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Why-welcome to the room!
Hello there ladies, gents, and creatures of the forest!
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Entree
The (Shh)room Projekt is my idea for BMm. (hons) Digital Media Gamma's trimester II final game project for Digital Media Design II subject. The task of the project given by Mister Muna and Madam Forrest is to develop an interactive entertainment prototype, based on the theme "Peace". That means, the final project for this trimester will be a game, hel-heavens,yeah!PROJECT : 90% marks
Task : To develop an entertainment prototype.
Theme : "Peace"
Brief : Students are required to create an entertainment prototype using unreal theme as the subject matter.
Objective
- To equip the students with the capability and understanding of interactive entertainment design process.
- To produce an application that can entertain and excite the audiences.
- To demonstrate critical thinking and detail development process in the making of the prototype based on design principles.
- To provide detail research documentation and information gathering.
FORMAT
Stage 1 to 3 submission
Photocopy of A4 sketches, stapled together.
Final submission
- 1 concept board in A2 print-out format (glued on foam board).
- 1 project documentation & sketches in A4 format.
- 1 "The Making of.." web-blog online.
- 1 interactive entertainment prototype.
Typed by Yours Truly at 5:58PM,
on 08 November 09.
Stage I
Here goes, THE PROPOSAL (AND CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT)!
SPECIFICATIONS
Game Title : (Shh)rooms.
Platform : Personal computer.
Game Mode : Single player game.
Screen Resolution : 800 x 600 px
Connectivity : Offline flash game.
Operating System : Windows XP (or higher)
Genre : Point-and-click Adventure Game + Interactive Fiction.
Engine : Macromedia Flash Player or Adobe Flash Player.
Input & Output Device(s) : Mouse, keyboard and soundcard.
The following will be needed in the making of the game :
Software(s) : Macromedia Flash Professional 8.0, Adobe Illustrator CS2, Adobe Photoshop CS2, Photoscape 3.4.
Tools : Mechanical pencil 0.5mm, True Gel Faber-Castell 0.7mm black pen, Duro Gel Faber-Castell 0.35mm X-Fine black pen, Canon Eos Rebel 450D; for the full resolution of the sketch to be transferred into Illustrator.
OVERVIEW
The game is called “(Shh)rooms” because the game starts in a room of a cottage house. The player will be playing as a person who is living in the forest pitch dark. You are running out of food supplies, and have to look for edible mushrooms and berries in the forest (and other bonus edibles too!), while avoiding from encountering harmful forest creatures such as monsters, creepy crawlies, and so forth. There will be around 2, or 3 scenes in this game.
Concept :
2D vector-illustrated wonderland-ish point-and-click adventure game that entertains and educates the audience about nature.
Game's World :
Wonderland.
Game Features :
- Health bar.
- Sound effects.
- Clickable objects.
- Roll-over messages.
- Interactive dialogues.
Game Play :
The player must interact with the objects in the room by clicking on them in order to get out of the cottage house. Once out of the house, the scene will change to an enchanted forest. The player must collect a certain amount of edible mushrooms whilst avoiding from the harmful forest creatures. If the player picks up a poisonous mushroom, the health bar will be depleted – every single time a poisonous mushroom is clicked. The game will be over when the health bar is empty.
Objectives :
1. To teach English in a fun and indirect way.
2. To trigger one’s skills and abilities to solve problems.
3. To explore and learn about the environment around us.
4. To provide an interactive, educative journey into the nature.
5. To make one more alert towards the surrounding around them.
Target Audience :
1. Young adolescent girls, aged between 12-16 years old.
2. Intermediate English literate.
3. Computer literate.
Issue :
1. To adapt oneself in many different environments.
2. To encourage the usage of right grammars among adolescents.
3. To broaden one’s mind - by solving the game using one's own imagination.
Rationale :
The interactive game is made for young adolescents, as the game storyline revolves around the wonderland forest surrounded by magical creatures. The graphics are drawn with heavy-outlined, cartoon-ish strokes - suitable for adolescent's preferences.
