| Candidate Name | Lewis Whitham | ||
| Candidate Number | |||
| Pathway | UAL Games Development Level 3 Extended Diploma | ||
| Project Title | Final Major Project | ||
| Section 1: Rationale (approx 150 words) | |||
| This section provides you with an opportunity to reflect on, review and summarise your progress and achievements through the first 12 units of the qualification. You should outline the knowledge, skills and understanding you have acquired. What you know now, and what it means to you, compared with what you knew and could do before you started the course, and how this has influenced your choice of discipline or disciplines and your project proposal. It also provides an opportunity for you to explain your reasons for choosing a particular discipline or disciplines and to outline both your immediate and longer-term aspirations. Throughout this course, I have gained valuable insights and skills in game development. My primary focus has been on programming, leveraging my strong problem-solving abilities and prior experience, particularly highlighted in Unit 9. I have also developed skills in 3D modelling, using tools such as Blender and Adobe Substance, and have become proficient in Unreal Engine. During the course, I have explored various programming techniques, including functional and object-oriented structures, pathfinding algorithms, noise functions, and procedural terrain generation. My continuous engagement in creating games outside of coursework has allowed me to apply these new skills in practical scenarios. This comprehensive learning journey has solidified my interest in game programming and guided my decision to develop a city-building simulation game for my final project, aiming to challenge and expand my programming capabilities while contributing to a sustainable future. | |||
| Section 2: Project concept (approx 200 words) | |||
| This section provides an opportunity for you to clearly explain the concept and aims of your project, production or performance and the research and ideas that will support its development. What you anticipate producing, the levels and types of resources that you will need and an indication of the form in which you will complete and present your final realisation within the allocated timescale. This might include an indication of when and how you will use studios, equipment and other resources, how you will make use of tutorial and peer feedback and where you will incorporate independent study. For my Final Major Project, I aim to design and develop a city-building simulation game that challenges players to create and manage a sustainable city. This project will allow me to integrate and demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and understanding acquired throughout the course, focusing primarily on programming. To achieve this, I will research similar games within the simulation and sustainability genres to inform my design and gameplay mechanics. My primary tasks will involve researching and implementing gameplay mechanics, algorithms, and other programming-related aspects. Additionally, I will explore design concepts to ensure a cohesive and engaging player experience. I will use Blender for asset creation and Unreal Engine 5 for coding, asset importation, and level design. A Trello workspace will be utilized for project planning, organization, and communication with my teammate, who has set up a Trello board for tracking research, assets, design elements, gameplay mechanics, and UI/UX designs. This collaborative platform will facilitate feedback and idea sharing, ensuring continuous improvement. All research, design choices, code-related challenges, and solutions will be documented in a design document and updated regularly on the Trello workspace. This structured approach will help me manage the project effectively and meet all deadlines. | |||
| Section 3: Evaluation (approx 150 words) | |||
| This section provides an opportunity for you to explain how you will reflect on and evaluate your work, as both an ongoing activity and at the conclusion of your project. You should describe how you intend to record your decision-making and how you will document changes to your ideas as your work progresses. The evaluation should be referenced to your stated aims and be reflective and analytical rather than a description of actions completed. When working in collaboration with others you should comment on how this may impact either positively or negatively and steps you can take to minimise disruption in your own progress. For the evaluation of my project, I will maintain a reflective journal, documenting my decision-making process, challenges faced, and solutions implemented throughout the project. This will include regular updates on the Trello workspace, highlighting changes and adaptations made in response to feedback or new insights. I will utilize peer and tutor feedback to critically assess the effectiveness of my gameplay mechanics, design choices, and overall project progression. Additionally, I will compare the final product with my initial aims to evaluate how well I have met my objectives. Collaboration will be a key part of my project, and I will ensure clear communication and task delegation within the team to minimize potential disruptions. Reflecting on these collaborative experiences will provide insights into the dynamics of team-based project development and areas for improvement in future projects. | |||
