teaching machines

CJJJ – Second Semester Game Plan

December 18, 2012 by . Filed under fall 2012, honors 304.503, postmortems.

Story

You are sent to a remote island to find a mysterious, powerful artifact/device. This ancient tool has been broken into numerous pieces that must be collected together to gain its original power; however, each bit is still infused with tremendous power that the holder may use.

However, on your quest to retrieve the pieces of this tool, you find there are powerful forces working against you to ensure you do not collect and unite all the pieces. The water level on the island rises and falls, making it difficult to reach the entire island along with making the island’s caves treacherous.

On this quest, you discover the power of this long-lost artifact and the reasons why your employer wants to obtain it, and why the island wants to keep it from you – and the rest of the world.

At the end of the game, you realize the artifact holds a terrible power, and you must make a momentous decision: unite the object and bring it back to your employer, or leave it to the island and sink it (along with the island) – a decision that may take your own life.

Mechanics

There will need to be an inventory script that will keep track of the artifact pieces you have obtained (and thus enable you to use their respective powers).

There will be scripts related to raising and lowering the water level that are event-initiated and also user-initiated (tool). To make it a game of survival, there will need to be gauges that track the player’s breathing capacity under water and/or swimming stamina.

One tool might also create a “b­ubble shield” that allows one to traverse the water safely.

Theme

The game’s theme consists of a mixture of survival and exploration. There is not combat but you must utilize the tools available to you to fight the forces that are trying to kill you.

Skill Areas to be developed

Cave development

Responsive scripts

Compass

Reward system