Skill Themes

DIRECT APPROACH

Skill Themes
This is a racing game, so the main objective is getting to the goal in the least possible time. In platform games, the objective is to get from A to B, which means getting to B depends on the player´s performance. In action games the objective is to confront the enemies and best them. So this game will have a lot of platformer component and little action component.

The obstacles and opponents will try to make the player loose speed, so all penalties will affect that. At the same time, there will be penalties by avoidance: some elements will help the player gain speed, so not taking them will have a relative similar effect to being affected by an obstacle.

Penalties:

• 0: No penalty
• 1: Speed gain opportunity lost
• 2: Speed loss
• 3: Crash (big speed loss, points loss...)

The different types of elements in the game are:

• Targets: The player must get to them to continue without loosing speed AND even gain speed. Sometimes they are related to other targets, like switches controlling the state of a different element. Penalty = 1.5;
• Boosters: Targets that are not enforced: not getting them won´t have a negative effect, but getting them helps to gain speed. Penalty = 1.
• Obstacles: The player must avoid them by moving to a different lane. Penalty = 2.5;
• Contraptions: Must be activated to get a speed boost, otherwise they don´t affect speed. Penalty = 1.5.
• Traps: Must be activated to get a speed boost, otherwise they affect speed dramatically. Penalty = 2.5.
• Intermitents: Have different states not controlled by the player that can allow free pass or generate speed loss.
• Sand: The player must manually jump over them.

The player must learn the following skills:

• Navigation: identify and move towards a desired position.
• Activation: activate targets, contraptions and traps, defend against opponents.
• Avoidance: avoid quick succession of obstacles.

Navigation - Optimal path
Elements: Targets, Boosters.
Instances:
 Turbo boosters (1)
 Ramps  (1)
 Speed Lines
 Jump pads (1)

Activation - Contraptions and Intercepts
Elements: Targets, Contraptions, Traps
Instances:
 Ramps (1)
 Jump Pads (1)
 Speed Lines (1)
 Bouncers (3)

Avoidance - Periodic enemies and Intercepts
Elements: Obstacles, Intermitents
Instances:
 Color Floors (2)
 Speed Gates (2)
 Laser Walls (3)


Skill Matrix

Skill Theme	Plan	Act
Target	Optimal path	Contraptions
Avoid	Periodic enemies	Intercepts

Optimal path
These levels will be focused on having different routes and an optimal one which the player must take by navigation. The optimal path will be highlighted with elements that help the player gain speed, so the penalty will mostly come from omission. Periodic enemies can also be used to discard other routes, or to force the player to use manual turbos to bypass them. Contraptions can be used deceptively as the goal of the level isn´t to use them. For example: activating a jump pad can launch the player into a floating bomb, or activating a turbo launcher can make him crash against a periodic enemy. Color floors can be used as guides to the optimal route.

Contraptions
These levels will be focused on using a single contraption. The optimal route will always be the one that has more instances of this contraption and is reached by making more succesful uses of the contraption. Intercepts will be only avoidable by the use of the contraption or in other words, failing to use a contraption will launch the player into an intercept. This way the penalty will be double: for missing the speed boost due to the contraption and a direct speed loss due to the intercept. However, as there are a lot of contraptions to use the player will have an easy time gaining points and recovering from crashes.

Periodic enemies
These levels will focus on avoiding environmental hazards with 2 cycling states (on/off), or moving in such ways that they change the place where they are avoidable. Contraptions can be used to help with some obstacles, like a full lane of turbo launchers: the player must choose the correct moment to activate one so he can bypass an obstacle in the right moment. Manual jumps will be most used in these levels. The player is required to spin before being able to jump, so some planning ahead on his part is guaranteed.

Intercepts
These levels will focus on avoiding enemies and using traps quickly and in series, so one-instance events will happen regularly. The player will have to perform 2 actions: avoid enemies (fixed like bombs or barriers and moving like lasers, bullets or other incoming objects) and use traps as contraptions (bouncers). Enemies with irregular paths will appear which will force the player to react quickly, either avoiding them or spinning to defend himself.



REVERSE APPROACH
Genres

• Platformer: there are jumps.
• Action: there are enemies. 2 different types of enemies exist in the game: opponents (the other runners) and active obstacles (those which require an input from the player upon collision).
• Racing: the main objective is to go fast and end the race 1st.

