The first draft of your Game Design Document should be done by Nov. 16. We’ll be going over them in class, so create a new post and click the [team]-Game Design Document in the category list on the right.
for Thursday, Nov. 16
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Author Archives: Jacquelyn Blain
Video game story functions
Go through your group’s game and see where you can package or separate the story into scenes (think about the function lecture). Each member should come up with at least three scenes, then create a new post and click on the Video game story functions category in the menu on the right.
Problem-solving exercises
These are programming-specific assignments and activities. Click on the appropriate submenu to find the instructions.
Game Design Document
Here are the elements that need to be included in your Game Design Document.
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Cover Page
Name of your game
Team members
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Section 1 – Analysis
Video Game Narrative
Summarize the entire video game stor, including all branching story path side quests.
Target Audience
Who is your group’s target audience? Why should the player care about your group’s hero (i.e., the protagonist)? Why is your group’s story socially relevant or engaging to the proposed target audience?
Delivery Platform
What is the ideal platform that your group wants this game to come out on (e.g., PlayStation 4, PC, mobile, etc.)? Why is this the best platform for the game?
Review of Competing Games
Look up at least three existing games that are similar to your group’s game. What do these games do that is similar to your group’s game? Why is your group’s game better? Be sure to include the name of the company, publication year, and software.
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Section 2 – Design
Player Characteristics
What does your group expect players to already know before they play your game? For example, if yours is a mystery game, you assume that they understand how mysteries work (clues, red herrings, etc.). How do they type in their choices: Y or N? 1, 2, 3, 4? Click radio buttons?
Game Mechanics
How does the game play work? That is, what do players have to do in order to access the menu? Fight? To find the inventory and stats? What button do they push to get there? How do they type in their choices: Y or N? 1, 2, 3, 4? Click radio buttons?
Challenge
What do the players have to do in order to win the game? What makes this game challenging and engaging to players? In other words, if the “right” way through the game is always by choosing Choice 1, that makes for a boring game. Or if there’s only one way through, that’s also boring. Or if it’s all dialogue and exposition, that’s also boring. In other words, if the solution is too easy, that makes for a game that’s not challenging. So tell us why your game, the path, the choices, all work together to make it challenging.
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Section 3 – Project Description
Walkthrough
Verbally, lay out the branching paths to show us what a player has to do to win.What choices are they presented with? What happens depending on the choice? A long example can be found on gamefaqs.com.
Visual Map of the Game
Use mapping software, or draw it/take a photo of it. If you use Vue, you can attach the Vue file so that all the branches are clearly shown.
Conceptual Art
Create or find free images to create a vision board for your game. Show us what you think you game would look like if it were actually a 2- or 3-D animated video game.
How to use this area
Find the submenu with your team name.
You’ll see things like [team_name] – Game Story.
Create a post for whatever it is you want to put here. Be sure to click on the correct Category in the Categories menu on the right before you hit Publish.
Jackie’s midterm review
Be sure to look at
about Aristotle’s Unity of Action.The three pictures are about the three most important elements of any good story, information about characters, want and need, and the types of conflicts.
Mapping
Here’s an example from the book Choose Your Own Adventure: The Mystery of Chimney Rock.
And here’s the link to Vue: http://vue.tufts.edu/
Team game story – instructions
Post your team’s completed game story here by creating a new post, checking the appropriate Category [Team Name – Game Story]in the Categories menu.
Your game story
Post your game story here. Be sure to click on the box in front of Game Story in the list of Categories on the right.
Building your World
Building Your World (from Slay the Dragon) (Here’s a Word doc of this.)
Think about the world of your potential game. Now answer these questions:
- What is the HISTORY of my world?
- What is the TECHNOLOGY or MAGIC (if any) of my world?
- Who are the INHABITANTS of my world?
- What is the CULTURE of my world?
- Are there any CLASS DISTINCTIONS? DIFFERENT RACES? What is the HIERARCHY?
- What do the inhabitants EAT? Do they HUNT?
- What is their RELIGION?
- What are the different COUNTRIES? CITIES?
- What are the LANGUAGES?
- What is the CURRENT SITUATION in my world? Is it a time of war? Peace? Fear? Calm?
