Concept
For my midterm project, I initially considered creating an interactive experience centered around pet care in some way. While I wanted to explore the emotional connections and responsibilities that come with caring for a living creature, I thought this idea seemed kind of predictable. To add a touch of humor and absurdity, I decided to create an interactive experience where the user will cares for a pet rock (named Rocky) by feeding, playing and interacting with him to maintain his mood over a short period of time (1-2 minutes). The concept explores how minimalistic interactions, like feeding or playing, affect a virtual pet’s state of well-being.
While I still haven’t fully decided on the specifics, the user will have a few options to care for Rocky (feeding and playing for instance). Each interaction will influence the rock’s mood, with the goal of keeping him as happy as possible. For example, feeding might involve choosing from different food types, each of which impacts his mood differently while playing might involve a mini game where Rocky must avoid obstacles.
Code Design and Interactivity
In terms of coding, I’ve broken the project into several key components (I will probably be adding more later as different functionalities arise):
- Rocky : A class that handles the rock’s mood and his appearance on screen.
- Mood Meter: This reflects Rocky’s mood visually, giving feedback to the player.
- Buttons for Actions: Three buttons allow the user to trigger different actions (such as feeding and other care actions).
- Playing the Mini Game: This involves collision detection where Rocky avoids obstacles.
The game will end after the specified number of minutes, and Rocky’s final mood will be displayed.
What I’m Uncertain Of
The most challenging and uncertain part of this project is implementing the mini-game where Rocky plays by avoiding obstacles. Collision detection and ensuring the game flows smoothly without lag were concerns. To minimize these risks, I will start by prototyping the mini-game early. I will implement a basic version where Rocky moves up and down, avoiding obstacles that scroll from right to left. This will help me better understand how I can handle object collisions and movement dynamics. I also need to fine-tune ideas regarding the options available to the user to take care of Rocky.
Next Steps
Moving forward, I will continue implementing the basic features of the game, refining the interaction design, adding sound effects for feedback, and enhancing the overall user experience. I also plan to improve Rocky’s animations and ensure the game has a restart function. Overall, I’m pretty excited to see how this project turns out :))