Wick 1

Help Wick the ghost turn on all of the lights! Group 5 Team Harbinger: Alexander Murphy Editing, Game Progression, Prototyping/Playtesting Brady Cox Game Elements, Appendices Janie Slentz Game Mechanics, Artificial Intelligence Julien Martin Game Overview and Technology, Storytelling Chris Bhulai Cover Page, Table of Contents, Business Considerations

Table of Contents:

Wick 2

I. Game Overview and Technology ------------------------------------------------------ 5

1. What the Game Is--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 1.2 Technical Consideratio--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6

II. Game Mechanics ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 1. General ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7 2. Movement and Controls --------------------------- ---------------------------------------- 7 3. Menus and Interface ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 III. Artificial Intelligence --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 1. Enemy AI ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12 2. Pathfinding ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 2.1 Normal Enemies ----------------------------------------------------------------- 13 2.2 Smart Ghosts ------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 2.3 Crazy Ghosts ------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 3. Damage / Combat --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 4. Story AI ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 IV. Game Elements -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 1. Character Design ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 1.1 Wick (Protagonist) --------------------------------------------------------------- 15 1.2 Enemies (Antagonists) ---------------------------------------------------------- 15 1.2.1 The Normal Ghost --------------------------------------------------- 16 1.2.2 The Fast Ghost ------------------------------------------------------- 16 1.2.3 The Smart Ghost ----------------------------------------------------- 17 1.2.4 The First Boss -------------------------------------------------------- 18 1.2.5 The Second Boss ---------------------------------------------------- 18 1.2.6 The Third Boss ------------------------------------------------------ 18 1.2.7 The Fourth and Final Boss -----------------------------------------------------------18 2. Sound ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 3. Items -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 3.1 Power-ups ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 3.1.1 The Sparkler ---------------------------------------------------------- 20 3.1.2 The Firefly Jar ---------------------------------------------------------- 21 3.1.3 The Lightswitch ---------------------------------------------------------- 21 3.2 Spirit Points ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 3.3 The Upgrade Room --------------------------------------------------------------- 22 3.3.1 Speed Boost ------------------------------------------------------------ 22 3.3.2 Wick Light Upgrade ----------------------------------------------------- 22

Wick 3

3.3.3 Light Defense ----------------------------------------------------------- 22 4. Completion Elements ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 4.1 Timer ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 4.2 Light Progression Bar ------------------------------------------------------------- 23 V. Storytelling -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 1. Plot ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 2. Characters --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 3. Environment ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 4. Narrative Technique ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 25 VI. Game Progression --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 1. Storyline Progression ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 2. Gameplay Progression --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 2.1 Time Limit --------------------------------------------------------------------- 27 2.2 Light Sources ------------------------------------------------------------------ 28 2.3 Progress Bar ------------------------------------------------------------------ 30 2.4 Objects ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 2.5 Enemy AI --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 2.6 Environmental Appearance ---------------------------------------------------- 32 2.7 Spirit Points ------------------------------------------------------------------- 32 3. External Game Progression --------------------------------------------------------------- 32 3.1 Wick Upgrades --------------------------------------------------------------- 33 3.2 Level Selection Screen -------------------------------------------------------- 33 3.3 Scoreboard --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34 3.4 Saving Option ---------------------------------------------------------------- 34 VII. Prototyping and Playtesting -------------------------------------------------------- 34 1. Prototyping ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 34 2. Playtesting ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 40 VIII. Business Considerations ---------------------------------------------------------- 43 1. Competition Analysis ------------------------------------------------------------------- 43 1.1 Angry Birds ---------------------------------------------------------------- 43 1.2 Fruit Ninja ----------------------------------------------------------------- 45 2. Feasibility Analysis -------------------------------------------------------------------- 46 2.1 Our Company ------------------------------------------------------------- 46 2.2 Our Product --------------------------------------------------------------- 47 2.3 Industry --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47 2.4 Market Strategy ----------------------------------------------------------- 48 2.5 Operations ----------------------------------------------------------------- 48 2.6 Development --------------------------------------------------------------- 49 3. Projected Sales ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 50 IX. Appendices -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 Appendix A Data CD Content ----------------------------------------------------------- 50

Wick 4

Appendix B Document Content----------------------------------------------------------- 51 Appendix C References ----------------------------------------------------------------- 52

I. Game Overview and technology Razor Statement: Help Wick the ghost turn on all of the lights!

Wick 5

1.1 What the game is. The game is called Wick; it is a casual puzzle game for PC/Mac and (eventually) Smart-phones. The player is put in control of a ghost named Wick. Wick is the youngest brother in a family of ghosts living in a haunted mansion. The Ghoul casted shadows over Wicks mansion. While his older brothers have become shadowed forms, Wick is still young and yet to be tainted by the shadows. Even though Wick may be a ghost he is still frightened of dark, spooky places. Wick must go from room to room lighting each of them to get rid of the shadows which consume his house. This does not sit well with his brothers who now despise the light. Once Wick begins to light a room they quickly appear to extinguish the flames. As the user of Wick, the player must help him with this task. Along the way, the player will gain Spirit Points when they finish levels. These can be used to upgrade various aspects of Wick, such as flight speed, longer wick lengths for lit lights, and new sources of light that Wick himself can carry such as the always powerful flamethrower. Spirit Points can also be used to buy alternate costumes for Wick to wear in gameplay. All aspects related to upgrades and extras can be redeemed in Wicks personal study. The game itself can quickly become a fast-paced puzzle game; the player must be on his/her toes in order to light the room up a fast as possible. Each room will start off completely dark (except for where Wicks light shines) and have a set percentage of lights that need to be lit in order to light the full room. The player may go above and beyond the bottom line percentage and gain more Spirit Points from his/her hard work giving a different experience depending on who the player is and what they would like to achieve during game-play. 1.2 Technical Considerations

Wick 6

The platforms on which this game is first being made are on the PC and Mac. The program utilized to create the game will be Adobe Flash CS4, with most of the art being created in Adobe Photoshop CS3 and CS4. The type of view the game will be played in is a 2-D, side view plat-former. There will be background music and it will be mostly orchestra, 8-bit, and ambient sounds. The main gameplay aspect and one of the primary reasons why this game will be interesting is the way lighting affects the game-play. The design team wanted to think of an interesting game mechanic that has rarely been used before in this type of game interface. We came to a conclusion on the lighting mechanic. Lighting in this game is what lets the player advance, upgrade, strategize, and win. Being such a key attribute in the game and gameplay itself, the design of the lighting system took a lot of consideration. We decided that in order to beat a level, a certain minimum percentage of light sources had to be lit. There are a number of mechanics that have been implemented into the game to make it more engaging. The timer on each level forces players to succeed within the time limit. Light can also be contained or increased based on objects around the candle. For instance, if a player lights a candle in a room with a bookshelf, the light will then be contained to the side of the bookshelf its on, and thus does not give such a large percentage of light off. Conversely, a light lit near a mirror will then refract off the mirror and light a larger area of the room. This element makes the environment more than just a background, which will in turn make the player think more carefully as to where and what candles should be lit. There is also a variety of types of light sources which Wick can light that illuminate different amounts of the room. There is an upgrade system to improve how Wick interacts with the environment as well. Finally, there are several

Wick 7

different types of enemy AIs that Wick can encounter who will put out the lights Wick has already lit. II. Game Mechanics 1. General Wick is a single-player flash game created for the computer featuring a man vs nature theme. The game is two-dimensional, and the player is given a side-view of their character and the level. The levels, or rooms, are confined to what the player can see on the game screen (no scrolling). The player's goal is to light all the candles in the room, and then advance to the next level. The overall goal is to light up the entire mansion and free his brothers and the mansion of the evil ghost that has taken them over. The game utilizes sounds, story, interactivity, and art to immerse the player in the magic circle. The player is placed in a cartoon-like world where he or she must illuminate all the darkness. The level design is meant to give the player the illusion that they are travelling through a large mansion, room-by-room, thus creating the players playground. 2. Movement and Controls The player can move freely throughout the screen in each game-play level. As it is a 2-D game, the player is however, limited to up, down, left, and right movements. The arrow keys on the keyboard (or track pad/other control on smart phone) are used to determine the player's movement. Holding the up arrow results in the players character moving toward the top of the screen. Likewise, holding the down arrow causes the character to move toward the bottom, the left arrow to the left, and the right arrow to the right. The player is also given diagonal movement. For example, holding the up arrow and right arrow will result in the character moving toward the upper-right corner of the screen. Simply pressing or tapping an arrow key

