Teams needed more time to get used to using the tools provided to them. Some advanced users stood out from the crowd, but with experience comes responsibility, and as such those with knowledge were left teaching those who were just getting started. With more time, everyone could have become more familiar with the development processes and as such, cleaner, prettier, more efficient, and more functional games would have been developed. Other than that, everyone seemed to enjoy the project and the final product was definitely worth the effort.

Status Report for Orange Lab C for the week of April 16th

This week the lab put in a lot of work in order to finish everything and have it presentable for the open house. The game was put together with tests being done in order to fix bugs. There were some problems with compiling the levels but with extensive work from the programmers it was completed. The poster was finished and worked well for the open house although it did take a lot of time and effort in order to get it put together. Overall the lab worked extremely hard although at times it was tough because finals are looming and people still wanted to spend time studying. This did cause a lot of stress for the lab but we managed to pull through in the end.

The Open House was an overall success. The lab did its prototype presentation the morning of the Open House; since the lab was presenting as a whole the people who were doing the Open House also did the prototype presentation. It was good preparation for the Open House and allowed the lab members to see the quality and effort that everyone put in. The showcase of the game and its integration was the highlight of the Open House.

Some game changes that the lab may have wanted to make would be to add more levels and have to have had more time to spend fine tuning the levels. The time constraints were more limiting on the project than the actual skills of the lab members. More game elements would have been nice to incorporate but under the circumstances the lab produced an excellent product that everyone is very proud of.

Status Report for Rm224/Lab A, Week of April 12th

As this is the last blog of the Mustard Seed Project, main reflections and final changes that we would like to have made will be discussed. This week, a lot was accomplished; the game was finalized and compiled testing was completed to ensure that it functioned properly, and all aspects of the poster and the design manual were finished. Essentially, everyone had to put a lot of time and effort into preparing for the Open House to ensure that it was a success. This meant that people of course had to sacrifice their time so near to finals, this did cause some problems. A lot of people were not happy about having to do some much work with finals over their head and so this did have some negative effects on our project.

Overall, the Open House was a success. The game was presented with little error, the poster was a success as a visual aid, and the design manual and the burned CD were handed into both the marker and the Mustard Seed. We had the chance to not only show our end product, which was the video game, but also to explain the general concept behind our product. Obviously our end-product had a lot of flaws, within the allotted time and with the limitations on people’s comprehension of programming, making as good an end product as we would have liked was of course impossible. It is for this reason that a lot of emphasis in the presentation was placed on what we would have liked to have done if we had had more time and if we had a more advanced skill level.

Some of these ideas included including a question bank in our game. This would have added interest and made it so that game could have been played more than once. It also would have taught a lot more to the Mustard Seed Guests. Another thing we would have liked to do was add more levels for each mini game. Essentially each group in the lab designed a number of mini games that they integrated into the larger design. This allowed a lot of potential to add more levels with added difficulty as the user progresses through the GED curriculum. These are just a few examples of the many changes and ideas for development that we discussed in the Open House.

Status Report for Orange B Lab - Week of April 12- April 16

This being the last blog of the project some main reflections, concerns and possible future ideas will be presented. The work up until the open house was time consuming, this means that in order to prepare everything to the best of our abilities many people from the lab devoted their time to make sure that the game/poster/presentation were ready and presentable. This means that a lot of long nights and hours were put in to the making of the “Cognitive Construction Game”. While all the work up until the Open House was exhausting for mostly everyone in the lab, the final game design was fun, educational and proved functional for the Mustard Seed.

The Open House was a success; this is because everyone was well prepared and ready to present our ideas on how to improve the Cognitive Skills of the End-Users. We got the chance to explain and show how our game worked to two groups of the Mustard Seed Representative groups along with the Course Coordinators and other professors. Some of the main feedback we received was how enjoyable the game was and that the presentation along with the poster were outstanding.

For future reference, some game changes that would be made to the overall game are things such as more difficult levels and mini-games that will focus on a more cognitive base. Another game change would be to add a mini-game selection menu so the user will be able to directly go to the selected game instead of going through many other games to reach the desired one.

Overall, the project was challenging but rewarding when all of the components came together to create a unified cognitive development game.

Status Report: Lab D, Week of April 5 to April 9

Accomplished Tasks:

Table D1:

• All ingame content completed.
• Integrating remaining content.
• Playable engine completed.

Table D2:

• Playable project.
• 15 minute playtime focus achieved.

Table D3:

• Project is complete.

Table D4:

• Playable game engine.
• Integrating any remaining content.
• All artwork finished.

Table D11:

• Playable game engine.
• Integrating any remaining content.

Table D12:

• Playable game engine.
• Final report is complete.
• Integrating/editting remaining ingame content.