| Section 4: Project action plan and timetable | |||
| This section provides you with an opportunity to outline your planning and organisation over a period of weeks and the activities you will need to carry out in order to successfully complete your project in the agreed timeframe. The more time and thought you give to planning your project the more successful it is likely to be. It is important that you consider how you will balance ambition, time and realism in the realisation of the project. You should also include what you are going to do, how you will do it and by when. Remember to: – Include time spent sourcing materials and other resources to conduct research – Seek feedback from tutors and peers – Identify when you will carry out independent study | |||
| Date | Learner Activity What you intend to do (inc independent study) | Learner Resources What you will need (equipment, locations etc.) | |
| 01 W/C 18/03/2024 | Research and Idea generation (Independant Study) Starting Concept Presentation – Due 26/03/2024. | Computer in College or at home | |
| 02 W/C 25/03/2024 | Finishing Concept Presentation – Due 26/03/2024. Research and Idea generation (Independant Study) Starting Overview/Introduction/Research (Design Doc) – Due 31/03/2024. | Computer in College or at home | |
| 03 W/C 01/04/2024 | Research and Idea generation (Independant Study) Starting Pre-Production (Design Doc) – Due 10/04/2024. | Computer in College or at home | |
| 04 W/C 08/04/2024 | Finishing Pre-Production (Design Doc) – Due 10/04/2024. | Computer in College or at home | |
| 05 W/C 15/04/2024 | Starting Develop Prototype – Due 10/05/2024. Starting Production (Design Doc) – Due 20/05/2024. | Computer in College or at home | |
| 06 W/C 22/04/2024 | Continuing Develop Prototype – Due 10/05/2024. Continuing Production (Design Doc) – Due 20/05/2024. | Computer in College or at home | |
| 07 W/C 29/04/2024 | Continuing Develop Prototype – Due 10/05/2024. Continuing Production (Design Doc) – Due 20/05/2024. | Computer in College or at home | |
| 08 W/C 06/05/2024 | Continuing Develop Prototype – Due 10/05/2024. Starting Evaluation – Due 24/05/2024 – 25/05/2024. | Computer in College or at home | |
| 09 W/C 13/05/2024 | Finishing Develop Prototype – Due 10/05/2024. | Computer in College or at home | |
| 10 W/C 20/05/2024 | Finishing Production (Design Doc) – Due 20/05/2024. Finishing Evaluation – Due 24/05/2024 – 25/05/2024. | Computer in College or at home | |
| Section 5: Proposed research sources and bibliography (Harvard Format) |
| This section provides an opportunity to record the initial research sources (both primary and secondary), that you intend to use. Your sources of research should be as wide as possible, including, but not limited to: libraries, museums and galleries, books, theatre/film/ video, magazines, TV/radio programmes, websites and online research. Where appropriate you should use the Harvard system of referencing. The bibliography should be continuously updated as the project progresses. For my project, I will utilize a variety of research sources to inform and support the development of my city-building simulation game focused on sustainability. Key sources include articles and data from the Office for National Statistics, which provide valuable insights into public concerns and perceptions about climate change in Great Britain. Reports from the United Nations Development Programme offer a global perspective on climate change attitudes and the need for wide-ranging action. The People and Nature Survey from GOV.UK will help me understand the relationship between people and nature in England, informing the environmental aspects of my game. Additionally, resources from Our World in Data on natural disasters will aid in designing realistic and impactful scenarios within the game. Research Sources: Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2021. Three-quarters of adults in Great Britain worry about climate change. [online] Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/threequartersofadultsingreatbritainworryaboutclimatechange/2021-11-05 Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2022. Climate change insights, UK. [online] Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/articles/climatechangeinsightsuk/august2022 Our World in Data, n.d. Natural Disasters. [online] Available at: https://ourworldindata.org/natural-disasters GOV.UK, 2021. The People and Nature Survey for England: Data and publications from adults survey year 1 (April 2020 – March 2021) (Official Statistics) main findings. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-people-and-nature-survey-for-england-data-and-publications-from-adults-survey-year-1-april-2020-march-2021 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2021. World’s largest survey of public opinion on climate change: a majority of people call for wide-ranging action. [online] Available at: https://www.undp.org/publications/worlds-largest-survey-public-opinion-climate-change-majority-people-call-wide-ranging-action |
Lewis' Games Development Portfolio 