Game Elements

Placeholder Splash Screen

Game Concept (description)

TEXTadventure (working title) is a single player educational adventure that teaches fourth grade curriculum mathematics through creative and innovative means. The player controls an unnamed (currently) hero that must progress through maze-like dungeons, solve puzzles, and defeat enemies in a two dimensional world to find the exit.

Each level is comprised of randomly generated dungeons that will create various difficulty mazes for the player to navigate. Along the way will be many types of enemies that each focus in certain elements of the curriculum. While each level will predominantly focus on newer topics to the player, defeating a certain number of enemies will prove mastery of the skills and unlock newer challenges while still honing in on the previous skills trainings. This will provide a way to focus on new tasks and provide reiteration of the knowledge already known. The end of each level will consist of a boss fight which will act as a topic overview.

Objectives

The objective of this project is to teach fourth grade mathematics to students in a fun and unique way, primarily through the use of creative interactive software. The project is intended to be used as supplemental material to classroom education. See [Curriculum Elements] for incorporated curriculum topics.

Story & Characters

There is currently no developed storyline for this project.

Gameplay

GUI

Several GUI options are being considered now. The first is to have a number pad to the left of the screen, text log on the bottom, map in the upper left, and graphics in the center. (Figure A)

The second is to have the number pad as a part of battle graphics (attached to the player's first person perspective somehow). (Figure B)

In addition to these, there is a stats screen, an equipment screen, and a shop screen.

Menus

Within the game there will be multiple menus. Here we will outline what each menu's purpose is and each of the buttons/controls that will be available through the menu.

Controls

Movement

In normal mode, players can click on doors to progress to check that door and see if it is unlocked. If the door is unlocked, they progress to the next room.

In "gameboy mode" the player can use the arrow pad on the left of the screen to check the door in that direction. If the door is unlocked, they progress to the next room.

Combat

When the player moves into a room containing enemies, a battle will start. Battle will be carried out by means of "clashes." Each clash represents a possible attack or action, and will be shown as a math problem that the player will have to solve. The player will enter the answer in normal mode by clicking on the text field at the bottom of the screen, and entering the numerical answer using the number keys on the keyboard. In "gameboy mode" there will be a numberpad on-screen, and the player will be able to highlight a number or symbol with the directional pad, and select by pressing one of the keys on the right side.

Shop

The player can access the shop any time not in battle during the game by pressing one of the right side buttons. Once in the shop, the player can select an item by using the directional pad, or by clicking on it. Once the item is selected, its price will be displayed as a relational math problem which the player must solve. The answer is entered the same way as in combat.

Critical Path

Level Progression

Each dungeon will introduce a distinct mathematical concept, and each dungeon will be comprised of several levels of increasing difficulty.

At the beginning of each level, the player will face the entrance of the dungeon. In each room, if there are no enemies left, the player will have a decision as to where to go next based on where in the dungeon they are.

As the player moves through the dungeon, they will face enemies which they will have to fight by solving math problems. If the player answers enough questions correctly in a battle, they will win the battle. However, if they continue to answer questions wrong, they will be damaged and eventually die. When the player dies, they will be faced with the option to quit to the main screen, or to restart the level. Once the player answers enough math problems correctly or defeats enough enemies, a teleporter will appear which will take them to the next level of the dungeon.

When the player reaches the end of the dungeon, they will encounter a boss which will confront them with numerous timed math problems to ensure mastery of the dungeon's concepts. There is also a possibility of an end of level puzzle which will require players to solve geometry based puzzles to progress.

Game Completion

updating...

Education

Classroom Application

This game will be used to assist with math topics taught in the classroom and will be excellent reinforcement material.

Curriculum Elements

This game covers elements of the fourth grade math curriculum currently in use at Boston, MA, USA. The complete listing of the curriculum is available here: [Full Curriculum Framework].

The following topics are covered in this game activity.

