threedotsstudio

[threedotsstudio]

Hooks of our game:

Progressive Unlocking of World

Experience the progressive evolution of characters and the world, as you revisit familiar areas now unlocked by your growing skillset, revealing hidden depths and untapped potential that were once beyond your reach.

Storyline

The storyline of our game captivates players with its rich, compelling narrative, drawing them into a world where every choice and discovery fuels their curiosity and keeps them eagerly engaged.

 Visuals

The storyline of our game captivates players with its rich, compelling narrative, drawing them into a world where every choice and discovery fuels their curiosity and keeps them eagerly engaged.

That's it friends.

Livia

[threedotsstudio]

Elevator Pitch

If we met the publisher of EA games in an elevator and we only had a couple of seconds to pitch our game concept to them, this is what we would tell them:

"Our game is a single-player open-world adventure where a young woman continues her father's legacy by tackling the environmental crises caused by a consumption-driven city exploiting its surrounding regions. Players creatively interact with the inhabitants and devise innovative solutions to restore balance to a world devastated by disasters."

Bye for now,

Livia

[threedotsstudio]

Market Analysis

After we decided on the type of game we wanted to create, it was time to think about who we were making it for. And how better to do that than by looking at other games in a similar genre with similar mechanics?

Open world

First and foremost, Zelda: Breath of the Wild heavily influenced us, particularly in how we approached our open world and exploration. We loved the idea of being able to go anywhere, as long as you could acquire the right equipment.

Map Design

Although they are movies, our map layout reminds us of Zootopia and The Hunger Games (specifically the Capitol and districts), with the city in the center and the outer lands surrounding it. However, our map differs in that the different areas are larger, almost like their own small continents encircling the central city.

Overall look

When it came to the aesthetic, we immediately thought of games like Cyberpunk 2077, Stray, and Nier: Automata. We wanted a sci-fi look for the city while maintaining a post-apocalyptic, destroyed theme for the surrounding regions.

What sets us apart?

After considering all these influences, what sets us apart from the media above? First, we don’t have a traditional villain. Instead, we focus on exploring why people make bad decisions. We aim to use the environment to illustrate how the collective poor choices of large groups can devastate the world. Through this, we hope to emphasize the importance of caring for our planet, working together, and helping one another to create a brighter future.

Over and out! ~Steffi

[threedotsstudio]

Learning Outcomes - Game

What is the feedback and awarding scheme? Players receive feedback through rewards such as items, new lands, and access to previously locked places. This feedback reinforces their progress and encourages exploration. By solving challenges and improving the conditions of the regions, players are also awarded symbolic milestones that signify their efforts in achieving harmony between the regions. The game provides both immediate feedback, such as improved visuals or reactions from NPCs, and long-term rewards like unlocking deeper storylines or advanced tools.

What will players learn from playing your game? Players will gain an understanding of environmental stewardship, including how to take care of the planet and maintain harmony with nature. They will see the consequences of exploitation and neglect and learn how small, thoughtful actions can have a large positive impact on their surroundings.

How will the game help players learn this? Learning happens through problem-solving and overcoming challenges. Each region presents specific issues caused by neglect, overexploitation, or mismanagement. As players interact with these regions, they uncover what went wrong and are tasked with restoring balance. By observing the direct effects of their actions, players internalize lessons about environmental responsibility and sustainability.

What tools or features will support players in learning while they play?

QuestLock: A tool to track quests and challenges, ensuring players always know what needs to be done next.

Glossar: An in-game glossary providing definitions, explanations, and lore about the world, its problems, and solutions.

In-region Tools: Each land provides unique tools or abilities that reflect the specific challenges of that area, helping players solve problems creatively and adapt to the context.

How will you explain the game’s learning goals to players? The game introduces its goals organically through a rich backstory, character-driven dialogue, and storytelling. Players learn by doing, with initial tasks designed to gently immerse them in the world and its mechanics. NPCs and environmental cues also guide players in understanding the stakes and the broader implications of their actions.

How will the game start simple and gradually become more challenging to help players learn progressively? The game starts with a brief backstory introducing the main character, their role, and the immediate environment. Early challenges are straightforward, like fixing a tool or helping a neighbor, which familiarize players with the mechanics and world. As players unlock new regions, the complexity of the problems increases, introducing multi-step quests, resource management, and strategic decision-making to ensure a smooth progression.

