Sound effects

Bloop:






Used during the countdown, synchronised with the countdown

Explosion:





Used when a brick explodes

Waaaa:







Used when a "life" is lost

Boing:






Used when the ball collides with an object on the game screen, including:

• ball hits brick
• ball hits border
• ball hits paddle

Completion:








Used when a level is completed

Sound

I have carried out some research into the use of sound in game and have decided to add sound to the game, to make playing the game a more interesting experience, as it involves more of the senses.

Times in the game that may benefit from sound:

• Ball and border collision
• Ball and paddle collision
• Ball and brick collision
• Brick explosion

Other times during the game when sound effects or music could be used:

• Losing a “life”
• Completing a level
• Congratulation state
• During the countdown
• Introduction to the game

Creating the game board

Having considered various screen sizes for the game I have decided to use a 640x480 window, as this is the largest available and will make the game easier to see.

Design ideas:

• Blue border along the top and the two vertical sides of the screen
• No border along the bottom of the screen, as falling off the bottom of the screen leads to the players losing a "life"

Borders:

• 20 pixels in total in height (for top border) and in width (for vertical borders)
• Lighter blue and darker blue lines add pseudo 3D effect
• Each highlight or lowlight is made of three lines of varying length, to create the pseudo 3D effect