Panorama

 

Photos before stitching

For this assignment, we were to take 4-6 frames for a panorama, and manually stitch the photos together to form a panorama. I took a 4-frame panorama of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Presidio in San Francisco. I took this at around 7:20 PM, so golden hour had already passed, and thus the sunset was quite dark at the time. 

The Golden Gate bridge was placed in the panorama so that it was about a third of the way in, and while not intentional, made for an aesthetically pleasing photo. 

The lighting made stitching the photo together very difficult, as each frame got darker and darker as it continued to pan to the right. However, with just a little exposure adjustment, the panorama came together more seamlessly. To stitch them together, I used layer masks to create a seamless panorama.

I think had I gotten to that location earlier, the panorama would have turned out better and with more even lighting.

Panorama after stitching.

On the Edge

Original Image

For this image, I decided to head over to Bidwell mansion and use the mansion as the subject of my photo. The assignment was to take a photo of a subject on the edge of the frame. I used Bidwell Mansion and took a photo of it with it slightly off the frame.
For my edits, I changed the image to black and white to enhance the eeriness of the mansion at 5PM with an overcast sky. Once I changed it to black and white, however, because there was not a huge amount of contrast between colors or in the sky, I used the dodge and burn tools to create more contrast between different portions of the photo.
I think had I gone a little earlier, I could have gotten a better contrast in order for the black and white to be more effective. With a brighter sky and more shadows being cast, it would have definitely given a better effect.

Final Image

Things

Original Image

For this assignment, we were to take closeup shots of various objects. In this we learned how to focus on a subject (in this case, an object), and have a aesthetically pleasing background, that is also out of focus. 

In my photo, I used the rule of thirds to place the subject in a aesthetically pleasing position. When I went in to edit it, I fixed the little bit of over exposure from the sun on the right side, and used the dodge and burn tools to darken the shadows of the photo and lighten the highlights of it. Through this I was able to make a nicely saturated and defined photo. 

Golden Hour is one of my favorite times to do shoots at (for my cosplay photos, in which I model), and being able to take that opportunity for myself and shoot my favorite figures during that hour was really fun and I really impressed myself with what I could do. 

Final Image

Mega Man Level 1 Feedback | 3/25/19

My level was a fairly simple introductory level for new Mega Man players. It contained 9 screens, a handful of simple enemies, spikes, ladders, health powerups, and an energy element to end the level. The level was straight forward with no hidden areas or over complicated puzzles.

I think this level was a good introductory level. Being fairly inexperienced with Mega Man, as I have only played about 2 hours total of Mega Man total, I created a level that I thought I would enjoy as a first level. The enemies only took 1-3 hits to defeat, so as to not frustrate the players with an overpowered enemy, and to demonstrate a small variety of the kinds of enemies one might encounter in a Mega Man Game. I included ladders to demonstrate the climbing mechanism, and to also demonstrate to the players that they can use height to their advantage. Spikes were put into place to demonstrate jumping. I scattered health powerups throughout the level to keep the players alive as they played though the level.

My playtesters enjoyed my level for the most part. There weren’t too many enemies crammed into the level, and there were plenty of health power ups scattered throughout the level. Each game mechanic was presented and executed well. However, my level was far from perfect.

Due to the fact that I am very inexperienced with Mega Man and platformers in general, this level would have taken me at least 10 minutes to complete. However, for the more experienced players, it took them just a few minutes to complete the level. 9 screens was far too short for a 10 minute introductory level. The screens also got a bit repetitive, with so many platforms with ladders and repeating enemies.

I think for my next iteration of this level, I would increase the amount of screens by a lot, as to make a longer level. I would also change up the kind and frequency of the platforms and ladders, to change up the screens. For the enemies, I think not having an enemy in every screen (whether strong or weak) would help improve my level a lot. Adding more obstacles would also be beneficial for my level.

I think this level was challenging, but not too challenging, for new players. I myself had a fun time trying to beat my own level and I have little to no skills in platforming games, if not just Mega Man. I think at times it may be a little too hard for someone who hasn’t played Mega Man (or a 2D platformer) before, as they can get overwhelmed by the enemies.

