The Cannoneer of RagvilleA physics simulation/game

David Low

Lipeng Li

Intended Audience Students in a physics class, (upper high school

or college) or people with an independent interest in the subject matter.

Players will be required to grasp basic concepts concerning projectile motion, air resistance, etc. Moreover, students should have related mathematical knowledge (trigonometry/algebra). Our project does not require students to have any formal background with computers.

Learning Objectives• A thorough comprehension of how multiple forces act

upon objects, and the mathematical equations that govern these forces.

• The ability to alter equations to account for new and changing information and variables. Trajectory can be calculated by mathematical formulas and students can learn about how the equations work (and how trajectory changes) if they manipulate the variables.

• We do not consider it necessary for players to rush. Therefore, speed of gameplay is not a major concern as a learning objective.

Game Design• “The Cannoneer of Ragville” combines a playful narrative

(in the zany style of "Super Mario Bros.") with hard science (Newtonian physics). The simple linear (unidirectional) storyline of the game involves an avatar named Commander Raggs, who must return home by propelling himself along a series of platforms (each equipped with a cannon).

• Each successive platform can be thought of as a "level" because the game becomes increasingly difficult, adding more variables (and offering fewer scaffolds/tutorials) along the way.

• Each stage should take a player no more than a few minutes. There will be a total of 15-20 platforms, so that the game can be completed in one high school class period.

Game Aesthetics

• The game will have a heavily cartoonish look, with bright colors, goofy sound effects, and upbeat music (that won’t be necessary to hear, in the event that the game is being played on multiple computers in one room).

• The idea is to create a light, happy-looking fantasy world that is low stress (which we do not think will harm the player’s performance). The game will largely be two-dimensional, with a player option to look at the screen from a variety of angles in order to gauge the relationship between the current platform and the next platform.  

• “The Cannoneer of Ragville” enables enough exploration (learning through doing) to be considered Constructivist.

• The player’s motivation is both intrinsic and extrinsic, as is the case with many leveled games (even without a traditional scoring system). Players relate to Commander Raggs through affect, aspect, and empathy. This also stimulates arousal.

• There are subordinate and superordinate goals.• Both higher and lower order thinking skills will be used.• When incorrect ‘answers’ are given, the game attempts

to look at what players are doing wrong procedurally. When this occurs, tutorial functions become more pronounced, providing increased scaffolding.

• At the end of the game, it can be assumed that players have attained mastery of the skills that are being stressed. Beating the game implies proficiency, since repetitive trial-and-error will not lead to the game’s completion.

Before gameplay begins, players will see a brief animated cut-scene in which a hideous, 3-eyed monster invades Ragville and physically evicts our hero, Commander Raggs!

In order to get home, Commander Raggs will need to propel himself, via cannon, from platform to platform, accounting for distance, height, mass, velocity, cannon angle, gravity, and eventually wind direction/velocity/resistance. He’ll also have to vanquish the gargantuan beast!

Remember, this is a simulation/game about physics: vectors and the forces that act upon an object in motion. But it’s also about fun and adventure!

Let’s take a sneak peek at what the game will look like.

(Imagine a vibrant soundtrack, up-tempo and light in mood).

Game Mechanics

• The cannon itself can be adjusted in several ways. Either the player drags the cannon up and down to change its angle, or the ‘angle bar’ can be dragged from its termini of 0° to 90°. The same goes for other variables that will need to adjusted.

• When the player is satisfied with the adjustments he or she has made to the cannon, there will be a ‘fire’ button to click on, at which point an animated Commander Raggs will crawl into the cannon and be propelled towards the next platform.

Shall we see that again?

If You “Die”

• In the event that a player miscalculates and sends Commander Raggs to his demise, the player will begin again at the last platform that was a ‘saving point’.

• There will be no elaborate ‘death.’

• Repeated miscalculations will lead to more scaffolds and tutorials.

As the game goes on, gameplay becomes more and more complicated (in terms of added variables) as Commander Raggs propels himself from platform to platform.

Several platforms will allow players to save their progress, but not every platform. This will help to avoid a ‘trial-and-error’ approach.

The ‘camera’ will have pivot capabilities so players can see the screen from different angles.

Let’s see how the game advances and skip forward to the final platform.

(now imagine the music becoming dramatic.)

It’s a hit!

Now, you’ll need to hit his other two eyes! But watch out! He’s angry, and his eyes won’t stay in the same place for very long! And if you miss, he just may throw a cannonball back your way!

Well…for the sake of argument,

why not just assume that you hit all three of them and let’s see what

happens?

Now imagine a stirring animated sequence.

Party time in Ragville!

Non-Gameplay Mode

There will be a ‘sandbox’ feature that allows players to design their own platform courses and change any variable they’d like. For instance, they can set gravity to zero, form tornados, or bring air resistance to its highest. This will be a fun laboratory in which to experiment.

Market Analysis• Educational Games: Not very fun

• “Catapult” is not even really a game. There’s no competitive element; it’s purely a simulation. No goals or challenges.

• Fun Games: Not very educational • “Pocket Tanks,” “Scorched Earth,” and similar games are more

about artillery than trajectory. There’s no understanding of WHY projectiles travel as they do.

• “RagDoll Cannon” is almost entirely centered on trial-and-error to advance through the game.

• “Kitten Cannon” are more about humor and violence than anything related to physics.

Market Analysis Conclusion

In all, there seems to be a plethora of cannon games out there, but very

few of them offer the sort of

deliberate physics education

combined with

fun that “The Cannoneer of Ragville” does.

Final Conclusions

1. Good games confront players in the initial levels with problems that are specifically designed to allow players to form good generalizations about what will work well later when they face more complex problems. Often, the initial levels of a game are in actuality hidden tutorials. Work in cognitive science has shown that people need to be presented with problems in a fruitful order, getting initial problems that set up good generalizations for later problems (Gee, 2003).

2. Motivation is the most important factor that drives learning. When motivation dies or is nonexistent, learning follows suit (and when this concept is applied to games, playing also stops).

The more a player can manipulate a game character and make decisions that impact that character, the more the player invests in the character and the game at a deeper level. This investment appears to be the deepest foundation of a player’s motivation in sticking with and eventually mastering a game (Gee, 2003).

3. “The Cannoneer of Ragville” follows a basic narrative.

But game designers don't simply tell stories, they design worlds and sculpt spaces. “TCoR” may therefore give a much more immersive and compelling representation of its narrative world than another media form.

Well, that’s all, folks.

Adieu from Ragville!

And to think, it all began with trying to shoot a thieving

opossum…