Author: sketchbookmegan

Games design student at Winchester school of art.

Picking this back up

So, it’s 2023. I started writing this out in 2020 and honestly, it hasn’t left my mind since then.

In the last 3 years, a lot has happened, and the more aware I have become of the types of games I would like to create, the more I knew that I wanted this Fishing RPG to be non-violent and revolve around some fantasy island or world where the fish are sacred and cared for.

This idea popped up to me the other day in which catching the fish could actually create a conversational moment between the fisherpeople and the fish. Perhaps the fish give the quests and not the land itself? Or maybe the land still gives the quest but it’s to make the fish happy? Either way, I think there is an interesting story to be told here about the fish and their happiness.

Character

As I mentioned back in 2020, one of the goals was to create an interesting main character that players could resonate with while playing as them in the world. After envisioning what that would look like for the last few years, it’s definitely a short non-binary character, with slightly curled short hair, fishing waders/dungarees, that classic yellow anorak, wellies, and a unique flower-shaped bucket hat.

Sketching out this idea after many other iterations and seeing the character I wanted come to life in its first rough form is a wonderful feeling and has got my brain fired up, that’s for sure!

Mechanics and Prototypes

This year I really hope to start creating some mini-unity prototypes to test out a few mechanic options. I want to absolutely nail this non-violent theme and not hurting the fish is the ultimate goal here.

Along with that, I want the experience to be playable by all, and making sure to design this from the ground up with accessibility in mind will be super important.

What that core fishing mechanic looks like yet I don’t know. But I certainly want to nail that down before progressing with anything else in-engine.

That’s all for now. Hopefully, I’ll keep these posts up, but who knows! Life gets busy sometimes and fishing game has to wait :,)

See ya later fishlords.

Initial Mechanics Notes

Core Fishing Mechanics

Here are notes on the first 3 core fishing mechanics within the game; The net, Angler fishing, and Spearfishing.

The Net

This will be the first fishing tool the player is given within the game. They will also be presented with an enclosed bay starting area containing interesting rock pools and an open water section.

The net can be used to catch fish and sea creatures within close proximity.

Diagram showing how the player can cause disturbances while in the water (and holding the net) which causes the fish to swim away.

The player can walk into the water to catch fish with the net, however they do risk scaring off the fish if they move, this means the most optimum way to use the net is within rock pools where the player doesnt have to stand in the water.

Players will control the net with the mouse or joystick and be able to position and then quickly swoop by clicking or pressing ‘A’.

Sketchbook notes and diagram for Net Fishing.

Angler Fishing

I want the angler (pole/line) fishing of my game to feel calm and relaxing. I don’t want it to become repetitive or too long that it feels frustraighting. The mechanic for this shouldnt be hard, it should be enjoyable.

The initial plan I have in my head for this mechanic is the camera will switch from 3rd person to 1st person when entering fishing mode. The player can then choose where to throw the rod and wiggle the mouse or joystick to move the line slightly and attract fish.

The bobber will bob under when a fish has latched on and the player will be prompted to click or press A on the controller to catch the fish.

The fish will be briefly shown when caught (the end of the rod will stay in place for a brief second showing the fish, its name and stats), and if its a new size or weight record a golden sparkle will show around those stats and the fish.

Once the fish has been shown the player can either choose to leave 1st person mode (by pressing ‘B’) or keep fishing (which will take them back to stage 2 on the storyboard above).

When exiting 1st person mode, back into 3rd person mode, the player will then be able to view the fish they have just caught in their finventory.

Spearfishing

Honestly I want this mechanic to be the most fun and potentially commonly used mechanic in the whole game. This means that it needs to be quick and easy to use in an instant.

The idea of this one is that the player can keep the spear constantly equiped while in shallow water and on land.

Entering the spearfishing mode will zoom the camera in for a slighty better view of the water which will allow the player to aim at the fish they want.

The player can press and hold ‘A’ to enter spearfishing mode and charge up the speed/strength at which the spear will throw. While it is charging they can move the mouse or joystick to aim at the fish.

