game design document

Running With Rupture The Three Days Design Document

Game Design Document

Running With Rupture presents

The Three Days

DigiPen Institute of Technology

GAM400 Project

v. 2.3 Copyright © 2009, DigiPen (USA) Corp. pg. 1


Table of Contents

The Three Days is….........................................................................................4

Overview..........................................................................................................4

Project Objective..............................................................................................4

Team Overview................................................................................................4

Game Play........................................................................................................5

Combat............................................................................................................5

Time Points...................................................................................................6

Battle Flow.......................................................................................................6

Example of Play............................................................................................7

Controls...........................................................................................................8

Characters.......................................................................................................9

Types............................................................................................................9

Stats............................................................................................................11

Actions........................................................................................................11

Skills..............................................................................................................12

Skill Points...................................................................................................13

Status Effects..............................................................................................14

Field...............................................................................................................15

Components................................................................................................15

Field Effects................................................................................................15

Game Modes...............................................................................................16

Multiplayer..................................................................................................17

User Interface................................................................................................18



Front End....................................................................................................18

Before & After Combat................................................................................19

In Combat...................................................................................................21

Narrative & Campaign...................................................................................23

Assets............................................................................................................23

Art...............................................................................................................24

Audio...........................................................................................................24

Dialog typing (or voices)Appendix 1: Target Audience..................................25

Appendix 1: Target Audience.........................................................................26

Core Target.................................................................................................26

Casual Target..............................................................................................26

Appendix 2: Comparative Products...............................................................27

Appendix 3: Risk Analysis..............................................................................29

Appendix 4: Playtesting Plan & Feedback......................................................31

Appendix 5: Document Change Log..............................................................32

Appendix 6: Resources & Copyrights.............................................................33



The Three Days is…A game in which the player commands a squad of characters in time-based

tactical combat in a fantasy world.

Overview

The Three Days is a tactical role-playing game in which the player controls a

group of characters in turn-based battle against an opposing (player- or

computer-controlled) group of characters. Characters engage with close-

range physical or ranged magic-based attacks. Battles take place on

isometric fields. Units are controlled via mouse and keyboard commands.

The objective of each battle may be different field-by-field, but generally

involves defeating all of the opposing character units.

Project Objective

Create a hardcore-focused tactics game

Show off awesome looking attacks and skills

Create a system which can be understood and enjoyed within five

minutes

Have a portfolio piece to be proud of

Team Overview

Lead Producer: Tim Fuqua

Technical Director: Sean Hunter

Programmer: Bryan Chacosky

Programmer: Tom Lopes

Lead Designer: Kye Harris


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #4


Game Play

Game time will be focused primarily on tactical, turn-based combat. Players

move characters around a field, paying attention to positioning, to attack

opposing characters with melee or ranged actions. Pre-battle preparation

will be quick and easily manageable, allowing for the player to spend most of

his or her time in battle.

Combat

Combat involves two or more squads – groups of characters controlled by

players or computer-AI (up to three squads; up to two players)– engaging

with or against one another on a Field. Most commonly, this will be one

squad trying to defeat all members of another squad. Squads will be

distinguished by the color of the armor of all of its units. (All members of the

player’s squad will have blue armor; an enemy squad will have red armor; a

third army will be green.) Each character, within each squad on the field,

takes a turn moving, attacking, defending or using a skill against an

opposing character within an opposing squad or for a character in any squad.


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #9 "Last Stand" has currently been scrapped and is not found within the GDD.


At the start of a Scene, characters will be grouped near each other according

to their squads. Conditions of Victory and Defeat will be detailed to the

player and then Combat will begin. Combat will cease when either all of the

Victory conditions have been met by a squad or one of the Defeat conditions

has been met by a squad. At the end of Combat, any gained SP (from

defeating opponents) will be rewarded to the squad. XP will be distributed

amongst all characters of the squad when any member of that squad defeats

an enemy character. When Combat is finished, the player may view details

for the number of enemies defeated, the XP gained, and the SP gained.

