Homework 13: Story and Indirect Control

Chapter 15

1. A goal with no obstacles is not worth pursuing. 

True.

2. What is the relationship between the main character and the goal? Why does the character care about it? 

The goal of the main character is not to starve to death. The character cares about this because they would like to stay alive. The player achieves this goal by eating humans.

3. What are the obstacles between the character and the goal? 

The heath of the character is an obstacle. It goes down as long as the character is not eating humans. The terrain is also an obstacle because it is not flat, the humans hide and get stuck in places and are more difficult to find.

4. Do the obstacles gradually increase in difficulty? If yes, how? 

Eventually there will be different levels in the game and each level will have more complicated terrain. This terrain will give the humans more places to hide.

Also we are considering having the health go down faster in higher levels of the game.

Both of these aspects will make the obstacles gradually increase in difficulty.

5. Great stories often involve the protagonist transforming to overcome the obstacle. Does your protagonist transform? 

The protagonist does not transform throughout the game. Due to the nature of our game, this does not apply.

6. How is the game world simpler than the real world? 

The game world is simplier than the real world because there are significantly less rules in the game world. In the game world all you need to do is eat humans, something that is not acceptable in the real world. The player also does not need to deal with foes or any of the other unpleasantries of the real world.

7. What kind of transcendent power do you give to the player? 

The player is the most powerful being around. The player can eat a whole human with just one bite and the sight of him makes humans run away screaming. The player is the only character than can jump. The only thing in the player’s way of accomplishing his goals is terrain.  

8. What is the weirdest element in the game story? 

The weirdest element of the game story is probably that it is played from the perspective of what is commonly thought of as the bad person. Normally you play a human trying to stop an alien, but in this case you are the alien.

9. How do you ensure that the weirdest thing does not confuse or alienate the player? 

This element will not confuse or alienate the player because the player has always wondered about being a villain. Even so, from the perspective of the alien it is just survival of this fittest.

This casual attitude towards eating humans combined with the game aesthetic gives the game a humorous feel.

10. Will the players be interested in the game story? Why? 

The game story is humorous and explains what the player is doing and why. Players will be interested in this because it gives context to what they are doing. It also clarifies any confusion created by the aesthetics.

Because the story has humor, players will want to share it with their friends. Perhaps one day there will be a multiplayer in which the aliens were travelling together and then have to fight to get the most humans. But that will happen in due time.

Chapter 16

1. In what sense does the player have freedom of action? Does the player "feel" free at these times? 

The player is free to move around the terrain and free to choose which aliens to eat. People who have played our game seem to feel free. There is no order in which the player has to each the humans, so long as they eat them. There are very few constraints on the player.  

2. What are the constraints imposed on the players? Do they feel constrained? 

The player does not feel constrained. The player has to eat humans before their health gets to zero, but each time they eat a human the health goes up a little which gives them more time to find more humans.

3. Ideally, what would you like your players to do (lens #72)

Ideally the players would eat all of the humans by navigating  the terrain and jumping on/over objects quickly.

4. Can you design your interface to "force" the player to do what you (the designer) wish him/her to do? 

Our interface is designed to force the player to want to eat humans. There is a counter telling you how many humans are left in the terrain and a health bar that reflects how often you eat humans. There is also a score that reflects how quickly you eat humans.