Design document for mock game

Design Document

Game Pitch in one sentence:

Red Dead Redemption meets Star Wars, or Firefly with more sword fights.

Game Summary:

On a far away copper colored planet, a totalitarian regime holds sway over a civilization scattered throughout the budding world’s surface. The rich and affluent are well cared for by the advanced technology and extensive defense force of the council; the less fortunate are left to fend for themselves, fighting over the gradually dwindling resources, societies in squalor in comparison to the lavish palaces built alongside them. Some look on the lavish palaces and the massive castle builder ships that construct them with awe at the power of the council. Some with hope of what they might one day have, if they are one day judged worthy. Some look on in envy of something they know they will never have. To Logan Wyverne, the castles are a symbol of his past and every reason he abandoned his old life. Resigned from the royal guard, Logan roams the wastes in search of any work he can find to eek out a living. He’s a vagrant. He’s a mercenary. He’s not a hero. But events have been set in motion that may change that. No one has ever resigned from the royal guard and Logan is about to find out exactly why.

General Genre: Action Sci-fi

Game Genre: Third-person action/exploration

Game play:

The game is primarily action based, combing sword-driven melee combat with gun play. The main characters weapon reflects this, with a gun built into the hilt of the character’s sword. Logan’s sword isn’t one of a kind, though, and is standard issue to the royal guard, one of the harder characters Logan will have to fight for this game, so enemies will be able to counter Logan’s ability to switch combat paradigms with their own. Players will be able to take cover, run and gun and hack and slash their enemies as they see fit.

Within the action of the game, the player will also be able to upgrade their weapon and acquire equipment to help their character that may also be subsequently upgraded. This is done through shopping in local stores on the towns the player visits. The player will need to do odd jobs in order to earn extra cash to pay for upgrades.

In addition to rpg elements, there is a degree of exploration within this game. The game is set over several different towns, with a sometimes barren, sometimes lush wilderness set in between. Players will often visit the wilderness to fulfill side-missions but may also explore for minerals and other resources they can either sell or use to upgrade their equipment.

Systems:

Combat

Character Interaction

Exploration

Game Modes:

Combat

            Shooting

                        Standard shots

                        Upgraded ammunition (rapid fire, charged shots)

            Cover mechanic

            Melee mechanic

            Brawling

            Healing/Recovering health

Character Interaction:

            Shopping

                        Upgrades

                        Items

            Side-Missions

                        Acquiring side missions

                        Speaking to other people to resolve side missions

Exploration

            Navigation

                        On foot

                        Vehicular

General Interface Notes:

The game’s interface will be a mix of gritty science fiction elements and organic displays. Think some of the read-outs from Fallout, with a lot of the displays looking as though they were lit with old-fashioned LED screens, mixed with some of the elements of Dead Space, where some displays and warnings occur organically on the character. Things such as the aiming reticule for the gun mode, the player’s health and enemy positions will be part of the science fiction display, whereas things like ammunition, weapon condition and sustained injuries would be part of more organic feedback. Alternatively, some of this information, such as ammunition, may be available on both fronts, with a count-down display or bar decreasing at the same time as an on-character indicator.

Breakdowns on modes and systems:

Combat:

At any given time, a player should be able to switch between sword combat and gunplay. This might require some kind of indicator informing the player which button to press to make the switch. May also want to consider button reminders on move sets, although this is not required as some games have proven you don’t need to list what the buttons do at all times. For example, whereas Assassin’s Creed has a button layout explaining what each button does at all times, games such as Devil May Cry 3, which have extensive melee combat and combination systems, don’t really list which buttons do what.

Either at the start of the game or through unlocking upgrades, the player should also be aided in their ability to spot enemies by the interface, be given a map, a system that shows unique perks about the environment (strategic positions, breakable items) and possibly a system that gives extra feedback on the enemy (how much ammunition they have left, their melee combat skill, etc).

There is a chance that the player will acquire shields, armor or else an extra way to protect himself. This upgrade and the condition thereof could either be indicated by its own separate meter or else incorporated into the standard health feedback.

Since the game is going to involve shooting weapons, there will no doubt need to be some kind of aiming reticule to assist the player. Depending on weapon upgrades, there may need to be the option to zoom, though this might come standard via an extra aim option. Perhaps there’s a run and gun mode where the player can move quicker and aim in wider arcs but still hit enemies considerably well while there’s also a mode that allows the player to zero-in on specific parts of the enemy’s body at the cost of quicker movement. In addition, movement should also make aiming more difficult, which may cause the reticule to grow or else shake a little instead of staying at its current position.

Different weapon or ammunition upgrades will need to come with their own tweaks to the interface. Perhaps an upgrade allows for more accurate or specific shooting, shrinking the reticule. Rapid-fire ammunition would need to cause the reticule to expand or else show sings that the player isn’t able to aim as accurately while the gun kicks back. Any kind of animation that allows the player to charge a shot should also have some sort of specific indicator, be it organic or on the readout.

The player will need feedback on his health. This could be done either through a separate meter or incorporated into anther portion of the interface, such as the reticule.

Ammunition remaining will either be indicated by a separate numerical read-out or meter, an on character indicator, such as a light display on the character’s shoulder, or patched into another interface element, such as the reticule.

The displays should change at least slightly when in the different modes: Brawling, Sword and Gun. Feedback on health will need to be present in all. Feedback on weapon condition will factor mainly into the sword mode, although it might have its place in the weapon mode.

Character Interaction:

The player will have to interact with other characters within the game in order to purchase items, gather information or receive/complete side-missions. This interaction will require its own menu that covers dialog choices afforded to the player. Ideally, the system will be streamlined so that it doesn’t take up too much of the screen. Something akin to the dialog interface BioWare has used with the Mass Effect series might be the best choice, though there probably won’t be as many branching options within the game.

Item purchasing should require two separate interfaces; the first an interface similar to the standard character interaction interface while the second interface has to do specifically with purchasing items. This will be a mixture of pure interface elements as well as organic, in-environment elements. For example, weapon upgrades will be depicted on a hologram situated inside an upgrade shop while specifics on these upgrades will appear on a side bar that’s pure interface. In addition, an item shop will have the items it’s selling displayed on shelves behind the vendor. When the player engages the vendor to shop for an item, the camera will pan to show the entire shelf and specifics on the items will appear as an interface element.

Exploration:

As stated with combat, there will be an in-game map system. This system will be even more important in the exploration aspects of this game as knowing where the player is and where the next checkpoint for a goal are vital. Natrually, player position and key points of interest will need to have their own graphics on a map. The mini-map could be minimalist, as it is with Skyrim, or have a larger display more common among games that have this feature. Since the technology is futuristic and since it could allow for more scenery dressing, as of currently the mini-map will be designed with a minimalist layout in mind. The game will allow a full-fold out map that covers the terrain in detail for the player’s reference.

General:

Notes will need to be given to players on what the player is and isn’t able to interact with. This could be in the form of auras, tool-tips telling the player which button to press to enact a certain action, or some combination of both. Perhaps this could vary depending on what play mode the player is currently in.

As organic elements are interwoven in between pure interface elements, there will need to be specific animations which will play when the player enters into different modes. The player’s avatar will need to pull out holograms to project maps, sheathe his sword when entering into brawling or shooting mode and interact with a kiosk when purchasing an item.