Time Points

Time Points limit the actions that any single character can make during a

turn. Each character, at the start of its turn, will have 100 Time Points (TP).

That character’s turn ends when it does not have enough TP remaining to

make an action. (A character’s turn may be ended prematurely by a field

effect or the player command End Turn.) Each action – movement,

attacking, skill usage – costs a specific amount of TP in order to be acted out

and a character cannot make an action if it does not have enough TP to pay

the cost. Movement, for instance, takes an amount of TP determined by the

Agility of the acting character, the distance of movement, and the terrain the

character is moving across:

TP Cost for Movement = (1 TP * feet traveled) * ((100 – (2*(AG)))

/ 100)

TP will recover gradually as other characters take their turns. Each round

restores 100 TP, regardless of the number of characters on the field:

TP Recovered per Turn = (Number of Characters) / 100 [rounded

up]

Battle Flow


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #8 The "Wait" command will likely be changed to "Defend" increasing defense stats until TP is recovered.


Once a player has a squad of characters to control, the player will proceed to

a Combat overview. The Victory and Defeat conditions of the battle will be

detailed and the player will have the chance to survey the placement of his

or her characters. Characters will be placed at default locations, but may be

clicked and dragged, within a shown radius, to a different starting position.

The Combat phase will be initiated once this is confirmed. Play will pass

from character to character on the field according to turn order and TP

availability. Players will only have control over characters in their own

squad. (Player 1 cannot control any characters owned by any other player or

the AI.) The character on the field with the highest Agility will have the first

turn in battle.* Once that character has spent all of its available TP, or

prematurely ended its turn (due to the End Turn command or an effect), play

will pass to the next character with the highest Agility and the most available

TP. In this way, characters on field will take turns acting until either one

squad has met all Victory conditions or all players, save one, have met any

of the Defeat conditions.

On a character’s turn, that character may spend available TP to move on the

field to any location within range – determined by the Agility of the character

and its remaining TP --, initiate a physical attack with its equipped weapon,

or use an available Skill.

*Turn order will be sorted first by Agility, then the character’s Level, and last

by a “tie-breaker” number. This number will be determined randomly at the

start of Combat and assigned to the character. In a battle of four characters,

two on each side, a “die” will be rolled four times: the first roll may assign a

2 to the first character, so a 2 cannot be “rolled” again; the second character

may be assigned a 1; the third character is assigned 4; the fourth character

is assigned a 3. This number means that if any two characters have the

same Agility and Level, this character with the lower “tie-breaker” number

will act first. This number being determined before battle and kept


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #7


throughout Combat keeps turn order consistent. This will remain a hidden

mechanic.

Example of Play

1. Enter the Exhibition game mode.

2. Select a Field.

3. Select 6 characters for a squad.

4. Allocate SP among characters, giving them Skills to use in Combat.

5. Determine the starting formation for the squad.

6. Review the Victory and Defeat conditions.

7. Initiate Combat.

8. All Victory conditions are met and Combat ends.

9. Review Combat statistics.

10. Player is asked to Continue – play another round of Combat – or

Quit – return to the Title Screen.



Controls

The Three Days will be controlled primarily through button commands on

context-based menus. The primary input method will be a mouse. Keyboard

input will be accepted and used for shortcuts and other hotkeys. This will be

for players more accustomed to PC strategy games. The arrow keys will

scroll through any set of options on the menu with focus while the Space Bar

will select a highlighted option. For the currently active character, the

following are the controls and mechanics a player can chose to use during

the turn:

Move Click a location on the Field within movement range. A

semi-transparent path will be drawn to indicate how the

character will reach the destination.

Attack Click a target within attacking range. A Move path will be

made if the target is not within attacking range.

Skill A character’s current Skills will be listed as buttons along

the bottom of the screen. Click a Skill to select it. The

highlighted area on the ground will change to match the

range of this Skill. Click a target to use the Skill.

End Turn Click the current acting character. A list of these four

commands will appear. Click “End Turn” to end the

character’s turn.

