Vellum Prototype 1


If you publish Flash games in some capacity and would like to fund further development based on this prototype, don't hesistate to contact me at nathan_AT_icecreambreakfast.com.


Mouse: Click, drag, and release to draw pictures on the canvas. The bigger the pictures, the more points.
'f': fullscreen, 'escape': leave fullscreen.
'm': mute/unmute sound (not in fullscreen)

GOAL: Draw the biggest and best pictures you can before the scribe you are illustrating with finishes writing his text.


Please wait for this to load - there's no progress bar. Click the flash app a few times to give it input focus.
There's no way to restart, so press F5 to refresh the page to play again.

How to Play Well


  

Design Notes


Field Game Play


   Space management in open 2D fields, meaning fieldswhere walls don't play a role, is a crucial idea in game design. Old arcade games mine this territory. Centipede, Asteroids and Robotron provide open space, some actions, some foes and resources, and then the system in motion fluidly changes whether any given spot is dangerous or promising or safe.
   This prototype calls back to Qix. In a Qix level, the goal is to fill in some of the playfield while avoiding enemies. As space is filled in, enemies are boxed into the smaller remaining space. This automatically makes the players task much harder. It's a lovely organic difficulty ramping.
   I like the risk / reward aspect in this prototype. Player can always safely uncover tiny bits of the screen. But because drawing a new illustration takes a wihle, and bouncing letters that strike illustrations ruin them, going for a big illustrations is much riskier. But of course, that's where all the points are!

Players and Predicting 2D Motion


   What kinds of motion, 2D or 3D, can players predict? I explored that while making this prototype, but it's an unfinished question for me. Some rules I explored were just curves of motion, Rules about screen edge wrapping versus bouncing, letters that homed in on the mouse cursor, letters that stopped and started on a timer, letters that reversed direction when your mouse button was held down, and more. The broader topic still feels open to me.