1 Game Design Documents

2 Design Documentation Stages Design treatment or concept paper Design treatment or concept paper Game feasibility Game feasibility Design summary/design documents Design summary/design documents Pitch document or proposal Pitch document or proposal Design specification/product specification/production document Design specification/product specification/production document Functional product specification Functional product specification

3 Game Treatment Game story Game story Abstract or “Reader’s Digest” type overview Abstract or “Reader’s Digest” type overview Game play and look Game play and look Focus on appearance Focus on appearance Player roles and actions Player roles and actions Strategies and motivations Strategies and motivations Development Specification Development Specification Hardware Hardware Software Software Algorithm style Algorithm style

4 Sample Development Specification This game uses a new 3D engine This game uses a new 3D engine Backgrounds are animated Backgrounds are animated Roughly 50 scenes will be rendered using 3D Studio Roughly 50 scenes will be rendered using 3D Studio Will be developed for Windows Will be developed for Windows Programmed using C++, DirectX, and our in-house physics API Programmed using C++, DirectX, and our in-house physics API Estimated development time months Estimated development time months

5 Design Document More formal and complete than game treatment More formal and complete than game treatment What does the player do? What does the player do? What is the interface? What is the interface? What is the plot? What is the plot? Level Details Level Details What are the levels? What are the levels? Who are the characters? Who are the characters? How do characters interact? How do characters interact?

6 Design Document Content Game Overview Game Overview More detailed revision of game treatment More detailed revision of game treatment Plotline detail Plotline detail List player goals and achievements and work backwards List player goals and achievements and work backwards Story outlines for each game section Story outlines for each game section

7 Outlining Your Game Describe universal elements- common features to every part of the game Describe universal elements- common features to every part of the game scoring rules scoring rules names names special powers special powers anything else? anything else? Details of every scene or game level Details of every scene or game level Name for scene Name for scene Resource details Resource details Physical and audio appearance Physical and audio appearance

8 Outlining Your Game Details of every scene (continued). Details of every scene (continued). Background or playfield Background or playfield Foreground objects and characters Foreground objects and characters Animations present for the scenes Animations present for the scenes Music and sound effects Music and sound effects Script for characters Script for characters Scenes and transitions Scenes and transitions Flow charts for story branches Flow charts for story branches Miscellaneous elements (credits, saving games, setup, etc. Miscellaneous elements (credits, saving games, setup, etc.

9 Game Design Document Sections Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction/Overview Introduction/Overview Game Mechanisms Game Mechanisms Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence Game Elements Game Elements Story Overview Story Overview Game Progression Game Progression Bibliography Bibliography

10 Product Specification Who is the production team? Who is the production team? Target audience Target audience Gameplay Gameplay Shelf-life? Shelf-life? Production tools Production tools Schedule with milestones and deliverables Schedule with milestones and deliverables

11 Game Specification What is it like to play the game? What is it like to play the game? Interface mock-up Interface mock-up Story-line summary Story-line summary Major: final accomplishments Major: final accomplishments Minor: intermediate tasks Minor: intermediate tasks Storyboards Storyboards Prototype artwork and screen sequences Prototype artwork and screen sequences

12 Game Specification Character bibles Character bibles Profiles and biographies for each character Profiles and biographies for each character Flowcharting Flowcharting What are the decision points and scene transitions? What are the decision points and scene transitions? Scripts Scripts What happens in each scene and during each level? What happens in each scene and during each level?

13 Storyboarding Story outline Story outline Draw 6-12 scenes from game and assemble them like a comic strip Draw 6-12 scenes from game and assemble them like a comic strip Add some notes to each sketch describing the action, artwork, sounds Add some notes to each sketch describing the action, artwork, sounds

14 Detail Questions What can characters do (fly,jump,invisible)? What can characters do (fly,jump,invisible)? How many enemies does hero fight? How many enemies does hero fight? What weapons are available? What weapons are available? How does the player get rejuvenated? How does the player get rejuvenated? Multi-player stuff? Multi-player stuff? Game perspective (side, tops, 3D, first person)? Game perspective (side, tops, 3D, first person)? What kind of sound track? What kind of sound track? What about main character’s personality? What about main character’s personality?

