Iceberg - Rachel Walker`s Portfolio

Iceberg
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
page 3
Creative Brief
page 4
Game Summary
page 5
Competitive Analysis
page 7
Mood Board
page 11
User Scenarios
page 12
Site Map
page 14
Logic Flow
page 15
Lo-Fidelity Prototype
page 16
Hi-Fidelity Prototype
page 18
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Executive Summary
This document is intended to define the vision for the Flash game Ketchup. This document will summarize the basic ideas and design objectives as well as the game’s first
features.
What is Iceberg?
Picture a group of penguins helplessly perched on an iceberg. Suddenly, a wave sweeps
by and rocks the iceberg, and the penguins begin to slip off, splashing into the water.
Iceberg is a Flash game in which users attempt to keep as many penguins as they can
afloat on an iceberg, which is rocked by ocean waves. Its bright cartoon-style graphics
and simple, soothing gameplay will attract people from multiple age groups.
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Creative Brief
Background
Iceberg is a Flash game in which users attempt to keep as many penguins as they can
afloat on an iceberg, which is rocked by ocean waves. It is expected to have wide appeal across many age groups, with its bright cartoon-style graphics and simple, soothing gameplay as its biggest selling factors.
Target Audience
Iceberg’s primary audience will be young people in the 20 and younger age bracket.
Children especially will be drawn to the game’s concept and visuals. Therefore, the
game should have simple controls that children will be able to master. It is also expected that some older people, especially women, will be drawn to it. Iceberg will appeal
most to casual computer game players rather than computer game aficionados.
Objectives
Iceberg is most intended to be light, simple, and fun. Gameplay should fun and intuitive. The look should be clean, simple, and appealing, the objects on the screen should
be constantly moving to add to the visual appeal. It is intended to be a relaxing way to
spend an afternoon.
The Message
“Iceberg is cute, lively, simple, and overall, fun.”
Media
The game itself will be written in Flash. Graphics will be made in Photoshop or Illustrator, and 3D modelled in 3D Max.
Creative Considerations
A large emphasis should be placed upon the look and feel, but also there needs to be
close attention paid into making movement and physics look realistic. Game mechanics
need to be intuitive and simple enough for a child to be able to perform. Sound should
also be an important element of the game.
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Game Summary
Gameplay Description
Each level starts with a group of penguins standing on an iceberg. Waves come from either side of the screen at random intervals and random sizes, and as they reach the iceberg, the iceberg tilts, causing the penguins to slide down it. The distance of their slide
depends on angle of the iceberg. If a penguin slips off the edge of the iceberg, the penguin swims away off the edge of the screen. The user can attract the penguins by clicking the mouse near the penguins. The closer to each penguin the cursor is, the more
likely they will walk towards it. Each level is timed, and if the user managed to keep the
requisite number of penguins on the iceberg by the time the timer runs out, the user
passes this level. Each level is randomly generated, and each certain variables (like
number of penguins needed to pass, or the frequency of the waves) are changed on
each succeeding level to make each level a little more difficult than the last. There are
other less common events such as a seal swimming beneath the iceberg and pushing up
one side to add variety to the game.
Users can also accrue points by keeping penguins on the iceberg. At the end of the level
points are allotted for each penguin remaining on the iceberg. Users can also get bonus
points during gameplay by getting the penguins to touch bonus items. Bonus items appear at random intervals and disappear after a certain amount of time on the screen.
Game Specifications
The game will require Flash 8 (Flash MX) and will be written entirely in Actionscript 2.0.
Game Objectives
The goal of each level is to keep the requisite number of penguins on the iceberg until
the level’s timer runs out. There is also a high score feature that allows people with the
highest score to post their score on a scoreboard.
Navigation and Interface Features
The game will have animated instruction screens, as well as animated win/lose and
game starting screens. The game itself has a single control of clicking the mouse to allow users to attract the penguins. During gameplay, the current level, the number of
penguins currently on the iceberg, and the number of penguins needed to win the level
are all displayed.
Game Implementation Ideas
Iceberg will be 2D, with all action viewed from the side. The waves will be drawn as
a series of line segments whose x coordinates remain constant. Their y coordinates
change over time to match a sin wave. The amplitude of each wave will change over
time to simulate a bobbing motion, and the wave’s phase also changes over time to
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
simulate the wave’s forward motion. The period of each wave is the same, and remains
constant. The iceberg tracks the waveform on three points at the waterline: left, center,
and right. The center always follows the waveform, so its y position bobs up and down
over time while its x coordinate is stationary. The left and right points also have stationary x values, but their y coordinates attempt to follow the wave. Their y values may not
match the wave exactly, as there may be points in time when they are both on a peak
of the wave or they are both on a valley of the wave, etc. Therefore, a rotation for the
iceberg is found in which both points are as close as possible to the wave.
The timer will also be reflected in a day cycle in the game. Each level will begin with
the sun beneath the horizon and tinted towards the red. The sun will follow an arc and
eventually sink beneath the horizon on the opposite side of the screen. The game’s
color tint will change as the day cycle progresses.
