Auras
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Cooperative Action
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48 hour game jam
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2022
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Gamemaker Studio 2
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Solo Project
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Two player party game requiring careful teamwork and cooperation.
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Used movement and single simple action to provide rich emergent gameplay.
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Cultivated mechanics and feel to support the theme of letting ones wall down socially.
Overview
In Auras - there are two players with different colored Auras. Bouncing projectiles spawn at the edges of the screen matching the color of either one of these auras. Either Aura can deflect these projectiles, but the player takes damage (represented by their aura's size decreasing) if the projectile doesn't match their color.
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Players can let down their Auras - allowing them to destroy projectiles of their color, but increasing the damage dealt by other colors.
The critical interaction of the game however is how the player's Auras interact with each other. Players will damage each other if their auras overlap when one of theirs is down, but will heal if both of the players' auras are down. This simple interaction creates significant challenge and surprise, as well as necessitates strong communication and teamwork.
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Using a small simple set of interactions - I designed game of rich mechanical and social emergence - full of novel situations and deeper strategies.
PostMortem
What went well
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New methods of ideation led to novel idea in less time.
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Interaction of simple mechanics led to rich emergence.
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Social considerations led to communication and bonding teamwork.
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The game's theme could be felt through the play experience.
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What went wrong
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Time pressure led to critical features - such as a tutorial - being omitted.
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Player discovery of the healing interaction between the two auras was discouraged by the damaging interaction being discovered first.
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The aura-down state was slightly too strong.
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What I would change
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Implement a scripted tutorial that would lead the players in discovering the mechanics.
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Add a mechanic were a direct hit by a projectile causes additional damage, incentivizing the aura-up state.