The Different Shades of Sand

Ruins Color Scheme

Here is the color scheme for the sand and for the ruins. This is just for those two things so feel free to use other colors for other things but if you do try to make sure that it is cohesive or fitting.

The different sand colors relate to how the sand would look in shadow or brightly lit in the sun.

The red in the ruins is meant to be a metallic copper of some sorts.

The world itself is barren, the sand wiped away most signs of life. However, the world isn’t completely empty. Creatures that adapted survived. So the world is a planet of survivors. The creatures that survived should fit into an arid environment. The colors aren’t verdant and are not too vibrant, but that doesn’t mean the the colors can’t be varied or interesting. Color should be used for emphasis and be striking. Refer to the color scheme document for a base idea of the colors of the game. The ruins themselves draw influence from persian architecture. Think grand structures that stand resolute against time. The technology should influence the design.

My idea of what the player looks like is a vague concept rather than a defined aesthetic so all that I can describe is how the character feels. To me the main character is an intrepid explorer uncovering mysteries. This doesn’t mean the character is necessarily noble however he is at least brave to be exploring these ruins. He doesn’t view himself as a hero or as a saviour to his village however, he does want to help. The player is driven by his fierce curiosity to uncover the mystery of the ruins as well as wanting to help the village. Since I can’t really describe how the player looks I will have to resort to pictures. The thumbnails that Andrew provided came surprising close to the image in my mind. This doesn’t mean that the main character has to look like this, however what should be taken away from these images is the tone or feel. Each of the characters presented here look like explorers. They seem brave or dynamic. If anything could be taken from these visually its that I always had the image of the tattered cloak in my head. Hopefully this helps clarify what I think of the characters visual style. If you can keep the visual tone of the character similar to this anything is really fine by me. Please experiment.

January 4th 2015

This section is before the idea was really in place, so this is less useful

General Ideas - Formative Stage

References: Spyro, Banjo Kazooie 1 & 2, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine.

Similar Games: Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank.

Moveset: Jump, Double Jump, Triple Jump, Sideflip, Long Jump, ???

How to combine combat and platforming?

• Stick to simple jump on enemies or something else in addition or entirely?

Theme: There is a theme rather than a story. Story is secondary/unimportant.

• Theme should be colorful and vibrant. Someplace enjoyable.

• Theme should hopefully not be restrictive from a mechanics standpoint. Specifically moving platforms and other platforming challenges should be supported by theme.

• Enemies should be varied. This should be visually and mechanically. Even if you defeat them the same way, the challenge can be modified by enemy attack methods. Should be a couple different methods for different enemies though. Enemies should fit in theme.

Ninja Theme? Fluid movement some stealth mechanics??

10 Game Ideas for a 3D Platformer

• Ninja Game: 3d platforming mostly involving stealth. Power fantasy would be master assassin.

  • Issues: The theme itself lends more towards assassin gameplay, which usually heavily involves stealth components. It also opens up questions of non lethal vs lethal. Would like to be true to the lore of ninjas if I went down this path. How would collectibles work? Something similar to okami? Mark of the ninja?

  • left trigger and spin left stick in a circle results in a flurry of shurikens that will stun nearby enemies.

  • Accurately thrown shuriken can result in a kill.

• Thief: 3d platforming mostly involving stealth. Opens up more thematically consistent goals. No more assassinations but stealing specific things.

  • Collectibles make more sense as you are a regular kleptomaniac. Collectibles aren’t floating things you pick up. Rather they are bits of gold and jewelry you find when moving through a level.

  • If you are a thief you are most likely working in indoor environments. If this intended to have a camera similar to SM64 the levels will most likely need to have walls that disappear… How to do indoor environments with respect to the camera?

  • If ignoring that issue and moving outside. What goals will be presented to the player? What can you steal outside?

  • Stealth mechanics would work like most games but with a indicator like payday.

  • MGS is a good reference.

• Themeless? Abstract?

• Arabian/Egyptian: Similar to the theme of prince of persia. Could incorporate elements of magic or mysticism.

