GDD: Game Design Doc · Web viewThere are many products that are 2d platformers, such as Super Mario line of games, or Pitfall and Metroid. However, Madnetic separates itself from

Game Design Document for:

All work Copyright ©2008 Vancouver Film School

Written by Team Madnetic

Version # 1.00

Sunday, May 07, 2023

Copyright (C) 2008 Vancouver Film School – All rights reserved

Table of Contents

DESIGN HISTORY_____________________________________________________________________5

Version 1.00________________________________________________________________________5Version 1.1_________________________________________________________________________5Version 1.2_________________________________________________________________________5Version 1.3_________________________________________________________________________5

GAME OVERVIEW____________________________________________________________________6

HIGH CONCEPT________________________________________________________________________6PHILOSOPHY__________________________________________________________________________6

Design a game that is unusual and challenges our design skills._______________________________6Magnetic Learning Curve_____________________________________________________________6Of Rats and Scientists________________________________________________________________6

COMMON QUESTIONS________________________________________________________________7

FEATURE SET________________________________________________________________________8

Magnetism_________________________________________________________________________8Complex Puzzles____________________________________________________________________8Story______________________________________________________________________________8

FEATURE DETAILS___________________________________________________________________9

Magnetism_________________________________________________________________________9Complex Puzzles____________________________________________________________________9Designing the Puzzles________________________________________________________________9Why don’t they like me? Enemies in Madnetic____________________________________________10

SINGLE-PLAYER GAME______________________________________________________________11

DETAILED WALKTHROUGH_____________________________________________________________12Beat Chart________________________________________________________________________13

CAMERA____________________________________________________________________________15

OVERVIEW__________________________________________________________________________15MOVEMENT OF DR. EUGENE AND THE CAMERA_____________________________________________16

THE GAME WORLD__________________________________________________________________17

THE WORLD LAYOUT_________________________________________________________________17Non Metal Surfaces_________________________________________________________________17Damaging Surfaces_________________________________________________________________17

THE PHYSICAL WORLD________________________________________________________________18The Cellar________________________________________________________________________18The Basement______________________________________________________________________18The lab___________________________________________________________________________18The Assembly______________________________________________________________________19The Rocket Lab____________________________________________________________________19Travel____________________________________________________________________________19

GAME CHARACTERS________________________________________________________________20

Professor Eugene___________________________________________________________________20

WEAPONS___________________________________________________________________________21

Weapon Details____________________________________________________________________21

USER INTERFACE - CONTROLS______________________________________________________22

Team Broken Eye Page 2 5/7/23Madnetic


Control Scheme____________________________________________________________________22Player User Interface_______________________________________________________________22

GAME INTERFACE - MENUS__________________________________________________________23

SCREEN FLOW DIAGRAMS______________________________________________________________23

MUSICAL SCORES AND SOUND EFFECTS_____________________________________________25

GAME AUDIO________________________________________________________________________26

APPENDICES________________________________________________________________________27

“TECHNICAL SPECS APPENDIX”__________________________________________________________27Game Engine______________________________________________________________________27Collision Detection_________________________________________________________________27Lighting Models____________________________________________________________________28

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS_______________________________________________________________29RESEARCH__________________________________________________________________________33



Design HistoryThis is a brief explanation of the history of this document. Each version of this document is based on when a document is released for feedback/review, or major changes/additions have been made.

Version 1.00

Initial pass at design.

Version 1.1

Updated competitive analysisUpdated research componentScreen shots of Camera point of view

Version 1.2Corrected some errors

Version 1.3Updated the content of the Design Doc.Reduced the number of featuresChanged the single player experienceAdded levels to the physical worldAdded pictures to the main characterEliminated the enemies from the gameAdded Score sheet in MenusAdded the front end interfaceChanged the competitive analysis appendix



Game Overview

High Concept “Magnetism at its most attractive.”

Madnetic is a game about a mad scientist which created a super computer to be his friend. Once done, the computer decided that it did not want to be Dr. Eugene’s friend and turned his whole lab against him. Dr. Eugene must solve the puzzles and avoid the pitfalls of his lab and make it out alive.

Philosophy

Design a game that is unusual and challenges our design skills.

We are attempting as students and designers to create something that is fun and puts our skills to a challenge. We would like to show the community that we can design a good game.

