Proposal 2 MONSTER RANCHER A NEW SPIN ON

Proposal 2 MONSTER RANCHER A NEW SPIN ON THE 3 D COLLECT-A-THON PLATFORMER FOR THE OLD SCHOOL GAMER

What Exactly is Monster Rancher? Monster Rancher is a 3 D Collect-a-Thon platformer taking huge inspiration from the golden age of PS 1 and Nintendo 64 platformers. Players are given a contract to capture a certain amount of monsters in a given area, these monsters however are based on animals in the real world. An example would be a monster based on a Bombardier Beetle would start to spray smoke at the player as a getaway if they get too close. Players are also given a set of gadgets to help them traverse the stage, and capture monsters. Additionally, players are given the opportunity to find a gadget on each stage that’ll also help capture the contracted monsters. Once the player has completed the contract they complete the stage.

Gameplay Mechanics. In Monster Rancher players are encouraged to explore and find secrets hidden in and around the level. With this in mind, they have access to gadgets, like a Stun Club, to temporarily knock monsters out and break basic objects. Players also get a Net, and is the primary way to capture monsters, by pushing the right stick forward or in any direction, the player character swings the net overhead in an arc as if to eagerly catch whatever it is they were after. Players are limited to a health bar comprised of 10 hits, upon losing the final part, the player loses and gets a game over, much like platformers of the PS 1 era. Players also have access to a double jump, and with this can redirect a jump if the first was mistimed, or can be used to jump to higher places in the stage.

What Gadgets Will Players Get? Players will have access to a Stun Club, a Net and Remote Traps. Players can swing the net and Stun Club as they please by rotating the right analog stick. However they can only place 1 Remote Trap every 4 minutes. Players can also collect a Water Cannon hidden deep in the stage. Players can collect rare minerals as a collectable by smashing special rocks with the Stun Club and then collecting the mineral collectable dropped. Further players can also collect rare bugs as a collectable by swinging the Net when they take notice of the bug itself. These are awfully hard to catch however and are the most desired collectable. Finally if players do decide to find the Water Cannon, they are able to stun monsters and put out fires to unlock pathways and open up new areas of the map.

The Unique Selling Points. Players have access to multiple gadgets that help them out in more than one situation. Players are also able to do side objectives like find extra collectables and find even more gadgets to use. Catchable monsters are based on real world animals, so creation of monsters is near endless allowing for an almost always different gameplay experience.

Inspiration

Target Market. I want to develop this game for current generation platforms, (PS 4 [Pro], Xbox One [X], and Nintendo Switch). I’m aiming for this game to appeal to older audiences of about 18 -25, as they’d be the people that have the older systems these kind of games would be run on. As this game pays homage to the older 3 D platformers of the late 90 s and early 2000 s I feel like this kind of target audience is fitting. However due to the light-heartedness of this game anyone aged 8+ would enjoy playing it.

Showcase of Skill In this project I’ll also be focussing character movement and flow, but how precise controls can affect a 3 D platformer experience. I’ll also be showcasing my own characters that’ll be rigged animated to be put into a 3 D scene In this project I’ll be focussing primarily on gameplay and what I can do to push accurate movement in UE 4.

Drawbacks and Pitfalls. I’m not particularly the greatest at UE 4 and getting blueprints to work, but as this project can be worked from a template, I’ll be able to use that as a basis to work up from. I’ll also be looking at online tutorials and asking the tutors to further get knowledge on how to make a game like this. Also there is a chance that my work could corrupt or be lost due to an unknown reason, so with this in mind, I’ll keep a backup on a USB Drive, and on Google Drive. I’ll also constantly be keeping in mind the controls and how I can optimise them to be as satisfying to use as possible.

Deliverable Work. For this project I’ll be handing in a small segment of the game, allowing players get a taste of what the full game could be. Almost a demo in a sense. Players will get a contract to capture 2 sets of monsters in a stage, they’ll also have the option to find 1 extra gadget for use in the rest of the demo, and they’ll be able to collect 2 sets of collectibles. They’ll also get access to 3 gadgets from the outset too. The demo will end when the player has captured all the monsters in the stage no matter how much of each collectible or even if they’ve acquired the extra gadget or not. Once score is shown the demo will reset and a new player will be able to give the demo a try.