Game design document - BadBug Studio - Xbox Game
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This design document outlines the key elements of a game called Hive Mind. It describes the game as a combination of an RTS and third-person shooter where the player controls a squad of 4 different robot types to escape from an experimental lab overrun by insects. The document details the core gameplay, game modes, goals, user interface, scoring, controls, level and game structure, visual style, story, sound, specifications and usability considerations. Sections cover the gameplay mechanics and objectives, level progression, character and enemy designs, and technical requirements for the game.
Game design document - BadBug Studio - Xbox Game
- 2. Contents 1 Hive Mind 1 2 Game play 2.1 Core game play . . . . . . 2.2 Game Modes . . . . . . . 2.3 Game Play Description . . 2.3.1 Goal . . . . . . . . 2.3.2 Detailed game play 2.3.3 User interface . . . 2.4 Scores and rewards . . . . 2.4.1 Progress . . . . . . 2.4.2 Emotion . . . . . . 2.4.3 Feedback . . . . . 2.5 Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 Game Structure 3.1 Main menu . . . . . . . 3.2 Game flow . . . . . . . . 3.2.1 Start of the game 3.2.2 Level complete . 3.2.3 Level failed . . . 3.2.4 Game over . . . 3.2.5 Game complete . 3.2.6 High score screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 Art and visual style 4.1 Main style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 Character design . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2.1 Player Characters (PC’s) . . . 4.2.2 Non-Player Characters (NPC’s) 4.3 Level artwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 Menu artwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 . . . . 5 5 6 6 6 6 Story 6.1 Story line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 Story flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 6 6 7 Sound 7.1 Overview 7.2 Music . . 7.3 Movement 7.4 Weapons . 7 7 7 7 7 5 Level design 5.1 Level description . . . . 5.2 Level interaction . . . . 5.3 Specials and power ups . 5.4 Level length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 3. 7.5 Ambient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Specifications 8.1 General specifications . 8.2 Technical specifications 8.2.1 Platform . . . . . 8.2.2 Game size . . . . 8.2.3 Frame rate . . . 9 Usability 9.1 Usability issues 9.2 How to play . . 9.3 Timing . . . . . 9.4 Layout . . . . . 9.5 Learning curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . 7 7 7 7 7 8 . . . . . 8 8 8 8 8 8
- 4. Contents
- 5. 1 Hive Mind Hive Mind is a combination of an RTS and a Third Person Shooter in which you control a whole group at once. It is about a group of robots that has to escape from an experimental lab that is being taken over by insects. Your squad consists of four different types of robots which are all specialized in killing specific insects. It is the duty of the player to let the robots attack the right insects. 2 Game play 2.1 Core game play Hive Mind’s core mechanic consists of walking (with your left stick), aiming (with your right stick) and selecting your four different unit types to attack (with Left Bumper, Left Trigger, Right Bumper and Right Trigger.) 2.2 Game Modes Hive Mind has one game mode in which you play the whole game. There are no mini-games or stages in the game where you have to play with different core mechanics. 2.3 2.3.1 Game Play Description Goal The main goal of Hive Mind is to escape from the lab. You must survive and advance through the stages. This goal applies to both the linear stage and the non-linear stage. The secondary goal of the linear stage is to force the player to become experienced with the different types of units in the group that the player is controlling. The secondary goal of the non-linear stage is to create a slight chaos and challenging the player and unleash mayhem. 2.3.2 Detailed game play description In order to achieve the games main goal and survive throughout the game, you must destroy your enemies before they destroy you. Firstly, you must keep on walking to advance through the stages. You can’t win the game by standing stand still. Secondly, to destroy the enemies, you must first move the cursor or pointer to the location of the enemy on the screen (or close to its location) and then pull a trigger or bumper on the controller to let part of your squad attack those enemies. In the following seconds, the triggered units will attack the enemies you pointed at until they have all died or you have given your units another command. One of the four types of units is stronger and much more effective against specific enemies. The player constantly has to look at the type of enemy and let the effective units destroy them. 2.3.3 User interface The user interface, or UI, of our game consists of several important elements. In the middle on the top are the score the player has obtained up to that point and the number of spawning points that have to be destroyed before advancing to a new stage in the level. In the bottom corners of the screen are the four buttons displayed the player can use to attack with his different robots. Next to each of the buttons is an emblem which represents the 1
