Fun on Set - Week 1 Of 2
- Alejandro L. Ruata
- Feb 12, 2018
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 17, 2020
Date: 02/12/18
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Entity for Project 2
Theatre One - Award winning theatre performance group
Goal: To attract a new generation of lifelong theatre goers by blurring the line between theatre and gaming.
Audience: Individuals with a pre-existing interest in the arts and/or gaming (can be expanded out to mass audience however)
Budget: $30k and in-kind donations based on offering publicity and written/presented conference material
Timeline: 2 years
Team: 6 core undergraduate developers on the team with 6 rotating members. Theatre has the standard company for a show and the writers and musicians already established.
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Idea 1
Genre(s):
Music (Art) Tool
Core Mechanic(s):
Think Mario Paint. The player will be tasked to look at a theater production (pre filmed and presented on screen) being done... without music (dialogue, will be incorporated in the production presets). The player will have the freedom & liberty to add in music (in real time or not) and sounds to all scenes. There is no wrong way to play here - ex. you want to take a violin and incorporate it in a tense interrogation scene from the Noir Detective play preset, having it swell at the moment of the suspects tearful confession. You can make your choices appropriate to the scene or not, that’s up to you!
Scene Select, if you want to just play around with one scene or start from a different point of the production than just the beginning.
Rewind & Repeat, music and sounds can be incorporated in real time as events happen, or scenes can be paused and rewinded to make more informed music and sound decisions at your leisure.
Pre-Set Music & Music Sheets, you’ll have the ability to choose from music presets (a detective theme, a jousting theme, etc.), or compose from scratch with a variety of different instruments to choose from!
All music and effects will be saved if player wishes, either when play/scene ends, or they exit out, allowing for further use & online sharing later.
Incorporation with microphones to create your own sound effects or music in real life (in real time or otherwise).
Video download support to make your own plays to share!
Game(s) with similar mechanic(s):
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pze4FH83u1E [Similar to ‘Use Your Words’, our game will heavily rely on player input to “create an experience all their own”]
Game with similar look and or style:
Space Ace - Preset Starting Productions will have an exaggerated and cartoony look to encourage mass audience appeal (beyond that, some plays may be rendered in 3D, hand drawn, live action, etc. - different looks for different stories)
Image:
Serious Game Objective:
To promote the engaging and dynamic decision making making that goes into creating an engaging play.
By providing players the freedom of choice and no consequences (in-game), players will instead create their own consequences in their mind. By setting the music (that they themselves can compose from scratch, or can cobble together through presets) players will be able to set their own tone, their own subtext in each of the game’s pre-set theater productions. In this way, players will have the feeling of playing a part in a larger production where every decision by every department is critical to creating a cohesive whole.
(Unique) Attributes List:
Free-form Music to be played in real time or not
Music Creator
Incorporation of Real Life Music, Sounds, and Video
Scene Select/Scene Reordering Options
Music Tutorials
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Idea 2
Genre(s):
Puzzle
Core Mechanic(s):
Danganronpa ‘s Climax event as reference. Player puts together parts of scenes for a play in order to piece everything together correctly prior to seeing the drama/events play out.
The Script - players will have access to scripts that they then must make happen on set through the proper ordering of events and scenarios they will be asked to choose from. Scripts can only be viewed prior to starting & after the play has been made. When playing, players must rely on context clues in correct actions that have happened thus far to piece together what happens next.
Game(s) with similar mechanic(s):
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony - We absolutely fell in love with this mechanic and quickly concluded it would be perfect for a game whose main goal was appealing to those interested in the arts. The ability to create your own scenario order that accurately tells the story that is supposed to be told will (in this case on a timer so as to not anger the audience) present theater in a fun light that promotes creative and critical thinking.
Game with similar look and or style:
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - We are looking to make this a fun, lighthearted, and casual experience (in harsh contrast with the game whose mechanics we are using as foundation). The unique attributes and fluidity of Paper Mario’s aesthetics encourage players to pay attention to the screen to try and catch every detail in the game’s fun and colorful world.
Image:
Serious Game Objective:
To promote aspects of the theater that reward creative and critical thinking.
Theater is all about decisions. This game gives the power of decision making back to the player in the form of ordering events and scenarios in the attempt of getting it as close to original intent as possible. In this way, players will understand the responsibilities and snap decision making (albeit in a fun and goofy way) that goes into theater every time it is presented in front of an audience.
(Unique) Attributes List:
Multiple Stories to choose from.
Create your own play from the hundreds of different events and scenarios you can possibly pick and choose from in the preset productions.
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Idea 3
Genre(s):
Puzzle-solving, Mystery
Core Mechanic(s):
Attitude - While listening to suspects, watching their behavior and their body gestures while they speak helps tell the player what’s really going through their minds.
Cross-examination - Investigating their stories with evidence will help to find the truth and will squeeze more information out of them.
Playing the Part - The player can choose to act in one of three particular character types from the plays the characters are actors for, allowing the player to interact with them in a way that may be more comfortable to get information from them.
Game(s) with similar mechanic(s):
L.A. Noire - The murder-mystery scenario, while not entirely lining up with our story, is good to help explain the attitude mechanic - While being questioned, players can see the reaction of the suspects, and decide whether they’re telling the truth or lying, and doubting them can allow the player to see the panic in the characters, which will help them find the truth as to who stole the script of the play.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY_o7rnH9vw
Game with similar look and or style:
Ace Attorney Series - the art style of the Ace Attorney series, namely the sprites, are all vibrant, lively, and wacky, all while being down to earth. You can actually tell what they’re thinking and feeling, even before they speak. Having an art style similar to that would help define the mechanics in our game.
Image:
Serious Game Objective:
Get the player to feel more enthralled/involved about the arts and theatrical performance.
Through the interaction with characters in the game that are “stuck” in their theatre personalities, the player will understand and see into the lives of those who act in order to form a personal connection through that immersion
(Unique) Attributes List:
Incredibly colorful and quirky cast of characters to interact with
Intriguing story that delves into the backgrounds of characters
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Entity 2 - Member Blog Links
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Research Citation
Beckerman, B., & Barker, C. (2009, September 16). Theatrical production. Retrieved February 12, 2018, from https://www.britannica.com/art/theatrical-production
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