The World is Mine! - Completed Game Video & Story

On September 19th, 2009, I graduated with my Bachelors in Gaming Development and Design from ITT-Tech. At no point during my education, was I taught the basics or even told the existance of the Torque Game Engines. In fact, I had to take the initiative to learn most of what I know about Game Design on my own. At the end of the course, I wasn't the top of my class... but it sure did look like it.

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Hello! My name is Michael Golden, and I am an artist with a sincere drive and interest in game design from top to bottom. It's why I chose a school like ITT-Tech, over bigger, meaner colleges like Vanderbilt & The University of Tennessee. I couldn't afford to move elsewhere for game design... but I wasn't likely going to give it up.


"2D OR NOT 2D?"

Over the course of my education, I've always tried to do 3D projects that were above and beyond my own talent. I guess I hoped that at some point, I'd eventually get something to finally work out for me. Alas, most projects either fell short of their due date, or took far too long to render or just plain didn't want to work!

I knew about The TGE, but when time came to work on our final project, I opted out of the realm of 3D, for something more easily come by.

Since the final project was a team effort, the rest of my class didn't agree with my decision... so in the end, I opted out of that too. In all honesty, it was a very educated decision: I knew everyone in that classroom... and there was no way we were completing anything in ten weeks. Especially since some of them had left me holding the bag before on a project, so to speak.

So, it was a team of 1 with TGB, versus a team of 5 with Unreal.

By that time, we had all been taught to use Unreal... everything needed to make a complete overhaul. As for Torque... I had NO idea what I was doing...


FUN TIME!!

I spent the first couple of weeks toying with the engine, finalizing my game design document and presentation documentation. The actual concept itself was based off of a T-shirt I designed a couple of years ago, which features a young cartoon asian girl chewing on the side of a planet. The shirt reads: "The World is Mine! You can have it when I am done." I figured that since I had already copywritten the character and imagery, it was good to go.

After I took some time to get acquainted with the engine (About half the time I needed to actually make it!) I spent time working out my animations and seeking aid from the forums here. Adventure Kit coder: Phillip O'Shea, was definitely the most helpful person on the forums. I mean, half the time he talked over my head, with my almost nil experience in programming... but he eventually helped me to understand.

So, with what little knowledge I had in hand, I managed alter the code just enough to make my own game... and powdered it with just enough of it's own look and feel to separate it from the crowd.


"PROJECT CONCLUSION"

On the final day of presentation, my entire game BROKE. I had completed ahead of schedule, yet tests before going to the actual classroom proved that the entire project was being busted by an invisible bug in that engine that apparently may or may not have to do with the way some objects persist. Regardless, I fixed it by renaming and reloading the levels in a random order. Don't ask me how or why, but it worked.

So, I went into my class slightly late, the others had just finished up their presentation and I went forth before the Deans. The presentation itself... went FANTASTIC. People outright loved it... and come to find out, the other team couldn't even get their game to work on the computers. Another thing that I had feared with even my own project. But, using Torque, it ran beautifully.

The combination of music, character and gameplay was a big hit, and the school has since been asking me to still put it online so they can link up to it. Which, ironically, had little to do with my actual education there.

I still remember the other class in the room stopping their course, turning around and watching... and even their instructor walking over and taking a seat. The World is Mine drew it's own little crowd, which still amazes me to this day. Even the random comments blurted out, "She's so happy!", and "I'd play that!"


THE WORLD IS MINE!

The game itself is a humerous romp in the life of little asian girl, Ori Tums, as she goes forth to dominate the local comic shop owner over a misunderstanding, and then... the world!

In the video posted below, you'll get a look at all 3 levels that I finished for the course. There are no cinematics, since I never did any, and the music and sound effects have been replaced by "That's Not My Name" by The Ting Tings (Since the sound was busted during recording.).




The game itself actually has it's own musical score which was designed specifically for the game. In fact, once I continue on to the actual pitch demo, the same artist is willing to continue doing the music for it. (I can post a sample of the music later, or just wait until the game itself is posted.)


NEXT?

I intend to post the game for playing as soon as I toy with it some more. Other than that, it's basically done.

If there are any Torque Programmers in the crowd, I am looking for someone to help me make a Demo "Pitch" version of the game so that it might move on to the realm of publishing. I can't afford to pay anyone at the moment, but the intent is to find a publisher who will pay for the remainder of the project.

If I could do this much on my own with help from Phillip and the forums, I think we have a good pitch argument, and the chance of making it so much more, given time and a good team. :)

Thanks for your time guys.

And Thank You Phillip O'Shea. You've been a lot of help. :)

(NOTE: There have been NO CHANGES made since the original completion of the game before August.)

Other Artwork and Comic Here: www.migoart.net/gantmanga