Game Design: IV

Des Bois

From Electronic Arts Bright Light You are part of a game development team working on a 3rd person action adventure game called Des bois. The game takes place in a forest environment and the main objective is to protect your forest. You play as a protector of the woodland, Morea. The urbanised world is very slowly moving in on your home, and you must try to keep them away. General game mechanics: Shape-shifting – Morea is able to take on the form of animals of the forest, she can only do this when being in close contact of them. It is an important ability as she uses this to overcome obstacles in the environment and to escape the urbanites and their machines.  Movement – Morea must be able to move around fluidly, from running to jumping to rolling, she needs to be able to move where she needs to fast. Combat – Morea is a peaceful character so she doesn’t really use fighting as a solution, however some animals in the forest are violent, which could then influence her when she shape-shifts. NPC follow – As well as shape-shifting into animals Morea can get animals to follow her, then allowing her to change into them at a later time, when they may be needed. Characters: Morea – She is the protagonist of the game, she only wishes to protect her home. NPCs ‘Them’ – many people are trying to destroy Morea’s forest, for means of profit and gain, they come in forms such as machines or people, and they will also be referred to as urbanites in this document. The animals – they populate the forest and are friendly with Morea, their placement in the game should be able to aid Morea. Examples of this could be exploring the environment, or to outsmart the urbanites.  The forest: The forest is a large environment that Morea is able to explore; a lush forest, full with wildlife, foliage and the tallest canopies.  USP: The selling point of the game is the dynamic change between different forms, alongside the fluid fast movement in a stylised manner. The type of play experience the user receives is determined upon how the player tries to deal with situations. From this game concept, work up the following: Develop one of the game mechanics:  Take one of the game mechanics which are outlined above and develop it further. When designing the mechanic, you need to think of all the elements needed to make it work well while keeping it true to the concept. It also has aid the game to be unique, stylistic, attractive and different from any other similar games. Example: Movement mechanic When developing this mechanic, you might need to think about: Controls – Are button presses needed, will it be mapped out easily for the player Camera system – where will the stationary camera sit in order to always be in the best position for the player Use of the environment –  What is able to be climbed/jumped or ran onto, and what aids the player in moving aroun Write a scenario walkthrough: Write the walkthrough for one of the main scenarios in the game. Scenario synopsis: after just fending off a large amount of urbanites, resting atop the forests tallest tree to survey her forest she notices a fire in the distance. She must race down in the direction of the disturbance. Using the environment to her advantage, and fending off any urbanites she encounters on the way. Walkthrough: Describe the scenario by using step-by-step descriptions. You may use any of the mechanics which are detailed above. While making sure the gameplay engages the player at all times. When writing the detailed walkthrough, you can use the following template as guideline: Location: Describe any location(s) used for the scenario. Items:  List any interactive items, or pieces of environment Characters: Are there any enemies in the scenario or destructive machines? Are there any friendly NPCs around, like animals to aid you? Wow moments of the scenario: Describe any spectacular, Wow! moments that will make an amazing experience for the player. Do certain actions set off set pieces? Do they trigger non-interactive cut scenes or do you still keep control of your character as the cut scene plays out?  Above all, games ask the player to invest their time and energy, and as such should be equally rewarded for their efforts. Although the game should silently ramp rewards throughout the game through the guise of player empowerment, it is these sections that visually spoil the player and should make the most memorable parts of the game. References: Think beautiful environments, stylistic characters. The machines and people should be easily distinguishable from the environment. The types of machines, how they move and function are completely down to how you imagine them, try to think differently from your average machine. A few examples are: Watership down Mini Ninjas Brendan and the Secret of Kells Princess Mononoke