From Kalisz to Camerun - chatbot-based game
case studies
published
Education chat-based game about Stefan Szolc-Rogozinski - a historical traveler from Kalisz in Poland. Game created for the Public Library in Kalisz.
Sparing Digital
UX, UI, creative concept
Awards
Awwwards Mobile Excellence, Awwwards Honorable Mention, Mobile Trends Nomination
Client
Miejska Biblioteka Publiczna w Kaliszu
Panowie Pro
frontend, backend, PM, QA
Work stages
04
To the team working on the game, we invited librarians who are very familiar with the fate of Stefan Szlec-Rogoziński and were able to provide us with many interesting documents preserved in the Kalisz collections. We were also assisted by the Sparing Digital team, which is oriented towards the creation of digital products.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we carried out the project fully remotely - during the workshop we mainly used Google Meets and Miro, where we sorted out the storyline and ideas for features on a shared canvas.
Based on the client's subject matter expertise, we prepared an elaborate script scheme. Bearing in mind the average engagement time that the audience is able to devote to a web game, we limited the story to the most important and interesting threads, interspersing it with tasks that require the player to focus and a bit of dexterity. We divided the whole scenario into four chapters symbolising the four cities where Stefan Szolc-Rogoziński's journey was groundbreaking.
Parallel to work on the script and scope, the Sparing Digital team developed moodboards and proposed creative concepts. The client's team, on the other hand, was responsible for preparing source material and podcast recordings, which, when played in the game, acted as a source of knowledge and valuable tips for the players.
UI and animations
05
The concept is based on the aesthetics of paper, which is a reference to library book collections and historical source materials (diaries, maps). It is also a bridge between the real world (the paper pages of the book) and the virtual world (the online game).
All the characters appearing in the game and elements of the scenography were designed by the illustrator and then went through a post-production stage to make their texture as close to paper as possible.
Together with the Sparing Digital team, we decided to base the journey on the main character's horizontal movement mechanism, using a smooth scroller. We created and adapted a proprietary character movement solution to ensure smooth movement on all supported browsers.
All the movements of the game elements, e.g. plants, flames in the oil lamp, characters encountered, were designed by an illustrator and then pre-designed and prepared as sprites, which we implemented in the game.
Chatbot
06
The player takes on the role of Stefan Szlec-Rogozinski, who, as he moves between cities, encounters various characters from the period. He communicates with them via a chatbot. In this way, he has a direct influence on how the plot of the journey will unfold. Depending on which of the chatbot's suggested texts he chooses, he receives a different response, which can make his adventures easier or more complicated. Developing the dialogues was one of the major creative challenges - we knew that how we ran the narrative would have a huge impact on the length of the teenage viewer's interaction with the game. The chatbot made the historical context light and engaging.
Mobile First
07
For a better experience for users using mobile devices, we created a PWA version that makes it possible, among other things, to play the game in full-screen mode on phone screens.
The game was created in Vue JS using the latest version of the Phaser engine.