gamedesigndocument_s1306137_v6

Phoenix Island is a first person medieval styled puzzle/adventure game set on an island in the middle of the North Sea.

Samantha Rawlings1306137

U n i v e r s i t y o f G l o u c e s t e r s h i r e | T h e P a r k | C h e l t e n h a m

08Fall

CT4005Games Production 2013

Phoenix IslandGames Design Document

CT4005 Games Production2013/14

Table of Contents

1. Overview......................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Narrative...................................................................................................................... 3

3. Game Structure.......................................................................................................... 3

4. Interface Designs....................................................................................................... 4

4.1. Menu screens........................................................................................................... 4

4.2. In game screens...................................................................................................... 5

4.3. User Feedback......................................................................................................... 5

5. Base Game Mechanics.............................................................................................. 6

6. Level Designs.............................................................................................................. 7

7. Controls........................................................................................................................ 8

8. Punishment & Reward System..............................................................................8

9. Assets............................................................................................................................. 9

10. Sixty-seconds of Play........................................................................................................... 10

1. OverviewThe main purpose of “Phoenix Island” is to allow the player to explore an abandoned island in the middle of the North Sea. After exploring different parts of the island, the player will then have to solve puzzles in order to gain clues on how they arrived and how they can escape. The puzzles within the game will test the player’s intelligence, memory and reaction time. “Phoenix Island” is mainly aimed towards females aged 12 and up. The inclusion of a female protagonist within the game makes it more applicable for female players. This game is playable on the iPad and other touch screen devices.By producing the material needed for “Phoenix Island” the concept artist has shown their artistic abilities, imagination and re-enactment of the medieval theme in which was chosen. The uniqueness of “Phoenix Island” is the addition of a little to no story which develops as the player progresses. The long-term goal of “Phoenix Island” is to collect clues by solving puzzles and eventually put them together in order to figure out how the main character got onto the island and how the player can escape. The large amount of terrain within the game gives the player a longer play-time therefore allowing the game to be engaging throughout.

Samantha Rawlings, 1306137 2



2. NarrativeLana awakens on an island surrounded by palm trees, sand and ocean. She has no recollection on how she got there or who left her there. The only thing she can do is explore this deserted island for clues and complete the challenges which lie within it!

3. Game StructureAs soon as Phoenix Island starts up the main menu will appear giving the player the option of either starting a new save file or opening a previous file.

Once the New Game button has been pressed the main menu loads up the save state where the player can create new game data. Once the new file has been selected the first cut-scene will be activated and the player will be taken to the tutorial level (Phoenix Shore)

If the player activates the trigger on the level Lana will be taken back to the main menu. The player can then choose to play it again or quit the application (when in full screen game mode)


Main Menu

New Game

Load Game

1st Cutscene

Save Data Files

Harbour Edge

Load previous

state

Crystal Cave

A Volcanic Path

Temple of Grithis

Options Extras

Video Audio Unlockables

Cinematics/Concept Art/Weapons/Items

Found

Controls

(The menu screens which are highlighted in green are the menu screens that are working correctly and are currently visible to the player)

Play Quit



4. Interface Designs

4.1 Menu screens

Main Menu Screen (on iPad)

The image above shows the process from concept to final render of the main menu screen. The size of the text used within the final version is 150 and the font used is “Ringbearer”.

By showing the final version of the menu screen within the iPad layout, the designer is able to show what the layout will look like within the final product.

Once the play button has been pressed the player is lead to the first cutscene. In this cutscene the main protagonist is revealed and the story begins.

Opening Cut Scene Storyboard




4.2 In game screens

Within Phoenix Island, the HUD has a very simple design. The health bar for the character is located in the top right hand corner, the inventory of the character is located in the bottom left corner and the map of the level is located in the top left corner.

For every gamer the health bar is the most important item. In order to ensure that gamers can easily identify this item I have used a very dark silver colour so that it will contrast with the vibrant background.

The map is shown as a “compass” shaped object which will turn north/south/east/west depending on which direction the player decides to travel.

