Category: Design Concepts

Simpossible Personality

Design Concepts, Development Samples, Simpossible

Hey all!

It’s my birthday! Therefore, I gave myself some time to work on my passion projects, such as this game, and even explore some old design documents which i’ll probably post about a little later today as well!

So a couple weeks ago I shared with you guys my game Simpossible in this post. Since the, I’ve been working pretty hard in school and all that, but I have had some time to work a little more on my game, and wanted to post to further include my audience on what makes this project really special to me!

The personality I’m trying to give this game is what I feel will make it more than just another text based game. I’m doing this in 2 main ways: Words of Wisdom and Words of Disappointment.

My Words of Wisdom are quirky little snippits that are included at the start of every new game, every upping in difficulty, and every correct answer, and  I hope to make them numerous enough that a player never sees the same one twice. They range from dumb little sayings and goofy interactions to actual advice and fun facts.

My Words of Disappointment are essentially the opposite. They’re dumb little snips of the “character” poking fun at, and antagonizing the player, in a very very softhearted fashion.

A great (and incredibly relevant) example of this approach being used is the new game Smash Brothers: Ultimate. In loading screens, tips, backgrounds, and simply entertaining text tidbits appear. They used the text to input personality into the game. My favorite example, pulling from my favorite game, is their background on Sheik. It goes something like: “Sheik is originally from The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, released in 1996. Though her true identity is a mystery at the beginning, we soon found out that she was actually Ze- I won’t spoil it for you“. It’s small little insertions like that which give the game a personification, and that’s just one example of the many embedded within this game. It’s cool to see techniques that I believe very strongly in being used in such a successful franchise, such as Smash Bros.

You can see output of these lines in action on my earlier post about the game. It’s very simple, but effective and easy. I’ll probably end up adding an array of previously selected lines to ensure the diversity in the lines, and that the user doesn’t get the same one twice in a single game session, but for now I’ll share with you the code as it is:

//Words of Disappointment
string incorrectAnswer(){
    
    // Gives rand() a new seed
    srand ( time(NULL) );

    // Creates random int using rand()
    int random = rand() % 16;
    
    
    if(random == 0){
        return "OUCH! I'm sorry, that's wrong... ";
    }
    
    if(random == 1){
        return "SO CLOSE.... just kidding I really don't know.. ";
    }
    
    if(random == 2){
        return "I believe in you! But maybe I shouldn't have that time... ";
    }
    
    if(random == 3){
        return "You wouldve done awesome on that one, if task was to do terribly... ";
    }
    
    if(random == 4){
        return "Well... You tried! ";
    }
    
    if(random == 5){
        return "Nice one!! Just kidding, that's really wrong..";
    }
    
    if(random == 6){
        return "Have you not been paying attention..?";
    }
    
    if(random == 7){
        return "You're wronger than the word \"wronger\" sounds..";
    }
    
    if(random == 8){
        return "Don't you know how long it took me to make this game?? The least you can do is get the answers correct!";
    }
    
    if(random == 9){
        return "Close, but no cigar..";
    }
    
    if(random == 10){
        return "OOF... That one hurt me too :(";
    }
    
    if(random == 11){
        return "Remember Tom & Jerry..? You're really acting like Tom rightn now..";
    }
    
    if(random == 12){
        return "Sometimes... effort just isn't enough..";
    }
    
    if(random == 13){
        return "I wish I could help you... cause you really need it..";
    }
    
    if(random == 14){
        return "Randomly generated generic response to your ignorance #120321: \"You embarass me\"";
    }
    
    if(random == 15){
        return "Eat a can of spinnach.. or do something, just stop being wrong..";
    }


    
    else return "Well... That shouldn't have happened... but you're also incorrect.. ";
}



//Words of Wisdom
string wordsOfWisdom(){
  
   
    // Gives rand() a new seed
    srand ( time(NULL) );
    
