Week 13 (Practice Game Design Document)

Asteroidrage

Game Design Document

Jackson Coll – Asteroids Roguelike

Index

Index

1. Index
2. Game Design

1. Summary
2. Gameplay
3. Mindset
1. Technical

1. Screens
2. Controls
3. Mechanics
1. Level Design

1. Themes

1. Ambience
2. Objects
   1. Ambient
   2. Interactive
3. Challenges
1. Game Flow
1. Development

1. Abstract Classes
2. Derived Classes
1. Graphics

1. Style Attributes
2. Graphics Needed
1. Sounds/Music

1. Style Attributes
2. Sounds Needed
3. Music Needed
1. Schedule

Game Design

Summary

Your ship is stuck in space in a vacuum trapped with hundreds of asteroids that will destroy your ship if they strike you.

Gameplay

The goal of the game to avoid the asteroids and destroy them with your ships lasers. As you kill more asteroids you will become a more powerful ship and level up to take on larger and larger asteroids. Asteroids will drop powerups and items that you keep until you die.

Mindset

The player needs to be quick witted and have good reaction times to survive. Very quick atmosphere.

Technical

Screens

1. Title Screen

a. Start Game, Instructions, Multiplayer, Unlockables

2. Level Select

2. Game

1. Open Inventory (I)
2. Skip Level (N)

2. End Credits

a. Skip Credits

Controls

W(Up), S(Down), A(Left), D(Right), Space(Fire), Escape(Menu), I(Inventory)

Mechanics

The mechanics in this game will be avoiding and aiming at obstacles and collecting powerups that drop from asteroids. Collecting random items from asteroids until you die will add replayability.

Level Design

Themes

1. Space

1. Mood

1. Dark, foreboding, creepy, isolated
1. Objects

1. Ambient
   1. Suction
   2. Bright light from stars
   3. Rocks
2. Interactive
   1. Asteroids
   2. Pickups

2. Future Space Levels

1. Mood

1. Suction increased, light getting brighter, creepy, isolated
1. Objects

1. Ambient
   1. Stars in the background
   2. Rocks getting larger
   3. Suction increased
2. Interactive
   1. Larger and larger asteroids
   2. Pickups that get more powerful
   3. Special powerups after particularly large asteroids

Game Flow

1. Player appears in space
2. Suction appears to pull player forward
3. Asteroids “Warp” into view
4. Player is given an example of how to kill an asteroid and pick up a powerup
5. Powerup is demonstrated
6. Practice asteroid appears and flies towards player
7. Game begins

Graphics

Style Attributes

Colors palette

The colour style that will be used is space like and futuristic. Player ship will be dark and sleek. Start menu will be futuristic.

Graphic style

Futuristic and pixel styled.

Feedback style

The feedback given will be pixel like and all particle effects will be pixel-driven.

Dark colours will be used. Grey, black, white, and other shades. The only bright “colours” we’ll be using are Neon Cyan and Neon Green. Thick outlines of the pixels will be given to make the objects easier to understand and most objects including asteroids will have smooth curves.

Collecting items and all other positive emotes will be rewarded with a nice particle effect that corresponds to each. Hopefully the way the game is designed, the feedback will be enough to help the player learn how to play the game without adding a long tutorial.

Graphics Needed

1. Player ship

1. Alien ship or Human ship design

1. Ship (idle, hovering, thrusting forward, backward)

Sounds/Music

Style Attributes

8Bit noises will be used using Audacity and freesounds online. The tempo of the game is fast so sfx will need to be fast paced. Electronic music will be added and space-like laser effects will be used for shooting. The mood of the game will be fast-paced shooter style.

We are learning more towards the realistic side of the scale when it comes to how the sounds actually feel. We want to increase immersion to the game rather than make it feel cartoony or unrealistic. The music will be a good way to help the player get into the groove of the game.

A volume control for each type of effect will be added; Player sfx, enemy sfx, and music.

Sounds Needed

1. Effects

1. Laser, 5 different types
2. Weapons(bombs, lasers, rockets)
3. Attachments(shields, mines, fog)
4. Pickups
5. Destroy enemy, destroy player, destroy asteroid

1. Win, loss, end game, start game,
2. background music

Music Needed

1. Fast pace electro music
2. Dark theme for menu
3. Space theme for credits