Homework 11

Chapter 15

What is the relationship between the main character and the goal? Why does the character care about it?
The photos that progress the story along are directly related to the main character's memories, but that's not discovered until the end of the game. The important photos can clue the player in on this. 

What are the obstacles between the character and the goal?
Players need to discover the story throught he photos and need to find ways past puzzles that block their way.   

Do the obstacles gradually increase in difficulty? If yes, how?
Yes they do. The photo opportunities will become more hidden and the puzzle elements will be more complex. One puzzle idea is a kind of chaining of photographs together where 1 photo opens a path to the next photo.

Great stories often involve the protagonist transforming to overcome the obstacle. Does your protagonist transform?
The main character, like the player, becomes more interested in the world they're photographing. They also may make friends with a ghost dog.     

How is the game world simpler than the real world?
The city is empty and no one stops the player from wandering through houses and buildings.

What kind of transcendent power do you give to the player?
The player has basically a magic camera that can bring in elements from the past to the present.

What is the weirdest element in the game story?  That the player can change the world with their camera.

How do you ensure that the weirdest thing does not confuse or alienate the player? Explaining it through story. That the elements appearing from the past are memories and that maybe they're only appearing in the main character's mind.

Will the players be interested in the game story? Why?
 I think so. At first they might feel a bit detached until they realize that their actions are changing the city and that the main character is more integral to the city's history than they thought.


Chapter 16
In what sense does the player have freedom of action? Does the player "feel" free at these times?
The player is free to wander around the areas looking for photo opportunities. By taking a certain number of pictures the way to the next area will be opened up. This should encourage exploration and make the player feel like they have a lot of freedom even though there's a finite number of planned photos.

What are the constraints imposed on the players? Do they feel constrained?
They can only explore one area at a time(the park, the city, the tunnels). They can also only go in certain buildings. Limiting them to a certain area might make them feel constrained. It will take playtesting to determine whether or not they get bored by taking too long in one area.

Ideally, what would you like your players to do (lens #72)
If possible we'd like them to take a few pictures per area, learn the story through the photos, and move on to the next area. Maybe on a second playthrough would they want to linger in an area to try to find all the pictures. There's no timer in place to make them move on though.

Can you set constraints to "kind of" force the player to do it?
We could set a timer for each area or maybe limit the amount of film the player has but those changes will be tweaks once the game is almost complete. One idea is to have ghosts from the past emerge if the player takes too many photos or lingers too long.

Can you design your interface to "force" the player to do what you (the designer) wish him/her to do?
Giving the player a camera instead of a gun will encourage the player to take pictures and not make them worry about environmental hazards.