The racing genre doesn´t affect the core gameplay in the same way as the other 2 genres, but in a higher scale. Jumps and dealing with enemies will directly affect the player´s actions with high priority, while going fast and ending 1st is a consequence of those actions. Only at times where the player is free from any imposition will he be able to truly choose to perform additional actions that affect the main objective. thus, the skill themes must be divided in 2 layers:

• Lower layer: Any skills which have an immediate effect on the player, opponents or world. Platform and action skills fall here. These will have a direct effect on the level design down to the detail.
• Higher layer: Any skills which don´t have an immediate meaningful effect, but which will help the player to achieve the final objective. Racing skills fall here. These skills affect the overall level design, like including big empty zones to allow the player to use turbos safely or big jumps to perform many tricks.

Player actions
An action is something the player does to exercise a skill. It´s the way the player has to show the skills he has obtained. The player actions available in the game are the following:

• Move Up/Down: Move to avoid obstacles and to choose a more favorable route.
• Power spin: Spin in place to attack or defend from enemies, avoid or use obstacles, as a preparation for a Power Spin Jump, use friendly contraptions.
• Power Spin Jump: Low jump used to avoid obstacles.
• Jump: Medium jump used to avoid obstacles and sometimes to perform tricks. In certain situations, it will be more advantageous to use this jump instead of a Boost Jump, sometimes to choose a more favorable route (Higher Layer action) or to avoid obstacles. The ability to perform tricks lies also in the Higher Layer.
• Boost Jump: High jump used to avoid obstacles, as a preparation to perform tricks or choose a more favorable route.
• Tricks: Used to gain speed, get points, level up or unlock manual turbos after landing.
• Recovery: Used to stop loosing speed (gain speed), save points (get points) and in certain situations can be necessary to avoid obstacles.
• Bounce Jump: Used to attack or defend from enemies, avoid or use obstacles, get points, level up, unlock manual turbos.
• Manual turbo: Used to gain speed, avoid obstacles or attack or defend from enemies.
• Speed Line Grab: Used to avoid obstacles, choose a more favorable route or to get points, level up and unlock manual turbos.

All actions have one or more purposes:

Avoid obstacles: Avoid incoming obstacles.
Use contraptions: Use contraptions to gain an advantage. Some obstacles may be turned into friendly contraptions. At the same time, some friendly contraptions may be necessary to avoid obstacles. In these cases, the contraptions become part of the obstacle themselves and are regarded as such.
Choose a more favorable route: The player may choose different routes based on personal preference (like choosing a route that centers around a preffered skill) or to gain an advantage. This way this action transcends the Lower Layer as it doesn´t have an immediate consequence on gameplay and is related more with a general objective.
Attack and Defend from enemies: It can be necessary (so the enemies become obstacles themselves) or optional (mostly when attacking, in which case it´s done with a bigger purpose and lies in the Higher Layer).

Perform Tricks: Has no immediate effect other than opening the possibility of a crash. The player will consciously put himself in a dangerous position for a not immediate gain (speed, points, turbo, level up...) so it lies in the Higher Layer.
Gain speed: Doesn´t affect gameplay immediately->Higher Layer.
Get points: Doesn´t affect gameplay immediately->Higher Layer.
Level up: Doesn´t affect gameplay immediately->Higher Layer.
Unlock manual turbos: Doesn´t affect gameplay immediately->Higher Layer.

Lower Layer Skills
Lower layer actions are executed in reply to an event in the game:

• Avoid obstacles: Platformer
• Attack and Defend from enemies: Action

The player can reply to these events in 2 ways:

• Act: Actions that must be carried as fast as possible once the event that requires them becomes active.
• Plan: Actions that require the player to choose the right moment to execute them and give more thought to them.

Skill Themes	Plan	Act
Platformer	Optimal path selection	Quick navigation
Action	Periodic obstacles	Intercepts

The 4 skill themes are:

• Navigation: The player sees in advance a series of obstacles or contraptions and must navigate to avoid them/get to them. The player has some time before seeing them, so he can decide the optimal path. The contraptions or obstacles are complex and come in individual events. These are usually obstacles that allow or deny passage in different lanes at every moment.
• Quick navigation: The player will see a series of fixed contraptions and must navigate avoiding them.
• Periodic obstacles: Avoid Intermitents.
• Intercepts: A quick succession of obstacles that have to be avoided while going fast.