Letting go of ‘A’ will throw the spear and if it hits the fish they will pull the spear up with the fish on. If it misses then the fish will scurry away and the spear will return with no catch.

Once a fish is caught it will be put in the finventory for the player to view.

Note: I don’t really want the fish to die in this game so maybe the idea of a spear with some sorta net device on the end would be cool. You still use the spear in the same way, however when it hits a fish a net will encapsulate the fish instead of the spear impaling it.

Tags #design, #designer, #development, #fishing, #game, #game design, #game mechanics, #gamedev, #gamer, #games design, #indie dev, #indie game, #mechanics

Notes

2D or 3D?

I mean this has really been the most common question I’ve asked myself during the initial design process because I’m so torn between which one will create the experience I want.

Yes, the ‘fishing’ experience has been shown in both 2D and 3D before, and both give me that sense of achievement that I have caught something amazing and wonderous. However with the added mechanics and the idea of creating a world with a sense of wonder, I dabble in the idea of creating a 3D game.

I know that a 2D sidescroller would not work in this scenario because the game does not lend itself well to small or restricted worlds; I would be limited to a linear space.

How to get fishing bait in Terraria | Gamepur — Fishing in stardew valley can become extremely boring and repetitive with no new places to fish once the whole map is explored. Their mechanics also depend on the time of day or weather within the game instead of exploration.

However a top-down 2D game would work for this particular experience as players would still be able to explore and find new areas; keeping that sense of wonder throughout the game. However top-down 2D does limit what the player can experience with the mechanics of the game.

Golden Spots for Fishing in Stardew Valley - Album on Imgur — A primary example of interesting top-down fishing is stardew valley; they create different fishing spots which make the player curious as to what they could catch in each place.

With a 3D game the player would be able to experience fishing in a more dynamic world and embrace the adventure of going underwater.

The ideas I’ve had for mechanics lend themselves well to 3D perspectives such as third or first person. Third person perspective will allow the player to have a better connection to the character, but maybe switching to first person in more specific areas might create a better gameplay experience for the player; I want them to SEE the fish and feel like they are in the moment.

Below is an example of how Zelda: Twilight princess changes the player’s perspective when they enter fishing mode, allowing the player to see more of the water and letting the fishing rod become the center of attention.

Hena's Fishing Hole - Piece of Heart Location

Twilight Princess Bottles — Perspective change when fishing.

In order to progress from these thoughts the next stage would be to create a first and third person prototype and experiment with potentially switching between the two. This will come in another blog soon!

Tags design, fishing, fishing game, game, game design, games, games design, games design student, games designer, player experience

Notes Worldbuilding

Discovery And Progression

Post author By sketchbookmegan
Post date June 6, 2020
No Comments on Discovery And Progression

Worldbuilding will play a very large part in allowing the player to feel a sense of wonder and discovery. I want the player to feel like they are finding the coolest fishing spot, hidden away on a mountain or in a forest.

So for this to work I came up with the idea of creating ‘waypoints’ that the player can find. These would be in the form of a statue or an engraved rock. This way the player can explore wherever they want, but they will still feel a sense of progression and reward within the game.

After looking into the history of fishing I discovered that lots of settlements built/carved statues of river gods in order to bring luck to their fishing.

The Image shown on the left is a Lepenski Vir sculpture that was found on what is believed to be their settlement. The sculpture dates back to 7000BC and carved from round sandstone cobbles found on the river banks. Many fish like features can be noticed in these sculptures which is why it is suggested to have a connection with the river gods. These sculptures have also been found to have reminants of red pigments on them.

The idea behind having these sculptures is that the player will offer them fish in return for progression. The statue will reward the player with a new way to fish. These fishing methods may also allow the player to travel to places that they couldn’t before.

So for example if there is a fast flowing river with no bridge, the statue could offer the player a bear transformation, which will allow them to do salmon catching, but also cross the river too.

