Difficulty

Alice Asylum will have selectable difficulty settings, but we will balance the normal setting to what is listed below.

Goals

• Limited frustration for Player
• Impossible to fail at completing the game
• Challenge reward for broad range of Player core-types

Fails

• Perceived as too EASY or too HARD
• Perceived as too heavy handed (too much hand-holding)
• Perceived as too oblique (not enough hand-holding)

Audience Assumptions

• Gender: 50/50 male-female
• Attraction: Wonderland, Alice, art, story, sequel, exploration, puzzles, combat
• NOT: Us (the developers)

Design Assumptions

• Gameplay is EASY
• Achievements are HARD
• Secrets are MEDIUM-HARD
• Alternate paths are MEDIUM-HARD

Risk Areas

Puzzles

Challenge: Player is unable to progress because Puzzle cannot be solved.
Solutions for Minimizing Risk

• Design
  • Keep Puzzles Simple
  • Progressive difficulty within puzzles types to train User
  • Make the Goal Obvious
  • Present in “puzzle box” format. One way in, one way out.
• Testing/Tuning
• Progressive Help Dialog from Cheshire Cat

Combat

Challenge: Player is unable to overcome enemy NPCs and cannot progress.
Solutions for Minimizing Risk

• Design of Combat situations (balancing)
• Design of Combat controls (ease of use, intuitive)
• Testing/Tuning
• Cat Nip – Cheshire Cat clears combat areas

Exploration

Challenge: Player is lost, unable to find next goal, cannot progress.
Solutions for Minimizing Risk

• State Goals clearly (update always, display clearly, repeat on-screen/diary)
• Offer constant guide to primary objective
• Panning camera towards correct direction, in-level highlighting (POI)
• Cheshire Cat hints, guidance

Platform Action

Challenge: Player is physically unable to complete sequence of platform gameplay.
Solutions for Minimizing Risk

• Design
• Testing/Tuning
• Cat Nip – Cheshire Cat shows user how to platform past a particular section

CHESHIRE CAT SYSTEM

The Cheshire Cat plays a critical role in providing help when requested. Help varies based on the situation in which it is activated. AT ALL TIMES when Player summons Cheshire Cat, the current Primary Objective will refresh onscreen.
Context dependent responses include:

• Puzzles
  • Request 1: oblique suggestion for solution (non helpful, entertaining)
  • Request 2: direct suggestion for solution (helpful, but Player still has to think)
  • Request 3: step-by-step solution (complete solution, Player doesn’t think)
• Combat
  • Request 1: oblique critique of combat style (non helpful, entertaining)
  • Request 2: direct suggestion for improvement (helpful, but Player still has to fight)
  • Request 3: delivery of help item (Cat Nip) (semi-complete solution, assisted fight)
• Exploration
  • Request 1: oblique suggestion re: current narrative (non helpful, entertaining)
  • Request 2: direct suggestion to review objective (helpful, but indirect)
  • Request 3: physically turns camera towards correct direction, animates “this way” (direct)
• Platform
  • Request 1: oblique suggestion (non helpful, entertaining)
  • Request 2: direct suggestion for improvement (helpful, but indirect)
  • Request 3: delivery of help item (Cat Nip) (semi-complete, guided platforming)

After a few seconds if the player doesn't press the help again, the cat disappears. If the user presses help again it will play the second hint, if he presses again, then it will play the 3rd hint.