Shortcut

Shortcut Activity

Goal

Rusty creates shortcuts connecting areas of the island which will save time and energy when moving crew members. Avoid pit traps that are scattered throughout the terrain, which will transport you back to the last beacon reached.

Game Play

Scattered around the island are ancient Pillars (shown on the right), each marking the location of a hidden cavern that can function as a shortcut from one area to another. Establish a shortcut by exploring the cavern and lighting the beacons with your torch before time runs out or your torch extinguishes. Tap/click the location on the screen to move Rusty directly to a location, making sure to guide him around obstacles and towards beacons.

Rusty’s torch has three units of fuel; every movement exhausts one unit of torch light. Rusty must reach a beacon within three moves, before his torch goes out. If Rusty’s torch goes out, he is transported back to the last lit beacon where his torch is restored. The Shortcut activity is divided into three stages:

Stage One: Ignite

As the activity begins, Rusty enters a cavern that has several unlit beacons. Tap a spot on the screen and Rusty will move directly there. If you tap a beacon, Rusty will move directly to it and light a fire. Sometimes it takes more than one move before Rusty can reach a beacon. If Rusty moves three times without reaching a beacon, his torch goes out, forcing him to go back to the last beacon. Once all beacons are lit, Rusty proceeds to the second stage.

Stage Two: Traps

In stage two, beacons are in the same exact positions as in the first stage, but now there are pit traps randomly placed throughout the area that Rusty must avoid. Stepping into these traps will cause Rusty to drop his torch and return to the last lit beacon. Once all beacons in the second stage are lit, Rusty moves on to the final stage.

Stage Three: Darkness

Stage three has the same pattern of pit traps and beacons as the previous stages, but this time darkness has fallen and Rusty can only see within the range of his torchlight. This final challenge requires you to rely on your memory to traverse the area. This is the most important stage of creating the shortcut. These beacons are more valuable than the ones in previous stages and will keep the shortcut open longer.

Once the player lights all the Beacons in each level or time runs out, the game ends.

Controls

Moving – Tap the spot on the screen you want Rusty to move to. If you tap a beacon, Rusty moves to it and lights a fire. Rusty moves directly to where you tap; if a trap is in his way, he will trip and be transported back to the previously lit beacon.

Tip

Move quickly through each of the levels as there is limited amount of time to complete the game.

CLINICIAN INFORMATION FOR Shortcut

The Shortcut activity is divided into three rooms, as described below:

Stage 1: The first stage challenges the player to use visual scanning to find all of the beacons. There are no pit traps. The player progresses to the next room by lighting all the beacons within the time limit. The layout of the beacons remain the same in the next 2 rooms.

Stage 2: The second stage has beacons laid out in the exact same locations as in Stage 1, but now there are pit traps that Rusty must avoid. If Rusty comes into contact with any trap, he is immediately transported back to the last beacon reached. This room challenges visual scanning and organization executive function.

Stage 3: The third stage is an exact replica of the Stage 2 beacons/pit trap layout. The challenge is that the room is dark, so the player must rely on memory to beacons and avoid pit traps.

The player may have difficulty with the following:

• Finding all of the beacons. Remind them to pay close attention to the initial cavern preview as it starts from the end of the cavern and moves toward the beginning of the cavern.
• Finding a path within 3 moves. You can strategize with the player on ways to move around the pit traps to the next beacon.
• Remembering the location of the beacons in the third, darkened stage.

Difficulty Level

The difficulty level increases with the following:

• Basic layout of the room layout.
• Number of beacons (4 – 13).
• Number of pit traps (3- 21).
• Time to complete the level (80-120 seconds).

Cognitive Skills MEASURED • or Challenged ‡

The Shortcut Activity challenges executive function, attention and memory by measuring how well the player finds the beacons.