Wick 8

causes the player to only move once, or take a single step (exactly five pixels), in the corresponding direction. The movement of the character is always either at rest, or at max speed. Since the player character is a ghost with the gift of flight, it is not inhibited by gravity. As soon as a direction is commanded by the user, the character moves at maximum velocity. Likewise, as soon as the player is no longer pressing a directional button, or is blocked by an impassable object, the character comes to a complete stop. The only movement obstacle in the game is the border of the screen. The player can move to the very edge, but cannot fully disappear off screen. These edges are solid on all four sides for the player (since theyre the walls of the room), although enemies can come onscreen by seemingly passing through them (their ghosts it makes sense we swear). The player must also be able to control Wick's ability to light candles and other lighting fixtures. This can be achieved by placing the player character within a set radius of the center of a light source structure. When the designated space is entered by Wick, the player will light up the object. The final controls of in-level controls are the p and s keys of the keyboard. Pressing the p key will pause the game until p is pressed again. Pressing the s key will save the players game and allow them to resume from the current level upon re-launching the game. Similarly to the light sources, Wick can also access the randomly placed power-ups in a level by passing within a set proximity of the center of the power-up in question. This will automatically activate the power-ups ability for the amount of time period that it lasts for. These options will be available on smart phones as either the corresponding button the text pad or by pressing the back/menu button on smart phones.

Wick 9

The mouse/track-pad and left-click button (or enter button/directional controls for a phone) are also part of the controls in the game. This will be utilized in all the parts of the game that arent the actual gameplay levels. On each menu interface page the mouse can be used to go over the interactive buttons and left-clicking on these buttons will allow you to navigate each of these aspects of the game and initiate the next level the player will play. This works the same way with the corresponding controls on the smart phone. 3. Menus and Interface When the game is launched, the player is presented with a Main Menu screen. The Main Menu features a 'Start' button, Scoreboard button, and 'Instructions' button. The user must leftclick on one of these with the mouse in order to leave the screen and progress. If the 'Instructions' button is clicked, the screen displays a list of basic instructions and player controls, as well as another 'Start' button. Both 'Start' buttons either begin the first level of the game when clicked, or if a saved game can be found, take the player to the Level Selection page. The Level Selection page displays a list of all forty levels in the game. It appears as the outside of the mansion (as if it were cut in half to reveal the inside) with each mansion room being a level. Every level the player has previously completed will appear as a full-color button, and will be click-able. If one of these buttons is clicked, the player will be immediately taken to the beginning of the corresponding level. All levels that have not yet been completed will appear as faded out, and will be completely inaccessible to the player. To return to the main menu the player will click the Return to Menu button on the bottom left of the screen. If the Scoreboard button is clicked from the main menu screen, the player will be taken to a page that displays all of the previously saved scores of the game. The scores will appear in

Wick 10

rows, each row containing a player name, final score, and time spent playing. On the bottom-left of this screen will be a Return to Menu button, which takes the player back to the main menu screen. The Upgrade Room or Study Room as its called in the game is a room that can be accessed after completing a level. In the room there are three separate gameplay aspects that can be upgraded up to five times each, as well as alternate costumes that can be bought for Wick. These upgrade aspects are Speed Boost, Light Defense, and Wicks Light. Speed Boost will increase Wicks movement speed permanently. Light Defense increases the time it takes for the enemy AI to put out a light source thats lit. Wicks Light will modify the light source Wick himself holds and will increase the amount of area illuminated around Wick with each new upgrade. The alternate costumes for Wick dont benefit the player as far as any gameplay advantage but do make for fun aesthetic collectors items in the game that will change Wicks appearance when activated. All of these upgrades and extras can be clicked on and then purchased with Spirit Points that Wick earns when he completes levels. There will be a Return to Menu button on the bottom left that brings the player back to the Main Menu and then a Select Next Level button that will appear to be one of the books in the room which will take the player to the Level Select page. The gameplay levels, which are accessed after the level is selected from the Level Select Page, all contain the same basic interface. The player character initially begins in the bottom-left corner of the game screen. In the top-left corner, a timer keeps the seconds remaining until the player must complete the level. An illumination progress bar is in the bottom-right corner of the game screen. This bar keeps track of all the objects the player has lit on the level, and displays a progress bar accordingly. At the beginning of the level, the progress bar has a sliver of yellow,

Wick 11

indicating the room is only very slightly lit (representing the constantly lit candle the player character holds). Each time a structure is lit, the bar increases. Likewise, each light that is put out causes the bar to regress. When the bar reaches a certain size, a message appears above it indicating to the player that they have completed the level and may exit. If the player doesnt exit, the player can continue to play, lighting as many lights as possible, until the timer runs out. The levels begin with the background completely hidden by black (the darkness). As the player lights structures, the level's art is revealed. Each level, or room, contains different art, lighting structures, and locations for the lighting structures. The player can pause the game at any time in a level by clicking the p button on the keypad. This stops all activity on screen including the timer and places a large PAUSE sign in the middle of the screen. While the player is in the pause screen, the entire background goes black, so that he or she cant use the pause as an advantage and scout out where to go next. Pressing the p button again will un-pause the game, returning the level layout to normal and getting rid of the PAUSE sign. Should the timer run out, the player will be sent to the Game Over screen. The player will be presented with large text reading Game Over in the center of the screen. In the bottomright of the screen, a Select Level button is accessible to the player. Clicking this button will send the player to the Level Selection menu. At any given time during any part of the game the player can press the s button on the computer keypad to save his or her progress in the game. It will save the level the player has made it to, the scoreboard scores; the players purchased upgrades and costumes, and the players current Spirit Points. It is instant and will not disrupt what the player is doing at that time. This save is sent to a memory cache in the computer (or smart phone) hard drive, and thus

Wick 12

can only be accessed on the same console. If a player saves while in the middle of a level, the player will only have saved the information up to the point before he entered the current level. The game also automatically saves after each level is completed. III. Artificial intelligence 1. Enemy AI The enemy characters in Wick are his ghost brothers and the evil ghost that is controlling them. Their goal is to keep the mansion dark by putting out all the candles that Wick lights. Every time Wick reaches a predetermined level of illumination for the level, a new enemy enters the screen. The enemies start off in random, off-screen locations. Once 'activated' by Wick lighting a candle, these enemies begin targeting lights. Once the enemy (of any type) reaches a light (determined by the AIs proximity to the center of the light fixture), it must 'extinguish' it. In order to successfully put a light out, the enemy must freeze over the light and wait a predetermined amount of time. For example, if the lighting fixture is large, or contains multiple candles, it requires a longer waiting period than a small, single-candle fixture. These waiting times are predetermined, and give Wick an advantage since he lights each light instantly. Once again the player is given a slight speed advantage to ensure that the game is winnable. 2. Path-finding 2.1 Normal Enemies The most common enemies the player will encounter are the Normal ghosts. These are the most basic enemies. Each Normal ghost is given a random target location on the game screen. They will gradually move in the direction of this target. These ghosts move at four pixels at a time, giving the player a measurable speed advantage. Once the ghost reaches this random

