Full Documentation on Development: Phase 2 - Blog Post #4

Game purpose and themes for the experience (Chandler / Nooshy):

SARGE (Space Augmented Reality Game of Exploration) is an interactive game about exploration, survival, and experimentation. SARGE is a mobile multiplayer augmented reality game which incorporates real world location, data, and augmented reality, with a sci-fi inspired narrative as the main focus. The premise of the game and its mechanics are quite simple: You play as a sergeant who must gather enough space survival resources in a certain amount of time, in order to escape a dying Earth due to extreme climate change. Scattered around the physical environment are QR codes that represent various resources ranging from basic tools, medical kits, food, and spaceship parts and components. Different rounds of the game determine the type of resources players are collecting. At the beginning of the game, players are presented the rules and are shown a map of the “world” of the game, then a timer is started and players are sent off. Along with the time constraint, players “run out of oxygen” after a certain time and must either make their way back to the station to replenish, or lose. Players are equipped with a smartphone running the SARGE app which employs camera functionality. This is used to scan QR codes around the environment. Once a player scans a code, an augmented reality 3D image of the space resource appears. In order to add it to their “inventory”, players must screenshot it with their smartphones. Since this is meant to be played with multiple people, players can trade items with each other as they see fit during the game. In order to educate and promote discussion about global warming, whenever a space resource is found, there will also be short descriptions and facts about current issues that are related to climate change. We hope that this will have a positive impact that also ties into the narrative of our game. Before the timer runs out, players must return to the designated meeting location and present what has been found.

There are several possible endings to the game that could happen based on how well you did. The “Winner” is the person who ultimately collects the right parts to finish building a spaceship to get help and escape earth. A player could end up as being just a “Survivor” who ends up collecting enough parts (oxygen, food, meds, fallout shelter, etc.) in order to survive until help arrives. All other players would die and don’t make it to next round.

The title of SARGE relates to the narrative of playing as a sergeant living on Earth which is on the brink of going extinct, and you must find resources in order to survive. An easy way of picturing the concept of SARGE is to think of games such as Pokemon Go and No Man’s Sky. These games represent our sources of inspiration for creating SARGE. Pokemon Go was a smashing success when it first came out because it was a unique way of interacting with the world around you while engaging with a virtual world through your phone. It’s because of this high level of interactivity with the player’s physical environment and virtual world, that we decided to build upon this existing experience by including a spaced themed narrative. That’s when we turned to another game called No Man’s Sky as another source of inspiration. Although No Man’s Sky left a bad impression on most gamers, the open-ended structure to the game with the main objective of just exploring and gathering resources in order to survive yielded a true survival/exploration experience. As a team we really liked the concept of space survival, and therefore it seemed like a natural fit to incorporate this theme with an interactive augmented reality game. Along the way, we want our game to also teach players real facts about climate change and how sustainable living is going to be crucial to keep the Earth an inhabitable place in the future. This is what we aim to do with SARGE.

Short List:

• SARGE (Space Augmented Reality Game Exploration) - an interactive game about exploration, survival, and experimentation.

• Mobile multiplayer augmented reality game, incorporates real world location, data, and augmented reality, with a sci-fi inspired narrative

• You are given a mission by the Sergeant (SARGE) to gather enough space survival resources in a certain amount of time, in order to escape a dying Earth due to extreme climate change.

• QR codes scattered around Pacific Science Center, represent resources like basic tools, medical kits, food, and spaceship parts

• High level of interactivity with the player’s physical environment and virtual world

Reflection of how specific game mechanics fit chosen theme (space survival) (Sepand / Julia):

• Gather materials needed for survival in space because earth is dying

• Climate change - > education about why Earth is dying.

• Can play in multiplayer mode to gather materials quicker

• Must find space ship parts to build ship so can blast off into space

• Materials needed are things like food, water, tools, gas, etc.

• Must collect materials in a timely manner and avoid running over the set amount of time for the mission in order to succeed to the next level

• Multiple endings based on evaluation of gathered supplies

• Not survive, survive [on Earth], survive and go to space

There are several game mechanics to be incorporated that fit the theme of SARGE which is space survival. The main game mechanic is material collection through location-based augmented reality. The game is set on a dying planet and players will have to gather relevant materials in order to survive either on the planet for a period of time or more desirably to survive, build a spaceship and travel to a stable planet. The items to gather will include water, food and spaceship parts. This will be implemented using Augment software in which players will use to find QR codes, scan them (projecting a 3D model) and screencap what they have collected in order to earn a score in each category of object which will play a part in determining their fate/what ending they receive.

Another game mechanic is the time limit that represents the amount of time a player has to explore and collect pieces before their oxygen runs out (around 5 minutes). In order to replenish their oxygen level, they will need to walk to a designated station which will refill their oxygen (reset the timer). This represents that the player requires an oxygen tank due to the air on the current planet being toxic/polluted. If the player runs out of oxygen/time at any given point, they automatically lose the game and resources that they have collected. There will be an overall time limit that, when reached, will end the game and the resources will be tallied.

Additionally, there will be three different endings that a player can get depending on their resources at the end of the game. If they have collected enough spaceship parts, food and water, they will be able to build a spaceship and successfully leave the planet. If they have collected a satisfactory amount of food and water but not enough spaceship parts, they will be able to find shelter and survive on the planet for a period of time. If the player either does not have enough of either of the resources or runs out of oxygen before the overall time limit is up they will die on the planet.

Concept Map (Neeko):

https://imd363uwb.wixsite.com/teamsarge/development (at bottom of the page)