Crossroads is my final project for my graphic design degree in Shenkar College in Israel. This is the mock up video I made to show how it suppose to work.
The concept I came up with was inspired by the old "Sorcery!" books series. I wanted to create an interactive story for the Ipad, a "make your own adventure" type of story, where the reader decides what happens to the narrative and his or her actions will drive the story.
The story is based of relatively short segments in order to create an urgent feel and need in the reader to keep revealing the next segment and also cause an excitement every time the new segment connects to the old and thus creating a longer "segment chain of events".
You can view the whole project in high res images here:
I decided to use tablets in general and the Ipad specifically as the medium for a few reasons:
1. The Ipad is very easy to take with you and very well spread these days and because of these traits it is the closest proximity to caring around a book as possible.
2. Since the Ipad has many built in sensors and functions I decided to harness them in the form of "mini-games" in the story to provide some visual and immediate stimuli and create a few "breaks" from the act of deep reading while using these mini games to help the reader "play" the story and thus immersing him even further in the fantasy world.
2. Since the Ipad has many built in sensors and functions I decided to harness them in the form of "mini-games" in the story to provide some visual and immediate stimuli and create a few "breaks" from the act of deep reading while using these mini games to help the reader "play" the story and thus immersing him even further in the fantasy world.
All of these features (will be explained further through the images) are only some of the options available to the reader in the hope to immerse him the world while providing him some relief from intense reading.
In addition to these features I decided to add some RPG elements such as an inventory system and basic stats and skills system to help customize your appearance and thus your world interactions in the story.
And finally, of course, no fantasy story is complete without a cool looking map…Which I illustrated and then turned it into a 3d map…
Enjoy! :)
And you can download a retina version of the screen shots to view on the Ipad at actual size and quality at the buttom right row here:
Areas - In each area there is a background which is pan-able by tilting/moving the Ipad, thus creating the feel that you are inside the world.
The magic mechanism – When a reader wants to cast a spell he has to perform the gesture to initiate the spell mechanism. Then he has to whisper onto the Ipad the correct word of power in order to activate the spell. This will help him feel like a powerful wizard while giving some challenge and added reward for investing yourself into the story.
Combat – The combat system is turn based. The reader can choose in his turn to strike a melee attack, raise his shield/weapon in defense or perform a magic spell. He does this by performing the correct gesture and by choosing the power of the action, which will affect his fatigue.
Stars – Another "mini-game" is the ability to move the Ipad while facing the sky in order to navigate the night sky and find The Northern Star and thus find your way when you are lost.
