Fortune Hunter/Game Mechanics

Controls

Console Input (default)

Setup the XO monitor so it is raised and rotated 180 degrees and fold it back down into the XO. Players will then utilize the directional pad and four buttons located on either side of the monitor for game input. This configuration is known as GB mode. The directional pad on the left of the monitor is used for movement and to change the cursor position when player input is necessary. Left and right will rotate the player’s orientation, while up will move the player in the faced direction. To the right of the monitor,

acts as a select tool in menus. While traveling around,

is used to activate the amulet and reveal hidden items within a room.

,

, and

vary depending on the activity / situation at hand and will be defined during. While traveling in the dungeon,

will show and hide the macro map,

will explain details of the current room, and

will bring up the game’s statistics menu.

Console Input (optional)

Setup the XO monitor so it is open, with the keyboard to its front. Players will then utilize the keyboard and touch pad for game input. This configuration is known as PC mode. The touch pad, up, right, down, left keys, and W, A, S, D keys are used for movement. Players can point and click on on-screen elements to interact using the touch pad or simply move using the above-mentioned keys. The full keyboard is used when player input is necessary. The enter / return key acts as a select tool. Other keyboard functions will vary depending on the activity / situation at hand and will be defined during.

Menu Systems

This game is primarily menu driven. As such there are many different available options.

Title Menu

The first thing to note is the game version you are working with. This is located to the bottom right of the screen and looks like "v 1.00.000".

The purpose of the title menu is to allow the player to begin or exit the game as well as change or alter options and game play settings, and view an in-game tutorial. The tutorial consists of material to be covered before playing the game and provides a shortened walkthrough of basic game mechanics.

The new game option starts a new game from the first level.

The continue option directs the player to the continue menu (see below). The player will be able to view their class stats from here so they may see how well their classmates are doing in the game, as well as their current game progress.

The custom game option lets the player choose from a list of customized dungeons they have created using Fortune Maker dungeon creator.

The options menu allows the player to change various game options.

The exit game option exits the activity on the XO, returning the user to their home screen.

Finally, the credits option rolls the credits for the game.

Pause

The purpose of the pause menu is to allow the player to halt game play and save and/or exit the game.

The save option saves the game’s current progress and continues game play.

The save and quit option saves the game’s current progress and exits the game.

The quit without save option exits the game without saving the game’s progress.

Continue

The purpose of the continue menu is to allow the player to choose whether or not they wish to restart from where they left off last time or begin a previously completed dungeon over again.

The continue option begins a game from the most recent continue point.

The level select option begins a game from the beginning of the selected level.

The quit to title screen option will return the player to the game’s main title menu.

Character Select

The character select screen is accessed any time a game is initiated. It allows the current player to choose between Arith or Lytic as the playable character. If a second player wishes to join a friend, they will assume control of the player not in use. The screen is split in two with an image representation of each character and their name. The player can then highlight and select the chosen character.

Game Over

The game over screen will merely inform the player that their game has ended, should they choose to quit after being asked whether or not to continue.

Stats / Inventory

The purpose of the stats / inventory menu is to view the player’s current game statistics. This includes items such as money, items equipped, inventory, health points, or any other stat tied to the character.

The player may browse the inventory in order to use or equip items, armor, and weapons.

Combat Menu

The combat menu gives the player many options when in a battle. It is subdivided further into smaller combat menus.

The main battle menu appears when the battle begins. From this menu, the player can choose to perform an attack, use an equipped item, or flee the battle. Choosing the basic attack option will launch a simple attack on the enemy. If the player gets a critical hit, they will be taken to the critical hit screen. The special attack option will launch a division based attack against the enemy. The magic attack will launch a geometry based attack. Choosing the use item option will take the player to the list of available items to choose from and use. Finally, the flee battle option will give the player a chance to flee the battle.

The critical hit screen also has some components to it. This screen is where a player is brought when they have a chance to get a critical hit. They are given a basic math problem (add, subtract, divide, multiply) and must solve it to gain additional damage to their attack. From this screen, an on-screen number pad will be available. Using this pad for input, players can input and submit their answer.

