For this game the emotion that I would like to evoke is a sense of discovery mixed with some mystery and suspense. I tried to base the spotify music based on these emotions.
There are 3 possible directions the game can take:
One possible narrative direction would be set at the Cantor Arts Center on halloween. You are part of a group of friends that have wandered in the Cantor arts center after visiting the neighboring mausoleum (I vaguely remember there was an event that took place there before). They went into the museum as they thought they saw a ghost coming out of the mausoleum and went ot chase after it (paranormal ghost explorers). When you enter the museum, the door closes and you need to escape the museum within a time limit to escape the museum. To escape the museum you need to solve the mystery of Jane Stanford’s death (or some other mystery event on campus), figuring out the murder mystery will allow you to escape unscathed. There are a few possible explanations behind the ghosts death, but you need to track what is true and what is false to properly identify the murderer. To escape you need to solve a few puzzles to solve the mystery.
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- Looking at the walls in the game to collect letter to type into a computer to get a key
- Looking at an information board and seeing a QR code that is ripped up into pieces at the bottom, you will need to piece it together to follow a link to get a hint.
- Rearranging portraits on a wall of previous Stanford presidents to open a secret door (this can be digital), associated hints can be found in print out books/flyers where they will need to stare closely for hints
- Put a fruit on the palm of a statute to get a recording of a hint
- Challenge, discovery, fantasy, narrative
Another possible narrative is to escape the classroom (the one we are in). The premise here is that you are a student that wants to undercover the details of the game that your parents made when they took the CS 247G. To do this you enter the classroom and decipher clues that have been left behind to figure out the game they made in the class. Hints will be scattered around Lathrop area or maybe just in the classroom.
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- Puzzles can be similar to rearranging puzzle pieces or portraits to get a correct order.
- Challenge, discovery, fantasy, narrative
A final potential narrative or game would be you playing as a student that has stayed past closing time at Arrillaga after midnight breakfast. Suddenly the fruits and vegetables come to life and won’t allow you to escape the dining hall unless if you can beat all their puzzles/riddles in a given timeframe. The puzzles are similar to before, but maybe 10 puzzles or so, so that the game goes long enough. This game is more upbeat and less mystery doom than the other ones above.
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- Some puzzles here can be food themed, like common foods served in the dining hall, finding out the secret ingredients for a dish to solve a puzzle. Figuring out when the dining halls on campus were built.
- Challenge, discovery, fantasy, narrative