Magnetic Learning Curve

Madnetic is attempting to present the player with a fun puzzle based game that derives its primary mechanics from the laws of magnetism. The powers of attraction and repulsion are given to player to solve physics based puzzles in the pursuit of Robots. The significance of our mechanic is a deliberate use of real world understandings to enable intuitive gameplay. It is our hope that a player’s understanding of the laws of magnetism will enable players to easily be immersed in and entertained by Madnetic. Our overall hope is that this will translate Thus increasing our audience size and the overall success of our game.

Of Rats and Scientists

The underlying theme behind Madnetic’s story is one which makes an allegory of scientific progress in the face of nature and man’s relationship with its environment. Dr. Eugene is our headless visionary in pursuit of world altering wonders, but he lacks the foresight to see the repercussions of his quest for knowledge. In tragic circumstances his curiosity unleashes calamity for himself and the quiet simple inhabitants he shares his environment with.



Common QuestionsWhat is the game?

The game is about a mad scientist wanting to turn off this super computer and he is armed with a magnetic gun that must manipulate the environment around him to his advantage.

Why create this game?

We are creating this game because it is rather unique in concept and it will challenge our game design skills.

Where does the game take place?

The game takes place in the mad scientist’s laboratory. It will involve the player to run around through 5 levels.

What do I control?

The player will be able to control himself and manipulate the environment around him to achieve his goal of getting out alive.

How many characters do I control?

The player will only be able to control himself.

What are the Goals/Objectives of the game?

The goal of the game is to solve the puzzles and make it out alive. And achieve the best score they can achieve.

What is the main focus?

The main focus of the game is the unique use of magnetism to change and manipulate the environment so the player can defeat the maze of puzzles.

What’s different?

This game is similar to a number of other puzzle solving games but it uses a unique mechanic to achieve this. The magnet gun really separates this game from others as well as the story line and the comedic setting the game is set in.



Feature SetMagnetism

We are using magnetism as our main mechanic. We are attempting to use it to solve puzzles.

Complex Puzzles

This game will be using puzzles as the second mechanic in which the player must use his magnetic gun, metal boots and ingenuity to solve the puzzle.

Story

This game has a story to make it fun and give it depth.



Feature DetailsMagnetism

Our main character, Professor Eugene is carries with him a ray gun that can emit and change the polarization of metallic objects in his environment. The use of magnetism and Eugene’s ability to alter it is the primary mechanic of our game. In designing this feature we had to develop a shared set of established principles that applied uniformly to all the magnet enabled objects in the game. The reason for establishing these principles was to maintain a cause and effect relationship that would go unchanged as the player worked through the various puzzles in the game. The set of principles we established were also designed to enable us as designer to have a clear foundation upon which to design puzzles and player actions in the game. The rules which govern magnetism in Madnetics are a simplified version of the physics that control real world magnetism, this was deliberate and meant to raise the player’s level of understanding in the game.

Laws of Magnetism in Madnetics Smaller objects will always repel or attract towards larger objects, providing they

are free to do so (unattached), and larger objects will remain stationary. Same sized objects will repel or attract to the same degree, providing they are

free to do so. Magnetism (positive or negative) will dissipate after a period of time Positive (attracts) polarity is indicated by a red glow around the object Negative (repels) polarity is indicated by a blue glow around the object. Surfaces or objects that are magnet enabled or interactive with the player are

indicated by a metallic texture.

Complex Puzzles

Designing around a magnetic mechanic allows us to make a puzzle intensive game. Complex puzzles will be the main obstacle that the player has to overcome. Our puzzles will be based on the principles of attraction and repulsion and the player will add these properties to objects to solve physic puzzles in the levels. The complexity of these puzzles will be graduated from simple single object or single switch puzzles into more complex puzzles incorporating multiple objects and switches.

Designing the Puzzles

Although many of our puzzles are in paper prototype form we will not commit to designs until we are able to prototype and test in the flash environment. This ultimately means that our puzzles designs are yet to be proven or implemented in engine.



Although this sounds like poor preparation and pre-production it is a boon in that it allows us to have a wide degree of variation and mobility within our implementation process. Because we have many puzzle ideas already prepared we can now mix and match to see which puzzles work best in chronology, level environment and actual mechanic outcome.

Why don’t they like me? Enemies in Madnetic

Eugene’s obsession has been to create for himself and all Mad Scientist a loyal and entertaining companion with whom to while away the long hours in evil laboratories. However, like many experiments this one too has gone completely wrong many times over leaving Eugene’s lab the habitat of a angry disgruntled computer with severe “creator issues.”



