Problem solving

After speaking to Katina about my problem, she suggested I try writing a storyboard for the different activities the pet would be able to do, and then use the timeline so that the user will be able to control which activity the pet will do and when.

I would also like to be able to create a "happiness-ometer". The pet's mood will change depending on what the user is doing with it (e.g. if the pet is being fed, happiness will increase, and if the pet is being hurt or neglected, happiness will decrease). If the pet's happiness decreases to a certain point (lets say zero), he will run away.

Problems

I've been having problems with how to bring the virtual pet to life.

I tried following some online instructions (http://www.moock.org/lectures/introToOOP/) on how to make a virtual "tamagotchi". This took me a long time, and after getting it to work I discovered this was not the kind of thing I wanted to produce. I could only get the pet to "digest" food and then die.

I have tried looking on www.flashkit.com and www.actionscript.org for some advice but this is not proving very successful.

I will have to think of a different way to produce my virtual pet.

Character design

I have designed a simple, cute looking panda in Flash.

I think he's very cute, and would appeal to both boys and girls.

However, I am not sure I would be able to get his eyes/head/features moving. I'm going to have a look on http://www.flashkit.com/ to see if there are any examples to get me started. If not I will have to re-think my project proposal.

Cute characters

I want my character to be very rounded and cute. I looked for some examples on google images search:

I found these creature toys called 'MoonBeams' and I really like them because of how simple they are. They're made up of simple circular shapes and give a very cute effect.




I really like the colour of this
MoonBeam, although if I made my character this colour then it would be very much more popular with girls than boys, and I would like my screen pet to be used by both sexes.





I think the colour scheme of this animation is suitable for both sexes. Again, I like the way his features are made up of simple shapes, and although it's in the shape of Apple's logo, we can still see it as a cute penguin.











This grumpy looking bear is very sweet, and I'm sure little children would like him. However, I am looking to design a character that is much more simple, without much detail.




Conclusion
I will design a character using very simple shapes for it's features. The colour scheme will be suitable for both boys and girls.

Project Proposal

For my individual interactive project, I have decided to create in Flash an interactive screen “pet”.

• He will be very simplistic yet effective.
• He will be rounded and cute.
• Aimed at young children, particularly girls.
• He will be able to sit in his own screen while the child is busy on the computer and make cute noises/movements if left alone for too long.
• He will have several different movements/ characteristics:
• His eyes/head will follow the mouse
• After a certain amount of time he will become hungry and whine for food/attention etc.
• He will fall asleep if he is tired or bored.

I will think of the exact timings/movements/actions I want him to do and write them down in the next blog, so I can start writing the flash code for this.

Research

I decided to look at the different kinds of interactive characters available to children today. The game ‘Catz’ I used to play has come on a long way since it first came out. Users can now interact with other Catz players, allowing them to trade tips and pictures of their own interactive pets.

I like this game because of how cute the characters are, and the fact that they need looking after in order to stay healthy and not run away.

http://petz.uk.ubi.com/catz/

After putting into Google ‘interactive games’, I came across an ‘Interactive Buddy’. The user can drag him across the screen, tickle him, play catch with him, and hurt him, as well as many other interactions. The user makes money by the amount of time they spend interacting with him, and can buy new items to use on him. His emotions change as the user plays with him or hurts him.

I really like this Interactive Buddy because of how simple he is- just 5 circles imitating his head, body, arms and legs- yet he is still extremely cute!

http://www.addictinggames.com/interactivebuddy.html

Initial Ideas

I initially started thinking about the kind of interactive games I enjoyed playing as a child; ‘The Sims’, ‘Sim City’, ‘Sim Safari’ and ‘Catz’.

In all of these, the outcome of the game depends on how much the user decides to involve themselves- with little or no interaction the game can turn into complete mayhem, and none of the characters are happy, whereas if the user gives the game their full attention and fills all the characters needs, the game can grow into an entire network, and therefore gets progressively harder to fill everyone’s needs.

I wanted to base my individual interactive project on the idea of a character having basic needs that the user must fulfil to keep it happy.