The statue could also offer tools like boats which could allow the player to journey out futher to sea, but also try trawl fishing and open the opportunity to catching more exotic ocean fish.

Sketches of statues and ideas of how the player could give them the fish.

Sketch showing where the fish could be placed on the statues in order to unlock a new tool.

The last statue (On the right) could be potentially useful in giving the player a clue as to what particular fish they may need to catch as the fish shape can be outlined on the statues body.

A bowl infront of the statue may give the indication that the player needs to give the statue multiple fish in order to progress.

Guiding the player while giving them freedom…

Statues giving the player progressive tools will allow me to section off parts of the map that the player may be extremely curious about. However I still want the player to feel freedom within the world, so they should be able to navigate the whole area in whatever way they choose to, with some key pinicle points outlining the narrative progression of the world.

Below are some key points that include areas that are hard to traverse, and how they can be traversed with the player offering fish to the statues in return for tools:

A rapid river (Bear Transform Mechanic)
Out into the ocean (Boat tool)
High up in the trees/on a cliff (Bird Transform Mechanic)
Deep underwater (A Fish/Gill Transform Mechanic)

Another sense of progression will be with fish, different tools will allow different methods of fishing. This should engage the player into finding more fish as they gain more tools from the statues. These tools will not allow for the player to travel further or traverse tricky terrain, but they will enable the player to find a more diverse range of fish to give to the statues.

Below are some ideas for potential tools.

Spear (Spearfishing)
Fishing Rod (Angling)
Lure (Fly Fishing)
Net (Rock Pooling)
Harpoon (Harpoon fishing, Upgrade to the Spear)
Explosives (Blast Fishing)
Big Boat Net (Trawling)

These tools will have to be refined and explained more in another blog, but for now it gives me a good idea as to what I could include in the world and how I could build the world to go hand-in-hand with the mechanics.

Tags fishing, fishing game, game, game design, games, games design, world, Worldbuilding

Notes Research

Types of fishing

Different types of fishing and details into how they are done. This research will help me to decide what type of fishing mechanics I can have within my game.

wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_techniques

Angling

The most common method of fishing. Using a rod with a tight piece of string/wire attached in order to catch fish.

Fishers often use bait to attract the fish which increases the chance of getting a hook.

Fly Fishing

An angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly.

The main difference between fly fishing and spin or bait fishing is that in fly fishing the weight of the line carries the hook through the air, whereas in spin and bait fishing the weight of the lure or sinker at the end of the mono-filament or braided line gives casting distance.

Blast Fishing

Explode the fishies in the water.

Using explosives to stun or kill schools of fish for easy collection.

Its illegal because it hurts the fishies and damages the ecosystem. Poor fish 😦

Bottom Trawling

Using a large net to haul in a large amount of fish; usually attatched to a fishing boat.

Used in industrial fishing as it is fast and effective. It does however pick up essential parts of habitats on the bottom of the reef which is bad for the ecosystem.

Cyanide Fishing

Collecting live fish mainly for use in aquariums, which involves spraying a sodium cyanide mixture into the desired fish’s habitat in order to stun the fish. The practice hurts not only the target population, but also many other marine organisms, including coral and coral reefs.

Muro-Ami

A southeast asian fishing method. It uses an encircling net together with pounding devices. These devices usually comprise large stones fitted on ropes that are pounded into the coral reefs.

Spearfishing

Using a spear/sharp stick to catch fish.

Varient: harpoon fishing

Trout tickling

This is the technique of tickling the underbelly of a trout until it goes into a trance which makes it easy to keep it still and throw it onto a dry piece of land.

Animals in nature

I want my game to encompass all methods of fishing, including how animals would fish.

From the top of my head I can think of brown bears fishing/hunting in shallow, fast flowing rivers, catching fish in their paws or mouth. Other animals that hunt fish would include birds and seals.

Usually animals like this either hunt fish in a river or the sea, so I’m going to split this into two categories to make it easier to differentiate when designing the mechanics of the game.