Wick 13

target, it is given a new random location to pursue. If at any time the enemy ghost is within thirty pixels of a lit light object, the ghosts target will change to the center of this object. Thus, the Normal ghost will begin moving directly to the newly found candle. This movement system was devised in order to give the illusion that the Normal ghosts are not especially intelligent, and will simply wander around the room until they seemingly stumble upon a light the Wick has activated. 2.2 Smart Ghosts Smart ghosts are meant to appear intelligent, and be able to locate candles quickly, yet be athletically challenged and move slowly. This is achieved by limiting their movement to two pixels at a time, the slowest of all the characters. This huge disadvantage is balanced by the enemies ability to take a straight path to lit structures. Rather than being given a random target, Smart ghosts are always given a light structures location as a target. These ghosts then move in a direct path to their target. 2.3 Crazy Ghosts Crazy ghosts move in random motions, at incredible speeds. These enemies will never be specifically given a light object to target. Just as the Normal ghosts, the Crazy ghosts are given a random on-screen target. However, rather than being able to enter a light structures radius and then follow a direct path. A Crazy ghosts random target must fall within ten pixels of a lit object for the enemy to interact with it. Clearly this would leave the Crazy ghosts as far less-threatening enemies than the others, so to balance this inefficient path-finding method, Crazy ghosts move ten pixels at a time, making them significantly the fastest character in the game. 3. Damage/Combat

Wick 14

Wick and his brothers cannot interact. There is no combat in this game, and therefore no damage system. However, the game's lighting system is very much like a damage system. Each level begins with a lighting progress bar being completely empty (except for a sliver of yellow progress that represents the light Wick holds), a representation of the room being completely dark. As each light object gets lit, the bar fills with an amount corresponding to the size/brightness of the lighting object. Likewise, each light that gets put out causes the bar to regress. The bar must reach a certain level, meaning that the room is well enough lit, for the player to pass the level (or for Wick to complete the room). This must be accomplished within the time limit assigned to the level or else Wick loses. 4. Story AI The artificial intelligence of the story primarily consists of dialogue that will appear as text on the screen. This will represent a conversation between the player and an enemy. These dialogues will be predetermined and the same for each play-through. Using the dialogue will make the enemies seem more dynamic and give the game a bit more story.

IV. Game Elements 1. Character Design

1.1 - Wick (Protagonist) The main character of Wick is a ghost named Wick. He is the youngest child in a large family of ghosts that live in an elaborate and haunted mansion. However, Wick is unlike his ghost brothers and sisters. Instead of being possessed by the shadows, Wick fears it. He strives to bring as much light as possible into the environment. With that said, Wick was designed to have

Wick 15

strong appeal. His ghastly attire consists of an old, potato-sack-like sheet that covers his entire body. Although his gritty aesthetic design matches that of the game world, Wick exudes a cute and naive persona largely through his massive, round eyes and smile.

Figure B.1 (Wick holding candle light source)

1.2 - Enemies (Antagonists) Throughout the game, Wick will encounter several enemies on his journey as he goes about lighting the environments. Many of these enemies are Wicks evil brothers. They will try to stop Wick from lighting each specific room by putting out lights that Wick has already lit. They will have a very different design from Wick and will look menacing in general. Instead of a cute and innocent vibe, these enemies will have a menacing look and strong aesthetic features that will allow the player to easily recognize them as enemies. Wick will encounter three types of

Wick 16

these enemy ghosts. These are the Normal Ghost, the Fast Ghost and the Smart Ghost. All three will look and behave differently, adding variety and excitement to gameplay.

1.2.1 - The Normal Ghost is the most common enemy ghost. This ghost moves moderately slower than Wick on a straight linear path from whatever boundary of the level it comes from and will only target a lit light if it is within proximity to it along its path. It will return to its set path after extinguishing the light. It has a long body covered with a silver cloth that frays towards the bottom. Its arms and head are both purple in color and share a jagged quality. Its eyes are fairly large, yellow and menacing. It has no real facial features.

Figure B.2 (Normal Ghost)

1.2.2 - The Fast/Crazy Ghost is the second type of ghost and behaves much just like the Normal Ghost, except it is significantly quicker. It also has a long body covered with a frayed silver cloth. It has an orange pumpkin on its head with an intimidating look. Its arms are also purple, and it carries a small jack o lantern style bucket in its hand. There is a noticeable stitch that

Wick 17

runs from the top of its pumpkin head down to its torso. Overall, the Fast Ghost has a much more macabre look compared to the Normal Ghost

Figure B.3 (Fast/Crazy Ghost)

1.2.3 - The Smart Ghost is the third and last type of ghost. The Smart Ghost travels in a straight line to the nearest lit light source at a relatively slow pace to Wick. This makes it a very challenging opponent on levels with many obstacles. It too has a long body covered in a silver frayed cloth. It has purple arms and carries an open-faced textbook in its hand. It has a purple head and wears rectangular silver glasses. Its ghastly mouth consists of several vertical lines. Wick will encounter several bosses during his journey as well. These bosses will mark key parts of the game and serve as a threshold into different parts of the mansion. Bosses will be much larger in size than regular ghost enemies. In addition, all bosses will possess unique characteristics that Wick must overcome. Each bosses unique powers will coincide with their aesthetic design, complementing one another. There are four floors in the mansion and there will be a boss battle for each floor. Since there are forty levels with ten on each floor, this means there will be a boss battle every ten levels. As the player progresses, these boss battles will serve as a threshold into the next floor of the house.

Wick 18

Figure B.4 (Smart Ghost)

1.2.4 - The First Boss appears on the final level of the basement floor. He will look and behave like a giant version of the Normal Ghost. He will move faster than the three traditional ghosts. Remains on screen until level completion. 1.2.5 - The Second Boss appears on final level of the second floor. He will look and behave like a giant version of the Fast Ghost but possesses greater speed. He will extinguish light sources more quickly than the three traditional ghosts. It remains on screen until level completion. 1.2.6 - The Third Boss appears on the final level of the third floor. He will look and behave like a giant version of the Smart Ghost. However, he will also summon Smart Ghosts to assist him in extinguishing light sources. He will extinguish light sources more quickly than the three traditional ghosts. It remains on screen until level completion. 1.2.7 - The Fourth and Final Boss (The Ghoul) appears on the final level of the fourth floor/game. He will have his own distinct look. He is a large white ghost with a long body covered in a raggedy, patched white cloth. He has downward angled eyes which gives him a menacing look. His mouth is a jagged line that resembles stitches. He has frayed ends coming off of his costume. He has no arms, but rather just hands that float around his main body. One hand

Wick 19

constantly clutches a glowing purple orb known as a shadow ball. He can hit Wick with his shadow ball which causes Wick to drop the light source he holds. The player must go pick up the light source wherever it is on the floor to continue lighting the room. It can fall anywhere but it will always be on the floor. He can also use his own light source (the shadow ball) to ignite light sources at random with shadow fire. These light sources can no longer be used by Wick to illuminate the level. He can also randomly extinguish multiple candles at the same time without being in contact with them, although these lights can still be re-lit.

Figure B.5 (The Ghoul)

2.

Sound Sound design will play a key role in Wick. In horror movies, sound is king. Its an

important tool for creating suspense and setting the overall feel and attitude of the environment. Imagine watching John Carpenters Halloween without that creepy 5/4 timed music - it would just simply not be the same movie. The sound in wick will have a retro, classic horror feel to it. You will hear harpsichord, piano and strings. However, some areas of the game may just have

Wick 20

ambient noises. For example, in the basement levels you may will the slow drip of moisture falling off the stone ceiling supports onto the ground below. In the main floor levels you will hear the creaking of old wooden floors and the faint mumbles of nearby ghosts. Overall, Wick has a classic horror sound, with an emphasis on ambient noises and orchestra elements. 3. Items

3.1 - Power-ups Throughout the levels, there will be several power-ups for Wick to grab. In the early levels, power-ups will be available for Wick to grab with very little risk involved. As the levels and difficulty progress, these power-ups will be in hard to reach, time-wasting locations. The positioning, types, and amount of these power-ups in each level will be randomized (within a contained boundary of maximum and minimums).

3.1.1 - The Sparkler is a long stick with a purple and lavender handle and silver shaft. When picked up, it increases the light diameter around Wick for the time being and gradually shrinks back to Wicks initial light size. This is the most common power-up found in the game.

Figure B.6 (Sparkler)

Wick 21

3.1.2 - The Firefly Jar is a small jar with a red lid containing ten fireflies inside of it. These fireflies are represented in the shape of glowing circular orbs. When picked up, eleven fireflies each with small light diameters fly in random directions around the level for ten seconds. They expose portions of the blackened level for a short period of time. This power-up is less common than The Sparkler.

