Game Design: I

Sparks

You are part of a development team working on a third person survival game called Sparks. The game takes place in the rundown village of Cog and its surrounding landscape. The natural world has long since turned its back on mechanised industry and is slowly but surely cleansing the land of its presence. You play as Sparks a teenage robot struggling to come to terms with natures hate of the industrialised world, each day Sparks' village is attacked by natural creatures. By day you help defend the village from attacks, by night you explore the surrounding areas and gather resources to aid both Sparks' and the Village’s development.   General game mechanics Resource collection: Sparks is able to collect a range of different resources. These resources can be used in many different scenarios in the game for example to defend, power lights, build better resources, collect tools, mend robots, create  companions (robot dog) and for individual quest missions. Over using particular resources will affect the environment surrounding the village and further gathering of that particular resource would becomes more difficult, therefore resource gathering becomes a balancing act between robot need and robot greed. (This mechanic maybe too complex for the brief.) Combat: Sparks, the other robots and the creatures have a range of different attacks that develop over the course of the game. Sparks upgrades: Through collecting rare resources sparks can upgrade his abilities. Movement: Even though Sparks and the others are robots they will need to have a smooth animation well thought secondary animation that compliments their design.     Characters Even though Sparks and those in his village are robots, they all have very identifiably human characteristics. Sparks is the protagonist, he is a teenage robot struggling to come to terms with natures hate of the industrialised world, he appreciates the beauty of nature but doesn't understand it's hate. NPCs "Naturists" are trying to destroy the village of Cog, these could come in many forms such as  humans, animals or plants. They are referred to as Natural Creatures in this document. The Robots are the friendly NPC, they will help you defend the village, ask quests of you and help you gather resources.  The Environment: Village of Cog- is a rundown village containing a tired race of robots. The village features dilapidated huts, shelters, old industrial works etc... Nature plays its part inside the village, adding flourishes of colour in the form of flowers and other plants creeping through the cracks. Surrounding Landscape- The landscape around Cog is varied, featuring dense forests to open plains. Piercing through the trees are elements of destroyed industrial works. During the night the forest comes alive with luminous industrial waste and monuments to industrial times past. Nature adds beauty to Cog and Industry adds beauty to the Landscape.         USP Exploration of combining resources to form upgrades. The ability to shape Sparks’ character and Village through collecting and building. Further Development Take one of the mechanics described and develop if further. Think logically about what is  feasible within your group’s constraints and what will yield the most effective results. The developed mechanic needs to stay true to the core concepts and further the games ideas. Quests Develop a step-by-step walkthrough of one of Sparks’ main quests as well as the following day defence mission. You'll need a clear understanding of the basic mechanics before this can be further developed. Below is a list of some of the things that will need to be considered:  How far through the game is the quest?  What ability does Sparks have?  How developed has the town become?  Has the surrounding landscape changed?  What items are needed?  Will there be dialogue?  Can sparks build other items or not?  What resources are used and how?  How will the camera be positioned?  What landmarks will be used to guide the player through the games space?  What locations will Sparks go through?  What will be attacking Sparks? Develop an exciting cut scene for the end of this mission.    References  Think contrasting beauty and stylistic character design. Both industry and nature can be ugly in their own ways, but together with they can complement each other. When designing the robot characters think about what they might have done before, what their previously work role might have been and how that has informed their design and personality. Also, when anthropomorphising the characters think about their mannerisms, movements and the mirroring of human/robot needs. For example food, warmth, family, shelter, companionship etc... Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Machinarium Death spank Ashley wood (Sparrow, Robot art work) Avatar (illuminated forests)