Monitoring and Control:

To Be Accomplished Next Week:

All lab tables intend to present finished game engines next week.

All programs will be compiled into an installer by Sunday April 11, 2010.

Status Report for Orange B Lab - Week of April 5- April 9 2010

ACCOMPLISHED THIS WEEK:

Team B1:

• Continued to develop and create different levels of the platform game.
• Completed retouching and final details of the background.
• Platform game is ready for integration with the other teams.

Team B2:

• Completion of mini-game creation.
• Developed instructions for the game.
• Wrote about the purpose and goal of the game for the Design Manual.
• Created an outline for the lab poster.
  

Team B3:

• Added construction theme components to the mini-game background.
• Completion of the mini-game "shape Memorization".
• Distributed work of the Final Report and Design Manual.

Team B5:

• Completed final design of programs.
• Completed testing of programs.
• Met to discuss compilation of final product.
• Prepared outline of final report.
• Redefined Functional Requirements based on feedback from the report.

Team B6:

• Completed playable version of the mini-game.
• Created an outline for the lab poster.

Team B8:

• Finished first organisation mini-game.
• second game is nearly complete.
• Sprites are implemented and theme is integrated.
• Final report divided among group members.

MONITORING AND CONTROL:

The Gantt Chart above effectively outlines the tasks accomplished to date which are represented by check marks as well as tasks which are still in progress which are represented with the black indicator bar.

TO BE ACCOMPLISHED NEXT WEEK:

Team B1:

• Complete integrate game and test it.
• Complete design manual.

Team B2:

• Complete the Design Manual.
• Create the lab poster.
• Complete the final report.
• Prepare for the Open House.
  

Team B3:

• Finish the Design Manual and Final Report.
• Practice the presentation speech.

Team B5:

• Submit contribution to Design Manual.
• Organize and prepare presentation of design prototype.
• Complete Final Report.

Team B6:

• Testing and modification of mini-game.
• Writing and editing of Final Report.

Team B8:

• Finish second mini-game.
• Prepare for the Open House.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Sarah and Tamara will be designing and creating the lab poster for the Open House.
• Niko and Asad, Mihai and Christian will be doing the presentation at the Open House.
  

Blog Status Report for Orange Lab C - Week of April 8th

The Lab:
Accomplished:
· Chose games plans for the program levels
· Decided on a basic design for the poster
· Discussed plans for the open house (formal presentation, what to talk about at the booth, etc)
To be Accomplished:
· Complete the prototype
· Assign group members to the presentation
· Check that all the requirements have been met
C1
Accomplished:
· Started working with Construct
· Went through online tutorials and figured out the software
· Split up work between ourselves and C9, 1 level + interview for us.
· Created specific work packages for the weekend and going into the week
· Set specific deadlines, i.e. game is to be built by Thursday
· Done most of the tiling and backgrounds
· Scripted basic interaction events and, a skeleton dialog
Too be Accomplished:
· Test the game and find any bugs
· Troubleshoot the game, fix any problems
· Make last minute adjustments
· Work on the poster and design manual
· PM meeting on Monday
C2
Accomplished:
· research for eye contact and posture
· assigning tasks for final prototype
· finished game plans for final game
· assigned tasks for final report
To be Accomplished:
· assign tasks for poster
· Put poster together
· complete final report
C5
Accomplished:
· Over the last week we presented the programming groups with the information about facial expressions and conversation skills that they requested of us.
· We started to identify the conversation between characters in the game that we need to create.
· We worked on supporting the programming groups with whatever materials that they needed to be successful in these initial stages of the development.
To be Accomplished:
· We would like to have the Final report ready to hand in by Thursday of next week so as to not have to work on it during the weekend.
· We need to meet with the programmers and create the actual dialog between characters in the game.
· We need to get the test results from the group of people who test the program before the open house, as we do not expect that we will be part of this step.
C6
Accomplished:
· assigned roles for final report
· completed questions with explanation for interview process
· implemented select tests for engineering requirements
To be Accomplished:
· final report write up and compilation
· input ideas for the poster/design manual
· sketch interface of program at different stages
C8
Accomplished:
· all tiles were worked on and completed
· the overall layout of the program was decided
· programmers have started the program and my group has compiled layouts
To be Accomplished:
· the program needs to be completed and final report should be started
· the program should be presentable and every lab member should have played it.
C9
Accomplished:
· finalized the overall theme, integration and work packages for the lab
· general theme of construction
· three levels -> parts of a construction site
· goal is to get to the other end of the level using a combination of interviews and character interaction dialogues
· finalized technical aspects and requirements
· each level will be developed in a top down grid plan view
· each tile in the grid will be drawn partially from the side to suggest a 3D environment
· each tile will be 100 x 100 pixels
· scale: characters will occupy 1 tile each, buildings and construction equipment will occupy more than one tile
· programming team responsibilities
· Taylor: characters and sprites
· Cesar: level 3
· Cody: level 1
· Qin: tiles
· programming support:
· Derek: level 2
· Juna: interview sessions
· level development: Sarah, Mitch, Byron
· interview development: group OC6
· Dialogue development: group OC5
To be Accomplished:
· all tiles and sprites need to be finished by Friday
· initial level layouts should be programmed by Friday
· levels should be finished on Saturday
· Program manual should be done by Monday
· Poster should be done, minus screenshots, by Monday
· Management group should nominate members to be responsible for the presentation.

