Ozone (Game Design Project)

Last week, in Game Design class, I was tasked with creating a Game Design Powerpoint Pitch, Game Mechanics Document, User Interface mockups, and a Prototype. I was given a couple stipulations in regards to the game design.

1. First, the game would have to involve a social issue (similar to Games for Change) in some way. 
2. Second, the game should involve a unique form of player movement outside of industry norms such as running, walking, jumping, crouching, etc. 

For this project, I decided to collaborate with Justin Hentges, a fellow student in the Game Design program who also has a background in Game Art.

First, Justin and I decided to brainstorm ideas for the game, focusing on the two stipulations given for the design. We got really lucky and developed a good narrative early on that lent itself to both of our goals: a turn-based strategy in a sci-fi setting against a parasitic race. We took this idea and evolved it into Ozone, a game where the player assumes the role of planet earth, pitted against the humans who are polluting and destroying Her. Environmentalism is a shared passion that me and Justin found out we shared, and it's a growing problem. Why not make a game, marketed towards teen kids, that can show the dangers of humanity's impact on Earth in an engaging way?

We would also allow players to taking control of the entire Earth. Through both localized attacks and galactic movement, players would get to move as a celestial body.

When determining the genre and world of the game, we featured
After building upon the core mechanics of the game, we came up with a very exciting and interesting game. Here are some really interesting bullets of the design that we came up with:

• Player's health would be displayed in a unique way, as the Ozone layer. Being able to see a physical representation of the health was something we really liked because it allows for an education display versus a simple HUD element.
• All mechanics of the game will be based on an internal historical database of scientific data. Planet movement, strategic attacks, AI response, and correlations between effects will have outcomes based on scientific fact, to help back up the educational factor of the game.
•  We decided that on the first play, we would present a tutorial that starts at the Industrial Revolution and ends at the current time. This will allow players the ability to learn the mechanics of the game in a known setting. Being able to prepare for known events will prepare the player for the more complex interactions that take place during the futuristic game play.

Here's the initial design pitch we came up with:

Ozone (Game Design Pitch) from Alexander Rybak

We ended up presenting this pitch to the class and got a lot of positive feedback.
Me and Justin collaborated heavily on the UI, but he was the one who conceptualized it. I really enjoyed the art style he was able to convey in a simple mock-up. The HUD in particular (see slide 11) captured the scientific elements of the game.

Last, let's take a look at the mechanics that went into the project.

Overall, this was a pretty exciting game design that we were able to accomplish, in less than a week. What are your thoughts? Suggestions? Questions about the process?

Stay tuned for more content soon!