"Grand Prix"

Mini-Race Game Concpet Document

Summary

The “Booster Buddies” project will be complemented by the addition of a race game that will allow the player to take their customized car for a spin around the virtual streets of Safety Town and/or a related environment. The Booster Buddies’ race game, here codenamed “Grand Prix”, can be accessed by the player once they have attempted every mini-game in Safety Town at least once. Pedestrian and vehicle road safety issues are features of the game challenge presented by “Grand Prix”. Obstacles, environmental features, and real-time racing situations raise issues of pedestrian and vehicle road safety, to which the Clek booster seat is the preeminent answer. However, this mini-game component emphasizes fun as a reward for participating in Safety Town, and does not have any requisite learning objectives or a need to measure player learning.

Key Features

• Race your pimped-up Cleck Adventure Ride through the Safety Town environment
• Race against mildly competitive computer controlled cars
• Avoid track obstacles for the best lap time
• One minute lap time for short attention spans
• Cartoon violence to illustrate the importance of safety seats.

Creative Overview

The key to success for the “Grand Prix” mini-game is linked to the successful implementation of two major design features: (1) simplicity of control, and (2) environmental immersion.

Cinematic Introduction

Players will have the best experience in “Grand Prix” if they are completely clear how to correctly play the game before it begins. For users from ages 4 to 8, this introduction to the mini-game is best accomplished through the use of a cinematic introduction, or “Introductory Movie”. Like the popular children’s 3D animated series “Backyardigans”, the “Grand Prix” cinematic introduction will employ a refined sense of cinematography to the movements and adjustments of the active camera, in such a way that clearly related the functions, obstacles and objectives of this driving mini-game.

Game Play Overview

The “Grand Prix” mini-game can be divided into three major phases, each of which is integral to the game play experience. The first phase is the introduction, where the game narrative, controls and objectives are presented to the player in the form of a real time movie using 3D characters (Oto and Ollie) and the 3D environment (Safety Town). The second phase is the actual game play, where the player navigates their car through the streets of Safety Town, avoiding obstacles, and out-pacing the other cars in the race. The third and final phase of the game is a real time 3D cinematic sequence that shows the conclusion of the race, the winners circle, and the conclusion of the Safety Town narrative.

Control

Typically, driving games are controlled using either the keyboard (as in the arrow keys), or the joy stick. “Booster Buddies” has been designed for deployment to the World Wide Web, and must utilize input control devices the most universally available to the target audience. Therefore, the “Grand Prix” racing game controls must use keyboard, mouse, or a combination of the two. Additionally, there is no technical limitation that prohibits redundant control of the player’s car implemented for both keyboard and mouse. In consideration of the user experience, it is strongly recommended that redundant car controls for both the keyboard and mouse be implemented.

The use of the mouse to control the car suggests that graphical controls in the form of buttons be added to the game HUD in a spatial configuration that mimics the layout of the arrow keys on the keyboard. The reason for including the mouse as an available control device for the car is that the use of the mouse is required to get into the game, and should not be abandoned at the time that actual game play begins.

Camera

The default camera view of the “Grand Prix” mini-game is the third-person overhead following camera. The use of an in-car dashboard view suggests that the Safety Town HUD dashboard not be visible in the third-person overhead view. Because the presence of the dash board suggests that the player is inside the car, when he/she is outside the car, the dashboard is naturally not visible.

Track

The “Grand Prix” track will be designed so that the typical lap time is about one minute. Even though it is short, the track will take the player through a selection of Safety Town environments, including a neighborhood, the industrial area near the factory, and a short section of the highway that has been laid outside of the town.

Obstacles

1. Pothole alley: between the Factory and a warehouse is “pothole alley”. The player must swerve back and forth through the alley to avoid potholes that are either empty or full of splashable water.


2. Construction ramp: A drivable ramp of durable construction material such as sheet metal is identified as being for construction through the use of black and yellow construction arrow decals. The player can use the ramp to jump over a railroad crossing to save valuable lap time.


3. irt Ramp: A drivable ramp of piled up earth is placed in proximity to a construction site. The player can use the ramp to jump over a railroad crossing to save valuable lap time.


4. Bridge: A bridge passes over the trace track, with a supporting column inconveniently placed in the middle of the road. This type of obstacle is used by games such as Project Gotham Racing to force the player to out of the middle of the road.


5. Water puddle: There is a puddle in the middle of the track with shimmering water. But watch out: the puddle is deeper than it looks and will cost you valuable lap time if you don’t avoid it.


6. Wrecker ball: Upon entering the construction area, a wrecking ball swings low across the track just in time to hit the player’s car if he is not moving fast enough (or driving too fast!). The player’s car will deform and veer off couse before it does an “Incredibles”-style rubber band snap back into place. This is an opportunity to use cartoon violence to show how well booster seats work when correctly installed.


7. Ducks/kittens crossing road: There is a duck/kitten crossing right across the race track. The player must slow to a crawl to avoid hitting the cute critters as they cross. If not, the rubberized creatures will go flying away from the car like bowling pins being scattered by a bowling ball.


8. School bus and school crossing: There is a school bus letting off kids at the side of the road. The rules of the road (and the stop sign that swings out from the side of the bus) indicate that drivers must stop and wait for the bus to unload all of its passengers. If not, a police patrol car may be waiting for you just behind the next hedge, which will cost the player valuable lap time.


9. Street hockey game: Neighborhood kids are playing street hockey in the middle of the road. Slow down and wait for the kids to get out of the way, or plow into them like a bowling ball plowing into neatly placed bowling pins.


10. Slow-moving dump truck: There is a slow moving dump truck making collection rounds through the town. Avoid it as it stops for garbage, or as it swerves left and right across the road.