Behind the Scenes: Episode 7
It’s time to use your imagination… as well as a keen ear… welcome to Episode 7!
We’re past the halfway point of the series - JJ has had his fair share of bumps - and Episode 6 left him in an incredibly uncertain predicament. Fearing for his life, we are left biting our nails and wondering if he’s okay (I’m not kidding, lots of your reviews literally say, “I hope JJ’s ok!” including the review below.)
And fortunately JJ is okay.
As game makers, we tried to imagine what it would be like to be stuck underground… where would light come from? How would you communicate? What would your objective be? Etc.
While we’ve never been stuck underground, we have done some amateur spelunking in New Zealand, and I (Eric) have even slept in a hand-dug snow cave. So being underground is somewhat familiar.
But truthfully, this took a lot of imagining to create.
How did we do it?
MAKE IT REAL
As most episodes do, this one started with a sketch.
This sketch that was inspired by a DnD map, and one that I would completely abandon in future designs for this episode. But it looks so cool! Why abandon it?!
The original plan was that you would navigate JJ anywhere you wanted and he would give you feedback based on where you sent him. But without some extensive AI and programming, we found this too challenging through our traditional text messaging platform.
First drafts are fun to look back on though! Plus, who knows what unused ideas might inspire future creativity!
So the plan evolved as our team brainstormed together.
We wanted the JJ interactivity without the video (for realism) so we relied upon a fictional device called the TerraTalker. This would send audio files back to the player based on inputs that you entered in. By creating a fictional device, we’re able to dictate the types of interactions, namely the 5-digit room entry.
We thought that we needed a good reason to suddenly have access to mysterious files pertaining to an underground lair… hence the briefcase that the Hunter had left behind at the gravesite. These documents turn out to be crucial assets in helping us help JJ navigate the underground lair.
And just so you know, this is a very challenging part of making Escape Mail for you. How do we send you documents each month, explaining where they come from in a way that is both authentic and comprehensive? In other words, when you open the envelope, you are left thinking, “Oh ya, it makes sense why I would have everything I need to solve this mystery, and why I didn’t have it previously, and why its being sent to me.”
Might not seem tricky but it is!
STORYLINE
The storyline in Episode 7 is really about getting the main “plot” back on track. Of course some major things have gone awry:
The Joro key which was supposed to be collected in Episode 6 was intercepted by the Hunters
The Joro key now resides in an unknown location which must be discovered if we wish to get it back
JJ first needs to get himself out of the pickle he has found himself in if he wants to escape with his life
Svetlana helps out by sending us files from the briefcase, and it’s up to us to free JJ from the underground lair.
As JJ navigates underground, we learn a few interesting tidbits about the Hunters from JJ’s observations. It’s clear they are a fairly significant - albeit quirky - organization with multiple treasure hunting missions on the go. (ie. Chest of Forgotten Jewels?!? Who forgets about something like that?!)
Will any of them appear in future episodes or seasons? Time will tell :)
PUZZLE COMPONENTS
So, what do you get in Episode 7?
Part of me has always fancied myself (in another life of course) being some kind of architect. Hence, when the opportunity arises to fake a blueprint, I’m thrilled!
The blueprints form the basis for the bulk of the puzzle solving. Putting them on various sheets is not only good for puzzling (you have to assemble them) but also makes everyone feel involved with something to hold. We’re very aware that our games are often group activities - which we love - so we always want multiple items/pages/pieces for many hands to interact with.
Everyone really enjoyed this one. The complexity of the TerraTalker was super fun, the use of audio was clever and the schematics were interesting to follow. All 4 of us felt involved. Hope JJ's okay! - Peggy, Hugh, Ray, and Heather
In addition to the blueprints, you have the mission cards, which help flesh out who the elusive Hunters might be. These serve to enhance the world building aspect of the Season. Their only drawback is that they don’t really resemble anything in the real world. Which is why I love the TerraTalker manual. It’s designed to look and feel like something that could have come out of box/product packaging. Of course there’s some puzzling oddities associated with it, but that’s to be expected ;)
And lastly, and perhaps most exciting for us as game makers, is the resistor. We’re always dreaming of ways to send you - the player - cool items in the mail: different materials, textures, and functions. So to send you a functional piece of electronics in way that fits with the storyline feels like a win… and all of that in a package under 30 grams.
Mission accomplished.
REFLECTIONS
We made one pretty significant mistake in this episode, which some of you mentioned in the reviews as a negative in your experience: somehow, in our final print run, one of the layers in our Adobe file was turned on by accident, rendering the complete room code visible. That takes away a ton of the puzzling which we realize is a huge bummer.
We discovered this pretty quickly (thanks to your reviews!) and have issued a reprint.
This is part of the maker’s journey, and while we try our absolute hardest not to make mistakes, they do inevitably happen.
We’re thankful that you stick with us, and that you both demand a high standard and are gracious in the process. (Maybe its the sleepless night with little munchkins that makes the brain fuzzy, who knows?!)
Thank you for being awesome!
PS. It was between episodes 6 and 7 that we at Mobile Escape realized we could use some additional help creating the Escape Mail series. So Episode 7 features some of the first ideas from the amazing Kristy, who would come to play a crucial role in bringing you high-quality and diverse puzzling experiences. Thank you Kristy!
PPS. A here’s another puzzler in the making! Way to go girl!
