Descriptions of Our Game
- An escape room-esque game around a cohesive story line
- Ultimately a player will need to complete a series of puzzles/mini games/ mini tasks and upon completing all these tasks, they win the game (similar to finding the key to get out of an escape room)
- The “key” in this case is some sort of potion or antidote and the player must create this antidote with the setting they are in
- We are also playing around with the idea of adding some other element of pressure to the player as they are completing these mini puzzles/ tasks
- For example, some type of NPC that is threatening the player as they are completing the tasks
- The goal of this mechanic is to add a dynamic of pressure, sensitivity, anxiety because ultimately this will create an aesthetic of narrative
- We want to add this narrative, immersive element of fun to the story line and so are trying to come up with mechanics that create dynamics that can elicit those emotions
- We are also trying to create a challenge aesthetic to the game
- We want this to feel like an obstacle course with each mini task or puzzle
- Some things to consider are the difficulty curve
- How do we create challenges that scale in difficulty?
- Can we create challenges that get the user immersed into the story line?
- How and when do we appropriately make challenges harder so the game stays engaging?
Story
In the game, the player spawns on an abandoned yacht, anchored within view of the shore. The yacht is large enough to encompass a kitchen, multiple sleeping quarters, an engine room, a main living area, a crow’s nest, and a dining room. It is revealed that the player is a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world run rabid with zombies (or some other infected monster). The time setting for this game is similar to today with all the mechanical restrictions of a typical survival Minecraft world. The yacht is mostly barren, but contains some items which are important for the synthesis of a cure to stop the spread of the zombie virus. The remaining ingredients needed to synthesize the cure are provided by fighting off waves of mobs attempting to kill the player, stop the development of the cure, and sink the boat. In addition, certain facilities on the boat are non-operational initially. In order to synthesize the cure, the player must mend pieces of the boat which are integral to brewing the cure. In addition, the player may build and synthesize certain materials which aid them in fighting off monsters.
At the beginning of the game, the player is given a brief synopsis of what has happened and what they must do to complete the game. The player spawns in an abandoned yacht with materials scattered around the vessel. At certain time intervals, a wave of infected monsters attempt to sink the yacht and kill the player. In order to synthesize a cure against the virus which has ravaged the world, the player must use materials aboard the yacht as well as mob drops to brew a potion to successfully complete the game.
Characters
- The player
- Zombies (or some other infected monster)
Emotions
- Urgency
- Apprehension
- Satisfaction
- Science Fiction
- Scary
- Mysterious
- Triumph
- Adventure
- Excitement
- Challenge
Technical Challenges
(How are we going to make this game?)
- Minecraft: First thought, we make it in Minecraft + mods. Minecraft allows us to build a first person experience for players. The UI and controls are intuitive and prebuilt into Minecraft, so we can focus our efforts on creating a fun and engaging game. Not only can we build the environment/setting for our game within Minecraft, we can also create our own Minecraft mods to create new components specifically for our game.
- Analog + digital components: We had thoughts on creating an actual board where players could play on. The digital component could be an interface to type in a code to unlock a clue or play a video. We can combine this with robotic components like a cage that doesn’t open until you speak/type in the correct word. Digital punishments, time, shock, shake board
- Pixel 2d game: We create digital 2d pixel arts for the boat characters. You can move your character up down left right and interact with items in the room. Kind of like how old Pokemon works.
Questions about Technical Challenges
- Should we do a co-op game?
- How would we make a 2D game?
- What do you think of these mediums, are there any me missing?
- If we went down the Minecraft route, what requirements would we have to fulfill for the project?
Challenges for Design
- Puzzle content: One important aspect of this game is finding the right level of difficulty for the puzzles. We want the puzzles to be difficult enough to challenge players to use their resources and keep them engaged without frustrating them to a point that they lose interest in the game. Another aspect is creating puzzles to add more dimension to the brief synopsis given at the start of the game (i.e. not making random escape room puzzles) so the player will get invested into the story. We also want to think about what resources the player has at their disposal for each challenge, which might come from previous challenges.
- Designing the map: Another challenge in designing the map in a way that enhances the story, as well as organizing the puzzles so that they flow into each other smoothly and logically.
Appendix
Joseph:
Dylan:
Seb:
Kaitlin:
