Hex the Chameleon: Temple Climber

1. PRESENTATION

2. Game Outline 2.5D mobile puzzle adventure game Player controls Hex the chameleon climbing up a mayan temple with colourfully painted tiles The aim is to conserve as much stealth energy as possible Once the stealth meter is fully depleted - game over! Lured by a mystical bright UV light at the peak On the way up he gains magic abilities thatimprove his chameleon survival skills more difficult challenges arise as he works his way up, newfound abilities must be used

3. Game Details Level based Mode is the focus for this prototype Stealth energy meter measures how long hex can stay hidden before being eaten Moving over different coloured tiles forces Hex to change colour to that particular tile colour, using up his stealth energy. Players can avoid wasting energy by crossing over blended tiles. Dragging the background allows you to move viewport within a radius Tap and holding the chameleon, then drawing a path, will make it move Avoid various enemies to survive, for example, snakes and birds Collect bugs and glowing light symbols to gain power ups

4. Unique Selling Points Unique Puzzle Design combination of logical thinking when planning paths and reacting to enemies The art style of the game is quite unconventional as we will be using a cell shaded style. Also the tiles will look very similar to actual Mayan tiled walls while also keeping a familiar tiling puzzle game aesthetic. Up to date, there is not other games exactly like this Not many games have lifespan as stealth

5. Tile Puzzle Design Different coloured paths interweaved with each other A variety of different paths a player may choose from Level paths will begin easy with clear routes to take and progressively increase in difficulty Player decisions will vary on the conditions they find themselves in

6. Power-Ups & Abilities Core abilities ability to change colour at will ability to launch tongue to grab bugs ability to do a short dash Power - Up Abilities Extended energy, extended tongue range, extended dash Single use light power up to change tiles around Hex

7. Scoring System Point based system Score increases per tile if the player maintains their path on the same colour. Changing path will reset the score multiplier Blended tiles will carry on the multiplier Further bonus points will be accumulated depending oncertain variables Player score will be rated on a star system

8. Positive and negative feedback negative game rewards • Swapping colours depletes stealth bar • Glowing symbols will not be straightforward to collect • Only a limited amount of time to do so due to tiles changing and bar depleting • Blended tiles will change position • As the levels progress paths will become harder to follow (depleting stealth bar quicker) • Enemy NPC’s become more frequent and varied over time. • You lose your combo if you use straight paths Positive game rewards Using blended tiles will deplete less than standard tiles Collect glowing symbols to get power ups Consume bugs to replenish stealth bar plan out a route in advance Blended tiles flash before changing More Power-ups available in more difficult areas Using blends creates a combo multiplier for scoring

9. Commercial potential Based on the esa’s 2013 computer and video game industry review, the two highest played games on mobile devices are puzzle and casual, social games Average age of mobile gamers are 40 years old based on mobile gaming research 2013 We based this on android more than other mobile platforms because android phone monetization is catching up fast with 1.3 m new daily activation rates and charts have shown that indie games have a worse chance of hitting top charts compared to android Colourful and light-hearted games fall under a casual, social agenda

10. Similar Games Monaco by Pocketwatch games has similar stealth, timing and path planning elements but more dependant on co-op. Spy chameleon rgb agent created by unfinished pixel games which has similar colour and stealth mechanics but implemented more into an adventure type game. It is very similar to the game frogger in picking a path to take and avoiding obstacles such as traffic and water

11. Use of Technology Unity is being used because of its focus on cross-platform development which will be useful when developing for different mobile devices, also cuts development time. FMOD workswellalongside Unitybecauseofitsspecific Unityintegration API anditalsofocusesoncross-platformdevelopmentwithminimalornochangestothecodeneeded Reasonisa wellestablishedmusiccreationprogramthatcanbecreatedandimportedstraightinto FMOD Photoshop for hand painted textures and 2D work and Ndo2 to generate normal map details Maya for low poly modelling, UV maps, rigging and animations.

12. Artwork The tiles the chameleon will walk over are based on real Mayan tiles in both appearance and layout We decided to go for a cell shaded hand painted style as this would be the best fit for the platform and genre.

13. Artwork Workflow Use of layered maps to interact with the tiling system to achieve desired look.

14. Artwork References

15. Development Schedule

16. Game Prototype Achievability This prototype is very achievable with the agile scrum methodology. With the scrum set up, this project has been allocated its tasks in the most efficient development order. Starting with the core gameplay mechanics of the game along with the core assets by the artists in the first sprint which lasts two weeks The second sprint deals with mainly integrating these two areas, then adding the music and enhancing the look and feel of the game to how we perceive the end goal This will leave two weeks left of the 8 week development cycle for bug testing and polishing.

17. References http://www.slideshare.net/kenleaver/mobile-gaming-market-2013 http://www.spychameleon.com/ http://www.monacoismine.com/ http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/esa_ef_2013.pdf