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Game Bible

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Contents

DESIGN DOCUMENT

REVISIONS........................................................................................................................ I

CONTENTS....................................................................................................................... II

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.................................................................................................... 1

1.1 MISSION STATEMENT.................................................................................................... 1

1.2 HIGH CONCEPT............................................................................................................ 1

1.3 LOCALE...................................................................................................................... 1

1.4 GENRE........................................................................................................................ 11.5 BASIC CONTROL.......................................................................................................... 1

1.6 GAME GOAL............................................................................................................... 1

1.7 TARGET PLATFORM...................................................................................................... 11.8 TARGET AUDIENCE....................................................................................................... 1

1.9 KEY FEATURES............................................................................................................ 1

1.10 GENERAL FEATURES................................................................................................... 11.11 PLAYERUPGRADES..................................................................................................... 2

1.12 GAMEPLAY................................................................................................................ 2

1.13 COMPARATIVE PRODUCTS............................................................................................ 21.14 HOWTHISGAMESTACKSUP......................................................................................... 2

1.15 FOLLOW UP PRODUCTS............................................................................................... 2

2 GAME CHARTER............................................................................................................ 3

2.1 MEETING SCHEDULE..................................................................................................... 3

2.2 HOURSWORKEDPERWEEK............................................................................................. 3

2.3 CODE REVIEW PROCESS................................................................................................ 32.4 WHEN THINGS GO WRONG........................................................................................... 3

2.5 DECISION MAKING PROCESS.......................................................................................... 3

2.6 RULESOF CONDUCT..................................................................................................... 32.7 TEAM SUMMARY.......................................................................................................... 3

2.8 INTEGRATION SCHEDULE................................................................................................ 3

3 TREATMENT................................................................................................................... 4

3.1 DUST JACKET STORY.................................................................................................... 4

3.2 FULL STORY................................................................................................................ 4

3.3 CHARACTERATTRIBUTES............................................................................................... 4

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3.4 CHARACTERDESCRIPTIONS............................................................................................ 43.4.1 Name or I.D............................................................................................................. .4

3.5 WEAPONSORABILITIES................................................................................................ 5

3.6 POWERUPS................................................................................................................... 5

3.6.1 Name or I.D............................................................................................................. .53.7 WORLDSAND MAPS..................................................................................................... 6

3.7.1 Name or I.D............................................................................................................. .6

3.8 COMBAT..................................................................................................................... 73.8.1 Combat Type .............................................................................................................73.8.2 Combat Interface ................................................................................................... ...7

3.9 SPECIAL SYSTEMS........................................................................................................ 7

4 INTERACTIVITY.............................................................................................................. 8

4.1 INTERFACE................................................................................................................... 84.1.1 Interface 1 .................................................................................................................8

4.2 FRONT END FLOW CHART............................................................................................. 84.3 GAME FLOW CHART..................................................................................................... 8

4.4 PLAYEREXPERIENCE..................................................................................................... 8

4.5 INTERACTIVE RHYTHM.................................................................................................. 84.6 HOWTHE PLAYERMARKS PROGRESS............................................................................. 8

5 MODULESAND ALGORITHMS........................................................................................... 9

5.1 MODULES.................................................................................................................... 95.1.1 Module Name ............................................................................................................9

5.2 MODULE INTERACTION COMPONENT MATRIX................................................................... 95.3 ALGORITHMS............................................................................................................... 9

5.3.1 Algorithm Name ................................................................................................... .....9

6 KEY ELEMENTS........................................................................................................... 11

6.1 SCORING................................................................................................................... 11

6.2 WINNINGAND LOSING................................................................................................ 11

6.3 TRANSITIONS............................................................................................................. 116.4 REWARDS.................................................................................................................. 11

7 ARTAND PRODUCTION................................................................................................. 12

7.1 STYLEOF ARTAND ANIMATION................................................................................... 12

7.2 STYLEOF SOUND EFFECTS........................................................................................... 12

7.3 STYLEOF MUSIC........................................................................................................ 12

