Thursday 15 December 2016

Year 1 - Unit 74 - Intro to Story Development

1. My Top Ten Games rated by their Storylines 


  1. Uncharted 4 (2016) - Brothers Nate (Nathan) and Sam Drake are on the hunt for the treasure of an infamous pirate called Henry Avery. Avery raided around $400 million during the Gunsway Heist in 1695. They try to get to the treasure with their associate at the time, which they are no longer associated with, Rafe Adler. Sam had been presumed dead up till now... 15 years later. 
    Nate is now retired with his wife Elena even though he misses his past adventures and the excitement along with it. He is visited by Sam who had actually survived, he managed to escape prison with the help from Hector Alcazar who then demanded that Sam needs to find the treasure or will be killed. Although Nate is reluctant to go back to his old ways he agrees to help Sam while lying to Elena. 
  2. Life Is Strange (2015) - Begins with a vision of Arcadia Bay's lighthouse and the rest of the town being destroyed and Max Caulfield suddenly waking up in class. In attempt to go to bathroom to splash water in her face, Max witnesses a classmate called Nathan Prescott murder a girl called Chloe Price who later is revealed to be her childhood best friend.
  3. Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom (2016) - Retells key moments from the first season of the Attack on Titan anime as well as, new scenarios. It revolves around the adventures of Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman (his foster sister) and their childhood friend, Armin after the wall protecting their hometown is breached by the Colossal Titan allowing the other Titans to enter. Eren watches as his mother is eaten and vowing to kill all the Titans, Eren enlists in the military with his friends. (Action beat 'em up)
  4. Bioshock Infinite (2013) - In July 1912, Booker DeWitt is taken to a lighthouse and is told, "bring us the girl and wipe away the debt." He enters the lighthouse which doubles as a Rocket silo and transports him to Columbia. He matched a scar of the letters AD to a description of a foretold "False Shepherd," who must corrupt Elizabeth and overthrow Columbia. (First-person shooter)
  5. Until Dawn (2015) - In 2014, ten friends have the annual winter getaway. During this some of them decide to play a prank on Hannah, she runs out of the cabin in embarrassment. Beth, her sister, follows her to a cliff where Hannah slips and brings her sister down with her but Beth manages to hold onto a branch sticking out. A strange man tries to help them up but they both fall down to their deaths. One year later (present day) the others go back thanks to Josh's invitation. Josh was Hannah and Beth's brother and seems to be coping pretty well but is soon thought of as the killer on the loose, however he is not. The story follows the 8 remaining friends as they may get picked off one by one. (Interactive drama survival horror) 
  6. Undertale (2015) - A touching story with a lot of humour from 2 certain individuals. Chara is the character you get to name who's story you follow the entirety of the game to get back to the surface. It is near impossible to understand truly what is going on at all times, so much so I don't think anyone has or will. (Role-playing)
  7. Valiant Hearts: The Great War (2014) - The story is inspired by letters during WWI. It follows a few different stories including a German soldier trying to find his love on the battlefield after France deported any Germans in fear of this war. Along the way finding friendship in others: Freddie (an American enlisting for France as an engineer), Karl (German deported from France looking for Emile's daughter), Emile (prisoner of war during his first battle searching for his son-in-law Karl), Anna (a Belgian nurse) and a dog called Walt. Freddie and Emile become friends and try to sabotage at Verdun. (Puzzle adventure)
  8. Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009) - A game driven heavily by its plot with the well thought out schemes of Harley Quinn and the Joker. After assaulting Gotham City Hall, the Joker is caught by Batman and take to Arkham Asylum briefly holding a lot of his gang. Harley takes control of the security and the Joker escapes. He states that if anyone tries to enter Arkham he would detonate some bombs hidden around Gotham City, this makes Batman have to work alone. (Action-adventure)
  9. Papers Please (2013) -  A plot that seems loose but is pretty intricate changing by the day depending on your actions. Arstotzka ended a 6-year war with Kolechia reclaiming its half of the border town, Grestin. You are an Immigration Inspector controlling who enters the communist country's side of Grestin from Kolechia. Using a book of guidelines that changes frequently, you must decide who may enter, turned away or detained. (Puzzle)
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncharted_4:_A_Thief%27s_End
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallout_4

