🧩 From Written Rules to Functional Logic
My first step was identifying how each player instruction could be represented as a trigger or condition in Construct 3. In theory, the rule “If breaker off → success” seems simple, but building that into a functioning event system requires setting up variables, sprites, and collision conditions that all talk to each other correctly.
Construct 3’s event sheet system made this process feel like puzzle-solving: each rule became a line of logic, and each feedback loop had to trigger something visual or auditory to help the player understand success or failure.
📸 Screenshot 1: Event Sheet overview showing the “breaker success” and “failure” logic setup.
One big breakthrough came when I realized how powerful instance variables could be. By attaching custom values to each hazard or power source, I could control multiple components (like lights, outlets, or wires) through a single shared script rather than duplicating code.
🔁 Building the Core Loop
The core loop—observe → decide → act → feedback—is now fully functional. The player explores the lab, investigates broken components, and makes decisions about what to fix first.
Every correct repair restores a nearby light or powers up a console, while incorrect actions cause visual warnings like flickering lights or minor sparks. The feedback system doubles as both reinforcement and narrative immersion.
📸 Screenshot 2: Gameplay moment where the player successfully restores power to a workstation (light turns green).
📸 Screenshot 3: Incorrect fix attempt with red flash and warning symbol.
While these feedback cues look simple, they carry instructional weight — helping players link their decisions with outcomes. This is how I’m embedding learning directly into gameplay instead of relying on on-screen text.
🧠 Experimenting With Mechanics and Challenges
As I tested, I noticed how easy it was to overcomplicate things. Adding too many simultaneous hazards confused the pacing and made debugging a nightmare. To simplify, I focused each level on one or two primary mechanics:
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Level 1: Teaches basic power flow — switch, outlet, light.
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Level 2: Adding more hazards — fixing one problem triggers another.
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Level 3: Combines time-based decisions with sequencing.
These levels gradually build both player skill and conceptual understanding, reflecting how real troubleshooting evolves from observation to pattern recognition.
📸 Screenshot 4: Simple Level 1 layout in Construct 3 editor, showing labeled objects (switch, outlet, lamp).
📸 Screenshot 5: Player view of the same level with tool icons visible.
🎨 Assets, AI Prompts, and Visual Direction
To keep the design lightweight but educational, I’ve been using a mix of hand-edited pixel assets and AI-assisted texture prompts to create backgrounds. My approach was to make the Digital Media Lab setting instantly recognizable but stylized enough to stay approachable.
Here’s one of the AI prompts I used to generate concept art references:
“2D pixel art laboratory interior, glowing monitors, loose cables, soft blue lighting, safe hazard icons.”
📸 Screenshot 6: Title screen or start menu (showing Circuit Breaker logo and player prompt).
📸 Screenshot 7: Background art or tileset used for lab interior.
The key was making sure everything—from lighting cues to UI icons—supported the safety awareness learning objective.
⚙️ Reflection: From Idea to Interaction
Construct 3 has been surprisingly intuitive once I learned its event-driven mindset. Instead of thinking like a filmmaker (where time and sequence are linear), I’ve had to think like a systems designer, ensuring that every action has a reaction and that each player decision communicates feedback clearly.
The debugging process has been as educational as the design itself—every broken event taught me something new about how to structure logic efficiently. Seeing my prototype light up (literally and figuratively) feels like connecting the final wire in a circuit.
Next, I’ll focus on refining player feedback, adding a few accessibility settings, and polishing transitions between levels. But overall, the foundation is solid, and the learning outcomes are already embedded in the mechanics.
📸 Screenshot 8: End-of-level summary screen or “Power Restored” message.
📚 References (APA 7)
Sabo, J. (2025, November 3). Writing rules that teach themselves [Blog post]. The Quest Log: Gaming for Learning & Fun. https://josephsabo-gamedesign.blogspot.com/2025/11/writing-rules-that-teach-themselves.html
Sabo, J. (2025, November 3). Learning Construct 3: Revisiting the basics [Blog post]. The Quest Log: Gaming for Learning & Fun. https://josephsabo-gamedesign.blogspot.com/2025/11/learning-construct-3-revisiting-basics.html
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