How will players learn progressively (progress from simple to complicated)? Players are introduced to new mechanics, tools, and concepts one at a time. The game ensures a manageable difficulty curve, beginning with isolated, small-scale problems that build confidence and understanding. As players progress, challenges become interconnected, requiring logical thinking, creativity, and the application of previously learned skills in new, more complex scenarios.

How is the learning adapted to the individual skills of the player? The game caters to diverse playstyles and skill levels. Logical challenges appeal to analytical thinkers, while creative tasks encourage innovation. Players have multiple options to solve problems, allowing them to choose approaches that suit their strengths. Adaptive difficulty ensures that beginners are not overwhelmed, while experienced players remain engaged by optional challenges or advanced problem-solving opportunities.

Here are some of our learning outcomes, since this will be a learning game. :)

That’s all. Bye

Livia

[threedotsstudio]

Game Concept

Genre: Open-world adventure with deep narrative elements and progressive area unlocking.

Setting: At the heart of a vast world lies a bustling city that thrives like a powerful, beating heart—but at the expense of four surrounding regions. These regions, once rich and vibrant, are being ravaged by the city's insatiable hunger for resources, leading to catastrophic environmental destruction:

Forest Region: Once a land of endless trees, it is now almost barren due to the city's relentless logging. The loss of trees has unleashed violent storms, as the natural windbreak is gone.

Island Region: An archipelago of small islands is being systematically mined for resources. As the city strips them bare, the islands collapse, causing habitat loss and erosion.

Winter Region: Once a haven for winter tourism and outdoor adventures, pollution from the city has blotted out the sun. The region is now plunged into extreme cold, making survival and tourism impossible.

Lake Region: A fertile area interwoven with freshwater lakes. Over years of exploitation, the city has drained its water reserves, resulting in droughts and the death of its lush vegetation.

Storyline: The protagonist, a young resident of the city, refuses to stand by as the surrounding regions are destroyed. Her father, a visionary, once devised plans to mitigate the damage caused by the city. Though he failed in his mission, he left the responsibility to his child.

The heroine embarks on a perilous journey to complete her father's work and restore balance to the regions. Acknowledging that the past cannot be undone, her goal is to find sustainable solutions and offer hope to those living beyond the city's walls.

Gameplay: The game combines exploration, puzzle-solving, and quest mechanics in an open-world setting.

Restrictions: The world isn’t fully accessible from the start. Players must complete specific quests and gather necessary items to unlock access to the next region.

Regional Gameplay: Each region features unique challenges and gameplay mechanics tailored to its environmental crisis.

Message: This game tells a story of responsibility, hope, and environmental stewardship. It emphasizes that change is possible, even if it requires sacrifice. Players learn that sustainable solutions are essential not only for the survival of individual regions but for the entire world.

Lots of Love

-Tami

[threedotsstudio]

Personas für das Game

Targetgroup: Teenagers, young adults (14-25 years)

Interests: Videogames, Knowledge (Science, History), Exploration, Enviorment

Medium: PC and Console

Single or Multiplayer: Story and Exploration Focused single player game

Situation 1: At home on the PC

Situation 2: On the train on the Switch

[threedotsstudio]

Sam, 24 Jahre

Background: Sam works as a graphic designer and has a creative personality. She loves atmospheric games that are visually appealing and have an artistic design. She is particularly fascinated by games with special lighting and glow effects that create a unique aesthetic and atmosphere. She plays only occasionally, but when she finds the time, she prefers games that offer her an intense visual experience and aren’t necessarily action-packed.

Gaming Preferences: Sam enjoys exploratory indie games with a strong focus on design and atmosphere. She values games that draw her into a world through visual details and an immersive soundtrack.

Goal/Motivation: She is looking for a game that offers her a visually and emotionally enriching escape from her daily life. She doesn’t want to be challenged by stress or action but rather wants to immerse herself in a mysterious, almost meditative environment.

Preferred Platform: Nintendo Switch or console, as she is looking for a more relaxed gaming experience.

Expectations: Sam expects a beautifully crafted, calm experience where she can explore the environment and discover details and clues about the lost history of the world. Graphical effects like light, glow, and shadow are especially important to her.

[threedotsstudio]

Theo, 20

Background: Theo is a college student with a passion for post-apocalyptic and dystopian themes, whether in movies, series, or games. He is environmentally conscious and also interested in the social and political aspects of these narratives. He spends a lot of his free time gaming, but he prefers games that challenge him and make him think.

Gaming Preferences: Theo loves games that incorporate moral and ethical decisions and give him the chance to understand the impact of past events. He prefers darker games with a gritty atmosphere, where he can search for clues and find hidden messages.