4.3 User FeedbackWhen playing through Phoenix Island the player will encounter many aspects which will inform them of a warning.

The user feedback included within the first level is more limited. This is because there are no enemy encounters. Therefore the first level does not give any haptic feedback. Haptic feedback is when a player is warned by the use of vibration within the device. This is often activated when the player bumps into an enemy or is low on health.

Within Harbour Edge (first level) there is audio feedback for every action performed. For example, whenever the player takes a step a footstep sound is activated.

In order to avoid annoyance or boredom with repetitive sound effects, the producers have ensured that the sound of the footsteps change depending on which terrain the character is walking on. Samantha Rawlings, 1306137 5

Health Bar goes down by 20% after each hit

Inventory – stores player’s weapons

Map/Navigation – shows locked/hidden areas

First Person Character View



5. Base Game Mechanics

The main rules of Phoenix Island are to fight off any obstacles which block Lana’s path, retrieve special items which will help her escape, find important resources in order to survive (water, food, shelter) and learn how to develop Lana’s physical combat skills when finding new weaponry. Within the puzzles the rules change depending on the layout of them. For example the first puzzle is designed to test the player’s memory and luck skills. For this puzzle the player begins on a tile bridge. The aim of this puzzle is to step on random tiles until Lana reaches the end.

It sounds simple but if the player has failed this puzzle then the pattern of it changes each time. For example, within the puzzle of “Watch your Step” as Lana progresses forward onto the bridge, the tiles will vibrate which will tell the player if Lana is near a loose or broken one. If the player steps on the wrong tile then the puzzle will reprogram itself to randomly switch the tiles around, making the puzzle more difficult.

The concept artwork below shows the process of each level from a top down view. By doing this the concept artist can give these sketches to the level designers in order to help them gain an insight of how each level should be laid out and the different paths that the player has to be able to access.




6. Level Designs

Harbour Edge After Lana (the main protagonist) is washed up onto the shore the player will be able to see a sandy path ahead which splits off into two directions. The path to the left leads the player to the Crystal Cave and the path to the right leads the player to a mountainous region leading to a waterfall and a small oak forest. Crystal CaveThe Crystal Cave is a dark and mysterious place, hidden by surrounding bushes. Once inside the player will be able to see rusty grey rocks all around them. These rocks are joined together in order to create a cave-like interior. The player will also be able to see multicoloured crystals growing from the ground. Once hit these crystals will extract magic and health points for the player. A little further on is a little stone bridge which leads to a challenge arena, filled with foes.

A Volcanic PathThis location is an inactive volcano which is brewing with ash and lava. The player will have to deal with flame creatures and rough terrain. Inside the volcano the walls and floors are covered with ashes and remains of those who have ventured through it previously.

Temple of GrithisThe Temple of Grithis is an Aztec landmark guarded by earth creatures and magical forces. The walls are covered with multicoloured (but worn and broken) mosaic tiles. Within this location there are three different paths to follow. The left pathway leads to a room which can only be accessed after beating a boss. The right path will lead Lana to a room filled with breakable pots, rocks and crystals. The path straight ahead will lead to a locked door. The player will be able to hear a dragon’s roar and the sound of footsteps as the dragon walks around.

