Stefan Samuels
Games Design & Realisation
Scenario Storyboard
Tech 2050
STATE OF MIND – STORYBOARD 01 – BEGINNING GAME PUZZLE
PLAYER INTERACTION
The beginning of this storyboard leaves the player without control as the character plays out a
cinematic, in which they awaken on an operating table. Moments later, the character sits up and
steps of the operating table leaving the player in full control from here onwards. This storyboard
depicts how the player will be guided through the first initial puzzle that lays the key boundaries that
the game is to be built upon. As the player exits the room, they are greeted with their first puzzle in
which they are taught that they can control the environment using one significant mechanic
(discussed further below). The player must then use said mechanic to traverse environments to
progress past obstructions and retrieve items to continue the story.
GAME MECHANICS
As briefly stated above, the key mechanic that the player is taught in this puzzle allows them the
ability to traverse between three different environments all linked to three individual mapped keys
on the player’s peripheral’s. The mechanic in this instance is the main tool that the player needs to
use to overcome the obstructing puzzle. The storyboard shows a blocked pathway with an exit door
in clear sight behind the blocked path. Using a child’s letter block, the player can see the key
command they must execute in order to progress. After clicking this key, they are traversed to
another environment in which the pathway is cleared, however the door has also disappeared. The
player eventually learns the fundamentals to the game’s primary puzzle scheme and uses the
mechanic to overcome the obstacles, resulting in the game’s progression. Another small mechanic
that is displayed through the many uses of switching between environments is the use of pickups as
displayed through part of the beginning puzzle evidenced through the use of a key found in one
environment that unlocks the exit door found in another.
EMOTIONAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL IN-GAME TRIGGERS
Previously mentioned was the use of a child’s letter block being used as a sign portraying the
relevant key press to initiate the environment switch mechanic. This was a result of research into
semiotics and how the game’s creator can guide and send information to the player through means
that do not directly tell the player something in plain black and white. This ‘trigger’ is used to teach
the player all of the key commands that manipulate the environment switch mechanic without
breaking any immersion that has been built up prior to this encounter. The choice to use a ‘child’s’
letter block as oppose to anything else was a result of the protagonist being a young boy which
suited the scenario perfectly. The player will also reward themselves with a feel of pride when they
discover that the letter blocks in question display important information and are not only being used
as generic assets with no functioning use.
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Stefan Samuels
Games Design & Realisation
Scenario Storyboard
Tech 2050
STATE OF MIND – STORYBOARD 02 – FIRST ENEMY ENCOUNTER
PLAYER INTERACTION
From the start of this storyboard scenario, the player has full control of the character. This particular
sequence is one possible outcome of many as it cannot be assured that any player that plays the
game will follow this set path. On this pre-supposition, the player has recently completed the start
game puzzle and truly begins the game in the last environment they switched to, in this case the
school environment. The player heads down a hallway to the left choosing to pass all of the doors on
the way down. As the player approaches the right turn at the end of the corridor, they hear a
strange noise that sounds rather like a creature but proceeds around the corner following their
shear curiosity. It is at the moment they step foot around the corner that they encounter the main AI
enemy that roams the school environment that appears straight away as hostile. In order to escape,
the player will have to disappear from the enemy’s line of sight and remain hidden for a period of
time. Following this thought process, the player turns and runs to a classroom in which they hide
and wait for the creature to pass. Having seen the enemy pass by the door, the player will attempt
to leave the room unseen, however the AI can be rather unpredictable leaving the player to
encounter it a second time. Rather than running, one other escape is the environment switch which
takes a few seconds of playtime to execute, but after a perfectly timed switch, the player just
manages to escape the enemy’s grasp standing safety in another environment.
GAME MECHANICS
There are two mechanics labelled in this storyboard, one of which previously discussed in detail
being the environment switch mechanic. The player makes unique use of this mechanic by executing
a switch at a specific moment escaping the grasp of the enemy and continuing their playthrough in
one of the other two environments. The second mechanic falls as a result of the enemy’s line of
sight, as when the player escapes said line of sight, the enemy AI is to be programmed to simply
follow the most obvious path in which the player was following leading to the player in this instance
to disappear into the safety of a nearby classroom.
EMOTIONAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL IN-GAME TRIGGERS
As stated prior, the first time the player has any interaction of any sorts with the creature is when
they first approach the corner leading to the hallway the enemy can be seen from. Upon approach
to said corner, the player can hear a creature-like breath that sounds rather sinister, yet attracts the
player through the use of their curiosity. When the player actually see’s the creature that is making
the disturbing noises, it is quite clear it is hostile despite the fact it attempts to pursue the player. As
with the letter blocks subconsciously feeding the player information, the same can be said about the
classroom doors as they have two pieces of transparent glass within them. Through the glass the
player is able to see through to the rooms themselves which is what was the initial drive for the
player to seek refuge in a nearby classroom as the look of the doors is designed to feel ‘inviting’ and
not closed off from the overall feel of the rest of the environment.
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Stefan Samuels
Games Design & Realisation
Scenario Storyboard
Tech 2050
LEVEL MAP DESIGN
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