Goal/Motivation: Theo wants to understand why a catastrophe occurred in the game world, and he prefers games that enhance his critical thinking skills and allow him to reflect on deeper themes.

Preferred Platform: PC, as he has a powerful graphics card and wants the best possible visual experience.

Expectations: He is looking for a game that provides a challenge but also allows him to gain deeper insights into the game world’s history through subtly embedded messages and background elements.

[threedotsstudio]

Lara, 15

Background: Lara is a high school student who is very interested in games and fantasy worlds. She loves getting lost in stories with complex worlds and intriguing backstories. Her favorite games are those that tell a deep story and allow her to immerse herself through exploration.

Gaming Preferences: Lara prefers single-player games with a strong story and atmospheric setting. She enjoys dark, mysterious worlds that she can gradually discover.

Goal/Motivation: She is looking for a game that allows her to dive alone into an exciting, emotionally charged world. Lara is fascinated by dystopian themes that make her think.

Preferred Platform: PC or console, as she can enjoy the best visual experience and an immersive atmosphere there.

Expectations: She wants a game that allows her to take her time, explore the environment, and gradually uncover a complex story.

Livia :)

[threedotsstudio]

Our game treasure chest

To get a feel for this project and what we aim to accomplish, we started by discussing the kinds of games we each enjoy playing. It turns out we have pretty different tastes.

On one end, we have A Little to the Left, a relaxing puzzle game focused on sorting items, matching colors, and organizing spaces. Then there’s Little Nightmares, a dark, mysterious puzzle-platformer with a twisted atmosphere and eerie secrets to uncover. And finally, there’s me—I prefer open-world games with rich, expansive stories, like Nier: Automata.

But even tho all these games seem very different on the first glance, we found some common ground among them. First of all, we noticed that all of us value a story which is not told through dialogs, but through world building and small details. Secondly, we really appreciate solving riddles and figuring out different ways to solve a problem.

-Steffi :)

[threedotsstudio]

Hi, I’m Tamara, but feel free to call me Tami. :))

I’m the programmer and designer of our team. My role is both to handle the technical side of our game and to shape its design. My focus is on usability and creating an engaging gameplay experience.

I enjoy working on the logic behind the game and believe I’m good at keeping an overview of complex systems. I might sometimes struggle with tasks that don’t work out right away or require more time to resolve, which can be frustrating.

But I know that with our awesome team, everything will come together in the end.

See you soon, Tami <3

[threedotsstudio]

Hello, my name is Steffi :)

My role in this project is to create the visuals, illustrate, and model. I spend a lot of my free time drawing, so I’m fairly good at it, I guess. I can do a few things in Blender too, but I need to practice to actually benefit our group.

In other words, my strengths are my ability to turn ideas into sketches on the fly and that I can spend a lot of time working out details about the characters and their story. The most challenging part for me will be finding a cohesive visual language we can work with. Also, illustrating the backgrounds might prove a small challenge.

Anyway, I’m positive that everything will be just fine :)

See you,

Steffi

[threedotsstudio]

Hey, I’m Livia! :)

For this project, I’m serving as the Game Producer and Manager. My role is to maintain a clear overview of our project and to manage and organize everything that goes into making it a success. I’ll be responsible for the content plan and ensuring the team stays on track. I think my biggest challenges will be managing without taking over and making sure we consistently stay on schedule.

My strengths are creativity, organization, and teamwork. I’m here to support my team members and bring my skills to the table to help us achieve an outstanding result.

Stay tuned,

Livi

[threedotsstudio]

This is us

Our names are Livi, Tami, and Steffi. We are a group of three girls studying at a design University in Austria. For our course "Game Design," we have to work on a game concept and track our journey.

Our motto is to make the world a better place and we are here to prove that games can be so much more than just games.

Because we have to work together we decided to set some ground rules.

Set Clear Time Frames: We’ll establish clear timelines and deadlines to stay on track.

Offer Help Proactively: If someone has a lot in her plate, we help without being asked to. We are a team and work should be fairly devided among us.

Encourage Breaks: Breaks are important. We can always take brakes or walk away from something for a moment.

Communicate Our Needs: We clearly express what we need from one another. We cannot read minds.

Minimize Distractions: Together, we can create a distraction-free environment that fosters better collaboration and focus.

Talk openly: If someone is unhappy with the progress or the way things are turning out, we talk about it and find a solution.

Greetings, Steffi