YEAR 2 PORTFOLIO
SWOT ANALYSIS OF FMP
STRENGTHS
Within my Final Major Project (FMP), there were many aspects of the entire production process that I feel went well. For example, I believe that due to my extensive planning using Trello, I was able to focus on key aspects of the FMP creation each week and schedule what to do within these weeks, which resulted in the project being finished within the set deadline and to the highest quality I could achieve at that point. In addition, the fact that I self-taught myself Blender aided immensely in the overall quality of each individual asset, as I was able to use tools and modifiers to model more complex assets that were not present in Maya's software. Finally, I believe that I created an extensive amount of pre-production written work before the creation of my game. This not only resulted in me expanding my knowledge on the reasoning behind different game art styles, mechanics and environments, but it also allowed me to further my game's quality, as I was then able to implement these concepts into my own project.
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WEAKNESSES
However, there were also some areas of improvement within the FMP. One example would be the formatting of my WIX website, as although I'm quite a beginner to creating websites, I still believe that the design and placement of certain paragraphs, buttons and images could have been formatted in a more efficient and visually appealing way, which would have resulted in an easier to read and professional website. In addition, due to the tight deadline of the project, combined with my extensive and ambitious approach to the project, there were some aspects of my project that were lacking in quality compared to others. For example, the market section in my game was very empty, and the music-changing function wasn't polished in the way I intended it to be. I could have fixed this error by simply pre-planning more extensively into the mechanics of the game, finding references of how to exactly create these mechanics.
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OPPORTUNITIES
Within my FMP, there were many areas that could, in the future, be improved upon in order to increase the overall quality of the game, such as the grass texture being animated to sway in the wind, as well as building upon the inventory mechanic. This would as a result improve upon the game's atmospheric environment, as well as adding more depth and mechanical quality to the gameplay of the project.
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THREATS
There are a few external factors that could pose challenges when both playing the game, as well as accessing the written-work associated with it. Firstly, due to the high polygon count of each grass tile because of the complex modeling used, as well as the constant rain and music mechanic, the game itself could prove to be quite difficult to run smoothly on some computers, which would completely lower the game's quality and playability. In addition, within my WIX website, which contains all the written work for the project, there are a few embedded codes and hyperlinks that were referencing several different videos and articles. These have the chance to become un-usable if the video/website is deleted or the link is changed. This would result in several pieces of my written work for the FMP go missing, which could tamper with my overall grade for the project, as well as making it harder for recruiters and universities to see the quality of my writing capabilities.
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY 1
This university course (Games Design and Development), located in Greenwich Campus, will leave you with a Bachelor of Science honors degree , has several different durations depending on whether you choose to do full-time (3 years), part-time (6 years), or "sandwich", which is where you start employment before the last year of your course (4 years), which also allows for more flexibility depending on your availability to the university. The courses curriculum changes depending on the duration of your chosen course; however, all of these include 3D modeling, programming for Games, 3D animation and Physics & mathematics for development. They all also include things to help with future employment, such as career development and Research methods for games and media. The entry requirements for this course are typically a clearing UCAS point score of 72, however your situation is considered depending on your type of previous course (BTEC, A levels...). They also have a "Clearing Line", where you can discuss options of enrollment. The tuition fees are between £9250 - £16150 for full-time, or £2312 - £4037 per 30 credits for part-time. The accommodation is just over £100 per week (bills included) depending on your location, and finally EU students may be eligible for a bursary to support their studies. There are no compulsory costs, however a portable hard drive is recommended, and the university provides licenses for things such as Virtual Desktop and Visio.
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UNIVERSITY 2
Architectural Technology BSc (Hons), located at UCA Canterbury will leave you with a Bachelor of Science honors degree is a 3-year course, with the option to partake in additional years for professional practice and foundation years prior to the years before. It however doesn't offer part-time or online options. The course is split into multiple projects, with topics such as social justice and equitable architecture to create a retrofit project of transforming unused/underused buildings. It also contains analysis of buildings and producing small-scale buildings in 2D print and 3D physical form. The course itself requires one of the following: 112 UCAS points or a pass at diploma of art & design. They would also like to see your portfolio, which will be reviewed on an applicant day. The BSc course is £9250 and will provide financial support from both UCA and external sources. There aren't any software or hardware requirements for this course.
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UNIVERSITY 3
A computer Science course, leaving you with a Bachelor's of Science honors degree, is over 3 years, and offers either completely online or a mix for your lessons. You will study subjects such as software engineering, database design and data structures using software such as python, java-script and SQL. The requirements are 2 subjects at A-level (or equivalent) and a GCSE math and English grade of 4 or above, as well as a recommended knowledge of the software's used in the course. It is the average price for universities; however, it is 10% off if it is all paid at the beginning of your studies, and financial aid is available. You will need a PC and a hard drive for the course; however, you are given a free iPad for your studies before you start.
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UNIVERSITY 4
Digital Design and Communication is an MA/Postgraduate Certificate, which is a 2–4-year course based online. There is the possibility for partly online learning, and you will mainly be researching digital trends, delivering solutions for problems emerged from post-pandemic, exploring the theoretical side of digital design, and finally designing in a digital world. You will need a first or 2.1 hons bachelor degree in any subject, and the tuition fee is around £15,000. This is a course that would be completed after university.
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COMPARISONS & EVALUATIONS
Out of the 4 courses, I believe that the one most suited to my intended career path and skills is the Games Design & Development course, as this course offers similar skillsets and content that I am looking for later on in life. However, the architecture course is also suited, as I am also thinking of evolving my 3D modeling skills into an Architectual platform. ​
For affordability however, I believe that the computer science course would have been the most feasible, as the lessons are completely online, meaning I wouldn't have to pay accommodation or travel fees. The least affordable course was the Digital Design course, as it a course after university.​
Lastly, I believe that out of the 4 courses, the Games Development course also provides the most access to new technology, being given access to VR and AR. In addition, this university is closely linked to many large scale and indie game companies, meaning that finding work after the course could be a lot of easier compared to other universities.
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UCAS Statement
As I look back, it’s amazing to believe that my career and passion for the art of games development started with me simply laying on the couch playing Halo 3 on my Xbox 360 after a seemingly grueling day of primary school. The perfect combination of a compelling storyline using well-written and rounded characters that I would later grow to love, all interacting in a beautiful and lore-filled environment was something that would stick with me for years to come and would eventually become something that I could re-create as a living. Years later, after many different trials of varying subjects from psychology to chemistry, ive finally landed on a subject that allows me to show off both my creative and problem-solving talents; Games Development. Using my new-found knowledge of the full creative process involved in creating games, as well as the steady learning of skills such as 3D modeling and coding, I finally see my dream becoming a reality; being able to allow younger audiences the same joy and captivating gameplay that I was gifted in my younger years.