    // Creates random int using rand() from 
    int random = rand()%31;
    
    //Random responses
    if(random == 0){
        return "Never look back.. You dont have time for that!";
    }
    
    
     if(random == 1){
        return "Time is the one thing you can never get back... and you're wasting it!";
    }
    
    
     if(random == 2){
        return "Smile more... please!!";
    }
    
    
     if(random == 3){
        return "Don't overthink this..";
    }
    
    
     if(random == 4){
        return "Lightning strikes the earth about 100 times every second... That's like 300 times since you started reading this..!";
    }
    
    
     if(random == 5){
        return "Are you enjoying yourself?? Let me know! +1(805)231-1561";
    }
    
    
     if(random == 6){
        return "Try listening to faster paced music maybe.?";
    }
    
    
     if(random == 7){
        return "Open a window! Fresh air is good for you!";
    }
    
    
     if(random == 8){
        return "Carrot cake is perhaps one of the best collabs we've ever seen.. it evolved from carrot pudding! Sounds much less appetizing..";
    }
    
    
     if(random == 9){
        return "Cool game, huh?";
    }
    
    if(random == 10){
        return "Theres billions of people in this world... your small mistakes really don't matter much!";
    }
    
    if(random == 11){
        return "Can you do a cartwheel?? Show me!";
    }
    
    if(random == 12){
        return "Don't trip chocolate chip.";
    }
    
    if(random == 13){
        return "Simpossible because it's so simple... but still impossible... get it now?";
    }
    
    if(random == 14){
        return "I hope some of these little words of wisdom have made you smile!";
    }
    
    if(random == 15){
        return "You're wonderful!";
    }
    
    if(random == 16){
        return "That was so quick I didn't even see your fingers move!";
    }
    
    if(random == 18){
        return "Check out my mixtape: 11101101000110100";
    }
    
    if(random == 19){
        return "Lo Hicimos!";
    }
    
    if(random == 20){
        return "Don't copy and paste code kids! That's how bugs are spread!";
    }
    
    if(random == 21){
        return "Every correct answer is another byte of RAM I consume!";
    }
    
    if(random == 22){
        return "High levels of arousal are best for simple tasks, such as these! Check out Yerkes-Dodson Law!";
    }
    
    if(random == 23){
        return "They did surgery.. on a grape!!! (This meme is probably long dead..)";
    }
    
    if(random == 24){
        return "RIP all the hours you've spent on this game...";
    }
    
    if(random == 25){
        return "Kanpai!";
    }
    
    if(random == 26){
        return "Salud!";
    }
    
    if(random == 27){
        return "Cheers!";
    }
    
    if(random == 28){
        return "Skål!";
    }
    
    if(random == 29){
        return "Spread love and acceptance, and the world may become a better place yet!!";
    }
    
    if(random == 30){
        return "Read more Tolkien! (Not paid for by the Tolkien Trust).";
    }
    
    else return "Well... That shouldn't have happened!";
}

Writing Sample: The Forgotten Characters

Design Concepts, Development Samples

Below are some of the character profiles I’ve written for one of my games “The Forgotten”. More can be read about the universe here.

User’s Character

Born after the election, the only life you have ever known is that of the Forgotten. Your life is a constant battle to remain unseen, to remain forgotten. You are only 23, but you are proof that your people still have hope for the future generations. You grew up underground. You’ve been outside one time, when you were 9 and your hideout was discovered by the Safety Force. Other than that, like most others, you have never dared to take such a chance. It was then, when you were 9, that you lost your parents. You have no brothers, no sisters. You were luckily taken in by your closest friend’s family, Teo. Since living with Teo’s family, however, you have learned to be very self sufficient. You often go off on your own in the tunnels to see what you can find. Even as you got older, you couldn’t help the curiosity. And that’s where we join our hero…

