GCPP:Proposal-Arowana
Puzzle Codename: Arowana
| Contact | |
| Username: | Gotagota |
| Additional contact info: | Fronsac@gmail.com |
| Project forum thread: | Discussion |
Game concept
A tactical pathfinding game with a self-determined length.
Objective
There are two: complete each course in fewer moves than you are given, and create loops by passing the player's path over itself.
Gameplay
The board is set up vertically, with several horizontal courses stacked atop one another visible. Their start and goal areas alternate sides, creating a zigzagging pattern of gameplay. This puzzle uses per-pixel hit detection and simplified vector mechanics.
In the first start area, the player's piece needs its vertical position within the course determined, as well as its heading and speed. This is all the player can control within the puzzle. Additionally, the player's piece has a method of marking the path it has taken.
Opposite the start area lies the goal area. This is a finite region, the immediate path to which is bottlenecked by the borders of the course. It is possible for the player to overshoot the goal area, the consequences of which will be explained below.
Between the start and the goal areas lie the course itself. It is covered in a series of vertical lines, crossing any one of which saps some of the player's piece's speed. There are also three main types of obstacles, which are randomly generated and placed.
The first type of obstacle is the impassable barrier. When the player's piece contacts an impassable barrier it bounces off with no loss of speed in the same way that light bounces off a mirror. (Its velocity is reflected.)
The second type of obstacle draws the player's piece inward toward its center. For reference I will refer to it as a pit, as that metaphor fits its behavior very well. The vertical lines that cross the course will bend inward as well to alert the player of how this obstacle behaves. (Each pixel overlap will add that pixel's velocity toward the center of the pit--it compounds as the overlap between the player's piece and the pit grows.)
The third type of obstacle pushes the player's piece away from its center. Again, for reference, this behaves like and will be referred to as a bulge. The vertical lines in this case will bend away from the center of the bulge for identification purposes. (Each pixel overlap in this case will add its velocity directly away from the center of the pit, opposite of the pit.)
A fourth, and minor, type of obstacle could be a slowdown area. All it does is slow down the player's piece.
Once a player has picked a heading and speed (initial velocity) and position, they fire the piece into the course and watch what happens. If they have planned well, they will create loops or end the piece's movement in the goal area.
If not, though, the piece will stop moving somewhere within the course. The player can then assign a new heading and speed to try again from the place the piece stopped.
Once a course is completed, it slides off the bottom of the screen and the next course up slides down to replace it. A new course is generated to display above the former top one, and the player is now able to reposition their piece within the start area of the new course (as with the start of the first one).
Scoring
Players are scored on how many courses they complete and how many loops they create. Loops should be worth slightly more than completions, though the final ratio will be determined after testing.
Variability
Courses are randomly generated, and obstacle size and strength can also vary.
End criteria
Players are given a finite number of moves initially, and once those moves are used up, the puzzle ends and a score is calculated. Players can earn more moves by completing courses, and earn bonus moves by landing the piece in the goal area. In this way the puzzle lasts as long as the player likes, above the minimum required to use the initial moves.
Difficulty scaling
Courses with more and irregularly-shaped obstacles can be generated, as well as raising the degree to which each vertical line slows the player's piece.
Crafting type
The metaphors all work exceptionally well if you picture this puzzle taking place on a traditional-style big loom as viewed from above. Thus it'd probably work fantastically as weaving.
Known problems
None yet, though coding a decent course generator might prove an interesting challenge.
Notes
This is most definitely a departure from tile puzzles. There's no time pressure and it's all about planning ahead. Clever graphics would really help this one, as variability between individual examples of pits and bulges could make this a very intuitive game.
See also: GCPP:Proposal-Arowana/Implementation Notes
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