- 6. type of unit that will be activated when that button is pressed. In the emblem stands a number which represents the number of units of that type that are currently in the player’s group. This is to be used as a health indicator. Each of the four buttons on the screen can be in two states: available and used. When a button is pressed it goes from ’available’ to ’used’ , becomes darker and seems to be pushed into the screen instead of coming out of the screen. As soon as the unit assigned to attack with the button has finished its attack, the button goes back into the ’available’ state. By doing this, a player can see immediately if a unit he wants to use is available to be used or if it is busy. 2.4 2.4.1 Scores and rewards Progress The player progresses by surviving and destroying the enemy. By doing this, the player completes the stages. As of the arcade part of the game, the player earns points by destroying enemies. The number of squad units alive will act as a kind of multiplier. So if you survive everything while maintaining a high number of squad members your score will be higher than if you survive with less. 2.4.2 Emotion The satisfaction of Hive Mind is the fast rushing over and killing the many enemies. The player is supposed to feel like a group of termites running over a mountain with great numbers and speed, like a hunted group military soldiers running and fighting for their lives, like a hunted group of bison. The player has to constantly feel the pressure which releases once in a while, while playing the game. 2.4.3 Feedback The most direct feedback that Hive Mind will contain is the amount of units in the players squad and the amount of enemies on the screen. With less units on the screen, the player is not doing so good. With a lot of enemies on the screen, the player has not chosen the right strategy and will he most likely not survive. The rest of the feedback will be given through the user interface, with average health per unit type in your squad, the amount of units, score and combo’s, all giving indirect feedback. 2.5 Controls The game will be controlled by the Xbox 360 controller. 2
- 7. Table 1: Controls for Xbox 360 controller Input Result Left analog stick up & down Walk to front or back Left analog stick left & right Strafe left or right Right analog stick up & down Move Cursor up and down Right analog stick left & right Move Cursor left and right Left Trigger Attack with unit type 1 Right Trigger Attack with unit type 2 Left Bumper Attack with unit type 3 Right Bumper Attack with unit type 4 Start Pause menu 3 Game Structure 3.1 Main menu Buttons: Start game Options High scores Exit Options: Main volume Music volume Effect volume 3.2 3.2.1 Description Starts game Shows options Shows high scores Exits game Description Slider from 0-100 Slider from 0-100 Slider from 0-100 Game flow Start of the game When you press ’Start game’ the ’introduction’ level starts. 3.2.2 Level complete The level or stage in Hive Mind is completed when the final battle is won. 3.2.3 Level failed The level or stage in Hive Mind is failed when you die. When you die, you have to start over again. 3.2.4 Game over The player is game over when the squad is dead, thus when you failed the level (because at this point there is only one level). 3.2.5 Game complete When you completed the game it will look exactly the same, but instead of ’GAME OVER’ it will show you ’WELL DONE!’ and ’You have successfully escaped!’. 3
- 8. 3.2.6 High score screen The high score screen will show the rank, name and score of the best players. 4 4.1 Art and visual style Main style The main style for our game will be a futuristic fantasy design. The game will take place in an underground laboratory which is created by and employs a revolutionary new technique: using living materials to create live. Every object in the game, including the characters, will look like they were put together from different parts like machines only the different parts of each object will look like they were grown instead of made. Objects like metal plates, tubes, nuts and bolts are replaced by wood, vines, branches and leaves. The laboratory in which the game takes place must look and feel like its own unique Ecosystem. Each object, enemy and character must look like it serves a purpose within the system. Living systems like plants, mushrooms and slime blend into wooden constructions, roots and vines. The laboratory looks like it has been around for a while. Most of the different parts are overgrown and partially infected with mold and fungus, other parts have grown together because of it or are connected by strong ropes made by the robots. 