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10 IT, Term 4 2012 Mr. Miles

GAME DESIGN BRIEF

Student Name: Jack Carey

Game Development

Information and Communication

Technologies

ICT GAME DEVELOPMENT

As part of your assessment for this unit of work you will need to complete a DESIGN BRIEF. This can be done before you start the game development or as you go along but must be handed in by 22nd November, 2012. Submit this to MyPLS

The ideas for your game should be original and of your own creation. You may use the help manuals on the school network, online resources from http://ictmindtools.net/gamemaker/ or http://www.yoyogames.com/make and any other resources that you have access to. However, you should not get help from other students, friends or teachers in the creation of your game.

The following sheets should be completed electronically as you go along and the checklist completed before you hand everything in by the deadline.

You may use some of the objects from the libraries but must also have some elements that you have designed yourself. The more original your designs the higher marks your game will attract.

Examples could be

A murder mystery adventure set in a haunted house (quiz)

Find the treasure adventure set underwater (maze)

Eliminate and evade enemies (first person shooter)

Rescue the princess from the castle dungeon (platform)

Game Development

http://www.yoyogames.com/make

http://ictmindtools.net/gamemaker/


Game Ideas Planning

Select from the following (or add your own) to help get your creative juices flowing, and then complete the tables that follow.

What challenges will your game have?:

Dodging enemies Defeating enemies

Collecting objects Reaching an end goal

Gaining power-ups

Decide the environment in which you game will be played:

An interior factory-type area

Choose the characters you will have:

A pac-man character Enemy ghosts

Game Development


My Game Ideas

Selections

Once you have decided on a game idea, describe what that is and list the different environments your game will have; the characters and challenges associated with each in the fields below:

General Game Idea (not a Game Play)

Your name is Gregory, and you are the nephew of the famous Pacman. For your entire life, you have lived in the shadow of your famous, successful and well-known uncle. Now, you have had enough. You decide to take off one day and travel to an abandoned factory. There are rumours of ghosts that haunt the establishment… however great treasure is said to lay in wait of a brave adventurer to collect it… You embark on a treacherous quest to explore the haunted factory, return and share your tales, earning you fame and recognition…

Environment 1 Characters x 1 Challenges x 1

1. Indiscriminate tutorial level

1. Gregory 1. Learning the game controls.


2. Entrance1. Gregory 1. Entering the factory


2. Easiest Maze1. Gregory

2. Collecting PointBalls.

3. Collecting the PowerCoin.


1. Slightly harder maze

1. Gregory

2. Pink ghost



3. Avoiding ghosts or eating them.


4. Medium Difficulty Maze

1. Gregory

2. Pink Ghost

3. Blue Ghost



6. Avoiding ghosts or eating them.

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5. Even Harder Maze

1. Gregory2. Pink Ghost3. Blue Ghost3. Red Ghost



3. Avoiding the ghosts or eating them.


6. Hardest Maze

1. Gregory2. Pink Ghost3. Blue Ghost4. Red Ghost5. Orange Ghost



3. Avoiding the ghosts or eating them.


7. Final Room1. Gregory

1. Viewing reward using the collected PowerCoins.

2. Viewing high-scores.

My Game Elements

Once you have discussed this, then list your main objects and their expected behaviours

object name behaviourObj_pacman Move through a level defeating or avoiding enemies to reach the end goalObj_tutorialpacman A non-motion animated player characterObj_wall (16 different kinds)

A non-motion, solid wall, outlining the level boundaries and obstacles

Obj_powercoin Each level’s end goalObj_tutorial_powercoin A non-event-triggering animated PowerCoinObj_music Plays the game’s background musicObj_pointball Adds 10 to the player’s scoreObj_tutorial_pointball A static object, does nothingObj_text_tutorial (6 different kinds)

The tutorial’s text, outlining movement, pick-ups and enemies

Obj_ghost (4 different kinds)

The player’s enemy, move in pre-defined paths and kill player in one hit.