The critical path for my level was very obvious and straightforward. The flow of the level was smooth, with the ladders serving as loading zones for players to prepare themselves between the first, second, and third rows of screens. There were no hidden rooms for players to find, as to not confuse the players.

The circulation elements mainly consisted of the ladders, which acted as loading zones, and lobbies, or “safe” zones, where enemies could not see or hurt the player. The ladders leading from row to row acted as a loading zone, to give the players a bit of rest from all the action. The lobbies gave players time to prepare for the upcoming fights between them and the enemy.

I think this level was a success for players who are inexperienced with Mega Man. For the seasoned veteran, this might be a cakewalk, but for new players I believe it’s a good introduction to the games’ mechanics and controls. This level definitely needs work, and needs to be extended, however this opens up new opportunities to create new layouts and introduce different puzzle-like rooms.

DnD Map Tiered | 3/5/19

For my map, I was given the advanced difficulty level, so I modified my map and enemies to reflect the new rules. I kept the post apocalyptic alien theme, but with a slightly different story. In order to make the levels work together story-wise, each of the levels took place in some kind of prison, with the characters breaking out their friends from their cells in each level. Mine took place on an alien prison ship, and players must first break out their friends, then defeat the enemies and the bosses in order to capture and escape the ship.

During my playtest, my playtesters had fun learning about the items placed about the map, and the story behind some of them. The thermos of stew was a particularly popular one, as it was a funny yet fitting item for this map. The enemies were also just strong enough that it still entertained and challenged players. They enjoyed stealing each others kills, racking up points competitively. My playtesters liked the implementation of a puzzle to unlock the first door, and the various space-themed keys and items used to unlock doors and heal the players. The skeleton keys were identified as a funny way to unlock chests, however it was still fitting as it kind of went along with the thermos of stew.

The Map

I think the map overall did well, however the final boss may be a little overpowered. Although I did give the players plenty of health potions, it was still relatively difficult to defeat the final boss. Considering it’s the final boss of all 3 levels, one might expect it to be rather difficult to defeat it, however it was almost a little frustrating to defeat the boss. I also feel that if you played the rogue the map would be pretty difficult for you to play through as the enemies have relatively strong attacks and can follow you should you choose not to fight them.

The path was generally pretty straight forward. There is one part of the map where it branches off to a shadowed room, which characters must illuminate and unlock in order to access the room where two vital keys were. This could be considered a little obscure, however, due to the locked door where the general and enemies are, they are forced to explore that part of the map.

The overall flow was very smooth, with no dead ends or unnecessary corners or rooms. It was very straight forward, going from one end of the map to the other. The pacing and placement of enemies eased players into the action, and had a good combination of battles, puzzle solving, and exploration.

As the items were relatively close to the puzzle they were associated with, and with a bit of narration, it was easy to teach the players how to use the different items. For example, the severed hand was obviously the key to the electronic keypad. The flashlight was in the chest near the darkened corridor, and the keys were only found after the players found one of the locked chests.

The Map Key

The main circulation elements were the corridors that connected the rooms, some stairs, and the two “lobbies” - the prison cell where they start, and the final control room. This map is more about puzzles, and thus the balance of circulation elements to rooms (where action occurs) means there are a lot more rooms.

Working on my map with a team was really fun and helpful. We all coordinated and had similar ideas to how our maps would flow, but with each of our own twists. My map was definitely more about puzzles than enemies, while one of my teammate’s maps was definitely enemy heavy. We knew since our maps were so different from the beginning that we would create a new story that would allow us to keep our existing maps, but create a consistent theme to link our slightly different maps and styles. I enjoyed working in a team and would definitely do it again.

I think my map was a success. It definitely still isn’t perfect, and I would expand my map if I had the time to. I think this map has the potential to expand into a bigger story with more puzzles and enemies to defeat, and would make for a great adventure. With how much my playtesters had fun with this playtest, I think players could really enjoy a new and improved map.