Each action will have a Confirm/Cancel prompt. A character’s chain of

actions will be listed at the top-left corner of the screen. One of these past

actions may be selected to “undo” to that point.



Characters

Each character operates individually with its own set of Stats and Skills. A

group of characters controlled by a single player (or AI-player) is referred to

as a Squad.

Types

Characters are distinguished by Type. A Character Type determines the

model used to represent the character, the stats of the character, and how

the character attacks. Types also determine the Skills a character has or

may have. Each Character Type will have a set of Skills with SP pre-assigned

to them. These SP may be reallocated to other Skills.

Soldier Has stronger physical capabilities. Uses horizontal arc

sword attacks, anything within this slicing range will take

damage.

Mage Has stronger magical capabilities. Uses forward thrust rod

attacks, giving it a slightly longer reach for attacking.

Defender Built for endurance. Uses close-range, fist attacks.

Hero The squad’s leader. Only exists in Campaign mode.

Type HP PA PD MA MD AGBase* 30 5 5 5 5 5Soldier 45 14 10 8 10 12Mage 36 10 10 14 12 10Defender 54 10 14 10 10 8Hero 60 15 15 15 15 15

*The “Base” Character Type is not in the game but is included here to show

the stat relationship of the other characters.


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #14 The Hero type is used to describe "main characters." This is no different from any other tactics game, where the main character, the leader of the team, is stronger than the "generic" units. Looking at the stats, the Hero still does not have a significant advantage over other characters.

Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #16 I like the "get level 1 free" idea, but, for now, I'll keep the chart limited to three levels.

Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #13 I don't see how people will be overwhelmed by Mages have higher magic attack and Soldiers having higher physical attack.

Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #18 Equipment and items do not exist.


*Concept art for Soldier.

*Concept art for Mage.

*Concept art for Defender.



Stats

Each character has its own set of numbers which determine how it performs

in Combat. These numbers increase as that character’s Level increases.

(LV) Level Scales all other Stats. Increases with XP

accrual.

(XP) Experience Increases Level by 1 every 100 points.

(HP) Health Points Depletes as damage is taken. Character is

KO’d and unable to battle when 0.

(PA) Physical Attack Modifies damage dealt by physical-based

attacks.

(MA) Magic Attack Modifies effectiveness of magic-based

actions.

(PD) Physical Defense Decreases damage received by physical-based

attacks.

(MD) Magic Defense Decreases damage received by magic-based

actions.

(AG) Agility Determines cost of movement and acting time.

Used as a modifier for avoiding incoming

attacks or Skills.

Actions

Any command given to a character costs TP. (End Turn is the exception.)

Move Relocate a character on the field. Costs 1 TP per foot

moved.

Attack Use the equipped weapon to perform a physical-based

attack. Costs 45 TP.

Skill Use an available Skill (provided by equipped SP). Cost

varies per Skill.

End TurnPrematurely end this character’s turn. TP recovery begins.


Kye, 10/30/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #28

Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #15 The Stats&Skills sheet will be updated shortly to reflect this. Agility should be used to determine dodge, not defense. This was a mistake. Defense decreases damage taken.


Each character attacks with a different weapon. These weapons have

differing ranges from each other: the Soldier’s sword hits a wider range with

a horizontal sweeping motion; the Mage’s rod is thrust forward, giving more

reach; the Defender’s fists have little range and can only hit a single target.

Attack damage is always based on the Physical stats:

Damage = 0.5 * (PA) * 1.6 – PD [rounded up]

Skills

Characters with SP assigned may use Skills in battle. Skills provide a greater

range of power and effects than base physical attacks. Any Skill can range

between Level 1 effectiveness to Level 3 effectiveness. Each Skill has a base

TP cost, a base Damage, and a list of possible effects. (Effects are generally

cumulative.) “Layers” describes the lasting time of an effect.


