Twaze

(Working
Title)
Planning Document
Jeremiah Warm
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Contents
Concept ........................................................................................................................................... 2
Content ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Screens ........................................................................................................................................ 2
Levels .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Game Flow ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Beginning .................................................................................................................................... 8
Goal ............................................................................................................................................. 8
Challenge .................................................................................................................................... 8
Ending ......................................................................................................................................... 8
Reward ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Failure ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Systems and Mechanics .................................................................................................................. 9
Tiles............................................................................................................................................. 9
Movement ................................................................................................................................. 10
Other Systems ........................................................................................................................... 10
Technology ................................................................................................................................... 11
Platforms ................................................................................................................................... 11
Art ................................................................................................................................................. 11



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Concept
Twist is a disorienting, abstract, tile-based puzzle game for mobile and web. It builds off of
the core characteristics of a maze and adds a twist. Each time the player moves in Twist almost every
tile in the game rotates in some way. This creates a maze that changes every move and forces the
player to look ahead in order to find their way to the finish.
Content
Screens
Twist contains a title menu, a level selection screen, a game screen, a pause menu, a win
screen, an options menu, and a credits screen. While all of these different screens have unique
purposes they are all unified by a global frame.
Global Frame: The global frame is a set of two textures that frame various elements and are
present on every screen. This set consists of a top and a bottom frame. The top frame has a
location to display a title and moves up and down to make room for buttons above the title.
The bottom frame moves on and off of the visible screen depending on the menu the player
is in. Because the bottom frame contains no UI elements this set up allows for easy scaling
since it can be cut off with no detriment to user experience.
Title Menu: The title menu is the first menu displayed on start-up and contains the title of the
game, Twist, and buttons for level selection, options, and credits. The title area in the Global
Frame displays Welcome To in this menu.
Level Selection: The level selection screen contains a grid of buttons for the levels in each world
and a back button. The title area in the Global Frame displays the world name. Worlds can
be switched by swiping left or right. The back button returns the player to the Title Menu.
Game Screen: The game screen is the screen where Twist is played. It contains a pause, reset, and an
undo button above the top frame, the current level number, as well as a 7 x 7 grid of tiles
and a circle representing the players position. The title area in the Global Frame displays
Moves: followed by the number of moves the player has made in this level. The undo
button reverse the players and game boards position by one move. The reset button resets
the level and the moves the player has made. The pause button opens the Pause Menu.
Pause Menu: The pause menu opens over part of the game screen and contains buttons to return
to the Level Selection screen, go to the options screen, and restart or resume the level. It
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displays the least number of moves required to solve the level, and the players current
record for that level. The title area in the Global Frame continues to display the players
moves while this menu is shown.
Win Screen: The win screen is displayed when the player completes a level. It contains buttons to
start the next level, return to the level selection, and restart the current level. It displays the
number of moves it took the player to beat the level and the minimum number of moves
needed to beat the level. The title area in the Global Frame displays Congratulations in
this screen.
Options Menu: The options menu allows the player to change the volume of or mute the music
and sound effects and to reset the game. The menu contains sliders and check boxes for the
sounds options and a button to reset the game as well as a back button. The back buttons
returns the player to the screen that they navigated to the Options Menu from.
Credits Screen: The credits screen displays the names, roles, and twitter handles of all contributors,
the language, framework, and any APIs the game was made with, and a link to the games
page on my website. The screen also informs the player of the other platforms the game is
available on. It also contains a back button which will return the player to the title screen.
Levels
In Twist there are a total of 100 levels divided into four worlds. Each world teaches
several new mechanics over its 25 level series.
World One (The Basics): The first world teaches the basics needed to beat the other 75 levels in
the game. It focuses on basic movement, multiple paths, and reverses (not to be confused
with the undo button).