Year 1 - Game Storage, Connectivity & PSU - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms

Game Storage, Connectivity &PSU - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms

Game Storage:

What is it?
Propriety - A file format of a games company that has data which is ordered and stored according to a specific encoding-                       scheme. It is designed by the company to be a secret so decoding and interpretation of this stored data is only                           easily fulfilled with particular hardware or software that the company has created and designed itself. The                               specification of the data encoding format is not shown to anyone else and has non-disclosure agreements.                                 Good for anti piracy as it's so hard to get to.
Standard - An open source format by nature and requires no specific knowledge or decoding to work. Examples may                                 include: Hard Drives, SD Cards and Flash Drives.

Types Blu-ray Hard Drive SSD Nintendo Cartridge
What uses which? Consoles (Xbox One ans PS4), PCs, TVs Consoles and PCs Consoles and PCs The NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) a console
Differences Disk Can be external or internal Internal A cartridge used to store games 

Connectivity:

Different types of connectivity:

Stand alone, Controller ports, LAN (Local Area Network), Internet access including Wired (Ethernet Port) and WIFI and Bluetooth.

What connecivity do the following have?

PC - Controller ports (USB), LAN, Internet access (WIFI and Wired), Bluetooth
Xbox One - Controller ports (to charge by USB), LAN, Internet access (Ethernet and WIFI) 
PS4 - Controller ports (to charge by USB), LAN, Internet access (Ethernet and WIFI)
3DS - Internet access (WIFI)

PSU:

What is it?

Power Supply Unit, an internal hardware component that supplies parts in a computer games console or any other hardware with power.

Do the following have internal or external PSUs?

PC - Internal
Xbox One - External (Internal for the One S)
PS4 - Internal
Nintendo 3DS - External (AC adapter)

References:



Year 1 - Sound and Display - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms

Sound and Display - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms

Sound:

What do we use sound chips/cards for?

A component that can be discrete or integrated allowing a device to connect to parts for general use as well as games. They are built into the motherboard of devices but you can also purchase an external card with advanced features to connect to the PCI slot on some PCs. Integrated sound cards are ones that are built in and discrete ones can be purchased.

Channel set ups:

Mono Channel - One channel of sound, even with several speakers connected the same channel is                                  outputted.
2.0 and 2.1 Channel Stereo Systems - Two channels of sound, 2.0 is left and right and 2.1 is the same                                                              with a subwoofer (loudspeaker component made to reproduce                                                                very low bass frequencies).
5.1 Channel Systems - Home theater receivers are told apart from two-channel by having further                                              amplifier channels to support movie theater sound.
7.1 Channel Home theater Systems - Three front channels, two surround channels, and another two                                                                 rear channels. It also has the subwoofer.

Sound specifications for the following:

Mobile Phone - Stereo Sound (Huawei P9 Lite) - you would not need an external speaker setup
Nintendo 3DS - Virtual Surround Sound - you would not need an external speaker setup
Xbox 360 - 5.1 Surround Sound - you would need an external speaker setup
Xbox One - 7.1 Surround Sound you would need an external speaker setup
PS4 - ? -  you would need an external speaker setup

Displays:

What do we use displays for?

To display the image rendered by the graphics chip, this could be a TV (for things like a PlayStation), a monitor (for a PC) or built in (like a Nintendo 3DS). 

Different types of displays:

LED - Light Emitting Diode, can be quickly switched on or off giving better control of light than an               LCD. They can be arranged in a grid across a display or in a ring around one, this offers much             better control of light. LEDs do not consume as much energy as LCDs
LCD - Liquid Crystal Display, used by most monitors, televisions, tablets and smartphones. Consists             on a panel of liquid crystal molecules that with electrical fields can be controlled to take                       certain patterns to block out light or allow it through.