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #3 "need a redesign towards AWESOME BADASS SKILLS." Does this mean rework the names (Blaze -> Immolation), make sure the animations are really cool, or increase the scale of damage (10 dmg -> 100 dmg)? "Needs more direct damage..." Get rid of Spite and Boon for Skills that do the same plus damage? I'm not sure I'm understanding "Not really related between skill levels for some skills." Skills being swappable between classes can be scrapped, but what're the pros and cons of that action?


Many Skills stack effects as they power up. (These Skills are marked above

with a +.) For example, the Skill “Crescent Wave” deals damage to a

target’s HP. At Level 2, “Crescent Wave” has an effect of “Increases AG of

user.” This means that at Level 2, “Crescent Wave” increases the users

Agility and deals damage to a target’s HP. On the other hand, Skills such as

“Manipulate” do not stack or power-up as most others do. Only 1 SP is

necessary for any level of “Manipulate,” allowing the player to choose which

effect he or she prefers.

Skill Points

Skill Points are used to determine what Skills (in-battle techniques, such as

healing) a character can use in combat. Each Skill can be viewed on the

Battle Preparation screen where Skill Points (SP) may be allocated. When SP

is assigned to a Skill, that Skill becomes usable in combat by that character.

Up to three SP may be assigned to any one Skill on a single character; the

amount of SP assigned determines the power and effects of that Skill when

used in combat.

The following Mage can use both level 1 “Blaze” and “Sparking” because

each has one SP assigned to it. Each Skill has one Skill Point assigned to it

by default. This SP may be removed and placed elsewhere if desired.



Status Effects

Some Skills may invoke Status Conditions (or Effects) on a character. Each

Status Condition has a different effect on the character and lasts a specific

amount of time. Since some effects are inflicted at higher potency at times,

the Life is determined by a base amount of TP that is increased by the

number of “Layers” of the effect inflicted. For instance, “Blaze 3” inflicts 1

Layer of Berserk, so Berserk lasts 100 TP; “Spite 2” inflicts 2 Layers of

Berserk, causing Berserk to last 200 TP.

Status Condition Description Effect Life

Stat Up Increases a single Stat Stat + 2100 TP * Layers

Stat Down Decreases a single Stat Stat - 2100 TP * Layers

TP Up Increases TP reload TP reload + 5500 TP * Layers

TP Down Decreases TP reload TP reload - 5500 TP * Layers

Poison Damages HP over time HP - 1 for every 25 TP500 TP * Layers

Berserk Forces forward action Disable non-Move/Attack100 TP * Layers


Kye, 10/14/09,



Rain Causes heavy rain on the fieldAG - 1; Blaze - 20%; Sparking + 20%

500 TP * Layers

DarkCauses darkness to cover the field Hit - 25%

500 TP * Layers

WindCauses strong winds across the field Skill Range + 10%

500 TP * Layers

Guard Prevents Conditions MD + 100 for Status Condition300 TP * Layers


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #19 Fog of war was quickly scrapped.


Field

All instances of environments – where story events and Combat take place –

are referred to as fields. Fields are generally quadrilateral planes deformed

to represent terrain and filled with terrain objects. (Fields may be shaped as

any other polygon, though rectangles are most common.) A field makes up

the entirety of a map – nothing exists outside of the boundaries. The edge of

a field denotes the edge of play area and will be indicated either by a drop-

off (there’s just nothing beyond the Field) or walls of some sort (thick trees or

cliff walls). Fields are not grid-based. The average size of a Field is roughly

80 yards x 80 yards.

Components

Fields are built with terrain objects – trees, houses, crates, etc. -- on them to

add obstacles to Combat instances. A Component is any object (not a

character) present on a field. Components can be either static – cannot

move or be interacted with (i.e., a tree) – or dynamic – can be interacted with

by characters (i.e., a breakable crate).


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #23 Understandable and easily scaled back or scrapped. This will be determined mostly by what the tech will allow.

Kye, 10/14/09,


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #21 More 3D? Here's the sample image I made. Are we wanting something different from this?


