Summary
Choice Cut: A 2D point and click choose your own adventure horror game. Try and escape your house after an intruder breaks in. Includes branching paths with multiple endings.
Reflection
This originally began as a project within Adobe Animate to show simple 2D animation. I was required to create my own character and show 2D movement along both the y axis and x axis. The only other requirement was that I had to create a set number of scenes. I decided to turn this into a point and click adventure game.
This was the first project where I had to create an original character and story. It shows off narrative skills with a branching storyline including multiple endings, very basic 2d animation, and simple point and click item selection/menu navigation. This game was built outside of an actual game engine and still showcases many of the skills needed in an actual game along with the creativity it takes to succeed in the game programming and development field. The branching paths and outcomes involve understanding workflows and the point and click buttons showcase the skills need to create navigation menus, an increasing trend as more and more games include crafting, collectibles, and side quests. This project also showcases how a game can be created outside of a dedicated game engine.
While creating this artifact, I really had to focus on the workflow that contained the many scenes within the game. I had to ensure that each choice/click navigated to the correct scene. I also had to ensure that each scene contained a proper amount of audio and video effects to make it not just seem like filler content. One of the issues that comes from adding a new scene is that it affects both the scene preceding and following it. It also meant that I would have to include an additional option with two branching outcomes. The skill of knowing how handle the butterfly effect from changing, adding, or deleting a single item is crucial to becoming successful in the game programming and development field.
Some feedback that I received was that the many text screens containing the story between scenes should include voice acting to help set the tone of the game. I recorded all the lines myself and added them to all the text screens, along with the title and game over screens. The voice acting experience aside, this also helped me understand importing my own audio files and playing and stopping them at the correct moment in the game, so they don’t overlap into other scene’s audio. The tone and atmosphere of the game was greatly improved by adding these voiced lines, along with fine tuning some other minor audio/visual issues.
Choice Cut Development
Choice Cut Playthrough
