User:Kyeoppai/sandbox
| Kyeoppai/sandbox | |
|---|---|
| File:Opticale.png | |
| Genre(s) | Exploration |
Opticale is an exploration mobile video game developed by Furinkazan. Based on augmented reality and geolocation, the player's goal is to explore the Astral World, a fictional parallel universe to Earth and to discover creatures that live there. The game was released in Softlaunch on iOS and Android in France, Switzerland, Belgium et Luxembourg in December 2017[1]. The launch of the final version as well as the international launch is to be expected in 2019.
Plot
[edit]In the beginning of the game, the following question is brought up :
" How can we explain that we've witnessed traces of similar extraordinary creatures throughout time and history in different mythologies ?"
Opticale wishes to answer this question ; the reason for these similarities lays on the Astral World. Universe laying in a parallel dimensional world to Earth, the Astral World filled with creatures is the reason for these similarities. The similar depiction of these creatures, overulling space and geographical separations comes from the rare contacts between Earth and the Astral World. They've been colliding for as long as they existed : moving at a different rythme, the same natives creatures of the definite areas of the Astral World can be seen here and there from Earth.
Years of experimentation have allowed to develop a technology capable of travel through the border separating both worlds. Those years of research are gathered in a device that can be slid in a pocket : the Opticale. Thanks to it, the player becomes an Explorer capable of discovering the creatures that are part of these unknown lands.
Game synopsis
[edit]As an explorer, the player's goal is to discover different areas and creatures of the Astral World and to progress in the Explorer's hierarchy using its Opticale's abilities. Opticale has the specificity to give the hero's role to the players without using a pixelated avatar.
Opticale
[edit]The Opticale is a device allowing to cross the border between the Physical World and the Astral World. Thanks to it, anyone can identify the territories and creatures of the Astral World. This detection device takes place on the player's smartphone.
The Astral World
[edit]The universe would be divided in two : the Physical World, characterized by the Planet Earth, and the Astral World. It holds within it different environnement separated in areas filled with all shapes and kinds of creatures.
Areas
[edit]Just like the Physical Word, the Astral World got separate and various areas where a large scale of distinctive environnement are showcased. It is separated in 11 known areas, of which two are secrets, each giving shelter to its own creatures :
- the Sapphire Shores
- the Abysmal
- the Heavenly Waterfalls
- the Impenetrable
- the Opal Dunes
- the Hazy Cliffs
- the Spotted Mangroves
- the Icy Lands
- the Furnaces
- Vanahem (secret area)
- The Secret Temple (secret area)
Other undiscovered areas can be seen on the Astral World's map. New areas are likely to be added progressively as seen with the Spotted Mangroves.
Creatures
[edit]Each having dissimilar rarities, the creatures are ranked depending on three specifics criteria : their morphology, environnement and their genetics characteristics.[2]. The different territories give shelter to all shapes and kinds of creatures : they're currently gathered in 6 different big orders. They live on earth, sea or in the air and are for the most part still unknown. The Astral World currently has 84 known creatures. The explorer can then track the traces of these creatures in mythology, tales and legends of the world through the features that are described.
Semi-Astral Creatures
[edit]Some Astral World's creatures are attached to a specific area of our world and can only be detected there. They're drawn to the powerful aura that fills these places and the player will have to physically get there to detect them. [3].
These Semi-Astral Creatures are scannable in several places such as Venise, Loch Ness, the Noct in Paris[4] as well as the Grifftilon in Lac Léman[5].
Creatures Order
[edit]The Creatures of the Astral World are differentiated by their Order. There are 6 of them :
- Metamammals
- Aeral
- Reptiloid
- Dragonite
- Phydrosope
- Soctorian
Creature's rarity
[edit]There are 7 creature's rarity categories : E, D, C, B, A, S and SS. The creatures of lower ranks such as E or D, are common and basic and it's quite easy to find them. The creatures of higher ranks such as A, S or SS, are very rare, almost legendaries. To be able to detect these creatures of different rarity, it's necessary to unlock the Order Artificiums related to the level of rarity of each creatures.
Game's aesthetic
[edit]Opticale showcases a broad spectrum of creatures each realistically imagined to fit the different area's environment in which they evolve. The living beings have been thought so that they would fit the unique characteristics of each areas. Opticale uses widely known codes in the characterization of its creatures. For exemple, the Noct in Paris borrows its appearance to gargoyle that filled Notre Dame[2], an other way to portray the universe's root taking place in human mythologies. The game's illustration are as international as the player's experience can be : amongst the artist's nationalities there's Switzerland, France, Germany, Portugal, Finland, Ireland, Philippins and China.[3].
Gameplay
[edit]In Opticale the player is invited to discover the creatures of the Astral World through their smartphone : apart from the Semi-Astral Creatures, they are accessible from all over the world.[6]. The user uses first their smartphone to detect the creatures. After selecting on the map the creature they want to scan, it appears in augmented reality portrayed as an « astral red body », that needs to be followed with its Opticale. Once locked, a button should be activated and then the player has to find on which rythme they have to click in order to make the point go further on the green area good. If the player ends up on bad or overkill, it's a fail and the creature gets away. In the end, if the catch is successful, then the user discovers the creature they analyzed ; three scans are needed in order to gather all informations linked to a creature.[7].
The player can also add friends through their Explorer's ID in order to exchange creatures informations via bluetooth.
If he desires to, the user can buy Artificiums with ingame Explorer Points XP allowing them an easier evolution in to go further faster.