Figure B.7 (Firefly Jar)

3.1.3 - The Light Switch can only be found against a wall (far left or right side) in the level. When Wick hits it it will light up the entire room for a few seconds exposing everything until the light flickers out. It also drives away the enemy ghosts for a few moments. Random location generation mixed with specific frequency patterns will create a unique and exciting playthrough each time. This adds high replay value to the game and an enjoyable element of surprise. 3.2 - Spirit Points Wick has an exciting token system in which Spirit Points are collected and used for various purposes. Spirit Points are rewarded upon the completion of a level. In addition, the player can earn more Spirit Points for completing a level quickly and/or more efficiently. These

Wick 22

Spirit Points also serve as a high score mechanism. Even though you can spend these points in the Upgrade Room which we will discuss below, the player will still be able to see their total career Spirit Point score, as well as their high score per level. 3.2 - The Upgrade Room As discussed above, once a player earns spirit points, they can spend them in the Upgrade Room to unlock upgrades for Wick. The player has the opportunity to visit the Upgrade Room (which will be called the Study Room in game) at the end of each level (if they won). Here is a list of the three types of attribute upgrades you can get for Wick: 3.2.1 - Speed Boost increases the speed that Wick moves at as he goes through the level. 3.2.2 - Wick Light Upgrade increases the circle of light around Wick caused by the light source he carries, illuminating more of the level. It starts off by just upgrading the candle for the first two upgrades. Then, Wick will get a lantern for the third upgrade instead of a candle. The fourth upgrade gives him a torch and the fifth and final upgrade gives him a flamethrower, which also lights up a good amount of space in front of Wick on whichever side Wick is facing. 3.2.3 - Light Defense makes it so the enemy ghosts have to stand over a light source for a measure of time before they are put out. The time will increase each time this is upgraded. Upgrades are all available for purchase in the Study Room in the game. Each category has the opportunity to be upgraded a maximum of five times. For example, the first time a player upgrades Speed Boost for Wick to level one; it will cost a trivial amount of Spirit Points. If they want to upgrade Speed Boost to level two later, it will cost a substantial amount more. This allows for a steady attribute progression that coincides with the increase in difficulty throughout the levels. In addition to these categories, alternate costumes for Wick will be available for purchase using spirit points. They do not affect gameplay abilities and are purely aesthetic.

Wick 23

4. Completion Elements 4.1 - Timer Each level will have its own specific time in which Wick must complete it. This timer is displayed in the top left-hand corner of the game screen for the player to see at all times. Times will vary depending on the levels difficulty and/or complexity. When the timer reaches zero seconds, the player will automatically fail the level and have the option to restart the level if desired. This timer is a simple yet crucial element of the gameplay. The player is always under a slight sense of pressure from the constant tick of the clock. This adds for excitement and drama within the game. 4.2 - Light Progression Bar On each level of Wick, there is a light meter on the bottom right hand corner of the screen. This is a long thin and rectangular meter that fills from left to right with yellow rectangles. This meter fills up every time Wick lights a light source. The amount the meter increases depends on: a. The number of light sources on that specific level b. The types of light sources on that specific level c. The type of light source lit Similarly, the light meter can decrease in the same amount if a ghost extinguishes a light source that Wick lit during the level. V. Storytelling 1. Plot Wicks house is consumed by the shadows. The shadows were cast by The Ghoul, an evil ghost. Once the house was consumed, Wicks brothers began to change. One by one, they

Wick 24

began to take on new Shadow Forms, becoming angry and despising the light. Wick, being the youngest of the brothers, was spared as he has yet to fully mature as a ghost. It now rests on Wicks shoulders to re-light the spirit of his house and bring it and his brothers back from the shadows. Lighting each room in the house will slowly push back the shadows and cast light on to the evil ghost who is the center of the problem. Along the way Wick must try to spare his brothers who constantly attack the light sources when they see light. In the end, Wick must face up his fear of the shadows and defeat the evil ghost, thus bringing back his family, and home. 2. Characters Wick - The main character and protagonist of the game. The player will have to use Wick throughout the game play. He is a young ghost who is afraid of the dark. He must show courage to win back everything he has grown to love. Brothers The standard enemy characters in the game. Wick must learn to trick them and/or quickly light the room in order to beat them. Although they are considered enemies in the gameplay Wick does not like to fight his family, and understands it is not their fault. Fast/Crazy The powers of the shadows have made this particular brother quick and demented. Always sugar rushed he never leaves his Trick or Treat bucket out of sight. Once a light is spotted he will quickly move although not always the way you may think, if you spot this character in game you must be on your guard. Slow/Smart This brother was always fond of books whilst normal but once the evil powers flowed through him he has become more of a mad scientist. Though he may move slowly, once a flame is spotted he will do directly towards the flame and begin dowsing the flame.

Wick 25

Normal The normal may have not been corrupted to the full extent of the others, but he is still a combination of the other two ghosts. As they are more common than the others these are the ghost the player will run into most often. Evil Ghost The antagonist of the game. He casted his powers of darkness over Wicks home, turning it into a dark place while corrupting Wicks brothers at the same time. Although he is powerful he still must reside where he controls. Thus leading Wick to believe he is hidden somewhere in the darkness. 3. Environment The environment in Wick has a classic spooky look. Since the levels will be rooms in a haunted mansion, the design of the environments will reflect that. Its similar to that of The Nightmare before Christmas. The rooms will be messy, with many objects that will interact with the lights, such as desks, piles of books, wardrobes, book shelves, mirrors, windows, and of course different types of lights. 4. Narrative Technique Although the game will not be heavily story-based there will be some interaction with his brothers and the final boss. All discussions or story will be through a dialogue window like many other plat-former/puzzle games. Dialogue will not appear much in the game. We aim to tell the game through the game-play itself, letting the users gain a richer experience from how they play whilst figuring little things out here and there. VI. Game Progression: One of the most important aspects of any successful game is the games ability to consistently give the user feedback on how things have changed for the player and/or the players environment. This is even more important in casual games, where gameplay tends to

Wick 26

take priority over the storyline. Casual games are constantly started up and left off. A player could easily play a casual game such as Wick four times in a single day, playing for roughly five minutes at a time, and still enjoy it. Story-driven games typically require a certain level of continuous time devotion in order for the player to be properly engaged and satisfied with the story. Wick, as a casual game, is not a game that focuses primarily on storyline progression, and thus is exempt from this problem. 1. Storyline Progression As is stated above, Wick is a casual game that is primarily focused on gameplay over the storyline (see the Storytelling section for details). However, throughout the game Wick will interact with his possessed ghost brothers as he attempts to free them and he will also interact with the final boss and main antagonist of the game (The Ghoul). This will help keep the player rooted in the story. 2. Gameplay Progression

Wick 27

Figure B.8 (Demo level gameplay snapshot)

While there are aspects of the story that will change throughout the game, most of the notable progression will occur in the variation of gameplay and environment. This will keep the player engaged without forcing him or her to devote larger sessions of time to the game. As the player advances through levels there will be basic as well as more advanced increases in difficulty. Inversely, Wick will unlock basic and more advanced improvements in the way he interacts with the environmental system that will be obtainable in the study room (upgrade room) between levels. The players level of skill will improve as well with gameplay experience, which will be reflected in the way he or she interacts with the game. The enemy AIs will also increase in both numbers, variety, and difficulty as the game goes on. Finally, there will be aesthetic

Wick 28

changes in the level designs as the player progresses. Along with these factors, there will be additional parts of the game that the player can interact with that will make progression apparent. These are the level selection menu, the upgrade room, and the scoreboard. The environment that the player interacts with will change from level to level, growing more difficult to interact with in a positive way. The progression in environmental difficulty will be slow, yet evident to the player. The first level will be the most simple for the player to complete. After that, each level will get progressively harder until level forty, the final level. This will keep the user engaged and satisfactorily challenged until the very end of the game. In order to consistently increase the difficulty of the game, several environmental changes will occur as the player progresses through levels: 2.1-Time Limit The time limit in each level is perhaps the most important opposing factor in the game. It will be at the top left corner of the screen in each level. The time limit for each level varies and is tailored to the lever in order to make it appropriately challenging. The progress through each individual level will be marked with this timer and the player will be able to constantly reference it as he or she plays. Playing against the clock is the sort of interaction that keeps the player engaged and competitive. Once the timer reaches zero if the player hasnt successfully lit up the room (based on the progress bar) then he or she loses the level and will have to retry it. The everpresent timer is a progression within each level that the player will keep careful tabs on, adding to the tension and intensity of the level. 2.2 - Light Sources The first element to change in each new level is the arrangement of the light sources that can be lit by Wick to beat the level. The user will recognize that the positioning of the light

