SMALLab: Liferaft + Level editor

Liferaft is a jungle river adventure game made in SMALLab. Players use glowing controllers to paddle, pump, and signal inside of a broken liferaft. The goal is to get to the river shore without sinking the raft. To succeed this game, players have to avoid obstacles, gather power-ups, pump water out, and manage the weight of their raft.

This collaborative game also has a stand alone level editing tool that allows players to design their own levels on the fly. The tool provides a smooth transition from paper (analogue) prototype into digital game level design. Players plan their level on a set of of three narrow boards resembles the beginning, the middle, and the end of a game level in Liferaft. Then they put color-coded stickers on the board based on their plans. Each color sticker represents a kind of game events. During the planning, players will explain their levels to teachers and game designers including predictions of play experience that their level is going to invoke.

After putting down the stickers, they insert their boards underneath the Computer Vision Box, a support equipment I designed and built to read those color stickers on the three boards. They will then be translated onto the computer screen. The color stickers will be replaced with real game components. Players can either test their level on the screen or send the level into SMALLab and play the real deal there. We usually have groups of players play each others game and give feedback and they will then go through an iterative process to make their game more fun and be close to the play experience they predicted.