Specific Interim Report Game Design Elements

Every Game team has a different game design document, so no two are exactly alike. But, every proper game design should include the following headings:

Genre

Choose the genre fro the fiction genres, gameplay types, and playing perspectives.

Setting

Describe the general areas and environments likely to be explored in this game. Give a brief summary of the types of places the player is likely to see.

Characters

There are three general categories for characters. They are the Avatar (the Player's character); the Allies/Team Mates/NPCs (those characters that are not the player's character but serve some position in the game); and the Obstacles/Enemies/Bosses (those thing that offer the player challenges).

• The Avatar - This is the player character or protagonist of the game story.
• Allies/Team Mates/NPCs - Give full descriptions, including the basic function of any computer-controlled non-player characters who won't attack a player.
• Obstacles/Enemies/Bosses - Give full descriptions of the environmental hazards your levels might include, such as poisonous plants, spinning saw blades, or exploding barrels.

Premise

This should contain the most important woords in the document because this captivating blurb will form game proposals and submissions for you in the future. It must sell the document, as well as the game, to the reader! Take your Killer Game Concept and write it down.

In two or three sentences, describe the game in an excited manner. You need to describe the player's objective in the game - while keeping your descriptions short and to-the-point. Include any meaningul bits of information that cannot wait until the next sentence. What is the player to achieve in the game, and what is going to try and stop her?

Synopsis

Write a detailed synopsis of lthe game story and plot development as points along the way here. You should also create path trees displayed in a flow chart (see sample flow chart below).

(Sample Flowchart from Textbook)

The game story should never be static. The player's choices shape the major plot twists, where the story might branch, diverge, or even come out to different endings.

Game flowcharts, are intrinsically the same as algorithm flowcharts, but cover more story fluff. Some designers actually take the game flowcharts (direct from the game synopsis) to programming.

Keep in mind that the player must have muliple paths to take to get to the end (or the win solution) of the game.

Player Motivation

There are many factors that motivate people to play games. Here are a few:

• Escapism
• Competition
• Social interaction
• Creative expression
• Taboo
• Knowledge
• Mastery
• Addiction
• Therapy

Target Audience

1. Psychographics - What are the components of players' lifestyles, beliefs, attitudes, and values? How do these components affect these players' choice of games?
2. Demographics - encompasses statistical information related to age, gender, income, education, and ethinicity.

• Three major generations:
  • Baby Boomers
  • Generation X
  • Millennial generation

Game Mechanics

The game mechanics list some technically dry material about the various game components, all of which you feel will be vital to game design. A lot of them are what we call resources:

• Health, usually measured as hit points
• Lives (more common in older video games)
• Money
• Fuel
• Population

Game Graphics

Initial illustrations, character sketches, landscape paintings, and son on should be outlined here. A character designs or model sheets of the characters will appear in this section (see sample Model Sheet below).

(Sample Dragons Lair Model Sheet from Textbook)

Game Sound

The sound engineering, music score, voiceovers, and sound effects must be listed in this section.

• Sound Byes (WAV or OGG files):
  • Character Speech
  • Character and Item Noises
  • GUI Events
  • Special Effects
  • Environments
• Music
  • Level Themes
  • Event Jingles
  • Cinematic Compositions