Homework 11: Chapter 13

1) Describe the user interface in your game
- The user interface for our game will consist of the physical input being the use of a keyboard and a mouse where as the physical output will be very visor like since the game is intended to have a computer feel similar to Tron and The Matrix. The mapping of the game will consist of a stealth meter on the left side of the screen at the bottom as well as two arrow inventory menus on either side of the screen. The world of this game is very semi apocalyptic think growing technological society yet also the downfall and demise of the human race and anything with feelings. Due to he apocalyptic nature the game will be set in a ruined cityscape based very much on the quartile style of Paris, France. The world of this game will be shown through a visor like interface almost like looking through a video camera. The controls will be very simple and easy to reach on a keyboard, we hope to make the controls so that no accidental mistakes are made such as hitting the space bar and doing something wrong in the game. Due to the games stealth roots, not very much detail has gone into what happens if caught since the goal is to avoid confrontation.


2) What role will the interface play in your game
- The interface will set the mood for the game, without the proper interface our game could fall short or be overly complicated. 


3) Intuitive interfaces give a feeling of control. How easy (or hard) is your interface to master?
- I believe that after a short time of playing the interface should be easily understood. The hardest concept will be just getting to know what moves what and so on. The menus and meters are very straight forward as to keep that clean, hard style of technology.


4) Will your players have a strong influence over the outcome of the game? Please describe? If not, how can you change this?
- Yes the players will hold utmost control over the game outcome as well as the game play. This game is geared to be almost decision based so what the player does will have a very significant effect on how not only their experience playing the game is but also how they end the game. Being that if they choose the forceful murderous path, the ending will be cold, but if they choose the path of stealth, they could be rewarded with a bittersweet ending. Either way the game is planned to have a lose lose situation.


5) Players like to feel powerful. Do the players of your game feel powerful? How could this be improved?
-It is understood the want to have power playing a game however the appeal of the apocalypse is the lack of control you have. Its not out of the ordinary for any "end of the world" type of game to have a factor of no control and randomness. Therefore there will be a sense of small power in our game yet nothing significant being as the player has no real control over whats going to happen in the end, just how abruptly it happens. 


6) What does the player pick up and touch?
- The player will be able to open doors and move objects and as distractions can pick up items such as a brick or a bottle or push a trashcan. These items can be used as melee weapons as well.


7) Does the interface map to actions in the world? How?
- The interface will help lead the player to plot furthering events by taking them through the snail shell shaped city. While moving they will encounter challenges such as dealing with the AI or passing through a barrier. however, they will not be aware of these challenges until they are close to them as to promote the idea of randomness and the feeling of suspense.


8) How does your interface let the player see, hear and touch the world of the game? Could this be improved in order to make the game world more real to the player's imagination?
- As with every scare piece of media, sound plays an important role as well as the lack of sound. I think for this game we need to find the balance of sound to help build the suspense and achieve the goal of shocking the player. The player will see the world and be able to interact with it but beyond that we have not explored much into the use of the interface to further immerse the player into the world. As with every game, improvement is possible so yes this feature could be improved on through more engaging actions or sights.

9) The idea interface is invisible to the player. Does your interface cater to the players desires? What are these desires?
- The interface caters to how we believe the player should experience the game, we are crafting the interface to mirror what we as gamers would want to see when playing a game. Now we are aware we have little time to make this game and it will certainly not be anything near what we have envisioned since we see a game that has major selling story line potential. As we see it, the players desires are to move quickly and easily through the game, to be able to find useful objects and use them efficiently. We want the controls to be simple and easy for everyone to understand. 

10) Can your interface be used without the players thinking? Is it natural?
- I think that since our game is based off the computer that for those used to console games like myself that there will be a slight learning curve given that controlling the keyboard can be difficult. However, once that curve is fixed, the player should be able to navigate throughout the game with ease. Naturally we plan on making the movement buttons near each other so that the player can better move and every thing can flow smoothly.

11) Assuming you can do what you want, how would you make your interface more natural?
- I think that to make the interface more natural, the player should not need to look down or have to pause to try and find something. We want the player to easily move along menus and move through the game as if they are actually in the technology apocalypse, to do this everything should be easily accessible and can be done in a swift motion. 

12) What kind of feedback does your interface present to the player? What do the players want to know? How does the interface relate to the player's goal? Will it help achieve that goal?
-  Our game will hold a feedback that when reaching a milestone will give the player feedback but until then the player should feel alone and outnumbered. We believe that if the game is too guided then it could easily become boring and at that point not worthy of the players time. For instance, when the player reaches the entrance to a building they need to get to, they will then receive directions pushing them towards their milestone and since the game map will b shell shaped then there should not be much confusion on how to get there. The player will want to know how to get there and at what time, any thing else is up to the player. The interface, for a complex game idea, is very simple and user friendly because as stated before we want this game to be fluid or 'juicy' as the book calls it, not dry and overtly complex. The overall game goal will be achieved but hopefully through other details like music and design and stealth we can achieve the game designer goal of producing the feeling and thought process we want our game to give off. 

13) Is the interface feedback continuous? Why or why not?
- The interface is feedback continuous to a certain extent but like stated in the previous answer, we want the player to feel some sense of alone-ness meaning they should feel like the game is not on their side. Our game will straddle the line between being feedback continuous by giving the players the info they need to move forward but will stop with its lack of further major help so that the player isn't felt to prodded and planned along.

14) Please describe the concept of interface modes? Does your game have multiple modes? Please explain (Lens #60).
- Interface mode to explain in easier terms is basically the switch and change of functionality of thekeys for the game for instance if space makes you jump normally,if you go to an object then space could make you select and pick up the object therefore changing the interface mode. Our game will have some interface modes to help lessen the number of keys needed to play but it will most likely be large buttons like space or enter that will hold multiple modes as to not confuse players with needing to memorize actual letter keys. To elaborate of Lens #60: Modes we need in our game would be means of movement, means of picking up or selecting objects, means of protection, means of distraction, means of fighting, and means of communication when needed. These multiple modes are important for making the interface easier as well as helping the game flow. We will most likely combine the pick up and select mode as well as the protection and distraction just for less complication. Obviously the player will not need every mode at once so therefore certain modes may be collapsed or not used constantly which will make the interface less cluttered and the game more maneuverable. As stated before, some interfaces will be combined and rightfully assumed as being overlapped. The game play will be so that if the player walks up to a wall he can try and jump by pushing space however if he goes to a bottle he can push space to select. we did not feel that this combination of modes would be difficult for the player to understand and therefore to not need to be expressively highlighted.

As usual, please state in your blog (separate entry if possible), your contributions to your team's game.