Flash games inspiration/evaluation

http://www.miniclip.com/games/smashing/en/

This game I remember playing on my Gameboy and even without colour and updated graphics it remained a popular choice for ages due to the gameplay. I like how they have developed the idea here so that there is a more honed objective (hit the target) rather than just having to remove all the blocks.

If I were to update or adapt this game anymore, I would perhaps include blocks that are immovable (I wouldn't be surprised if that challenge is set in a later level) thus making it more difficult. Or, add in a time element which increases the sense of pace. Why not add in a sort of automated two player counterpart, so you are racing against the computer through a number of levels, side by side?

In all though, this game succeeds due to it's simple premise - move the bat to bounce the ball up in the air removing blocks. You do more watching than playing with this game too.

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http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/squares2

I mention this game as I think it demonstrates the fine line between simplicity or being too easy. Your mouse is a block that must eat black squares but dodge red. I find it fun, yet I can perceive it being not for everybody who would leave due to finding it boring and not enticing enough.

Admittedly, to combat this, the producers have encorporated special items which affect game play. One example includes slow motion so you are able to grab a number of points easier, but then on the other hand, the speed increases which makes for a more intense game. The shock of being hit by a red square which is exaggerated by a large abrupt audio sound had me trying again... that being the third time.

If I were to adapt it in anyway would be to enhance the graphics. A black box could become something, just with a little more detail. Perhaps adding a character face would add humour as it would only be seen fleetingly :) or :P when wizzing by. Even adding a gradient effect would provide rather than just the flat white background. I would keep the watermark scoremark though that constantly ratches up in keeping with the score - a nice visual effect yet again, the placing in the centre of the screen could become distracting. Perhaps an intentional technique?

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Another game I am fond of is the Sonic tunnel levels, where you race down a never ending tube and have to dodge enemies, but try and collect as many rings as possible. The 360 degree access makes for further interest, offering more challenge, but it is the high speed requiring quick responses that makes the game fun. Plus, the incredibly catchy 'ching' when you pick up a ring makes for an addictive quality.

If I were to make any game it would be this. I wouldn't want to alienate by making it seem too spacey or geometric (sorry, couldn't find an image of the old geometric green space shooter game that I can't remember the name of):

I actually think the colours and textures would be hard to nail down so to get a good visual. Perhaps themes - a field theme, with grass, sky, then a circus one with stripes, sand, or even a underwater theme with waves at the top, fish, and the sea bed. It could be fleshed out definitely. Plus, an encouraging sound effect is a must, although noticeably, I often turn off the sound due to finding it repetitive and annoying!

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restaurant - designs

I've been working on the designs for the restaurant site.

After finding out that there was a particular sort of website design that used large background images, and being something I love, I decided to try going down this route.

I incorporated some of these designs into Photoshop, trying to make them real life products. It is often at this stage where I meet the most trouble. The idea can be wonderful in my head but getting that down into an actual visual product is difficult!

This first one I think holds the most potential. It nails the contemporary, simplistic kind of look that M&S and Waitrose go for. The knife and fork idea was gained from the original Antibo website, however I took the idea further and have setup an actual dining table! The coloured table cloth uses a pattern incorporating quite suave colours, and this contrast provides visual interest, drawing in the eye. Furthermore, the olive green works extremely well. It is in the family of hues from the original site, albeit lightented a lot etc and mixed slightly!

This next one didn't really bear in mind the colours that the survey response sought. Instead, I thought I'd try and take on the colours from the original Antibo logo. However, I am hesitant over this design for a number of reasons. The red and black chequer effect can become a little jarring. When the viewer would want to be focusing on the actual content in the middle, this may hinder that. Furthermore, it seems more American diner than Italian restaurant. Frankie and Benny's is Italian American and they get it right, whereas mine veers a little too much one way. Perhaps a simple change to the colour of the tiling would remedy all this? 