Different resolutions available to current technology:

Resolution Name 8K “Cinema 4K” UHD 2K WUXGA 1080p 720p
Horizontal x Vertical pixels 7,680x4,320 4,096x2,160 3,840x2,160 2,048x1,080 1,920x1,200 1,920x1,080 1,280x720
Other Names —————  4K 4K, Ultra HD/High Definition ————— Widescreen Ultra Extended Graphics Array Full HD, FHD, HD, High Definition HD, High Definition
Devices Concept TVs Projectors TVs Projectors Monitors, Projectors  Tvs, Monitors TVs
What is HDR?
High Dynamic Range, Largens the TVs contrast ratio and colour palette to offer a higher realistic feel than what's possible with a standard HDTV. Its theory is that the larger the dynamic range, the more realistic the picture is. HDR for TVs has practically the same idea. Its term originates in photography referring to a technique that heightens the dynamic range of the picture (basically the contrast between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks). It requires a device as well as display, capable of outputting HDR.

Max display resolution technology supported :

Device Xbox 360 Xbox One PS4 Nintendo 3DS GeForce 1080 Graphics card iPhone 7 Plus
Max Display Resolution Technology 1080p Cinema 4K Cinema 4K 800x240 (top)
320x240 (bottom)
8K 1080p
Support HDR? No No (Xbox One S can) Yes No Yes Yes
References:

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/system-wars-314159282/does-xbox-360-support-hdr-25838117/
http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/xbox-one-s-vs-xbox-one
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-09-13-your-original-ps4-now-supports-hdr-but-no-games-currently-make-use-of-it
http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1080-review,2.html
http://recomhub.com/blog/how-to-use-hdr-camera-on-iphone-7-and-iphone-7-plus/
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/review/2471697/iphone-7-vs-iphone-7-plus-specs-comparison
http://www.geforce.co.uk/hardware/10series/geforce-gtx-1080/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_3DS
http://uk.ign.com/wikis/playstation-4/3D_Technology_and_4K_Resolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_One
http://support.xbox.com/en-GB/xbox-one/console/tv-resolutions

Year 1 - HCI - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms

HCI - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms

Task 1:

What is HCI (Human Computer Interface)?

How we interact with games (or electronics).

The following interface devices explained:

Mouse - Moving a computer mouse along a flat surface causes a cursor on screen to move. Right and               left clicking cause interaction with the items on screen.
Joysticks - A hand held lever that pivots on one end and transmits its movement back to the                                   computer. Often characters movement in video games are controlled by these.
Keyboard - A type writer style device with buttons showing letters used to input the information                            tagged on each button. This may be used for typing in a name or certain buttons could                          control movement. E.g. The button with a W = Forward, A = Left, S = Backward/down,                      D = Right.
Controllers - Controllers can be classed as keyboards, mice, joysticks etc. But they're normally                                thought of as gamepads. Gamepads are peripheral devices that are connected to a                                  computer or games console, this could be with a wire or now they're more commonly                          wireless. In this current day and age they are known to have several buttons (including                        triggers at the back) and two joysticks.
Voice Controller - Often referred to as voice recognition, it is a hardware device or software program                               with the ability to decipher the human language and voice. Commonly used to                                       control a device and perform actions without having to use anything other than a                                   voice.
Wheel and Pedals - A controller used for racing games to control a cars movement, it normally                                           includes a steering wheel, pedals for acceleration and braking and sometimes                                       even a mechanism for shifting gears.
Motion Controllers - (Wii Remote / Playstation Move etc.) Allows a player to interact with a system                                     through body movement. The movement is often controlled by a handheld                                             remote tracked by a camera.
Motion Sensing Input - (Kinect / PlayStation Camera etc.) A device that detects physical movements                                       with the ability to capture them in real time. They are used in games so a                                               person can control what is happening on screen with their hands or body.

Task 2:


NES vs Now:


I don't think I would change much about modern day controllers as I do like the mechanics. My favourite controller has to be the PS4 one as I prefer the Joysticks next to each other and closer to me, so I would probably change that about the other controllers.

