Register_SP
Inspiration
In many of the meta games I've played, meta elements often serve as narrative aids or Easter eggs, like deleting files in Doki Doki Literature Club or the printer rabbit in Animal Well, rather than being a core gameplay mechanic. So I wanted to experiment with whether a meta element could become a core gameplay feature integrated into the gameplay loop.
Gameplay
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sokoban-like gameplay
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the player need to move the block to the target position to unlock the door to the next level
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the player can edit files in the game file to control the mechanisms within a level
Meta Elements
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Every level in the game will match a folder inside the project folder
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Each folder will contains multiple txt files, each file will match one mechanism in this level
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player can control mechanisms by editing words in the marching txt file
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player needs to write down the correct word to change mechanisms in the level in order to solve the level
Ejection Pedal
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Eject the box on this device in the direction indicated by the arrow
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can control the direction by editing the word in the file
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wrong word or inexistence of the corresponding txt file will cause the conveyor not work and block all objects
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Word Rule: UP, DOWN, RIGHT, LEFT
Conveyor Belt
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Transport the box on this device to the end of the conveyor belt
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can control the conveyor direction by editing the word in the file
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wrong word or inexistence of the corresponding txt file will cause the conveyor not work and block all objects
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Word Rule: TOWARD, BACKWARD
Box
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The mechanism that the player can push
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player needs to push it into the lock pedal in order to open the door to the next level
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The existence of the box is determined by whether the corresponding txt file is present in the folder
Lock Pedal
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Lock the door until the box is on the pedal
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The existence of the box is determined by whether the corresponding txt file is present in the folder
Laser
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When the box hits the laser, it will be destroyed and return to its starting point.
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Open and close periodially
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Control the open-close period by edit the number in the file
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Word Rule: a nonnegative number
Main/hidden goal
If the player can't find the meta mechanics in hidden in the game, the game will lead to a bad ending. To reach the true ending, players must discover and utilize the meta mechanics.
Levels structure
to present the goal
Levels
Level 1
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To teach the player
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conveyor
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laser
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lock pedal
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box
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Level 2
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To teach the player
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iceground
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Ejection pedal
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branch to hidden levels
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hook and hint for the meta mechanism (unreachable lock pedal)
Level 3
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To teach the player
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Reset (infinite conveyor loop at the top)
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practice more conveyor
Level 4
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False end cut scene
Hidden Level 1
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To teach the player use meta mechanism to edit file
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Conveyor
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Laser
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Lock Pedal
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Hidden Level 2
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To teach the player correct word rule for meta mechanism
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correct words for conveyors
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ejection pedal
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box
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Hidden Level 3
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True end cut scene
Hint
To guide players in discovering clues about the meta elements, I used introductory cutscenes and voiceovers at the beginning of each level to help players independently connect in-game elements with files outside the game.
Art Style
Retro minimalist style that looks like image in early CRT monitors