Field Effects

Skills or scenario conditions may place global effects on a field during

Combat. Field effects, whether they hinder or aid, affect all characters on

the field, regardless of squad alignment. Effects may be related to weather,

altering terrain and Skill effectiveness (i.e., fire-based skills are weaker in

rain), or magic-based, altering character actions or stats. If triggered by a

Skill, field effects will last a specific amount of time; otherwise a field effect

will last throughout an entire battle scenario.

*See above with “field” range.

Game Modes

Campaign puts a single player in control of predetermined characters to pass

specific story-driven combat scenarios. Play will consist of a segment of

story leading into a combat scenario, followed by Battle Preparations and

Combat. From here, the three will repeat, with some dialogue occurring

during Combat. The Campaign will be strictly single-player and will

showcase scenarios with differing settings and Victory conditions. This mode

will contain five specific battle scenes. Characters within the player’s squad

will be used from one battle to the next, gaining XP and SP to increase Level

and Skills. Characters who are KO’d in a battle will be usable in successive

battles.

*See Narrative & Campaign below.

Exhibition mode allows one or two players to choose a battle scenario to

play. Players will be able to select from a list of battle fields, choose a

Victory condition, and then craft a custom squad of four, five, or seven

characters, dependant on the size of the Field. Characters chosen for a

player’s squad will be of a static level and will not be able to gain experience.

Players have a preset stock of SP to allocate to characters for combat.


Kye, 10/14/09,


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #6


Options for a random squad or field will also be available. Squads may be

saved for later use.

Quick Play allows a player to enjoy a combat scenario against an AI opponent

without having to manage multiple options. This mode gives players a

selection of squad templates to enter into Combat with on a randomly

selected field. Squad templates will be labeled according to play types, such

as “Aggressive,” “Defensive,” or “Well-Rounded.” The goal here is to allow

more casual players to enjoy the game and to be able to find game play

within about 3 mouse clicks.

Options displays a selection of the game’s settings to be viewed and

adjusted by the player.

Multiplayer

The “Exhibition” and “Quick Play” modes will support player versus player

multiplayer. All multiplayer will be hot-seat and will require the use of two

Xbox 360 Gamepads.


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #5

Kye, 10/14/09,


Kye, 10/14/09,



User Interface

The UI will imitate the look of a on old printed book, much akin to the book

images shown in the “The Lord of the Rings” movies. This will reinforce the

fantasy theme of the game.

Front End



Before & After Combat


2 View Squad and set up characters.

1 View and set up Skills for each character.

3 View Victory and Defeat conditions, along with squad placement.


In Combat

The Field is viewed from a camera placed above the world and angled down

(i.e., a top-down, isometric perspective). The camera can be rotated along

the x-axis around the field at 45 degree increments; can be zoomed in and

out at three separate levels; and can be lowered or raised, changing the

angle at which the Field is viewed. The camera may be configured to zoom

in or focus on actions (such as spells) or events (such as scripted scenes).

The acting character is distinguished by a light blue ring. The selected

target has an appropriate ring beneath it. In the top corner, left-side, is a list

of the active character and the upcoming three other characters, in order of

action; the right-side shows the current Field effect (“sun” here, which is the

default condition). The details of the current action(s) between characters


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #1


are shown at the bottom of the screen. Here the blue soldier has targeted

the red mage. The soldier will have to move (path shown by the arrow) in

order to be within attacking range. The TP cost is specified. The attack will

use a sword to damage the mage, dropping its health to 12. The player will

click the prompt (where “OK?” is) in order to initiate the attack; if anywhere

off of any of these prompts is clicked, this current action will be canceled.



Narrative & Campaign

The Campaign mode in The Three Days follows the story of two men, Bryce and Augustus, the prince of Limgoth, during an attempted coup d’état. The king is killed by an assassin hired by the warrior Dorandus. Over the course of three days of war, Limgoth’s monarchy is changed, for better or worse. Augustus is determined to save his father’s kingdom and salvage the monarchy; Dorandus plans to instate himself as king. Meanwhile, Bryce, who had been labeled a criminal for theft by the king’s men, must choose whether to aid his old friend Augustus or side against the monarchy.