8 ASSETS........................................................................................................................ 13

8.1 3D ART................................................................................................................... 138.1.1 Character Models ...................................................................................... ..... ..... ...13

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8.1.2 Environment Models .............................................................................................. .13

8.2 2D ART................................................................................................................... 138.2.1 Character Art ..........................................................................................................148.2.2 Environment Art ..................................................................................... ..... ..... ..... .14

8.3 SOUND...................................................................................................................... 148.3.1 Music ......................................................................................................................148.3.2 Sound Effects ................................................................................................... ..... ..158.3.3 Recorded Dialog/Voiceovers ...................................................................... ..... ..... ..15

9 SCREENPLAY................................................................................................................ 16

10 WALKTHROUGH......................................................................................................... 17

10.1 MAIN MENU........................................................................................................... 1710.1.1 Main Menu Item 1 .................................................................................................17

10.2 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................... 17

10.2.1 Cut Scene 1 ....................................................................................................... ....1710.3 LEVEL 1 TITLE .................................................................................................... 17

10.3.1 Main area ........................................................................................................... ..1710.3.2 Boss ......................................................................................................... .............17

1 CODING STANDARDS....................................................................................................... 1

1.1 NAMING STANDARDS.................................................................................................... 11.2 PREFIX CONVENTION.................................................................................................... 1

1.3 DEFINES...................................................................................................................... 1

1.4 COMMENTS.................................................................................................................. 11.4.1 File Headers ....................................................................................................... ..... .1

1.4.2 Function comments ................................................................................................. ..21.5 DATA ALIGNMENT........................................................................................................ 2

2 UNIT PLANS.................................................................................................................. 3

2.1 UNIT NAME................................................................................................................. 32.1.1 Description ....................................................................................................... ..... ...32.1.2 Stipulations .................................................................................................. ..... ..... ...3

2.1.3 Interface ....................................................................................................................32.1.4 Members .................................................................................................................. .3

2.1.5 Functions ....................................................................................................... ..... ..... .32.1.6 Dependencies ............................................................................................................4

2.1.7 Flow Chart ................................................................................................................4

2.2 INTEGRATION............................................................................................................... 42.2.1 Schedule ....................................................................................................................42.2.2 Team member roles ...................................................................................................42.2.3 Testing Schedule and Procedures .............................................................. ..... ..... .....4

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DESIGN DOCUMENT

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1 Executive Summary

1.1 Mission Statement

What is your goal in creating this game?

1.2 High Concept

Explain the high design concept in your game.

1.3 Locale

Where will your game take place?

1.4 GenreExplain the genre your game lends itself to.

1.5 Basic Control

List out the control scheme for your game. If multiple schemes exist, list them all. Also

explain what hardware is associated with each scheme.

1.6 Game Goal

What is the player trying to accomplish?

1.7 Target Platform

Include hardware title (PC, Xbox, etc) and specific hardware requirements. List any optional

hardware that can be used with your game (voice input, for example).

1.8 Target Audience

Who will play this game? Also, explain the expected ESRB rating the game will receive and

why.

1.9 Key Features

Quick pitch of main draws of the game.

1.10 General Features

What is used for the various game elements? Engine? Rendering? Audio? Etc

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1.11 Player Upgrades

What types of upgrades will the player have over the course of the game? How will they

obtain these upgrades?

1.12 Gameplay

What type of gameplay are you developing for? Fast paced? A focus on boss fights or

acrobatics? Explain your goals here.

1.13 Comparative Products

Products that are similar to yours and how they are.

1.14 How this game stacks up

How does your game set itself apart?

1.15 Follow Up Products

Are any sequels planned? Briefly describe the plans for these titles here.

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2 Game Charter

2.1 Meeting Schedule

When will your team be working on your title?

2.2 Hours worked per week

Estimated time that your team will be working each week.

2.3 Code Review Process

Plan for discussing new features and code implemented by various team members. Describe

focus group structure and size here.

