IMGD 1001 Game Design Documents by Mark Claypool

IMGD 1001: Game Design Documents by Mark Claypool (claypool@cs. wpi. edu) Robert W. Lindeman (gogo@wpi. edu) Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD

Types of Game Design Docs o Concept Document o Proposal Document o Technical Specification o Game Design Document o Level Designs Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 2

Concept Document (1 of 2) o Used to explore game idea in more detail o Often used as a proposal within an organization o Developed by designer or visionary o A short sales pitch: 1 -3 pages o May have no art, or amateur art o Many ideas never get farther than this Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 3

Concept Document (2 of 2) o Must include: n Intro n Description n Key features n Genre, spin, flavor n Platform(s) / market data o May also include: n n Background / License info Concept art Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 4

High Concept (1 of 2) o The key sentence that describes your game o MUST get the concept across concisely and quickly o If you can't, it may be too complicated to sell Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 5

High Concept (2 of 2) o Not so good: n "Mind. Rover is a game in which players build and program robotic vehicles to compete in a variety of challenges including battles, races, puzzles, and sports. " o Better: n "Mind. Rover is like Battlebots. . . but with brains. " n Still not good enough n Let's see if we can do better! … (next slide) Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 6

Exercise: High Concept o Pick one of these 4 games n Burnout n Grand Theft Auto n Zelda - Twilight Princess n Dance Revolution o Write a high concept for it o Form groups based on game choice o Agree on one Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 7

Proposal Document (1 of 2) o Used to get a deal o Shown to publishers and 3 rd parties o Enough detail to show that the proposal is viable: 5 -50 pages o Sales oriented o Big picture o Polished! Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 8

Proposal Document (2 of 2) o Must include: n Revised concept n Market analysis n Technical analysis n Schedule n Budget n Risks n Cost and revenue projections o n Pessimistic, likely, optimistic Art Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 9

Technical Specification (1 of 2) o The 'How' of game design o Contains the architectural vision; technology to be used o Engineering detail o Production detail o Owned by tech director or chief engineer o Can be exhaustive (and exhausting): 10100 pages Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 10

Technical Specification (2 of 2) o Must include: n Tooling n Art / Music / Sound / Production pipeline n Technology detail o o o n Platform & portability issues Networking or special tech Server details Software engineering info o Major design elements Key areas of technical risk Alternatives to risky or expensive sections Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 11

Game Design Document (1 of 2) o Functional spec: The 'What' of the design o Describes the player’s experience and interactions in detail n Could be quite long, several hundred pages, but "enough" is the goal. o Artistic feel o Owned by the game designer o A living document o "The Bible" Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 12

Game Design Document (2 of 2) o Must haves n Game mechanics n User Interface n Visuals n Audio n Story (if any) n Level Specs Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 13

Useful links o Chris Taylor’s sample design doc, in HTML and. doc format: http: //www. fafhrdproductions. com/ctaylordesign. htm http: //www. jonathanjblair. net/ctaylordesigntemplate. zip o Tim Ryan’s excellent two-part description of game design docs: http: //www. gamasutra. com/features/19991019/ryan_01. htm http: //www. gamasutra. com/features/19991217/ryan_01. htm Claypool and Lindeman, WPI, CS and IMGD 14