Part 4: Game Design Case Study - 'Rocket Road!' Creative Content

As mentioned previously, I enjoy creating creative content, whether this be making app icons, professional looking screenshots, video editing, photo editing etc...

I will be talking specifically about:

1) App Icon

2) App Screenshots

3) App Preview

4) Creative Videos (for advertising)

App Icon

There were many alterations made to the 'Rocket Road!' app icon. Removing/adding objects until we got the finalised version. Of course, the icon may be subject to change in the future. Each icon displayed below was created in Adobe photoshop. I am aware this is not always the recommended software to use for app icons, however, I am comfortable using photoshop.

1st Rocket Road! Icon

For the first attempt at creating the app icon, I wanted to make sure I could show the user what to expect from the game. As you can see above, the icy environment in the background, the diamond in the top right - sitting next to a police car. On the left hand side, located at the top you will see a taxi. I also tried to give the illusion of movement throughout the icon. Upon researching and gathering feedback, due to the size of the image, it looked very complicated. The user wouldn't want to spend a long time trying to figure out what was going on in the small icon.

Official Rocket Road! App Icon (w/water mark)

After researching and receiving feedback, I came up with the above app icon. From seeing the trends on the AppStore, it was evident the most simplistic icons were most attractive and therefore popular. Having a coloured gradient in the background seemed to grab the user's attention as well as emphasise the main object in the centre of the icon. Both of these app icons were designed in photoshop.

App Screenshots

When publishing an app on either the AppStore or GooglePlay, you must provide screenshots of the app. This will give the user an insight into the game - you should also want to show-off your game as much as possible! My screenshots, as displayed below - show some exciting scenes and scenarios which will help promote the game as much as possible. I 'screen-shotted' these scenes on my device, some may decide to screen-shot the gameplay on the Xcode simulator.

Lvl 40-50

Invincibility Bubble - Endless Mode

Collecting The Magnet Power-Up - Endless Mode

App Preview

On the AppStore, there is an option to upload a 'Preview'. A preview is a short video displaying how the game is played. The preview will be shown when a user taps on your app. I created my video in iMovie - as there is an option to export as 'AppStore Preview'. This video should consist of some attractive gameplay. See my video below.

Creative Videos - Advertising

Whether you decide to self-publish or pitch your app to a publisher you will want to make videos for advertising. A publisher will ask you to make 'creatives' which can be used to promote your game, from this they can get an idea of the audience and market. Will the game do well? Is it profitable?

Recently, the videos which seem to perform best are those comparing two types of game play - 'Mom vs Dad', 'Brother vs Sister', 'Pro vs Noob' etc... (Please see below for examples). It is a good idea to add a visual component - displaying the game mechanic, such as a hand switching from one lane to the other.

For the creatives, I used 'HitFilm Express'.

Thanks for reading!

For any questions or further information, please email: rocketfuelgames@gmail.com

Part 3: Game Design Case Study - 'Rocket Road!' Level Design

As mentioned in the previous blog post, 'Part 2', 'Rocket Road!' has both a a progressive level-based game mode and an endless game mode. There are 50 levels and 5 different environments to explore.

Level design can be challenging, depending on your experience with game design. The most common issue can be making the levels too easy which can result in boredom. Of course, on the other hand, making the levels too hard can cause frustration. This, obviously, depends on the game I am making - is it an action/adventure game? A puzzle game? etc.

To get the balance, it a good idea to test the game with multiple users. I have a rule of making the first couple of levels as easy as possible. This is the approach I took whilst designing 'Rocket Road!'. Levels 1 through 3 are very easy, all users can complete them. Very subtly, the levels start to get slightly harder. I found it useful to test the game with multiple people via TestFlight for iOS. You can then change the levels based on the feedback you receive, paying closest attention to your target demographic. The beta testers can leave feedback through the TestFlight app. It is also useful to be able to track any crashes that happen during the pre-alpha testing period.

Below, you will find a comparison between 'Level 1' & 'Level 42'

Rocket Road! Level 1

Rocket Road! Level 42

You can see from the above screenshots - level 42 is far more complicated therefore harder to navigate than level 1. All together, there are 50 levels. Of course, more can be added if needed.

The aim of 'Rocket Road!' is to change lanes before crashing into an enemy. During level 1, the user will only have to change lane once - making it a fairy simplistic level. Gradually each stage has either more 'enemies' to avoid or changing lanes becomes more challenging due to smaller gaps in traffic.

It is important that I tested each level - looking specifically for bugs and impossible manoeuvres.

In-Game Currency

In-game currency coupled with character shops give the user a sense of achievement. Within 'Rocket Road!' the user can pick up rubies (+3) and diamonds (+1) (I will refer to them as gems) - which are added to the user's score. There is an in-game store whereby the user can 'purchase' new rockets to play with. Of course, there are a variety of coloured rockets which are priced differently depending on their demand.

