Game Poposal project 3 Gog
Cog – Don’t Stand in the Way of Progress!
The proposal I would like to make for Design 385 is based on a Steam Punk inspired format. The style of the game has been influenced by my research into The Crystal Palace Building from The Great Exhibition in London of 1851 and also by industrial revolution machinery. This should give an aged worn metal look slightly quirky and clunky in appearance. It would also have an element of unexpected cleverness and hidden gadgetry for example old steam engines and wind up clockwork toys. After looking through Dinotopia The World Beneath by James Gurney I started to think about how I could include the idea of living and breathing machines.
In this game the player is called Cog. He is literally a mechanical Cog which rolls around the map collecting various machine parts and assembling himself throughout the game. This is a essentially a puzzle game and as Cog moves around picking up parts of machinery as he slowly evolves into other forms. The forms would be determined by the player depending on the individual choices made when aquiring parts.
As the game progresses enemies threaten Cog in his various manifestations. The enemies will attempt to immobilise Cog by removing vital parts of his form. As this occurs the enemy can gain strength through the weakening of Cog. These enemies or scrap metal scavengers want to prevent Cog from making industrial progress. Cog must cleverly disguise himself into forms that are difficult for the scavenger to detect and so pass by Cog unnoticed. Points in the game will be won and lost depending on the versatility of the disguise and so this also becomes a game of stealth a cat and mouse game. With this idea in mind puzzles can be solved in a similar fashion by using the parts of Cog to solve the puzzles littered throughout the game that impede the players progress.
The story in Cog follows that Cog finds out early on in the game that the mechanical island on which he lives is being threatened in its industrial progress by the of the scrap metal scavengers who have an insatiable desire for all things mechanical feeding off metal objects, bolts, pipes and cogs. These elements give the scrap metal scavengers strength and power. It is down to Cog to liberate the mechanical island and restore balance and progress.
Sound will be mechanical in style. Using tracks similar to that of Pink Floyd from the Dark Side of the Moon. Ticking sounds, squeaking and steam emitions. Work from other groups such as Stomp who use everyday objects to make industrial music can be explored. There also needs to be a theme for Cog which cuts across these harsh dragging sounds representing well oiled machinery a happy industrial sound of victory.
Team Responsibilities – these roles are flexible and open to adaption and change according to the talents of the chosen teams.
- Project Lead: Responsible for Team Progress and keeping everyone on time and target and assessing all work. This person should be willing to help in all areas and help with any problems that may arise.
- Sound Designer: This person will be responsible for every aspect of sound from coding to the overall compilation of the composition. This will closely work in with the whole feel of the game.
- Level Designer: Responsible for all the levels mechanics and coding for the game.
- 3 D Modeller and Animator: Responsible for all game models, animation and textures used in the game.
Reference:
Dinotopia: The World Beneath
by James Gurney
Publisher: HarperCollins; Reissue edition
