Creative Game Design&Development

Vaccine Hecker

Inspiration

Considering the current situation of locking down and endless quarantine, our group wanted to design a game that can be played during the period of self-isolation. And what we finally came up with is an online board game that can be played via zoom-probably the most commonly used media in the time of COVID. As funs of deduction games like werewolves and crime scene, we’d like to fill the game with similar intellectual challenges. Beside the rules, we also make the full use of zoom’s functions, such as group discussion rooms, mute/unmute function, emojis and etc. By promoting the game, we’re hoping that it can bring more fun and laughter to this particular hard time.

Game Mechanics

Game Roles: A moderator; Three NYUSH students; A thief

Major Mechanics:

NYUSH’s elevators and 11~15F have all been closed in an emergency, and there are currently a total of 1~10 floors available for activity, corresponding to the ten discussion rooms in the zoom, where you can choose to move up or down one floor each round.
When you enter a new floor, you may encounter NYUSH students who come to investigate with you, and you can exchange and discuss existing information with each other in order to deduce the real thief. Remember, not everyone in the same discussion group as you is a trustworthy person! Keep your important information if necessary.
You will also have the opportunity to discover clues about the thief on a new layer. Use these clues wisely and label some of the information on the map prepared for you, they can be your best evidence when sharing screens!

The Map (presented as discussion rooms in zoom):

My Contribution

1. Offer my own board game design in early discussion (though wasn’t adapted at last)
2. Help develop the mechanics of the game
3. Test the zoom function in support of the game

Peer Test Feedback

1. There are chances that someone may be left alone for a long time during the game – we tried to fix it by adding the telephone and distant communication functions
2. Clues are too limited –  we are exploring more type of clues
3. Some clues may lead to unbalanced situation – we are designing some more clues to balance
4. The theft is more like to win –  we’re trying to add more abilities to the students

Play Through Video

Please click on the link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1f1X072ftFDsHSNKuEil8mScwJE6Qc1XS?usp=sharing

For our group’s butterfly dream project, we decided to make a game featuring the transition between distinct perspective. Following the initial idea, we developed a storyline of a man trying to get out of prison while he has the superpower to turn into the animal touches. In the producing process, since our group is used to complete the project task by task together, I’d like to document the process and my contribution basing on the different stages and tasks we’ve encountered. Stage I: Project Proposal & Preparation

• Task 1: Come up with project proposal 
  • We all came up with our own ideas and brought to the meeting (I proposed a nearsightedness stimulator and furtively eating stimulator hhh). After discussion, we decided to build upon Jack’s idea.
• Task 2: Outline the challenges and basic storyline
  • I contributed to the challenge design–my idea to set the first finding apple challenge, which adapts player to the transition of perspectives — also my design of the stealing key challenge.
• Task 3: Decide on general maps & 3d models
  • We searched for and decided on satisfying 3d models together in the meeting.

Stage II: Building the Framework

• Task 1: Implement Transitions of Perspectives Through Camera Switch
  • I implemented the camera switch function through scripts.

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• Task 2: Implement Dialogue System to Guide the Game Flow
  • • I implemented the dialogue system by use of Fungus tools.

  

• Task 3: Complete the First Challenge of Our Game: Stealing the Apple
  • I developed the complete process of stealing an apple
    • • Pop-out UI to guild player in picking & dropping apple
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      • Apple following the character after picked up

    

    • Dropping the apple when player finishes the task

Stage III: Developing the Game

• • Task 1: Manipulate Character’s Animation
    • Snow and me co-complete the animation controller script

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  • Task 2: Develop Further Game Flow Guidance

• Task 3: Develop Further Challenges
  • Choose & Steal key
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  • Get the access card 
    • I wrote two scripts so that both cat and man(main character) can pick the access card, and it depends on player’s choice
  • Enable dog’s bark (audio control)

    

     

     

Final Play Through Video

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jgh8wESqK9DdszCcySyRxlRVO6IL0i18/view?usp=sharing

 

Future Improvements

• More trials & errors for players: we should improve the game’s flexibility to make room for player to explore the game flow. We need to develop out mechanism in handling failures.
• Polishing art design: modeling, animation, arts, audio and storyline.
• More challenges….

The first time I played Limbo is in my high school years–a game that i accidentally discovered when I scrolled down app store(yes, at first I played it on my mobile device). It was a boring night. I discovered it,  clicked on it, thought I can kill some time, and then it ended up to be a game that accompanied me throughout the high school years.

Different games have different ways to attract your attention—some games have you spend all night exploring and then easily be put aside the following morning, and some games can keep attracting you to get back. Limbo is that kind of game that, you may not be patient enough to play through in two days, but definitely has you back to its world now and then. This is exactly the reason why I spent my high school years playing this game—its game play and art design has the power to keep you faithful.

~Gameplay

In terms of game play, Limbo strikes a perfect balance between challenging control of adventure games and puzzle games. Players need to look closely and think audaciously to help the character go further, while maintaining a good control of the character to get past the barriers. This excellent combination of character control and puzzle solving keeps offering players challenges and fresh gaming experiences, and finally motivates players to stick to the game.

~Art Design

Limbo holds an unique art style among many games: simple, silent, black&white, but somehow charming. The game follows the story of a little boy looking for his sister at the edge of death and hell, and the art design definitely fits the vibe. Everything is in black, grey and white, so it will take a little while to tell something from the foggy background. Even the main character, the boy, is a dark shadow with merely his eyes shining, and there will be some moments when the boy’s shape melted into the dark background, and you can only tell where he is by the shining eyes. It’s almost like a visual challenge for the players, as if we’re really desperately looking for something in the edge of darkness.

The audio design for the game is also simple, with merely any background music, but ambient sound of the game world instead. Few games let players play without music, but silence in Limbo has a weight that presses you into the Limbo’s world. And it’s confident enough to catch your eyes without a stimulation to your ears.

~Potential Development 

• More sensitive action capture
• More changes in sights and sounds

• Lego Game Proposal
  • Game: Deadline Fighter
  • Inspired by: the everyday experience of being chased by ddl; hoping myself (really) could have a time machine to hit the ddl
  • Player Action: Riding on a Time Machine; Overcome the Lazy Self; Collect Knowledge

    

    

  • Wining Condition: Hit the deadline before the countdown & tick all the to-dos on your to-do list(go through every circle and collect star pickups)

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  • Additional Scene/Level Design (not finished):
    • screen becomes darker and foggy as time goes by–you’re getting sleepy!
    • suddenly get teleported to the start point when you’re almost there–you forgot to save your work!
    • the whole scene braking into pieces–system error!
    • ….
• Lego Game (level 2) Video Demo