I made sure to place the gems in a variety of scenes - some in easier places to reach than others. Inspired by 'Subway Surfers', there are some scenes, containing a sequence of diamonds (see screenshot below).

When each gem is collected, the 'Taptic Engine' creates 'Haptic Feedback' - this can be very satisfying for the user.

There are multiple 3D assets found within 'Rocket Road!'. Most of the assets are used as enemies.

Here are some key assets:

Taxi

The taxi is a common asset within 'Rocket Road!'. But watch out! They won't get out of your way!

The taxi is a simple looking asset and has fairly simplistic functionalities - to be as annoying and obtrusive as possible. They are set to have a variety of speeds, ranging from a fairly slow pace to something Lewis Hamilton wouldn't mind getting behind the wheel. Some are set to change lanes at 'convenient' times.

Police Car

Much like the taxi, the police car is a common asset found within the game. You may find them stopped at the traffic lights or stopping other road users. These cars are also set to have multiple speeds. Some of these cars spontaneously explode - thus leaving an open lane.

Log

Yes, it's just as exciting as it sounds...

Out of the three lanes, the log will either cover one or two of them. They are either your best friend, or worst enemy!

Road Works

As demonstrated by the screenshot below, the road works block off a lane. In some cases the road works take up two lanes. Of course, when the road works are coupled with a moving police car/taxi it can be quite challenging to steer your way through!

Trees & Rocks

Found in levels 30 - 40. Although they may seem quite innocent on their own - a cluster of trees can be very challenging to navigate through. Much like the trees, the large rocks shown in the screenshot below can be tricky to steer your rocket through. I wouldn't recommend crashing into either of these assets if you can avoid it!

Power-Ups

As a gaming enthusiast, there is no better feeling than picking up a power-up, moments before an inevitable trip to the 'game over' screen. 'Rocket Road!' has two power-ups integrated into the game.

Invincibility Bubble

As you may be able to gather, the invincibility bubble grants a degree of invincibility for a set amount of time. Upon collecting this power-up, a bubble surrounds the rocket - this gives the user two 'lives'. The user may crash into anything they like, whilst the bubble is visible on the screen. When they crash into something, the bubble cracks - indicating they have one life remaining. Upon crashing into another enemy (for the second time) the bubble shatters, indicating the power-up has ended. If the bubble is found in 'Endless Mode' where the rocket gradually increases in speed the longer you play - the bubble resets the speed.

If the user manages to steer clear from any enemies, the bubble will disappear after 15 seconds. See below screenshots for a pictorial demonstration.

Collectable Invincibility Bubble

Invincibility Bubble Once Collected

Invincibility Bubble After Crashing Once

Magnet

The magnet can be found within 'Rocket Road's' endless mode. As the target of endless mode is to collect as many diamonds as possible - the magnet can be quite useful.

Upon collecting the magnet, each diamond/ruby in the nearby proximity, will be collected and will therefore contribute towards the score (shown in the top right of the below screenshots).

This can be especially useful when there is a cluster of gems to be collected.

Before Collecting The Magnet

After Collecting The Magnet

Character Shop

The 'Rocket Road!' character shop displays 10 new rockets which you can unlock via collecting gems. As shown below, there is a range of colours at different 'prices'. I was keen to add a character shop into 'Rocket Road!' as it gives the user a goal to work towards. Upon taping one of the colour schemes below - a detailed photo appears - showing exactly what your rocket will look like. The balance in shown in the top right corner of the UI screen.

Rocket Road Character Shop

A Detailed Image Of The Chosen Rocket

Part 2: Game Design Case Study - 'Rocket Road!' Game Concept

In 'Part 1', I discussed the process I go through when creating a game trailer. Thinking about the game trailer (or how the game may come across to the user prior to them playing it) can help you think about the attractive elements of the game before advancing into full game development. You could see it as reverse engineering.

It is important that your game is appealing to the user who is in the market for a new game to play, or maybe the user who downloads the game on an impulse. For this reason, I think about how my game would look in an advert. This simple exercise goes hand in hand with researching popular game trends. How will the game you plan to create, compare with other - similar - games?

This is when I start thinking about the game concept.

1) Which games are topping the charts?

2) What's the common - popular - theme?

3) How can I make the most popular games more enjoyable?

This is when I came up with 'Rocket Road!'.

'Rocket Road!' is a simple game with two modes. From looking at the AppStore, it was clear that having levels in the game was vital. I decided it would be a good idea to also have an Endless game mode, this works well for those who complete the levels but still want to play the game.

Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions, or need more information, please email me at: rocketfuelgames@gmail.com

#GameDesign #GameConcept #RocketRoad #RocketFuelGames