CS 116 - Game Design Document - Description

The purpose of the game design document is to provide a detailed description of how your game will work. The emphasis of this phase is on game design, and not the technical aspects of implementing the game. Facets of the game that are of interest include:

• The fictional setting of the game. If the game is a 2D or 3D platformer, describe the world where the gameplay takes place. Provide a fictional motivation for the actions of the player, and the construction of the game world. This is an important aspect of the design of your game, since a strong fictional background can help your team address other design questions, such as the capabilities of other characters in the game, goals for specific levels (and the game), whether certain gameplay mechanics are consistent with the game world, or just don't fit. Additionally, a strong fictional setting can dramatically enhance gameplay. The game Guitar Hero is just a button masher game without the fictional background of being a rock star, and the guitar-shaped controller.
• The goal of the game. How do you win the game? How do you do well in the game?
• What is the core game mechanic? This is an answer to the question, what does the player do? This could be jumping and running in a platform game, or moving pieces to control territory in a Chess. Another way of addressing this question is to consider what kinds of interactivity the game provides. That is, what verbs (actions) and nouns (things that can be acted upon) does the game support?
• How does the game provide challenge to the player? Why is the game hard, and what makes the game hard. Many games start out easy, and become progressively more complex. How does your game provide this kind of ramping up of complexity?
• What features does the game support? Are there gameplay options? Is the game player vs player, or player vs computer? Does the game support network play against other opponents? Is there a high score list?
• What are the capabilities of all characters/objects (both player and computer-controlled) in the game? Considerations include how each character moves, what capabilities for action each character has, how each character interacts with other characters, and any special abilities each character may possess. Do the characters change their behavior as the game progresses?
• Discussion of user interface aspects. How are the actions in the game translated to the user interface affordances available to you. If you have a tablet-based game, how is the stylus used to control the player in the game? If you have access to an XBox or PS2 style controller, how do the joysticks and buttons control the action in the game? What kind of feedback does the game provide for player actions?