Week 11: Prototyping
I am prototyping my game in Storyline 360 and there are pros and cons. On the plus side, this software lets me be pretty specific about how the game functions and how the graphics relate to each other. It is faster to build in Storyline than Unity (especially considering my learning curve) but slower than building a paper prototype or a representation without graphics. I am really enjoying how the software is helping me to build prompts and learner supports into the game by adding shell screens in layers.
Systems
When I started on the prototype, it took me a long time to get my basic template set up. My template is a single slide that contains all the systems in the game. It does not include puzzles or simulations. I’m moving the Care Plan and the Chart out of the template, each to their own scene. That will help me make the content in those game shells more accessible and better data collection tools (in the case of the Chart). Systems included in the template:
a variety of facial expressions to suit the circumstance
sound effects that signal success or failure
The action menu and all of the objects associated with the actions.
Hotspot targets for the action objects
Layers for hints, goals, and prompts
A layer for star achievement
Objects for equipment triggers later in the game
Hotspots to access game shell objects
Triggers that make the objects above create actions or collect data
I’ve also drafted a hidden slide that will collect and calculate points for displaying them at the end of each level.
Puzzles
The downside of Storyline shows up in the puzzles. There are some ways that I envisioned a puzzle working that Storyline won’t do or it won’t collect data. That is ok for now for a prototype. I am taking notes about how I want the game to change so that it can be built out in another app later. I have three of six main puzzles drafted. I think they will require more playtesting than the main content of the game.
Prototype Link
The prototype can be played on Review 360.
https://360.articulate.com/review/content/01088c91-8d7a-4418-a159-fac4950f3117/review
Images
Here are a few images from the prototype.
