Week 1, Game Concept DevLog

This DevLog explores the concepts behind Icecream Jump and is Assignment 2 of UTAS KIT109.

Working Title: Icecream Jump

Concept statement: Icecream Jump is a platformer combined with classic ice cream serving games. Imagine single player Overcooked as a side-on platformer. Your progress through the game will lead to more difficult levels. In each level will move and jump to get around, avoiding obstacles, collecting Ice-cream cones and ice cream to make combos clients ask for before the timers run out.

Genre: Platformer, as the player will need to move around a level, avoiding obstacles by using left/right/jump controls. And an Ice-cream serving game as the player will need to make combinations of ice-cream for orders before they expire.

Concept creation process: I decided to go for a mashup design as this seemed to be the easiest to understand and implement. Ice cream serving have been a classic and timeless genera in flash and browser based games. Overcooked was an inspiration for it's popularity, and Super Fuzzball because it was an example of well made games from the KIT109 UTAS unit. Further inspiration comes from a childhood favourite, Fireboy and Watergirl as a puzzle platformer, however, Icecream jump will be a time based platformer in order to fit the classic Ice-cream serving mechanics.

Target Audience: Competitively minded children aged 8 to 12, who may have access to a computer and the internet, but not enough to run modern 3d games. As this was the type of game my friends and I were playing when we were that age, as we could only run 2D flash games on our parents computers, and enjoyed simple mechanics and controls, compared to shooter controls that can take years to become good at. However this game will take an art direction in such a way to avoid childish looks that can turn away older players. This game will also implement timing features for potential speed run markets.

Treatment: Each level you will need to serve several ice-cream combos, one combo could be 2 chocolate ice creams and one mint on a cone, or a mint, vanilla, and blueberry Ice-cream cone, etc. They will need to be served before the client who asked for the ice-cream leaves. In order to make the orders, you will need to jump through the level and avoid obstacles that could kill you and reset your progress. Each level will be more difficult than the last.

Key Features:

• Movement, left/right & jump controls and mechanics
• Kill on obstacle and re-spawn
• Clients orders and timers
• Levels
• Ice cream cone stockpile, and Ice cream buckets
• Main menu with level select, settings, and level times

Concept Art: