Basic InformationCIS 587 – Computer Game Design and ImplementationHarvey Roy DivinagraciaASSIGNMENT 109/25/2001TABLE OF CONTENTSBASIC INFORMATIONGAME SUMMARYGAME REVIEWSUMMARYCIS 587 – Computer Game Design and Implementation Harvey Roy DivinagraciaASSIGNMENT 1 09/25/2001TABLE OF CONTENTS1Basic Information2Game Summary3Game Review4 Summary 6BASIC INFORMATION GAME TITLERahJongg SE (Special Edition) – The Curse of Ra COMPANY AND AUTHORWritten and Designed by P. MusslerProduced by E.Immambocus (UsedStar Inc.)Distributed by eGames, Inc.2000 Cabot Blvd. Suite 110Langhorne, PA 190471-216-750-6606 TYPE OF GAMEPuzzle type game having a theme on ancient Egyptian beliefs. PRICE$ 9.99; bundled together with other games (Solitaire, Clicks, Game of Four Winds)distributed by eGames, Inc. as one shrink-wrapped CD entitled “Galaxy of Mahjongg”. MINIMUM STATED HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS(As shown in the CD cover)Pentium 120MHz PC, Win 95/98, 16Mb RAM, SVGA VideoCard, Sound Card, 16-bit colordisplay, DirectX 5 (or higher) compatible video card and drivers and CD-ROM drive ACTUAL HARDWARE REQUIREDInstalled/Played/Evaluated in a PII 350 MHz PC with Windows98SE OS, 8X CD-ROMdrive, 128 Mb RAM, Trident 976 Video Card with 4Mb Memory, 17” Monitor, PS-2compatible mouse, and keyboard.GAME SUMMARY QUICK OVERVIEWThere are two game options under RahJongg SE (Special Edition) that is available tothe player. This evaluation only focuses on the main game option entitled “PlayRah’s Levels” instead of the option “Play Solitaire” because the latter is provided forany player who wants to practice his skills in solving puzzles used in the game. The main game option has 7 levels where the player has to solve a puzzle under aspecified amount of time provided in each level before he can proceed to the next. Inevery level, the player is given a certain number of spells he can cast to help himsolve a puzzle as well as gain extra life as a reward when certain conditions are met.Moreover, the level of difficulty increases as the player moves to the next level of thegame. STORY LINERa is the brother of Re, the sun god. He has fallen from grace and was cursed by Reto eternal suffering. The curse can only be lifted by conquering all the dynasties ofRe’s reign, where each dynasty is represented by a certain game level. PLAYER’S ROLEThe player is presumed to be an Egyptian high priest that is on Ra’s side where hismain task is to remove the curse by solving all the puzzles in each dynasty (gamelevel). Each puzzle is consisted of tiles with Egyptian hieroglyphics where every tilehas to be matched by the player following certain rules established in the game. INSTALLATIONThe installation process is straightforward and can be carried out with a few mouseclicks. The game is packaged using a standard installation program for Windows,which is likely the InstallShield software. Once the game CD is in the CD-ROM drive, a setup window is automatically displayedon the screen by an AutoPlay file. A series of dialogs/instructions are then shown toguide the user throughout the whole process. The whole installation process can befinished within 5 minutes and the game can be played afterwards --- it’srecommended to reboot the computer after installation before playing the game. USER INTERFACEThe UI is simple and easy to understand. For instance, a small door that is openedshowing a certain Egyptian monument of a certain dynasty represents an entry to acertain game level. Afterwards, a 2D view of the puzzle for that specific level is thenshown on the screen.Other UI features are as follows:- Icons are consisted of ancient Egyptian symbols and toggling F1 button causeslabels to be shown, which is useful for first time users.- Menu items have at most only one sub-level.- Colors used in the game are easy on the eyes.- Fonts used for instructions and labels are large; text is easy to read.- Instructions/system dialogs and labels are short, concise and direct to the point.- Options are provided through labeled buttons and icons.- Control of the game is made possible by keyboard, mouse (recommended) andgame pad. GAME PLAYThe game is a good brainteaser for players who love abstract test (under timepressure) because of the objective of matching symbols shown by the tiles.Furthermore, Single Player and Multiplayer (one on one, 2/3/4 relay) options are alsoprovided by the game. By the way, the multiplayer is two-fold which means that twoplayers can battle each other on who can get the highest score, or two to four playerscan take turns to solve the puzzle as a relay having a combined score. Various meansof controlling is available where the player can use the keypad, Mouse or Game Pad. SCORINGThe number of tiles matched by the player is used to score the game. Bonus score isavailable depending on the available time left when the player solves the puzzle of acertain game level. Furthermore, the top 10 scorers of the game are recorded by theprogram and basically motivates players to get a better score next time. ARTWORKEgyptian art and pictures are heavily utilized throughout the game and is stimulatingbecause it adds a certain mystery to the game. SOUND AND MUSICThere is no continuous music playing in the background and it helps becausematching the tiles requires focus. Only sound effects are provided only on certainconditions such as tiles are matched or moved, spells are casted, moving on the nextlevel, clicking a game option or when the allotted time to solve the puzzle runs out. SPECIAL FEATURESFor every dynasty (game level) that entered by the player, the program gives theplayer a cryptic password. It is useful when the player returns to the latest level thathe/she has not yet solved. MANUALNo manual is available when product was bought because it was sold as a shrink-wrapped CD. What compensates this limitation was the availability of a Help file(RaHELP.hlp) that gets installed in the PC during setup and it could be printed toserve as a guide for playing the game as well as for information on tech support. BUGSNo bugs have been encountered throughout the installation/gameplay/evaluation.GAME REVIEW GOOD (FUN) PART OF THE GAMESolving the curse (puzzle) of a certain
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