King Olii

King Olii is a very mysterious man. Some say he was born for the sole purpose to take the throne, a scam put on by the most powerful in all the 5 sisters, but most don’t buy into this nonsense. When he was young, King Olii attended a private school, and was one of the very few who were permitted to travel to Zaki for the sole purpose of studying the Gods. Those closest to Olii say that this was a major turning point in his life. He soon began to study Gaius, the first King of the 5 sisters. He fought his way into politics and soon found himself as one of the closest advisors to the King himself. However, the story gets murky here. The rapid decline of the King soon took place and Olii seemed to fall off the face of the earth for the 2 years which followed. When he returned into the eye of the public, it was to rejoice of the people. Not long after, the King passed away and it was time for the 4th election to take place. As fate had it, Olii was nominated to hold the position along with 2 others. While future Kings are often nominated by the King prior, this was not the case this time. Olii went on to win the election, along with the heart of the people. As the forgotten fled Olii, he let his wrath take hold of him, as is tradition. Buri was flooded, and all planets were plagued by the presence of Olii’s safety force and Bots. Olii has now ruled for 30 years. As King of the 5 sisters, he decides his own agenda. Olii has made some efforts to advance his society with the introduction of the Safety Patrol, and the enactment of many new laws, but his main purpose of his reign thus far has been to eliminate all of the forgotten, by any means he can.

King Gaius of Zaki

From what is recorded in the vast libraries of Arne, Gaius was a heroic man. He led the 5 sisters from turmoil after the assassination of the last of Old Kings, and fought off all competitors to the throne. As a revenge towards his competitors, he ordered all their supporters be run out of cities, murdered on the street, and exiled. His rule was one of triumph. He was able to keep all of the sisters content and within check, and rid the planets of most the forgotten. On only his home planet of Zaki were any of the Forgotten spared. He passed away young, but his reign is overall considered very successful.

Teo

Teo is an observant girl to say the very least. As part of the forgotten, she has never left her hideout, except once after a raid on the former hideout. She keeps to herself but notices all that goes on around her. Her family is very kind and very hopeful, but it is hard to tell if she retains the same thoughts. While she does put on a strong face, she doesn’t open up enough to anyone for you to truly be sure. You have known her all your life and she is around your age. You and her used to get into mischief together but now she has put that part of her life away. She is preparing to be a teacher at the school for the forgotten, and spends a lot of her time studying.

Dr. Bolin

Dr. Bolin is widely considered the leader within your hideout. Bolin is a very kind hearted man. He is best known to those around the hideout for his incredible generosity towards the youth of the community. Dr. Bolin is one of the older men in the hideout. He can often be found painting or drawing using some of the mud or chalk found in the tunnels. Not very much is known about his background, just that he was a pediatrician before the election. His wife was one of the many who fled to Buri after the election. Whether it’s luck or fate, Dr Bolin didn’t follow her that day and he has been hiding out ever since.

Groups

The Forgotten

The Forgotten are the group that supported a losing party during the most recent election. As their name states, they wish to remain forgotten. The only hope for those who supported another party after an election is for their kids to survive long enough until the next election ensues and they are no longer the target of such fierce attacks. While most of the forgotten have given up, there is always a fair percent which keep hope. The forgotten are constantly pursued by most outside their community. It is a crime to help a forgotten, so even when people don’t pursue them, they are incredibly reluctant to even be friendly. There are communities of forgotten scattered all across the 5 sisters. They are often easily noticed by the dirty clothes they wear, and their overall state of cleanliness, but if this doesn’t give them away, all Bots and Safety Patrol members are able to access databases which store the identity of all the forgotten.

The Control

Very little is known about The Control. They have been present across the 5 sisters for thousands of years, but didn’t make their way into the spotlight until their assassination of King Gaius. Even after the event, no detective in all the 5 Sisters has been able to trace down any members involved. Their presence and involvement is often very debated amongst citizens. They strike in mysterious ways with very questionable motives at times. All that is known is there is very suspicious activity in Arne and many blame it on The Control.