{"id":53,"date":"2024-11-30T05:38:41","date_gmt":"2024-11-30T05:38:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/?p=53"},"modified":"2024-11-30T06:23:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-30T06:23:54","slug":"game-on-turning-plans-to-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/2024\/11\/30\/game-on-turning-plans-to-play\/","title":{"rendered":"Game On: Turning Plans into Play"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3>Project Status Overview<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As I continue my journey through the Capstone course, I\u2019m reminded that the road to developing a polished product is full of both anticipation and preparation. The work over the past couple of weeks has been a deep dive into refining our project\u2019s foundation and ensuring we\u2019re ready to begin development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This week, we submitted the final version of our team\u2019s design document. It\u2019s been a collaborative effort, and the document has evolved a lot since the first draft. We\u2019ve finalized the details on gameplay mechanics, team responsibilities, and overall project scope. It feels like we\u2019re getting closer to the actual build phase, which is exciting. Writing this document was an opportunity to revisit and tweak parts of the game to ensure that everyone\u2019s vision is aligned and realistic within the timeline. The hybrid Euro-style\/Dungeon-crawler board game concept is beginning to take shape, and we\u2019re all looking forward to seeing it evolve into something tangible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also completed a Client Verification assignment this week, where we had to evaluate if our project is truly ready for development. This involved reviewing our current progress, checking that our design meets the initial goals, and assessing any potential risks moving forward. The exercise forced us to think critically about our planning and whether we had adequately addressed all necessary details for a successful development phase. It\u2019s always helpful to take a step back and assess the bigger picture before diving into the code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>v0.0.2 \u2013 A Glimpse of What\u2019s to Come<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of diving into the code, we\u2019re preparing for the release of v0.0.2 of our project. This marks a significant milestone, as it will be the first time we start to see our ideas materialize in a functional form. Our focus for this release is on implementing core gameplay features, 3D asset integration, and ensuring that the multiplayer framework is working smoothly. There\u2019s a lot of work ahead, but it\u2019s exciting to see the project evolve from abstract designs to something interactive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Successes, Fails, and Struggles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest success this week has been the clarity we now have as a team. By finalizing our design document and completing the client verification, we\u2019ve made sure we\u2019re all on the same page moving forward. It\u2019s also been satisfying to see how the technical side of the project is progressing, especially in terms of asset management and game mechanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, we\u2019ve also faced some challenges. With the pressure to move into development, there have been moments where I felt like we were losing sight of the bigger picture. It\u2019s easy to get caught up in coding and technical details, but I\u2019m constantly reminding myself that thorough planning is just as crucial as execution. Moving forward, the challenge will be balancing the development pace with the need for refinement. It\u2019s a delicate dance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Feedback on the Course<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking back on the course, I\u2019ve appreciated how it has pushed me to think critically at every stage. The assignments and discussions have forced me to plan and collaborate in ways I hadn\u2019t done before. The Capstone experience is definitely challenging, but it\u2019s also incredibly rewarding. It feels like we\u2019re creating something real, and that sense of accomplishment is what keeps me motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One area that could be improved is the documentation workload. While I understand its importance, there are times when it feels a bit repetitive, especially with the multiple design documents and client check-ins. Nonetheless, I know that this will pay off later, especially when it comes to communicating with teammates and ensuring everything stays on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Technologies and Tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of new technologies, I\u2019ve been diving deeper into Unity\u2019s Asset Pipeline and learning more about optimizing 3D models for our game. We\u2019ve also been using Photon Bolt for the multiplayer aspect, which is both exciting and a bit daunting. I\u2019m eager to see how it all comes together when we integrate these technologies into the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve also started experimenting with more advanced asset management techniques, such as Level of Detail (LOD) and lightmapping, which I think will play a big role in optimizing our game\u2019s performance. It&#8217;s an interesting challenge to balance performance with high-quality visuals, but I\u2019m confident we can strike that balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>What\u2019s Next?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The next big milestone for us is v0.0.2, and I can\u2019t wait to see how it turns out. We\u2019re heading into a crucial phase of development, and I know there will be bumps along the way, but I\u2019m excited to push forward. With everything we\u2019ve laid out in the design documents and the feedback we\u2019ve received, I feel confident that we\u2019re on the right track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As always, I\u2019ll continue to rely on my favorite productivity hacks\u2014automation, communication, and prioritizing breaks\u2014to keep things moving smoothly. It\u2019s going to be a hectic few weeks, but I\u2019m looking forward to the journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From planning to action<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14447,"featured_media":60,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cs-461"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14447"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions\/61"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/hridayblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}