Epigenetic Twins Project

Treatment Document

Project Leader – Oliver GartsideLead Developer – Luke CampbellLead Designer – Rhys Wynne-LewisLead Artist – Andrew Adshead

Game Overview

“Epigenetic twins” is a game based around the concept of “Epigenetics”. Epigenetics is essentially the differences that occur within or outside the human body that are based solely on the environment or lifestyle choices, rather than the genetics of said person. Because of this, twins are the most helpful way to show these differences as it makes it more evident that they don’t happen due to genetics, as well as showing that changes can happen inside despite the similarities on the outside due to these genetics. Thus, to show this, the game is centered around twins, each controlled by a player. Both players have the freedom to choose multiple actions within the world to do, each of which will have different effects on their body. These effects include damaging their organs or making them healthier, and making them less hungry or thirsty. The actions taken will then possibly mean the player survives longer than the opposing player, since otherwise it will result in a game over. The fun of the game comes from the tactical gameplay, since both players have to think strongly about the best order in which to enter the buildings and do the actions, as there are a couple of obstacles that stop the game from seeming too easy for the players. The first of these is the limitation on the number of times the players can do the actions, however this changes depending on what the action is. For example, the player can have a homemade meal 3 times in total, but can only go to the hospital once due to that particular action being the most advantageous. Another obstacle is the doors into each building, since at certain points in the timeline, the doors for certain buildings will shut, meaning the player then has to find other ways of surviving. These elements of the game hopefully make it more interesting for the users.

Genre

The game is rather unique so it’s difficult to ascertain exactly what genre it is, however the closest is most likely “Survival”.

Platforms

PC

Target Audience

The target audience for epigenetic twins is high-school students, since the client wanted students to be able to learn about epigenetics using this game. Therefore, the information used within the game is not highly complex, because we want this information to be easily understood by people of many age groups as well.

Controls

The controls depend on which player is being used, as player 1 uses a keyboard whereas player 2 uses a gamepad. For keyboard, movement is done using the W,A,S,D keys, and interaction is accomplished by pressing the ‘E’ key. On a gamepad, movement is done by moving the analog stick, and interaction is through the press of either the ‘X’ button on an Xbox controller, or the ‘Square’ button on a PlayStation controller.

Player Experience

One of the most important things to think about while developing the game is how the player experiences it, and therefore a large part of epigenetic twins as a game is making sure they understand exactly what they must do. While the HUD is a good indicator of this, there are other elements used within the game to demonstrate how it is played and what to do. The first of these is text on each building showing the player where they are headed, since at first glance it may not be entirely obvious, and it helps first-time players a lot. Another is the squares that surround where the actions can be done, because without these the players may wander about and not know exactly where they are headed at any given time. That can be extremely aggravating for them and cause them to dislike the game and as a result not want to play it. Another factor is sound, which is used when the players overlap any of the squares, indicating that the player can do an action once they reach it. When overlapping a square, the player will also see text telling them what to press on the keyboard or controller to interact, as well as exactly what interacting will do. Things like this are important for making absolutely sure the player understands the game the first time they play it, and not causing unneeded frustration.

Game Objective

The main objective of epigenetic twins is to beat the other player, which is done by comparing how much of each “health bar” they have left. The most important part of the game the players have to worry about is balancing the organ bars with the “hunger” and “thirst” meters, since affecting one will most likely affect another as well. For example, drinking alcohol will make the player less thirsty, but also damage certain organs, This is exaggerated for effect of course, since the effect wouldn’t be that fast, however due to the nature of the game this is how it must be. This adds a lot to the tactical nature of the game, since both players have to think about multiple meters at once, and therefore it can end up being quite difficult if the player doesn’t understand what exactly to do, which is why, as shown above, helping the player figure it out is key to the games success.Level Design

The games small world is made in such a way that it is very simple for the players to figure out where they are going, and get there as quickly as possible. The linearity of the game helps it a lot since some of the obstacles in the game such as limitations and the doors mean that players may make mistakes that cost them time, so they need to be able to fix those mistakes as quickly as possible and get to another building in order to save themselves. Because of this, the size of the world being small is more of an advantage for the player.

User Interface

Although the interface has multiple meters the player must worry about, they are easily understandable, since they will constantly be decreasing as the game goes on, meaning that the player will feel a form of tension and therefore feel more inclined to commit the different actions stationed around the world. The visible health of the organs shown in the pictures will add to this tension. If the game only had a time limit, I believe this tension would not be as palpable.