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Number Station
Number Station is a non-linear 3D puzzle game created at Global Game Jam Wellington 2018 based on the theme Transmission. The aim of the game is to decipher hidden messages within the confines of the room. The game uses both visual and audio clues to communicate information with the player. Created in under 48 hours in a team of 3.
January 2018
DATE
TASKS
2D / 3D Art, Narrative Writing, Puzzle & Game Design
Tim Paisley, David Boxall
TEAM
The title itself is the very first hint the player receives before the game starts. The game begins in the dark, with the brightly lit radio and computer displays drawing attention to help highlight their importance to the player.
The lights click on and the game begins. There is no time limit, the player solves the puzzles at their own pace. The game takes inspiration from Escape Room puzzles, players need to experiment with the various clues and derive both the puzzle itself and it's solution.
The player can find the controls at the front of the table, I made them easily identifiable from a distance so that players could seek out instructions if needed. These are the only explicit instructions the players were given, to minimize ludo-narrative dissonance. These instructions also reinforce the concept that the radio and computer are important by outlining how they can be interacted with.
I made some clues easy to identify, to teach the players how to use the mechanics and make progress towards achieving the end goal. These acted as an effective tutorial alternative, allowing players to intuit the goal and help shape how the player should be interacting with the game world. The starting radio station is close to the one listed on the post it note to help players draw a connection between the two.
Other clues are Red Herrings to mislead the player, whilst also providing narrative and context to the game. The Red Herring clues tended to be much more humorous in nature, to communicate their low importance in the information hierarchy. The game also featured various music stations the players could scroll through on the radio as well as clue information.
What I learnt
My biggest takeaway was:
Utilizing the show don't tell approach in both gameplay and narrative. The instructions do not communicate how to win the game, only the interactions that are possible, it is up to the player to experiment and learn how to play. There are easier clues to assist players with less video game literacy, to make the game more approachable to a wider audience and point players in the right direction without detracting from their experience. I enjoyed writing narrative embedded in the gameplay which I felt contributed greatly to establishing the atmosphere and reinforced the core gameplay fantasy of being a secret agent/detective.
What I wish I could have done better:
More variation in the puzzles, every puzzle uses the Number Stations and Code Book. It is the core premise of the game, but once the player the player figures out the first cipher, it becomes a matter of tracking down more stations to decipher. I would have liked to have some puzzles that either did not require the radio or the cipher to introduce more complexity and longevity to the game. We had a "flip over" mechanic that was causing bugs and cut from the final game, which could have added a new way to hide clues.
If we had more time to work on Number Station:
I would want to develop it as a Virtual Reality game. The game translates well to the technology, as it does not require the player to move around, and also allows for new types of puzzles E.G. Holding a piece of paper up to the light source to see invisible ink.