Perilous Waters

Remember Kyle C.? He works with instructor Logan as part of Game-U’s New Jersey Accelerate program. Kyle’s been busy developing a Jaws-inspired scuba diving game, where the scuba diver hunts for treasure in perilous, shark-infested waters. Check out his new opening cinematic!

Using GameMaker Studio, which bases game scenes in visually designed “rooms” and uses code to create advanced mechanics, Kyle and Logan constructed the opening cinematic for Kyle’s scuba game. GameMaker’s timeline tools allow developers like Kyle to set up a timeline of events to play in sequence, which comes in handy for cut scenes like this one. Kyle and Logan set the sequence to the classic Jawssoundtrack (naturally) and used it to introduce the player to the challenges that await him in the coming level. Watch what happens!

As the sequence begins, one diver, not the player, jumps into the ocean on a treasure hunt while his friend (the player) waits with the boat. Unfortunately, the treasure is guarded by a hungry shark! He catches the diver and swims away. That’s when the player jumps in, and once he’s halfway down the ocean part of the screen, the timeline ends and control returns to the player. In the present stage of development, the player’s way is now clear to find the treasure and haul it to the boat – but that won’t be the case for long. Kyle plans on adding a second shark for the player to avoid. At least Sheriff Brody only had to deal with one!

Excellent work on this cinematic, Kyle. You’ve officially managed to scare all of us! We’ll look forward to seeing your game progress in the coming weeks. Game on!