Criteria C - Creating the Solution

Design Brief

In summary, my partner and I decided we create a game where the player controls a ball to find its way out of a maze of floating platforms. The way forward will fork and one of us will read out a question and point to each of the ways with a different answer. The player will roll the ball in the direction they think is correct. Should the player fail to roll the right way, the ball will fall right through the platform and the game will be over. The player is timed and has to collect coins along the way so it trains your mind to quickly respond and search for information in your head.

Plan

While my partner learnt to code the game, I was in charge of making the graphics and soundtrack. First, I used software called Mixcraft to create a simple tune with a beat and bass so as not to distract the player in game but give something to listen to. I must then come up with questions for Raza to

Time	Task	Equipment	Completion
2 Feb – 7 Feb	Create free flowing, non-distracting soundtrack.	Sound editing software Mixcraft.	Complete
7 Feb – 10 Feb	Meet with Raza and check if soundtrack fits.	Raza’s computer.	Complete
10 Feb – 11 Feb	Improve the soundtrack.	Sound editing software Mixcraft.	Complete
13 Feb – 17 Feb	Brainstorm suitable textures for the game features + add them.	Pencil, paper, internet.	Complete
20 Feb	Test the new textures with partner.	Raza’s computer.	Complete
20 Feb – 22 Feb	Improve / find better textures	Computers, internet.	Complete
24 Feb – 28 Feb	Think of questions for the game and print + finishing touches.	My computer, MC word, printer.	In progress

Criteria A - Inquiring and Analysing - My Two Ideas

Idea 1

The first thing that came to my mind when I heard the Technology Fair is starting again is to create a custom video game. These days people mostly play video games solely for entertainment so we intend to make a game that would be fun and educational at the same time (e.g: games on apps like Lumosity). Our game would train one aspect for the brain such as speed or memory. My role in this would be creating textures, designs and maybe a soundtrack to the game while Raza codes it. The idea will need to be good enough for the user not to lose interest, yet not to the point where it is addicting. I myself will need to keep in mind not to add tiny, eye catching textures to prevent damaging the eyes of the person playing.

Materials required:
- My laptop.
- Partner's laptop.

Advantages:
We are aiming to make the game as entertaining as possible for the user while keeping their brain working. Since it is made simply to develop the mind there won't be any winning or losing. This means a minimum number of frustrated users. Hopefully in real life the game will pay off and the users' reactions will be faster or memory will be better. Apart from the audience, we the creators will learn a thing or two about programming and digital designing which may come in handy one day.

Disadvantages:
The disadvantages of creating this game initially is that not all people prefer these types of games. But that is not as bad as the danger of prolonged periods of playing the game. If the user becomes addicted, they might spend hours sitting and staring at the screen causing their eyesight to drop. If this continues regularly their health will slowly start to worsen due to lack of physical  activity or any movement in general. Other consequences might be stiffness of the body or numbness from sitting in one position for too long and worst of all, the radio activity of their device will affect the brain negatively which is the exact OPPOSITE of what we are trying to achieve.

Target audience:
We do not have a particular audience or age restrictions for our game. Anyone that is old enough to be able to play can do so if they wish.

Research (second hand):
- We currently have 1 month to complete the task so you could say we are short of time. We need to find quick tips and tutorials for beginners on the web for coding games and making designs. It can be in written form (Google searches) or video (YouTube).
- We have to find an easy to use game programming software to code the game.
- We also have to find a program for creating high quality textures. Alternatively we could find a website where we can download some.
- Find software to create a soundtrack for the game.
- We might want to look for professionally made games and learn from them so we know what to include.

Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats analysis (SWOT)

STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES
- Raza and I have experience playing video games which should help us make it more entertaining. - This game would be of some benefit to the user unlike their other video games. - It is a fun way to develop your brain.	- Finding tutorials and picking out helpful info will take some time before we can begin our project. - We do not have experience in actually creating a video game. - Not everyone likes mind training games.
OPPORTUNITIES	THREATS
- The people playing the game have an opportunity to entertain themselves and develop their mind. - I have an opportunity to learn new skills along with my partner. We play different roles in this project but we can still teach each other about our side of it.	- Playing for a long period of time can harm your eyesight, brain activity and posture. - Regularly playing for a long time can mean long time of inactivity, resulting in health problems from lack of physical activity.

Idea 2

The second idea Raza and I thought of was creating a robot hand that would accomplish tasks through commands sent from a remote.

Materials required:

- Lego Mindstorm set.

- Parts for the robot.
- Toolbox (screwdriver, wrench, etc.).

Advantages:

The end project would be very eye catching for the audience, plus it is interactive which is great too. We are bound to get a high grade for going through the trouble of making this product, so this would be a good project to show off at the Tech Fair. The advantage when using the hand is it can obviously hold things for you. Let's say you want to build something on your desk and you need to wield one object to another. The hand will hold the other part steady for you.

Disadvantages:

The process of finding all the resources required for this project and then learning to work with all of it is very time consuming. We will need to find specific tutorials on assembling a robotic arm with certain parts which won't be easy to find. Some of the robot parts may be inaccessible in the UAE and will need to be ordered from another country. We will then need to learn to program the commands into a remote with the Lego Mindstorm tool so the hand can perform actions. There also stands a question for where we will be building the arm. We would be doing our research in class, okay, but we will meet up get together every weekend or something to build it which would be problematic since we live quite far apart.

Target audience:

We have no target audience for this idea. Anyone is welcome to see the project and enjoy using it.

Research:

- We will need to search for specific tutorials on the web about assembling the robotic arm.
- We need to find some kind of manual to the Lego Mindstorm tool to explain how to insert the commands.
- We will need to find a trustworthy shop where we can buy the parts we need or will ship them to us fast and for a reasonable price.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis (SWOT):

STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES
- It'd be a good looking project to show. - The user can use the mechanic arm for many purposes of their own choice like drilling or wielding objects.	- We have no experience in making such things. - Unlike idea 1, this one costs money.
OPPORTUNITIES	THREATS
- My partner and I can learn the basics of building mechanisms such as this one.	- There is a chance that if some parts are being shipped, some may not arrive in time and we will be left with an incomplete project on the due date. - The hand might electrocute or harm the user some other way in case of it glitching.

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Conclusion:

After a brief discussion with my partner we decided on creating idea number 1, the video game. We chose this option over the robotic arm initially because it wasn't as costly. We also looked at the advantages and disadvantages of making both and that made us decide on our choice. Also, coding and designing are skills I would be more likely to use further in life than constructing machinery. I hope we realize our idea well enough for it to be picked for the Tech Fair.

Introduction

Every year, I believe, middle and high school students here at EISM take part in a tech fair. We must apply our knowledge or maybe acquire more of it along with new skills to create a project. However, not everyone is picked to present their work to the public but certain people. I was one of these people the previous year where I showcased a computer generated model of a section of a forest I made with Blender 3D. Fortunately this year I won't have to work on my own. My classmate Raza will be my partner for the Tech Fair 2015.  Find his blog here: http://razatechfair2015.blogspot.ae/ We have considered a few ideas we could use which I will include in my next post.

The whole process will consist of 3 parts all of which will be assessed on different criteria:

Criteria A - Inquiry and Analysing - We begin to investigate and plan out our project.

Criteria C - Creating the Solution - This part is the creation of the actual product.

Criteria D - Evaluating - Here we reflect on our performance with our end product.

We are given until the 1st of March to be fully finished with our work. My partner and I have potential for creating a great product; we shall see what we can achieve.