The Little Prince Game @ Roblox

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Team Members Name & Discipline (Consists of 4 out of 6 women participants)

Xiaoxiao (Camielle) Jiang, Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering

Ningchen (Abigail) Liang, Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering

Jiehui (Claudia) Ma, Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering

Muer (Miah) Zhou, Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering

Kai (Kenny) Cong, Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering

Yufu (Stephen) Wang, Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering

Inspiration

As international students come to the US on our own, we find that a great portion of us are suffering from mental issues and are reluctant to ask for help. Therefore, our team want to develop a game that one can feel free to express the feelings and feel happy instead of feeling oppressed by the tasks in the daily life. It can be served as a supplementary form of self-care aside from professional mental health diagnosis.

But what are the roots of mental issues of international students in US? The stress of living in a new country, academic pressure, financial stress, and discrimination, all formed some of the sources. Although professional psychological medical services are very important, the focus on self-care and self-healing is also helpful to those suffering from anxiety disorders.

In order to heal ourselves as well as other international students who are suffering from similar issues with us, we took inspirations from the literature classic, The Little Prince , which casts an eye on people's inner self and mental health and combine it with our original concept that there's no real failure in one's life. In many Obby Run games, players are considered "dead" when they fail to complete a particular obstacle, and must start the level over again. But in our game, when players fall from an obstacle, they are not punished for their failure, but rather directed randomly to different planets.

What it does

Although we're originally inspired by the Little Prince, when we develop it, we gradually added a lot of new visual elements that are more funny and refreshing.

The key point of our game is that when players (as the little prince) fall from an obstacle, they are not punished for their failure, but rather directed randomly to different planets.

On each planet, players are free to engage with a variety of characters that are inside the Little Prince's original story, each with their own unique stories and struggles. For example, they can talk with foxes, watch the cat dance, or write their thoughts on roses. These activities not only provide a break from the intense gameplay of the obstacle course, but also encourage players to reflect on their own thoughts and feelings.

Throughout the game, we have also included hidden surprises and easter eggs that players can discover by interacting with certain objects and statues. These elements are designed to reward players for their curiosity and exploration, and to create a sense of wonder and discovery as they progress through the game. By offering players an immersive and engaging experience that goes beyond traditional Obby run games, we hope to create a truly transformative experience that encourages self-reflection, personal growth, and a greater appreciation for the world around us.

How we built it

Our guiding principle throughout the process was simple: we wanted to create a game that made us laugh and feel interested during the development process. Our journey to building our game on Roblox was an exciting and challenging one, as none of us had any prior experience with the platform. However, we were determined to learn from scratch and develop our initial idea into a fully-fledged game that would be both fun and engaging.

In the first stage of development, we started by discussing ideas with our team members, focusing on our inspirations and the social issues that we wanted our game to relate to. After brainstorming, we decided to develop a game based on the Little Prince, and we elaborated on this idea by creating a specific storyline. Since the original story is quite long, we decided to focus on the most important literary elements, such as the fox, roses, and planets, and we wrote up a detailed outline in a Google doc.

Next, we moved on to the development stage, where we first had to learn how to use the Roblox platform. We spent time analyzing the core functions of the game, which included teleporting between places and adding interactions with NPCs. With this in mind, we began to add elements that we liked, such as different planets and hidden surprises. As we progressed, we found that we were able to build upon each other's strengths, with some team members taking on the coding tasks and others working on the design and artistic elements.

In the end, we were able to build a game that we were proud of, and that we felt captured the essence of the Little Prince while offering a unique and engaging gameplay experience.

Challenges we ran into

During the development of our game on Roblox, we ran into a number of challenges. One such challenge was realizing the function of switching between different places. Initially, we had decided to use the teleport function for this purpose. However, as we progressed with the development process, we found that we were frequently encountering errors that made it difficult to move from one space to another.

To overcome this challenge, we brainstormed and thought of alternative ways to realize the function of switching between different places. Eventually, we came up with the idea of setting a transparent board and setting it up as transferring doors in one space. This not only solved the problem of errors in teleporting, but also allowed us to add another layer of immersion to the game, making it feel more like a seamless transition from one space to another.

By being open-minded and creative, we were able to find an alternative solution that not only solved the problem, but also added a new dimension to the game. It was a valuable lesson that we took forward in our development process, and it helped us to create a game that was both unique and engaging.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

First and foremost, we are proud of the fact that we were able to initiate an idea for a game and turn it into a complete and interactive experience, which is especially important in short-term program development process.

In addition to this, we are proud of the fact that we had fun during the development process. We were able to add elements that we liked and interpret the classical literature of the Little Prince in a way that felt authentic and engaging to us. This made the process of creating the game feel less like work and more like a labor of love.

Finally, we are proud of the fact that we were able to use brilliant solutions to make our ideas into a reality. We encountered a number of challenges during the development process, such as errors in teleporting between spaces, but we were able to find creative and innovative solutions to overcome these challenges. We also made use of as many Roblox Studio assets as possible, which helped to streamline the development process and make our game more polished and professional.

Overall, we are proud of everything we accomplished in creating our game on Roblox. From initiating the idea to turning it into a simple yet engaging interactive experience, we learned a lot and had a great time along the way. We hope that our game can provide others with a similar sense of joy and accomplishment.

What we learned

Throughout the development process of our game on Roblox, we learned a great deal about teamwork and problem-solving. Two key lessons that stood out to us were the importance of task allocation and the value of persistence in the face of challenges.

In terms of task allocation, we learned that it was important to assign tasks to team members based on their individual strengths and areas of expertise. This allowed us to work more efficiently and effectively as a team, and ensured that each team member was able to contribute in a meaningful way.

We also learned that persistence and problem-solving were critical to the success of our project. At times, we encountered seemingly impossible tasks that required us to think creatively and come up with new solutions. This not only allowed us to make progress in our game development, but also helped us to develop valuable skills that we can carry forward into future projects.

Overall, our experience developing our game on Roblox was a valuable learning experience that taught us a great deal about teamwork, problem-solving, and the value of persistence. We hope to carry these lessons forward into future projects and continue to grow and develop as a team.

What's next for The Little Prince Game @ Roblox

As we look towards the future of our game, there are several areas that we hope to focus on in order to continue improving and expanding upon the experience that we've created.

One area that we hope to work on is expanding the game's universe, adding new planets, characters, and surprises for players to discover. This will not only provide players with more content to explore, but also give us an opportunity to continue expressing our creativity and originality.

Another area that we hope to improve upon is the game's accessibility and user-friendliness. We want to ensure that the game is easy to navigate and that players can understand the objectives and mechanics of the game without any confusion. This will help to create a more engaging and enjoyable experience for players.

Finally, we hope to promote our game and expand its reach to a wider audience. We want to share our unique and transformative game with as many people as possible, and to provide a safe and welcoming space for players to relax, reflect, and explore.

Built With

• lua
• roblox