Overall: Very good document

Graphic Novel

Game Engine User

Manual

Sean Kelly

Emanuel John

Davey McNight

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Contents

Abstract 3

Introduction

a. Functionality 4

b. Target Audience 6

c. Target Devices 6

d. Application Benefits 6

7. Mock-Ups 7

a. Web UI 7

b. Android UI 11

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Abstract

The Graphic Novel RPG Game Engine Program/App (GNGE) is a

hybrid web and software app that will allow game developers with no

programming experience to create novel-like games targeting Android

devices with no programming experience. The games that can be created

from this application will allow players to make decisions about the story to

create a nonlinear and more interactive experience for the readers.

The game developer will create and compile the story content on the

a web-based application whichapplication that will then package the game

into an Android executable file that could can be played on an Android

tablet.

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Introduction

Functionality: This application consists of three parts:

1. Web App Editor

● A web app editor that allows a non-technical user to add user-

generated content and then package the file into an .apk file to use

on the Android device. User will add story information through the

web app and the software will generate XML files that will create a

storyboard. The system will then package files into an .apk to play on

an android device. The editor will allow users to preview their games

from within the editor.

2. XML Parser and Domain Classes

● This application will consist of several Domain classes

○ Game Class: This class will load all the data created on the

web interface UI. The data will be hash maps of all the XML

files and the additional data. (Act Number, Scene Number,

Event Number, and Decisions the user can make at each

event.)

○ Act Class: This will keep track of the name, image

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backgrounds, and will contain a list of Scenes.

○ Scene Class: This will keep track of the name, image

backgrounds, and will contain a list of Events.

○ Event Class: This will keep track of the name, body text from

the story, and will contain a list of decisions.

○ Decision Class: Each decision will have a value and each

decision will hold the scene, act, and event name.

○ Parser Class: This class will parse the xml and make changes

accordingly. It will mainly monitor the decisions and jump to

events caused by the decisions made.

3. The XML event management and documentation

● This part of the project involves integrating the above classes to work

together as one functional component and making the game work.

This will involve users responding to decisions, saving game states

and tracking the program flow. In other words, this part of the project

is responsible for making sure that the action listeners work when

user clicks a button (makes a decision). This phase involves the

documentation of the entire project from inline code comments to the

external technical manual and user guides including the help pages

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for the web UI.

Target Audience:

● This project is designed for game creators/writers to easily create

android games.

Target Device: Tablet (Android)

Application Benefit:

Game creators will have a simple and free way to develop their ideas

into android applications. No programming experience required. The

application will exist on the web, where it is easy to deploy new features

and bug fixes to users. The code will be open source, so any developer can

contribute changes to improve the experience of developing games.

Mock Ups

Web Interface Mockups:

After logging in, you the user can select any one of your projects that

you’ve saved on your the user’s account. Within the project, you the user

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can see the many acts of which your story consists. Selecting an act will

show you a view of the many scenes that make up that particular act.

Selecting one of those scenes will show you the events in that scene, and

selecting one of those shows the event editor

The event editing view will consist of a form-like interface where the

details for the event can be entered. You can assign body text and a title to

the scene, as well as create any number of dynamic user decisions that

lead to other places in the story. In addition, scenes can be “dynamic” in

that their content depends upon previous scenes.

Finally, it will be possible to create an Android APK using the

“publish” UI, which merely shows you a progress bar as your APK is

created, and then allows you to download it

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Fig 1. Web Interface home mockup

Fig 2. Web Interface act viewer mockup

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Fig 3. Act editor mockup

Fig 4. Event editor mockup

Android User Interface:

These images will show you the way the user will move through the

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story on the Android device.

Fig 5. Basic android UI

The user will push buttons which will cause events. Events will lead to

other events. Button one will lead you to a new event. The event did not

create a new scene but led to a new part of the story.

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Fig 6. Basic android UI

Now when the user picks button two. It goes to new a new scene.

