CS377G – P2: Tiny Playable Prototype + Project Plan

 

(Since there was some overlap between what I wrote for my Tiny Playable Prototype/Map, Premise, Project Plan assignments, I decided to just combine them into one blog post. Sorry for the trouble.)

 

My two primary thematic and aesthetic inspirations: the anime Planetes (left) and the game Still There (right).

 

What Worries Me?

Growing space debris and space pollution can pose risks to spacecrafts and the people in them.

 

One-Sentence Summary

Space debris accident leaves you and another person stranded – witness the end together.

 

Setup

You awaken. You’ve been stranded for 816 days, and rations are running low, no one’s on the radars, and the comms are silent.

 

Gameplay

Gameplay involves interacting with a computer terminal aboard your spaceship. The computer terminal has several menu options: MessagesSend SOSFoodRadarComms, Checkers, etc. This terminal is displayed on an in-game computer screen. The primary place of gameplay will be Comms, which is where the player will be able to communicate via one/two/three choices of dialogue options, similar to Emily is Away.

 

Emily is Away dialogue options. The fact that another student also brings up Emily is Away in their post is not a coincidence (we had a feedback conversation about the game).

 

Outside this computer screen includes several objects in the background the player can interact with. These objects will bring up dialogue boxes that reveal lore and character motivations. As time passes, these objects may change.

 

Feedback

Premise is cool, but make sure you manage the scope to be tractable within two weeks! Be sure to separate the essentials (e.g. ability to message) from the nice-to-haves (e.g. ability to play checkers) and plan accordingly.

 

Timeline

  • Now – 10/19: Build first paper prototype draft, including all possible choices that a player can make. Include minimal dialogue so the draft can actually be finished.
  • 10/20Playtest with friend + Flesh out dialogue + Change narrative structure based on player feedback
  • 10/21: Playtest in class + Flesh out dialogue + Change narrative structure based on player feedback
  • 10/22 – 10/25: Flesh out dialogue + Start porting to code. Keep it minimal – only essential elements like menu and dialogue choices.
  • 10/26 – 10/27: Polish prototype. Add simple visual icons, background, and ambient music.
  • 10/28: Playtest in class + Tweak UI/dialogue based on player feedback
  • 10/29 – 10/30: Add simple cutscene, finish game
  • 10/31 – 11/1: Writeups

 

Challenges

  • Coding – I’ll be coding in Love2D because this is what I have experience in, and getting in some more Love2D practice via this project would be healthy for me. That said, I’ve never actually made a strictly narrative driven game in Love2D – although I suspect it shouldn’t be too difficult, it’s still unfamiliar territory for me.
  • Scope – My vision for this game might be too ambitious for a two-week project. I’ll need to pace myself accordingly, and make sure to prioritize the most important things, like dialogue, story, and interactive elements for the player. Making it look and sound nice is secondary.
  • Art – I want to make a beautiful game, but my art skills aren’t the best. So I will probably have to use a more creative, minimalist art style. My inspiration here will be Lucah: Born of a Dream, whose art assets were made in MS Paint, but still looks evocative.

 

I’ll probably aim for even lower-fidelity art than the above screenshots.

 

Since I don’t plan on doing any animation, just static images, I think it will be tractable. If not, I may consider building on this for my P4 project.

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