My Project: The Fox

I've got some solid ideas for the game project I talked about earlier. The title of the game is The Fox. It is about a fox who chases a rabbit into a magical cave and enters a similarly magical world while navigating platforming challenges and puzzles.
The protagonist is a magical fox who does not know that he is magical at the beginning of the game. He discovers the magic cave when he chases a rabbit into it. The rabbit is another magical animal who was sent to lure the fox into the cave.

Over the course of the game, the fox acquires new abilities - things like using magical devices and wall-jumping - and gradually finds his own nature. For the "finds his own nature" part the game will adjust the fox's body language; in the beginning, he will move cautiously but he will move more confidently toward the end of the game.

The other animals will interact with the protagonist here and there, especially when the player is stuck on something. They will help the player in different ways ranging from guiding them through a platform challenge to subtly hinting at the solution to a puzzle.

One of the key features of the game is the minimal use of language. Things like the game's title screen and some menu items will use words, but the vast majority of what is communicated to the player will use images, sounds, and other methods of communication in place of verbal language. This is included in the interactions between the protagonist and the other animals. Even though they are magical animals, they still can't talk.

The end goal of this game as a piece of art is to teach the player to appreciate and understand non-verbal communication. They will also hopefully learn a bit about persevering when having trouble with something and listening to advice from others. These are lofty goals for something like a video game, but I hope that I can achieve them.

Another Project: PyWiki


In addition to working on The Fox, I will also be working on a "desktop wiki" program using Python, PyGtk (Python's GTK bindings), and the Creole wiki standard.

It will be somewhat similar to the "Zim" desktop wiki program but with some differences. I'll go on more about that in another post, since this one's getting a little bit too long, I think.

Also: For Tomorrow

I will be working on The Fox and PyWiki somewhat tomorrow, and will also look for a second game project.

I like to have two or three game projects at once. It helps me not get bored of a given project.

I'll post about the second game project when I have a solid idea.

Peace, love, and busy days,

--- Henry