This is the level setup I’m going with, at least for the duration of the exam, which is next Monday. It borrows from/is a natural result of some of my previous concepts, namely the large chasms and the floaty islands, as well as the very first ‘Void’ prototype. The level will open in a similar manner as the first prototype, introducing the characters to one another in a largely featureless void, leaving them with each other to interact without any mechanical distractions. There will be one or two simple objects in this scene, like the fake tree, but even more basic – a cube, or a sphere, or maybe even a cylinder if we’re feeling exotic. This gives them something to engage with after the initial interaction may have ceased, although nothing prevents them from perpetuating the first.

Slowly, however, they will begin to realize that the level is shifting, ever so slightly, and their world is falling apart. Here, their mode of interaction will, presumably, shift from initially interpersonal, through willfully environmental, to forcefully environmental – they are not only engaging with the environment, the environment is engaging with them, forcing them to react in order to survive – a videogame imperative, not a theatrical one. Soon, their living space will probably be too small to share. Now the relationship established in Phase 1 is put to the test, and phase 1 ensures that there is something to test.

Finally, only a tiny sliver of land will remain. If the players reacted well and cooperated, using their respective masses and sizes, they may find themselves on top of this thing. Possibly not. The game ends when they both survive, or when they both die. What does this mean? This is wholly dependent on how the players shaped the content through their performance.

Next step, building the level. And making some sort of decision on the music or lack thereof. Character controllers are finished or have at least reached minimum acceptable status. Quod erat demonstrandum: