ABOUT THE PROJECT
Brainstorm
Even before the jam started, our team decided to create an interactive visual novel. We reflected on how to interpret the word "noise" and eventually decided to explore both informational noise and regular radio noise, as these two definitions fit perfectly into the final idea for the game.
Core Gameplay
The main idea was to create a decision-making game with an unconventional interface, where the player uses the radio to receive information and to choose what to broadcast.
Depending on their decisions, the player also receives instructions on what exactly to turn on, giving them the choice to follow the instructions or not, which directly affects the ending. The final ending is determined by points: if the player followed the instructions, they earned points; if not, they lost points. One ending required more points, another less, and if points went negative, the player lost, representing one of the possible endings.
It was important that the ending with fewer points was the hardest to achieve, so the player had to balance between not going negative and not collecting too many points. During testing, a problem arose: players, after finishing a day, did not see the consequences of their choices, which made them wonder, "Does my choice even matter?" The goal was to convince players that their decisions truly impact the game. The task was to ensure that feedback was visible to the player immediately at the start of the new day.
To solve this problem, a monitor with a news feed was added, the content of which varied depending on the player's previous choices.
Result
This project improved my personal teamwork skills, gave me new experience using Trello, and was my first time participating in a game jam. Since the game conveyed the jam's theme from the very first seconds, it earned 2nd place in its category and received many positive reviews.