Implemented Curriculum Framework
NUMBER SENSE AND OPERATIONS
4.N.3	Demonstrate an understanding of fractions as parts of unit wholes, as parts of a collection, and as locations on the number line.
4.N.4	Select, use, and explain models to relate common fractions and mixed numbers (1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6, 1/8, 1/10, 1/12, and 11/2), find equivalent fractions, mixed numbers, and decimals, and order fractions.
4.N.5	Identify and generate equivalent forms of common decimals and fractions less than one whole (halves, quarters, fifths, and tenths).
4.N.6	Exhibit an understanding of the base ten number system by reading, naming, and writing decimals between 0 and 1 up to the hundredths.
4.N.9	Select, use, and explain the commutative, associative, and identity properties of operations on whole numbers in problem situations, e.g., 37 x 46 = 46 x 37, (5 x 7) x 2 = 5 x (7 x 2).
4.N.11	Know multiplication facts through 12 x 12 and related division facts. Use these facts to solve related multiplication problems and compute related problems, e.g., 3 x 5 is related to 30 x 50, 300 x 5, and 30 x 500.
4.N.12	Add and subtract (up to five-digit numbers) and multiply (up to three digits by two digits) accurately and efficiently.
4.N.14	Demonstrate in the classroom an understanding of and the ability to use the conventional algorithms for addition and subtraction (up to five-digit numbers), and multiplication (up to three digits by two digits).
GEOMETRY
4.G.1	Compare and analyze attributes and other features (e.g., number of sides, faces, corners, right angles, diagonals, and symmetry) of two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes.
4.G.3	Recognize similar figures.
4.G.4	Identify angles as acute, right, or obtuse.
4.G.7	Describe and apply techniques such as reflections (flips), rotations (turns), and translations (slides) for determining if two shapes are congruent.
4.G.9	Predict and validate the results of partitioning, folding, and combining two- and three-dimensional shapes.
MEASUREMENT
4.M.2	Carry out simple unit conversions within a system of measurement, e.g., hours to minutes, cents to dollars, yards to feet or inches, etc.

Art

Concept Art Information

This is where we will place images of different concept art. Until we have determined a style we will be using, we will be placing images of various different styles up to try and determine which is best.

Reference Material Information

Updating...

Developer's Section

Meet the Team

Jonathan Meschino (4th Year)

email: jmeschino@mail.rit.edu

Eric Kenvin (3rd Year)

email: eric.kenvin@mail.rit.edu

Preston Johnson (3rd Year)

email: ppj4700@g.rit.edu

David Silverman (3rd Year)

email: drs5669@g.rit.edu

Interested in joining our development team? Contact us for more information.

Meetings

Developer meetings:

Where: Game Design Labs - Building 70-2500 @ RIT

When: 5-8pm Thursdays

6-8pm Saturdays (TBA-only if needed that week)

Meeting times and locations are subject to change as needed. For more information, contact someone on the team (see section [Meet the Team]).

Milestones

We are currently engaged in Week 3.

denotes major item

- denotes subtopic of above-listed item

Week 1

Mess with gameboy mode

Set up and familiarize new git repo

Class structure

Review python

familiarize with pygame

cannibalize!

Week 2

work on prototyping of tougher game elements

create class structure

begin coding world (map)

Week 3

finish basic world

begin coding travel system

- ability to move from room to room

begin coding combat system

- get the 'stage' set up for functionality

Week 4

finish travel system

- debugged any issues or conflicts, text notifications of choices

switch between travel and combat system

work on combat system

- have exchange of turns, menu that works for choices, text notification for choices

work on placeholder graphics to be loaded into game

Week 5

continue combat system

- HP & PP update, basic battle is functional from start to finish

begin working on GUI and Menus

- set up Store and menu systems, equipping gear (weapon, armor, items)

work on data recognition. this is updating the topics around the players level of familiarity with a given topic. make sure older topics are still rotated in for reiteration.

Week 6

finish off all primary projects to ensure one play through of one level can happen start to finish

work on actual graphics and load them into game (replace placeholders)

game design documentation! extremely detailed account of current project and future goals/ directions.

additional features:

- student vs class progress, class vs class progress - data analysis

- multiple levels

- multiple graphic sets (region based)

- possible alternate game modes

Week 7

TESTING!

KEEP TESTING AND ADDING CONTENT

Future Development

updating...

Progression

-input read from handheld mode

-Preliminary GUI coding:

 full GUI with placeholder images
 Text field with scrolling text
 Image swapping for traversal with placeholder images

Looking at the Dungeon class (dungeons of mongo) for dungeon generation here

 https://fedorahosted.org/dungeonsofmongo/browser/mongo.py

Bugs/ Fixes

Not applicable yet.

Game Suggestions

- Have the players defeat monsters and solve puzzles by solving math questions

- Have a small on-screen map to help players navigate through the dungeon

Fortune Hunter

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