Single-Player GameOverview

The single player game comprises all that has been discussed to this point. The player, Dr. Eugene will start at the central area of the game. The central area is a Drawing room and from which the player will choose which to area to adventure into. The player will have to navigate through several puzzles of scaling difficulty.

Story

“Being a Mad scientist is complicated; we’re not all evil as much as misunderstood. Sure I’ve done some morally questionable things, like trying to control the moon and accidently moving Australia, but in the pursuit of knowledge some would say it was worth it. Being misunderstood is what provoked me to build my lab, a spectacular facility containing all the needs and wants a mad scientist could dream of. It was in this secret laboratory that I was to conduct my most secret and ambitions project to date. I called it project “P.A.L.” or personal associate for leisure. It was an ambitious project to create for me and all misunderstood mad scientist a much desired companion in the form of a robot. Project P.A.L however turned into an endless project of prototypes and failed designs. It seems I just couldn’t find the right components to make a robot truly enjoy my company. It was frustrating to say the least, but eventually I emerged at the solution of B.U.D. or basic understanding of dominance, it was a simple software patch that I designed to finally solve the robot’s slight dislike of me, but it went horribly wrong and BUD became a virus causing all my PALs to take over my lab and try to dismantle me”

Dr. Eugene

As Eugene tells us, the P.A.L. project went wrong and now the computer and the lab itself are against Eugene, so it falls onto the player’s shoulders to help Dr. Eugene recover his lab. During this adventure to save the lab Dr. Eugene discovers that he and his robot enemies are not the only inhabitants of the lab, but it fact it is shared by a quirky paranoid rat named Ozzy. Ozzy has kept a low profile, but now that the computer is running the lab he is being forced to leave his home or worse. Understanding that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, an alliance is formed between Dr. Eugene and Ozzy and in the end a friendship emerges between the two characters.



Detailed Walkthrough

The game itself is divided into five stages:

Main Drawing Room

From this room the player will be able to access any level he would like or visit the tutorial. The player will be able to access sound options, credits and an option to change the overlay of the keys the player can use.

The Tutorial: A player will become familiar with the mechanics of Madnetics.

Cellar: In this stage the player will face more obstacles. As the levels progress the difficulty of the puzzles will increase.

Basement: In this area of the game the puzzles imply movement and the game play will have a faster pace with moving obstacles and more coordination required to finish the level, in general a faster beat for the area.

Lab Area, Assembly, Rocket Lab: After learning the basics of magnetism, the player will have a more difficult time with the puzzles.



Beat Chart

0

2

4

6

8

10

Game Beat Chart

Area Beat Charts

Tutorial, Cellar, Basement

Lab, Assembly Rocket lab0

2

4

6

8



Hours of Game play

The full game should take approximately 10 to 20 minutes to an experienced player and no more than half an hour to a new player. Being a flash casual game we are looking for a fun fast experience that will make you enjoy a few minutes of your day, the full experience it’s divided as follows:

Victory Conditions

The player wins the game by collecting atoms and finishing the levels the quickest possible. The player will receive a score summary screen and then progress to the next level.



CameraOverview

The Camera is a 2d side scrolled perspective.



Movement of Dr. Eugene and the Camera

The camera will sometimes move like this in this special circumstance. It will center on the main character and when it hits the wall it will stop with an inch or two behind it. The camera will have collision on it.



The Game WorldOverview

Madnetic is a 2D sidescroller game with an arcade feel to it. The environments will be created using Adobe Photoshop and then imported into the flash game. This will create a more fun arcade feel for the player.

The World Layout Madnetic deals with magnetic physics and assigning positive or negative polarity to objects. In order for magnetism to work, it must be applied to a metal surface or object. The laboratory setting of the game lends well to this need for metal surfaces.

Non Metal Surfaces

In order to create a challenging experience for the game, we are not going to allow the player to apply magnetism everywhere in the game. There will be certain areas that are not susceptible to the magnetic gun. These surfaces will be indicated to the player visually using surface types such as concrete, rubber, and plastic. The player will have to figure out how to maneuver through the level without placing magnetism on these surfaces.

Damaging Surfaces

The player will come across certain surfaces in the game that can cause them harm. If the player stands on these surfaces they will lose a point of life then turn invincible for a short period of time. Once the invincibility has worn off they will become damaged again if they are still within contact of the damaging surface. These damage volumes will be indicated to the player using surfaces such as electrically charged floors, or pools of acid, or large spikes, etc.



