Virulent Sophtwear cs121 sp 2003 South Dorm Water Fight: Users’ Guide

Virulent Sophtwear

CS121 SP 2003

South Dorm Water Fight: Users’ Guide

Josh Smallman

Zach Clegg

Mjumbe Poe

1. 
   Overview:
   
   1. 
      South Dorm Water fight is a realtime action game set in South Dorm at Harvey Mudd College. Players control a character on the screen that must evade incoming water balloons while simultaneously trying to bombard enemies with projectiles. Games are expected to be short and fast paced!
      
2. 
   Players
   
   1. 
      The game includes a single player mode where the human player squares off against computer players of increasing number and difficulty.
      
3. 
   Look and Feel
   
   1. 
      The game screen is a static overhead view of the playing field. There are obstacles that must be maneuvered around while attacking or retreating. The levels look similar to the layout of South Dorm. All graphics are sprite based and somewhat silly, giving the game a “campy” feel.
      
4. 
   Interface
   
   1. 
      The interface is extremely simple. Five keys are needed for control – left, right, forward, back, and fire. The player uses the arrow keys to move and ‘space’ to fire. The player’s health is indicated by the player’s sprite – increasingly drenched as the player nears exhaustion (end of game).
      
5. 
   Start Up
   
   1. 
      The first game choice involves starting the game. After that, the game proceeds with no more options for the player. The first level is loaded, and the player must navigate the map and destroy an easy enemy. This allows the player a little free time to learn the feel of the game. After the first target is eliminated, a new enemy appears and the game continues - with increasingly difficult enemies (moving faster, better aim, etc).
      
6. 
   Objectives
   
   1. 
      Hit the enemy with a balloon.
      
   2. 
      Avoid being hit by enemy balloons.
      
   3. 
      Avoid impassable obstacles.
      
   4. 
      Pick up power-up and weapons.
      
7. 
   Entities
   
   1. 
      Entities in the game include Characters (player or enemy), Obstacles (impassable).
      
8. 
   Features
   
   1. 
      Projectiles (balloons, ketchup packets), and power-ups (health, weapons, etc).
      
9. 
   Rules
   
   1. 
      The rules are simple, and require little time to figure out. You can only move forwards or backwards (no strafing). It takes three hits to die. Picking up health bonuses (towels) can heal damage done by enemies.
      
10. 
    Gameplay
    
    1. 
       Players can develop strategies for throwing balloons at the enemy while trying to stay out of the enemy’s gun-sight. In this game hand eye coordination does play a factor, but the simple movements prevent the gameplay from becoming too complex for a simple, high-turnover, arcade game.
       
11. 
    Level Design
    
    1. 
       Levels consist of open terrain, scattered with obstacles that must be maneuvered in order to achieve effective attacks. The field will be bounded, so that there is no tendency for the player to try to run off the side. Levels are based on South Dorm at Harvey Mudd College.
       
12. 
    Technical Requirements
    
    1. 
       Any computer capable of compiling the POP framework, but development is done in (and thus only guaranteed to be compatible with) Windows 2000.