The Schedule for the Project:

Status Report for Rm224/Lab A, Week of April 5th

ACCOMPLISHED THIS WEEK

Programming

• Created an inventory which the character collects items and questions that he is able to use throughout the game or click on for later reference.
• Created a code which allowed for collision with multiple choice answers to have different effects based on the question which is being asked.
• All of the concepts needed to progress through the game have been completed, it is only a matter of copying codes to different objects in order to finish the game

Graphics

• All graphics for the main game have been completed
• All graphics for each mini games have been completed
• Poster has started
• Specific tasks have been laid out for the poster

Research and Design

• Design Manual has been started
• Technical aspects have been assigned out
• A timetable has been started for recommended playing time
• Communication with Graphics to help with information for the poster

Entire Lab

• Testing of each game

MONITORING AND CONTROL

The figure below represents the lab's progress in this project


Figure 1- Lab's Progress, week of April 5th

TO BE ACCOMPLISHED NEXT WEEK

Programming

• Finalize the game
• Collect technical information to pass on to the Research and Design group for the Design Manual

Research and Design

• Complete the Design Manual
• Prepare information for the Open House

Entire Lab

• Prepare the speech for the Open House
• Prepare the speech for the prototype presentation
• Final Report

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This is the last week that the lab is able to meet in lab time. We have gotten down to putting finishing touches on our end products. Emphasis will be put to compiling the end product. This includes finalizing the game, creating a poster, creating a design manual, and preparing a speech for the open house.

Orange Lab D - Week of March 29 to April 2nd Lab Update

Accomplished This Week

Quantifying accomplishments this week is difficult for each group as they are now in the 'meat' of the project and deliverables are fewer.
Each group has progressed leaps and bounds. There are engines for each section of the game and the education strategies are being implemented.

Monitoring and Control








To Be Accomplished

For next week each table will have a rough completed game and be running playtesting.

Status Report for Rm224/Lab A, Week of March 29th

ACCOMPLISHED THIS WEEK

Programming

• A prototype for each section of every groups game has been completed
• Set specific deadlines for the completion of the game (i.e. April 8th)
• Discussed how the game would be shown at the Open House
• Assigned a member to be in charge of integrating the entire game into an integrated package
• Meeting was held to discuss how things are proceeding

Graphics

• Poster initial design has been completed
• Design Manual has been assigned out to a member to take charge of the graphics
• Meeting was held to discuss the new tasks assigned
• Work packages were made within the group
• Final touch-up completed for created sprites for the game

Research and Design

• All questions for all parts of the game were completed
• Research has been done on the necessary contents of the Design Manual
• Research has been done on the necessary contents of the Poster
• Discussed how the Open House will take place

Entire Lab

• Discussed the roles of those presenting the Open House

MONITORING AND CONTROL

Below represents the lab's progress compared to the initial plan
Figure 1- Week 4 Status

TO BE ACCOMPLISHED NEXT WEEK

Programming

• All final touch-up's must be made to each groups game
• All components of each game must be sent to the member assigned to integrate them all into one single game by April 8th.
• Information on the programs created must be written down for the Design Manual

Graphics

• Poster must begin to be created
• Design Manual creation will be started

Research and Design

• Poster information will be collected for the game
• Graphs will be found as visual representations for the game for the poster
  
• Information will be gathered for the Design Manual
• Work packages will be assigned for the remaining tasks
• Testing will begin on the game

Additional Information: This week coming up is about finishing everything so that only touch-ups remain. It is about coming up with a plan of action for the Open House and discussing as a lab what people believe should be done. This is the last week that we have a chance to discuss things as a group and so everything will be finalized.