The Campaign mode will contain five scenarios with the player in control of Bryce and his squad.

Day 1 Scene 1

Plot Introduce the player to the monarchy; establish that Bryce is a criminal; “the king has been assassinated”

Mechanics

One character of each type against a few enemies; simple terrain

Scene 2

Plot Bryce heads to the capital with a squad of men; he meets rebels in battle

Mechanics

Standard squad versus squad combat

Day 2 Scene 3

Plot Bryce meets rebels across a bridge; Augustus’s army is on the ground below them

Mechanics

First 3-way battle; destructible terrain.

Choice 1Fight rebels; 2Fight monarchyScene 4

Plot Encounter Augustus fighting rebels at a river during heavy rain

Mechanics

Introduce a timed match with changing terrain and constant weather

Choice 1Aid Augustus; 2Fight AugustusDay 3 Scene

5Plot At the castle, Augustus has been captured and is

to be executedMechanics

Timed event occurrence, but not a timed match

Choice 1Save Augustus and Bryce dies; 2Fight the monarchy and the coup d’état succeeds; 3Rout Dorandus and promote the monarchy


Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #24 - Issue #27 I'm currently going into greater detail with the narrative. I'll get the names changed. This was mostly placeholder to explain the goal. For endings, it'll be based on how the player ends the fifth (last) level. Then it'll show a different ending.


Assets

Below is a list of planned assets for The Three Days. Art has been separated

according to its type (sprite, 3D model, etc.) and use. Audio is separated by

sound effect (SFX) or background audio (BGM). For a complete asset list, see

Asset List.xls.

Art

1. Character Models – 3D models with animation sets for Idle, Movement, Melee Attack, Magic Attack, Take Damage, and Die; blue, red, and green texture sets needed

a. Soldierb. Magec. Defenderd. Hero – for “Campaign” mode; lead player character, Prince,

Rebel Leader, and King; separate texture sets not needed2. User Interface – 2D art (sprites), must be very scalable

a. Action confirmation promptb. Move path arrowc. Field effect icons – sun, rain, wind, darkd. Status effect icons – up arrow, down arrow, poison, berserke. Action icons – move, attack, skill (one icon for each)f. Proceed buttong. Quit buttonh. Bookmark iconi. Back buttonj. SP icons – filled and unfilledk. Skill set buttonl. Sun used for loading screens

3. Screens – 2D art, should be made to fill any screen; may be animated for transitions

a. Splash screens – DigiPen logo, Running With Rupture logob. Title screen – lists all game modes to be clicked onc. Load profile (bookmark)d. Pre-combat screens – view squad; view charactere. Campaign world mapf. Settings screeng. Credits screen


Kye, 10/21/09,

Use a separate screen for this, or put tabs/bookmarks on the edge of the main menu?

Kye, 10/21/09,

Note to self: what is this?

Kye, 10/14/09,

IssuesDoc: Issue #2


h. Mode details – “Campaign,” “Exhibition,” and “Quick Play”; explains play for mode

i. Narrative screens – art explaining the story as it passes

Audio

1. BGMa. Intro scenes for narrative in “Campaign” modeb. Title screenc. Combat music – three different tracksd. Splash screen trackse. Pre-combatf. Victory screeng. Game overh. Creditsi. World mapj. “Campaign” mode complete

2. SFXa. Melee attack sounds – punch, sword, rodb. Skill use sounds – restore, fire, lightning, poison bubbles, wind,

rain, rocks breakingc. Movementd. Take damagee. Character deathf. Defeat condition metg. Victory condition meth. Gain XPi. Gain SPj. Set SPk. Remove SPl. Select character to view in pre-combatm. Confirm action or selectionn. Transition between screens (page turning sound)o. Dialog typing (or voices)


Kye, 10/26/09,

Should focus on one track, and can make simple adjustments to it for the other two. This is completely superfluous.


