Shadows are corrupting the land. Restore the balance of nature using number operations and place value. Gate guides students in lowering intimidation about large numbers and decimals.
In this game, use the arrow keys or shortcut letter keys to build numbers that match the numbers above the approaching shadow monsters. Press the space bar to launch a firework and banish the approaching monsters.
My Role
Because the original Flash versions of the Math Snacks games were becoming unusable in most browsers, we decided to begin rebuilding the games using more modern technologies. This was to be made in Unity using C# and published for browsers using WebGL. Furthermore, times had changed and it was becoming expected for educational games, and games in general, to be more accessible. Gate was particularly problematic because the timed elements made it difficult to play for kids with mobility issues.
Although I hadn’t worked on the original Gate, I was in charge of building the remake as well as designing and implementing some accessibility features. I added a whole new control scheme that uses arrow keys, a slider that changes the speed of the incoming monsters, and a new level select screen with added information about each level, as well as a new scoring system.
What I Learned
Development of this game remake went relatively smoothly. I had already made the re-build of Monster School Bus before this, so the process of replicating another game in a new language and game engine was no longer new to me.
The biggest hurdle with the game was attempting to maintain the challenge while implementing a feature that essentially removed most of the difficulty. Specifically, granting players the ability to slow down time. Survival used to be the main metric for success, but now it was difficult to be defeated. Because of this, I revamped the scoring system to award players for defeating all monsters, and added additional bonus monsters that drop in from the top. These new “bonus” monsters do not make players lose health, so defeating them is optional (but necessary to achieve a “3 star” ranking).
The result of these changes was that the focus became less about twitch reflexes and more about the actual number-building, while no longer alienating players with mobility issues. I’d call that an improvement!
This project was a great lesson in revamping game mechanics, adding accessibility features, and replicating aspects of a pre-existing game in a new game engine and programming language.
Credits: Lead Programmer (Unity version)