   






Console Controller: NES Xbox One PS4 Wii U
Ergonomic Design (Comfort)  The NES may not have had   the most comfortable design but at the time it was the best and served its function. Compared to current controllers it doesn't fit it two hands very comfortably however.
The Xbox One has considerable more comfort than the NES as it’s built for more technical and complicated games. There are more buttons meaning you need to be able to move seamlessly from the d-pad to the joystick. 
 The PS4 is again very comfortable to hold and is also made for seamless playing. Its slightly wider but its still just as easy to reach all the controls.  The Wii U is much more comfortable as it looks as long you don’t have to use the touchpad for an extended amount of time. Nintendo clearly kept the idea of rectangles.
Button Configurations (What they're used for) It has a d-pad mainly for movement, A/B buttons for actions and a select and start button for selection purposes. It has a much larger amount of buttons than the NES. It still has the d-pad but as well as A and B it also has X and Y buttons. It also has two joysticks, two triggers, two bumper buttons, xbox one guide, start and one to connect the controller. Again has a larger amount buttons than the NES. It also has the d-pad but in a different position to the Xbox One and A, B, X and Y buttons but they have shapes instead of letters (a cross, a circle, a square and a triangle). It also has two joysticks, two triggers, two bumpers, an options button and a PS4 guide. Its differences are a share button and a touchpad. A much larger amount of buttons than the NES again. It still has the d-pad but as well as A and B it also has X and Y buttons, it also has two joysticks like the Xbox One. Other controls include a home button, power, TV control and a touchscreen (there is a Wii U Pro controller as well which is pretty similar to the Xbox One and PS4).
User-Centered Design (Were needs always a focus in the making) Throughout the process of creating the controller the needs were always kept in mind and were practical. This is probably helped by the fact that simple games only needed simple controls. This controller was well thought out with all the needs being met. This controller was well thought out with all the needs being met. This controller was well thought out with all the needs being met.
Portability The NES controller is very light and pretty small (4.3 oz and 12.5cm x 5.5cm x 1.7cm to be exact). The lead is around 91.5”. Although the lead is pretty long it still makes it have the lowest portability of the four. The Xbox One is just under double of the weight of the NES (7.83 oz) and also much bigger in width and height (15cm x 11.5cm x 6.5cm). The Xbox One controller is however wireless unless being charged making it more portable. Because of it being the smallest and only a little heavier than the PS4 it is probably the most portable. The PS4 weighs only a little less than the Xbox One ( 7.4 oz). Its length and width is slightly bigger than the Xbox One but its height is smaller (16.2cm x 9.8cm x 5.2cm). Probably the second most portable controller becuase of the size, however, the Xbox One has close competition. The Wii U is well over double the weight of the PS4 and Xbox One controllers (17.32 oz). Its also much larger by length and width but smaller by height (25.9cm x 13.5cm x 2.3cm). Which out of the four has only a little more portability than that of the NES.

References:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzbZOgJcBPX7cTRkd19zN3BacGc/view
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_mouse
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/joystick
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_keyboard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_controller
http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/g/gamepad.htm
http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/v/voicreco.htm
http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/steewhee.htm
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/30233/motion-sensor
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/motion-gaming-motion-controlled-gaming
http://www.polygon.com/2016/11/4/13512918/mini-nes-classic-edition-comparison-controller-cable-length
https://www.boards.ie/b/thread/2055795993
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-PlayStation-DualShock-Controller-Black/dp/B00BF6D63Q
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/631516-wii-u/67530931
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U_GamePad

Year 1 - Memory - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms

Memory - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms

Task 1 -

RAM:

Devices Viewed:

Xbox One
Xbox 360
PS4
PS3
HP OMEN 870-195na Gaming PC

Type:

Xbox One - DDR3
Xbox 360 - GDDR3
PS4 - GDDR5
PS3 - GDDR3
Gaming PC - DDR4

Amount:

Xbox One - 8GB
Xbox 360 - 512 MB
PS4 - 8GB
PS3 - 256 MB
Gaming PC - 8GB

Clock Speed:

Xbox One -2133 MHz
Xbox 360 - 700 MHz
PS4 - 2750 MHz
PS3 - 650 MHz
Gaming PC - 2133 MHz

Bandwidth:

Xbox One - 68.26 GB/s
Xbox 360 - 22.4 GB/s
PS4 - 176 GB/s
PS3 - 25.6 GB/s
Gaming PC - ?