Wick 29

sources throughout the room is different in each new level. This will help to keep the strategy aspect of the game fresh and challenging, forcing the player to fully engage his or herself in order to choose a successful pathway to light the room in the allotted time. The positioning of the light sources in the levels will become gradually more staggered and disordered as the game progresses. This will make it more difficult for the user to properly assess the best path options throughout the level. The increase in difficulty is very gradual over each level. Players are given adequate gameplay time to polish their strategic skills and potentially match the increase in difficulty with character upgrades for Wick. There is also an increase or decrease in available light sources in each new level. Whether there will be more or less light sources is decided based on the point in the game the player is at, as well as the general design of the specific level. For instance, a level towards the end of the game could have a small number of light sources spaced far apart from one another. In the same point in the game however, the player could also have a large number of light sources scattered haphazardly throughout the level, but only a few of the light sources will light up the room to the extent that they are worth targeting. Both setups are challenging. This leads into the next environmental change that will be noticeable throughout the game: the difference in light sources. The light sources that Wick will be able to light through the game will be varied. Different light sources will light up different amounts of the room (level) that they are in. The first four levels only have the candle subset of light sources, in order to keep the setup basic for the user so they can grow familiar with the system the game works in. Variety will be slowly introduced throughout the game, making it clear to the player that they are continuing to progress.

Wick 30

Although new and brighter light sources will be introduced throughout the game, the number of these better light sources in the levels will continually decrease throughout the game. Towards the end of the game, a level may have only one or two of these more efficient light sources which the player will need to find in the dark. Here is a list of all eight of the light sources, from the least illuminating type to the most illuminating type:

Single Candle - the most basic light source in the game, introduced in the first level.

Smallest amount of illumination. Votive Candle - Used only in backyard level, same illumination as the single candle. Jack-o-lantern - adds to the haunted/Halloween theme of the game. Introduced in level

five. Provides slightly more illumination than a candle. Double Candle - a pair of candles, more illuminating than the jack-o-lantern. Introduced

in the second level of the game. Lantern - Introduced in level ten of the game. More illuminating than the double candle. Triple Candle - Introduced in level fifteen of the game. More illuminating then the

lantern. Chandelier - Introduced in level twenty. Brighter than the triple candle, always towards

the top of the level. Christmas Tree - Introduced in level twenty-five of the game. Brighter than the

chandelier, also merrier. Always found on the floor of a level. Fire Pit - only seen in one of the last levels which will take place in the mansions

backyard. The entire level will be based around fully lighting each log in the fire pit within the

Wick 31

time limit. The most illuminating light source in the game. Will light up the entire backyard when fully lit.

2.3 - Progress Bar The progress bar will be at the bottom-right of the screen on each level. It will be a continuously updating indicator of how many more lights need to be lit in the level. It will start off being a clear box at the start of the level, with just a sliver of yellow on the left side that indicates the light that Wick carries. The player will be able to track the progress as he or she turns on the lights in the room by seeing how much of the progress bar is filled with yellow. This will increase in varying increments (depending on how much of the room the light type illuminates) with each lit light. It will also decrease in an equal amount when an enemy ghost extinguishes one of the lights. 2.4 - Objects There will be multiple types of objects in the levels that Wick will encounter. The placement and frequency of occurrence of these objects will increase in later levels, as the player will note. These objects either obstruct the illumination from light sources or help increase it. For instance, a bookshelf might but off some of the light from a lit candle, whereas a mirror would reflect it and increase the amount of area it lights up. Wick does not interact with these objects directly and instead passes through or over them as he continues to move. 2.5 - Enemy AI The enemy AI will continuously grow more difficult and increase in numbers as the game progresses. They evolve at a pace that will keep players on their toes. There are standard enemy AI, which are the three main types of brother ghost classes, and then there are the four bosses

Wick 32

(both of which are explained in detail in the game mechanics section). Each new enemy ghost that is introduced will be harder than the last. The Normal Ghost will be introduced in the first level. The Fast Ghost will be introduced in level eleven, when the player has advanced to the second floor. Finally, the Smart Ghost will be introduced in level twenty-one, when the player has advanced to the third floor. A mix and match of these ghosts will appear in the consecutive levels after the first level they are introduced in. There can be anywhere up to three enemy AI characters in the level with Wick at the same time. Similarly, the bosses of the levels will appear on the final level of each floor. The first boss will appear in level ten. The second boss will appear in level twenty. The third boss will appear on level thirty. Finally, the fourth/final boss (The Ghoul) will appear in level forty. Each newly introduced one will each be harder than the previous ones and will only appear in one level each. They are essentially the guardians of the floor, and beating them will give the player a safe passage to the next floor of the mansion. This continuous increase in difficulty of enemies allows the player to see how he or she has progressed, since the enemies need to become harder to actually give the player a challenge. Also, this keeps the game challenging which will keep the player engaged. 2.6 - Environmental Appearance Along with the timer, light sources, enemy AI, and other objects in the rooms, the rest of the environment in each level of Wick changes on a level-to-level basis as well. Although the background doesnt have any actual effect on the gameplay, it will add a thematically spooky, yet fun feel to the game. Each level art design will be tailored to the area of the mansion it is supposed to be placed in. For instance, levels on the basement floor will actually appear to be in

Wick 33

a basement, having no windows, lots of stored away materials, and only stairs that lead up and not down. The player will be able to note these aspects of the game, enriching the experience and the players immersion. 2.7 - Spirit Points Spirit points can be earned at the completion of each level. If the player beats a level, he or she earns a set amount of Spirit Points as a bare minimum. However, if the player beats the level faster than the time limit is set to, he will earn more points. The faster the player beats the level, the more points the player will get. These points can then be used to purchase upgrades for Wick in the Upgrade Room. This will motivate players to want to improve and upgrade, and the amount of points earned on a level will show the player how well he or she progressed through it. 3. External Gameplay Progression There are several other ways built into Wick to measure progression in the game. Wick Upgrades, Level Selection Screen, Scoreboard, and Saving Option all allow players to mark their progress. 3.1 - Wick Upgrades The Study Room (or upgrade room) is an area that the player can access after each successful level completion. Upgrades in how Wick interacts with the environment can be purchased there with Spirit Points. This gives players an incentive to complete levels and to complete them to the best of the players ability (since he or she will earn more spirit points that way). In the study room, players can purchase up to 5 levels of upgrade for Speed Boost, Light Defense, and Wick Light Source. These are explained in more detail in the game mechanics section. These will increase the players performance as he or she interacts with the environment

Wick 34

and will make the game easier. The cost of the next upgrade level for each upgrade will get more expensive as well. The player will notice the progress that will occur when buying these upgrades and it will be an important goal for the player to be able to purchase each new upgrade and specialize Wick in the players own, unique way. 8.3.2 Level Selection Screen The Level Selection screen is an integral part of the game. It shows an outside view the mansion to the player, with the rooms that have been completed lit up, the next room the player needs to beat outlined in light, and the rooms that havent been completed shrouded in darkness. The player can then select to replay old levels and collect spirit points or to play the next available level. Each time a player beats a new level and goes back to this screen, a new room will be outlined and unlocked to play. The player can map his or her progress throughout the game this way, watching as level by level is beaten. 3.3 - Scoreboard There will be a scoreboard page option available at the main menu screen. The scoreboard allows for players to check the total spirit points he or she has earned overall and the high score for each level in spirit points. It will also show how quickly each room was lit in a measurement of time. 3.4 - Saving Option During any point in the game, the player can always click the s key on the keypad (or the corresponding key on a smart phone) to save his or her place in the game. This way, players can leave the game at any time and go back in later without having to start at the beginning. The player can see how far he or she has progressed when the player goes back in. The game will not

Wick 35

save your specific spot in the middle of a level if you try and save then but will save you with the option to play that level and with all of your other upgrades and scores kept in place.

