A Broken Time!

SO! After I stopped working on the other project, I began working with another team which is now called ‘9-Bit Idol’. Together we have been working on a game for the Competition ‘Dare to be Digital’ and have come up with the concept for a First Person Story Driven Puzzle game, ‘A Broken Time’.

To begin with we started with just a simple mechanic, which was to take photos of things and place them somewhere in the environment. This then expanded into something much more and is now what we have today! 

My Job in the team was team leader and Designer, so I have been coming up with multiple mechanics and level designs for the game over the past few months, ready to create a pitch and send it off to the competition!

First off it was actually quite tough to come up with some unique ideas for puzzles and mechanics for the game, as it was set in World War 1 and I ended up thinking too literally about things and though that a lot of the puzzles would end up being quite boring… Most of the things I ended up coming up with we just picking things up and placing them elsewhere…originally I ended up coming up with a concept where the player had to cook some potatoes, not really difficult or rewarding eh? Though thinking of the different mechanics for taking photos and what we could do with them then lead us to change things a bit and make the game a bit more surreal; which further lead to creating the mechanics around this surreal nature. For example, a lot like the Channel 4 ‘Idents’ (which can be seen below) where the 4 is lined up with random objects in in the background, we wanted to create some puzzles based around this. 

 

From this we thought to make the environment shattered, so the player would have to line up the pieces and take a photo before they can actually explore the area.

An Example of a Shattered room (Artwork By Becky Michalak - Environment artist for the team)

Some of the mechanics that were created alongside this are the main flesh and blood of the game. Below is a list I created of the mechanics:

Mechanics

Jump

Run/walk

Climb (ladders etc.)

Crouch

Take photo/Place Photo

Take photo/Rotate

Place/Rotate (keys etc.)

Show photo/move photo (matches etc.)

Perspective change (size etc.)

Photo silhouettes/Cut-outs

Animate

Fade

Side a/side b – Possible mechanic

Take photo/Place photo – The base mechanic of the game, allowing the player to take a photo of an object, store it in their film and use it again at a later date. Only certain objects can be used as part of the puzzles, however some pictures may Fade with multiple uses.

Take/Rotate Photo – This will allow the player to take a photo, hold it above what they intend to use it against, rotate it, then place it. For example, if the player has to switch something on, they can take a picture of the switch, rotate it upside down, place it and the switch will then be on.

Place/Rotate – This will allow the player to take a photo of a key for example, Place it in a lock and then turn the placed object to allow them to open a door.

Show/Move photo – The player will hold the film out in front of them and can move it within a small vicinity. This may allow them to strike a photo of a match, to light it within the photo.

Perspective Change – This means that when a photo is taken and placed, it will be the size of however the player placed it. Some areas will mean the player cannot move once a photo has been taken meaning they will have to find the ‘sweet spot’ for the perspective.

Photo silhouettes/Cut-outs – These will be cut outs of people or possibly objects in the environment that the player will have to line up to get the proper picture. Once they take the photo, they image will then be realised in the environment. However these cut outs will only be able to be seen through the camera, meaning the player will have to look through it to see if anything is there.

Animate – Everything that can be used will be animated once the player has taken a picture and placed them in the environment. For example, normally water would be still, but if the player takes a photo and places the water where it needs to be, then the waters will then be animated.

Fade – Some photos can be used multiple times, but will fade with the multiple uses. Once the photo has faded, it cannot be used anymore.

Examples of some Mechanics (Artwork by Becky Michalak)

As well as creating the mechanics I also came up with the main level design. Seeing as there is only 9 weeks to create this game during dare, I only created one level, though also came up with a lot of narrative for the game as a whole also. Though using the research I have done earlier this year I have tried to create a fully working level using the results!  Below is the level design AND walkthrough:

The Main level design so far! (The Graveyard has recently been changed from what is seen above)

Through the level I not only wanted to give little guidance, but also I wanted to tell narrative in certain areas. The whole purpose of the level is to create a memory for the naval commander’s spirit to be tethered to, and then get laid to rest. However to do this the player need to set the right music, show people dancing, generally re-create the whole scenario. A main area I wanted to try and show a really subtle narrative is the battleship, as when the player uses the key, this suggests that the commander gave the order to fire; which in turn got the ship into combat in the first place. Furthermore, when the player takes the cannon and blows a hole in the wall, this is to also show that the ship is getting damaged from incoming fire, hinting to how the commander dies. 

What I wanted was for the narrative itself to be quite subtle, so it seems like a puzzle in its own way, as the player can piece it together at their own pace and think ‘OH! That’s what that means!!’ as I think this would add a greater sense of reward, but could also lead to discussions with others; whether it be online or in person. 

And that is 'A Broken Time' thus far! We are currently waiting to know if we have made it to the interview stages of the competition! If you ahvent already then check out our Pitch here ---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQX4mcHcYxc and show us some love!

