Challenge Summary
Welcome to "Big Blue - Migrate The Files Mobile Game Design Concepts Challenge". This challenge is focused on creating design concepts/visual ideas including actors and stage layout for one of the topcoder winning submissions for IBM’s "Big Blue Mobile Application Idea Generation" game initiative. The purpose of this challenge is to build upon the simple and fun mobile game idea and develop an enriched UI design, concepts, and game-play ideas.
We are providing you with the winning submission files for the game IBM wishes to move forward with at this time. Your objective is to take it from a winning idea challenge (good game idea) and on to the next level, that is, providing overall design concepts and screen layouts to refine how this game should look and function, conceptually. This will be the first challenge in the series to build an exciting, challenging, and fun game that incorporates one of IBM’s key initiatives: Cloud!
Round 1
1. Actors/Elements Design
2. Stage Background
3.3. The Games Scenario
Any other screens that can strengthen your design concept.
Round 2
1. Actors/Elements Design
2. Stage Background
3. Gameplay Scenario Design
3.1. Welcome Scenario.
3.2. Choose your Stuff! Scenario
3.3. The Games Scenario
3.4. Successfully Reaching Goals Scenario
3.5. Failed to reach the Goals Scenario
3.6. Game over Scenario
3.7. Wins! Scenario
3.8. Score Scenario
Any other screens that can strengthen your design concept.
IBM is looking to fully develop some of the winning mobile game idea submissions from the just finished Big Blue Mobile Application Idea Generation challenge. We need you to take this from the basic game idea to the “next level”. This means thinking about how this game could look by providing your design concepts, (gameplay, user experience, actors/layout in the game, etc). We are looking for design concepts here, not final game design.
Please familiarize yourself with the goal of the Big Blue Mobile Application Idea Generation challenge spec so that you have a firm understanding of the submission files (attached to the challenge). This is for mobile devices, and IBM would like to target and refine the game for IOS before releasing to another mobile OS.
IBM goals
A very large global technology leader would like to leverage mobile games as a way to educate people on their key initiatives. The idea would be to develop a game for mobile devices to connect with the general public (no particular target group). The game should be fun to play but at the same time be used as a way to promote IBM's brand depicting and spreading messages in a figurative way about the initiatives IBM is taking to help its clients and our world in general. There are 4 IBM initiatives and this games will incorporate one of IBM initiatives called "The big 4 - Cloud, Analytics, Mobile, Social (known as CAMS)".
Basic Games Concept
The basic game idea is to create a simple, yet fun and addictive game where the goal is to throw "files" across a screen full of obstacles to the safety of the cloud. Players will score points and compete for high scores based on the size of the files that reach the target (i.e. the cloud) safely, which communicates the underlying message that storing data on the cloud is safe. Full game idea details can be found from the winning submission documents attached in this challenge.
Please remember that this game idea is one of the winning submissions from the idea generation challenge. So please don’t deviate from the primary idea. We are not looking for new game ideas, we are building and planning out this one.
Design Concept goals
1. How easy is it for gamers to understand the game flow from the first time they open the games, play it and finally seeing their score. Think about simplicity when create your design concept.
2. We want this to have strong design concept and engaging user interface. We are looking for great UI design and a strong game play so gamers will always be excited to play the games again.
3. Think simple but effective solutions! Have fun creating this - let us know how you think it should work!
Design Considerations
- "Migrate the files" is the dummy name for this game. Please feel free to change and adjust it to match your design concept. (Suggest a game title!)
- You are allowed to change the layout of the games if you want.
- Please create it for iPhone latest version (640 x 1136 resolutions), feel free to choose your display orientation.
- Do not deviate from our basic games idea which stated in the winning documents.
Design requirements
Design concept requirements:
1. Actors/Elements Design
- Main Player : Hard drive (there should be several types of harddrive, for ex. 10MB, 20MB, 45MB)
- Obstacle : Virus, Water Damage, Magnet, Crashed Hard Drive and other obstacles that appropriate for the games.
- Target : The Cloud.
- Item Throw : Files or any other items that you think appropriate to be added in the games.
2. Stage Background
- Set of stage and details that will be use as background in the games.
- Feel free to create background design that fit with your concept/ideas.
- Make sure your background design have layout available to add games information like current score, lives remaining, time, Ammo remaining (files remaining to throw), etc.
3. Gameplay Scenario Design
Below is suggested scenario for the games, you are free to add new scenario or remove and edit some of the scenario belows to match with your design concept/ideas :
3.1. Welcome Scenario.
- We need your ideas regarding how to welcome gamers when they open the games in their mobile phone.