Treatment :
Inspired by command-prompt-like interactive fiction games generated by Window Frotz, this game is an improvised version of old Sierra adventure games in the 90s. This game is more interactive as the user can hover the mouse cursor around the screen, and pop-up description about the object will appear whenever one hovers on a clickable object.
SCRIPTING BACKBONE
The scripting of the game will be based on several flash adventure games and flash tutorials that I have found on the internet. The swf file of the online game will be ripped using the SourceTec Sothink Video Downloader, and decompiled by SourceTec Sothink SWF Decompiler. The fla files will be my reference. I will also refer to flashclassroom.com for the flash tutorials.
The following are some of the basic actionscripts that will be used:
Typed by Yours Truly at 12:29AM,
on 11 November 09.
I present to you, the BACKBONE ARCHITECTURE!(million thanks to flashclassroom.com)
Since this isn't a Visual Programming class, I will be focusing more on the design rather than the scripting. But that doesn't mean this game isn't interactive, alrigh? Teehee.
Typed by Yours Truly at 2:58PM,
on 11 November 09.
Stage II
Scroll down for my RESEARCH AND FACT FINDING!
Edible Mushrooms List
PUFFBALLS (LYCOPERDON spp. and CALVATIA spp.)Description: Depending on their size, puffballs have been mistaken at a distance for everything from golf balls to sheep. These round or pear-shaped mushrooms are almost always whitish, tan or gray and may or may not have a stalk-like base. The interior of a puffball is solid white at first, gradually turning yellow, then brown as the mushroom ages. Finally, the interior changes to a mass of dark, powdery spores, Size: 1" to 12" in diameter, sometimes larger.
When and Where: Late summer and fall; in lawns, open woods, pastures, barren areas. On soil or decaying wood.
Cautions: Each puffball should be sliced from top to bottom and the interior examined. It should be completely white and featureless inside, like a slice of white bread. There should be no trace of yellow or brown (which will spoil the flavor) and especially no sign of a developing mushroom with a stalk, gills and cap (see Poisonous Mushrooms). Amanitas, when young, can resemble small puffballs, but cutting them open will quickly resolve the question.
Cooking Hints: Remove outer skin if it is tough, then slice, dip in batter and fry.
SHAGGY MANE (Coprinus comatus)Description: The shaggy mane or lawyer's wig is so large and distinctive that with a little practice you can identify it from a moving car. The cap of a fresh specimen is a long, white cylinder with shaggy, upturned, brownish scales. The gills are whitish, and the entire mushroom is fragile and crumbles easily. Most important, as the shaggy mane matures, the cap and gills gradually dissolve into a black, inky fluid, leaving only the standing stalk. Size 4" to 6" tall, sometimes larger.
When and Where: Spring, summer and fall, growing in grass, soil or wood chips. Often seen scattered in lawns and pastures.
Cautions: Shaggy manes are best when picked before the caps begin to turn black. However, until you become familiar with these mushrooms, check for the developing ink to be sure of your identification. (note: The shaggy mane is the largest of a group of edible mushrooms called inky caps. The field guides listed at the end of this article can help you identify other members of this group)
Cooking Hints: Saute butter and season with nutmeg or garlic. Good in scrambled eggs or chicken dishes. Shaggy manes are delicate and should be picked young and eaten the same day.
CORAL FUNGI (Clavariaceae)Description: These fungi appear as clumps of branching stems which point upward. They do look much like coral. Most are tan, whitish or yellowish; a few are pinkish or purple. Also called club fungi, antler mushrooms or doghair mushrooms. Size: clusters may be up to 8" high.
When and Where: Summer and fall; in wooded areas, growing on the ground or on decaying logs.
Cautions: A few coral fungi have a laxative effect, and some people seem to be particularly sensitive. Avoid coral fungi that taste bitter, bruise brown when handled or have gelatinous bases. These are most likely to case trouble. No serious poisonings from coral fungi have been reported.