  • What are player motivations? (Combine with thief idea?)

  • Is automatically a vibrant and colorful setting. Is also an interesting setting.

  • What are enemies? How can I avoid every enemy being a big man with a sword?

  • How do you defeat enemies? Is there a combat system?

  • Moving platforms through magic? Archaic mechanical devices?

  • What are collectibles?

Main Idea comes to the forefront

Fleshed Out Egyptian Setting:

This is the point where the idea fully takes place

Main Mechanic: Sand Surfing. Similar to the sequences in Journey, but less floaty.

2 methods: Railroading sequences like journey did, or giving an open world area to explore.

Railroading

• Advantages: Smaller. Less complex. Directed goal. Able to create some really cool sequences. Allows careful and interesting placement of secrets/collectibles.

• Disadvantages: Limits player. If done poorly player will feel restricted.

Open

• Advantages: Player freedom. The feeling of exploration and adventure. More easily able to place secrets in locations that don’t break the player from the main core loop.

• Disadvantages: Have to design for full freedom of movement. Too Big. Too Complex.

Two options: Tons of replayability or a little of replayability.

High Replay Value

• Emphasis on Speedrunning

• Options for 100% runs and any% runs

• Needs player skill to reflect final time. This more than just knowing the right route its also being able to execute. to put it more simply player skill directly reflects how fast they can go. To a point.

• Skill cap must be high in this case.

Low Replay Value

• Any replay value is gained through use of collectibles and secrets

• Players would be allowed to backtrack through the use of typical platforming controls.

• In fact they may be required to do so in certain areas to gain collectibles or secrets.

• Maybe a significant demarcation between levels with and without secrets?

  • Have flow levels where maintaining speed is important (How?) and all collectibles are visible, even if they aren’t too easy to get to.

  • Then have other levels which may have sections that are fast paced but the player is always relatively easy to stop themselves and explore. Will there always be a path back up? Maybe not.

• In both types of level momentum is important for gaining certain collectibles.

  • Methods for doing so: Jumps based on speed. Breaking walls based on speed. Going up ramps (How is this different than jumps or walking?) Maybe a ramp plus a breakable wall.

  • Breakable walls should be color coded which corresponds to a speedometer. (Will the speedometer conflict with the theme? Not if the art direction is good)

  • What else?

  • Maybe have some levels with sloped walls which can be used as impromptu ramps.

  • What is the frequency of pickups? Will there be “coins” everywhere related to player score? Or are pickups less frequent? Powerups?

• Enemies try to either slow/hinder the player or kill them.

  • Skilled players can avoid enemies or even better they can use them to gain an advantage (height or speed).

  • Ant Lions: Pull player towards the center of their pit trip, however players can use the end of the pit as a ramp. (Alternatively the ant lions could launch the player. They gain a great height advantage for the cost of speed maybe a bit too gimmicky)

  • Oil Jars: If the player hits one they lose control or have less control of their player however they gain speed. Players could use this to reach an area they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to due to their speed.

  • What Else?

• Pyramid themed levels?

  • Pyramid traps?

  • Underground setting (How will camera function?)

  • Different collectibles? What purpose do they serve? Don’t collectibles actually hinder the experience of the pyramid levels? (e.g. urgent feeling, hold on while I pick up a thousand collectibles? Ways to combat that?) Maybe incorporate collectible placement for perfectionists who can find the optimal route to collectibles while maintaining speed.

  • Pyramid levels should be challenge levels with different obstacles that truly test a player’s understanding of the game mechanics. The challenges could be timed by sand filling in areas. Maybe some areas are easy when there is more sand, but if it fills up too much you can’t escape and then lose the level. Maybe a bit too complex but a nice way to remove the need for a timer. It definitely should be timed. Do we need other obstacles for pyramids or is that compromising gameplay for theme? The timed element makes it difficult enough. Maybe pyramids are the flow levels I was talking about? Or should they be another level type.

