1) Write a high concept statement: a few sentences that give a general flavor of the game. You can make references to other games, movies, book, or any other media if your game contains similar characters actions or ideas.
All the greatest paintings have disappeared. The player is chasing the art thief through rifts in space-time and collecting clues about the thief (a la Carmen Sandiego). When entering new eras, the world appears as a greyscale version in the style of the painting to be recovered (i.e. impressionist appearance while searching for Monet). The player must find a specific artist, motivate them to create the piece of art, discover and collect ingredients to make palette colors as was done in the appropriate time, and deliver them to the artist. When pigments are made, shades of the corresponding colors will appear in the world where they should (i.e. flowers will turn from grey to yellow when the player creates a yellow pigment). After the artist has been motivated and all the pigments have been created and delivered, clues given by NPCs will direct the player to the location of the next rift.
2) What is the player’s role? Is the player pretending to be someone or something, and if so what? Is there more than one? How does the player’s role help to define the gameplay?
The player starts as an art connoisseur working to verify the authenticity of new items at a famous museum. After the pieces disappear, the player will notice an apparition at the museum. Upon discovery of the apparition, a cutscene will initiate and draw the player into the next level. As the player nears completion of a level, the NPCs will start to mention strange happenings, cluing the player in to the location of the level-ending location (the "apparition").
3) Does the game have an avatar or other key character? Describe him/her/it
The avatar will be a human designed by the player. Gender and superficial attributes (hair color, attire, facial features, etc.) will be customizable, with a few generic templates available to choose and/or modify.
4) What is the nature of the gameplay, in general terms? What kinds of challenges will the player face? What kinds of actions will the player take to overcome them?
The player will have to investigate and interview people in their environment to learn about the painters of the era. The player will have to find and interview the artist, and motivate that artist to create the stolen painting. The player will have to learn about the methods of the respective time, where items for pigments come from and how to create/mix them. A player may have to build a kiln, easel, palette board or other tool used to make the art of the era the player is in.
5) What is the player’s interaction model? Omnipresent? Through an avatar? Something else? Some combination?
The player interacts through an avatar in story mode. Players in multiplayer modes may represented by paintbrush cursors for certain objectives. There will also be an inventory screen, much like the one used in Monkey Island games.
6) What is the game’s primary camera model? How will the player view the game’s world on the screen? Will there be more than one perspective?
The game will be viewed in third-person through a dynamic camera. The camera will follow the player during movement through levels, and swing to a side-view for interviews. When clues are found, it will zoom in on the clue and face the player as (s)he investigates the object. During confrontations with the thief, the camera will switch abruptly back and forth as the characters exchange dialogue, like in a movie.
7) Does the game fall into an existing genre? If so, which one?
The game is an edutainment adventure game with investigation/discovery elements ("Monkey Island", "Alone in the Dark", etc.)
8) Is the game competitive, cooperative, team-based or single player? If multiple players are allowed are they using the same machine with separate controls or different machines over a network?
The primary mode will be single-player story mode. Other modes may include multi-player mini games. Some concepts are a competitive pigment maker mode, where players have to use the tools of the game to create pigments and apply them on a canvas like a turn-based "color by numbers". Players will be encouraged to create their own pieces of art that could then be saved as an image file for printing or sharing online.
9) Why would anyone want to play this game? Who is the game’s target audience? What characteristics distinguish them from the mass of players in general?
The game will teach people about art history while adding the investigative element to make it fun. The settings will be unique and should draw the player in, coaxing them to continue playing by making the scenes more aesthetically pleasant as the player progresses.
10) What machine or machines is the game intended to run on? Can it make use of or will it require any particular hardware such as dance mats or a camera?
The game would be optimized for PC or high-end consoles with 3D modeling. A 2D flash mini-version could also be possible, and would incorporate some smaller portions of the game with shorter objectives.
11) What is the game’s setting? Where does it take place?
The game in differing times and places. It starts in modern times at a well-known museum. Some level ideas include 17th-century Italy, 19th-century France, prehistoric era and 1960's America.
12) Will the game be broken into levels? What might be the victory condition for a typical level?
The game will be in levels. When all the pigments are created and given to the artist, and the artist completes their famous
13) Does the game have a narrative or story as it goes along? Summarize the plot in a sentence or two.
All of the worlds most famous pieces of artwork have been stolen by a time-traveling art thief! It is your mission to follow the thief throughout history to return these pieces of art to their rightful place. Talk to people in various times and places to collect clues about the artwork, and save these valuable pieces of world history!
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