Sub-games and rewards

This week I will be discussing some of the sub goals within our game. These goals are to lure the player from the standard “get to the end of the level” goal and to test very skilled players who are able to accomplish both tasks. Within the levels of our game are three objects that are hidden/very difficult to reach. Once they player has touch one of these objects, they will collect it. Collecting all the objects in a level will present the player with an unlockable. Most of the time to gain these objects is very difficult and requires the player to use a large amount of experimentation and exploration of the levels. Some involve the player to stray from the defined path to get to the end of the level. We feel that this mechanic will increase the life of the game as players can go back to previous levels in order to find all the hidden objects. This is a similar mechanic to what is used in Super Mario 3D Land with the star coins (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHt5dOd7Gfs) and Batman Arkham Asylum with the Riddler Trophies. 

The type reward is unknown to the player, making it even more tantalizing to complete the challenge. This sub-game will also add a lot more depth to our game as the player must make the choice to either continue on their way through the level linearly or to try and acquire the objects. Some objects require the player to perform dangerous actions (such as rolling near the edge of the cliff) to be obtained. This will also add a sense of risk vs reward into the game, does they player risk possibly loosening a massive amount of time in order to gain the object to gain the reward?        

 Finding the trophies is a very fun sub game

Designing Mechanics in a Level

In this blog post I will try to describe one of the mechanics I am implementing in one of the levels of my groups game. The mechanic allows the player to access faster as well as safer part of the track if they are able to meet certain conditions. One path involves pressing a hidden button to gain access to a faster, safer way though a part of the level. The longer path is actually quite dangerous, making the faster path even more desirable. The faster path has been placed purposely so that it is visible when the player uses the slower one. This will entice the player to discover how to reach the path. This will allow experienced players to uses these paths instead of the slower ones. It is also a way for the more experienced players to show off as in an online race, they can use these paths to gain advantages over inexperienced players. But once an experienced player uses these paths, they will reveal the method of unlocking them to the inexperienced player, allowing them to use it in the next round. This is similar to the shortcuts in Mario Kart, how the shortcuts gives advantage to the players who know them, but will also teach them to the players who don’t.  

                                                    Two different paths

The next path involves more skill then knowledge. The marble is dropped into a sort of pachinko machine. One of the three openings at the bottom leads to a faster path. The one that does is considerably smaller than the other two. The other two openings leads to a slower path. As I playtested this portion, I found that I was constantly falling into the slower paths. Eventually I was able to come up with a strategy of what pegs to hit. With this strategy I was able to make it into the faster hole. Obviously it will need more playtesting and iterations, but it is already functioning in terms of needing strategy and experience to access the faster paths.   

Magic The Gathering Cards

For the Demon character, I made the cost only 1 black mana. That means he would get 2 from the black and 1 from the baseline, giving him a total of 3. I distributed it so he had 1 power and 2 toughness.  

Red Demon:

Black: 2

Card Baseline: 1

Total: 3

For the human solider character, I made his cost 2 white mana. First he receives a total of 4 points from the 2 whites, then 1 additional point from the baseline. Since his total is 5, he receives another point, making his total 6. I gave him 4 power and 2 toughness.    

Human Solider:

White: 2

White: 2

Card Baseline: 1

Cost of 5 or more: 1

Total: 6

The robot character receives 4 points from the black and green mana (2 points each). He also gets the 1 point from the baseline. Since he has reached 5 points he gets the additional bonus. Since he has a green mana, the bonus is 2 instead of 1. This makes his total 7. I allocated the points to give him 3 power and 4 toughness.   

Cyborg Killer:

Green: 2

Black: 2

Card Baseline: 1

Cost of 5 or more with green: 2

Total: 7