Final project for Game Design 1.

Looks better with fullscreen.

Images are not mine.

StatusPrototype
PlatformsHTML5
Authormeevans
Made withTwine

Comments

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In The Shuttle, the perspective of it being a recording was an interesting way to frame the scenario as a whole. As the story unfolded, narrative was a key component in setting the scene. The key players of the mission and the stakes were set up at the beginning. As it was determined that the mission was a go, you embarked. At this point, the player was offered several options that could determine the path of the story and the outcome. Player choice played a large role in this game, as a few different choices could determine the overall storyline. I enjoyed this element of the game, as I felt like my choices had a large impact and the different outcomes of the story based on these choices left me wanting to play it multiple times and choose different options to see what would come of it. The different options led to a variety of scenarios in which some, or all, of the three man crew you are a part of was either able to escape or be trapped within the shuttle. There was a high level of suspense throughout this game, with certain narrative points illustrating that this mission was different from a typical one, although you were prepared for a certain level of misfortune and disaster. This game definitely had a horror/sci-fi tone to it, which I thought was cool. I'd be curious to know about some of your influences for creating this game and exploring the narratives within it. Another interesting element of this game was the minimalism it engaged with in visual design. The dark starry background, along with the use of several shuttle images, created a sense of eeriness and added to the suspense. There was a lot of content portrayed in the game through paragraphs of text. These paragraphs of text slowed the player down and made them take in the information slowly, but did not reduce the overall suspense. Rather, the use of text in this game perhaps added to the suspenseful feeling of it. In all the scenarios, the end screen is a simple "End of recording." In some cases, you know that you had reached your demise and that ending feels satisfying in a certain way. In other cases, the "end of recording" screen leaves you wanting to know more and feeling curious. This abrupt ending caps off all of the different experiences you may have in this game nicely. Something that may have added an element of shock/suspense to your game would be sound effects, which might be something to play with and explore in future developments. Although, there was a certain eeriness to the silence and darkness of the game, which may have very well been an intentional design choice to create suspense. Overall, the story of this game and the multiple ways that it can unfold create an interesting and engaging sci-fi/horror experience. As previously mentioned, I also feel that someone could get a lot of enjoyment out of all the different possible avenues to explore within this game and could replay it many times exploring these different options. You made great use of player choice in this narrative based game. 

In the game The Shuttle, a recording is played that the player is able to read through. The setting of the game is a space and features a crew in charge of cleaning old ships drifting in space. The setting is well established with the space background and the explanation of looking through a space recording. The images included with the dialog also helps with the immersion. The images help visualize the unfamiliar setting. The first choice in the story is to decide who will return to get a scanner. Depending who gets the scanner, the story will split and different outcomes will be shown. The main storyline revolves around the crew finding a mysterious being in the ship and having to escape the ship. Depending on the player’s choices, the main character and the crew may escape. Or the player and the crew don’t escape. Other possibilities include a combination of the main character and part of the crew escaping or being trapped. These choices, along with the narrative and images, create a replayable experience. It was engaging to look through all the different paths and read the different outcomes. The sense of mystery and horror elements created an atmosphere fitting for the sci-fi setting. I think the mystery in the game helps with the engagement. Enough details are explained for the player to be confused but not all is explained so the player will get bored. Players may be left wondering what is happening and may read closer in order to see more context clues. The story is also written in a first person perspective which also helps with the sense of engagement. When the player makes choices, it is apparent to the reader of what the consequences are. These choices are especially apparent after replaying the game and reader through the other possibilities. The story also features a few other characters. Wagner and Simpson seem similar to each other, however the different story paths that feature the character are different from each other. When the main character and Wagner or Simpson meet the unknown creature, different outcomes happen depending on which characters meet the creature. The creature featured towards the end of the story also plays a major role. There is mystery surrounding what happened in the ship and what even is the creature shown. Because of how the story is told in a first person perspective, the creature is not given much information. The details of the story are told through detailed and artistic images of the scenes. They complement the written story well and seem to make it clear to the reader what is going on. The images feature the spaceship as dark and messy which matches the main character’s role as someone who is supposed to go to old ships. Because of the replayability, the game is able to tell a few interesting ways the story may end. It also features interesting choices for the player to make that causes different outcomes. The game overall is a well written short story featuring interesting choices and engaging imagery.