June 22, 2007

LifeSigns’ Producer Talks Player Immersion; Says DS Simulator Will Have a Dramatic Storyline
by Louis Bedigian 

“A lot of care has been taken to present the player with much more than a collection of similar operations that get progressively harder and off the wall as the game progresses.”  

Humans have a fascination with operations. Not real operations – we dread those. But throw ‘em on network television, in movies, and most recently in video games, and people go crazy. 

LifeSigns, a new simulation game for the DS, hopes to deliver cutting-edge operational gameplay while offering the one thing that’s kept ER on the air for more than 10 years: a dramatic storyline. “The major difference between LifeSigns and all other DS simulators I have played lately,” said Jay Podilchuk, Producer, “is that most competing games focus exclusively on the simulator aspect of gameplay. LifeSigns strives to immerse the player in a dramatic storyline as well.”  

As Dr. Tendo, players are “expected to master the social aspect of practicing medicine, patient / doctor interaction, diagnosis, [and] hospital politics,” he says. “All of which are presented to the player through interaction with the patients, families and hospital coworkers. 

One of the game’s most intriguing features is the ability to take the pulse of an ill character. “Taking pulse rates is an integral part of the examination process, just one aspect of the diagnosis portion of the game,” Jay told us. “There are a couple of ways this can be done, and which you choose depends largely on the comportment and attitude of the patient you are presented with. While the stylus is used in almost all gameplay situations, in this case it represents your hands / fingers which you use on a patient’s wrists or throat.” 

In LifeSigns you play as a young, motivated doctor. What else can you tell us about the story? 

Jay Podilchuk: Absolutely, Dr. Tendo or Tendo Dokuta is a young, charismatic intern with limitless potential! He is a rising star in the medical community, the latest heartthrob to grace the hallowed halls of Seimei Medical University Hospital, and as a result he’s on everyone's radar. From love struck nurses to pessimistic patients and grumpy old doctors looking to take the wind from his sails, Tendo must learn to deal with them all.   

The storyline is very intricate and involved and a lot of care has been taken to present the player with much more than a collection of similar operations that get progressively harder and off the wall as the game progresses. The story elements and hooks are so immersive that the player feels responsible for the patient's well being because they know the patient's history; they have met different family members or even the victims of their crimes…    

I can't really say anything more without giving away specifics… but let’s just say that there is a lot more to being a doctor than knowing what medicine to prescribe or incision to make!    

Walk us through the process of making an incision. I would assume you have to drag the stylus over the person's body to simulate the action – how much precision is needed to pull it off effectively? 

JP: Once you have gathered all the related information to the patient's dossier and completed the diagnosis process, the operation portion of the game starts. The player is expected to have understood the basic premise of the operation at this point and should not be attempting to make random incisions and should refrain [from] inappropriate probing. Fooling around at this part of the game will have dire consequences for the patient. 

The incision process usually starts by entering concentration mode, which gives hints on how the incision needs to be made. You use the stylus to enter this mode via an on-screen button, or [you can] use the L & R buttons. Time will slow down [in this mode], but [when] the health bar associated with your patient’s status starts to diminish, it is usually best to use this mode only quickly and then attempt to make the incision in the proper location.   

Of course, if you are a proficient doctor you might be able to get away with not using them. Practice makes perfect, you know. Though I don't know how reassuring it would be to hear that from your physician! 

It sounds like LifeSigns will have a bit of a puzzle element with looking at medical records, which I presume will indicate which treatment is best for each patient. Could you tell us about that? 

JP: LifeSigns has a very extensive item / information component to the game. You are expected to collect the information, skills and assistance required to help your patients.   

These items, snippets of information and clues, are what drive the storyline and in turn the medical simulation aspect of the game. As new information is uncovered, new locations are opened up in the hospital and you will need to explore these areas and talk to the people you find. Information is not necessarily presented in order, so often you will have to do a little detective work and comb through your inventory to uncover the right course of action. 

How is your success or failure measured? Are you graded on individual parts of an operation, or the entire operation as a whole? 

JP: You are penalized for taking too long or being sloppy or imprecise. The patient under your care will lose health, which can have serious consequences, often leading to emergency resuscitation or being removed from the operation completely on account of incompetence.   

Excel at the various steps in an operation and you will be rewarded with additional health for your patients.   

In mini-games and persuasion situations, success and failure have different impacts on the storyline. These sections branch [off] the main story and definitely add to the re-playability of the game by allowing the player to approach each situation differently. 

What are some of the other authentic medical techniques you'll get to use in the game? 

JP: Well, all the basics are covered: incisions, suturing, suction, x-rays, ultra sounds, to name a few… 

Some of the more advanced techniques involve Electric Scalpels, laparoscopic surgery involving moving the camera is part of the operation. 

Oh, and of course the defibrillators have to be mastered in order to revive the unfortunate patients who've suffered at the hands of neophyte interns. 

How will players diagnose a character's condition? What will that be like, from a gameplay perspective? 

JP: The diagnosis of a patient's condition is a multi faceted component of the game that changes on a case-to-case basis. Sometimes all the information to make the diagnosis will be available to the player right away. In other situations, you will be required to gather specific information and opinions from specialists around the hospital before making a diagnosis.   

When all the information is collected, you will use the stylus; representing various medical instruments and techniques, to perform the diagnosis. Dragging information from your inventory onto the patient to ask questions of them or obtain responses. You will also be expected to examine the patient using a stethoscope, your hands, and of course the visual symptoms as guidance. 

Are there any external tasks to perform besides checking a character's pulse rate (such as checking blood pressure, examining a scratched eye, looking in someone's ear, etc.)? 

JP: Most external tasks outside of an operation are directly related to and driven by the story. From administering CPR to bringing medicine from the pharmacy to the patient and convincing them to take it, the player is expected to handle anything a day in a hospital might confront a doctor with. 

The touch screen is obviously used, but does LifeSigns also utilize the DS's microphone? And if so, in what ways? 

JP: No microphone play is included, though should players feel the need to scream 'objection' at their DS there is no reason we can come up with to the stop them!   

Medicine IS a life or death affair, and I would certainly object to my doctor losing a patient. 

How does the communication element work when interacting with patients, nurses, and doctors? Is it text-base? Are there multiple communication options (multiple responses to a doctor's question, perhaps)? 

JP: The communication element is directly tied to the items and information available to the Doctor. Most conversations are initiated by the player, who basically chooses topics by selecting pieces of information that they have gathered by talking and interacting with other patients, staff and families in the hospital. 

Given that there are multiple storylines in the game, the player is expected to understand why they should be talking to someone and therefore discuss relevant topics. You are dissuaded from talking about irrelevant or private matters with people outside of those topics through a series of hints. 

This is where the persuasion mode really impacts the storyline of the game, branching based on the doctor's responses to the patients under different circumstances. How the player decides to handle situations will affect the outcome of the chapter and the how the next one begins.   

Finally, are there any side or mini-games that are separate from the main story? 

JP: Although all the mini-games are woven into the storyline, completing the game unlocks an extra mode that allows [you] to play the operations and mini games out of sequence. The office favorite by far being Air Hockey, but given that most of us are Canadian that might not be representative of the greater gamming community. 

Thanks for your time Jay, it was great speaking to you.