Math Game 2013 - An Educational Game

<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/90875920/EDU/ScreenShots/Devshot2.jpg" border="0" />

In my hometown, around the beginning of March, there is an annual science fair that I attend. Every year, I create a video game for it, and they always work out quite well. They are educational games, but are designed to be fun and engaging.

For this year, I am creating an educational video game based around math. It is a vertical shooter; think of it as an educational version of Space Invaders (with a little Guitar Hero mixed in).

In this game, you play as a blue claw-shaped spaceship. Similarly to Space Invaders, you can only move from left to right and shoot things.

On your playing area are circles with numbers on them. By aligning your ship with one of these numbers, you can then shoot down enemies with the same value. For example, if an enemy has a value of 4, you can align yourself with a ?4? circle and shoot it down. You can only shoot enemies when you are aligned with a number circle.

Enemies have certain values displayed on them. As the game gets harder, these values will be replaced with math problems (This functionality is not in the game at the moment of posting). If the value of the circle you are aligned with is the same as the enemy?s, you can fire a shot at it and destroy it. If the values are not equal, the shot will bounce off harmlessly.

This game is being developed for use on a Windows PC I am building. The game will also use a custom arcade stick and a monitor in portrait orientation.

I?m hoping that this will be my best educational game yet! This game is still in development, so if you have any ideas or suggestions about the game you would like to share, please let me know!

<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/90875920/EDU/ScreenShots/Devshot3b.jpg" border="0" />

Finally figured out how to get equations printed on the enemies!

This took far longer to figure out than it should have! :P

==Additions==

• Enemies can now have equations printed on them for Addition, Subtraction, and Multiplication.
• When the player dies, the game restarts (in the future, it will go to a menu)
• Number Circle values can set to arbitrary values.
• While player is not moving and is overlapping a circle, they will move smoothly on top of it, instead of immediately snapping to position.

<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/90875920/EDU/ScreenShots/Devshot4.jpg" border="0" /><img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/90875920/EDU/ScreenShots/Devshot4b.jpg" border="0" />

Some important changes this time!

===Additions===

• Division: It works now! (Apparently, I typed something in wrong :P) Enemies can now have fractions displayed on them, meaning multiplication questions are now possible!
• Bosses: There are two bosses in the game at the moment. (They are not controlled by the computer yet)
• Menus have been added (Functionality for the menus will be added later)
• HUD: The score and your current multiplier is displayed on the top of the screen
• Bombs: If you combo bar is filled to at least 50%, you can press a button that makes all of the number circles shoot rapid fire bullets.

===============

The game's name at the moment is "Fair Game 2013: Nexzr". Nexzr will NOT be the final name of the game; it came from a game called "Summer Carnival '93: Nexzr". If anyone has any ideas for title, that would be appreciated!

By filling the combo bar to at least 50%, pressing a button will cause all of the number circles to fire rapid fire bullets. These bullets will cancel out enemy bullets and you will be invincible during the duration of the attack. However, killing regular enemies with it will not give you points, the bullets are much weaker against bosses, and the combo bar will be depleted at the end of the attack.

In the picture of the rocks with the blue cracks in it, the cracks actually change colors constantly!

I have also come up with some concepts for a final stage. Often in these space shooter games, there is an organic stage (stages that take place inside a living organism). I decided to create one of my own using a flesh texture and the water effect. It is absolutely disgusting.

(I may have to keep it... :D )

<font size="6">Model of Arcade Stick!</font>

<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/90875920/EDU/Photos/protoCon.jpg" border="0">

A model of the arcade controller the game will use has been built!

This one was built from a pizza box I got while I was in Boston last year (I had actually asked the pizza guys for a box specifically so I could build an arcade controller from it!)

It doesn't do anything at the moment, because there is nothing else in the box. The final version will probably be made of wood.

Its design is based on a variant of the Space Invaders arcade control panel that uses only buttons.

A controller like this makes it easier for someone to understand the game's controls, and also opens up the possibility of multiplayer (probably 2-player, co-op or competitive). Also, it's pretty cool to look at.

<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/90875920/EDU/Photos/protoCon2hand.jpg" border="0">

<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/90875920/EDU/Photos/protoConDiagram.jpg" border="0">