The Magellan

For the interactive story telling assignment I wanted the player to be involved while still following a pre-determined path. The player in my story uses a multi-tool that functions in a similar way that the wands do at Harry Potter World. The guests can go up to an area on the ship and simply press their multi-tool against it to make something happen or in some cases they have to follow a pattern. There is also a place where they have to solve a sliding puzzle in order to reveal information they need. They would also complete this with the multi-tool by dragging it across the screen to move the pieces. The guests also have to interact with actors and digital media while they play through this adventure. The captain is the first person they talk to and he appears as a hologram, he serves as a conduit for vital information as well as a check-in point they have to come back to at some point in the game. This is to make sure they are on the right path and it also helps the gameplay area be smaller. If guests have to go back and forth they will feel like they are moving around a lot and it will take longer but they won’t actually have to walk that far. If the game were entirely linear and they never had to backtrack it would simply take up far too much space in the park. One of the requirements for the game was that it all needed to take place within the spaceship area of the park, I think this technique helps accomplish that goal while also keeping guests entertained.

I wanted the game to have some elements of suspense so I did base it off the fact that the ship is breaking down and you are the only one who can save it. There are other people who have to help you but at the end of the day the fate of the ship and passengers are in your hands. Commander Davis, Lt. Sanders, and an extra crew member are other people aboard the ship who help you in your journey. You have to repair Lt. Sanders computer by using the multi-tool to follow a pattern across his screen in order to find the Commander. When you finally get to Davis he is the only one on the ship who can speak/read the alien language that you have discovered. You know this thanks to conversations you have heard from passengers who walked passed you. He points you in the direction of the mainframe. An extra crew member you pass lets you know that in order to have access to the mainframe you will have to go back and talk to the captain. Finally, after getting the directions you need you figure out the aliens have locked you out of the room where the main computer system is stored. You return with the commander and use your newfound knowledge and multi-tool to fix the ship. The game ends in the same place that it began, in the captain’s quarters.