Platformer Pitch: Safety Inspector.

     In typical platformer fashion, my level is set in a much more dangerous situation than the saem situation would be in reality. My current idea of a setting is a Spike factory for all the other sidescroller games that need environmental hazards under inspection for safety. Of course, the factory is nowhere near in safe condition as there are pits full of spikes and spikes on the ceiling, as well as at least one malfunctioning elevator. Like any safety inspection, no one was expecting it, so it is in the middle of a normal work day and no one was prepared.

      The Architecture would be steel girders and I-beams and factory equipment and service elevators. The factory's product, spikes, are strewn everywhere and stuck to places that they have no business being stuck.

     Prior to the inspector's arrival, the workers were clumsy and kept making mistakes and not taking care of their factory, leading to the condition it is currently in. The Inspector, who we can call Tony, made his surprise visit to the factory and was in horror at its condition. Nevertheless, he still needs to do his job and try not to be another workplace death in this mismanaged and disorganized factory.

Level tutorial analysis.

     The moment that you enter the first level of Super Mario World, an enemy comes sliding towards you and you know you either have to kill it or jump over it. Games from this era teach you how to play without making you feel babied or plain old stupid. Once you escape this enemy you are greeted with a massive bullet and you panic to discover you can crouch. Or well, you die as you have yet to get a super mushroom.
     The types of obstacles and number of enemies get increasingly harder as you progress through the level. The first enemy you encounter is a Koopa without its shell. The second that you are able to fight is a dinosaur that takes two hits to kill. Already by the second screen you are challenged. As you learn, and you will learn quickly, the level's difficulty rises but does not reach a point where completion is impossible.

     The player is left to figure out most of the mechanics on their own, but the situations they are put in (such as the first enemy you see slides down to you), help the player figure out what to do. Tip blocks exist in most levels in this game for players to learn things that are not immediately obvious. There are two in this level with this basic information.

• You can carry an extra item if you already are powered up. It can be accessed by pressing SELECT. (or in my case on the Wii U, the - button)
• You can pick up shells to throw at enemies with your sprint button.

      If the player experiments, they discover new things, such as that Mario's spin jump can break the light yellow block with eyes on them, and that either of his jumps break most types of blocks. If the player breaks the right blocks, there is a secret pipe that has coins and a Yoshi coin. The player learns from experience rather than having the controls and concepts shoved into their face.

     The most basic form of "negative feedback" that is given to the player is that if they are powered up, and collide with an enemy, they will power down, or if not powered up, will die and return to the hub map. 

The story is integrated into the level slightly by introducing a new enemy, a bipedal dinosaur, within the first few steps. This is an introduction to later levels where you meet Yoshi, a much more friendly dinosaur.

Here is basic navigation and being hit by an enemy, as well as the tip block being put the use.

Final Game Trailer

A sinister silent movie for my sinister game!

Final board game

Pretty happy with how this came out, I feel I did a pretty nice job.

Progress on Level for 3d

I have started set dressing, but before I started, I took some wicked pictures of my level, take a look.

Blackwood Manor: Final Print and Play!

After quite a few weeks I have finished my print and play. The following link is a pdf including everything you need minus a d6 die

Click here to view and download

Blackwood Manor-A Creepy Exploration of the Macabre

I decided I would just decide on the game theme I would do ahead of time cause I already knew it was the idea I wanted to do no matter what.

1. It would be 3-4 players, each playing as young goth/macabre/witch girls similar to Wednesday Addams or Ashley from the Warioware series.

2. The object of the game is to collect things such as spiders, raven skulls, spell books, torture devices or even a cursed teddy bear. Each will give you points for discovering them when you land on a plaything tile. 

3. The goal of the game is to find the Phantom lover's Tome. There are also trap tiles on the board that will take away a random treasure or send you back a few spaces. To get into the Library to find the Tome, you must first find the Blackwood Key, which unlike the treasures, is found with in a trap. This adds a different dynamic because you have to fall into a trap to win the game. 

4.You lose the game when you lose you character's token possession, which is lost when you lose all collected playthings and your randomly assigned plaything which is given to you at the beginning of the game. 

5. You roll of a d6 die to move between 1 and 6 spaces, and can choose to land on a trap tile if you arrive at one before the end of your move. Trap tiles may also include more valuable playthings but you may pay a price in movement speed or direction, or you may not even find a plaything and lose an existing one. 

6. Game lasts about 20 minutes but can be quicker if a key is found early on and they get to the library without losing their playthings and character token. However, if you find it too early and try to enter the library, you risk falling into one too many traps and losing. 

7. Each plaything has a value and if a player has a higher value than the Tome finding player, they may win despite not finding the Tome. This is one tactic of winning without a key. 

• Playthings found on plaything tiles are worth between 10-15 points
• Trap Playthings are worth 30 points
• The Tome is worth 75 points

8. There are 4 characters with different visual appeals and non-modifying possessions.

    

• Autumn- Striped black and white tights, black dress, pale with black shoulder length black hair. Possession-Black Widow Broach
• Calliope- Red lace dress, Long white hair, and red headband. Dark eyes and red lipstick. Possession- Ruby Wand
• Layla- Floor length blue spider lace dress, White pigtails and white face with black lipstick (similar to below) Possession- Voodoo doll
  
• Ophelia- White rose petal dress, white tights with no shoes, blood at the corner of her mouth. Possession- Vial of Blood