2.4 When Things Go Wrong

What is the contingency plan for bumps in the road? Describe recovery scenarios for

various high risk situations.

2.5 Decision Making Process

How are major decisions made within your team? What happens when team members dont

agree?

2.6 Rules of Conduct

What are various rules for behavior within the team? What is encouraged and discouraged?

2.7 Team Summary

List out your team members and who is in charge of what. Member mini-bios are also very

useful here. What experience does each member have?

2.8 Integration Schedule

How will modularized aspects of your code be integrated and undergo integration testing?

How often will this process occur?

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3 Treatment

3.1 Dust Jacket Story

Brief description of the story.

3.2 Full Story

The long version of your story.

3.3 Character Attributes

This is a gameplay view of characters. How much health do they have? Speed? What types

of damage do they deal and how much impact will each attack have?

3.4 Character Descriptions

3.4.1 Name or I.D.

3.4.1.1 One Sentence Description

Single sentence to describe character.

3.4.1.2 A Brief Description

More in depth description of character and place in the story. One to two

paragraphs.

3.4.1.3 Backstory

What is the characters story prior to the game?

3.4.1.4 Behaviors

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Character Attributes

Name HP Speed Damage

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What types of behaviors does the character display? This should include

behaviors that impact gameplay, along with behaviors that are purely story

oriented.

3.4.1.5 Concept Art

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Scan in the character concept art here. Describe any necessary design

aspects of the character. This is similar to section 1.3.1.3 of the Initial

Design Document.

3.5 Weapons or Abilities

3.6 Powerups

3.6.1 Name or I.D.

3.6.1.1 Brief Description

Brief Description of weapon. When it is available is also described here.

3.6.1.2 Attributes

Attributes of the weapon or ability. What does it do? What are its pros and

cons?

3.6.1.3 Visual Design

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Describe specific design aspects of this weapon. If it is an ability, include

concept art of the appropriate character using the skill.

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Weapons and/or Abilities

Name Damage Rate of Fire Degree of Fire

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3.7 Worlds and Maps

3.7.1 Name or I.D.

3.7.1.1 One Sentence Desciption

Brief Description of map. When it is available is also described here.

3.7.1.2 Goal

What is the goal of this level?

3.7.1.3 Travel

How does the player get around this world? On foot? Through

transportation means? Is this unique to this area?

3.7.1.4 Scale

Approximate size of the map. This is especially important for prioritizationand budget analysis.

3.7.1.5 Backstory

What is the story behind this map which extends prior to your game?

3.7.1.6 Rules

What rules exist in this map? This may include lava/chemical pits that

damage the player or certain NPCs which can or can not be attacked, to name

a few examples.

3.7.1.7 Attributes

What are the various attributes of the area? Is it a wasteland or a utopia, forexample?

3.7.1.8 Environmental Interactions

More detailed descriptions of elements of the map and what can be done with

each element. Can certain boxes be used? NPCs be talked to or otherwise

interacted with?

3.7.1.9 Ambient Environmental Aspects

What kinds of elements are present in the background of the level? Skies in

flames? Meteor showers?

3.7.1.10 Time

How much time is expected to be spent on the level?

3.7.1.11 Visual Design

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Describe the areas design and why certain aspects were positioned as they

were.

3.8 Combat

3.8.1 Combat Type

What type of combat is in your game? Is it turned based, hack-n-slash, etc.?

3.8.2 Combat Interface

How is combat achieved? Menu traversal or button combinations? A combination of

both?

3.9 Special Systems

Miscellaneous gameplay systems that have been produced solely for this title. What are the

pros and cons of this feature?

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4 Interactivity

4.1 Interface

4.1.1 Interface 1

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Describe the various aspects of the interface displayed in the above screenshot. These

will be necessary for menus, loading screens, and various interfaces that exist

throughout different game phases.

4.2 Front End Flow Chart

This flow chart mainly deals with the flow of the main menu and entering a new game.

