"Treasure Mathstorm"

Treasure MathStorm takes place in a magical realm called Treasure Mountain.

As the game opens, the Master of Mischief uses a weather machine

to freeze the mountain in snow and ice and scatters

the castle's treasures all over the mountain.

The player takes on the role of the Super Seeker, whose job is to find the scattered

treasures and return them to the castle's treasure chest in order to thaw out the mountain.

My first task was to create two versions of the mountain –

one before it was frozen and one after it was frozen.

Click on the thumbnails below to see the large version

The mountain itself consists of three levels. The player cannot climb higher

until he has gathered the supplies, like ice axes, ladders, or catapult parts,

useful for scaling the mountain. To obtain these items, the players must help

out the local inhabitants complete math-related tasks such as adjusting

clocks to a given time, balancing scales, and counting crystals.

Everything begins at the clubhouse.

Click on the thumbnails below to see the large version

It was interesting to establish the rules for the background compositions.

The picture below left depicts what a mountain scene might look like in the summer.

Green grass and warm browns reflected in the mountain with a wide path for walking.

Below right shows my decision for winter. The walking path is much smaller,

while the blue sky reflects in the snow and on the mountain for a much cooler scene.

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Then it was just a matter of building scenes that when covered

with fresh snow would make pleasing compositions.

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Next we need some places for the player to play some games.

Of course an igloo is obligatory!

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Oh, and speaking of the player, this was part of the Super Seeker series.

The product user had to imagine that he/she was the Super Seeker,

so I had to hide the character’s identifiable parts – hence the snowsuit and scarf!

Click on the thumbnails below to see the large version

That’s a backpack and butterfly net on Super Seeker’s back.

When it was time for Super Seeker to head up the mountain,

the decision was to use ice picks. That meant I had to draw

obvious footholds in the mountain. In the summer a tree with

ladder boards would have worked, but this was winter.

Click on the thumbnails below to see the large version

Icy caves are always fun.

Click on the thumbnails below to see the large version

It was an enjoyable game to complete. As with all of the games in the 1990’s,

it was a great challenge to draw anything near what you wish

you could provide, with all of the color and memory constraints.

All in all, it was a fun endeavor. Hope you enjoyed the trip!