SDP SPRING 2024
PATENT PENDING PROJECT PORTFOLIO
Patching Through
Play Patching Through here!
Elevator Pitch
A spaceship transporting a crew of humans in cryo-sleep is suddenly hit by a rogue asteroid! The ship's sentient operating system, L.O.U, is incapacitated. You, a small communications robot named ChitChat, are the only one on the ship able to receive L.O.U.'s distress message. Navigate the ship to connect with other robots, solve puzzles, and repair key areas to bring L.O.U. back online in time to save the humans before all systems go critical!
Interaction/Gameplay Highlights
Title Screen + First few rooms
Conveyor Belt Puzzle Room
Storage Room Puzzle
Playtesting
Our team did several rounds of playtesting at various points in the development process, both among student peers and the broader public. Feedback from playtesters led us to hone in on our narrative, edit the game's objectives to be clearer and more concise, and to make Patching Through more visually accessible.
Mechanics, Goals, and Outcomes
Patching Through is played with keyboard and mouse controls. Players are able to swap between the main character, ChitChat, and one other robot during puzzle sections of the game. By swapping between these two robots, players solve a puzzle or overcome an obstacle before they are able to progress through the spaceship.
The core gameplay loop involves players solving a puzzle, finding a computer chip, and unlocking the next area in order to progress through the game. The players use the computer chip to control the next robot. While under a time limit, players will build their puzzle solving ability, become quicker while traversing through the game if they play multiple times, and understand the narrative further.
Our group wanted players to feel a sense of anxiety from the time limit, but satisfaction once a puzzle was solved. Players are also encouraged to reply the game multiple times. This is led by the idea of player mastery. There are no saves or checkpoints in Patching Through, forcing players to complete the game in a single run. These mechanics encourage players to replay the game in an attempt to score a better time, and explore new areas that they may have missed on their first playthrough.
Final Project Photos
Meet Patent Pending
Background Art, UI/UX: Yasmin Haq
Programming, Audio: Nathaniel Hebert
Animation, Writing, Project Management: Lee Rodgers
Animation, Writing, Project Management: Lee Rodgers
Level and Puzzle Design: Christian Schlenker
Concept Art, Visual Development: Miranda West
Concept Art, Visual Development: Miranda West