The use item screen will have all available items in battle listed so the player can choose which item to use. Afterwards and depending on the type of item, it will be removed from this list or faded out as items may only be used once per battle.

The special attack screen will have a selectable list of five fractions on screen. The player will then choose one and it will be replaced with another. Adding fractions with the chosen choices will result in the right or wrong answer. There will also be an undo option to backtrack the last few selections. There will also be a goal display. This has the target number or fraction the player is trying to reach and displays the chosen answers chronologically.

The magic attack screen will pose a geometry based problem utilizing geometry transformations with shapes as answer input. There will be a display with a graph for input use and a shapes pad with selectable shapes on it in addition to transformation buttons, such as move right, to transform the shape on the graph. The finish button can be selected once the player is happy with their answer and decides on being done.

Shop Menu

The shop menu is comprised of a couple smaller menus. This is the menu the player will see while being in the shop. There is a buy menu, sell menu, and an exit option. If buy is chosen, a list of available purchases will be presented and the player can choose an item to add to their inventory in exchange for a fee (in-game currency).

If sell is chosen, a list of available sales (the player’s inventory) will be shown and the player can choose items to get rid of in exchange for money. Selecting the exit option will close out the shop and return the player to what they were previously doing.

Player Perspective

The game follows a traditional first person perspective in a two dimensional world. Graphics have limited animation, thus each scene is a 'still' screen with minor animation. The player will be able to see the protagonists hand as well as the room and enemies that are currently present. FMCs feature a third person perspective of the characters and their interactions.

Traveling System

While in a room, players can change the direction they are facing (orientation) and choose the direction in which to travel. Players can move freely from room to room provided there are no locked doors along the way. These will require keys to be obtained first before continuing. Once they are unlocked the player may travel freely through them. Entering a room with enemies in it will automatically launch a battle (see Combat System). Otherwise, if there are items in the room, they can be collected. Sometimes there will be special events that will automatically occur upon entering a room. Players will end at a specially marked door, which will complete the level and take them to a new one.

Combat System

When the player moves into a room containing enemies a battle will start. During combat, the player will choose from a list of commands to execute. Different commands will do different actions, having the player solve various types of mathematics. The game’s input may change depending on the type of answer that is needed. The player must answer as quickly as possible in order to optimize the amount of damage they deal to the enemy. Enemies will also attack the player and diminish their HP. When their HP reaches zero, the player’s game will be over. Losing a battle will reset the player to the latest checkpoint position (usually the start of the current level), and force them to backtrack a little. Winning a battle will grant the player rewards and money. These will help the player to survive throughout the game. A notification screen will appear either way displaying the outcome of the battle. There are many types of enemies found within the various dungeons and it is up to the player to figure out how to most effectively defeat each one.

Environment Interaction

Cutscenes

Cutscenes interrupt the game in order to explain something to the player. They often contain hints as to where to go or what to do next and are very helpful. They also progress the story arc. Cutscenes merely ‘pause’ movement while a message or action happens. The player then resumes control afterward.

FMCs (Full Motion Comics)

Full motion comics are videos that interrupt the game to solely progress the story arc and generally handle more important events that are happening. Most games have full motion videos (FMV), which do the same in a more cinematic format. Fortune Hunter^TM utilizes a comic book style cinematic sequence for a few reasons; it is a renowned art form and looks fantastic (especially on the XOs), it aids in reading skills and makes reading a more pleasant task, it drastically cuts down on the game’s required hard disk space, and the FMCs can remain within the scope of the art style of the game. The full motion comics also have voice over, so the player is essentially being read to while the words are presented in speech bubbles. On top of all of this, they are fun to watch and offer a brief break from game play.

Amulet Search

In each room, the player may use the amulet to search for hidden items or clues. They do this by using the ancient amulet’s glow, which can be toggled on or off using the appropriate button for input. This allows them to further investigate rooms, even after they have already visited one. It is good practice to use this search often as the player will gain a great deal of collectibles to aid them through dungeons.

