The Pitch: CERNO’s Escape
An industrial robot, CERNO, got stranded on a foreign planet and is trying to find its way to the crash site.
Task Breakdown
Abraxas – general game design and programming
Vicky – physics programming and audio
surajsaripalli – level design
CERNO’s Escape
The player controls an industrial grade robot, CERNO, who is stranded without any support or protection. This robot does not carry guns and has fairly limited defensive capabilites. Being a transporter bot, CERNO can pick up objects and throw them, but has to expend the same energy that powers its shields to do so.
CERNO finds himself in a deep valley and has to find his way to the crash side while fighting back evil denizens of the planet and figuring out how to cross different obstacles. CERNO’s only way of dealing damage is picking up something big and heavy and throwing it at the enemy. Different kinds of objects will be available to CERNO, and they will expend different amounts of energy to pick up, carry, and throw. Some objects will be breakable, and even contain certain powerups.
The target experience of the player will entail entering a section of the valley, surveying what objects are available in it, what obstacles one needs to overcome, and deciding on a method for dealing with the situation. Ideally, there would be multiple possible solutions to the same problem, letting the controller develop their own playstyle. Next will come the actual execution, which would require acute control and finesse as could be expected from an industrial robot operator. The “aha” moments would range from accurately directing a heavy barrel at an enemy robot, to fully finishing a section of the valley.
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