Task 2 -

What is The Purpose of Memory:

Its sole purpose is to store data, however, it has many other functions.

What is RAM (Random Access Memory)?:


Allows information to be stored and retrieved in a system. Because of the memory accessed randomly instead of in a sequence, the data can be accessed much quicker. The RAM has volatile memory, this means that the data is erased when the devices power is turned off.


What is RAM Capacity?:


It comes in various sizes, 4GB is considered a basic amount for general computing. 8GB is normally a minimum for gaming but 16GB is recommended. A KB is 1024 bytes, a MB is 1024KB and a GB is 1024MB. More RAM is better than less RAM.

Types of RAM, What Are They Used For and What Are The Differences?:



SRAM (Static) DRAM (Dynamic)
Does not need to be refreshed as transistors inside continue to hold data as long as its supply to power is not cut off. Requires data to be refreshed every now and then to retain its data.
SRAM is a lot faster than DRAM because of it not having to constantly refresh and save, The time it needs to introduce the refresh creates issues that make this memory slower, causing it to be less worthwhile than that of SRAM.
The SRAM uses much less energy due to its ability to retain data. The power used in DRAM is considerably higher than that of the SRAM because of the constant refreshing.
This all comes at a very high price because SRAM needs 6 transistors. The price causes it to be used much less than DRAM. Despite of all these issues its has one upside. Its Price. As it only uses 1 transistor it costs much less making it the most mainstream RAM.

References:


http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/desktop-pcs/desktop-pcs/hp-omen-870-195na-gaming-pc-10151063-pdt.html
http://uk.ign.com/wikis/xbox-one/Xbox_One_Hardware_Specs
http://winsupersite.com/product-review/xbox-360-vs-playstation-3-vs-wii-technical-comparison
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_4_technical_specifications#System_memory_.28RAM.29
http://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/RSX
http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/r/ram.htm
http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/v/volamemo.htm
http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/difference-between-sram-and-dram/

Friday 9 December 2016

Year 1 - GPU - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms

GPU - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms


GPU’s:
Nvidia
AMD
Intel
Xbox 360
Xbox One
PS4
Model:
GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
Radeon RX 470D
Iris Pro 580
Xenos
Xbox One GPU - AMD
PS4 GPU - AMD
Clock Speed:
2002 MHz
1750 MHz
1050 MHz
500 MHz
853 MHz
1600 MHz
Cores (Shaders):
3328
1792
Quad Core
240
768
1152
RAM:
12288 MB
4096 MB
128 MB
512 MB
8192 MB
8000 GB
Dedicated?
Yes
Yes
------------------
------------------
-------------------
-------------------
Integrated?
-------------------
-------------------
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes


Graphics Processing Unit is a specific electronic circuit that renders images, videos and animation etc. It is a single chip processor that's main use is to manage and improve the performance of videos and the graphics on many devices such as: game consoles, PCs and mobile phones. They work by sending signals back and forth from the CPU using transistors with instructions to convey with the monitor to show what colour each separate pixel should be. The GPU clock speed is measured in GHz and MHz. A higher clock speed does not necessarily mean a better performance. The cores in the GPU has thousands cores so it can perform many more tasks than the CPU with only multiple cores. Higher RAM allows your PC to render and load more textures, also, with them in higher resolution. PCI stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect and it's made for attaching hardware devices in a computer. Pixels are small dots making up images on computer displays, they can only be one colour at a time but, they so little and minute, they often blend to show a series of shades and colour blends. A polygon composes images that have a three-dimensional appearance. They arise when an object's surface is modelled, vertices selected and the object is rendered in a frame model.

References: