Progress on the Game Idea

Just tried to calculate eels postures based on the speed of current (from strong current to slow current on the image, the current direction is from right to left). I think it turned out pretty nice! I also learned that eels often use the most of their length, because of the higher zooplankton density. This means we might not need to animate the length except for the case of hiding in the burrow.

Speaking of the game idea. We actually got a few:

1. The user guides a piece of zooplankton while avoiding being eaten by eels
2. The user places the eels to catch as many zooplankton as possible
3. A more meditative version without direct involvement of the user

The third idea needs a little more explanation. Imagine the eels eating zooplankton that floats by, while the speed of current changes and affects both the plankton speed and eels postures. Then, occasionally a fish passes by and disturbs the eels so that they hide! The only user interaction is to wiggle with the mouse cursor near the burrow to tease the eel into returning back to its original position.

This idea, if animated properly, could be pretty nice! Not sure about the score or anything like that. 

I think the next steps are: implementing the necessary animation states (hiding in the burrow, striking the plankton) and figuring out game art and the arrangement and proportions of things on the screen. That's it for today, I'm off to bed now.