A featured documentary film about Indie Games (Independent Games) and their developers. With the emerges of mobile and console games, many developers go into the trend of making indie games.
Game Design
It won't be an exaggeration to think that a 'Good' game has to be like a pretty girl - she must be beautiful and eloquent; she must have sweet and attractive voice; she must be intelligent, kind and interesting. Similarly, a good game must be well designed and developed for 3 fundamental aspects of the game: visual effects, sound effects and finally game logic. A good game should have attractive UI (user interface) and game elements to create the pleasant UX (user experience). In addition, it should have supporting sound effects to reinforce the UX. And finally, a good game should be hard enough to challenge the players and easy enough to let them continue playing. In fact, it is a real challenge to perfectly combine all these aspects of the game so that the players don't feel bored or tired of playing the game.
Like in regular software development, game development must follow the design guide line to meet the standard of the good game. Similar to software specification document, game design document (GDD) serves as a blue-print as to how to develop a good game. Normally, a generic game design document includes as follows:
Although it is a generic game design document, it provides enough information for every aspects of game development. With the emergence of mobile apps markets (especially IPhone and Andriod) , it has become very possible for developers to make Indie Games (Independent Games) which do not require as many resources and efforts as big titled games.
Like in regular software development, game development must follow the design guide line to meet the standard of the good game. Similar to software specification document, game design document (GDD) serves as a blue-print as to how to develop a good game. Normally, a generic game design document includes as follows:
1. Title Page
1.1. Game Name – Perhaps also add a subtitle or high concept sentence.
1.2. Copyright Information
1.3. Version Number, author, date
2. Table of Contents – Make sure this includes all the subsections to make finding material. If practical, hyper linking the document will help here.
3. Design History – This is a change listing quickly describing each major version and changes.
4. Section I - Game Overview
4.1. Game Concept
4.2. Feature Set
4.3. Genre
4.4. Target Audience
4.5. Game Flow Summary – How does the player move through the game. Both through framing interface and the game itself.
4.6. Look and Feel – What is the basic look and feel of the game? What is the visual style?
4.7. Project Scope – A summary of the scope of the game.
4.7.1. Number of locations
4.7.2. Number of levels
4.7.3. Number of NPC’s
4.7.4. Number of weapons
4.7.5. Etc.
5. Section II - Gameplay and Mechanics
5.1. Gameplay
5.1.1. Game Progression
5.1.2. Mission/challenge Structure
5.1.3. Puzzle Structure
5.1.4. Objectives – What are the objectives of the game?
5.1.5. Play Flow – How does the game flow for the game player
5.2. Mechanics – What are the rules to the game, both implicit and explicit. This is the model of the universe that the game works under. Think of it as a simulation of a world, how do all the pieces interact? This actually can be a very large section.
5.2.1. Physics – How does the physical universe work?
5.2.2. Movement
5.2.2.1.General Movement
5.2.2.2.Other Movement
5.2.3. Objects
5.2.3.1.Picking Up Objects
5.2.3.2.Moving Objects
5.2.4. Actions
5.2.4.1.Switches and Buttons
5.2.4.2.Picking Up, Carrying and Dropping
5.2.4.3.Talking
5.2.4.4.Reading
5.2.5. Combat – If there is combat or even conflict, how is this specifically modeled?
5.2.6. Economy – What is the economy of the game? How does it work?
5.3. Screen Flow
5.3.1. Screen Flow Chart – A graphical description of how each screen is related to every other
5.3.2. Screen Descriptions – What is the purpose of each screen?
5.3.2.1.Main Menu Screen
5.3.2.2.Options Screen
5.3.2.3.Etc.
5.4. Game Options – What are the options and how do they affect game play and mechanics?
5.5. Replaying and Saving
5.6. Cheats and Easter Eggs
6. Section III – Story, Setting and Character
6.1. Story and Narrative - Specific details like scripts and cut scenes may not be in this document but be in the Story Bible.
6.1.1. Back story
6.1.2. Plot Elements
6.1.3. Game Progression
6.1.4. License Considerations
6.1.5. Cut Scenes
6.1.5.1.Cut scene #1
6.1.5.1.1. Actors
6.1.5.1.2. Description
6.1.5.1.3. Storyboard
6.1.5.1.4. Script
6.1.5.2.Cut scene #2
6.1.5.3.etc.
