Monday, 15 October 2012

Avoider Games Research

Right I have been tasked to do some avoider games research for a game we are designing. I am going to basically play allot of different types of avoider games and see what makes a good avoider game. I will play close attention to all aspects of the games I try including, graphics,sound, UI, mechanics and aesthetics

Websites I will be checking for my research 




Graphics) Fantastically simple straight forward geometric shapes
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Sound) Right from the get go there is a really catchy techno type track that gives a good "Lets Go!" feeling

UI) Nice and simple movement with the arrow keys. Very clear and minimalistic UI

Mechanics) After completing level one the level changed from downward moving avoidable objects to side moving avoidable objects. Very nice Also note that the player(square) has a good mechanic where it doesn't stop dead when you release your finger of the arrow key but keeps moving a little. Like its sliding on ice.

Adding lives is good especially at the difficulty this game progresses. Also I found out that when reaching higher levels you can gain lives back.





Lost a life taking that screenshot!
 As the levels progress they really add in there some interesting avoiding mechanics coming from all angles. I really like the pong avoidable level very nice touch.


Aesthetics) Nice retro feel and with the techno track in the background it really gives a frantic feeling when playing



Graphics) Once again very simple graphics. Just a stick man and some line lasers but did not one bit effect the fun I was having



Sound) Another game with a techno back beat. Seems work well with avoider games adds that frantic feel again. Also the track itself is awesome. It alone makes me want to keep playing just to hear the awesome beat.

UI) Nice menu and very simple in game UI. I like the fact you can use Keyboard controls as well as mouse though I would not recommend keyboard as the controls for that are substantially harder than that of the mouse.

Mechanics) Another game where the avoidable objects come from different directions. Also they have added hit area specific mechanics that have different effects depending on where they hit. For example getting hit in the head as you can see on the first screenshot is an instant death where as being hit in the arm itself would just result in that appendage being shot off.

They have also added some power ups in there which is fun as it encourages you to take dangerous risks to acquire them. 
Along with all that they have in there a A to F ranking system 

Aesthetics) Determination to achieve a higher rank. A futuristic feel to the game. Fun watching the characters arms and legs get blown off.



Graphics) This avoider game was made with the unity engine and is 3D. Its very basic but is practical and little more


Sound) Has some basic sounds however the backing music is a little boring but it does fit the Egyptian theme.

UI) Has Hi-score in the top middle and current score in top right. The new game option though is not really needed as pressing space bar also starts a new game. Also at the bottom there is a slider for adjusting the in game sound volume. It has no menu and no instruction though it doesn't really need them as it is very straight forward.

Mechanics) Basic avoider but with a twist. You start of with only one avoidable but every time you collect a gem you add another avoidable to the game. There are no levels and no goal apart for best your previous high score.

Aesthetics) Very boring and dull as long as you have options this game will probably not be played. There is nothing really here to keep you coming back apart from the personal hi-score. Maybe even a leader board would make it more fun so you are competing with other people other than yourself.

Avoid by swervmerv   http://www.kongregate.com/games/swervmerv/avoid

Graphics) Straight away the graphics do not match. You have some nice laser effects coming down but the character and boss are don't seem to match the level they look like they have been pulled out of another game. I enjoy fun simple home-made graphics and do not one bit criticise the individual assets just that they don't feel they match. A bit like cartoon among real people. Also nothing happens when you get hit other than the game abruptly ends with no sounds or effects just a retry button. 


Sound) No sound

UI) No menu, no instructions, no indication on what the numbers on screen mean. The middle top was clearly the score however. No indication what the power up does. 

Mechanics) The game mechanics themselves were good. You had a basic single direction avoider with power ups that give you a shield which you can use to bounce lasers back at the boss! Yes a boss that was unexpected but fun. The boss also strangely for no reason that you are made aware of fire bats at you which is funny. I feel this could have been a good game with a bit more added to it to imrove the aesthetics  

Aesthetics) Unfinished product feel to it. 

Avoid the spikes http://www.kongregate.com/games/gardengnomes/avoid-the-spikes

Graphics) very basic and quickly put together. Though they all fit together. No major graphics and no animations. Just moving still objects. Not really sure what the background is? 






UI) Has a menu and instructions. In game there are various numbers, one is labelled lives but the others don't seem to be labelled and don't really know what they all mean. The game is controlled by the mouse so basically wherever the mouse cursor is the player character is.



Mechanics) Straight forward avoider game mechanics with downward moving avoidable objects. There are collectable tokens in game to collect for points which you can see at the top right of the first screenshot. 

Aesthetics) No real emotion felt here other than the urge to quickly move on. I feel this game also has a very unfinished feel to it and lacks a goal of sorts. I have no reason to carry on playing.

Into Space 2 http://www.kongregate.com/games/BarbarianGames/into-space-2?acomplete=into

Graphics) Really great graphics with lots of effects. Some really nice clean and consistent artwork with a high end finish.


UI) Very complex though intuitive user interface. Very informative layout showing you air speed, rocket speed, booster fuel, rocket fuel, height, money and many many more. The control system is also fun and very easy to use and there is allot to do.




Mechanics)I thoroughly enjoyed this games mechanics. You start of with a very weak powered rocket in you conquest to reach the moon. However at the start you fall miles short and need to earn cash to upgrade your ship to reach the moon. It is also an upward avoider game where you have to avoid many obstacles from aircraft to clouds of lightning. There is even some checkpoint gates thrown in there to give you a small upward travelling bonus.

Aesthetics) The game doesnt have much story but it excels in pure gameplay.

Sound) Very good sound. Fits very well





Points taken

I enjoyed playing the first two games the most. I liked Avoidsters multi direction and clever use of avoidable objects. I enjoyed that it had levels and progression. The innovative ways that it made use of the avoidable mechanic was fun and made me want to see what they were going to do on the next level. I like the adding of lives also which gave you a bit of breathing space. The music in the first two games was fun and set a frantic atmosphere

On Ragdoll laser dodge I enjoyed the effects you got from hitting the lasers with different parts of the characters body. I liked its use of dual controls also. The ranking system gave me a small urge to keep playing. All these games though were lacking in a story and didnt have much to offer in the form of aesthetics. None of the games really had a goal and all lacked leaderboards. 

Some of the games had no sound at all which really dulled the mood and when there was lots of other games out there to play had no reason to stay and play their game. I liked the look of the 3D game that was made in unity. That had some of the best graphics out of the games I played but was lacking in other areas. 


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