Huang_EscapeFromTheMysteriousCave
by Xuanchi Huang
1. Core Game Mechanics
1.1. Roger can stop, go back or move on at any time.
1.2. There are several stalactites as checkpoints in each level. When Roger passes a stalactite, it becomes the nearest resurrection point.
1.3. The scorpion is fast and small. It only moves back and forth within a radius of 1 meter centered on the shallow pit.
1.4. The monitor lizard stays in the deep hole. Every 3 seconds, the monitor lizard pops its head out and opens its mouth for 1 second.
1.5. The mound is very high, so Roger cannot jump over it directly. But as a mole, Roger is able to dig loose mounds.
1.6. Statue: There are many kinds of statues. The collected statues can be used to unlock levels or exchange for new skins of moles, scorpions and monitor lizards at the barter store.
1.7. Detector: This allows Roger to detect what is in the nearest mound. The detector is disposable and fails after being used once.
1.8. Mealworm: Bait. When Roger finds it hard to avoid the scorpion, he can use a mealworm as bait to get the scorpion's attention. The tempted scorpion will stop by the mealworm and won’t move any more. A mealworm can only be used as bait once and attract only one scorpion.
1.9. Bomb: There is only one bomb per level, which is used to blow away a huge rock blocking the exit. Roger cannot pass a level without the bomb.
2. Core Loop
2.1. Move left and right.
2.2. Jump.
2.3. Dig mounds.
2.4. Find the bomb.
2.5. Elude scorpions and monitor lizards.
2.6. Find the exit.
3. Secondary Loop
3.1. Collect statues.
3.2. Catch mealworms.
3.3. Find detectors.
4. Tertiary Loop
4.1. Collect all the statues.
4.2. Unlock all hidden levels.
4.3. Get all the skins.
5. Target Player
5.1. Stan is a four-year-old boy who lives in a quiet mountain village. He is shy and likes to play alone. Every child has his private world, and Stan is no exception. Every day, Stan runs his "playground" behind the warehouse of an abandoned temple on the hillside near his home. There, Stan puts small bottles, each containing an insect. Crickets, grasshoppers, mantises, these are Stan's friends. For Stan, finding new bottles and insects is the greatest joy in life.
6. Interaction With The Target Player
6.1. Stan likes to explore new things and enjoys quiet time alone. When he plays my game, the activity he cares most is digging mounds, because there are different things hidden in the mounds. However, Stan complains about the low number of mounds and the lack of variety of objects in them. He hopes for more novel items.
6.2. As a result, I increase the number of mounds per level and design different statues, so Stan could collect specific statues to unlock levels and customized skins. Detectors, mealworms, and a bomb have also been added to the mounds to enrich the gameplay.
6.3. In addition, Stan finds it difficult to jump over scorpions constantly because they move so fast.
6.4. To reduce the difficulty, I add baits to the game to get the scorpions’ attention. This makes Stan satisfied because he feels like the master of scorpions.
7. Character
7.1. Mole: Roger
7.2. Scorpion
7.3. Monitor Lizard
8. Scene
8.1. Underground
8.2. Cave
9. Prop
9.1. Statue
9.2. Detector
9.3. Mealworm
9.4. Bomb
10. High Concept
10.1. I designed a Puzzle Adventure Game. In my game, the player would control a mole to elude scorpions and monitor lizards, collect statues, and finally escape from a mysterious cave.
11. How My Prototype Works_Abstract
11.1. 1. A mole named Roger lives in the jungle. He likes to collect all kinds of beautiful stones.
11.2. 2. One day, Roger is walking in the jungle.
11.3. 3. Suddenly an earthquake strikes.
11.4. 4. He falls into a crack in the ground and loses consciousness.
11.5. 5. When Roger wakes up, he finds himself lying in a deep cave. As the wall of the cave is hard and steep, Roger cannot climb out of it.
11.6. 6. He has to explore a new way out in the cave.
12. How My Prototype Works_Monitor Lizard
12.1. 13. Roger moves on and finds a low slope.
12.2. 14. Roger jumps up the low slope and finds a deep hole in front of him. A monitor lizard stays in the deep hole. Every 3 seconds, the monitor lizard pops its head out and opens its mouth for 1 second.
12.3. 15. Roger must jump over the pit within 3 seconds of the monitor lizard returning to the pit. If Roger falls into the deep hole or jumps when the monitor lizard appears, he will be captured by the monitor lizard.
13. How My Prototype Works_Game Starts
13.1. 7. Roger is walking through a tunnel. He can stop, go back or move on at any time.
13.2. 8. There are several stalactites as checkpoints in each level. When Roger passes a stalactite, it becomes the nearest resurrection point. If Roger is accidentally captured by a scorpion or a monitor lizard, he will be resurrected from the nearest checkpoint.
14. How My Prototype Works_Scorpion
14.1. 9. After Roger walks some distance, he finds a shallow pit in front of him.
14.2. 10. A scorpion climbs out of the shallow pit and approaches Roger.
14.3. 11. The scorpion is fast and small. It only moves back and forth within a radius of 1 meter centered on the shallow pit.
14.4. 12. Roger can get over a scorpion in one jump. If Roger touches the body of a scorpion, he will be captured by the scorpion.
15. How My Prototype Works_Mound
15.1. 16. Roger moves on and finds a semicircular mound in front of him.
15.2. 17. The mound is very high, so Roger cannot jump over it directly. But as a mole, Roger is able to dig loose mounds.
15.3. 18. There may be statues, detectors, mealworms, a bomb, scorpions, monitor lizards or nothing in the loose mounds.
15.4. 19. Statue: There are many kinds of statues. The collected statues can be used to unlock levels or exchange for new skins of moles, scorpions and monitor lizards at the barter store.
15.5. 20. Detector: This allows Roger to detect what is in the nearest mound. The detector is disposable and fails after being used once.
15.6. 21. Mealworm: Bait. When Roger finds it hard to avoid the scorpion, he can use a mealworm as bait to get the scorpion's attention. The tempted scorpion will stop by the mealworm and won’t move any more. A mealworm can only be used as bait once and attract only one scorpion.
15.7. 22. Bomb: There is only one bomb per level, which is used to blow away a huge rock blocking the exit. Roger cannot pass a level without the bomb.
15.8. 23. Some semicircular mounds of earth are on the side of the road, which means Roger has to deviate from the escape route and take greater risks.
16. How My Prototype Works_Find The Exit
16.1. 24. At each level, the route back to the surface is not unique. Roger may try different routes.
16.2. 25. Some passages are dead ends. In this case, Roger has to step back and explore another path.
16.3. 26. Finally, Roger finds the exit. He uses the bomb to blow away a huge rock blocking the exit, and leaves the cave with his collection of statues.
