GCPP:Proposal-Rabbitfish

Author's Note
Bia has announced that the third round of the Grand Crafting Puzzle Project (GCPP) will be the last. However, Bia also stated that construction and foraging are potential future puzzles. Because there will be no immediate evaluation of a Foraging puzzle, I find it unlikely that a designer will be signing on to develop this game concept. That being said, I've found it necessary to, at least, put down this idea for evaluation from the general pirate public. Feedback is always welcome on the forums. Thank you. ~Kingpriam

=Rabbitfish: Concept=

Most of us have played Minesweeper. Rabbitfish is essentially a 3-D Minesweeper using teamwork and real-time knowledge-based strategies. The main differences here being:
 * The only clues you are given are based on your environment
 * Teamwork is essential in effectively foraging
 * There are a number of layers of elevation (or Strata)
 * Visibility is limited and subject to location and elevation
 * For those who wish to forage alone, bots can be used to substitute players

=The Game Board=

The game board will be a randomly generated map built with Environment Blocks depicting sand, grass, rock, mud, and other numerous environmental elements. These Environment Blocks (or EBs) create a landscape with a number of different elevations, called Strata. The game board is surrounded by water, likening it to an island. There are a variety of Environment Objects that can obstruct movement and/or give crucial clues to the surroundings, such as large stones, trees, animals, and novelty objects (like totem poles or ship debris). And this entire game board has the ability to rotate 4 times based on Cardinal Direction (North, South, East, West).

Environment Objects (EOs)
Coming soon.

=Foraging Mechanics= There are several major elements involved in playing Rabbitfish. These elements are constantly being used simultaneously throughout the game. And while each of these aspects are simple to understand, they all have their own elements of complexity which will be discussed (in full detail) in this proposal.
 * Visibility
 * Movement
 * Reading your Environment
 * Foraging

Visibility
Rabbitfish is all about observing your surroundings, so visibility is crucial. While the entire game board will be viewable at all times, most of the game board will not be actively visible to the players (in which case, the Environment Blocks appear blank and without textures). Your environment will only become actively visible when it is within your Range of Visibility. The Range of Visibility (or RoV) is obstructed by land or objects higher than you, but inversely, your RoV increases the higher the elevation of your pirate.

Pirates can work together to merge their RoVs to get a clearer view of the playing field in order to forage effectively. When foraging alone and using bots, there will be a list of commands to give orders requesting they move closer or further in order to better control your teams accumulative RoV.

Active and Inactive Viewing
Active Viewing: Active viewing applies to the environment visible within a players Range of Visibility. Here you can see the particular details of your surroundings.

Inactive Viewing: When the environment is outside of your Range of Visibility the game board's EBs appear as gray blocks without textures, giving you no information about the environment except its elevation.

Range of Visibility (RoV)


Elevation: The Range of Visibility is based on two factors: Elevation and Obstructions. On ground-level, a player has a full RoV of 9-spaces: The space they stand on and the 8-spaces surrounding them. In other words: 1-space in all directions. A player who is above ground-level by one space is standing on a higher elevated Strata. At +1 Strata, a player has a full RoV of 25-spaces: The space they stand on and the 24-spaces surrounding them. At +2 Strata, a player has a full RoV of 49-spaces. Any elevation of +3 Strata or higher makes visibility at ground-level impossible. The RoV spills over lower-Strata like water down a staircase, and only extends to +1 Strata blocks that are directly adjacent to the player.



Obstructions: The shape of the game board is not the only factor that can disrupt your view, there are numerous obstructions that you will encounter. These obstructions are called Environment Objects, and often provide crucial clues to their surrounding areas. EOs cut directly through your RoV like a knife, acting much like a wall. In the case of animals (which are free-roaming EOs), your RoV is not obstructed.

Team Visibility (TRoV)


Rabbitfish is a game that requires teamwork, so your Team's Range of Visibility (TRoV) is the first and most fundamental strategy to foraging. Every player's personal RoV is actively viewable to everyone on the team. Thus, by combining individual RoVs into an accumulative TRoV, large portions of the game board are made actively viewable. It does little to benefit the team if players spread too far or group too closely, so it is important to maintain a dialogue (spoken or instinctual) at all times.

Movement
Making your away around the game board is a strategic dance. Like chess, every movement counts and affects every aspect of the group's dynamic. Coordinating your group to move in patterns or pre-determined configurations will make your foraging team an effective unified machine.

Player Turn: Movement


A basic movement turn in Rabbitfish is as simple as selecting an unoccupied space within your RoV (or TRoV), clicking "Ready", and waiting for the Team Leader to initiate the round.

In the diagram above, we are viewing a section of the game board from the perspective of the Brown Player (the left-most sprite). Two other team members have already selected their target locations and are ready. This is marked by the red "X"s already on the board. The Brown Player then chooses a target space within the TRoV and then clicks "Ready". Above the Brown Player's sprite, a golden "Check-mark" appears, denoting that they, too, are ready to continue. The Team Leader then clicks "Go" (which does not appear in the diagram), and all the players move to their appropriate locations. The game board refreshes, and the group's TRoV changes to match their new locations.

Informed and Uninformed Movement


Informed Movement is your ability to move across the game board based on your foraging group's TRoV. Player's located within a larger TRoV have the opportunity to move further and with more precision. Below is a simple chart that lists basic maximum (while I intended on having boosted movement based on equipped clothing items, I will hold off on the idea):
 * Grass: 3-spaces
 * Dirt: 3-spaces
 * Sand: 2-spaces
 * Snow: 2-spaces
 * Pebbles: 2-spaces
 * Rock: 2-spaces
 * Mud: 1-space
 * Marsh: 1-space
 * Elevation +1: 1-space



Uninformed Movement is essentially a single player plotting along without their team. While it could be used as a strategy, the limitation of movement is clear. If you can only move within an RoV, your options of movement are the 8-spaces (at best) surrounding you.

Other images
These are images relating to this GCPP but were never included in this page.