The player interacts with the pet by noting its changing states, and attending to its needs.
For example, if the pet is HUNGRY, the player first has to note that it is hungry, and then FEED it.
The pet’s default state is HAPPY. This state can change through time or player action. Each state is reflected through a corresponding pet animation.
States changed by time often reflect a need the player should fulfill. These states,
HUNGER and BOREDOM, are reflected in the status bars shown in the status panel.
For now…
After X period of time not FEEDING your pet, the pet becomes HUNGRY.
After X period of time not PLAYING with your pet, the pet becomes BORED.
States changed by player action are negative/positive/neutral consequences to those actions. While TIREDNESS is reflected in a status bar, NAUSEA is not.
For now…
After playing X many chain match games over X amount of time, the pet becomes TIRED.
After giving your pet a BAD COMBO, the pet becomes NAUSEOUS.
After giving your pet a GOOD COMBO, the pet becomes HEALTHY.
TENTATIVE: Not a normal NEED, but at certain times, your pet will require MEDICATION to prevent it from becoming (for now) NAUSEOUS or TIRED (decide). This time is based on user-input and ideally mimics when they need medication. (In initial testing, would be set at an example time!) [Perhaps in future concepts, the side effects, dosage of medication, and types of medication can be customized as well?]
DESIGN ANSWER: Since the TIRED state is used to indicate that the player has played too many matching games, the NAUSEOUS state should indicate the need for medication. Since people living with diabetes sometimes have to take medicine 4 to 5 times per day, sinching the time the player takes medication and the time when the player personally feeds the pet would require people to open the app 4 to 5 times per day, which is way too much, to the point where it would annoy them. Instead, I propose a pet medication feeder, which the player has to fill up with medication at any time, and the pet consumes the medication from the feeder at the same time as the real player needs to take medication. The pet would also send out a notification that the pet has taken their medication, prompting the player to take theirs as well without the hassle of opening the app. The pet would know the player’s medication times by the player indicating them in the game when they first open the app, and with an option to change the medication times at any time in the settings.
After a need is identified, the player must take action to fix that need. These needs require player action and can be FEEDING your pet medication or food, PLAYING with your pet through the chain match game, or letting your pet REST.
If your pet is HUNGRY or requires MEDICATION, you must feed it food or meds respectively.
First, the player must access their **inventory** through the inventory button on the virtual pet page. Depending on what item they require, they must touch the item, pull it within range of the pet, and release it.
The pet then interacts with the item depending on its item type (food, medication, ect…).
This will deplete ONE of the item in the inventory. Ideally, a player must feed FIVE (for now) of an item to heal a state completely.
In feeding, there are bad combinations and good combinations.
Good combinations meet the requirement of a need and heal a pet of certain states. This is fairly straightforward; good combinations occur when the pet is given the right quantity of the same item. However, bad combinations occur when the pet is given too much of an item or two items are not compatible.