Needless to say, I do like the logo with the nav bar. The red text with a black indent effect nicely associates with the nav bar colouring, whilst the straight line of this joins up effectively with the red underline of Antibos. Of everything, the typeface used (Market Deco) has potential. It may seem a little Art Deco, but I think in the right context it could serve as being Italian. Also, I don't know if it would be suitable, but putting a faded gradient on the bottom of the page lifts the white section up, as if it is a menu card.

This last one admittedly does seem to be random bits thrown together. Firstly you will notice three different typefaces. In trying to achieve a chalkboard I had to use a handwriting mimicing font, yet this then limited me later on in the site's headings as it meant too much chalk board, not enough sophistication - it just doesn't fit well with a design scheme aiming for contemporary and sophisticated. The wine glass also seems tacked on. Obviously certain items fit better than others alongside web content. I think this design definitely could have worked, yet I wasn't able to successfully piece a sophisticated chalk board look together. This sort of idea still has potential for something though.

It is easy to see which design I will follow up on. Changes to be made will include addressing the table, the logo and then seeing what potential content boxes could be used.

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restaurant - it could be you

With the brief stating we need to choose a 'local' or known restaurant, I did a search of the places that represented themselves online and those that didn't. 

Nottingham based Cumin, Chutney and Viceroy are examples of local restaurants, but have their own online presence. Certainly, I would enjoy redesigning at least the first, as it does try and gets somewhere in producing a visual style. However, the pages are too long, and information seems slightly overloaded when you first get into the site. 

Whereas, Viceroys seems to display it's information in an effective small package, with easy links and efficient use of imagery and text. I applaud that particular website. Yet, having not visited these places, I thought it better to choose somewhere I had. Henceforth, Antibos.

A few devices I like from their original design - the knife and form image has potential and furthermore, the colour palette, olive greens with beige browns gives it quite a sophisticated feel. The main content however I feel lets it down.

The links for navigation seem out of place, or are not visually cohesive. Meanwhile, the images used to display the 3 different restaurantts use a variety of shaped bubbles that are unusual.This seems to be a case of a nice wrapper, but not so nice filling.

Plus, they have an eye catching Flash banner for a 2 for 1 offer, yet it uses flowers and bright vivid colours, so it sticks out like a sore thumb. Sure, you want adverts to be noticeable, but it doesn't bode with consistency at all.

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Using the Erskine design survey as a basis, I have rewritten the questions, slimmed down the whole form and shall now use it for Antibo's, responding as if I were the client filling in their wants and needs for a new website design.

WEBSITE DESIGN SURVEY

Establishing…

What is the name of your company, and your website address?

 Antibo, and you can log on at www.antibo.co.uk 

What date do you intend to have a completed site by?

 

Friday, 13th February! 

Who within your company should be contacted, to liaise and confirm decisions?

We have an outsourced web design manager, Shaun Belcher. He ultimately will give it the thumbs up or down.

Currently…

Are there elements of your visual identity that must be maintained? (Colour schemes, logo, navigation etc)

We think our current look is very sophisticated, elegant. We like the green shades used, although that could be ascribed as a generic Italian colour anyway. We don't want to be over the top, flashing here and there. We want to maintain a personable feel.

What features do you wish to add/enhance to your site?

We already have the basics - contact form, map, menus, information about our restaurant. That pretty much suffices as the skeleton of our site. A fresh look to enhance all this would be nice.

What downfalls are there to your current site?

The pages are quite long when you get to the menus. Also, the restaurant information page, especially for Sheffield, looks a little higgledy piggeldy. We like to include pictures of our venues, yet they don't seem very fluid with the rest of the site, they look a little just placed there.

Do you have an existing hosting package and does it cater for your needs? Is your address suitable?

Yes thankyou, the address works fine for us. There is potential space for videos or interactive adverts on our package too? 

In the future…

Business wise, what do you want to achieve from redesigning your site?

A fresh, contemporary, sleek look. Bring us well and truly up to date and encourage people to visit. 

Who (age, profession) do you expect to be visiting your site? And in what volume?

We are a family based restaurant and attract the same sort of custom. One of our tag lines is  "our customers can come and feel like millionaires but without breaking the bank" so our customers are made up of a full demograph of people. They like to feel a little classy yet not need to break the bank. Yet we would also like appeal to the younger generation, the young professionals.