4.2 Character design In the squad are 4 different classes/characters that you use. All the classes use middle/long range weapons. The classes you have: Shotgunner, Machinegunner, Grenadier and Rocketlauncher. The shotgun type is the most powerful at short/middle range. His character is a bit lazy and leaning back. His posture forces him to wait until his enemy is close to blow his brains out, the more he can kill the more active he will get. The weapon he uses is a shotgun kind of gun that fire a load of earth gathered materials. The machine gun type is the role model for the new robot army. He is quick, intelligent and wants to give up anything to survive and escape from the lab. He is the most powerful at middle range. His weapon fires a lot of special bullets per second. The bullets are a combination of poisonous roots and an indestructible earth material. These special roots infect digital parts of an enemy. The grenadier type is a small and scared type. This model isn’t designed for warfare. It was designed to seed new mushrooms in the labs for oxygen supplies for the doctors who were working there. The design went kind of wrong and it came out that the mushrooms that he seeded were highly explosive. Instead of seeding it redesigned itself to throw the explosive mushrooms towards enemies. The rocket launcher type is a massive machine that is the most effective on long range. He is the big brother of the squad who will defend his teammates at all costs. On the other hand he is a very shy type which always operates in the background of the squad. The weapon he uses is a huge launcher which fires compressed burning hardwood. On the first collision with an enemy the rocket will shatter into a huge amount of piercing and burning parts. The enemies in the game can be defined into 2 groups: walking enemies and floating/flying enemies. All enemies communicate with each other using ultrasonic sounds. The walking enemies come in 2 types: fast walking ant like enemies, and big, slow walking, bug like enemies. These enemies don’t have an own will. They are programmed to prevent any escapades. The flying/floating enemies are fast creatures mainly for scouting through the levels. The are represented as giant bees. 4
- 9. 4.2.1 Player Characters (PC’s) The player controls the 4 types of units as one squad. 4.2.2 Non-Player Characters (NPC’s) The NPC’s will be the enemies. The enemies are insect based robots. They can communicate with each other using ultrasonic sounds. Their artificial intelligence is highly advanced. On the contrary, their bodies and weapons are very basic but lethal. They can attack with melee and ranged attacks. The insects’ objective is to find the ones who want to escape from the lab. They can hardly operate solo and are very powerful in groups. Using their ultrasonic sound, the other group can locate the player very quick. The insects operate on the floor and in the sky. 4.3 Level artwork Each level in Hive Mind contains two stages. The first stage is a linear level in which the player goes from point A to point B. These levels are designed to resemble a system of caverns with several chambers designed as breeding chambers with cocoons in which the different parts for the robots are grown. Throughout these caverns hang numerous vines and roots that connect supply the different cocoons with nutrients and other substances to help them grow. These vines and roots are in constant motion resembling the motions a human esophagus makes when swallowing. 4.4 Menu artwork Hive Mind has only a few menu’s. These menus are designed to look like they are part of the whole game world. The menu’s consist of a frame ’grown’ from the living materials within the laboratory/factory. Suspended between various parts of the frame is a thin canvas on which the various options are written. Some parts of the frame actually pierce through the canvas to hold it in its place. Because the frames are ’grown’ we can design them in any shape we want and create separations between menu’s. The different options can be selected by using the left analog stick or the D-pad and each option is selected with the A- or Start-Button. Options are represented by text only no buttons. The selected options are highlighted to make sure the player understands which is selected. Text will be designed to fit the design of the frame. By doing this we can allow certain areas of the characters to light up instead of all the words. 5 5.1 Level design Level description All the different maps have different textures and decorations. The first maps are more colorful while the later maps are darker. The maps will be exported in pieces and will be imported into the level editor. We will use the level editor to place breakable objects, spawn points, NPC’s, etc. The theme is a giant lab. The player goes through this lab which has 3 different styles. Every stage has almost the same routine but different styles. You go through a linear tunnel area and at the end you come in an open non-linear arena. Not only does it go from light to dark, but the areas will also be more affected by the insects. The overall color changes over time. The more the player is getting towards the end of the game, 5