Obj_menu (4 different kinds)

The buttons used in the game’s menu

Obj_pillbottle Player pick-up, grants a temporary rage allowing enemies to be defeated

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Obj_button Unlocks locked doorObj_powerpacman Same as regular but faster, flaming and can eat ghosts.

List the key media and write down your ideas and / or draw sketches / insert preliminary screenshots for:

soundsdeathPowerCoinPointball

musicheavy metal / rock musicnice soothing background music

voice

spritesThe player’s animations, including the rage animationThe enemy ghostsThe wallsThe wallsThe buttonsThe collectablesThe reward

backgroundsLight blue metal

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Targeting the Game

Before you start designing your computer game, you must decide who is going to play it. If your game ideas is for you and your friends then the players will be a boy or girl of your own age. But if the game is for someone younger or older than you, then you have to think carefully about what to include. Read the table below that shows what should and should not be included in computer games for each age range.

Age Group Desirable Features Undesirable Features

Pre school (Ages 2-5)

Simple keyboard or mouse control Large hotspots Simple intuitive instruction Use speech wisely Simple bright imagery

Unfriendly or frightening images

Complex interfaces Reading text-based

interactions

Elementary (Ages 5-8)

Safe enemies Simple humour More emphasis on mouse control

Violence, blood or gore.

Middle (Ages 8-12)

Extendible to older age groups Well known characters Growing richness of language and

instruction Increased manual dexterity

Babyish material Limited competition and

reward

Teens (Ages 12-17)

Edutainment targeted at parents Testosterone – based on boys Social based for girls

Un-cool story lines or characters

Too complex story lines for boys

Fighting, blood and body function humour for girls.

Adult(17 and up)

Complexity or plot and adult themes Competition and cooperation

Limited variety or extendibility of the game

Purely dependent on luck

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My Game Story (Game Play)

Write a detailed outline of your game using the learnt game play writing techniques from class, compiling it using the framework below:

Title: Om Nom Nom

Age group: 5 - 12

Target Audience: Elementary to Middle

Write a brief outline of the game

Beginning Your name is Gregory, and you are the nephew of the famous Pacman. For your entire life, you have lived in the shadow of your famous, successful and well-known uncle. Now, you have had enough. You decide to take off one day and travel to an abandoned factory. There are rumours of ghosts that haunt the establishment… however great treasure is said to lay in wait of a brave adventurer to collect it…

Middle You are working your way through the factory, defeating or avoiding ghosts, collecting PowerCoins and PointBalls. You continue your work, hoping to near an end soon.

End You have reached the end of the factory, collecting PowerCoins and PointBalls. You have entered the sacred reward room at the end, and are ready to retrieve your reward…

What does the player have to do?

Fight off enemies or avoid them, solve minor puzzles, pick up collectables, and retrieve your reward.

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Role PlaysCreate a Main Character

Pretend you are the main character in the game and finish the following sentences.

a. My name is Gregory.

b. Describe what the character is and what it looks likeI am a Pacman, yes, but not the Pacman. (Stop making that assumption!) I am green, unlike my uncle, but apart from that more or less the same.

c. This character likes PowerCoins, PointBalls, recognition and fame.

d. This character does not like Living in his uncle’s shadow.

e. Describe what will make this character feel happy, sad and angryFame and recognition make Gregory happy.Living in his uncle’s shadow makes Gregory sad.Having to run away from ghosts makes Gregory angry.

f. Describe how this character will be able to move and what it will be able to do, for example will it be able to jump, spin or walk? Will it be able to cast spells, move objects or hide?Gregory can move left or right, consume ‘Unsuspicious Pills’, pick up collectables, and generally quest in an adventurous manner.

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Other Character/s

Pretend you are one of the other characters in the game and finish the following sentences.

a. My name is Pink Ghost

b. Describe what the character is and what it looks likeI am a ghost, and I am pink. ‘Nuff said.

c. This character likes eating Gregory (or anyone).

d. This character does not like being eaten.

e. Describe what will make this character feel happy, sad and angryEating Gregory (or anyone for that matter) makes me happy.Other ghosts buddies being killed makes me sad.Being eaten makes me angry (and dead).

