M4: Ideation

1. Basic rules:

3D map (incubator galaxy) nests 18 cases (goal: play them all=max score, in-progress status)

Moving rule: players can start from any planet but can only move to the planets adjacent to the current planet or the visited planets in the future moves

Efficiency 3 levels (mastery/stable, recurrent context)

Innovation 3 levels (discover/variable, novel context)

Motivation 2 levels (want & persist )

I & E : 1st line=1, 2nd line=2, 3rd line=3 (total=36+36)

M1=1 (total=9), M2=3 (total=27)

2. Bonus & penalty

If the differences between the accumulated I scores and the accumulated E scores are smaller than 2, which shows a balanced path, 0.5 extra points will be added to each I & E dimension. This scoring rule aims to encourage the player to develop each dimension alternatively.

If the accumulated M scores are 3 points lower than either the accumulated I scores or the accumulated E scores, 0.5 points will be deducted from the higher dimension(s). This scoring rule means that the lack of motivation will diminish the growth.

Scoring sequence: I & E & M basic -> I & E bonus -> M penalty

3. Interactions with the character’s constraints:

Initial resources are H=5, M=4, L=3

Each turn before the baby character runs out of any mental resources (not die but stuck on an abandoned planet), it will automatically generate 1 for each category at the beginning of the turn.

Each visit to a new planet will cost the baby character’s resources: E costs time, I costs energy, and M costs willpower.

The accumulated I & E & M scores will benefit the baby's automatic recovery. Every 5 points in one dimension enable one more corresponding resource generation.

4. Game end

• The baby burns out:

No time ->perpetually exhausted pigeon, tired to do more

No energy ->ostrich burying head in the sand, fear of change

No motivation ->couch potato, passively passing time

• Or the map is completed:

When the map is completed, the baby character will be ejected towards the coordinate galaxy and sending back the wonderful journey and achievements to the player.

The coordinate galaxy will be on the spectrum from very stable to very vigorous environments, corresponding to the time & energy the baby has. The reaching distance/journey length and the amount of photos/souvenirs/letters depend on the willpower the baby has. The satisfaction and proudness of the future baby depend on the overall balance and total resources the baby has.

A Sample Branching