  • If you are escaping rising sand doesn’t that mean the levels have to be vertical in nature with the goal being high? (Thats a problem.) (How to maintain speed while gaining height? Usually should be mutually exclusive. Gain height at cost of speed or gain speed at expense of height.

• Control Scheme:

  • A = Jump and maybe Glide?

  • B = Crouch/Accelerate? Fall Faster?

  • X = ?

  • Y = ?

  • Start = Pause Game

  • Back = Map or Objectives? Maybe the amount of collectibles you have picked up during the level.

  • Right Trigger = Veer right?

  • Left Trigger = Veer left?

  • Left Thumbstick = Standard Controls for walking/moving

  • Right Thumbstick = Camera Movement

  • Right Bumper = ?

  • Left Bumper = ?

  • Left Thumbstick Push = ??

  • Right Thumbstick Push = Center camera behind player?

1/22/2014 Summary of Progress so Far

Create a 3D platformer where the main method of platforming is sliding down dunes of sand.

The levels will be primarily linear in nature with a focus on intelligent placement of collectibles and secrets which require the player to understand and utilize the movement system. Secrets will usually require a combination of curiosity and competence.

There are three types of level: flow, collect, and pyramid. Flow levels involve fast paced movement. They have less focus on secrets and instead focus on the player gaining enough speed to access different areas with collectibles. (e.g. the more speed you have the higher you can jump and then you can get to a platform thats at a higher elevation that has some collectibles.) The collect levels are the same as flow except there is less focus on speed and more focus on curiosity. The player should still want to go fast but should also feel like its ok to slow down and explore an area fully. (How do I incentivise the player to do this?) The pyramid are similar to flow levels in that secrets are less prevalent, however these levels are meant to be more challenging and to really test a player. They are also timed, when flow levels are not.

This is a surfing game that relies on player skill and varies the skill required by how much players want collectibles.

• How is difficulty introduced?

• If tricks aren’t the skill cap what is?

• Is a “grind” or a substitute mechanic beneficial? What purpose does limiting the players movement have? Switching between “rails” is some level challenge but it inherently limits player movement. Its not much because so far the only thing I have is moving left right, and jumping.

I want each level to be like a wonderfully crafted poem or metaphor. The sections that have a lot of content are meaningful and well thought out, the transitions are correct and serve to emphasize the content in-between.

Gameplay will focus around redirecting momentum

Ways of redirecting movement (Manipulating Momentum)

General Movement: Moving the analog back and forth

Jumping: Pushing the A button

Ramps/Angled Objects: Ramps could be specifically placed or they could be angled pillars that the player bounces off of. The first is easier but the second opens up more gameplay options.

Hitting a wall: Immediately stops movement and then the player falls straight down.

If it is angled objects would players have to hit this dead on or otherwise risk shooting off at an angle?

Wall Running/Sliding: Fall slower while sacrificing forward momentum

Sliding up an incline that has a low enough angle that it isn’t considered a ramp.

What purpose does this serve? What can it do that ramps can’t?

Surfing (ala CS:S): This has merit but I feel it is too unoriginal. Also it is very fast paced, in a way that does not fit the rest of the game.

Wind Tunnels: How do these work? can the player switch between different tunnels/exit at any point? Is this a fun mechanic? Replace these with slaloms or halfpipes?? Add them in addition?

Drifting: How slidey do we want the surfing to be? Is there a purpose in making it more slidey like the drift mechanic in mario kart?

Ways of Hindering Movement

Hitting a wall: This can be good or bad. If the player hits a wall that allows them to collect a secret that is good. Otherwise it will slow the player down which is frustrating.

How frustrating this is, is determined by the level design. Well placed walls vary the game play, keeping it interesting.

Forcing the player through a tiny space: Forcing the player to go through a small opening presents a level of challenge. The challenge changes based upon the size of the opening, its placement, and the speed that the player is moving at.

Pits: Pits that the player can fall in. Similar to walls, too many will frustrate the player but having some will vary the gameplay.

