Basic Profile
Gameplay: This is mainly a maze game with hiding and collecting as the main factor. The innovative idea is the using of a touching box as an additional device to invoke the players tactile. In the maze there are less light and even exists pure dark area, which ask the players to touch the terrain in the touching box and figure out the way accordingly.
Scene-building: Linked with storytelling, the whole scene was set as in a lab, in which glass tanks with green gas and crying robots are applied as barriers and ghost-like young women set in turning trasparent pyramids are applied as collectable items. In considering too much contents may cause mixed up while the players touching inside the box, the background scene didn’t enrich with items too much, only necessary items and decorations with certain functions were added into the scene.
Storytelling: as the main purpose of applying storytelling is to provide a background atmosphere for the scene, there is less direct storytelling during the game. Some information was added in secret, such as morse code pretending to be decorations, graffiti that don’t know what they are representing, vague voice-over speaking in 5 different languages, and an unseeable “administrator”, trying to bring a mysterious feeling that there might be something but it’s hard to tell.
Combining with the Framework from the Thesis
1. To limit the amount of controlling keys. A complex controlling system may enrich the possibility of operation, but at the same time, it rises the learning cost. A fair simple way to gain a positive result at least expense is to use mouse clicking as the only possibility of input, which decreases the embarrassment of presenting keyboard keys on the screen.
2. To respect the tradition of controlling keys if there are any, e.g., space always refers to jump, or at least, be thoughtful if it is necessary to create a new controlling system. It is fair that a game as a piece of creative work faces the problem that there are no suitable categories to place it in, as the label of the game always comes after a certain kind of game happens. In this situation, it might be helpful to consider the arrangement tradition of operations in the games that have similar visual structures which is the players’ perspective.
3. To apply some hints at the very beginning of the game, to let the players realise at least if the game is operated by a mouse or by a keyboard.
4. To leave the players some time to explore by themselves after launching into the game, but leave an obvious enough hint, e.g., guiding lighting, to give the players some initial aims. Don’t combine the exploration requirement on the operation and on maps together.
5. According to Everaert-Desmedt (2011), upon being interpreted, the representamen has the ability to trigger an interpretant, which in turn becomes a representamen by triggering another interpretant referring to the same object as the first representamen and thereby allowing the first one to refer to the object. Hence it is crucial for the designers to ensure their signs, during the progress from an object to the signifier, can be interpreted by the players in the similar way they expect. Among the three types of signifiers, icons and indexes are more commonly used, as symbols are too easy to be influenced by cultural differences and thus the same interpretation is less possible to lead to compared with the other two.
6. If it is a game using keyboards with a complex or rarely seen arrangement on operation, it is better to show some obvious connections during onboarding at the earlier stage. Probably for ensuring a proper immersive experience, certain kinds of games do exist, avoiding directly telling the players anything and leaving it for the players to explore totally by themselves with controlling keyboards. As a result, the players sometimes will have to try keys randomly or even seek help on players’ forums if they fail to figure out the right operation keys with their previous experience.
7. As mentioned above, the basic style of the game is also an important referring condition. To be adept at combining onboarding with style by using different onboarding approaches and types of signs, the game will become more harmonious.
My framework in the final thesis
*Explanation*
Icons: showing stuff in a similar way somehow (e.g., a similar shape shows on a road sign for falling rocks)
Indexes: showing stuff with associating (e.g., smoke is a sign of fire)
Symbols: showing stuff by convention (e.g., a 45-degree cross line means “no”)
At the very beginning, the game I planned to make is a classic platform adventure game, which makes using completely no voice-over and no on-screen text possible. But the game that I finally made can be regarded as a totally new category of game. And thus there is less former experience from the players that can be called, especially since there is an additional device with covering that doesn’t let them look inside. The only way to let the players know how to play is either to add some human language for clear guidance. However, my framework is still very helpful in making the whole onboarding experience as smooth, simple and solid as possible. Here’s how I try to apply the whole onboarding in combination with my framework:
1. In the main menu, the guidance only shows up after the players try to press any button or key down to let them clearly know how to start, giving the players some space for exploring by themselves but don’t let them confused for too long a time. As the existence of the touching box is obvious enough, there’s no additional hint to lead the players. (Framework-3, Framework-4)
2. After getting into the playground scene, the player’s character will drop down from the air after another pressing on the button, to provide a visual movement to make the players notice it more. (Framework-5, in combination with my discussion in the thesis “…whereas dynamic visual is not only eye-catching but also easier to be an icon as a sign, as the crucial point for an icon is similarity, thus possibility is provided for simulating an action that the players can do.”)
3. The use of the touching box and the button is described by text to try to make it clear. Also, the usable keyboard keys are shown in text as well, in avoiding the players focusing completely on the touching box and don’t realise they need to use the keyboard. A tradition using of keys is applied according to most role-playing games. (Framework-2, Framework-6)
4. There is no text tutorial on the mission part, but all players can realise what they should do. That was achieved by applying the principles of using “icons”.
5. After collecting the first soul piece, the self-exploring time of the map is given to the players without any disturbance. Image with little light is applied to attract the players to move forward. And an only pathway of getting into the whole map is applied to lead the players to get used to touch and to walk into darkness. (Framework-4)
6. The whole tutorial texts are combined with storytelling finely with proper UI panels, to show a feeling that there’s an administrator texting the players with things like Google glasses to help them launch into the lab, for providing a harmonious experience. (Framework-7)
Processing and Management
For project management, tasks were planned and divided after prototyping and first testing according to their categories to make the multithreaded work clearer.
I didn’t make an everyday timetable, because according to my own habits, I will always try to do something other than the arrangement on the timetable.
Tools Used
Unity – URP: for building the scene and making the digital part of the game.
Blender: for building models and making poses.
Adobe Illustrator: for making UI panels as well as the necessary documents for laser cutting.
Procreate and Adobe Photoshop: for drawing and adjusting 2D graffiti on the glass.
Rode NT1, Roland A-49, FL Studio and Adobe Audition: for making the background sound and the voice-over.
Ultimaker 3, Ultimaker S5, Form 3, Form 3L, Cura and Preform: for 3D printing in different materials and sizes.
Trotec Speedy 360: for laser cutting on acrylic sheets.
Loctite 420 glue, fretsaw, electric drill, screw, sandpaper, etc.: for combining and installing all the components.