OVERVIEW - Talk GAMEPLAY

1 short sentences about the overall gameplay

1-2 Paragraphs setting up the storyline or environment of the game. Describe the first 2 minutes after the player hits the start button

2-3 sentences that sum up the general gameplay, the general visual style and the overall feel of the game.

Target Platform / Minimum Hardware:

What platforms are you making this game for, what engine is it in, what are the min specs players need to play this, etc etc?

Visual Style

Description of the visual style. This section of the game design document is very important when the director is not the visual designer. Even when the same person, this section will be a great inspiration and motivator for the rest of the team, as well as help pitch the idea to any stakeholders.

The section should include visual references as well as concept art of locations, sketches etc.

Audio Style

Describe the Audio style of the game..

• Music style and Genre with References

• Audio Effects style

• The kind of characters that would have dialogue with references

• When dialogue or voice work would be used

Starting Out

Game start – Main Menu – Character Selection/Creation

• Describe how the game loads up, what does the player do?

• What happens after he/she gets past the loading screen and first menu?

• How is the character selection / creation handled?

• How is their character management handled? How do they outfit their character? What is the interface like with the store or management screen?

• What does the player use to purchase upgrades for his weapon, how is this currency earned? What can be purchased? Can they sell back?

• Do they even have access to this before the intro campaign?

Game Start and Intro

• After they create and setup their character what do they do? How do they start the game? How do they choose or find a server? Are their choices limited in the beginning?

• Is there a single player option and a multiplayer? Is there some kind of tutorial they go through? Maybe a start mission or a brief little story mode to guide them through the mechanics of the game, introducing them to one mechanic per level, setting up the level so that they need a minimum amount of points to pass and that they have to use a specific mechanic in the level to achieve that.

• How many levels do they go through to learn all of the basic mechanics?

• General overview of gameplay, how does the level start, what information is displayed to the player before, during and immediately after loading and how is it displayed?

• How are the players setup and spawned?

• Describe the gameplay briefly once the game starts

In-Game HUD & Menus

• Describe the HUD in a sentence or two, what information is being displayed and how?(Diegetically?)

• How are the menu's, the server selection hub, the store, the mission selections visually represented and interacted with in game?

Multiplayer (If Applicable)

• For the multiplayer how is the server setup handled? Alternatively how do non hosts find servers and how are their paired with other players?

• What environments/levels are available to the player in the beginning? What game options are available to players and the host before the game starts?

• Describe in-game options available to both the host and the players. How is the options screen displayed?

• What happens when the match is over? What A/V event is displayed for the winners / losers?

• How are the scores tabulated and describe the end-game / leaderboard screen

• What options do the players have right before exiting the match?

• What happens immediately after the players exit the match? What screen are they taken to and what do they get from the match(currency, score, xp, etc etc)

UI

Main Menu

Describe the aesthetics and style of the menu, how it is displayed and how it is interacted with. Cite examples and post images of reference menus.

Flowchart and/or Wireframe of Main menu

Player Customization / Store

List the elements and options for the UI involved with setting up the player, buying and selling weapons, equiping items, etc etc.

Flow Chart and/or Wireframe

Game setup Screen

Go over the elements, options and UI involved with setting up or joining a match in multiplayer or starting/resuming a single player game.

Flow Chart and/or Wireframe

In-Game Options Menu

Flow Chart and/or Wireframe

In-Game HUD

Describe what information needs to be displayed and how it will be displayed. Cite examples and shot sample shots of other games that contain similar styles or elements

Wireframe

Game Over Screen

What information is displayed once a match is finished?

Wireframe

Level Selection

Describe the level selection and unlocking process. How many levels does your average player start out with and how does he progress through the game? How are the levels organized and grouped? Are there distinct areas within the game and levels within those areas? What motivates the player to unlock and go through the levels?

WireFrame

Level Types:

If there are distinct sectors or groupings of levels(ie: desert, cities, river, outpost) how are they grouped and what groups are planned? How does the player access/unlock them? Each level type or sector should have a template that defines key characteristics that are common in all levels within this sector, not only visually but even strategically. Describe each level type in detail and go over the characteristics that define them, both from an aesthetic and gameplay stand point.

Full Level List

A full rundown of the levels to be included in the game, organized by grouping. Full details of each level should be contained within a separate level design document.

Gameplay

Go over the gameplay from start to finished.. Break this section up into the setup in the beginning, what the first couple things are that happens when the match starts. How do the players prepare or get ready?

• What's the middle game like, what will the player spend the majority of his time doing while playing the game?

• What are our emotional objectives in the player, what kind of gameplay are we trying to foster here and how are we achieving or working towards those goals?

• What kind of play styles are available to the player?

• How does the player interact with the environment?

• What are the main challenges facing the player and how are we rewarding the player for successful behavior.

• Describe the multiplayer aspect of gamplay both from the adversarial/competitive aspect and from the co-operative aspect

Mechanics

What kind of mechanics are to be employed in the game? Go over movement, combat, health, equipment usage, special abilities and anything else that governs how the player plays the game.

Controls

Describe how the player controls his character, fires his weapon, etc etc.

Modes

What modes are available to the player, if any?

WINNING THE MATCH

Describe the conditions for winning the game. How long do matches/games last? What determines when the game is over?

Score

After the match is over, how is the score calculated and how are

Currency

How much money do the players earn per match or per action? Are there modifiers applied to this amount for specific actions?

Challenges of importance

Are there certain challenges, events or levels within the game that are more important and challenging than others. Challenges that represent large progress jumps and can unlock new items, abilities or areas

Missions and Achievements

Is there a mission or achievement system? How does it work? What is the purpose of this system? Go over all achievements and rewards

Assets

A technical documentation describing the requirements of all assets created for the game.

2D: Style and Requirements for model sheets, environmental illustrations, and promo pieces.

3D: Tri budgets for Chars, props and weapons

Textures: Dimensions, maps needed and file formats

Naming conventions with examples

Animation requirements: Rigging limits, Programs to be used for rigging and animation

A full asset list, budget and schedule will be laid out within a spreadsheetw

Characters

A run down of all of the 2D, 3D, Animation and Audio work needed for the characters of the game. Including back story, abilities and special traits

Weapons

A run down of all of the 2D, 3D, VFX and Audio work needed for the weapons of the game

All stats and abilities of each weapon to be described in detail as well as their cost

Equipment and Upgrades

A run down of all of the 2D, 3D and Audio work needed for the equipment of the game

All costs, abilities and bonuses associated with equipment to be laid out in detail

Environmental

All global environmental assets(which could be reskinned depending on the level they appear in) to be laid out here as well as their role in the puzzle process and their possible effect on the scene and environment around them.

Audio

All global audio assets like UI sounds and audio tracks

Back Story

Desribe the backstory of the game, if any

CINEMATICS

Any cinematics should be listed and described here. Further detail to be found in a beat sheet