(tentative title)
Temporal Diffusion game design document v1.4
by Heather M Decker
Interactive Design/Media App | ITGM-705-OL Savannah College of Art and Design Professor David Edwin Meyers August 11, 2010
Table of Contents Design Statement—1 General Description—1 Audience and Context—1 Motivation—1 Genre—1 Story—1 Game Mechanics—1 Overview Current Screen Layout Jilted Door
Levels—3 Level 1
Audio Assets—3 Art Style—4 Concept Art
Appendix—5 In-Game Instructions Raw User Testing Data
Design Statement My external goal is to develop a gameplay mechanic that could possibly be applied to a multi-player Facebook game at some point in the future. The mechanic of time and the puzzle game genre seem full of potential, and the spirit and style of steampunk just lends itself to the time travel theme.
General Description The object is to exit the area, and the player has three phases to work with: past, present and future. Players are given time-warped pieces found in the room, which they can play and use only in specific phases (indicated on the pieces.) For instance, the player is given a door piece they can only play in the past and only interact with in the future.
Audience and Context The target audience is the casual puzzle game crowd, most notably fans of the steampunk genre. The context it is to be played in is (currently) single-player computer gaming sessions, such as browser-based Flash gaming.
Motivation My own particular motivation is to explore the game mechanic of time in a puzzle setting, as well as reacquaint myself with Flash. Externally, players should feel compelled by the story elements and appealing style of the game, and intrigued by the prospect of solving puzzles based on the relationship between objects in the field of three phases of time.
Genre Puzzle/platformer
Story You are a brilliant female inventor preparing to launch your amazing new time machine to save the world from a fatal mistake that caused the eruption of a worldwide conflict. However, something went terribly wrong with your maiden voyage. As the smoke clears, you realize that you’re neither here nor there. In fact, you seem to have become lodged somewhere in an off-branch of the time stream, with only the smallest components of your time device in your possession. Using your limited time-altering functionality and what time-warped items you can find around you, escape this strange place!
Game Mechanics Overview The protagonist possesses a limited flux alternator which causes the area around her to
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be pushed into a one of three phases: past, present, or future. However, due to the accident, the device has limited capacity, which she will only be able to rebuild over time. The quantum energy meter indicates how many mode adjustments may be made in the current level (bars.) All items picked up are stored in inventory by default. Items may be played in the level according to their specific rules. For instance, certain items may only be played in the past and interacted with in the future, door knobs may only be played on door handles, certain keys pair to certain types of locks, etc. Item requirements may be viewed at any time by hovering the item.
Current Screen Layout
Item Descriptions Jilted Door A door that’s been warped by quantum distortion. • Only playable in Past mode • Only interactive in Future mode
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Levels Level 1 Layout: single room, single floor, no exits Starting Mode: Present Pick-ups: Jilted Door in Present Solution: Pick up Jilted Door. Toggle to Past. Place Jilted Door. Toggle to Future. Use Jilted Door. A torn fragment of your notebook flickers unstably on the floor, a composition your don’t remember ever writing, but that mysteriously details your current situation. “The time machine isn’t here with me… where ever here is. From what my log readings indicate, some type of interference caused the generator to sputter, which in turn scrambled the parameters I had entered. I’m stranded somewhere outside of reality and existing time, but everything is still somehow connected. This looks like the federation’s library. I was trying to get to the capital…”
Audio Assets Sound Effects • •
http://www.a1freesoundeffects.com/ http://www.audiomicro.com
Music Vernian Process - “Dance of Pales” http://www.vernianprocess.com/
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Art Style Concept Art
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Appendix In-Game Instructions
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Raw User Testing Data Temporal Diffusion | Prototype v2 Questionaire 1.) Please share some basic information with me, such as name (optional,) age, gender, and gaming experience. Dreama Jeantet, 25, Female, Play a lot of games! 2.) What operating system are you running? (example: Windows XP, Mac OS 10, Windows Vista, Linux, etc.) Windows Vista 3.) Did you understand the basic concept behind the gameplay? Feel free to elaborate as much as you wish. Yes, and I love the style of the game. 4.) Did you encounter any bugs? If so, please explain. No 5.) Suggestions? Not that I can think of at this time, I look forward to seeing what becomes of the rectangle placeholder :-)
Temporal Diffusion | Prototype v2 Questionnaire 1.) Please share some basic information with me, such as name (optional,) age, gender, and gaming experience. Amy Jo, 25, female, intermediate gamer .. pc games like Journeyman, Myst (and the following series) Oregon Trail if you go waaaay back. Nintendo, 64, ps2 and some random moments here and there on contemporary platforms. 2.) What operating system are you running? (example: Windows XP, Mac OS 10, Windows Vista, Linux, etc.) Windows..xp media center edition 2002 service pack 2 3.) Did you understand the basic concept behind the gameplay? Feel free to elaborate as much as
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you wish. Yes. I believe that the gameplay goal is to fix the error, but to do so we must jump thru time. Our items can only be used in certian times... which will be part of a puzzle aspect. 4.) Did you encounter any bugs? If so, please explain. When it first loaded up, I had to click the next and close buttons numerous times before they recognized the clicks. When playing the first time.. i went over, grabbed the door and then wasnt able to jump between the times.I could click and it would take away my energy, but it didnt change times. I restarted and then tried again. Didnt work right away but then it did in no time. 5.) Suggestions? I like the story and visuals implied. Its got good bones just needs fleshing out. Maybe making the time jump more evident ... most of anything I would suggest would be along the aesthetic lines, but I understand that its more about game play. I think that it is understandable and easily navigated, but not toooo easy~ I dont see anything to criticize about the actual gaming process.
Temporal Diffusion | Prototype v2 Questionnaire 1.) Please share some basic information with me, such as name (optional,) age, gender, and gaming experience. Melissa, 26, F, long time gamer 2.) What operating system are you running? (example: Windows XP, Mac OS 10, Windows Vista, Linux, etc.) Vista 3.) Did you understand the basic concept behind the gameplay? Feel free to elaborate as much as you wish. I did. 4.) Did you encounter any bugs? If so, please explain. Clicking the next button was unresponsive until I clicked exactly on the lettering. Numeric pad (which I attempted to use first) was unresponsive. I eventually figured out to use the numbers above the keyboard. If I reset when the door was unavailable to be picked up (future, past) it
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remained greyed out even tho I was reset in the present. the only way to fix this was go into the future or past and then go back to the present again. 5.) Suggestions? Back button on the instructions. I clicked through too fast and ended up not getting reading everything. Clicking and dragging the lever would be more fun than using the numbers, since you have a nice little lever graphic that’s clearly labeled what the past present and future are. And clicking and dragging the door into its spot would be more fun too.
Temporal Diffusion | Prototype v2 Questionnaire 1.) Please share some basic information with me, such as name (optional,) age, gender, and gaming experience. Female, late 20s, variety of gaming experience from casual games to platform, rpg, etc, I dabble a lot. 2.) What operating system are you running? (example: Windows SP, Mac OS 10, Windows Vista, Linux, etc.) Windows Vista 3.) Did you understand the basic concept behind the gameplay? Feel free to elaborate as much as you wish. I think it was very clear. The only thing I think needed more communication was switching between the times. Perhaps a sound effect or more variation of what the three different times look like would make that more clear. 4.) Did you encounter any bugs? If so, please explain. I noticed when you get the door item the pop up window is in the center of my screen, not the screen of the game. The next button was a little hard to hit because I think just the letters were clickable? 5.) Suggestions? Some sound effects would be a good next step.
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