Describe how this character will be able to move and what it will be able to do, for example will it be able to jump, spin or walk? Will it be able to cast spells, move objects or hide?I can move in random directions, and eat Gregory.

Other Character/s

Pretend you are one of the other characters in the game and finish the following sentences.

a. My name is Blue Ghost

b. Describe what the character is and what it looks likeI am also a ghost, but blue.

c. This character likes eating Gregory (or anyone).

d. This character does not like being eaten.

e. Describe what will make this character feel happy, sad and angryEating Gregory (or anyone for that matter) makes me happy.Other ghosts buddies being killed makes me sad.Being eaten makes me angry (and dead).

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Describe how this character will be able to move and what it will be able to do, for example will it be able to jump, spin or walk? Will it be able to cast spells, move objects or hide?I can move in random directions, and eat Gregory.

Leap into the Game

Pretend that you are the main character and you are going to leap into the game.

1. What will you see? Describe places, describe where you are.A haunted factory, abandoned, no one around… You want to go in and get the ultimate reward and come out of your uncle’s shadow.

2. What will you hear?A soothing background music, however if you consume pills you will hear heavy metal or rock music.

3. Who is the first character or characters that you will meet?Gregory, the protagonist/

4. Describe what you have to do to play the game and what you have to do to finish the game.

Work your way through several different environments, fighting off or avoiding enemies, collecting power-ups. To finish the game you must achieve the ultimate reward.

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Creating the Storyboard

Use these questions to help sequence and structure the ideas you have for your game.

1. Where/when does the game begin?At the edge of the forest. Early morning. In Medieval times.Midday, outside a haunted factory.

2. Who is going to appear in the game?Main characters are a knight, a princess, a wicket king, a fierce dragon.Gregory (Pacman’s nephew), and the four ghosts.

3. Do you have an exciting beginning to set the scene and make the player want to play on?The knight is riding at the edge of the forest. He hears a loud scream, a dragon’s roar and sees flames shooting into the sky.The promise of the ultimate reward.

4. How does the game develop?The knight is riding at the edge of the forest. He can see a tower hidden by trees and covered by ivy. He sees a princess at the window. To rescue here he has to outwit the wicked king and make the dragon his friend.You must defeat or evade enemies on your quest to gain the ultimate reward.

5. How does the game end?The knight rescues the princess. The forest turns into a beautiful land.You achieve the reward.

6. How many and what type of puzzles are there to solve?4 puzzles – a maze, a target game, a sequencing game, a word game.There are 5 different mazes.

7. What happens if a player does not solve the puzzle?Loses time on the clock or may have to start again.To fail you must die, so the player must start again.

8. What happens if a player solves the puzzle?He/she moves on to the next part and ‘banks’ the time they did not use.They move to the next scene.

Once you have completed this then use the “Game Storyboard template” off the moodle and translate your answers to a visual storyboard which you can later use when developing the game.

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Testing

All good games go through several stages of testing before they are considered good enough to be released to the public. You will need to test your games at different stages by someone who is equivalent to your target group to ensure that it doesn’t have any bugs, is not too hard or too easy, instructions are easily understood etc. For the purposes of the assessment this must be done 2 times by different people.

Test 1 Date:

Tester Name Designer Name Game Name Bugs/problems Corrections

Test 2 Date:

Tester Name Designer Name Game Name Bugs/problems Corrections

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GAME DESIGN CHECKLIST Name: Jack

Task Date Completed Checked Mark

Decide on a good idea for the game

Y

Decide on Target Audience for the game

Y

Map out what the game will look like and what the player has to do

Y

Design challenges Y

Design characters Y

Design Environments

Y

Indicate levels and degree of difficulty

Y

Produce action noises for one section

Y

Display of ideas

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Entertainment & Humor

powercoin obj

ict game development

game elements

game controls

factory challenges x

gregory characters x

gregorychallenges x

game ideas selections