Editing Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm (section)

==Development==
[[File:FABurnAfterReading.jpeg|thumb|The banner for the first "Burn After Reading" blog.]]
According to [[Kenn Navarro]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090322050211/http://social.happytreefriends.com/profiles/blogs/burn-after-reading-part-1 Burn After Reading - Part 1 on Happy Tree Friends (archived version on March 22, 2009)]</ref>, when adapting ''Happy Tree Friends'' into a console video game, he was adamant about not adapting it into a regular platformer game, which according to him has been overdone by other video game adaptations of licensed properties from other mediums. Fighting game or first-person shooter ideas were not considered as they do not fit the world of ''Happy Tree Friends''. Two concepts were considered, the first of which being a microgame collection in the vein of ''[[mariowiki:WarioWare (series)|WarioWare]]'' as Navarro is a huge fan of the series and thought that this type of frantic gameplay would go well with ''Happy Tree Friends''. However, the idea was shot down because of market oversaturation of this video game genre.

[[File:FAConceptArt.jpeg|thumb|[[Kenn Navarro]]'s pitch concept art for how a ''Happy Tree Friends'' console video game would look like.]]
The second concept is accompanied with a concept art (pictured). The idea is that the game is more puzzle-oriented than twitch-based, with puzzle mechanics being inspired from ''[[wikipedia:The Incredible Machine|The Incredible Machine]]'' where the player is given tools that would interact with the environment. It was also going to retain the 2D graphics from the show. The basic gameplay would involve the player taking control of firefighter characters trying to rescue trapped victims from dangerous situations. In the example shown on the concept art, the firefighters consisted of [[Lumpy]] and [[Mole]], though Navarro explained that the player would be given a choice of crew members before setting out, implying other characters may get involved. Each crew member would have a unique power, for example Lumpy uses a match to burn objects and Mole uses a fire hose to douse fires. The challenge according to the concept is to figure out how to break through obstacles that can hinder or outright end the mission before the player could solve the actual problem. The interactivity with the environment would allow players to think of various ways to solve the problem. Plans to include limited power use were also considered. The menu would involve a map as the UI and the reward mechanics would involve pins that depend on the mission score (Bronze, Silver, Gold), both of which were brought over to the final game.

After the successful pitch to [[segaretro:Sega|Sega]], originally the game would be developed by Secret Level, Inc. (now [[segaretro:Sega Studios San Francisco|Sega Studios San Francisco]]). However, during development, the project got put on hold for a few months. In addition, during this moment, Sega decided to re-shuffle their resources. According to Navarro, it was rumored that Secret Level got too busy with the higher profile titles that they were working at the time. As a result, the developer was changed to Stainless Games. As a consequence, much of the original game concept was scrapped as the game was turned into something different entirely due to Stainless Games' different skill set and the ''Happy Tree Friends'' crew was unable to use the original game engine which was proprietary to Jeff Tseng, formerly a Director at Secret Level who came up with much of the original game idea, and Secret Level itself.

Navarro also told the behind-the-scenes aspect when working with Stainless Games via [https://mondomedia.com/news/view/175/Burn_After_Reading_Part_2 the second "Burn After Reading" blog]. Notably, one of the earlier plans would have Lumpy, now the only playable character, flying around in a one-man helicopter rig that would be directly controlled by the player instead of the "rescuer aim" cursor in the final game. The blog also provides four images of level designs and game mechanic ideas, specifically of Building Site, The Mine, Saw Mill, and Whale Carcass.

<gallery>
FABuildingSiteIdea.jpeg|Ideas for a Building Site level.
FATheMineIdea.jpeg|Ideas for The Mine level.
FASawMillIdea.jpeg|Ideas for a Saw Mill level.
FAWhaleCarcassIdea.jpeg|Ideas for a Whale Carcass level.
</gallery>