4.3 Game Flow Chart

Give a diagram which explains the movement through main game states at a high level view.

This may include main menus, main game loop, game over, continues, etc.

4.4 Player Experience

What do you foresee as the overall player experience. References can be made here to

surveys conducted during focus groups, and whether or not goals were met or not, and whatalterations were made to ensure the proper experience was conveyed..

4.5 Interactive Rhythm

What is the rhythm of the game and its interaction with the user? Is the combat fast paced orthought provoking? Are decisions made and expressed quickly through a simple interface or

is the goal a thought provoking sequence that traverses a detailed and complex decision

making menu system?

4.6 How the Player Marks Progress

How does the player mark his or her progress? Whether this is experience points or simply

progressing through a compelling storyline, describe it here.

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5 Modules and Algorithms

5.1 Modules

5.1.1 Module Name

5.1.1.1 Description

Describe the module and its purpose.

5.1.1.2 Criticality

Rate the criticality of the module from 1 to 10. When you are done, list the

modules in order from highest criticality to least criticality.

5.1.1.3 Risks

Describe any risks that are involved with this module.

5.1.1.4 Rules

What rules are in place for this module? An example of this would be the

format of a date this is passed into the module, etc.

5.1.1.5 Interaction

List other modules that interact with this one. Describe information that is

passed between them and information that is outputted and in what format

these interactions occur.

5.2 Module Interaction Component Matrix>

Describe your diagram and explain the functionality and necessity of various components.

5.3 Algorithms

5.3.1 Algorithm Name

5.3.1.1 Description

Describe the algorithm and its purpose. How does it work? What is its role

in the product?

5.3.1.2 Criticality

Rate the criticality of the algorithm from 1 to 10. When you are done, list the

algorithms in order from highest criticality to least criticality.

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5.3.1.3 Risks

Describe the risks involved with this algorithm. What are its weak spots?

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6 Key Elements

6.1 Scoring

Explain the scoring scheme. When does the score escalate? When does this rate change? If

scoring is not direct in your title, ranking of players is also applicable.

6.2 Winning and Losing

How does the player win? How does the player lose? What happens in each case?

6.3 Transitions

Explain transitions which exist between various gameplay phases.

6.4 Rewards

What reward system is in place for your audience?

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7 Art and Production

7.1 Style of Art and Animation

Describe the visual style of your game. What kind of look and feel is present in your

product?

7.2 Style of Sound Effects

What kinds of sounds are going to be present in your game?

7.3 Style of Music

What kind of music does your title contain? References to other games, movies, or albums

can be helpful here.

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8 Assets

8.1 3D Art

8.1.1 Character Models

8.1.1.1 Model Name or I.D.

The name of your model. This should correspond and reference a specific

subsection from section 3.4.

8.1.1.1.1 Description

Description of model. Who is this in your game?

8.1.1.1.2 Duration

How long is this model present?

8.1.1.1.3 Design Factors

How were design factors for the character concept implemented in

the model? List any failures that occurred in implementation here as

well.

8.1.2 Environment Models

8.1.2.1 Model Name or I.D.


Description of model. What is this in your game?

8.1.2.1.2 Duration

How long is this model present?


How were design factors for the initial drawn concept implemented

in the model? This may not be applicable for simple models, but

will be crucial for aspects of the environment that the player interacts

heavily with (a bridge that collapses or a rope that is cut while

traversing, for example).

8.2 2D Art

These are usually present even in 3D games! HUD and menu buttons are just a few

examples.

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8.2.1 Character Art

8.2.1.1 Name or I.D.


Brief description and purpose of art.

8.2.1.1.2 Duration

How long is this art present?


Were there design factors that played a role in the art?

8.2.2 Environment Art



Brief description and purpose of art.

8.2.2.1.2 Duration

How long is this art present?


Were there design factors that played a role in the art? A health

gauge flashing when health is low would be an example of this.

8.3 Sound

8.3.1 Music



Brief description and purpose of sound.

8.3.1.1.2 Duration

How long is this sound present?