- Maybe a cool splash screen or a colorful welcome screen in games style to welcome gamers.
- Which one better, the screens concept for welcome being repeated everytime gamers open the games OR different set of welcome scenario provides for first time user and returned gamers.
- Your screens concept for welcome scenario needs to be entertaining, makes user feels gaming experience and feels excited to play with the games immediately.
- We don't want overcomplicated design for this scenario.
3.2. Choose your Stuff! Scenario
- Once user is in the games, there should be a setting scenario for user to set up several basic configuration needed in the games.
- Gamers name, difficulties setting, sound on/off, etc.
- This screen design concept needs to be very clear so gamers know what kind of action that needs to be done.
- Again, Think of simplicity for this scenario.
3.3. The Games Scenario
- The goal of the cloud game is simple : throw files across the screen past obstacles to reach the safety of the cloud on the other side.
- The basic game play will be similar to shuffleboard and skee ball with a classic arcade game twist in the spirit of Pong (one of the first and most popular computer games ever created!).
- The goal is to throw an object (in this case the image of a file) from one side of the screen to the other in order to hit a target (the cloud) and score points.
- To describe the Cloud Game in terms of a classic arcade game, you can compare the file the player throws to the ball in Pong or the bird in Angry Birds, and the cloud to the other player’s paddle in Pong or the pigs a player aims for in Angry Birds.
- The player will use swipe commands on the screen to determine at what speed and direction the file is thrown across the screen.
- Each wall will be made up of bumpers that the file will bounce off of if it hits.
- The screen will include a number of different moving obstacles that the player must avoid.
- These obstacles can be things that destroy data files such as viruses, water damage, or a crashed hard drive.
- The cloud (the target to hit) will also be moving side-to-side making it harder to hit. When the player throws a file and successfully hits the cloud target on the other side they’ll score points.
- Again, Think of simplicity for this scenario.
3.4. Successfully Reaching Goals Scenario
- This scenario is needed to simulate situation everytime the files able cross to the other side safely.
- We need some design ideas which stimulate our gamers to perform well because they want to see this design/scenario again.
- What happen when the files reach the other side? simple confirmation text? a design notify files is safe? "files" animation say thanks to gamers? what is your idea?
- Again, Think of simplicity for this scenario.
3.5. Failed to reach the Goals Scenario
- This scenario is needed to simulate situation everytime the files not able cross to the other side safely.
- Contradictive with successful scenario, this time we need some design ideas which stimulate our gamers to perform well because they don't want to see this design/scenario again.
- Again, Think of simplicity for this scenario.
3.6. Game over Scenario
- This scenario design concept needed to simulate when user failed to deliver files to the cloud safely.
- Needs some design concept to give user ability to repeat and start the games all over again.
- Continue from last level features?
- Have another ideas what should be put in this scenario? Add them to your design.
- Again, Think of simplicity for this scenario.
3.7. Wins! Scenario
- This scenario design concept needed to simulate when user successfully deliver all files to the cloud safely.
- Go to next level features?
- Current score!
- Maybe some layout contains tips regarding IBM goals to educate people on their key initiatives
- Again, Think of simplicity for this scenario.
3.8. Score Scenario
- This scenario is to show gamers the world wide best score in the games.
- Gamers best score and other score achievement features?
- Ability to share score to social media?
- Gamers should be able to access this screen from any screen in the games.
- Again, Think of simplicity for this scenario.
Target User
- Casual gamers, everyone who likes games and plays them on mobile devices.
Judging Criteria
- Capacity to provide a design concept that out of the box.
- Concept Design Originality.
- Cleanliness of your graphics and design.
- Consistency with IBM goals.
Submission & Source Files
Preview Image
Please create your preview image as one (1) 1024x1024px JPG or PNG file in RGB color mode at 72dpi and place a screenshot of your submission within it.
Submission File
Submit JPG/PNG for your submission files.
Source Files
All original source files of the submitted design. Files should be created in Adobe Photoshop and saved as layered PSD file, or Adobe Illustrator as a layered AI file.
Final Fixes
As part of the final fixes phase you may be asked to modify your graphics (sizes or colors) or modify overall colors. We may ask you to update your design or graphics based on checkpoint feedback.
Please read the challenge specification carefully and watch the forums for any questions or feedback concerning this challenge. It is important that you monitor any updates provided by the client or Studio Admins in the forums. Please post any questions you might have for the client in the forums.