The Physical World The game takes place in a laboratory being run by Professor Eugene. There are five distinct areas of this laboratory, each with a distinct artistic style and theme. These areas are as follows.

The Cellar

The Basement

The lab



The Assembly

The Rocket Lab

TravelThe player moves around the level via walking and jumping. He will use the laws of magnetism to help him solve puzzles and advance through the level. The player will have to use his magnetic gun to help him move boxes in which he will use as elevators to get him to another level.



Game Characters

Professor Eugene

In Madnetic, players assume the role of Professor Eugene. Professor Eugene is a little mad scientist with big dreams. He is a friendly and kind fellow with a few eccentricities and he is quite lively and energetic, despite his age. He does not have much contact with the outside world and as such, is rather lonely. His eccentric nature is mostly to blame for his alienation from other humans. All he really wants is a friend. He is involved in magnetic and computer research with a primary goal of creating the perfect computer companion.

Eugene will have almost childlike animations. Although he is rather progressed in years, he is still very young at heart. He will be very animated in his movements and he will appear very energetic in the way that he moves. Players are supposed to empathize with Professor Eugene so he will appear quite cute and endearing.



WeaponsOverview

The weapons that will be used in the game will be the main game mechanic. The magnetic gun will be able to switch the polarity of certain objects. The player will be able to manipulate the environment to solve the puzzles and defeat his opponents.

Weapon Details

The gun will have a beam that will exit out of the gun. To change polarity of the weapon the player will need to press a button on the keyboard. This weapon can affect anything metal.



User Interface - ControlsOverview

Our controls are designed to be simple and intuitive to the player. We are using a keyboard and mouse to enable the game to be played on all PC and Macs.

Control Scheme

Simple mouse and keyboard set up. Movement uses WASD, or direction key set. Jump is W or up arrow. To aim the ray’s icon the player will use the mouse and to fire the ray the player will use the Left mouse button. Switching rays between attraction and repulsion is accomplished between easy toggles on the shift button and the E button (player’s choice). Esc will raise the game’s main menu.

Player User Interface

The User interface or HUD, is again minimal. It indicates the number of atoms in the level and how many the player has obtained.



Game Interface - Menus

Screen Flow Diagrams

Overview

The player should be able to access from the main menu, the ability to change the key layout and adjust the sound options. Furthermore, the player should be able to access the sound options, main menu and the ability to quit.





Musical Scores and Sound EffectsOverview

Following the playful theme of the game, the music will be relaxed and playfully. While the music style will change from area to area, it will conserve a main theme thought all the experience, a mix of modern electronic, ambient and a playfully tempo that will act as the element that brings together and provides identity to the different areas of the game.

Sound Concept

Sound Style / Theme

As the player will use magnetism to interact with the world, the sound will provide a strong link to the player not only of the magnetic forces but of some more intimate properties of the same such as polarity. The game‐world is a joining of six different and contrasting areas that go form a cellar to a rocket lab with more natural and organic sounds passing by a futuristic assembly plant with technological and moving sounds, giving each area its own personality sound effects and music will help to create a memorable experience.

Furthermore, the gun will emit a contrasting sound to sync with the music mood. When the player fires either one of the different magnetism, it will admit a different depending on the polarity.

Sound Design Goal

To create a fun and robust sound experience that will immerse the player in the world. Trying to create a feeling of 50’s electronic sound, giving that fun arcady feel to the game.



Game Audio Characters

Movement

The main character is able to run and jump. The essential sounds range from movement, jumping and dying.

Speech

The main characters will have voiceovers for the game providing some insight to his own personality and peculiar way of seeing the world.

Enemies

The enemies will have particular sounds depending of its type, material composition and when it comes to the Boss it will have two to three lines of taunts in the same fun spirit of the game in order to keep the comedy and the immersion.



APPENDICES

“Technical Specs Appendix” Game Engine

Overview

We are using Flash; this engine is really accessible because let people run the game without install it. They only need the executable file. Flash is very user friendly, and with Action Script we make almost everything. Action Script is really powerful; it takes some things from C++ and Java.

Physics

With Flash we can use really good physics thanks to the Box2D physics engine.Box2D can take care of all the collision, friction, weights, speeds, etc.

Collision Detection

Flash handles collision detection really well. We have many options to make the collision detection such as Box2D, the hit test in flash or using math knowing the position of the objects.Having that many options we only have to prototype and see what option is the best.