What were design factors in this sound?

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8.3.2 Sound Effects




8.3.2.1.2 Duration




8.3.3 Recorded Dialog/Voiceovers




8.3.3.1.2 Duration




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9 Screenplay

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10 Walkthrough

In the following section, I have included some basic elements as an example of how to layout your projects info. You will want to be as detailed as possible here. Describe the main

menu, then its submenus in subsections. Describe those submenus with even moresubsections. This will be a text walkthrough of the high level concepts you presented in your

flow charts previously.

10.1 Main Menu

10.1.1 Main Menu Item 1

Describe what the player does at this point. A common example of what would go here

would be New Game. Make a subsection for each menu item and continue as

appropriate.

10.2 Introduction

10.2.1 Cut Scene 1

Describe. Make subsections as appropriate.

10.3 Level 1 Title

10.3.1 Main area

Describe what the player does to completely traverse this level.

10.3.2 Boss

Describe the boss and strategies that were considered to beat him during development.

Etc, etc, etc

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TECHNICAL DOCUMENT

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1 Coding Standards

1.1 Naming Standards

Describe generic naming standards here.

1.2 Prefix Convention

When creating an instance of types you should give each variable a prefix that is

appropriate for that type. For example, a b in front of a variable that is a Boolean or a

t in front of a structure type. Remove this paragraph and fill in the table below for

this section.

1.3 Defines

Describe your policy for how data will be coded to standard for the define keyword

in C/C++.

1.4 Comments

Here you should give a brief overview of what style of comments is to be used.Will /* ever be used in C/C++ projects, for example? Will you put specific labels on

any comment or author them with initials to track who commented what?

1.4.1 File HeadersHere you should give a brief overview of how to format comments at the top of

your files. An example is given below.

Header Example:

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Prefix Conventions

Type Prefix Example

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//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

// File: Levelhandler.h// Author: Jonathan Buffey

// Creation Date: March 03, 2007

//// Purpose: Handles level events

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

1.4.2 Function comments

This section should explain how you will comment each function in your code.This usually involves function name, brief description, input parameter

description, output data description, etc.

1.5 Data Alignment

Describe alignment of data in your code. How will indentation and ordering work?

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2 Unit Plans

2.1 Unit Name

This section will be MUCH larger than it first appears. You will need to make sections for

all of the units which occur in your product. This includes, but is not in any way limited to: a

renderer, front end events, main menu, HUD, in-game menu, input handlers, level/event

handlers, sound wrappers, collisions modules, and animation systems.

2.1.1 Description

What is it?

2.1.2 StipulationsWhat needs to occur in the rest of the code for this module to work properly?

2.1.3 Interface

Most importantly, this section describes how this module interfaces with additional

units that are being developed for the product. Also, it briefly describes how the player

will be interacting with the module, often by describing yet more interfaces it has with

the other modules in the system (i.e. the input module).

2.1.4 Members


2.1.4.1.1 Data Type

List what type of data type the member is. Is it an int or a double, for

example? If it is an ADT, be sure to describe what the data type is.

2.1.4.1.2 Function

Describe the member of the module here and what its purpose is.

Any global variables would be included in the list of members.

2.1.5 Functions2.1.4.1 Name or I.D.

2.1.4.1.1 Purpose

Explain what the function does.

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2.1.4.1.2 Parameters

List the parameters here, their data types, and give a brief description

of what they are used for.

2.1.4.1.3 Output

Describe what the function outputs. If void, describe how the data is

communicated back to the system or user.

2.1.6 Dependencies

List your modular dependencies here and explain why they are necessary.

2.1.7 Flow ChartA flow chart which explains the different states

2.2 Integration

2.2.1 Schedule

When will your integration sessions occur?

2.2.2 Team member roles

Who will be responsible for what during integration? Will various team members be

responsible for different parts of integration? Explain this here.

2.2.3 Testing Schedule and Procedures

Describe what your testing will be like. When will testing occur? How will it be

conducted?

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