- 10. the more the textures will be colorful. That means that in the beginning, the textures are more desaturated. The only problem is that there is only one level and thus only one map. 5.2 Level interaction The reinforcement and extra squads are locked up in a cocoon and the player can shoot the cocoon so he frees his teammates. There are no extra animations required for any of this. 5.3 Specials and power ups There are no specials and power ups: the cocoons are designed to give the player more health/reinforcement. 5.4 Level length The expected time on an average stage is about 2 minutes. The expected session length is about 10-15 minutes. Because there is only one level we expect the player will play the full game because it isn’t very long. 6 6.1 Story Story line In an attempt to create ’live’ scientists decided to approach that aspiration from a whole new perspective. By using living materials from nature’s womb they hoped to create a new life form. Deep below the earth scientists build a laboratory where they created their first prototype: a basis insect build completely with wood, earth, roots and vines. Because its body consists of living materials the insect was capable of living and its own cognitive thoughts. Even though just a prototype that first basic insect was a great motivator for the scientists to keep producing. Now that they knew it was possible the scientists would not stop. Their aspiration proved to be too great to handle. The artificial intelligence within their prototypes started to show the characteristics of a collective mind, a Hive Mind. When the time came when the insects where too numerous to control, it was already too late. The scientists could not challenge the insects when they decided as one to take over the laboratory. A few scientists rushed down to the lowest level of the laboratory where their pride-projects resided: Humanoid robots. The scientists rushed to release them from the growing chambers before they were fully grown and became a part of the collective Hive Mind. As the scientists set the humanoid-robots free they are killed by several insect robots. 6.2 Story flow The player is introduced to the point of the story where the scientists set the first robots of the player’s group free and is immediately thrown into battle with the insects that killed the scientists. 6
- 11. 7 Sound 7.1 Overview The player should feel like he is in a claustrophobic environment. This effect can be done by using DSP (Microsoft reverb). The moment the environment changes to a bigger scene the audio will change accordingly. The reverb effect will change every sound that is playing except for the music. 7.2 Music The music must change pace accordingly to the number of enemies that are approaching the player and the activity of the squad units. This can NOT be done OF COURSE by adjusting the master speed/pitch, because that would ruin the melodies. How we can do that is by changing the drum, bass and guitar tracks according to the state of the squad. The more intensity in the game will result in more intense music. 7.3 Movement Movement will sound like your foot is stuck in the mud and you are pulling your foot out of the mud. Some enemies will be able to fly. These flying sounds must be made very recognizable. These sounds must be scaled to a bigger proportion because these creatures are pretty big. But alas, we haven’t found the right sounds yet, so there is not much sound for movements. 7.4 Weapons Every weapon of the squad in the game has a recognizable sound. Not every weapon of the enemies are in place yet. 7.5 Ambient The only ambient sounds present are water drops. 8 Specifications 8.1 General specifications Not allowed: Red blood or gore, nudity, mature language and cracking bone sounds. 8.2 8.2.1 Technical specifications Platform The platform of this game will be the Xbox 360, the game focusing on Live Arcade using the Xbox 360 controller. 8.2.2 Game size The screen resolution of Hive Mind will be 1280 x 720 (aspect ratio 16:9). The field of view will be approximately 100. The game must fit in 100 to 500 Mb. 7
- 12. 8.2.3 Frame rate Hive mind will have to run in minimum 45 frames per second and maximum 60 frames per second if your PC is powerful enough... 9 9.1 Usability Usability issues In Hive Mind, the player will have to know what the different types of robots can do. They are the different types of weapons you can employ, so it’s important the player knows their strengths. By showing the player which strengths a robot has also displays the different weaknesses the enemies have. 9.2 How to play When the game starts the difficulty of the level is very low allowing the player to become familiar with the controls, the different types of robots and the different types of enemies. At the very start of the game, the game will guide the player through all the buttons that can be used by a small in-game window. Every time the player obtains a new type of robot the player will have to use that robot immediately to advance in the level. 9.3 Timing The basis controls are explained at the very start of the game. The specific utilities of every robot are explained when they are obtained by the player. 9.4 Layout The layout will be small 2D in-game windows with when necessary animated controls. 9.5 Learning curve As the game progresses the player will be allowed to use more different types of robots and will be controlling a larger group. With every stage the amount of enemies will increase, they will become more strategic and attack in larger and more diverse waves. At specific points during the game the player will have a chance to get another type of unit. During the first few stages the difficulty curve is not very steep but as the game progresses the players have to become more experienced to complete the final levels. 8