Untill next time

laters taters!

so...Its been a while...

OK! So it’s been a loooong time since I last updated my blog, and I mean it’s been a long time…as the last time was before Christmas… So this is going to be one of a few updates, and will explain what I’ve been up to for the past few months. 

To start with, as explained in previous posts I had been working on a game with a team, it was a sci-fi fantasy type game, and I wanted to delve into difficult mechanics such as those on dark souls. So over the first few months of the New Year I focused on creating these mechanics, within this setting, as well as creating the first area the player will encounter. 

This is The Enszuar Jungle; within the jungle the player will encounter all sorts of wildlife as well as the main enemies of the game, The Satyr. At the start of the level the player/players will crash land at start and will then be free to explore the jungle. 

Satyr camp on the Ridge

The way I wanted this start area to work was, when the player wanders to the lake, there will be smoke coming from the camp opposite them. I wanted this to act as a landmark or eyesore for them to then make that their own objective to get there. Once they get there they will then be given an objective to help out the Centaurs (as the camp is a centaur camp, and centaurs are the allies of the game.) by eliminating the Satyrs that are surrounding the jungle. This camp will be under constant barrage from the satyr camp on a ridge close by (the one near 'Cave 2'), this is because I wanted the player to then think to go there first to help the camp out straight away. When they get there this is when they will come up against a multitude of satyr enemies, each with their own set of unique mechanics that players will have to learn to counter and avoid, but also have to eliminate two portals in that areas which constantly spawn enemies. Should the player succeed in taking out the camp and killing its commander, the commander of the camp will give them something called ‘Portal scriptures’ which will allow them to take out portals quicker…however this is if the player figures out how to use them. 

 

The cave where the Underwater plant seed is used

For a lot of the level I wanted to add mechanics that would be difficult to figure out at first but once mastered would be very rewarding. The main example being, some of the plant life around the jungle will instantly kill the player if they get too close. However the player needs to use themselves as bait to actually kill the plant, meaning they will have to get close and wait for the plat to snap, and in that instant shoot to kill. A simple mechanic, but there will be many different plants that do different things, and they all drop things from Sap to leaves. The player can pick these up, but they will have no relevance in this first area; however later in the game can be combined to access a door in the final area, that will then reward the player with possibly a special weapon. Also in the centre of the main lake area there would be a bigger plant uder the water. Should the player take this out, they will then be given a seed, but this wont merge with the other seeds they may have already collected. This seed would be used to open a chest within a cave somewhere in the jungle and it would be up to the player to find it. Though if the player had found it previously to finding the seed and tried to open it without it, there would have been defenses in place to stop them from gaining the treasure inside (most likely an insta-kill).

I found creating some of the enemy mechanics really fun, though some of them were difficult coming up with mechanics that would be interesting, but at the same time difficult to overcome. Though some of my favourites were the Jungle cats, and the ‘Kazalite Shields’ (kazalites are a playable race in the game. 

The Jungle cats I wanted to create a sense of stealth but also incorporate their animalistic nature. They would act as though they are alone, though when the player approaches to take them out, they will then jump into the nearby bush and call for other jungle cats. More will then jump out and start surrounding the player in a sort of hunting pattern and will pounce in on the player every now and then, meaning the player will have to concentrate on all angles at once to be able to dodge incoming attacks. 

The ‘Kazalite Shield’ has a HUGE shield on their back which protects them from any gunfire from behind. Though this shield is on a shoulder rail which when shot at from the front will then move along the rail to protect from any gunfire from the front. So basically they are walking tanks that can’t be hit from anywhere other than their sides, but this will hardly deal any damage. The shields also have a round saw blade on it which the Kazalite will use when charging towards the player. However the shield and armour they wear are mainly made of metal, therefore will conduct electricity, so should the player use lightning magic on them when the shield is on the front or back, the kazalite will be stunned, and can be attacked from where ever the shield is not.

Most enemies will deal severe damage or instantly kill the player, meaning the player will always be on the move to try and find the weakness or opening chance to destroy them. This is what I feel will make the game truly difficult, along with some of the puzzles I tested at the start of the year.

Mechanics Playground

I then moved onto creating a ‘Mechanics playground’ where a few of these mechanics would be tested. These mechanics were really simplistic and done to a really rough standard. I did this to show my idea behind the mechanics but also so we could get a feel for them, even though they were super rough. Some of the mechanics that were included were three spells, water, fire and lightning; I also included rough mock-up of the Jungle cat mechanic. 

The Playground

Fire Spell

Lightning Spell

Jungle cat Mock-up (The models were placeholders so yes I am aware they arent actually cats ;P)

However, unfortunately due to certain circumstances I ended up leaving the team that I was creating this game with! And moved onto another project with a few other people…

Find out more, in the next update!