6.2. Game World
6.2.1. General look and feel of world
6.2.2. Area #1
6.2.2.1.General Description
6.2.2.2.Physical Characteristics
6.2.2.3.Levels that use area
6.2.2.4.Connections to other areas
6.2.3. Area #2
6.2.3.1.etc.
6.3. Characters
6.3.1. Character #1
6.3.1.1.Back story
6.3.1.2.Personality
6.3.1.3.Look
6.3.1.3.1. Physical characteristics
6.3.1.3.2. Animations
6.3.1.4.Special Abilities
6.3.1.5.Relevance to game story
6.3.1.6.Relationship to other characters
6.3.1.7.Statistics
6.3.2. Character #2
6.3.3. etc.
7. Section IV – Levels
7.1. Level #1
7.1.1. Synopsis
7.1.2. Introductory Material (Cut scene? Mission briefing?)
7.1.3. Objectives
7.1.4. Physical Description
7.1.5. Map
7.1.6. Critical Path
7.1.7. Encounters
7.1.8. Level Walkthrough
7.1.9. Closing Material
7.2. Level #2
7.3. etc.
7.4. Training Level
8. Section V - Interface
8.1. Visual System
8.1.1. HUD - What controls
8.1.2. Menus
8.1.3. Rendering System
8.1.4. Camera
8.1.5. Lighting Models
8.2. Control System – How does the game player control the game? What are the specific commands?
8.3. Audio
8.4. Music
8.5. Sound Effects
8.6. Help System
9. Section VI - Artificial Intelligence
9.1. Opponent AI – The active opponent that plays against the game player and therefore requires strategic decision making (example, Civilization or Chess, how is it to be designed?
9.2. Enemy AI – Villains and Monsters
9.3. Non-combat Characters
9.4. Friendly Characters
9.5. Support AI
9.5.1. Player and Collision Detection
9.5.2. Pathfinding
10. Section VII – Technical – This may be abbreviated with most in the Technical Bible.
10.1. Target Hardware
10.2. Development hardware and software
10.3. Development procedures and standards
10.4. Game Engine
10.5. Network
10.6. Scripting Language
10.7. etc.
11. Section VIII – Game Art - This may be abbreviated with most of the content in an Art Bible.
11.1. Concept Art
11.2. Style Guides
11.3. Characters
11.4. Environments
11.5. Equipment
11.6. Cut scenes
11.7. Miscellaneous
12. Section IX - Secondary Software
12.1. Editor
12.2. Installer
12.3. Update software
13. Section X - Management
13.1. Detailed Schedule
13.2. Budget
13.3. Risk Analysis
13.4. Localization Plan
13.5. Test Plan
14. Appendices
14.1. Asset List
14.1.1. Art
14.1.1.1. Model and Texture List
14.1.1.2. Animation List
14.1.1.3. Effects List
14.1.1.4. Interface Art List
14.1.1.5. Cut scene List
14.1.2. Sound
14.1.2.1. Environmental Sounds
14.1.2.2. Weapon Sounds
14.1.2.3. Interface Sounds
14.1.3. Music
14.1.3.1. Ambient
14.1.3.2. “Action”
14.1.3.3. Victory
14.1.3.4. Defeat
14.1.4. Voice
14.1.4.1. Actor #1 lines
14.1.4.2. Actor #2 lines
14.1.4.3. Etc.
Although it is a generic game design document, it provides enough information for every aspects of game development. With the emergence of mobile apps markets (especially IPhone and Andriod) , it has become very possible for developers to make Indie Games (Independent Games) which do not require as many resources and efforts as big titled games.
Age of Wulin
The first game developed by a Chinese Game Company, Snail Game (http://www.snailgame.net/cn/index.html), to be published outside of China. Really impressive 3D artworks, graphics, story-line and out of the box game play. Unlike many other Mmorpg games, it doesn't have class system; rather it employs skill improvement through quests, combats and professions.
There are some documentaries, regarding the development of the game. It is really interesting and exciting to see how they have designed and developed the game by taking risks and making difficult choices.
It will be released in 2012 as a free-to-play MMORPG by EU game publisher gpotato, http://en.wulin.gpotato.eu/mini/. Yes, I can't wait to play this awesome game... :D
