Homework

Design Documents

Meet with your team and figure out the specific format your document will take. We discussed a condensed document. Instead of each section being a page, feel free make each a paragraph. Required sections include: Overview, Gameplay, Game Elements (make lists), and defining your MVP. Use this as a guide:

• Overview
  This should be your elevator pitch paragraph revised to incorporate any feedback from class. Please describe the target audience for your game.
• Gameplay
  Describe the game's mechanics. How does the player interact with the game? What is the player doing from moment to moment? What is the goal? When does it end?
• Game Elements
  Describe the elements in the game. How do they interact with each other or the character (if there is one)? What are their attributes? Use bulleted lists.
• Process
  How are you going to make this game? Start with describing your MVP. What's the smallest thing you can make that will allow you to test and evaluate your idea. Discuss implementation strategies. Discuss technical challenges.
• Artistic Style
  What will your game look like? 2D, 3D, isometric? What's your inspiration? What's the mood?
• Appendix
  Any visual design documents that aren't referenced specifically in the text.

Divide up your responsibilities and post these roles under a Game Document list in Trello. It's up to your team how you'd like to divide up the work, however, as you will be graded on your individual contributions, I encourage you divide up the document by section or visual design document. I'm leaving the following section as a reminder of visual design document options.

Visual Design Documents/Diagrams

Explain your game visually. You should include text when appropriate, but do so minimally. You may use one of the following approaches. Please choose the one most appropriate for your game. Draw.io is a great tool for creating flow charts and diagrams, however, use whatever tool you are most comfortable with. I'd highly recommend choosing the hybrid example as one of your choices.

• Hybrid
  Here is a hybrid (storyboard + layout). Here is a well-executed student hybrid document. Although it could be cleaned up, it does a great job visually communicating the concept.
• Flowchart
  Here is an example from a pet training game. Here is one from a narrative-based puzzle game.
• Storyboard
  Here is an example. Here is another that could be cleaned up.
• Map
  Here is an example. Here is another.

You must post your document on Trello to get credit for it. Individual contributors must clearly mark their contributions. You will be graded on the following:

• Completeness
  Think about the person reading this document. Will they get an idea of how the game will function? Could they go off and make the game without talking to you? Are there major holes?
• Clarity
  Are you using clear, straightforward language? Is your visual document clean or messy and confused? Is it designed well? Are your design elements aligned to a grid?

Additional Resources

• This is an industry-oriented article on game design documents. There are a lot of good insights here.

  A Game Design Document must teach everyone who reads it how the game that you’re talking about works. In order to do this, you need to explain not just the mechanics, but also how the game’s objects (characters, enemies, puzzles, weapons, environment, and so on) interact with each other, what your game is about, and how it looks.

  All things said, you need to keep in mind that even if some general subsections are common between the GDDs, there is no static form to make this kind of document, and no such thing as a perfect formula. Every game designer has his own way to do this and you must discover yours.

• This is design doc for Lucid, a game created in GDD411.