Cooking Hints: Tips and upper branches are most tender. Saute and add to vegetables or white sauce.
MORELS (Morchella spp.)Description: Sponge, pinecone and honeycomb mushroom-the nicknames of the morel-are all appropriate. Morels are easy to recognize and delicious to eat, making them the most popular wild mushroom in Missouri. The surface of a morel is covered with definite pits and ridges, and the bottom edge of the cap is attached directly to the stem. Size: 2" to 12" tall.
When and Where: From spring to early summer. Morels are found on the ground in a variety of habitats, including moist woodlands and in river bottoms.
Cautions: Morels have been known to cause mild poisoning symptoms when consumed with alcohol. Morels are quite distinctive, but there is a small chance they could be confused with false morels.
Cooking Hints: Cut morels in half to check for insects. Wash carefully. Morels can be breaded and fried, stewed, baked, creamed or stuffed with dressing. Their delicate flavor is brought out best by sauteing them in butter for about five minutes on each side.
BEARDED TOOTH (Hericium erinaceus)Description: With its clumps of hanging white "fur," this tooth fungus looks much like a polar bear's paw. It is pure white when fresh and young, but yellows with age. The bearded tooth may grow quite large, as much as a foot across. Its size and whiteness make it easy to spot against the dark logs on which it grows. Other names include bear's head, satyr's beard and hedgehog mushroom. Size 4" to 12" across.
When and Where: Summer and fall; always on trees, logs or stumps.
Cautions: The bearded tooth is distinctive and has no poisonous look-alikes. There are several closely related species which are more open and branched, but all are good edibles. Only young, white specimens should be eaten; older, yellowed ones are sour.
Cooking Hints: Slice, parboil until tender (taste a piece to test), drain and serve with cheese sauce.
OYSTER MUSHROOM (Pleurotus ostreatus)Description: Those hardy souls who take long winter walks are sometimes treated to the sight of a snow-capped mass of fresh oyster mushrooms growing on a tree or log. This large white, tan or ivory-colored mushroom is named for its oyster shell-like shape. It has white gills running down a very short, off-center stem. Spores are white to lilac, and the flesh is very soft. Oyster mushrooms usually are found in large clusters of overlapping caps and always on wood. Size: 2" to 8" wide.
When and Where: Spring, summer, fall and during warm spells in winter. On trees and fallen logs.
Cautions: This mushroom has a number of look-alikes, (including Crepidotus and Lentinus spp.), but none are dangerous. they may, however, be woody or unpleasant-tasting. Check by tasting a small piece and by making a spore print. Watch out for the small black beetles which sometimes infest this mushroom.
Cooking Hints: Soak in salted water to remove bugs. Dip in beaten egg, roll in cracker crumbs and fry.
CHANTERELLES (Cantharellaceae)Description: Chanterelles are a great favorite of European mushroom hunters and are becoming more popular in the United States. These mushrooms are funnel-or trumpet-shaped and have wavy cap edges. Most are bright orange or yellow, although one, the black trumpet, is brownish-black. Fresh chanterelles have a pleasant, fruity fragrance. To make sure you have a chanterelle, check the underside of the cap. Some species of chanterelle are nearly smooth underneath, while others have a network of wrinkles or gill-like ridges running down the stem. The ridges have many forks and crossveins and are always blunt-edged. (True gills are sharp-edged and knifelike). Size 1/2" to 6" wide, 1" to 6" tall.
When and Where: Summer and fall; on the ground in hardwood forests. Usually found in scattered groups.
Cautions: When you can recognize those blunt-edged, crisscrossing ridges, you won't confuse chanterelles with anything else. However, take extra care at first that you do not have the poisonous jack-o-'lantern (see Poisonous Mushrooms). Jack-o'-lanterns have knifelike gills and grow in the tight clusters on wood or buried wood, rather than on the ground.