VII. Prototyping and Playtesting: 1. Prototyping After we had settled on the initial game mechanics and play style, we were left with the question of how wed make a presentable version of our idea to display to potential investors. We settled on doing a demo. When we first began to discuss how we would model the demo for Wick, multiple factors were assessed to help us figure out what we could accomplish (realistically) in the time allotted us. The deadline that had been set was the first of December, giving us roughly a month. We all agreed that having at least one complete level was necessary to accurately display the games potential. We couldnt present an unfinished version of the gameplay. It would be unprofessional and (worst of all) wouldnt accurately depict our vision. Professor Novotnaks advice to have one good level over multiple unfinished or lackluster levels rested heavy in all of our minds. We settled on doing one demo level for the time being. This level would accurately depict gameplay from about twelve to fifteen levels into the game. This way, the demo would be challenging and would show some of what is to come in the game, but would still be beatable for a beginner. The next major question was the medium we would use to create the demo. Several possible ways to make the demo were presented in class, including physical depictions done by teammates, making a physical version of the level with arts and crafts, and making an actual demo version of the game on a digital interface. We all agreed that in order to make this demo

Wick 36

impressive we would have to go digital. Our game is a casual 2-D game that wouldnt require a complicated physics engine or any advanced environmental modeling skills to create. We settled on Adobe CS5 Flash as the program that we would create the demo on. It was user-friendly and most of our group was familiar with at least the basics of Flash and actionscript. The final demo would be a .swf file and as such could be played on most any computer. It was time to assign group members their individual tasks. Janie was the most experienced in our group with coding and with Flash. She felt confident that she could create an interactive environment and the AI with our help. We gave her the position of lead demo designer. Julien had drawn the initial artwork for Wick that led to the general art style that we were aiming for. We gave him the position of lead artist. His primary job was to draw Wick and the enemy AI, as well as some of the objects that Wick interacts with in the levels. Chris had a background in graphic design and typography. We decided to give him the job of preparing the font style for the interfaces as well as creating a promotional ad for the game to be used in coordination with the demo. Brady had the most complicated sections in the game design document, so we allotted him the least amount of work on the demo so that he could focus on finishing his work. He was placed in charge of finalizing the details on the game elements so that we could implement them in the actual demo. After he worked out all the potential problems and benefits of any element in the game hed give the rest of the team the go-ahead to use it. Finally, Murphy had the second-most experience with Flash and coding. He also had a good deal of experience with Photoshop. He made the interactive menus in the demo on Photoshop (Study Room, Start Menu, You Lose! Menu, You Win! Menu) and assisted with programming. Hes also group leader for Team Harbinger and set the deadlines for when parts of the demo needed to

Wick 37

be completed and went through and edited the work to make sure it matched the vision the team had for the game. The group didnt have too many issues in the production stage of the demo. It was a paced process, where we had set specific dates for each piece to be completed in. The first step was placing Wick on the screen and giving the player movement controls for him. This was easy to accomplish and was done only a day or two after we started. We assigned the directional arrows on the keyboard for Wicks movement controls. Since he was a ghost that could fly in 2D, we gave him up, down, left, right movement as well as up-left, down-left, up-right, downright. The goal was to give the player as much freedom of movement as possible. The speed that Wick moved was a big source of debate in the group however. We couldnt settle on a proper speed for him to move at. When the variable was set to 8, he was much too fast. When we brought it down to four he seemed too slow and we realized that a player couldnt get to the other side of the level unless he or she moved Wick in a straight line for several seconds. Eventually, we settled on five as the variable speed. It seemed to work pretty well. As you upgrade Wick, he will also grow progressively faster, although we dont have that available in the demo. Next we had to make the background for the demo level and create the light sources. We found spooky cartoon mansion room online on a free download site that we could use for the background, which still looked like what we were aiming for in the levels as far as art style went. When the demo level would start there would only be darkness in the level except for where Wicks light illuminated, so we put a black screen over the background. Then Janie and Murphy worked on the programming for the areas where Wick traveled, making them constantly illuminated (revealing the background) in a circular diameter around Wick. This took a few days

Wick 38

worth of thinking and work but eventually it was operational and Wick could move around the level illuminating the background wherever he went. We found a free doodle picture of a candle online, which worked well for the most basic unit of light in the game. We placed the candle image throughout the level. After a little programming work on Jamies part, if Wick went over these candles and the player pressed the space bar at the right time a small flame image would appear at the top of the candle and that area of the map would be illuminated permanently in a set, circular radius. This was towards the end of the second week that we were working on the demo. Later, Janie added a chandelier light source to the top-left of the level and a jack-olantern light source in the middle of the level. Both of these light sources give off more light than the candle light source and showed off a few of the many light sources we plan to ultimately add into the real game. Chris finalized the font that would be used for the majority of the text in Wick. Murphy began his work on the interface menus for the demo, utilizing Chriss font. These interfaces were designed to be a less-complicated version of most of the interfaces that would be in the actual game. We wanted to give the player a feel of how the rest of the game that wasnt actual gameplay would function. The most important section to do would be the upgrade page but we also needed the start menu for the demo and the win and lose pages that linked to their prospective parts of the game. All of the menus were created on Photoshop. The start menu was done relatively early in production, since it only needed the title of the game (in the specialized font) and a start button. Some extra design options were included as well, including a 3-D model of Wick that Murphy had created previously and a light theme for the start button. By the end of week three, the Study Room (Upgrade Room) page was done as well. We wanted to make it look like an old library in a spooky house. Murphy accomplished this by using a cartoon bookshelf

Wick 39

and making each of the upgrades a section of five clustered books on the shelves. There were five books for each of the speed boost levels with the titles being Speed Boost 1, 2, and so on until 5. This was done for each of the three upgrades. A group of the three books stacked horizontally instead of vertically had different purposes. The top book in that stack pointed out that this page was the upgrade room. The second book was a button option for the player to go to the level selection page, which unfortunately we dont have for this version of the demo but we will add later. Instead, it sends the player back to the start menu. The last book is the button to enter the page for the additional Wick costumes that can be purchased using spirit points and can be worn by Wick in gameplay. Janie added a working timer for the game on the top left corner of the level that counted down from 30. It wouldnt end the game if it got to 0 yet so that we could explore the level and make sure there werent any glitches. Julien also finished the drawings for the enemy AI ghosts we would be using in the demo (normal ghosts) and Janie placed them in the game and began programming them. A light progress bar was added to the bottom left corner of the level so that the player could note how close he or she was to completing the level. It had some glitches at first and would fill up past the maximum end of the bar and not retract. By the fourth and final week we set the final date for the demo to be done by for that Wednesday. We would need the rest of the time for playtesting and recording our results and tweaking the demo. The final touches were made to the game. Janie and Murphy programmed the enemy AI to move along randomized tracks and attack any lit light source that approached its perimeter. After hitting a light source, the enemy AI would immediately make the light go out. We decided that the enemies moved much too fast at five (the same speed as Wick) and lowered it to four, giving Wick the speed advantage. We decided that it was too difficult to time the space bar action with the light source and just made it so that when Wick went directly over the light

Wick 40

object it would light. The progress bar issues were worked out and it filled an equal amount to the light source that was lit and decreased the amount necessary when a light source was put out by a ghost. We decided that there should be a delay on the time it took the enemy AI to put out the light sources once an enemy reached one. The delays were different depending on the type of light source but made the gameplay a little less overwhelmingly challenging. We settled on having two enemy AI in the demo, viewing it as an appropriate challenge. We finally felt like the difficulty level was reasonable for a demo while still being fun. The You Win! and You Lose! pages for the demo were finalized as well by Murphy and implemented into the game. If you won, then a link was presented to the upgrade room. If you lost, then a link was presented back to the start menu. When the light progress bar was filled, the player would light up the entire room, illuminating the whole background and driving the enemy ghosts off screen. Then after the timer ended the player would go to the You Win! page. If the player didnt win before the timer ran out then it would take the player to the You Lose! page. On the Wednesday of the fourth week, we finalized a playable version of the demo and distributed it to each group member to test out on friends and family. We agreed to assess the information using a questionnaire and tweak the demo as we went based on outside input on the game so that it would be ready for presentation on December 1st. I (this is Murphy and not some sort of overbeing version of the group) would like to a give a shout out to Janie. No one worked as hard as her on this demo and we wouldnt be half as far as we were without her devotion and expertise. 2. Playtesting Playtesting really began as soon as we started work on the demo. As was mentioned in the Prototyping section, multiple adjustments were made to the demo before production ended

