Day 19: Part 2, Thoughts & ideas contd.

Continuing from part 1, Isolde acts throughout the game as the puzzle part.

The idea i have is that the puzzle part of the game will switch core mechanics, the player wont be able to run around the map in puzzle mode, but will be able to pick up rocks and manipulate items in a way thats intuitive on the ipad. 

An example of the above idea can be that you come across a gap in the world that Tristan obviously cannot traverse (the distance between platforms could be greatly exaggerated to prevent the player from jumping to his/her death).

Switching to isolde, the visuals of the world changes around you and it seems everything is locked in a time bubble - this is where you can now pick up loose objects or manipulate items.

Now to overcome the puzzle, the player can pick up a rock (some easing will prevent for example the finger covering the object the player is holding) and placing it between the platforms, effectively allowing Tristan to jump across the gap.

Granted this is an extremely dumbed down puzzle, but i imagine that its the combination of the two genres can make the game itself unique.

Now even though i quite like the gameplay design as it is, i do think there's a couple of pitfalls i need to overcome before it'll really shine.

Top issues are currently;

• If any, what kind of energy does Isolde use up - obviously i can't have the player use her all the time, since its potentially a game breaking mechanic (where you could just switch to isolde all the time and drop rocks on enemies for example.)
• Isolde is initially locked away inside a strange crystal when you encounter her - hereafter she saves Tristans life - only to be merged with him.
• This could mean that picking up similar crystals as the one she was in, could replenish any spent "energy"- though this in turn would mean that the player could potentially use it anywhere, making the game mechanic counter-intuitive if there ever was an area where he/she wasn't allowed to use it.

• How do i effectively signal to the player that he/she needs to use Isolde at a specific moment or at a specific area?
• I had an idea here that Tristan would always have this little crystal floating with him, that was Isolde - she could light up dark areas, point him in the direction of the next crystal or maybe give off some kind of visual cue whenever the player was able to use her abillities.

• Should the abillity Isolde has, be upgradeable - for example, 1st time you can only pick up rocks - but later parts in the game you can pick up enemies and throw them around?
• I thought this would be kinda cool, adding a layer of RPG would benefit the game, plus the feeling of progression not only through the game levels but also with the character/s.
• The cons to adding rpg element is the fear of having a game thats difficult to pick up and play right away, you're not presented with characters who have reached their peak in abilities - obviously this in turn adds to replayability - but almost punishes plug-and-play behavior (angry birds comes to mind as being the best example of ultimate plug-and-play).

• How do i prevent the player from trial and error, switcing Isolde on/off constantly to pick up where he/she needs to use her?
• One idea could be that Isolde needs a lightsource, not from any - but from the sun on any planet you're on in the game, for example standing in a light beam in a cavern could mean that you can now activate Isolde. This could bring cool shooting puzzles debris or support structures to puncture a hole in a cavern ceiling to allow, but it might also endanger the clear definition between platforming and puzzle gameplay.
• A similar idea i had was that maybe Isolde is dependent on the elements, like with light, you could stand in water or wind and her ability would activate.
• When the user uses Isolde, should it be under a time constraint, say 30 seconds for example - what happens when the time runs out, will the player need to pick up more "energy"? - backtracking is bad, and is even worse if it hurts the player progression... 
• I think this adds a needless layer of strategy on top of an adventure game.

To be continued :D