http://www.acetio.com/gorabbitgo/goRabbit.htmlSwitch Game Submission: 'Go Rabbit, Go!'Go Rabbit, Go!
Production Notes
This game was created expressly for the DonationCoder.com Accessibility Game Coding Contest, beginning on December 18th 2006, when I heard about the contest.
My girlfriend works at the University of Delaware Center for Disability Studies, and she and I came up with a game idea that we thought would be playable by people with a variety of disabilities but also fun for everyone regardless of ability.
The audio-only idea was fascinating, but we couldn't come up with an idea that we could produce in so short a time.
The idea is based on a mathematical puzzle known by some as a 'broken tractor maze' in which you must traverse a maze, but can only turn left (or only right).
This fit with the constraint of a switch game, since the puzzle relies on the removal of controls.
By making the switch control turning, we had to make other forces, such as velocity, constant, or at least controlled by the computer.
The character moves at a constant rate and must grab all the carrots on the screen.
A flying tortoise chases the character, at 1/3rd the character's speed, helping to motivate the activity.
When a carrot is landed upon, it is replaced with a clod of dirt, through which the character cannot pass again, so the rabbit essentially creates a maze for itself as the level progresses.
Each level includes three pairs of colored holes, which connect to each other, allowing quick escape from the tortoise.
If the tortoise catches the character, the character and tortoise are both sent back to their original positions.
There is no way to die in the game, except that it is possible at the higher levels to create a maze that cannot be passed.
The levels are randomly-generated and infinite (well, after about 50 levels the game would be impossible to complete), with speeds increasing slightly each level and one additional carrot each level.
The game requires only the flash plugin in any browser, is about 6K in size, and plays in a large area (640x520) all three of which were concerns for making the game truly accessable.
This is a beta until I can create better graphics and add sounds.
I'm very curious to have others try the game and let me know what changes they would recommend.
I'm sneaking away from holiday time with the family in order to make tweaks in the next few days, so I won't be able to get everything done by Jan 1, but if I get a sense that people would most like to see better graphics, for example, or sounds, or changes to the gameplay, I'll focus on that.