A World Between Pages

Producer/Game Designer

01/21-03/21

Pitch

A World Between Pages is a Knave++ Adaptation of the video game released in 2012 Cry of Fear by Team Psyskallar. We follow a group of four people who find themselves on desolate, abandoned streets. In this nightmarish reality, light is dangerously scarce, and weapons as well as ammunition are difficult to come by. These harsh circumstances pose a conundrum: do you to stick together as a group in order to benefit as a team, or split up in order to complete objectives in a more efficient and timely manner?

Meet the Team 

Our team consisted of five individuals, all of which contributed to the design elements, and rigorous playtesting required for the final product. I took the leading role of Producer and was heavily involved in game design, as well as playtesting. 

What Did I Do?

When deciding what video game, movie, or TV show we would adapt, I pitched the idea of Cry of Fear. Once this idea was approved by the rest of the team, I decided to take a leading role to ensure that the project was a true soul successor to the original game, since I knew it best. My role consisted of:

 1) Leading weekly scrum meetings, defining key deliverables, and keeping track of progress team members made on both design documents and playtesting reports. 

2) Designing the game board, iterating on design documents, game loop ideas, and mechanics to ensure that they fit the style of Cry of Fear. 

3) Upholding clear and continuous communication with stakeholders about the state of development.

4) Performing rigorous playtests and developing subsequent playtest reports, as well as organizing all documentation in a concise manner that defines how to better the experience.

5) Creating an introductory video to help new players get acquainted with the original game, as well as our reinterpretation and its updated mechanics. 

Knave ++ Design Document

Below is the official Knave++ A World Between Pages document containing the systems breakdown, main game loop, collected playtesting reports, as well as any additional documents to keep track of our progress, and the effectiveness of the final product. 

Page One

Introductory Video

The introductory video below, edited by me, can be used as an introductory guide on how to play. 

Playtest Reports

The following playtest reports detail thorough playthroughs of the game that tested specific mechanics for improvement. These are two examples conducted and documented by me.

AWBP Internal/External Playtest Report

Original Map

The game board went through many iterations, with this being the first official one. It was changed heavily after a series of playtests to include a more linear progression and to better fit the core gameplay loop of exploring, finding light, gathering resources, and overcoming obstacles/enemies/bosses.

Miro Design Board

This Miro board was designed by our group to detail the beginning stages of development. Within the board, we outlined the core gameplay loop, playtest procedure, mechanics breakdown, and lore.

What Did I Learn?

This project demonstrated my ability to lead a team and to create a fair and balanced experience for others to enjoy. I learned how to balance a plethora of game documents and how to organize them all into a single document that a team and stakeholders alike could follow. The greatest challenge I faced was translating the information that we developed as a team to be understood by a general audience, and after countless iterations, we were able to coalesce the information into a concise document that outlines how to play. Additionally, I faced the challenge of maintaining clear communication with each of my team members, and of leading meetings which was initially difficult to overcome due to my shyness. However, over time, I learned to speak confidently and empathetically, ensuring everyone on the team was always contributing to the project, but never overwhelmed.