Combat

Upon entering a room, there is a chance that enemies reside there. If enemies do exist in the room, the player will be forced into a skirmish in which they will have to answer and solve inherent math problems in order to deal damage. For more information regarding combat, please refer to the Combat System section.

Items

In addition to purchasing items at the shop, items can be collected by being found among the rooms. Players can see visible items in the room if they exist and add those items to their inventory. In many rooms, there are also hidden items. These cannot readily be seen and the player must use the ancient amulet to reveal them. There are also key (important) items that are required to progress in the story. For instance, keys are needed to progress through locked doors. Players may also be asked to bring special items to certain areas. Finally, items may be obtained from combat victories. Winning battles will force the defeated enemies into handing over their possessions.

Puzzles

Some rooms may contain puzzles. There are two forms of puzzles in Fortune Hunter^TM. The first is a puzzle door. Puzzle doors require the player to make an attempt at solving a puzzle in order to progress through that door. The player gets no penalties for inputting an incorrect answer and the puzzles primarily consist of those that can continue until solved properly (such as slider puzzles). The second form of puzzle in Fortune Hunter^TM is a puzzle room. Puzzle rooms are more accurately represented as traps. The player is temporarily stuck in the room while trying to solve a usually timed puzzle. If the player does not succeed, they lose their game and must restart from the previous checkpoint. If they do succeed, they gain unlimited access to the room. Usually puzzles are in the way blocking shortcuts through a dungeon or rooms filled with rewards. In any case, keep your wits about you and solve those puzzles!

Shop

Players can have access to an in-game shop by finding our friend, the merchant. He will be located in random rooms throughout the game. When the player encounters him, they will be able to open up a shop menu. From here, they may choose to buy or sell items. The merchant accepts akhals, which is fortunate because these coins are the available currency picked up in the dungeons. Use akhals to purchase various items or sell collectibles in exchange for more akhals. Upon selecting a desired item to buy or sell, the player can then input how many of the item he or she wishes to include in the deal. The merchant’s store will keep updating as the game progresses so be sure to keep an eye for new arrivals.

There is a trick to shopping with this merchant, however. He will attempt to confuse the players into being cheated out of their hard earned money. Everything available in the shop for purchase as well as selling has a suggested akhal value associated with it. The players are responsible for calculating their own deals with the merchant. He or the player can get the better end of things, so exercise caution when dealing with this slippery fellow. Don’t become a victim!

The shop may be set to different modes in Fortune Hunter^TM through the title menu before game play starts. There are three primary behaviors of the merchant depending on which mode is selected.

Consumer mode is the easiest setting, virtually turning off the merchant’s ability to confuse the player. This will cause the shop interactions to be normal and fair representations of a store. They player will still be responsible for solving the mathematical aspects, but the merchant will aid the player through the process, not allowing for an incorrect input. Thus, the player will learn how to very accurately count their fortune. In a scenario, the player wishes to purchase four remedies at a suggested 20 akhal a piece. The merchant will ask for input from the player, who believes that the inherent problem of “4 x 20” is “100.” He inputs “100” as the answer. The merchant then says, “That will be 80 akhal please. Hey, wait a second. You gave me too much here. Could you count that again?” The merchant will ensure the player is accurate with the transaction so the deal is not tipped in anyone’s favor. The deal is always exactly what is stated.

Trader mode is a normal difficulty setting for the shop and set by default. This mode will cause the merchant to confuse players, attempting to elicit money from them. He will cloud their judgment in their calculations and attempt to cause the players to accept a corrupt deal. Players may also seek to do the same to the merchant while selling stock as well. In a scenario, if a player wishes to purchase four remedies, which are marked at a suggested 20 akhal a piece, they must inherently solve the multiplication problem “4 x 20”. The player knows that to be “80” and tells the merchant. Being a crafty individual, the merchant says to the player, “I don’t think so! You sure you know how to calculate math? 90 please. What do you think?” Well our player is no slump, so he offers “80” again. The merchant then retorts with, “Fine. I can see there’s no tricking you today. Here.” In this scenario, the player stuck to their roots to make a proper deal with the merchant. Things get rather tricky when the player is wrong. In this case, the merchant will (after the deal has been made) mention it to the player. “Ha ha, I just made an extra 20 akhal profit! Better luck next time.” The deal in this difficulty can go in anyone’s favor. The merchant is open to more types of trade and thus, the player can potentially take advantage of a more beneficial deal.