What if most pits had a raised edge that functioned as ramp? If the player is fast enough they will simply jump over small pits automatically. The danger would be if they fall in from the air. Maybe good for beginning levels but don’t be afraid to use frequent pits to ramp up difficulty. Just do so intelligently.

Enemies: Do enemies serve a purpose? What is that purpose? Can they add anything meaningful or fun to the game? How?

Good now take everything there and flesh it out ^

Reference: SSX3, Sonic Riders, Journey, 1080°

1/29/2014

The game should be challenging but not too challenging.

Setting: Sand

The setting is going through the ruins of a lost civilization. Maybe recovering the lost technology? Your enemies could be trying to get it before you. Maybe racing some people for it. Does the technology you pick up augment your abilities?

Technology is in the form of artifacts. Nobody quite knows how they work. It is technology but its advanced enough that it doesn’t even seem like technology, more like magic.

Look of infused sandstone, energy conduits and the like.

Base look starts with egyptian ruins, however want to remove the culture and mythology of egypt from this as it is a different civilization.

Movement

In SandGlass the player navigates through sand dunes using boots using the artifact technology. While surfing you will have to avoid/interact with the ruins, keeping your momentum high while doing so. The main challenge of the game is through proper use of the games controls. You control the character directing him to ramps, and avoiding pits, trying to keep momentum high while searching for collectibles.

Maybe also prosthetics made using artifact technology, but Character Design is working that out.

collectibles need a mechanical benefit as opposed to just intrinsic value. or they need to be removed

Controls

• A: Jump

• Forward Left Analog: Accelerate

• Backwards Left Analog: Decelerate

• Right Analog: Camera Control

• X: Interact

Obstacles

Walls: Impede the player’s progress and slow them down if not avoided properly.

Pits: Pits that the player needs to jump over. They are of varying sizes and should be placed in conjunction with walls and other obstacles to increase the difficulty of traversal.

Goals

Artifacts: There is the final artifact at the end of the level that is the player’s goal. Basically the victory state for each level.x

However there should be smaller artifacts that the player picks up during the level.

A dune surfing 3d platformer with emphasis on momentum management skillfully maneuvering the environment.

Mechanics

In this game you explore the ruins of a lost civilization, their remnants landmarks in the barren desert. You explore these by surfing the sandy dunes, avoiding ruins and traversing obstacles. The goal is to make it to the end of the level, preferably gathering collectibles on the way to the bottom. The main challenge of the game is through proper use of the games controls. You control the character directing him to ramps, and avoiding pits, trying to keep momentum high while searching for collectibles. After each major section of gameplay there will be a pyramid level. This level is intended to test the player’s knowledge of the game’s mechanics and unlike the other sections will be on a timer. If you fail to keep moving quickly enough you will fail that level.

Story

The ruins of the lost civilization contain powerful artifacts, and lost technology. This technology is extremely advanced, all of its secrets are lost to time. It is so advanced that it may as well be magic. Some sections of the ruins may have effects that counter normal laws of nature, such as space or gravity. You can retrofit collected tech that allows the last bastion of civilization, your home, to survive. You are your village’s last hope for survival.

Aesthetics

The game will contain a lot of sand. The sand will be broken up by rocky ravines, crumbled pillars, and ruined structures. The ruins draw their base look from Egypt, however their look is augmented by the advanced technology. Think sandstone and crystal energy conduits. I like the idea of minimalism or doing a lot with little. The game should contain striking color for interesting aesthetic highlights and variety in the scene.

Scope

Each level is linear and directed. The experience should be compact and well thought. Each level contains careful placement of objects that make the most of the small space. In addition to this there will be little or no backtracking, so level designers only have to think in one direction.