I want to touch on this in more depth in another blog specifically looking at animals who hunt fish.

Tags game design

Notes Research

Research Outline

So, I need to do some research because quite honestly, I know nothing about fishing in real life. All my fish knowledge comes from games and I don’t know how true half of it is.

Below I will outline some fishing based research questions to give myself a starting point.

What types of fishing are there?
Is there special equipment for catching fish?
What types of fish are there?
Which fish are the most common?
Where are different types of fish found?
What fish survive in which climates and why?
Why do fish exist?
How many fish are there?
Are there any good/sacred fishing spots around the world? Why are they sacred?

I also have some technical questions I need to research

Is multiplayer feasible? How does one go about this?
Take a look at Unreal engine

And a few other design questions I’m asking:

2D or 3D?
Top down? First person? Third person?
Realistic or Unrealistic? (Honestly probably unrealistic, I like a good bit of fantasy and artistic looking games)

Also, Have another fish pic. This one is cute.

White Axolotl by Silce-Wolf on DeviantArt — Cute Acolotl Fish Pic. Find this piece on Deviantart: Slice-Wolf.

Tags design, fishing, fishing game, game, game design, games, games design, gaming, Research, RPG game

Notes

Essential Experience

So the whole reason I’m creating an RPG fishing game is because I spent most of my life doing the fishing part of whatever game I was playing, be that; Zelda Twilight Princess, Terraria, Animal Crossing, Wii Play, Minecraft, Stardew Valley etc.

I spent hours, literally hours fishing in Twilight Princess. Why? Because it was relaxing, I felt like I was achieving something when I caught a cool fish, I liked exploring in the boat, finding new fishing spots hidden on the map, and I liked being able to swim in the water and see the fish because they were pretty and interesting. I also loved the expression on Links little face when he caught a big fish and was like *UWU* smiles, it was so cute and wholesome.

More recently I had these same feelings while fishing in stardew valley. Although the whole game is relaxing, the fishing element pleased me the most and I got really excited when I caught something cool.

Related image — *Fishing in Stardew Valley.*

Across all these games I’ve enjoyed seeing different mechanics for fishing, especially finding something cool just by chance from fishing in some random spot at a random time of day. Its just the idea of having no clue what you’re gonna fish up that day.

I never really cared about what the fish were used for (with the exception of terraria because their ‘fish based’ weapons are cool) and I think this is what really made the fishing relaxing for me. There was no reason to fish, I just wanted to.

Thinking more about this, the whole experience I get while fishing in games is a sense of unfound mystery and wonder. I also often get this feeling while out on photography walks when I find weird coloured mushrooms or strange plants.

Essential experience: The feeling of wonder through chance of finding something interesting.

Tags design, fishing, fishing game, game, game design, games, gaming, RPG, RPG game

Notes

2020 Goals

So as a new years resolution I would finally like to start making my very own game, without prompt from education or anyone else.

I want to make my RPG fishing game.

It’s an idea that has been sat around in my little “ideas” sketchbook for so long, and it keeps popping back into my head everytime I think about anything.

Well what exactly does “make this game” imply I hear you ask?

Here is a rough goals list:

Create an essential experience for this RPG fishing game.
Research fishing IN DEPTH, I wanna know every fishing method the world has to offer.
Depict core mechanics and gameplay loop.
Write an interesting story.
Create an intresting and explorable world.
Make a fun, cute, and “want to play” main character.

Hopefully by the end of 2020 I aim to have a few working prototypes of the game as well as a demo for people to play.

I would also like to keep this blog updated at least once a week in order to see some progress. I think sharing my creations is the best way to motivate myself to make something at the moment.

So here’s a late “To 2020” post!

Hopefully you find my fishing game blog fun, amusing and somewhat insane.

Here is a pic of a fish to start off this wonderful journey:

A high res picture of a orange goldfish swimming stock photo — *Fish pic – shooketh fish*.

Tags cute, design, fishing, fishing game, game, game design, games, games design, gaming, RPG, RPG game