Wick 41

and before we ever showed it to people outside of the group. As each facet of the artwork and programming was introduced, we worked hard to perfect it in reflection of the image we all held. Wick and the enemy AIs speeds changed multiple times in early production. The artwork went through a few phases and we added extra image variations to Wick and the enemy AI over time to make them seem more real and animated. The Study Room (Upgrade Room) page had several incarnations as we worked to get the ideas we wanted across in an easy to understand manner. We changed the basic game mechanics as well. The space bar lighting function was changed to just have Wick pass over the light source along with several other factors in order to keep the gameplay challenging but beatable. Then we started playtesting the game with people outside of Team Harbinger.

We came up with this general questionnaire to ask the people who playtested the game: 1. What is the most awkward part about the gameplay? 2. Do the enemy AI do a good job of putting out the candles and creating a challenge? Why or why not? 3. Is it sufficiently challenging to light the candles based on proximity of the lighting zone? 4. Is it too easy? Is it too hard? 5. What do you think about Wick's movement system? Could it be improved? 6. What general improvements does the player think could be made? 7. Would the person want to play multiple levels of a game like this, with sufficient variations and improvements? 8. On a scale of 1 - 10 what would you give this game (honestly)?

Wick 42

All of the questionnaires presented positive results. We had thirteen people playtest and do the questionnaire. The ages of the playtesters ranged from 14 to 56 years old and there were 5 females and 8 males total. We were pleased to see that all of them said they would like to play the game. Strangely enough, the adults (20 and up) tended to be the ones who gave the game the highest ratings. On the number scale in question 8, the demo scored anywhere from a 5.5 to a 10 (most of the scores falling into the 8 range, the 5.5 being a minimum outlier). This let us know that the game has potential and that were working in the right direction. Something that requires some attention is the fact that most of the playtesters found the demo to be either of normal difficulty or challenging, with most of them finding it challenging. We may have to tweak a few of the elements in the demo and in the future game in order to make the earlier levels accessible enough for players to want to continue playing. Players mostly found the movement system to be smooth. There were no complaints about Wicks movement speed. There was one playtester who wasnt fully satisfied with Wicks diagonal movements but also couldnt think of a way to improve on it. We are working on that now. There were some suggestions about how to improve the lighting system that we are currently considering. One playtester commented that the light that Wicks candle gives off should be a different color than the ones that the other lights give off. That way, players will know if they succesfully lit a light as they pass it. This is a good idea and is being reviewed but we have decided that until more playtesters have a similar problem that we wont alter this aspect of the game, since it would mess with the aesthetic appeal that we are aiming for in the game. Another playtester stated that she didnt like the fact that she was in the dark for most of the game. Since she was an outlier case and since our game is centered on the lighting system we

Wick 43

chose to keep the light system the way it is. That player also complained about the difficulty of the game and admitted to having limited to no experience with video games. There was a common theme in the reviews about the lighting system. Multiple playtesters pointed out that that the area where Wick has to travel through to light each light is too small. We then fixed this problem by increasing the diameter of the invisible circle in each light object that Wick has to reach to light it. This quelled the complaint with future playtesters and improved the gameplay overall. We received multiple comments that the demo rushes into the gameplay too quickly after the player clicks the start button on the Start Menu. Players would lose crucial seconds on the timer when switching from the mouse to the arrow keys. In response, we put a delay on the start button after its clicked to give the player a few seconds to get set up with the arrow keys. We plan on implementing the same setup in the actual game, or perhaps having an in-game visual timer for three seconds that starts before the real timer so that the player can get ready. The enemy AI went over well with the playtesters. Most of the reviews said that they were sufficiently challenging to play against and that they did their job well (putting out the lights). Only one player found them to be too difficult. Their speed was apparently satisfactory as well. There were also no issues distinguishing Wick from the enemy ghosts or any confusion as to who the playable character was.

VIII. Business Considerations 1. 1.1 Competition Analysis Angry Birds

Developed by Rovio Released in December of 2009

Wick 44

Angry Birds is a top-selling iOS game that has been at the top of the sales charts since its release. The game has become a household name, and now it is in the stages of becoming a franchise, with plush toys, and shirts appearing in stores across the world. The game has won numerous awards, including Best Casual game at the 2010 Mobile Gaming Awards, Best Game App/App of the year at the UK Appy awards, and Best Game for Handheld devices at the Webby Awards. Angry Birds started out when Finnish development studio Rovio wanted to make the perfect iPhone game. They wanted to create a great game at a great value for their customers. With this idea in mind throughout the development process, they ended up with the finished game that we see today. But in order for people to buy the game, they had to market it. Rovio sought out to find a publisher that the iTunes Store seemed to promote the most, so that they could increase their exposure, and that was Chillingo. This paring of a well-designed game and a great publisher helped Angry Birds skyrocket to the top of the Finnish charts in the iTunes App Store. In an August 2010 interview with CNET, Rovio developers Mikael Hed and Peter Vesterbacka explain that the game was also boosted by viral marketing done by themselves, as well as fellow employees. They showed the game off to their friends and relatives, thus furthering the games exposure. In August of 2010, the game was receiving 60,000 downloads per day. In the same time frame, updates to the game were immediately installed by 77% of players, which indicates that they are eager to keep playing newer levels, and are addicted to the gameplay. In an interview with UK website Flush the Fashion, the Rovio team explains why they feel people like their game, and how it quickly rose to the top of the charts. The game appeals to

Wick 45

a wide audience; both children and adults play the game on a constant basis. The controls of the actual game are easy to learn, but hard to master. This means that the game appeals to the casual gamer that just wants to make it to the next level, or to the hardcore gamer that wants to get three stars on a level before moving on. The characters and gameplay are cartoonish, which appeals to both children and adults. Another key factor is the frequent updates that the game receives. This ensures that any bug issues are fixed, and that new levels are added for players to enjoy. This also reassure the players that the developer cares about them, and isnt just out to make a quick buck. Aside from iOS, Angry Birds has expanded to other platforms such as HP webOS, Android, PSP/Playstation 3, Windows Phone 7, and Google +. By developing for these platforms, Rovio has extended their user base, greatly increasing the number of players. Angry Birds Seasons is also a spinoff of the original Angry Birds in which the game updates in accordance to real-world festivals/holidays. For example, if it is Halloween, the game will update with a Halloween theme, or if it is the Mid-Autumn festival in China, the birds will travel there to celebrate. This takes the game to another level, as it is now somewhat relevant to what is happening in the world. According to the Rovio team, they are currently working on merchandising, publishing, and entertainment. As of the Flush the Fashion interview, the game has reached 300 million downloads. Rovios formula for their success seems very clear. They developed the game with a clear vision to make it appealing to a wide audience, while ensuring that it was also a good value. They made characters and gameplay that both children and adults would like, and they made the game easy to learn, but hard to master. They then scoped out a top publisher to help them promote the game once it was complete and greatly increase their exposure. Along with some

Wick 46

clever viral marketing to family members and relatives, the game soared to the top of the charts in a relatively short amount of time. The game has retained its popularity with frequent updates, as well as expansions to other platform, spin-off games, and franchising. 1.2 Fruit Ninja

Developed by Halfbrick Studios Released in April of 2010 Fruit Ninja is a mobile game that revolves around slicing pieces of fruit as they appear on your screen. It sold over 200,000 copies in its first month, and sold over 20 million across multiple platforms by March 2011. It was named one of Time magazines 50 Best iPhone Apps of 2011. Halfbrick studios, which has been around for about ten years, had started to realize that digital distribution was starting to become a popular platform for video games. They began to experiment with various platforms, including XBLA and PSN. They then researched iOS, and decided to pursue it. Upon brainstorming ideas for a game to create, Fruit Ninja immediately stood out, and Halfbrick decided to use it. They got their development team to begin working on it, and eventually created a working prototype. That prototype evolved into the game that is now available for purchase worldwide. In an interview with Joystiq.com, Halfbrick Lead Designer Luke Muscat explains why the game has achieved so much success. He basically says that it can be attributed to the low price, the simple and addictive gameplay, and simple word of mouth. Marketing efforts were always done at the best time to ensure maximum exposure. Since debuting on iOS, Fruit Ninja has expanded to other platforms, including Android, Windows Phone 7, and XBLA.