Appendix 1: Target Audience

The Three Days is targeted primarily towards players experienced with

tactics-based and role-playing games. However, with options available in the

game, there is potential for more casual players to find enjoyment.

Core Target

The core target demographic is 12-24 year old males. This demographic is

familiar with tactic-RPGs, such as FINAL FANTASY Tactics, Fire Emblem, and

X-COM. They show characteristics of both “Achiever” and “Planner” player

types: these players seek to improve the abilities and powers of in-game

characters and managing a set of resources. They value customizability

(item and skill allocation) and visible progress (experience gain and stat

increases). This audience will rarely spend less than ten or twenty minutes

sitting with a game (given that they enjoy it).

This audience exists as a tight group and will likely spread word of any

games they play and whether they enjoyed the game or not. Therefore,

once a handful of this cluster has found a game to be “good,” that game will

be recommended strongly to friends and family.

Casual Target

This demographic leans towards games they can understand and enjoy

within very few minutes of playing. This audience can be easily intimidated

by complex control/command schemes and prefer to not invest more than a

few moments learning how to enjoy a title. Large menus and detailed lists

and specifications act as deterrents to them. For them, The Three Days

provides the “Quick Play” option. This mode allows them to bypass all squad

management tasks and proceed straight into Combat, thus maximizing the

time spent in-game.



This audience is less-versed about specific game genres and tends to play

games that immediately appear fun, understandable, and are recommended

to them. The task of approaching this audience is given to images and video

that focus on simple command sequences having noticeable results.

Recommendations from the Core Target are also valued.



Appendix 2: Comparative Products

The Three Days is a tactical role-playing game, focusing on character ability

accumulation and stat progression. The game plays on polygonal, grid-less

fields and focuses heavily on combat scenarios.

FINAL FANTASY Tactics

(SQUARESOFT, 1998) is

the primary comparative

product (and basis) for The

Three Days. Shared

components include a focus

on character ability

improvement through battle

experience and skill usage.

Play takes place on

quadrilateral, grid-based

fields and game time focuses on combat scenarios. Team management

takes up a sizable amount of time. Special actions require a specific amount

of time to commence. Control passes from character to character, rather

than team to team, based on the agility of the character and the number of

actions it took the previous turn. Exclusive components for The Three Days

include the exclusion of class assignments, restricting skill usage to item

allocation instead. Combat fields are grid-less, allowing for free range

movement. Special actions are not limited by Magic Points, but the time

needed to commence them.



X-COM: UFO Defense (Mythos Games, 1993) utilizes a similar time-

based action system.

Phantom Brave (Nippon Ichi Software, 2004) presents game play that

does not take place on a grid. Actions and movements are shown as grid-

spheres or grid-cylinders and arrows across the terrain. Action is individually

turn-based rather than squad phase-based.



Appendix 3: Risk Analysis

Tactics games tend to be tedious and have steeper learning curves: it takes

a bit of time and a good number of menus to get into the game and the

player needs to know what all of the numbers mean. How do you plan to

appeal to a “pick-up-and-play” audience?

First of all, the numbers and menus are being reduced to as few as possible.

The stats are very basic, skill trees are non-existent as every skill is available

to any character, and classes have been reduced to three type: physical,

magic, and defense. A full squad can be built within 5 mouse-clicks. A

player should be able to get into and complete a full Exhibition game within

6 minutes. Icons will also be used heavily to lower the learning curve.

Things should just look and feel right and do what the player expects. To

help guarantee this, playtesting with a range of player types will be

essential.

Trying to appeal to both hardcore and casual audiences could easily lead to a

watered-down experience. The hardcore crowd tends to oppose games that

feel “dumbed down.” Are you afraid of losing both audiences with this

attempt?

For this reason, the hardcore demographic has been established as our

“core” audience. In the case that the experience begins to seem watered

down, the casual audience will be dropped. Our top priority is to appeal to

the hardcore crowd.

Multiple game modes, including a branching path campaign, requires a vast

amount of content. With only a 7 month development time, how do you plan

to accomplish this and what are you willing to sacrifice?