The user could have choose this to begin with. The flow of the story will be

open ended. Allowing for players to write their own story.

Fig 7. Android UI

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Graphic Novel

Game Engine

Technical Manual

Sean Kelly

Emanuel John

Davey McNight

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Contents

14. Technical Summary 14

a. Required Hardware 15

16. Content Schema 16

a. XML 16

b. Database Design 17

c. Diagrammatic XML Structure 18

19. Responsibilities 19

19. Schedule 19

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Technical Summary

This environment, temporarily named the “Shameful-Duck”

environment, is to consist of two distinct technical entities:

1. A fully functioning graphic-novel engine that targets Android tablets.

2. A web application to allow content creators to construct graphic-novel

games using the “Shameful-Duck” engine. The users of this

application will not be required to have any programming experience.

The Android-based engine is entirely content-driven: content is

supplied in the form XML that describes the flow of the graphic novel, as

well as directories containing graphical and audio content.

The content editor (“SD-Editor”) consists of a graphical frontend

wherein users can construct and preview their game as they would see it

on an Android device. The system will allow users to maintain accounts so

that they can save and modify ther existing works without hassle. Finally,

this system is capable of packaging content with the Shameful-Duck

engine, providing it to the user as an .apk file that is ready to be installed

and played.

There is also a thorough tutorial that will guide users through making

a simple game, and assist them with the features included in the SD-Editor.

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All of these technical features are free and open source, licensed

under the MIT license.

Required Hardware

● The only requirement is an Android device, though a tablet is

preferred, as the engine will be designed to run on a tablet rather

than a mobile phone.

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Content Schema

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><shameful-duck version=”0.1”><act number="1" start_scene="1"> <scene number="1" name="The Hotel Room" start_event="a1-s1-e1"> <event id="a1-s1-e1"> <body>

/* Some call to action*/ </body> <decision> <option outcome="event a1-s1-e2"> /* Decision 1 */ </option> <option outcome="event a1-s1-e3">

/* Decision 2 */ </option> <option outcome="scene 2"> /* Decision 1 */ </option> </decision> </event> <event id="a1-s1-e2"> <body>

/* Some story and a call to action */ </body> </event> <decision> <option outcome=""> /* decision x */

</option> <option outcome="scene 2"> /* decision y */

</option> </decision> </scene> <scene number="2" name="The Hallway" start_event="a1-s2-e1"> /* Some scene with content*/ </scene></act></shameful-duck>Listing 1. Basic XML structure

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There is currently no internal database requirement for this app but

the web UI might require a database and some extra server utilities in order

to be able to track users, data and to also automate creating of the game’s

apk file.

Draft Database Design (Schema diagram)

WebAPP: ⇒ Since logins and signups are totally managed using Oauth, the

Web UI needs only 2 tables:

1. Users tables

2. User items saved.

fig 5. webapp schema

Diagrammatic XML Structure: ⇒ The android app does not include any

internal or external database. However, here is a simple pictorial view of

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the XML schema.

Fig 6. XML Schema structural diagram

Responsibilities

● Sean Kelly - Web UI

● Davey McNight - Android Code (XML Parsing)

● Emmanuel John - XML Event Management/Documentation

Schedule:

● 24 March: User Manual (incr), Technical Reference Manual (incr),

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APK generator, Java Classes, Basic XML Structure, Web interface

design draft (incr)

● 31 March: User Manual (incr), Technical Reference Manual (incr),

Mobile User interface and simple prototype, Web interface design

draft, Basic Web Interface functionality (incr)

● 7 April: User Manual (incr), Technical Reference Manual (incr), Web

user interface and integration with apk generator, more changes and

additions to android app, Basic Web Interface functionality (incr)

● 14 April: User Manual (incr), Technical Reference Manual (incr), Web

Interface functionality, Testing and code documentation.

● 21 April: Complete First Draft of Software and Documentation, Web

UI Help page.

● 30 April: Final Presentation (3:00 - 5:30 pm)

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