Cooking Hints: Chanterelles are tough and need long, slow cooking, but when properly prepared their flavor is excellent. Saute slowly in butter until tender, season with salt, pepper and parsley, and serve on crackers.
BOLETES (Boletaceae)Description: If you can picture a hamburger bun on a thick stalk, you will have a good idea of what most boletes look like. These sturdy, fleshy mushrooms can be mistaken at first glance for gilled mushrooms, but if you turn over a cap you will find a spongy layer of pores on the underside rather than bladelikegills. The pore layer can easily be pulled away from the cap. Bolete caps are usually brownish or reddish-brown, while the pores may be whitish, yellow, orange, red, olive or brownish. Size: Up to 10" tall; caps 1" to 10" wide. There are more than 200 species of boletes in North America. The King Bolete (Boletus edulis) is probably the best edible.
When and Where: Summer and fall; on the ground near or under trees. Frequently found under pines.
Cautions: Boletes are considered a good, safe edible group for beginning mushroom collectors. However, you should observe these cautions:
1. A few boletes are poisonous. To avoid these, don't eat any boletes that have orange or red pores.
2. Some boletes, while not poisonous, are very distasteful. Check this by tasting a pinch of the raw mushroom cap. If it is bitter or otherwise unpleasant, throw it out.
3. To make them more digestible, boletes should be cooked before eating. If the cap is slimy, peel off the slime layer; it sometimes causes diarrhea.
4. Bugs seem to like boletes as much as people do, so check your specimens carefully. Boletes also tend to decay quickly. Be sure to collect and eat only fresh specimens.
Cooking Hints: Remove tough stems, and peel off the pore layer in all but the youngest specimens. Saute in butter and add to any cheese dish. Dried boletes also are good in soups.
SULFUR SHELF (Laetiporus sulphureus)Description: These mushrooms light up the forest with their brilliant orange-red caps and pale sulfur-yellow pore surfaces. Some specimens fade to a peach or salmon color. The sulfur shelf always grows on wood, usually in large masses of overlapping caps. It has no stem; the cap is attached directly to the wood. The pores are tiny. Other names include chicken mushroom and chicken of the woods. Size 2" to 12" wide.
When and Where: Summer and fall; in clusters on living trees or dead wood.
Cautions: This is a distinctive mushroom with no poisonous look-alikes. It does cause a mild allergic reaction (swollen lips) in some people.
Cooking Hints: Cook only the tender outer edges of the caps; the rest is tough and woody. Slice and simmer in stock for 45 minutes, then serve creamed on toast. When cooked, this mushroom has the texture and often the taste of chicken.
HEN-OF-THE-WOODS (Grifola frondosa)Description: This mushroom really does look something like a large, ruffled chicken. It grows as a bouquet of grayish-brown, fan-shaped, overlapping caps, with offcenter white talks branching from a single thick base. On the underside, the pore surface is white. A single clump of hen-of-the-woods can grow to enormous size and weigh up to 100 pounds. It often grows in the same spot year after year.
When and Where: Summer and fall; on the ground at the base of trees, or on stumps.
Cautions: Many gilled mushrooms grow in large clumps-remember that hen-of-the-woods is a pore fungus. This mushroom has no poisonous look-alikes, but there are some similar species of pore fungi that are tough and inedible. If what you have tastes leathery or otherwise unpleasant, you probably didn't pick a hen-of-the-woods.
Cooking Hints: Use only fresh, tender portions. Simmer in salted water until tender (requires long, slow cooking), and serve as a vegetable with cream sauce; or chill after cooking and use on salads. There are many other good edible wild mushrooms available to Missouri mushroom hunters, including the popular meadow mushrooms. If you'd like to try collecting some of these, the references listed at the end of this article will help you do so safely.
Typed by Yours Truly at 2:48AM,
on 16 November 09.