Blog Status Report for Orange Lab C - Week of April 2nd

The Lab:

Accomplished:
· Chose a platform for the game.
· Discussed how to integrate questions and learning into the game.
To be Accomplished:
· Produce a prototype game.
· Begin testing of the game.
· Preparations for the Open House (poster, presentation, etc)
C1
Accomplished:
· Got familiarized with the Blender and Construct platforms
· Decided on the construct platform to make the game
· Determined how to split up work between ourselves and C9
· Created specific work packages for the weekend and going into the week
· Set specific deadlines, i.e. game is to be built by Thursday
To be Accomplished:
· Design and write the game
· Receive work from research teams and figure out what and how to integrate it into the game
· Begin testing the game
· Determine how and who will make the poster and design manual (PM meeting on Monday)
C2
Accomplished:
· Finished the Design proposal oral presentation
· Decided on the research for the game
· Completed questions for the game
To be Accomplished:
· Design the setting for each question
· Finalize questions for game
· Instruct designing group as to how it should look
· Final Report
Additional Information:
Although a majority of the work for our part is mostly completed, not much else can be done until the programming groups start working on their parts. This is because their parts directly correlate to our work.
C5
Accomplished:
· Found and referenced pictures of different facial expressions.
· Created a Q and A by creating different situations for which the user has to reply with the correct statement back.
· Discussed our ideas with the programming group.
To be Accomplished:
· Give the programming group our research.
· Work with the programming group to tie up any loose ends.
· Depending on what PM decides we may be working on the poster next week.
C6
Accomplished:
· finalized questions for program
· discussed as a group timelines that the lab needs to conform to
· come up with some ideas for the poster
To be Accomplished:
· come up with more ideas for the poster
· look up different sprites to help the programming group
· finish all info for our part of the program
Additional Information:
· good teamwork.
· Not much time left for finishing the programming.
C8
Accomplished:
· The artificial arm was constructed, so far the outline and structure is complete, and all that needs to be done is the circuits.
· Ideas to incorporate Handshakes into the game were thought of and decided.
· Dates and plans for the final construction of the prototype are set.
To be Accomplished:
· Completion of the artificial hand.
· To convey all our ideas for the game to Taylor
· Have full testing of the artificial hand.
C9
Accomplished:
· Decided on a programming platform (Scirra Construct v0.99.62)
· Determined the basic views, levels and elements of the game
· Determined some of the possible interaction types in the game
· Determined the possible obstacle types in the game
· Decided on the distribution of teamwork
To be Accomplished:
· Contact group leaders to divide teamwork
· Decide on a system of keeping track of progress
· Develop all levels, objects and sprites for the game
· Compile all levels into a single workable game
· Create specific instances for each type of obstacle
· Integrate possible questions, conversations and challenges into each sprite

Schedule for the week of April 2nd:

Status Report for Orange B Lab - Week of March 29 - April 2

ACCOMPLISHED THIS WEEK:

Team B1:

• Creation of the first room of the platform.
• In this room there are 6 individual platforms, and we have also included our sprite, that should be consistent throughout the whole lab.
• Testing the platform, and so far it runs quite smoothly, except that there is one corner of the room that the sprite gets stuck permanently in if the sprite goes to that corner of the room. We are currently trying to fix the problem.

Team B2:

• Further investigation into how Game Maker works.
• Background chosen and converted into proper format.
• Initial development of the game has begun.
• Discussion of the Design Manual, and the required components.

Team B3:

• Learned a little how to use the program Game maker 5 .
• Continuation of the making of the game.

Team B5:

• Tested our first sample of mini-games. Found many did not meet the end users needs.
• Finalized new mini-game ideas.
• Started creating new mini-games.

Team B6:

• Decided on specific game design and implementation.
• Distributed tasks for the next week, including final report.
• Further familiarized with Game Maker 5.

Team B8:

• Majority of the organization mini-game finished.
• Seconds game idea thought up.
• Implementation of the second game completed.
• New levels were though of.

MONITORING AND CONTROL

The above Gantt chart shows the progress made thus far in the lab. Check marks indicate completed tasks while the black bar indicates progress on uncompleted tasks.

TO BE ACCOMPLISHED NEXT WEEK:

Team B1:

• Create next four games of platform game, for a total of five.
• Test all five rooms for glitches.
• Begin adding the mini-games.

Team B2:

• Continue to develop skills with Game Maker 5.
• Complete development of mini-game.
• Complete the team's portion of the Design Manual.

Team B3:

• Do research to figure out how to do some features of our game with the program.
• Confirm work distribution for Final Report.
• Start working on the Design Manual.

Team B5:

• Final testing of mini-game.
• Commence working on Final Report.
• Merge mini-games into our final section.
• Start work on Open House poster.

Team B6:

• Program the mini-game.
• Write Final Report.
• Organise and prepare the presentation.
• Complete portion of the Lab Manual.

Team B8:

• Finish first mini-game.
• Finish second mini-game.
• Obtain/create game sprites and backgrounds so every team will have the same basis for the mini-games and overall game.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Progress cannot be made on Final Report until development of mini-games are finalised and nearly complete.
• New levels need to be introduced.
• Difficulties need to be set.