Detail Art and Animation Ideas
The game will be in a cartoon style, with a deep blue ocean which is partially transparent. The penguins will be multicolored. When they fall of the iceberg in groups it should
resemble large multi-color confetti. When the user is not affecting them, the penguins
will have various idle animations like flapping their wings, squawking, etc. The artwork
and animations of the penguins and the artwork for the iceberg will be done using 3D
modeling software such as 3D Studio Max. The instruction screen, rather than being
plain text, will also be animated to add interest. Also during gameplay a catchy tune
is played, and there are many various sounds to make it more interesting like penguin
squawks and splashes.
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Competitive Analysis
Meepit Juice Break
(http://www.neopets.com/games/play.phtml?game_id=379)
Neopets is a popular site for children, and it features many games including the game
Meepit Juice Break which has a particular appeal to older people as well because it is a
puzzle game that can be quite challenging. Its key features are a bright color scheme,
cute hamster-like animals, and rich sound effects.
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Bungee Bear
(http://www.eyezmaze.com/hatch/v0/index.html)
The website Orisinal.com features many simple Flash games, all of them in a similar
style with a muted color scheme with a lot of gradients, and all of them feature cute
animals. Bungee Bear is a typical example of the games on this site. It also features a
soothing tune for background music and relaxing gameplay and a variety of sound effects. Another interesting feature is a series of animated instruction screens.
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Grow Cube
(http://www.eyezmaze.com/eyezblog_en/blog/2005/09/grow_cube.html#monster
)html#monster)Grow Cube is a game in which click on items t the sides of the screen,
and then watch the various events that take place. The user is meant to experiment
with the order until they find the correct one to achieve the game’s end result. Playing
the game is trivial with Grow Cube, since it is nothing more than trial and error, but the
game has an enormous variety of fun and interesting sounds and animations that encourage the user to keep playing.
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Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Iceberg
Meepit Juice Break
Bungee Bear
Grow Cube
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animals featured
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bright colors
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day cycle
X
realistic physics
X
simple controls
X
rich animation
animated instructions
3D-modeled artwork
X
rich sound
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X
X
X
X
X
X
X
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Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Mood Board
12
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
User Scenarios
Kristy Richards, age 10
Kristy lives with her mother and father in a two-story house in the suburbs. She goes to
school every day, and she loves to draw, and read, although like any ten year old these
days, she is often found sitting in front of the TV. She absolutely adores animals, and
she has an enormous collection of stuffed animals in her room.
Right now she’s not very interested in the Internet as a whole, but she does have a few
favorite websites that she regularly visits such as Neopets and Nickelodeon.com. Above
everything else, she likes playing the games on the various websites that she visits.
Scenario
One summer afternoon, Kristy becomes bored. She thinks she might want to play a
game on one of her favorite websites, but Kristy’s been getting tired of playing the same
games available on the few websites she visits over and over.
Behavior
Kristy sees an ad on one of her favorite websites for the game Iceberg. She’s immediately intrigued by the whimsical imagery of the ad, so she asks her mother if it’s okay
for her to try out the game. Her mother tells her okay, so Kristy immediately runs off to
try it. She’s immediately hooked on it. She’s absolutely fascinated by the visuals and
the simple gameplay.
Angela Smith, age 19
Angela is a college student majoring in psychology. She lives in a dorm room which she
shares with one of her close friends. She has a part time job to help pay for her tuition,
and she spends her free time hanging out with her group of friends. They’ll often pack
into a couple cars for a trip to the movies or the mall. During the downtime between
classes, Angela likes to surf the Internet and in particular waste time on MySpace. Also,
Angela and her roommate habitually trade interesting or fun links that they’ve discovered like Flash games, and funny videos they found on Youtube.
Scenario
Angela has nothing to do during half-hour between classes. She hates just getting into
working on something only to have to put it down in a few minutes so she can be on
time for class. She’s tired of the same old sites she’s been browsing over and over during that time, so she’s interested in finding a new way to spend it.
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
13
Behavior
Angela’s roommate showed her a new game she came across called Iceberg. The game
is simple and fun. It’s the kind of thing you can pick up and put down in just a few minutes. Angela’s now addicted to the game, and plays it whenever she has a short period
of time open in her busy schedule. She finds it helps her relax and takes her mind off
things for a few minutes.
Ramona Watson, Age 42
Ramona Watson is a housewife with two daughters, ages 12 and 9. Despite her unemployment, she’s always busy. She cooks, cleans, and takes care of the other household
chores while her husband Greg goes to work as a software developer. Her kids participate in numerous sports and other activities, so she often has to drive them around
town. Ramona has a deep interest in her children, and she always likes to know what
they’re up to and what their interests are. At the same time, Ramona likes to write
short stories as a hobby, and she has a large group of friends she met on-line who share
her interest in writing. She and her on-line buddies have been a close-knit group for
several years, and they even occasionally gather to see each other, despite the fact that
they live all over the country.
Scenario
Ramona was first introduced to the game Iceberg when one of her children was playing
it on their computer. She watched her children play for a while, and started taking an
interest herself in the game.
Behavior
One afternoon, while the kids were at school, and she needed a break from doing
chores, Ramona decided to try out this game she’s seen her kids play. The cute graphics
and concept particularly appeal to her, so she plays for quite a while. Later, she ended
up linking it to her on-line friends, telling them they should try it out.
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Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Site Map
15
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Logic Flow
16
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Lo Fidelity Prototypes
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
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Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
Hi-Fidelity Prototypes
Rachel Walker
IM211 Fri. PM
Iceberg v1.0
6/1/07
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