Hello Worlds!

HELLO WORLDS! - Open those worlds

This game would be a platformer where there are multiple 'worlds' which are shown on different screens at the same time. The character would be shown in each of these worlds independently, but womuuld be affected by all of them in some way (the example given in class was that a 'block' in any of the worlds would stop the character from moving through that space in all of the worlds). We are very open to changing the details of this idea, if anyone wants to make some suggestions.

Prototype -- Go here to play the latest version of the game!!!

Design Document -- Our contract for the class on what we will accomplish on this project.
Development -- The home for all game development materials (diagrams, definitions, etc)
Designing Levels -- Describes the rules to be followed when creating levels with Tiled
Ideas-- The ideas we have so far (they should all also exist as tickets).
Testing Prototypes-- Holds information from any and all tests that we do together or individually.
Analytics -- Holds all analytics results we have.
Sample Levels-- Contains any sample levels generated so far.
Schedules-- Our class/work/everything else schedules for the quarter.
Feedback-- For any feedback we get from the course staff.

Pitch Questions

Q: What are we trying to do? What is the core idea, hook, genre?

A: We are trying to create a platformer puzzle game with a unique twist. The twist will be that the player will be able to modify the world that his character exists in by selecting and combining some subset of the available worlds. The player will then have to figure out when and where to switch to which of the worlds in order to get to the end goal.

Q: What is our goal for the game? Return rate? User generated content? Money?

A: In reality, our goal for the game is to make a game which will give us a good grade. This will involve getting high ratings online. One pitfall of a puzzle game such as this is that players will not understand what to do, and will immediately give up and downrate it. We must avoid this by ensuring the concept of the game is very cleanly and clearly explained and introduced such that the player understands the "hook". The game will then ramp up in difficulty to the point that hopefully the player will not finish it in one sitting, and will come back to solve the more challenging puzzles. User generated content and money are not in our plans.

Q: What's the potential? Why do this game over all others we could do?

A: The game will be driven almost entirely by the puzzle mechanism, and therefore not much detailed artwork will be required. This suits the talents of the group members. Puzzle-platformer games like this have garnered acclaim from both users and critics on Kongregate, as evidenced by games like "The Company of Myself", "SHIFT" and "Continuity". Games in this genre are suited to casual gamers, because the puzzle mechanic creates the hook, and the steady increase in level difficulty keeps gamers interested.

Q: What are the design and development challenges?

A: The main challenges will likely center around first figuring out how to accomplish the implementation of the multiple worlds, and figuring out how to combine them in code. The second major challenge will be developing the levels for the game. The levels must introduce the concepts of how to use the different worlds and how to combine them in a way such that the player learns at a reasonable speed, and is still challenged enough to make the experience entertaining. Each of the stages will also require creativity on our part to find new and interesting ways to use the mechanic and explore all of it's potential.

Q: Has anyone done this before? If so, what can we learn from them? If not, what does this tell us?

A: We are not aware of anyone having done an idea such as this before. This may be a clue that it is a difficult concept to actually apply well, but more likely it means it is a creative and unique idea.

Q: How well suited to games is the idea?

A: This idea is very well suited for games. Evidence for this may be seen in games like Portal. Portal was a game which took a FPS and centered the gameplay around solving puzzles using a unique mechanic (namely, portals). Our idea isn't much different: we are taking a platformer and centering the gameplay around solving puzzles by switching between alternate versions of a world.

Q: What's the player fantasy and does that lead to good player goals?

A: The player fantasy is using creative thinking to explore the details and limits of the unique mechanic of the game. By doing this, the player is doing exactly what they need to do to solve the puzzles that are presented in the game.

Q: What does the player do? What are the "verbs" of the game? What is the interface and number of players?

A: The player is trying to get to the end of each stage. This will involve running, jumping, switching between alternate versions of the level, and thinking about how to solve the puzzle. The interface (we haven't completely decided on a final version for it yet) will involve multiple screens showing the different versions of the world, with a "complete" version of the world which shows the final product after they have all been combined.