Merchant mode is a hard difficulty setting. The main difference here is that you may only encounter the merchant a limited number of times. After you reach this amount, he will no longer pay mind to you. This forces the players to make larger deals at a single time since they may no longer visit him as freely as they may need. In a scenario, the player wishes to purchase four remedies at a suggested 20 akhal a piece. Knowing the merchant is going no longer be available in the future, the player also figures he may as well purchase two elixirs at a suggested 30 akhal a piece. Rather than the inherent math being a simple multiplication problem (4 x 20), it has been forced to become a complex one (4 x 20 + 2 x 30). The same sort of dialogue transpires between the merchant and player as mentioned above in Trader mode. This time, though, the deals are more complex so there is more at stake. The merchant is more apt to accept deals that can heavily benefit the player. (more so than in Trader mode)

Happy shopping!

Inventory

The player’s inventory is the place where they can store and view all of their collected items, armor pieces, or weapons. From the inventory screen players can equip or use items, weapons, and armors.

Equipping / Using Items

It’s no secret that a well used item will keep the game going and the player performs all item actions in the inventory. While not engaged in a battle, the player may use as many items as desired. Simply highlight the desired item from the inventory list and select use from the menu. The player does not have full access to the inventory while in battle, however. In order to use an item while in combat, the player must have equipped it prior to the battle. This is done by, again, highlighting the item and selecting equip from the menu. Equipped items are available via the battle menu while in combat. Using an item in either scenario will cause the affects of the item to activate followed by the item being deleted or removed from the list. Certain items may be allowed to be used in combat without being depleted, but may only be utilized once per battle.

Equipping a Weapon / Armor / Accessory

Similarly to equipping items, weapon, armor, and accessories must also be equipped in order to take advantage of the effects they grant to the player. To equip a weapon, armor, or accessory the player must first enter the inventory screen, highlight the item of choice, and select equip from the menu. Only one weapon, one armor piece, and one accessory may be equipped at any given time and they differ in effects so it is wise to switch them around as needed. While in combat, the effects of the weapons, armor, or accessory will be given to the player automatically. They will remain equipped until the player equips different equipment in their place or highlights the weapon, armor, or accessory from the equipment screen and selects unequip from the menu, sending the equipment back into the inventory list.

HUD - Heads Up Display

The heads up display in this game consist of few, simple elements. While in the world travelling from room to room, the player will have a travel indicator. This is a mini map on the lower left screen showing the players current location and orientation as well as rooms that were previously visited. The player also has the ability to view a larger scaled visual of this map so they may see a larger area of play. The player is represented by an arrowhead within the room and the door in which they came from has a light blue rectangular marker. Also, while travelling, the player has a vitality indicator. This shows the player’s current health status as either danger (red), fine (yellow), or good (green). This lets the player know what shape they are in just in case of another enemy encounter. Finally, there is a text feed of the area on the bottom of the screen, telling the player of any abnormalities or hinting them in the right direction for any given room.

While in a battle the heads up display differs. There is a more detailed vitality bar, showing the exact health of the player as well as the color indicators. There is also a battle indicator, which shows the battle timer while answering / solving a problem. The less this gauge depletes the more damage the player may deal to the enemy. It will begin to diminish as soon as the problem is presented to the player. When it fully empties, the player is out of the allotted time for inputting an answer and will take a hit from the enemy. The same will happen if the player inputs an incorrect solution. There will be text feed for the enemies as well, letting the player know information about them and possibly hints for defeating them.

Solving Puzzles

In addition to the questions that must be completed in order to defeat enemies, there will also be an assortment of puzzles spread throughout a dungeon. These puzzles will be utilized in order to gain access to keys for passing through locked doors or even the solution of the puzzle itself will be the method for unlocking the door. Solving some will be optional while others will be required to progress.