Levels:
1. Basic movement
a. U,u,u,u
b. 4
2. Turns
a. L,l,d,d,d,d
b. 6
3. Movement challenge 1
a. R,d,r,d,r,d
b. 6
4. Movement challenge 2
a. D,r,u,r,u,r,d,r
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b. 8
5. Show stuck scenario
a. D,d,d,l,l
b. 5
6. Stuck challenge 1
a. R,d,r,u,u,u
b. 6
7. Stuck challenge 2
a. R,u,r,r,r,d
b. 6
8. Stuck challenge 3
a. R,u,u,u,l,u
b. 6
9. Introduce three options
a. L,l,d,d,d,r,r,d
b. 8
10. Stuck challenge 4
a. U,u,r,r,u,l,u
b. 7
11. Stuck challenge 5
a. R,r,r,d,d,r
b. 6
12. Stuck challenge 6
a. D,r,d,d,l,d,r,r,u,r
b. 10
13. Stuck challenge 7
a. R,d,r,d,l,l,d,d
b. 8
14. Stuck challenge 8
a. R,u,u,l,l,d,l,l,u,u,u
b. 11
15. Stuck challenge 9
a. U,r,u,u,l,u,l,l,d,d,r,r
b. 12
16. Demonstrate reverse
a. R,r,r,l,u,u
b. 6
17. Reverse challenge 1
a. R,r,l,u,u,r,r
b. 7
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18. Reverse challenge 2
a. R,r,l,u,r,r,l,u
b. 8
19. Reverse challenge 3
a. R,l,d,d,u,l,d,d,r,d
b. 10
20. All challenge 1
a. L,l,r,u,l,l,l,d
b. 8
21. All challenge 2
a. D,r,r,l,d,l,d,d,r,r,r,u,u,d,r,u,r
b. 17
22. All challenge 3
a. R,l,d,d,r,r,r,l,d,r,d
b. 11
23. All challenge 4
a. D,d,r,r,l,d,r,r,u,l,l,r,d,l,d,d,l,d
b. 18
24. All challenge 5
a. R,d,d,l,l,r,d,r,r,r,r,r,l,d,d,l,l,l
b. 18
25. All challenge 6
a. U,r,u,u,r,r,l,u,u,u,d,l,l,l,d,l,d,d,d,d,u,r,u,r,u
b. 25
World Two (Player Movement): The second world focuses on challenging the players ability
to find a path from tile to tile. It introduces the fixed and push tiles which affect the
players ability to move through the maze.
Levels:
1. Demonstrate fixed tile
2. Fixed challenge 1
3. Fixed challenge 2
4. Fixed challenge 3
5. Fixed challenge 4
6. Demonstrate fixed + reverse
7. Fixed + reverse challenge 1
8. Fixed + reverse challenge 2
9. Fixed + reverse challenge 3
10. Demonstrate push tile
11. Push challenge 1
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12. Push challenge 2
13. Push challenge 3
14. Push challenge 4
15. Demonstrate multiple push tiles in a row
16. Multiple push challenge 1
17. Demonstrate push + reverse
18. Push + reverse challenge 1
19. Push + reverse challenge 2
20. Demonstrate fixed + push
21. Fixed + push challenge 1
22. Fixed + push challenge 2
23. Demonstrate fixed, push, reverse
24. Fixed, push, reverse challenge 1
25. Fixed, push, reverse challenge 2
World Three (Tile Movement): The third world focuses on challenging the players ability to
see what path they must take through the maze. It introduces the static and switch tiles
which affect how the maze rotates.
Levels:
1. Demonstrate static tile
2. Static challenge 1
3. Static challenge 2
4. Static challenge 3
5. Static challenge 4
6. Demonstrate static + reverse
7. Static + reverse challenge 1
8. Static + reverse challenge 2
9. Static + reverse challenge 3
10. Demonstrate 180 tile
11. 180 challenge 1
12. 180 challenge 2
13. 180 challenge 3
14. 180 challenge 4 (all 180 tiles)
15. 180 challenge 5
16. Demonstrate 180 + reverse
17. 180 + reverse challenge 1
18. 180 + reverse challenge 2
19. 180 + reverse challenge 3
20. Demonstrate static + 180
21. Static + 180 challenge 1
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22. Static + 180 challenge 2
23. Demonstrate Static, 180, reverse
24. Static, 180, reverse challenge 1
25. Static, 180, reverse challenge 2
World Four (Reversed): The fourth world focuses on challenging the players expectation of
how the board should move. It introduces the teleport and goofy tiles which radically
change how the player moves through the maze.
Levels:
1. Display goofy tile
2. Goofy challenge 1
3. Goofy challenge 2
4. Goofy challenge 2
5. Goofy challenge 4
6. Goofy challenge 5
7. Goofy challenge 6
8. Demonstrate goofy + reverse
9. Goofy + reverse challenge 1
10. Goofy + reverse challenge 2
11. Goofy + reverse challenge 3
12. Goofy + reverse challenge 4
13. Demonstrate teleport
14. Teleport challenge 1
15. Teleport challenge 2
16. Teleport challenge 3
17. Demonstrate Teleport + reverse
18. Teleport + reverse challenge 1
19. Teleport + reverse challenge 2
20. Demonstrate goofy + teleport
21. Goofy + teleport challenge 1
22. Goofy + teleport challenge 2
23. Demonstrate goofy, teleport, reverse
24. Goofy, teleport, reverse challenge 1
25. Goofy, teleport, reverse challenge 2
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Game Flow
Beginning
The player begins each level on one of the tiles in the grid. This can be in any position on
the grid and can have any starting rotation but will always be a standard tile. The player starts
with zero moves and has the option to attempt a move toward any surrounding tiles.
