Game Designer, Google Techmakers Scholar 2020
Rust Bucket
Role: Designer --- Development Time: 3 months
SC42 is a scout robot that has crash-landed onto foreign territory. Damaged, it must rely on the help of others to repair itself and return home.
A short text adventure created with Twine, exploring player empathy towards NPCs via interactions and conversation. During the project players answered a linked questionnaire on NPC experiences in past games and during the playtest.
Overview
My intention was to determine some of the techniques used to help players empathise with NPCs in order to translate to "small" NPCs (quest givers, vendors) and make open worlds more immersive. This involved:
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Researching literature on interactive media and empathy towards fictional characters
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Analysing examples of impressionable "smaller" NPCs
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Creating a small quest line in Twine
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Public playtesting & gauging player reactions to its characters
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Asking players what NPCs they have empathised with and why
Narrative
An overview of Rust Bucket's "scenes" in Twine, comprising of conversation trees and simple situational puzzles.
Character Profiles
SC42
Player Character
Robot of mysterious origins searching for tools to repair itself. Initially cold, it begins to warm up to those it interacts with.
Doreen
NPC, Quest giver
The town mechanic. Gruff but kind-hearted, she has been helping SC42 gather materials.
Wendell
NPC
Sibiling of Doreen and resident mad scientist, Wendell frequently "borrows" things from her to get her attention.