Explorer
[edit]As soon as the player logs in they're caller Explorer. There are 8 explorer ranks : in the right order, Neophyte, Apprentice, Confirmed, Emeritus, Expert, Elite, Master et Legendary.
Explorer grade
[edit]At the beginning, choosing a class gives the player access to definite abilities through Class Artificium. The user chooses a class allowing him to get particular abilities. There are 4 roles : Hunter, Scientist, Traveller et Watcher[4].
Artificium
[edit]The Artificiums are a way to make the player's ascent easier. There are three types : the class Artificiums, enhancement and order. Except for class Artificiums, the user can obtain these through explorer's points, game's XP.
Class Artificium
[edit]The Class Artificium are obtained through the player's class selection, at the beginning of the game. Each classes got their own Artificium and there's one for each classes. There is a way to obtain other classes class Artificiums through microtransactions, it's a freemium function.
Traveller class Artificium
[edit]The players are notified when they're entering a secret area thanks to their class Artificium. The Travellers receive a notification that raises their awareness on the fact that they're currently in a rare and mythical area.[8].
Hunter class Artificium
[edit]The Hunter class Artificium gives access to a "stun" option, sending an electromagnetic load and stuns the creatures a few seconds in scanning mode. The Hunters will find it easier to lock creatures when they're trying to detect one.[8].
Scientist class Artificium
[edit]The Scientist class Artificium energy bar gets spent slower. Thanks to that they have the opportunity to do an additional check-in before the bar empties itself.[8].
Watcher class Artificium
[edit]The Watchers own an Artificium allowing them to determine to which order a creature belongs. They have more informations on the creatures they're tracking and are able to choose which ones to detect.[8].
Artificium de perfectionnement
[edit]They allow an easier detection of the creatures; from stabilisation, rapidity ou even de la strategy, these Artificiums are a way to make the information's capture more achievable.
Artificium d'ordre
[edit]These Artificiums gives the opportunity to detect rarer creatures part of specific orders. They're necessary it the user wants to complete all the game's information.
Development
[edit]Conception
[edit]Opticale's idea is born in 2009[9], the project is then launched in 2014[10]. The Beta version is released first in September 2016 in Switzerland on iOS[5] and then on Android in 2017. An English version is to be expected for the international launch in 2019
French Softlaunch (Softlaunch)
[edit]The Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin, accompanied by Nuria Gorrite, officially launched Opticale in Switzerland during the Comptoir Suisse on the 22nd September 2017. On this occasion, creature's illustrations were hidden on the 40’000 m² of the fair[1] : each people joining the chase had the opportunity once all the creatures found to be chosen at random to win gifts/drawing a lot[11].
Opticale is available for free on Android and iOS. Although it is achievable to access all game functionalities without paying, except for the Class Artificum, the player can make microtransaction to make the progression easier.
Awards & reception
[edit]Opticale receives a lot of media coverage due to the similarities it share with Pokemon Go and with its immersive story that's offered to the player through especially illustrations.
In 2014, the game Opticale is part of ICC(International Create Challenge)'s official selection[12] then, in january 2017, at the Ludicious Zürich Game Festival as a Ludicious Business Accelerator Participant. It get's selected in 2018 along with 9 others projects to the GDC Pitch in San Francisco[13][14][15]. The same year, it is also part of the Pitch selection at Austin's DreamHack in Texas[16], wins Best Industry Artistic Talent[17] and gets graded 12 as part of a Jeuxvideo.com reviewJeuxvideo.com[18]. A year later, in 2019, Opticale is selected as an Indie Award finalist at the Reboot Develop in Dubrovnik.
Notes et références
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Guy Parmelin à l'honneur du lancement officiel du jeu vidéo suisse Opticale". blogs.letemps.ch (in French). 27 September 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Opticale : du jeu, du fantastique, de la réalité augmentée !". 360natives.com (in French). 7 April 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Opticale: entretien avec Soufian Mahlouly". rts.ch (in French). 17 September 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ^ a b "VIDEO. Lassé de Pokémon Go? Voici Opticale, le nouveau jeu en réalité augmentée". 20minutes.fr (in French). 12 March 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Le Romand qui concurrence Pokémon Go". bilan.ch (in French). 2 August 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ "Opticale: go!". rts.ch (in French). 17 September 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ "Pokémon Go vous a lassé ? Laissez-vous tenter par Opticale". numerama.com (in French). 12 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
:5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Des créatures mythologiques localisées sur smartphone". lacote.ch (in French). 28 July 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ Lola Le Testu (29 July 2016). "Opticale, le concurrent suisse de Pokemon Go". Rubrique économie (in French).
- ^ "Le jeu opticale est disponible en version sur toute la suisse". alpict.com (in French). 6 October 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ "Opticale, participant of the ICC'2014, among the finalists of the Dreamhack". createchallenge.org (in Anglais). Retrieved 5 June 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "See these 10 devs compete to make the best game pitch at GDC 2018". gamasutra.com (in anglais). 19 March 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "De retour à San Francisco pour couvrir la Game Developers Conference". blogs.letemps.ch (in French). 17 March 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ "Un éditeur suisse romand en quête du Graal au Texas". 20min.ch (in French). 24 May 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ^ "Un éditeur suisse romand en quête du Graal au Texas". 20min.ch (in French). 24 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ "OPTICALE: Création en direct et conférence". numerik-games.ch (in French). 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ "Opticale : Un concept plaisant, mais répétitif et limité iOS Android". jeuxvideo.com (in French). 17 April 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
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