Animal Run

Welcome to the Animal Run ! 

The team:  (Team lead) Kat Russell, Miles Chu , Parsa Eshghinejad, Eric Park, Emilia Bustamante, Qihan Li, Ryan Leeds

Rough plot: 

"Animal Run” is a game where players get to immerse themselves in a 2d pixelated world where there are diverse group of animal protagonists, each in their own unique ecosystems. The players  are to navigate different geography and landscapes to escape their human captors. As the players sprint through different types of environments such as icy landscape of Iceworld, the harsh depth of Swampworld, and the busy streets of the metro urban city world; they encounter challengers like the hunters, scuba divers, farmers, and even children. 

Each level presents not only thrilling chase downs but also diverse obstacles that challenge the players reflexes and strategy. Players collect rewards ( don’t know what the rewards do yet) along the way to enhance their gameplay. The game will have soundtrack and immersive sound effects that resonate each animal's environment and personality, Animal Run is a game that blends into action and adventure which highlights the struggle for freedom in a world where animals must outsmart their human captors.

The theme is animal vs humans for freedom 

Core Idea 

Single player game. Play through a continuous landscape, evading hunters to get to the end goal and pass the level. Multiple levels in different worlds (biomes). Each world will be set in a specific biome such as a desert, jungle, city etc (Waterworld, Metropolis, Ranchland, etc) that has multiple levels, each centered around a different animal and background. Evade hunters, run, avoid obstacles (by using WASD keys) and collect coins to unlock rewards. 

Character bio:

-Cheetahs are hunted for their fur, to convert them into pets.  Native from Africa and central Iran. Lives in Savannahs, Arid mountains in the Sahara and hilly desert terrain. Fastest animal on earth (97-113 km/per hour) after running they need 30 minutes to catch breath. Cheetahs can’t roar, but they purr. In risk of extinction due to losing habitat and less prey.

Stryker’s a cheetah, born in South Africa. When he was a little puppy, he was captured with his brothers and sisters to be sold as pets for richhmen. For years he’s been forced to have puppies with a female, he ended up falling in love with her. But one day, her owner, an international supermodel, decided that it was time to kill them and make a coat from their fur. But Stryker was faster and scaped 

Overhead Map:

It’s from left to right, one landscape and that’s a general idea of it.

Inspiration: 

Super Mario Bros : Left to right , Assets like coins, stars to unlock rewards, jumping over obstacles, Play as different characters, Different worlds/locations unlocked after completing levels, Different villains    

Temple Run: Evade, Collect coins 

Subway Surfer:  Run, evade, switch directions, Everytime you hit an obstacle you are set back and the hunter catches up, Collection coins and special objects for rewards (like customizable skins)

Background: The background used in this game is chosen from real cheetahs living areas (desert mountainous biomes). There are 3 perspectives including close, middle and far distance. Obstacles used in this game are some natural items like stones, dried plants and tumbleweed. Also some wild animals are chosen as obstacles like snakes and scorpions. The colours used in the background are warm to show the feeling of desert. 

Gameplay Walkthrough

The player uses the keys ASDW to move the character, which currently right now we are focusing on the Cheetah. The character will be able to move forwards, backwards jump, and duck. By using the shift key, they are able to speed up for a short duration(there will be a limited use for the speed up, so the player must use it wisely). There will be obstacles, such as rocks, grass, tumbleweed, etc that the Cheetah may get stuck on. When stuck on it the first time, there will be a Hunter that appears behind them, forcing the player to get out of that area. If stumbling again, the player will lose. There will also be Hunters throughout the map that will shoot at the Cheetah. The player must react by ducking, jumping, or going behind objects to protect themselves from the Hunter. The player can get shot three times before getting a loss. When being shot, the player will have a 3 second grace period where they are immune. The goal is to get the Cheetah back to its group, also known as a coalition(?), so that they get to safety and be free