Hi everyone!
I'm working on a survival game.
Of course, the game will include base building, crafting, hunting, world exploration, and a story behind - but one of the key features is an in-game smartphone.
Want to learn how to craft an item? Search the in-game Internet and you might find something useful. Need to fix a car? Figure out which mushrooms are safe to eat? Learn how to butcher an animal after a hunt? All the information will be available online.
And this is exactly where I have two mechanics that need fresh ideas.
First mechanic: CAPTCHA.
CAPTCHA is a mini-game the player encounters while searching for information online. I am trying to recreate real-world CAPTCHAs, but make them fun, ironic, and sometimes absurd, more like puzzles.
For example:
- Select the image that shows a top-fermented beer (four beer mugs to choose from);
- Select the image that shows an Americano (four coffee images are shown);
- Select the image that shows zinc (images include zinc ore, silver ore, magnesium ore, nickel).
Second mechanic: Web search.
When you browse the Internet, something is always trying to grab your attention. I want to reflect that in the in-game Internet as well. So when searching for something, the player will see the correct result mixed in with distracting articles.
These distracting articles will have clickbait-style titles leading to short reads with interesting facts. They’re inspired by those silly yet intriguing questions that can come to our minds before falling asleep.
For example, you search: How to craft a construction mallet?
And you get results like:
- Why aren’t microwaves advertised?
- Where does dust in your home come from?
- How to craft a construction mallet?
- How did carrier pigeons know where to fly?
- Why do superheroes wear underwear over their suits?
The idea is to make it fun and engaging, help streamers entertain their audience and interact with them, and expand everyone’s knowledge a little.
So, I will really appreciate your help in expanding my pool of ideas for both mechanics. My imagination alone actually limits the scope of these systems.
If you have any fun CAPTCHA ideas or interesting questions with unexpected or non-obvious answers, please share them. I will credit your nickname in the Credits section, and maybe people all around the world will learn something new and interesting thanks to you!
Thanks for your attention!
P.S. Couldn’t resist sharing: if you’re into survival games, you can find my game on Steam by searching for Online: 404. The demo is coming in early June 2026.