Elena

To play, I recommend having a pencil and paper nearby. You are also welcome to tab out and consult any online resources you need.  If the intro screen isn't blue, restart before proceding to get the graphics to work :) 

For this game, I chose the obsession of cryptography and ARGs. As a kid, I loved books like the Mysterious Benedict Society and shows like Gravity Falls. These stories were about characters solving massive conspiracies and gave their audiences puzzles of their own to solve through clues hidden in their respective mediums. In a text-based game, I had the opportunity to turn the medium of the game into part of the game. I used the map-based structure, letting the player explore the digital landscape of a cryptid hunter’s hard drive. The map-based structure allows for many different paths through the game and connects back to the main theme of curiosity.

Elena is a conspiracy theorist and cryptid hunter. Her curiosity leads her to encounter a dangerous being that functions almost like soul-stealing telemarketer, or a non-descript company that hides a deal to hand over your first born child in the terms of service. The player’s curiosity is essential for completing the game, and only by exploring every pathway will the player unlock the “true” or “best” ending. Without interaction, goal orientation, struggle, or structure, what I made is essentially a bad file navigator simulator. However, I believe that the exploration of the structure creates a struggle- the player follows a scavenger hunt, with the end goal of achieving the admin password. But even once the password is acquired, the player must decide where to input it- a decision informed by their exploration.

My playtest experiences were very enlightening. My #1 request was for a walkthrough, and I wasn’t sure whether to take that as a criticism or a compliment. Some of my scavenger hunt clues were so unclear at first the player had no hope of following them. I played a few Monkey Island games over the summer- the frustrating nature of a game’s progression being based on a bad pun isn’t exactly foreign, but it also really pads out gametime. I both watched over my mom’s ‘shoulder’ (online) and asked for a review from a classmate. They both offered solid advice, though I could tell my mom was the more seasoned gamer of the two. Watching over my mom’s shoulder provided ideas of how each player would be thinking in the moment, while the review helped me with big picture and formatting aspects. Nat was right in the fact that different playtests yield completely different results and are frustrating for different reasons. My third play tester was unable to play before the due date (I had to submit early due to personal reasons), so I missed out on her insight, but I hope I made decent improvements.

That being said, I'm including some hints here at the recommendation of my playtesters. 

Hints:

1. If something isn’t decoding in the online decoder, make sure you are decrypting it, not encrypting it again. 

2. Some encrypted files are just easter eggs or red herrings. You do not need to decrypt everything to complete the game.

3. The solutions to the examples on the cipher page are both HELLO WORLD

4. There are three places to enter the Admin password. Explore as much as possible to decide where is best.

5. If a particular decrypted message isn't making any sense, like a song for instance, try looking it up on youtube.