SuperDeep BoreHole

The game

As a Russian drill pilot in our game, "SuperDeep Borehole," players must navigate the depths of the earth in complete darkness, tapping to the beat of an audio track that unfolds the story of the true events at the Kola SuperDeep Borehole. With 8 levels of increasing difficulty, players must maintain a steady rhythm of 70 BPM while facing distracting noises and voices. Each level presents a new challenge as the noise becomes louder, making the game more skill-based and replayable. Players have 5 lives, represented as cylinders (figure 1), and must score points by tapping in the correct rhythm. The game ends after 10 minutes, or if the player loses all 5 cylinders. Those who successfully beat the game gain access to a top 10 scoreboard, where they can add their name and score to be stored in Firebase.

The challenges

Creating a compelling and engaging game experience in complete darkness presents unique challenges, particularly when it comes to providing feedback to the player. To overcome this, we focused heavily on sound design and how audio and haptic vibrations can effectively communicate progress and player interactions. For example, the in-game character will verbally announce when the player reaches milestones, such as every 1000 meters drilled, to give the player a sense of their current progress. This attention to detail in the sound design helps keep the player engaged and informed throughout the game.

Physical additions

The game was designed to be played in complete darkness, so we had to come up with creative ways to provide feedback to the player. One solution we implemented was an old display that we transformed into a dashboard (figure 2). The player would interact with the dashboard by tapping on the display, and we used an Arduino to register the taps. To enhance the immersion of playing as a drill pilot, we provided the player with a motorcycle helmet to wear, which also removed the sense of sight from the game. To further address the feedback problem, we added a vibration motor and red LED lights to the helmet (figure 3). The motor provided haptic feedback to simulate the sensation of breaking a cylinder, and the red lights served as a distraction for the player during certain levels of the game.

Playtesting

We conducted playtests halfway through the development of our game with four players recruited from our class (figures 4 and 5). The test version was approximately five minutes long, and the goal was to complete the entire game. We were interested in exploring the sound design, feedback, and progression of the game, as well as the mystery aspect and whether the players could improve their performance or adopt different strategies. The testing took place in one session, with each player receiving instructions on the game and being equipped with a helmet before playing without interruption.

Insights

All the participants were positive about the experience as it was exciting and unique. However, all the participants mentioned that the tapping interaction becomes monotonous after a while. Some of them suggested increasing the rhythm after a while to make the game more challenging. They also perceived some of the sounds in the game as unclear. They did not understand what the sound represented nor how they were connected to the storyline.

The scoreboard seemed to motivate the players. They were all interested in knowing their score and how it compared to the others’, We also noticed that the very playtester utilized a different strategy in order to keep their rhythm throughout the game. For instance, one playtester made a clicking sound with her tongue in the same rhythm as instructed in the game. She argued that keeping the rhythm closer to their brain helped. Another playtester assisted himself by tapping with his foot in the same rhythm.

All the playtesters were also positive about the feedback on the game. The verbal feedback provided every 1000 meters together with the vibration and LED lights made the game more dynamic.

The playtesters’ feedback on our game was generally positive, with participants praising its excitement and uniqueness. However, they did mention that the tapping interaction became monotonous over time and suggested increasing the rhythm to make the game more challenging. They also reported that some of the sounds in the game were unclear and did not understand their connection to the storyline. The scoreboard was seen as motivating and players were interested in comparing their scores to others. We also observed that each playtester used different strategies to maintain their rhythm throughout the game, such as making clicking sounds with their tongues or tapping with their feet. The verbal feedback, vibration, and LED lights were well-received and added dynamic elements to the game.

Iteration

Based on the feedback from the playtesting, we made further improvements to the game. We focused on incorporating more story elements, such as voice lines for the in-game character to announce upcoming challenges. To add diversity and challenge to the game, we included a level that increases the BPM from 70 to 120. We also added new levels to reveal the ending. The scoreboard was included to increase the competitive aspect, and we added a metronome to help players adjust their rhythm after each cylinder break. In addition, we used paint and spray cans to give the helmet and dashboard a new design that fits the game's concept (figure 6).

Learning takeaways

• Master the art of game design using the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics framework

• Make your game stand out by incorporating player feedback through playtesting

• Enhance player engagement by providing clear system feedback

• Introduce strategic elements to add depth and diversity to a game.