Goal
The goal of Twist is to get the red, player controlled circle to the larger white circle in the
grid of tiles which remains stationary throughout the level. The white circles location can
however, be anywhere on the grid and changed depending on the level.
Challenge
Getting to the red circle to the white circle is difficult mainly because it requires the
player to look several moves ahead. They must do this to avoid routes that will cause them to
become stuck. Looking ahead like this is difficult because the tiles rotate every move. Therefore
if the player wants to see more than one move ahead they must rotate the tiles in their head. This
difficulty can be controlled by adding more options and making certain paths fail after an
increased number of moves.
Ending
Each level ends when the player has successfully moved the red circle to the white circle.
Reward
The player is rewarded visually as they navigate the menus through the global frame
moving and various UI elements entering and exiting the screen. They are rewarded during
gameplay by seeing their progress toward the goal and visually through the rotation of the board.
When the player gets stuck they continue to be rewarded through the board animations if they
undo their move or reset the level. If the player beats the level they are rewarded with a win
screen, the sense of accomplishment that they gain after beating the level, and by unlocking the
next level.
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Failure
There are two different types of failure in Twist, getting stuck and getting more moves
than the minimum on a level. Neither is an absolute failure but getting stuck is the more
stereotypical of the two. When the player gets into a situation where they have no more available
moves they have gotten stuck. When this situation arises they have two options, reset the level,
or undo their last move. If they reset the level their moves return to zero and they lose all
progress in the level. If they chose to undo their move then their score does not decrease when
they move backward retaining the point they earned for going the wrong way and penalizing
them for getting stuck. The game will never end the level or force the player into one of these
two options, recognition of the situation and choice of what to do about it is the players
responsibility.
Systems and Mechanics
Tiles
There are six different types of tiles in Twist. Each tile is unique in either its rotation or
the way it affects player movement.
Standard: The standard tile allows the player to enter it from a single side and exit it through all
four sides. It rotates 90 degrees clockwise each move.
End: The end tile is the tile the player must get to in order to beat the maze. It allows the player
to enter it from a single side and rotates 90 degrees clockwise each move. When the
player enters this tile the level is over and they are unable to exit it.
Fixed: The fixed tile allows the player to enter it from a single side and exit through two
predetermined sides. These can be any of the four standard sides including the side the
player entered from. It rotates 90 degrees clockwise each move.
Push: The push tile allows the player to enter it from a single side and pushes the player through
it out a predetermined side before the board rotates. After pushing the player through this
tile rotates 90 degrees clockwise.
Static: The static tile allows the player to enter it from a single side and exit through all four
sides but does not rotate.
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Switch: The switch tile allows the player to enter it from a single side and exit through all four
sides. It rotates 180 degrees clockwise each move.
Goofy: The goofy tile allows the player to enter it from a single side and exit it through all four
sides. It rotates 90 degrees counter-clockwise each move, opposite of the standard tile.
Movement
Player Movement: The player can move in four possible directions: up, down, left, and right. The
player can only move in any given direction if the tile they are on allows them to move in
that direction and the tile they would be moving to allows them to enter it from that
direction.
Undo: The undo button allows the player to reverse their moves one by one. Moves are reversed in
the opposite order that they were played in. This button can bring the player all the way back
to where they started.
Score: The players score is equal to the number of movements they make. This includes
movements in all four directions and any movements which were undone by the undo
buttons but does not include any changes in position caused by the level and not the player.
The players score is displayed as Moves in the title area of the Global Frame during the
game screen.
Controls: The player can move through the level by swiping in the direction they wish to move. The
player can swipe anywhere on the level and the bottom frame to move. In the web version
of the game swipe controls remain intact but the player can also use the arrow keys to move
or WASD with W being up, A being left, S being down, and D being right.
Other Systems
Tutorial: The tutorial for Twist is integrated into the first level consists of a single prompt. The
prompt indicates that the player should swipe up demonstrating how to move in the game.
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Technology
Platforms
Twist is being created for mobile, touch-screen devices. It will be released for iOS and
Android and will work on most devices running these operating systems. The key to this release is
the Starling framework that Twist is being built with. This framework allows me to develop once and
deploy to both platforms as well as PC.
Art
Theme
The artistic vision for Twist is based around minimalistic and simplistic themes. The goal is
to have a very clean interface and style which is simple and neutral punctuated by color.
Color
Color