Poisonous Mushrooms List
There also are hundreds of other mushrooms that will cause anything from a mild stomachache to severe physical distress-including vomiting, diarrhea, cramps and loss of coordination. Two common poisonous mushrooms of this type, the jack-o'lantern and the green-spored Lepiota, are described here. Although the symptoms of poisoning from these mushrooms may be alarming, they usually pass in 24 hours or less with no lasting effects. You should, however, notify your doctor immediately if you suspect mushroom poisoning of any kind.There is no quick and easy test that will separate edible from poisonous mushrooms-including peeling the cap, testing with a silver spoon, checking for insect damage or any other folk method. To avoid mushroom poisoning, you should follow these five rules:
1. Strictly avoid: any mushroom that looks like an amanita (parasol-shaped mushrooms with white gills); all little brown mushrooms; all false morels.2. Some people are allergic to even the safest mushrooms. The first time you try a new wild mushroom, it is important that you eat only a small amount and wait 24 hours before eating more.
3. As with other foods, rotting mushrooms can make you ill. Eat only firm, fresh, undecayed mushrooms.
4. Most wild mushrooms should not be eaten raw or in large quantities, since they are difficult to digest.
AMANITAS (Amanita spp.)Amanitas are the reason why there are no old, bold mushroom hunters. Several members of this group contain amanitin, one of the deadliest poisons found in nature. One cap of a Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa) can kill a man.
An amanita starts as an egg-shaped button which can resemble a small puffball. This breaks open as the mushroom grows. Fully developed amanitas are gilled mushrooms with parasol-shaped caps that may be white, yellow, red or brown. They also have the following characteristics:
1. A saclike cup surrounding the base of the stem. This often is buried just beneath the soil surface and may not be obvious.2. A ring on the stem.
3. White gills.
4. A white spore print.
Both the ring and the bulb may be destroyed by rain or other disturbance. For this reason, beginning mushroom hunters should avoid all parasol-shaped mushrooms with white gills.
Amanitas are usually found on the ground in woodlands in summer and fall, but be on the lookout for them whenever you hunt for mushrooms.
FALSE MORELS (Helvella and Gyromitra spp.)
False morels are difficult to treat in an article on edible and poisonous mushrooms, because they so clearly fit both categories.On one hand, many people have enjoyed eating false morels for years and may even consider them a favorite wild mushroom. On the other, false morels have definitely caused serious illnesses and deaths in the United States.
The problem seems to involve the amount of a toxic chemical, called monomethyl hydrazine (MMH), present in these mushrooms. MMH causes diarrhea, vomiting and severe headaches, and occasionally it can be fatal. However, because of different cooking techniques and different individual sensitivities to MMH, false morels poison some people but leave others unaffected. In addition, false morels in some areas of the country contain more MMH than in other areas. All this makes these mushrooms a very doubtful group as far as edibility is concerned.
False morels have wrinkled, irregular caps that are brainlike or saddle-shaped. They may be black, gray, white, brown or reddish. (The "big red morel," Gyromitra caroliniana, common in Missouri, is a large false morel with a reddish cap.) Other names include elephant ears, Arkansas morels and brain mushrooms. Size 2" to 8" tall.
False morels differ from true morels in two obvious ways:
1. The cap surface has lobes, folds, flaps or wrinkles, but it does not have pits and ridges like a true morel. You might say their caps bulge outward instead of being pitted inward.
2. The bottom edge of the cap of a false morel hangs free around the stem, like a skirt. On true morels, the bottom edge of the cap is attached to the stem.
False morels are found in spring, summer and fall, on the ground in woodlands.
Note: Because these mushrooms have definitely caused deaths, we cannot recommend that you eat them. If you nevertheless choose to do so, they should be thoroughly cooked in a well-ventilated room, since MMH is driven off by heat.
LITTLE BROWN MUSHROOMS (LBMs)Like the LGBs (little gray birds) of the birdwatchers, this is a catchall category. It includes all small to medium-sized, hard-to-identify brownish mushroom with spores of all colors-of which there are many hundreds.
