THEME 1: “FRAGMENTS”

This week’s theme was titled “Fragments.” To get a basic understanding of the word, I found this definition on google which shows the noun and the verb meanings.

As soon as I saw the words ‘break and ‘separated,’ my mind instantly began to think about crushing ice with something. To make a fun mobile app that involves tapping throughout many different levels, including overcoming obstacles, to break the ice into small fragments. These fragments at the end of each level could then form a shape or pattern, collected to solve a piece of a picture puzzle. The audience for this app would be able to stretch throughout nearly all age groups because of the simplicity of the game and its features, this app could also be used to entertain to pass the time.

DreamsTime, Ice Fragments in River or Lake Water, Blue Background Stock Photo – Image of season, surface: 99406252 (dreamstime.com) (Accessed, 26 February 2022)

To begin, I decided to develop the loading screen.

Main Title Screen:

Transitions:

To create these transitions, I first sketched out an image of snow a pile of snow falling on the software Sketchbook Pro and then converted the image into a PNG using Photoshop. Three to four different slides were then needed to create this falling illusion so I duplicated the main one and positioned the fall at a starting position with an ending screen. Connecting these together to work wasn’t really a challenge, all I had to do was set a timer to the correct link speed between each transition and replicate.

Tutorial Level:

The first level to be created is the tutorial for the game, this shows you the basics of how the game works and its features. It’s straightforward with the tapping/clicking features, tap to pick the ice so it can wear down into the small fragments.

Completing a level:

After completing the level you shall then receive this small piece, ‘A Frost Fragment,’ these shall be collected throughout the whole game to end up building completely small pictures.

Fragment Section:

Once each level is completed as a reward you gain a small ‘Frost Fragment,’ all of these fragments that you collect shall appear in this small gallery and fill in the piece of the picture by piece to form a small ice sculpture, it’s like a jigsaw but you have to earn the pieces by breaking through each levels ice challenges.

Creating the Obstacles:

Once the main game mechanism was explained through the tutorial level, I decided to start to generate an obstacle to adding a challenge to the game. By adding a challenge to the game, it makes the app more engaging and fun to play, overcoming these challenges shall give the player a sense of achievement at the end also when finally receiving the puzzle piece.

Thinking about what challenges I could add to the game, I could have stretched several ideas and applied them to the game, one idea I had was to have a seal pop out of the water and push the ice side to side making it difficult to tap. In the end, I ended up using the concept of a penguin bouncing in front of the ice, making a small challenge gradually progressing faster the more the ice is broken.

Flow System: