SIGNAL:D

⚠️ Attention!!!!!!

1. Playing this game requires the use of your real-life computer webcam. The core gameplay involves capturing your facial expressions.
2. We have specially created bilingual subtitles in English and Chinese, which can be toggled in the settings menu. I am not a native English speaker, so please forgive any awkward phrasing in the English text.
3. Due to Ludum Dare’s website restrictions regarding webcam access, please play the game via the itch.io link at the end of this post. By the way, no download is required

> 1. 游玩本游戏需使用你现实中的电脑摄像头，核心玩法需要采集你的面部表情。
> 2. 我们专门制作了中英双语的字幕，请在设置菜单中进行切换。我不是英文母语者，假如英文文案部分不尽如人意还请谅解。
> 3. 由于 Ludum Dare 网站对摄像头调用存在限制，请通过文章末尾的 itch.io 链接游玩游戏，以确保功能正常。该版本为在线网页版。

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🌌 Game Setting

Welcome to the "Signal :D" project, the most awkward, lowest-budget, yet perhaps most important diplomatic department in the entire galaxy.

You will operate a vintage computer on a space station to remotely control a robot and communicate with alien life. You need to manipulate the robot to interact with the aliens, and when they show emotions, use your own face to make specific expressions. Transmit these pictures to the alien to match each other's *mirror neurons*. This will increase the calibration level of the interstellar translator until it is fully calibrated.

Throughout the process, a cute but snarky colleague, *Vera*, will guide you through the employee training and provide hints. In this playthrough, there are a total of three alien lifeforms for you to calibrate.

> 欢迎加入“Signal :D”计划，这里是全银河系最尴尬、预算最低，但可能也是最重要的外交部门。
>
> 你需要在空间站中操作一台老式计算机遥控机器人和外星生命交流，你需要操纵机器人与外星生命互动，并在对方产生情绪时，用你的脸去做出特定的表情并将这张图片传输给外星生命以匹配彼此的*镜像神经元*。这会使得星际翻译器校准度上升，直到完全校准为止。
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> 过程中会有一位可爱毒舌的同事*薇拉*带你走完员工培训流程并给予提示，本次游玩中共有三种外星生命需要你校准。

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🎮 HOW TO PLAY?

Follow *Vera's* instructions to complete the tutorial. At the very beginning of the game, you need to make five corresponding expressions to input basic data into our facial image recognition system. Basically, turn on your webcam, make the expressions, and wait for the progress bar to complete. This process takes about a minute or two.

All subsequent operations only require clicking buttons in the game with your mouse. Entering a specific four-digit code and clicking confirm will make the robot perform a specific action. The specific numerical codes are written on sticky notes attached to the console for you to check at any time.

The monitor in the top right is linked to your real-life webcam. Once you complete the calibration, the corresponding facial emotion recognition will be displayed on the small screen below. When you need to send a picture to an alien, click the "Send" button to transmit it.

Please note that to avoid bugs (yes, it really is quite buggy), the input keys in the game are disabled while Vera is speaking.

> 跟随*薇拉*的提示完成新手教程。在游戏的最开始需要你预先摆出对应的五种表情来给我们的面部图像识别系统输入基础数据，基本上就是打开摄像头摆好表情然后等进度条走完。这个过程大概要花个一两分钟左右。
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> 后续的所有操作都只需要鼠标点击游戏中的按钮即可，输入特定的四位数字后点击确认可以使机器人做特定行动。具体的数字代码由便签纸贴在操作台上可以随时查阅。
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> 右上方的显示屏链接的是你现实中的摄像头，当你完成校准后，对应的表情情绪识别会显示在下方的小屏幕内，在你需要发送图片给外星生命时，点击send按钮即可将该图片发送出去。
>
> 需要注意的是，为了避免bug（没错真的很容易bug），在薇拉说话时游戏中的输入键是不可使用的。

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💬 A Few Words from the Developer:

1. This is the second time for us (the designer and programmer) participating in Ludum Dare, and the rest of our teammates are newcomers. It is also our first time making this type of game, so we hope to receive plenty of feedback and suggestions.
2. We actually made this game to test whether facial emotion recognition technology could be integrated into gameplay. I'm not sure if you guys have played this type of game before, but I'd highly recommend *Before Your Eyes*—it's a very interesting experience.
3. Originally, we wanted to create topological dialogue branches for Vera. For example, a scrapped "rewind" feature involved Vera remotely using a memory-erasing device on the alien so we could try again, which would have led to her making more sarcastic remarks during the second interaction. However, due to too many bugs, we had to cut them for now.
4. We initially planned to have more aliens and a richer variety of actions, but our artists are still in school and the schedule was too tight to finish everything. We might update it later if we get the chance.
5. Anyway, we hope everyone enjoys Ludum Dare! We really love the atmosphere of this community. Love you all~

> 1. 这是我们（策划和程序）第二次参加ludum dare，其它队友都是新人。也是第一次做这种类型的游戏，希望大家多给些批评和建议。
> 2. 其实是为了试试人脸情绪识别技术能不能融入游戏中才做了这款游戏，不知道大家有没有玩过这种类型的游戏，我会推荐 BEFORE YOUR EYES (历历在目)，非常有趣的体验。
> 3. 游戏最开始是希望做出*薇拉*的拓扑式对话剧情的，比如被砍掉的回档功能是薇拉远程使用了一种记忆消除装置让外星生物失忆以便我们再来一次，这样薇拉会在第二次互动时有更多吐槽，但由于bug太多只能先删掉了。
> 4. 原计划有更多的外星人和更丰富的动作，不过美术们还在上学，工期太紧做不完，后续有机会可能会补一下。
> 5. 总之，希望大家ludum dare玩的开心，很喜欢这个社区的氛围，爱你们~

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🖼️ Game Screenshots

🛠️ Game Development Team

Member	Role
wenbo @firefish	Game Design, Programming
yanruyi @yanruyi	Programming
Yihua Wang @yihua	Art
Wei Tong @icey	Art