[obe_ith]

Hi Guys,

I am currently a BSc Computer Games student and as part of my research for a project in my final year i have created a quick 10 part questionnaire. As I am researching for an adventure game I found your forum and thought you would be the most suitable candidates to ask.

The questionnaire is up for 10 days and would love as many responses as possible.

Thanks in advance

Mark

http://FreeOnlineSurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?sid=ph9gdlrs51760qi503616

*Edit*

1 More thing, if you think there is anything specific which i have left out of the questionnaire, feel free to post it here, I value all input to get the best results.

Thanks again.

[AndreaDraco83]

I think it pretty much cover everything in the field of exploration/environment.

What is your project, by the way?

[Jelena]

Done.
Good luck with your work.

[Hammerite]

Good luck!

[mtgmaster]

Done. I hope we get to see the results.

[obe_ith]

Hey guys, thanks for the responses so far, ive had 30 completed, which is awesome.

@AndreaDraco83
This project is a research project for my final year disertation project. In the course we are tought lots of different aspects in the first 2 years and then you can choose your specilisation in the final year.

My final year project is to create an adventure game environment. There was a bit of initial research into which were the best rated adventure games (according to a rating site), these were then analysed and broken down into the questions on the questionnaire. The results from you guys will be compared to the supposed "top 5" and see if you guys agree with what is meant to be the best.

3 prototype levels will then be made (only rough basic levels) from the top 3 responses, these will then be shown to public, probably here again, as ive had such a great response. The public will then be asked to choose the favourite.

This will then be compared to the original "top 5". Basically its to find out whether you guys think the supposed "top 5" have the best environments, or whether its a combination of all.

The final year project will then be to make a full working environment based upon these results.

Sorry if ive seemed like im going on a bit

As for the results, you should see the 3 prototype levels, and i'll also post which was the winner.

I'll also try and post my final year project on here, so everyone can see what their answers led to.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone who's responded.

Mark

[AndreaDraco83]

Extremely interesting indeed.
Can't wait to see the results!

[custard]

Out of interest, which university?

I'm in my final year of a BSc computer games course too

[DEMON]

You guys can seriously study computer games? Holy quack I´ve chosen my education poorly
Anyway good luck with your project(s).

[obe_ith]

University of East London is the uni, and yes, you can study computer games however i'd make sure you look into the course content before you start the course as many arent properly made, and are instead regurgitated modules from other BSc courses.

As to the results, ive had 38 responses so far, and there is 1 or 2 things that are a surprise to me, so thats gonna give me plenty to talk about.

I think 1 of the most interesting is the setting, even though i put 6 options, in the "other" section, people have come up with about another 5 , again, its good to know people like a broad split of environments.

The questionnaire should be locked soon as it was only up for 10 days, thanks to everyone who has allready answered, and to those who havent, you have a day or 2 left i think

Mark

[obe_ith]

Hey again guys,

Here's an update

Ive finished processing the data, and i got 69 responses, which is more than i'd hoped for which is great.

Anyways, mostly written it into the report and as part of the final part i had to model 3 "demo" environments based upon the results you guys gave, i cant say which is which, and which aspects each has etc etc.

Basically i'll be posting screenshots of the 3 levels 2 moro, when i do, if you could just post which is your favourite and a few lines why it would be awesome.

Oh yea, and 1 more thing before i go, this is the first of 2 parts of the disertation work, and the final bit is to make a full working environment based upon these results, it'll be a while till i get that far as its next year, but if you want ill post the final environment, and i might even knock you guys up a working shockwave version so you can walk about and explore it, there wont be any game play unfortunately as i wont have time to code it by myself.

Anyways, thanks again to everyone here.

[snaek]

awwww i missed the survey .___.

is it too late for me to do it? ^__^ lol

[obe_ith]

@Snaek, you can still check it out, but the results have allready been taken, so it wont affect the project.

Fistly and this is quite important to the project, when your looking at the environments, please choose the 1 that you think would make the best environment for a game judging by whats in it, not which looks the best graphically, as time is getting short towards the end of the semester they were a little rushed in parts and obviously a proper environment would have a lot more time spent on it.

Right, screenshots:

Environment 1


Environment 2


Environment 3


Once you have chosen which you think would be the best environment, please can you say which 1, ie, environment 2 pic 3. It would also help if you could put a few lines as to why, its optional so you dont have to

Thanks again to everyone here, you've been a great help for my project.

Mark

[AndreaDraco83]

Environment 1: 2

Environment 2: 4

Environment 3: 3

[Jelena]

Environment 1:2 I like the angle and the mood the streetlights provide.
Environment 2:4 It's the best angle imo.
Environment 3:1 Difficult choice, but I prefer the differences between light parts and dark parts in this picture.

[obe_ith]

Hey thanks to you 2 for replying.

I actually need your overall favourite, ie, which of the 3 you prefer, not which from each of the environments.

So which is your favorite, 1 2 or 3,

Sorry for being unclear before

Thanks again

Mark

[fajerkaos]

Probably the third.

[buddi]

I like number 3. You do a lot of retracing in adventure games, so it's always kind of exciting when you get access to a new screen. I picked my favourite based on which was most likely to provoke a "oooh... what's this then?" response. Number 1 is kind of mundane, just another street scene. Number 2 looks kind of drab without a lot to explore (might just be the muddy graphics.) Number 3 piques my interest, I want to know what everything is. I also like the scale, number 2 feels more like an aerial view, number 3 gives you enough perspective to overlook the whole scene, but you still feel close enough to interact with the environment. Same goes for number 1, it might feel a little more inviting if you drew in a little closer.

[snaek]

1st: environment 3, pic 3
reason: im not sure exactly where this is
but the setting looks like it can be suitable for many puzzle interactions
as well the lighting and numerous little huts and walls can make for interesting sneaking around in stealth situations
and obviously human structures indicate that humans might be inhabiting this place for some dialogue gameplay to go on as well
so it gets my vote for most potential in gameplay situations: stealth, puzzle, dialogue

2nd: environment 2, pic 2
reason: very interesting landscape
to me it looks one of the most interesting
and has a lot of potential for puzzle elements
however, it looks very intricate
and this can pose a problem for maneurevering around the character
too many dead ends?
unless ur lookin for a maze or labyrinth type game
another thing is that being a ruins, naturally it would be deserted by humans
so very little dialogue interaction would occur
altho if its a fantasy, dialogue with perhaps magical characters/creatures, or even that mysterious loney traveller

3rd: environment 1, pic 2
reason: the lighting adds to the mysterious and creepy atmosphere
its almost as if a bad guy or monster can pop out from any dark alley at any minute
tho, it seems too simplistic for any kind of puzzle elements to really happen



anyways
hope this helps and good luk wit teh project ^__^

[AndreaDraco83]

Without a single doubt, I prefer the Environment 1, 'cause I love urban, life-like, realistic environment with just a tad of noir flavor to them!