Week 12

Week 12

Phase 4

The Unique Selling Point

https://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/articles/6-games-that-succeed-because-theyre-interesting-not-because-theyre-fun--cms-21629

Understanding what we want to create in terms of mechanics and visuals, basically the overall experience, I want to outline the exact USP for The Voyageur. What genre might it fit in amongst and what are the cousin games. Using this I can discover what it is that makes our game unique and interesting. I already believe that making a game with the intention for players to do nothing but move right in order to complete it is unique in itself but there are great chances this is not true. I should research different categories; Mechanics, Experience, Artstyle. In doing this I hope to find out other avenues we can be inspired by and also confidently market our game.

The Stanley Parable is a first-person single-player experience as Stanley, an office worker who finds himself alone in the building. The journey that the player enters on is one with seemingly free choice. Of course, within a game's rules, there is no such thing, but as the image shows, when the narrator presents the player with a direction but the player is free to disregard this they begin a journey which is of their own accord.

I feel this game works best because of the narrator consistently breaking the 4th wall, talking directly to the player and often mocking them.

Although we don't want these elements to feature in our game, we definitely want to hit the mark where the player has that feeling of I'm choosing how I want to play. Without any goals/quests/objectives our game has some similarities with the Stanley Parable, yet without a narrator guiding the player, I feel it will be even more personal to the player when making choices.

Platform: PC (Windows/Linux/MacOS)

Control system: Keyboard+Mouse / Gamepad

Gameplay Length: Variable with multiple different endings. One ending takes minutes, another takes literally 4 hours.

Shadow of the Colossus on face value has nothing in common with our game idea. In search of comparative games which are more interesting and fun, this game can be viewed through the "Lenses", found in The Art of Game Design - Jesse Schell, in order to find similarities. This game uses a contrast between Action and Calm, stages where the players are using intense focus and relying on flow, to moments of relaxed and peaceful travelling where only the movement and scenery is all that matters.

For our game, we have no intention to include intense, focus demanding scenes with lots of skill to pass. Instead, we want to provide an environment for curiosity + freedom alongside calm. This will be presented through the differences in mechanics possible on the land and river sections. Focusing on these "Lenses" should help us narrow the USP and increase the effectiveness of our designing.

Platform: Playstation Exclusive

Control System: PS gamepad

Gameplay length: Average 8~15 hours dependant on puzzle-solving ability.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj-8C2misj0

Passage is a very simplistic 2D sidescroller. Using basic movement mechanics, players control their character on a journey through

life within a thin slither of the viewable screen. I find this game fascinating because it manages to provide a story, some form of narrative the player is able to create for themselves without any dialogue or text. Instead, players just explore the world from left to right, navigating the "maze" while conjuring up a unique life story for their character/'s. This speaks volumes to me as this is very similar to our intentions for The Voyageur. A game which represents life in a metaphorical way, wanting to give the player an experience which can easily be completed in a single session. Hopefully, this then provides a moment of contemplation, either during or on completion, on what life is and that it is what occurs in the journey rather than the definitive ending. It is a positive thing knowing there is a similar game out there with similar intentions, and that our goal is to create something that achieves that but through a much different, more natural aesthetic environment.

Platform: PC (Windows/Linux/MacOS)

Control System: Keyboard, optionally with a gamepad

Gameplay Length: ~5 minutes

Journey does what it says on the tin. Annoyingly titled what would be perfect for our idea, this game pretty much does the same thing as Passage in a different way, take the player on a journey. The most obvious different method is the visual style and this is exactly what will be ours as well. However, Journey likes to lean on the multiplayer aspect and utilise the philosophical approach that a journey is better spent with someone else. Using simplistic methods of communicating, players interact with one another to pass puzzles and

hurdles. This is the total opposite of our goal, to provide a more meditative environment that allows the game to move at the pace the player feels comfortable. Still including some things that might resemble a puzzle, as players will have to figure out the interactions, some without any affordance. Hopefully, we get the same kind of communication from the player but with themselves rather than a second player "Hey, I think if I do this, this will happen." Our project is to have players journey by themselves and notices that a lot can happen without distraction and just watching the space around them.

Platform: Playstation/PC(Windows, iOS)

Control System: PS Gamepad / Mouse and Keyboard

Gameplay Length: 2~3 hours

The Voyageur's USP is its experience and how it allows players to interact within the game world. A linear journey through a forest with canoeing and portage, players can pace themselves to explore, interact and meditate at their own leisure. With detailed sound design, the space players journey through should pitch them with an inherent chance to slow themselves down and think about where they are in the moment rather than the end goal:

For people who are stuck in the city, working a job running themselves into the ground, forgetful of what else there is to life. The Voyageur, like many escapism games, provides a space to forget the "work-life" and explore nature. It does this by leaving it up to you, the player, to take matters into your own hands and take the journey at your own pace. The difference between The Voyageur and similar journey/explorative/sidescroller games is that the ending has no meaning and that the experience of the journey is down to the player's will and patience. But just like in nature, on a journey you have a destination, this is inevitable unless you're happy to spend your time in the forest, meditating for eternity.

Pamphlet Map

Game Map_0.1

Creating a simple vector map, I found royalty free clipart to use in a key explaining a few of the interactions. The different green tones are to represent the terrain height of the boreal forest. Adding the red dotted line indicates that in the game, you'll be going on a journey.

Game Map_0.2

Testing the map on the pamphlet and looking at research, I left creating a much larger map would subtly give the feeling of the greater expanse out there. With the unused space, we can put the key with a transparent background slightly showing the map still. I also added backgrounds to the interaction icons to help them stand out more against the map.

The Target Audience

Recreational || Casual || Nature || Nostalgic || Different || Explorative

Looking at the game from an external, genre point of view, I want to highlight what the game will be to help me create a target audience profile. I'm doing this so the team have a better understanding of the type of people that are likely to enjoy the experience. With this information, we can always look at our designs and make informed decisions towards what the audience is more likely to react positively too.

I wanted to create this user persona type to really get an understanding of the type of person that would really want to play this game. I created it based off of the concept of the game and what we want it to be. If we make what we intend to, it will be a game that should tick the boxes for this persona type.

Relaxing Sound Design

I've created a prototype of the opening scene in the game, basically the tutorial for the game. It will be important for the sound effects too aid the experience into a feeling of relaxation for the player, so I wanted to test ambient sounds with simple imagery. I feel the end result is a big step towards proving that the sound works in the environment and will be weighted heavily towards the experience.

Project Goals

The team have decided that to create this game, means we have a purpose, therefore goals. Essentially our goal is to create a game that works to the planned experience we want for it, but to clarify and simply the project, our goals are:

To create an immersive space which represents and feels like you are journeying through nature, with the sounds that replicate the wildlife and environment you are in.
Mechanics that require basic control input, with a limited number of buttons on the controller. Which trigger fluid and pleasing animations.
A simple and charming story which allows space for the player to build their own journey.
A meditative environment that allows for a mindful experience.
To have a complete playable, although a short, version of the game finished early. Allowing for extra interactions to be added later on, to improve the experience without racing to finish.

These goals are indicating the essential experience which will hopefully help define it in an easier way to check off the progress and building of the game.

(Much of the text I'm writing here for the pamphlet will be proofed and edited to better fit the voice of the overall piece)

Week 12 Reflection

Week 13