What do you expect their primary activity on your site to be? (Contact, buy, look up info)

To check out our menus and then find out how to come and dine with us. Fortunately, dining out is not only about the food, although our's is award winning. The ambience, the surrounding, they all play a part and the website feeds into that. It can sometimes be the vital key impression in saying what we're about. 

Will you be wanting to update the content of the website yourself?

If it is well set out and simple to enter, along with not being too time consuming this would be a worthwhile consideration. Our menus are the main area we update. 

Hey, good looking…

How do you want your site to appear? List a few words (refined, modern, with attitude, friendly, colour examples)

Italian, contemporary, welcoming, quite refined. We like greens, and browns. 

Are there any competitors websites that you admire? And what specifically, do you like or conversely, dislike?

Yes, Strada, which in house has a very sophisticated feel. However their website uses bright colours and looks modern. I think it's the font they use in the logo, that with a little tweeking could work.

Also, the likes of M&S and Waitrose. Their look is very simple and understated, particularly their food package sleeves for their Italian themed meals. The pictures often sell the product, beautiful food really whets the appetite. That will encourage customers through the door!

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colourandthekids.com CATK

I found a link from .net mag that eventually led me to this site, a design agency type portfolio.

There are a number of things I admire it for. 

Firstly going by it's name sake - colour, kids, I think that the initial layout seems to portray that theme really well. It has various colours but more over, the layout is scattered which seems perfectly representative of a childlike scenario. But then comes the next great thing: (without Flash!) you are able to pick up and drag these items around! 

The choice to put a link bar smack bang in the middle of the screen is quite brave (UPDATE: this will no doubt change location for you as it too is fully moveable. I like this - a navigation bar you can navigate around the site!) 

I don't think the free form style betters the visual aesthetics, but sure enough, you notice it, you roll your mouse over the link box and you then get little wiggles from the corresponding artefact around the screen! These play nicely on the eye.

Once you actually double click on an article, you get to see more up close work. The horizontal span animation is really fluid, plus, to see the edge of another item on the outside of the screen is good for letting the user know that there is more content to view. 

In all, I like what has been achieved sans Flash, but I find it a little indie in it's general look and feel - the minimal, blocky uppercase font, the scattered look, the odd, harsh colours used for boxes holding navigation. I'm more into shiny and smart, big typography, vivid images. 

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Another example of advertising

You wait for a bus, and then two come along at the same time. 

This Glass and a Half advert (on behalf of Cadburys) is probably the best I've seen of their efforts. 

I got annoyed by the gorilla, found the racing cars a bit boring, but this, what with the music, the funny looks on their faces is fantastic.

Along with the T Mobile dance, I love this type of advertising. At the time of writing, the number of hits for this Cadbury video stood at only 4000. I bet in a days time, it will have soared and perhaps added another 0 or two on the end. That's the beauty of viral marketing - power to the people!

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An example of advertising

Simply amazing.

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Kitty Cannon - Flash mini game

I used to play this game way back at school, in I.T., when obviously I should have been making spreadsheets etc. But what with the requirement to make a mini game in Interaction, it brought the hilarious memories back.

It's premise is simple - launch the cat into the air with a rocket and see how far it can fly. Obviously there are obstacles along the way - namely Venus fly traps, dynamite, razor sharp spikes! It's this cruel humour that makes the game devlishly fun. 

Again, the controls are really simple too - the only input required from the user is to position the cannon and then press fire (space bar) in time with how powerful they want the shot. The rest is wicked fun to watch.

Don't believe me? Have a go yourself. 

Kitten Cannon

It's the repeat process of trying to better the score that keeps users coming back. 

Furthermore, I think a great amount of success would come from the viral aspect that it seems perfect for - "Have you seen the cartoon cat game where it can be blasted high in the sky by dynamite?" Importantly, I think the cartoon nature of this game pulls it back from having too drastic a reaction from the audience.

Several pointers (in bold) that I can take from this and definitely worth bearing in mind when deciding on a design for my mini game.

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