Team Requirements

3 level designers, 1-2 systems designers. 3-4 Environment Designers, 2-4 Concept Artists, 1 rigger, 1 animator, 2-3 Modelers/Texturers, 2-3 Programmers

Minimum Total Team Size: 15-21

Introduction Pitch

The story begins within The Village, a small collection of people and tents established on a relatively flat area of the desert. Located within the center of the village is circular dais that pulses a faint cyan light and hums a low-pitched sound with a cadence like that of a heartbeat. At the center of this dais is a small fountain that has a very weak flow of water, the only source the small village has. Three of the village’s occupants sit around the fountain with bowls and jars to collect what little they may, but as the last villager begins to fill their jar, the flow weakens, eliciting looks of worry from the group. From the distance, a fourth villager can be seen returning from a recent scavenging, a small sack carried with him. The three gather around him eagerly to see what he has brought back in hopes that something was found that could possibly prolong their survival in the desert, yet as he empties his sack, nothing of use is found amongst the artifacts retrieved. Disappointed, the group scatters as the scavenger approaches one of the tents.

Inside, The Nomad stands over a table with a map of mostly uncharted desert terrain, turning his gaze up to the returning scavenger as he enters. As the scavengers gaze meets The Nomads, he shakes his head slowly. Nomad looks off to the side for a moment with disappointment before he quickly makes his way out of the tent and towards the village entrance, holding on to the hope that there still may be something out there that can help the people.

As he leaves the village, this can serve as the games basic tutorial for the game’s controls for basic movement. Upon wandering a small distance, the Nomad will come across a small ruined structure that will attract the player towards it. There, a pile of rubble can be seen with a small stone gleaming within it. Upon investigation, the stone is fractured, looking to be broken in half. Not too far from the ruin the Nomad stands in, something reflecting light atop a series of small pillars can be seen in the sunlight. Here, the nomad can jump and/or climb to reach the top of the pillar. As he investigates the object, it is revealed to be the other fragment to the stone found earlier. Curious of this discover, the Nomad peers at it for a brief moment, noticing a strange pulsing from the rock. His curiosity gets the better of him as he begins to scour the small ruin for other relics. As he searches though, a sandstorm draws dangerously closer and closer. As he begins to leave, the Nomad spots the encroaching storm, staring at it in terror as he quickly tries to run away from it. Unfortunately, he is swept away by the great storm, being carried away and consumed by the great clouds of sand.

A day passes and the unconscious Nomad lays face down in the sand with nothing but his cloak and the stone found from earlier gripped tightly within his hand. The strange rock begins to pulse yet again, though this time, faster. As Nomad slowly comes to and realizes that he is lost in the desert, his attention is drawn to the stone as it casts a light leading further into the dunes. As he makes his way to the top of the dune, an expansive ruin can be seen. As the stone leads him further into the ruins, its pulse quickens in pace until he approaches a door where other stones like it are lodged into the wall. An open indention that the stone fits in perfectly ignites a light that serves as a circuit leading to the door. An armory lies within, and standing amongst the various oddities within are a pair of boots. The Nomad is drawn to them. Stepping closer to the boots causes them to levitate for a moment, pause, then launch towards the Nomad, taking him by surprise as they latch to his feet. Briefly panicked, he tries to take them off, struggling for a brief moment before utterly failing to remove them. As he picks himself up and slowly makes his way towards the exit, he discovers the sand-surfing abilities the boots grant him. This could potentially be done through the ‘pyramid puzzle’ we talked about in the last meeting. Further exploration leads to the discovery of a strangely humming gear-like relic which has sound all too similar to the dais back at the village, and as it is retrieved, a pillar of light leading back to the Nomad’s village shines from the dais back at the village, directing the Nomad where to go.

Upon his return, what few villagers are remaining have gathered around the dais, each of them uncertain as to what’s causing its strange behavior. As the Nomad draws closer, the gear hurls itself towards the dais, causing the water flow to speed and gives the machine greater potency. This could serve as a potential transition from the introduction to the first chapter of the game.

Environmentally: Similar to the Sahara Desert, but with much more hills and valleys that allow for more platforming. There are also sand “holes” akin to something like quicksand which would help direct and control the player’s path. There are also sand mountains which the player will platform in order to access the next area - these mountains can be traversed by jumping/surfing on the walls from ledges that stand out of the mountain. Also, there will be multiple oasis-like places, which act as waypoints/quick save points.