The “Quick Play” mode is our first priority and we will build up from there.

Once “Quick Play” is implemented, all forms of mechanics and game play will

be present. Providing the player, then, with the option to select characters



for a squad will give us the “Exhibition” mode. With these two in place, the

Lead Designer will begin creating maps and scripting scenes for the

“Campaign” mode. All content created for “Campaign” will also be present

in “Exhibition” and “Quick Play,” as well.

A potentially very high number of assets are necessary to represent the

amount of content in this project. Without any dedicated artists, how does

the team plan to tackle this obstacle?

All members of the team are familiar with 3D modeling and creating 2D art.

Tasks have been distributed amongst them so that no one person is bearing

all of the weight. Character models will be simple and relatively

geometrically based. These characters also will not have arms or legs,

allowing more flexibility with animations. Most attacks will be particle-based.

Fields will be created in 3DS Max and exported to be used in the game.

In the second month of the development cycle, the Lead Designer took an

extended absence to accommodate family. Considering the amount of

content needed for a tactics game, this could potentially be a fatal blow. In

the case that the Lead Designer does not return within a few weeks, how do

you plan to create the content necessary for this project?

The Lead Designer is more than willing to work as much as possible on the

project while absent and will be in contact via email at all times. In the case

that he is not able to return for the remainder of the semester, the Lead

Designer has agreed to contribute “unofficially” to the team. This is

something he has done previously and is comfortable doing.



Appendix 4: Playtesting Plan & Feedback

1. How long did you spend preparing your team your first time playing?

Other times?

2. How long did your first battle take? Other times?

3. What did you feel or think playing The Three Days?

4. Were the buttons easy to understand?

5. Were your characters easy to control?

6. Were the objectives in “Campaign” mode easy to understand? Were

you ever confused about what to do?

7. Did any one character type feel noticeably better than the others? Did

one seem weaker?

8. If you played “Quick Play,” was there a team strategy that you wanted

but was not available?

9. How experienced would you say you are with tactics games?

10. What did you enjoy most about The Three Days?

11. What did you like least about The Three Days? Did anything

aggravate you?

12. Overall, how would you rate The Three Days?



Appendix 5: Document Change Log

Version 0.1 Created Design Document file RWR_DesignDocument_v0.docVersion 0.2 Added Table of Contents and expanded outlineVersion 0.3 Game Mechanics and Game Modes detailed

Battle Flow, Example of Play, and Controls roughly filledVersion 0.4 Characters, Stats, Actions, Skills, Inventory, Status Conditions roughly filledVersion 0.5 Field, Field Components and Effects roughly detailedVersion 0.6 Appendix I, Core and Casual Targets, Appendix II detailedVersion 0.7 Added Skills listVersion 0.8 Skills, Character Types, Conditions spreadsheets added in; Physics Design detailedVersion 0.9 Added to Risk Analysis and Comparative ProductsVersion 0.9.1 Added concept character art and detailed the Last Stand! actionVersion 1.0 Filled Narrative & Campaign detailsVersion 1.1 Updated Game Mechanics, with sample imagesVersion 1.2 Added comments, fixed a few details, began detailing Project Object, ProfilesVersion 1.3 Made changes according to feedback from instructorVersion 1.7 Added a fleshed out details and lots of concept art to show how

things’ll look and workVersion 2.0 Lots of info reworked; format moved around; images added;

asset list detailedVersion 2.1 Updated Narrative & Campaign sectionVersion 2.2 Updated Stats and Skills sheetsVersion 2.3 Updated calculations for TP Cost and Attack Damage; removed

Technology section



Appendix 6: Resources & Copyrights

Mentioned Products:

FINAL FANTASY Tactics, © 1998 Square-Enix

X-COM: UFO Defense, © 1993 Mythos Games

Phantom Brave, © 2004 Nippon Ichi Software

Image Sources:

GameSpot.com

Push.cx

IGN.com

All other content Copyright © 2009-2010 DigiPen (USA) Corporation, all

rights reserved.


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