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U-M CIS 587 - Study Guide

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Tail of the RatCIS 487DesignDocumentation12/15/2006Pat HandyMichael AlfMichael Manard2Table of ContentsSection Topic PageGame Mechanics 3Overview 3Camera 3User Interface Design 3Replaying and Saving 6Control Summary 6Game Play Details 6Cut-Scenes 7Story Telling 7Level Summary 7Artificial Intelligence 8Opponent AI 8Player Detection 8Motion 8Special Actions 8Combat 8Non-player Characters 9Puzzles and Traps 9Game Elements 9Items 9Character Bible 10Story OverviewStoryboard 12Background / Plot Summary14Game Progression 16Setting 16Introduction 16Flowchart 16Level and Scene Details 17Lessons Learned 183Bibliography 184Game MechanicsThe following topics discuss the general mechanics of the game “Tail of the Rat: The Adventures of Ricky Rat.”OverviewThe basic premise of the action / adventure game Tail of the Rat is to assume the character Ricky Rat, and battle various foes in attempts to free the jailed citizens of cheese town. The player is awarded weapons that are used to thwart foes while navigating through maze-like levels. There are three levels in Tail of the Rat, all with the same goal, kill the level boss and openthe jail cell containing the citizens of Cheesetown. Items can obtained from defeated bosses that enhance game play as well and progress the game story. Additionally, “Tail of the Rat” was designed to be similar in game play to the popular game “The Legend of Zelda” for the Nintendo gaming console. CameraThe entire duration of game play in Tail of the Rat consist of a camera overhead view of each level. The isometric top-down camera allows the game to act as a continuous side scroller. There is no visible horizon in this camera view. Since, the entire level is not visible on the screen, the smooth scrolling action occurs when a player reaches the bounds of the viewable area on the screen. This action reveals more of the level map to the player. The level is said to move with the player, rather than the player moves with the world. This transition is applied to up, down, left, and right movements until the player reaches the edges of a level, where the side scrolling halts. Additionally, it isimportant to note that the game is best played at the default full screen mode where the entire output is consumed with the gameuser interface.User Interface DesignIn Tail of the Rat, there are two major user interfaces: The main menu and the main game interface. The main menu allows the user to start a new game or quitan existing game. Moreover, the main menu serves as a “pause screen” where a player may temporally suspend game play and subsequently return to the game:5There are two options on the main menu: o Start: Begins a new game of Tail of the Rat or returns the userto their current game if a new game has already been started.o Quit: Exits the game Tail of the Rat.Additionally, it is important to note the “Game Over” screen that indicated that the player has failed the game and does not require user input:The main user interface of the game is displayed to the user during game play:There are several components of the main game user interface:6o Life Meter: As indicated by the word “Life” and the red cells directly to the right of the word. The life meter indicates the amount of HP a player currently has. One HP point is equal to one red cell. When all HP is exhausted (no red cells), the player has died and must begin a new game.o Item Indicators: Directly right of the life meter are the item indicators. The item indicators include the player’s current weapon, the player’s bonus item, and the status of the level key. The current weapon equipped is the sword as shown by the sword icon shown below. The player may elect to use either the magic shoes or the bow and arrow which is shown to the user with either of the icons shown below that appear to the right of the equipped weapon icon. Finally, there is a key status icon that appears as an outline if the player has notobtained the level key, and a solid yellow color if they have.Sword IconBow and Arrow IconMagic Shoes IconKey Status Icono Dialog Component: The dialog component is displayed to the user in the lower portion of the screen and is used to convey story messages to the user. The dialog component is activated when the player triggers certain events such as confronting a level boss, or starting a new level.7o Level Component: The level component basically comprises the entire screen. It contains the player (Ricky Rat), and enemies (both solders and bosses), and the level map. The level map is comprised of tangible and intangible patches of the level representing objects. Objects such as trees and bricks are tangible and the player can not travel through them. Objects such as dirt and grass are considered intangible and the player may freely travel through them. Replaying and SavingTail of the Rat has great replay value, however there is no means provided by the game for saving. Each time a gamer wishes to play Tail of the Rat they must start a new game. Additionally, the player may start a new instance of the game after dying, by selecting start from the main menu.Control SummaryIn Tail of the Rat the player assumes the character Ricky Rat with the following controls.Up Key – Move Ricky Rat in the up direction.Down Key – Move Ricky Rat in the down direction.Left Key – Move Ricky Rat in the left direction.Right Key – Move Ricky Rat in the right direction.A Key – Attack with primary weapon (sword).Z Key – Attack with the secondary weapon (bow and arrow) if equipped.Spacebar – Toggle equipped bonus item. (Bow and shoes).Game Play DetailsThe overall objective of Tail of the Rat is to free the imprisoned citizens of Cheesetown. Basically, to achieve this, the player must battle their way through swarms of enemy soldiers using the provided weapons. The levels add difficulty to the game with their maze-like structures. Ultimately, the player will navigate to a final chamber of each level where the player faces of with a level boss. If the boss is defeated, a key is dropped that the player must use to open the jail cell continuing the citizens of Cheesetown. Once the citizens are free, the player advances to the next level. Once all three levels have been completed, the player wins the game. This all must be done without the player dying. The player may regain health by obtaining cheese items that are dropped at random from defeated soldiers.


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U-M CIS 587 - Study Guide

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