Addicat: Between The Two
2022.12
Role：
Designer
Team Leader
Skills：
Mechanic Design
System Design
Level Design
Narrative Design
Here is the link of itch:
Addicat: Between The Two
You can Try it!
Overview
In the game the player plays a detective, in a case 10 years ago, he lost his beloved wife. In these 10 years, he chose to take drugs to relieve his grief, so he became seriously addicted to drugs. However, a sudden anonymous letter, broke his life, the letter revealed a lot of details of the case 10 years ago, and all the clues point to the old house where the detective used to live when he was young. So the detective in order to explore the truth of the case and the real whereabouts of his wife, embarked on a journey to investigate the old house. However, the truth of the whole matter does not seem to be so simple.
Game Trailer
5-minute gameplay walkthrough
Design Concept
This game was my final project for the first course of my graduate studies. At the outset, our professor, Bob De Schutter, presented several concepts: 'Social, Educational, Gamerliness, Aesthetics.' He wanted us to design a game that adhered to at least one of these concepts. My inspiration was drawn from my understanding of these concepts, and I ultimately chose to focus on the 'Educational' and 'Social' themes for game development. The game narrates the story of a detective who spirals into despair and substance abuse following the disappearance of his wife. In the end, he receives a letter that takes him back to the place that brought him immense pain, giving him an opportunity to confront the truth and rescue his wife. I hope players can immerse themselves in the investigation, puzzle-solving, and clue-finding aspects of the game, and through the narrative and certain game mechanics, experience unique emotions. Issues like 'substance abuse' and 'dealing with trauma' are real-life challenges, and I wanted to present my perspective on them through a different lens.
Game Play
The game uses puzzle solving as the main gameplay. The game process is a linear narrative investigation main task, which can promote the switching between plots and scenes by collecting clues, obtaining key items, and sorting out clues (refer to the Sherlock Holmes series of games). In addition to the normal timeline, Addicat can jump out of the normal timeline through his ability, enter the "Detective Thinking", sort out all the clues collected, and obtain the qualification to the next scene or level. The following are the mechanics:
1. Basic Movements
2. Item Interaction
3. Backpack System
4. Mind Palace
5. Dialogue System
Players can use WASD to move around the room. Players can also pick up the items (get closer to highlight the items that can be interacted and add them to the backpack). Players can also check the items in the backpack. And we also have a dialogue system to show the dialogues.
In this video, the basic gameplay is well demonstrated. In the first level, the scene and interactions effectively familiarize players with the fundamental controls and elements they can manipulate. The inspiration for this level comes from 'Silent Hill.' We have placed Addicat in a tense atmosphere to search for clues.
System Design
In this game, we have designed multiple gameplay systems to support the game flow and mechanics
Mind Palace System:
In terms of system design, I initially developed the Mind Palace system based on the core gameplay mechanics. This was inspired by the game 'Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One'. I found the idea of pausing time to organize clues quite intriguing. I made this system the main gameplay mechanic, where players need to collect clues in each level and then organize them at specific locations. Players will enter the first layer of thought, placing clues under the respective puzzles. If all are placed correctly, players can then advance to the second layer of thought. In this phase, various clues will pop up on the screen, and players need to match their conclusion sentences with each clue. It's akin to the moment when a detective has those bursts of insights during contemplation. If there's a mistake along the way, players have to start over.
Backpack System:
Players' collected items and clues will be stored in a backpack, accessible at any time. This system helps players keep track of the information they have gathered, aiding them in piecing together the story as they enter the Mind Palace to consolidate their findings.
Dialogue System:
The dialogue system is instrumental in advancing the plot, and it contains numerous clues. Players can extract the information they need from conversations and the narrative backdrop. Additionally, Addicat's inner monologues featured in these dialogues further flesh out and shape Addicat's character, providing a deeper understanding of his mindset and motivations.
Environmental Interaction System:
The environment isn't just a backdrop; it plays an integral role in the gameplay. Players can interact with various objects, triggering events or uncovering hidden clues.
The aforementioned three systems are all demonstrated in the gameplay section, specifically in the video showcase of the first level.
Level Design
According to the 'MDA' design theory in game design, we believe that the 'A', which stands for 'Aesthetics', can be reflected in the game levels and environment. As a result, we designed the background to resemble an old house, and most of the interactive items are antique pieces. This immerses players quickly into the game world. In our level design, based on these antiques and the common structure of homes, we adapted them into 2D and integrated them into the game scenes to complete the level design. We believe this approach won't feel out of place to players since these items are typically found in regular houses. We created a total of six levels, letting players sequentially explore different rooms, attics, and roofs. This effective exploration of every nook and cranny of the house also aids in advancing the narrative storyline.
Level Design Document
Narrative Design
In terms of narrative design, we believe linear storytelling is the most suitable approach for our game. We crafted a complete storyline for Addicat, starting from the event ten years ago that led to Addicat's downfall—the disappearance of Addicat's wife—to his subsequent descent into despair, then the receipt of a letter prompting him to return to the old house for exploration, and finally, the conclusion of the story. Through dialogues, animations, side-story clues, item descriptions, house designs, and two plot twists in the storyline, we enable players to immerse themselves deeply into Addicat's story, understand his character, and provoke some introspection. Additionally, I utilized Twine to create a small game based on linear storytelling. This game is constructed around the entire storyline and serves to clarify the entire narrative flow for players.
Twine Game of "Addicat" Background Story
Addicat Narrative
Team Management
"We use Trello for task management. Each member creates individual entries for their tasks and categorizes them into 'To Do', 'In Progress', and 'Done'. Once a task is completed, the corresponding card is dragged into the 'Done' list. This way, everyone can easily see the progress of each person's tasks."
We also set up a shared Google document for team resource management. For resource requirements, we created a table where the planner specifies all the needs, corresponding scenes, positions, and materials, which is then provided to the programmers for use. Here are some examples as shown in the following figure