It’d look similar to this:

• Sahara Desert

• Sahara Desert - Algeria

Plant: Plant life is sparse, being a desert. However, faded-green grass-like plants, cactus-like plants are littered throughout. At the oasis-like places in the desert, there is one decently-sized tree (think like one’s in a park), which, due to the pool of water, creates a blooming area. However, where our trees and plant life are green, these planet’s plant life is blue. The trees have this sort of glimmer in the sunlight. It suggests not all hope is lost. In the village, trees and other plants are smaller-sized and scattered around.

Animal: We talked about sandworms before. Also, perhaps scaled leopards of a sort - leopard-like creatures taking snake skin in order to acclimate to the temperature better.

It was a time of prosperity. Civilization had reached a technological zenith, wherein every being was happy. However, researchers had discovered that the planet they were living on was in actuality an hourglass. Eventually, the hourglass would reset, and with it, their world would be gone. Destroyed. Erased. So an invention was made: a gravitational tether that would prevent the hourglass planet from resetting. It was a good stopgap. However, because the planet could not reset itself, resources eventually stopped producing and what was once a utopia had become a dystopia. Civilization went to ruin without the resources that had brought it to where it was. Further, the world was wrecked with chaos. Because the planet could not be reset, disasters started. Earthquakes. Tsunamis. But worst of all - sandstorms. Eventually the world became nothing more than a desert, with a population of what was once billions turning into scant thousands. Now, people simply try to survive.

This is where the Player’s story begins.

Themes: The idea of greed in which the researchers and engineers bit off more than they could chew. The idea of doing better for the world at the cost of yourself (while physically in this case, it could also be a metaphorical statement) when you can reset the world but lose everything. (Possibly) religion and beliefs of gods when the world is wrecked as it is.

How this could become infused with the gameplay: the Player could visit the various ruins of what used to be this utopia. As they platform from place to place perhaps they could enter the collapsed institutions which are available for platforming. Possible obstacles could be security droids or systems that still function, somehow (or are malfunctioning). Certain rooms exist with holographic projectors and recordings the show this backstory - scientists testing out the gravitational tether, the costs of not resetting the planet and why the people shouldn’t be afraid (a contrast to the world as it is now), and the world’s collapse as a result, and why no one shut down the tether if it was ruining the world (short answer - people didn’t want to die).

The ruins of the lost civilization contain powerful artifacts, and lost technology. This technology is extremely advanced, all of its secrets are lost to time. It is so advanced that it may as well be magic. Some sections of the ruins may have effects that counter normal laws of nature, such as space or gravity. You can retrofit collected tech that allows the last bastion of civilization, your home, to survive. You are your village’s last hope for survival.

The player is a scavenger who is scouring ruins in an attempt to save the village he is a part of. The village is one of last vestiges of civilization and without the artifacts the MC is bringing back to them the village will fade and be covered by sand. The player was part of a group of scavengers however after he was separated from the main group by a sand storm he found an artifact that attached to his feet when he touched them. He quickly found that this mysterious artifact was able to manipulate the sands in a way that allowed him to traverse at high speeds. Places in the ruins that were not accessible before suddenly could be found by the player. This game covers the story of the player as they discover more about this strange technology that they found as well as the mystery of what happened to the world ages ago.

The reason the village needs artifacts is because they use a device at the center of the village that keeps the sandstorms at bay. It is cobbled together from pieces of old technology, and since they don’t know how it works they can’t repair it, they can only try to find parts in the ruins that can replace any that break down.

Main Method of Conveyance:

The player should discover more about the technology of the race that left these ruins in the sand as well as what happened to such an advanced society. The player will do this by learning about the technology itself and about the people who made it.

It would be preferable to tell this to the player through experiencing it or through architecture of the ruins (for example the player finds a factory and by exploring finds out the purpose of the factory which is one piece of the puzzle). Another way of doing this is having the player experience “visions” whenever he activates certain devices in the ruins. In these visions the player will take the place of a one of the ancient race. The player will then act a certain event that was integral to the fall of civilization.