GAME-4000/GSND-6000 Project 4

Your objective is to live for as long as possible! Use WASD to move and get coins while avoiding the spinning blades. Once you have 10 coins, you can enter one of the two black boxes to equip armor. 

DESIGN DOCUMENTATION

Resources:

Armor - Something that reduces or nullifies the amount of damage the player takes from enemies or hazards in game. In some cases, armor will have durability, a secondary resource, that adds a limit to how long (or how much) the armor can be used before experiencing friction (breaking, needing repair, or less effective).

Space - The space that the player moves in throughout the game. The degree of freedom with which the player can move is determined by the shape of the space and how it interacts with the player’s abilities. 

Money - Money is a currency in the game that players can collect and use to trade items. The amount of money a player has should always be a positive integer.

Mechanic:

The mechanic this prototype explores is armor durability. The player will be destroyed if they are hit just once, so equipping armor will allow the player to take multiple hits without worrying about being destroyed. There are two different pieces of armor that the player can equip: one will break after 5 hits, while the other has a 20% chance of breaking after each hit.

Implementation:

When the player spawns, there are several projectiles being shot in random directions. They will  bounce off the walls and continue to travel throughout the space. As time passes, more projectiles will spawn and be launched into the level, making it harder to dodge. The player must avoid getting hit and the objective is to last as long as possible. However, the player can purchase armor that will allow them to get hit and not be afraid to make some mistakes. Armor costs 10 of the in-game currency, which will spawn in three positions at random intervals of 5-15 seconds. The player will start with 10, so they can immediately purchase either of the two types of armor. The amount of currency the player has is displayed in the corner of the screen, and the player’s time is displayed at the top of the screen. 

Pattern:

https://patternlanguageforgamedesign.com/PatternLibraryApp/PatternLibrary/3307

Our pattern describes how giving the player some control over how resource friction and sinks will affect them mitigates a feeling of frustration from losing a valuable resource. We accomplish this in our prototype by having two different types of armor. With the type that breaks after 5 hits, the player has a degree of control over when the armor will break. As long as they continue to dodge to the best of their ability, they can continue to collect the currency to prepare for buying another piece of armor once the current one breaks. On the other hand, we have the type that has a 20% chance to break after each hit. This is used for comparison, to show how frustrating it is when the player has no clue when they will lose their valuable resource. The player could potentially be caught in a situation where they lose their armor suddenly, and they don’t have the funds to buy another one, drastically lowering their chances of surviving. Having a constant knowledge of when the armor will break will allow the player to strategize and assess risk with a clearer mind, which will create a more satisfying and fair experience.