Lighting Models

Overview

For lighting we are using pre lighted models, so the engine don’t has to light anything to use more memory and power in the physics.

Models

We are using pictures of a 3D model, so we have already all the light in the picture of the model.



Competitive Analysis

Executive Summary: Business AnalysisThe advertising plan of this game is to promote the game designers name out in the industry. Further, if it is the decision of the group to produce this game for the consumer market, it will need a proper marketing plan as a completed project.

Target Market:The game is catered to the casual gamer and, primarily for the audience at industry night. They are mainly located in Vancouver. The casual gamer will typically be an audience of 10 - 35 male and female, wanting to spend some time playing around with puzzles and magnetic physics. This market will be browsing the internet for casual games and or have an Xbox, PC or a Wii and are willing to pay 5 – 10 dollars for a game that provides a couple of hours of fun. The target market will typically be in a family setting, and the total family income will be around 80,000 to 120,000.

However, it must be known that the average market for the Xbox live community is:

80% Male; 70% Age 18-34 Defined by behavior and lifestyle o Early adopter, trend setter, influencer o 40% own HD TVs o 54% WiFi home network

Entertainment junkies o 55% go to movies o 33% go see live music

Affinities: o Major sports, Electronics, Autos

Considering our target market, the message to them must be, “The team that produced this game is a professional, fun, hardworking team wanting to make the best product possible.” If the product goes to the consumer market, the message to them must be, “Come and play our game and have fun with it.”Overall, the general message is that the game will be fun and entertaining.



Creative Strategy:

The benefits of the game will be a 2 hour break from life and enjoy your time with the game. The game is for children and young adults, thus the advertising plan should focus on something that is feeling fun and jovial.

Media Strategy:

The approach to gathering consumer awareness of the product will be via the game website and a good rating on the Xbox and review websites of casual games. Furthermore it must receive an E rating to attract our target market. When presenting the game, there should be a short trailer that will attract the target audience to buy it. With the trailer, it should demonstrate the fun, entertaining aspect of it.

Competitive Analysis:

There are many products that are 2d platformers, such as Super Mario line of games, or Pitfall and Metroid. However, Madnetic separates itself from these by incorporating different game mechanics and story. But there is one game that does seem very similar to Madnetic and that is the game called Polarity. It is a student project developed at the Carnegie Mellon College in Pittsburg. This game has a lot of similarities to Madnetic, such as using the surrounds to solve the puzzles but most of the events are scripted and not physics enabled, the story is different and the art is completely different. Madnetic uses a gun to change the polarity of objects whereas Polarity changes the polarity of the player to solve the puzzles. Madnetic separates itself from other competitor by illustrating a different style of art, game play and mechanics. It has a fun casual feel to the game that targets our target market of young children and casual gamers.



SWOT AnalysisStrengths

Madnetics is an unique game dealing with magnet physics

2d platformer

Unique character

Strong group – educated

Willing to make it work

Weaknesses New to the game industry

Have to convert entire game to C# if the game goes Live and is put on Xbox Live

No advertising

Have to work for free

Opportunities Promote ourselves as game designers

Game will be seen on a mass market – large exposure

Demonstrate that we can do multiple tasks

To get on Xbox live it must pass a peer test with zero bugs, demonstrating that we can make a bug free game.

The game must be made in C# - another learning curve

Learn more about the game industry

Learn more about the pathway to independent publication

Threats



May take too long

May not be able to convert to C# properly

May lose some core game play

May lose programmer do to being a foreign student

Artwork may need to be rework

Another game already made called Polarity is tough competition and on the Xbox



Research

Magnet Flash games

http://www.funny-games.biz/magnetism.htmlhttp://www.funny-games.biz/mirc.htmlhttp://jayisgames.com/archives/2004/11/magnet_2.php

Other research sites

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_gamehttp://www.destructoid.com/wii-platformer-wario-land-shake-details-unveiled-88111.phtmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN7GtXLfZcQ


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN7GtXLfZcQ

http://www.destructoid.com/wii-platformer-wario-land-shake-details-unveiled-88111.phtml

http://www.destructoid.com/wii-platformer-wario-land-shake-details-unveiled-88111.phtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_game

http://jayisgames.com/archives/2004/11/magnet_2.php

http://www.funny-games.biz/mirc.html

http://www.funny-games.biz/magnetism.html

Documents

GDD: Game Design Doc · Web viewThere are many products that are 2d platformers, such as Super Mario line of games, or Pitfall and Metroid. However, Madnetic separates itself from