Wick 47

In an interview with Gamespot.com, Halfbrick Chief Marketing Officer Phil Larson says that to develop for iOS, one does not need a lot of money, their game just has to be right for the platform, and they need to have some good marketing. Halfbrick took the simple game mechanic of finger-swiping and capitalized on it by creating an addictive and appealing game around it. It soared to the tops of sales charts players spreading it through simple word of mouth. 2. Feasibility Analysis 2.1 Our Company Currently, our development team is known as Team Harbinger. We consist of five people. Alexander Murphy is our team leader and is in charge of making sure that we stay on task with our duties. He also programs and helps with the game mechanics and the artwork. Janie Slentz specializes in coding the artificial intelligence for our current project, which is the game called Wick. Julien Martin is the person that came up with the idea for the game, and is tasked with creating the story and a majority of the artwork. Brady Cox is tasked with creating the game mechanics, and Chris Bhulai is tasked with creating promotional artwork, as well as the business considerations. Our strategy thus far is to create a working demo of our game. We have made great progress to this point, and creating a full working version is definitely feasible. Out of the five members of our group, three of them program, and according to them, the game could be finished if there was more time allotted to them. If we were to have more time, we would expand the current game with more game modes and different levels. We intend to keep Wick to ourselves, and develop our own identity with other digitally distributable games that correlate with our companys identity.

Wick 48

2.2 Our Product Wick is the current project that we are working on. It is a Flash videogame that is playable on computers, and can be accessed online. The game revolves around a ghost that is afraid of the dark, so he wants to keep all of the lights in his haunted house turned on. His possesed brothers are out to scare him though, by turning them all off. Wick must navigate through the dark house with a light source and turn on these lights, essentially battling his brothers. Wick has a distinct art style, and this is shown off in the level design and characters of the game. The game also uses the unique mechanic of pitting the player against the clock. There is always a sense of urgency in the game, and this in turn makes the player want to keep on playing. There are not many games that rely on light mechanics and the theme of ghosts and haunted houses currently, so this will be a fresh game that users will enjoy. 2.3 Industry We are in the online Flash game industry. Trends in this industry are quirky, niche games that are simple, yet addictive. They are usually easy to learn but hard to master. Wick definitely fits that description with the mechanics that are implemented within it. We are targeting children and young adults with this game. However, the game can appeal to an audience of all ages. Gamers that are fans of indie or independently created games will also be drawn to this game. The size of this marketplace is rather sizable, and the exposure that games get in this market depends on the publisher/platform that the game is designed for. Growth in this industry is rather large, as there are many games distributed on Android, iOS, and other mobile platforms. Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 users can also access many indie games in their respective

Wick 49

marketplaces. Customers are motivated to purchase games based on the value of the game. If they decide that the gameplay and price are right for them, they will buy it. 2.4 Market Strategy Our target audience is primary casual gamers from the ages of eight to twenty. The indie gaming market is also one that we are attempting to target. However, Wick will appeal to a broad audience. Customers in this market are looking for games that they could pick up, play for a little, and then move onto other things. The design of Wick allows for this, and with some more play-testing, the design of this game could be refined even further. Our product is currently only a Flash demonstration, but our team is definitely capable of creating a fully functional game within the time span of a few months. Our team plans on having forty levels playable in the game. We will distribute our game on a website such as Newgrounds, which houses many unique Flash games. We would generate currency through the implementation of in-game advertising using Flash advertisements. Our game will be free-toplay for a period of time to increase exposure/appeal. 2.5 Operations Operations critical to the success of our business would be having good computers to work on, effective communications, and the appropriate software and skills to finish Wick. This can all be accomplished at ones residence, occasionally meeting as a group to ensure that everyone is on track, or to have brainstorming sessions. The Harbingers currently meets all of these requirements, so the completion of Wick is feasible. Wick will be fully produced by us. To distribute our game, we would have to find the appropriate distributor. Since our game will be free-to-play at first, we will focus on websites such as Newgrounds or Miniclip to distribute our game. These websites are very popular, and if Wick catches on, its exposure will

Wick 50

grow. This entire process of creating the game and distributing it would not cost us anything. If there any costs at all, it would be software to aid us in the production of the game itself. 2.6 Development Before we can introduce our game to a website, we must simply finish the game that we planned to make. Upon completion, we will playtest it amongst ourselves, relatives, and friends. After getting their feedback, we will then implement any changes, and then host the game online. The risk to this would be that our game is not seen at all, or gets very little exposure. This would mean that the work we have done for the past few months has amounted to nothing. It would also be costly on resources, such as fuel etc. to drive to team meetings, as well as money, if we had to purchase any software to aid in the completion of Wick. We expect Wick will take a year, or a little under a year to finish. This includes any playtesting and refining that needs to be done. As a team, we are capable of programming, creating artwork, designing levels, creating game mechanics, creating a story, and all other tasks that are essential in the creation of a Flash game. With our skills combined, Wick is game that will be completed to its full extent. 3. Projected Sales Independently developed games such as Wick are big sellers in the marketplace right now. If our game were to be picked up by a company we would make somewhere within the range of $800,000 to $1,000,000 in our first year. After payments to maintain advertisements and other fees, we would make approximately 30% of that money, so $72,000 to $300,000 would be earned by us. In order to make this kind of money, we must ensure that we wisely choose the services that we use to advertise and market our game. Success for our game will also rely on expansions to Wick. If we keep the game the way it is, players will get tired of playing the same

Wick 51

thing over and over again. In order to be recognized by larger companies, we must perform on a consistent basis, and produce results.

IX. Appendices Appendix A - Data CD Content 1 Images A.1.1 A.1.2 A.1.3 A.1.4 A.1.5 A.1.6 A.1.7 A.1.8 A.1.9 A.1.10 A.1.11 A.1.12 A.1.13 A.1.14 A.1.15 Wick character Evil Ghost character Normal Ghost character Normal Ghost character - alternate view Fast Ghost character Smart Ghost character Wick and Normal Ghost - alternate views Sparkler power-up Firefly power-up - open lid Firefly power-up - closed lid Unlit candle Lit candle Lit candle - half light diameter Lit candle - full diameter Demo level background

Wick 52

A.1.16 2 Audio A.2.1 A.2.2 A.2.3 A.2.4 3 Flash A.3.1

Haunted house concept

Title screen and Upgrade Room music Demo level music Level transition music Lose screen music

Final Wick Adobe Flash demo

Appendix B - Document Content B.1 B.2 B.3 B.4 B.5 B.6 B.7 B.8 Wick character Normal Ghost character Fast Ghost character Smart Ghost character Evil Ghost character Sparkler power-up Firefly power-up Gameplay Snapshot

Appendix C References C.1 Parker, Jason. "Rovio: Angry Birds at 60,000 downloads a day Read more:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20013385-233.html

Wick 53

C.2

"Rovio, Angry Birds Developer : 100 Million Downloads Later." Flush the

Fashion. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov 2011. <http://www.flushthefashion.com/tech/angrybirds-rovio-interview/>.

C.3

Hinkle, David. "Halfbrick shares Fruit Ninja sales numbers, how to succeed on

the App store." Joystiq. N.p., 10 May 2010. Web. 14 Nov 2011. <http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/10/halfbrick-shares-fruit-ninja-sales-numbers-how-tosucceed-on-th/>.