Project Duration
7 weeks
Team Size
10 members
Engine/Tools
Unity & Perforce
SAFETY PROTOCOL is a narrative-driven, environmental puzzle game that lets you explore an eerie space station while chatting with the stations AI.
Reactivate the hidden fuse boxes to increase your power supply. Distribute the power to the different areas inside the station to unlock new paths, allowing you to delve deeper into the story.
Contributions
Gameplay Design
I was in charge of designing the main mechanics of the game, such as the power distribution system.
c# Scripting
Assisted the programmers with creating the main mechanics and performed various smaller tasks, such as setting up story triggers.
Narrative
I was in charge of creating the overall plot and structuring the main story beats of the game. I also assisted with fine tuning the games dialogue.
Product Owner
I was tasked with making sure the project stayed on track and unanimously moved towards creating our original vision.
Design Pillars
Build your path
The stations available power is a limited resource that the player must allocate carefully in order to unlock doors or power up room specific systems.
Exploration
The station features various ways to traverse its desolate halls and many objects that help uncover more of the games story.
Suspicion
The narrative is the real player motivator. As the player progresses through the story it becomes more and more unclear of whom they can trust.
Core Loop
Power up new Area
Explore/Solve puzzle
Distribute Power
Chat / Plot progression
Locate Fusebox
Reach Console
Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
Power Distribution mechanic
Throughout the game, the player must interact with large consoles which, among other things, allow them to access the power distribution mechanic.
When utilizing this mechanic, they get a small overview of the stations’ layout and an indicator showing them how much power they currently have access to.
Here the player may freely add or remove power from any available doors or rooms shown on the map.
As the player activates more fuseboxes, their power supply increases and allows them to explore further.
Powerable Systems
Doors
Unlocks the door corresponding with the minimap icon
Console rooms
Powers on the main consoles and smaller log computers
Greenhouse
Powers on the ventilation fans and smaller log computers
Server Hall
Opens entrance door and powers on smaller log computers.
Cargo Hold
Powers on the Crane and smaller log computers
Design intent: Agency and story flow
![Player Agency [1 - 3]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d1500a_9f1d953d792542fcbdc037634a98b094~mv2.gif)
To provide a sense of agency in their exploration, players may use their available power to explore areas freely.
![Player Agency [2 - 3]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d1500a_b08758dbbfee4f75a54d9d02e327dc39~mv2.gif)
However, without the required amount of power needed, they cannot solve some room puzzles.
This gives us control of where the player can go at any given time and provides a way for us to pace out our story elements.
To provide a sense of agency in their exploration, players may use their available power to explore areas freely.
Hover over image for Arrows to navigate slide
Slide 1-3: Player Agency
Slide 4: Story Flow Control
Design intent: puzzle uses
Powering on systems isn't the only way to solve puzzles. No power in the greenhouse means that the ventilation fans stop.
Exploration becomes a puzzle, allowing curious players to find optional areas with additional narrative bits.
Powering on systems isn't the only way to solve puzzles. No power in the greenhouse means that the ventilation fans stop.
Hover over image for arrows to navigate slide
Slide 1: Powering on/off
Slide 2: Exploration as a puzzle
Design process: Concept
Slide featuring mock-ups from the concept pitch
In these early concepts, the player would have to manage more individual systems. This meant things such as spending power on ventilating corridors and powering up individual consoles. It also featured areas that were broken and hence, could not be powered.
Design process: Iteration
As we performed some playtests early on, it became apparent that the system was a bit to complex. Both for our testers but also for our project scope. Our solution became to remove the individual powerable systems and just separate them into Room systems and Door systems. Powering a room now powered all of its internal mechanics, which lowered the amount of power the player has to manage. The following Flowchart was created to visualize the new system for the team.
Click to enlarge image
Concept & Final Version