Many LBMs are harmless, some are mildly poisonous or hallucinogenic, and a few are deadly. The innocent-looking little mushrooms of the genus Galerina are probably the most dangerous of the LBMs. They contain the same toxin as amanitas and have caused a number of deaths. Galerinas grow in clusters on wood and have brownish spores.
Because they are so difficult to identify, all LBMs should be avoided.
Little brown mushrooms are found in spring, summer and fall, in all habitats. Poisonous LBMS may grow on soil or wood and may appear in lawns, pastures or forests.
JACK-O'-LANTERN (Omphalotus olearius)The bright-orange is well named. Not only is it pumpkin-colored and found in the fall- it also glows in the dark. Fresh specimens sometimes give off a faint greenish glow at night or in a darkened room.
These common mushrooms have caused many poisonings because they look, smell and even taste good. They cause mild to severe stomach upset but are not life-threatening to healthy adults.
Jack-O'-lanterns have a pleasant, fruity fragrance. They are sometimes mistaken for the edible chanterelle, which is the same color and also has pleasant smell. Chanterelles, however, have flat-edged, interconnecting ridges or wrinkles instead of knifelike gills, and grow on the ground. Size 3" to 10" tall, cap 3" to 8" diameter.
These mushrooms are found in summer and fall, in large clusters at the base of trees, on stumps or on buried wood.
The jack-o'-lantern and green-spored lepiota are only two of a large number of mushrooms that can cause mild to severe (though not life-threatening) illness if eaten.
GREEN-SPORED LEPIOTA (Chlorophyllum molybdites)These large, common mushrooms often appear in fairy rings on suburban lawns, and are frequently eaten by the lawn's owner-to his or her regret. They cause violent gastrointestinal upset.
The green-spored lepiota is parasol-shaped and has a cream or tan, scaly cap, a large ring on the stem and cream-colored gills which turn dingy green with age. As its name suggests, it is the only mushroom with a greenish spore print. Size 4" to 12" tall, 2" to 12" in diameter. This mushroom is found in summer and fall, on the ground in lawns, pastures and meadows.
Typed by Yours Truly at 2:48AM,
on 16 November 09.
and guess what I found on the grass.
I found.. these shrooms!
The shrooms look edible ey? At first I thought they were the edible White Dunce Cap (Conocybe Lactea). But after referring back to my research, and comparing the found-shrooms with pictures on the net, I've concluded out that they're the POISONOUS Green Spored Lepiota (Chlorophyllum Molybdites).
But. I can never be too sure bc I don't think there were large ring on each of the shroom stems. Hm? Neways, it was a delighful discovery!
Typed by Yours Truly at 2:48AM,
on 16 November 09.
Typed by Yours Truly at 2:48AM,
on 16 November 09.
RULES
The player must interact with the objects in the room by clicking on them in order to get out of the cottage house. Once out of the house, the scene will change to an enchanted forest. The player must collect a certain amount of edible mushrooms and food whilst avoiding from the harmful forest creatures.
LOGIC
The interaction is based on mouse hover-and-click feature. There is no time limit in this game. However, if the player picks up a poisonous mushroom, the health bar will be depleted – every single time a poisonous mushroom is clicked. The game will be over when the health bar is empty.
Typed by Yours Truly at 5:50AM,
on 22 November 09.
Stage III
SCREEN DESIGN (ROUGH SKETCHES)
Mind you, these are ROUGH SKETCHES of what it'll look like.
Note to self: never use thick sharpie again. Urgh.
Typed by Yours Truly at 1:15AM,
on 23 November 09.
Scene I, The Room.
Scene II, Cottage House.
Scene III, Enchanted Forest.
Typed by Yours Truly at 1:46AM,
on 23 November 09.
Finale
WORKING PROOF, YO.
SCREEN DESIGNS.
CONCEPT BOARD.
DOCUMENTATION COVER.
CD COVER.
