Virtual Scorpion is an evolution of the Class based Scorpion Project - the aim of which was to bring together disparate projects with a common theme - 'the need to escape from a tricky situation' - only now we are going Virtual!.
The goal is to create a game comprising of a number of locations, challenges and tools, the game completes with a successful escape. To hinder this there will be traps and things to avoid.
The aim of Virtual Scorpion is for ninja's to design, build and own their own parts of the game. Different age groups can build in different languages. Older ninja's may elect to create a text based game in Python. Younger ninja's may elect to create a more visual game in Scratch. Ninja's are the core contributor's to the ideas, create and build their own rooms, while Mentor's assist in overcoming design and coding challenges.
The build out is iterative and evolutionary, progress may not be linear and the aim is to examine and understand different strategies and methods of building software and projects.
Here's is a summary of the initial context:
The game is set in a school building. The objective is to escape from the building. To do this you need to collect things from different places and use those things to overcome challenges. The last challenge is an exit so you need the right tools to get out. Somethings are hidden, somethings are locked away, some things need to be found. Use some
things to find other things.
The Project
A Site was created in google sites to host the game description and design note. Design input's and idea exchange took place over a number of Virtual dojo sessions with contributions from both Wednesday and Sunday groups.
Idea Formation
A few examples of this type of game were explored. 'Lords of Time' served as a classic example of a text based challenge game from the early 80's. Coya in progress served as a example of a Scratch based challenge game. This used a similar text based help system. An escape room game called 'The Vault' added a further dimension to the design.
Coding
For Scratch we used Scratch 3 - prototyped each section of the game individually and then merged this back into a single instance of the game, gradually developing each section. Upfront design included statements on game play, design patterns (movement, scoring, staging).
Prototyping
A prototype room in Scratch was developed that explored some strategies and challenges including Exposing hidden objects, creating an Inventory. A prototype room was written in Java using OpenGL, creating an experience similar to the 'Vault'. A Python based script was developed to explore a text based experience.
Key Contributors
We had a number of key contributors:
Lena Dunne
Ben Banerjee
Alex Buckley
Kashvi Goyal
John Ding