15 Level Outline Name of section, level, or scene Name of section, level, or scene Physical or audio appearance Physical or audio appearance Foreground objects and characters Foreground objects and characters Actions? Actions? Animation? Animation? Sound effects? Sound effects? Character scripts Character scripts Transitions Transitions

16 Puzzle Types - 1 Ordinary use of objects Ordinary use of objects Unusual use of an ordinary object Unusual use of an ordinary object Creating new objects out of old? Creating new objects out of old? Information puzzles (e.g. find missing piece) Information puzzles (e.g. find missing piece) Codes and word puzzles Codes and word puzzles Excluded middle Excluded middle (relies on cause and effect type relationships) (relies on cause and effect type relationships) People puzzles (outwit the guard) People puzzles (outwit the guard) Timing puzzles Timing puzzles

17 Puzzle Types - 2 Sequence puzzles Sequence puzzles Logic puzzles (e.g. riddles) Logic puzzles (e.g. riddles) Trial and error Trial and error Machinery puzzles Machinery puzzles Alternate interfaces Alternate interfaces Mazes Mazes

18 Bad Puzzles Unnecessary repetition Unnecessary repetition Restore puzzle Restore puzzle find answer to puzzle when you die find answer to puzzle when you die Arbitrary puzzles Arbitrary puzzles cause should be linked to effects instead of random cause should be linked to effects instead of random Designer puzzles Designer puzzles only designer can solve the puzzle only designer can solve the puzzle Binary puzzle (e.g. wrong answer = death) Binary puzzle (e.g. wrong answer = death) Hunt the pixel Hunt the pixel Unnecessary interludes Unnecessary interludes

19 Good Puzzles Solvable Solvable Being fair Being fair No down time No down time Some randomness – different each time you played Some randomness – different each time you played Naturalness to environment Naturalness to environment Amplify a theme Amplify a theme Principle of least astonishment Principle of least astonishment

20 Hints Bread crumbs – at first everything works well and then give less direct help, if user struggles give more help Bread crumbs – at first everything works well and then give less direct help, if user struggles give more help Proximity of puzzle to solution – a fair game gives users everything they need to know Proximity of puzzle to solution – a fair game gives users everything they need to know Alternate solutions Alternate solutions Red herrings (things that “don’t compute”) Red herrings (things that “don’t compute”) Steering a player Steering a player

21 Designing Puzzles Break story into scenes Break story into scenes Puzzles are obstacles to moving between scenes Puzzles are obstacles to moving between scenes Trick is to make the puzzles match the story and setting Trick is to make the puzzles match the story and setting Keep your character’s abilities in mind Keep your character’s abilities in mind Empathize with the player and what he or she will know when puzzle is encountered Empathize with the player and what he or she will know when puzzle is encountered

22 Character Bible Journal in which the designer writes a profile and biography for characters used in the script Journal in which the designer writes a profile and biography for characters used in the script Script may not be linear, so hypertext technology may need to be used to maintain continuity Script may not be linear, so hypertext technology may need to be used to maintain continuity

23 Good Design Documents State the goals of the game explicitly State the goals of the game explicitly Make the document itself readable Make the document itself readable Give priorities to ideas so that team members know what is important and what may be rejected Give priorities to ideas so that team members know what is important and what may be rejected List all details (e.g. behavioral model) List all details (e.g. behavioral model) Describe how you will do things Describe how you will do things

24 Why Use Prototypes? Minimize risk of starting over from scratch Minimize risk of starting over from scratch Involve client in development process early Involve client in development process early Prototypes can function as an animated storyboard Prototypes can function as an animated storyboard

25 Prototypes Answer Questions What will the finished product look like? What will the finished product look like? What do we need to do? What do we need to do? Can we produce the product at all? Can we produce the product at all? Can we attract a publisher? Can we attract a publisher?

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27 Typical Game Sections 1. Game startup Initialize variables Initialize variables Set up data structures Set up data structures Allocate memory Allocate memory Load graphics and sound files Load graphics and sound files 2. Game enters main loop or exits to OS 3. User is prompted for input 4. User input retrieve

28 Game Sections Game state updated based on user’s last input 6. Based on last player action AI is applied, collisions processed, objects move 7. Once player logic processing is complete, background animation performed, music, sound effects,and housekeeping performed

29 Game Sections Current animation frame is rendered (drawn to virtual buffer) 9. Program displays frame by copying buffer to screen 10. Frame display rate locked to 30 fps 11. Exit section (game over) Release resources Release resources Restore system settings Restore system settings Exit to OS Exit to OS