Major Event ListAfter the arrival Lana realises that her staff is missing. She travels around the island in order to search for clues of its location. After exploring, Lana eventually runs into Thane. Surprised from the noise, Lana threatened to attack but after a short conversation; Thane understood her story and agreed to help out in battle. Soon after, they encounter Sir Conjuror for the first time and attempt to fight him. After discovering that he was too strong for Lana to attack, Thane fired a lightning arrow at Conjuror’s chest, weakening him. After being weakened, Conjuror retreats in humiliation and continues with his plan by developing his powers with the gem used in Lana’s staff. After walking through A Volcanic Path, Lana and Thane encounter a powerful fire demon and end up outsmarting the beast, making him reveal the location of Lana’s staff and the first clue. The first clue is revealed to be diagrams of Conjuror’s plan which was to kidnap Lana (and steal her staff), steal a ship, sail to Phoenix Island and leave her stranded, ending up with her eventual defeat by Thane and the other island-folk. After hearing about the plan Lana travels to the Temple of Grithis determined to steal back her staff. Thane tries to stop her, warning her about the dangers but Lana tells Thane in an emotional state that she has to get back to her home before it is destroyed. Lana then travels to the final destination and recovers her staff, only to be saved by Thane as Conjuror releases the first attack. After fighting continuously, Lana gains an enchantment, enabling her to be protected against Conjuror’s attacks. Thane is seriously injured during the battle and ends up getting killed by Conjuror’s deadly shockwave. Furious and upset Lana attacks Conjuror’s weakspot with her newest power and ultimately prevails. She then steals back her staff and uses the gem in order to revive Thane. After realising it wouldn’t work, Lana suddenly hears Thane’s voice. She discovers that Thane’s spirit is living within the gem of her staff and that she gained the power of telepathy (she can sense the “aura” of Thane, therefore being able to communicate with him, using her mind) Lana uses Conjuror’s boat in order to travel back with Thane inside her staff.




7. Controls

“Phoenix Island” is only playable on the iPad. This means that the controls are touch-activated only. Like many other adventure video games designed for touch devices, the screen usually provides a digital analog stick which the player will be able to use in order to move Lana.

As well as an analog stick the screen also provides a button which will allow the player to interact with items, change weapons and talk to people. “Phoenix Island” uses the same technique but with two additional buttons for camera adjustment. For the quick-time events, random buttons will appear on the screen. During these events only two buttons will be used. The difficulty will increase through the timing and rhythm of the buttons and what sequence they will show in.

8. Punishment & Reward SystemDuring the game play of “Phoenix Island” points are gained from defeating enemies and completing objectives. Depending on the number of enemies the player defeats (and their size) will alter the number of points the player will receive.

After the first cut scene the player will be given an objective to find Spirit Harbour, the protagonist’s first destination. As soon as the player has completed the objective, the health bar of the player will have 5 points added to it and the player will receive an achievement named “Beginner’s Journey”.

Every time the player receives points the game will add them up until they reach a score of 100. As soon as the character’s stats reach 100 points the player will automatically level up. The level up counter increases each time, making it more difficult to level up.

The player will lose points during “Phoenix Island” by receiving damage from enemies and obstacles. Each time the character receives damage, the health bar decreases by 5% until it reaches 0% (the character’s health bar begins with 20% then increases each time after levelling up)

If the player performs a risky task within the Phoenix Island (such as defeating a boss or killing a certain number of enemies, then the game will reward the player by giving a new item (first item being a flame torch) and a longer health bar.

After the health bar is empty the character will faint and then re-spawn at the nearest checkpoint. The number of lives will then decrease by one each time the health bar is empty until there are no more lives remaining. At this point the player will get a game over and will be taken back to the main menu.


Analog Stick



9. Assets

When creating Phoenix Island there were many assets needed. These include: font for the menu text, concept art for the characters/levels and Unity terrain assets.

The text font used for the Phoenix Island menu screen is named “Ringbearer”. The font is free to use so long as the user gives credit to Pete Klassen (the original creator)

All of the concept artwork created for Phoenix Island is hand drawn by the concept artist and is later on scanned and digitalised.

As well as the concept artwork and font assets, the developers of Phoenix Island also created the game by using the free Unity assets. From the default assets within Unity, video game producers can create video game levels and terrains.

In order to create Phoenix Island, Dragonix Studios had to use material/assets from internet references.

Below is a list of all of the references used in order to create Phoenix Island:

“Daylight Simple Water”/”Water (Basic)” Water assets © Unity

“Palm”/”Big Tree”/”Tree Creator” Tree assets © Unity

“GoodDirt”/”Cliff (Layered Rock)”/”Grass (Hill)”/“Terrain Assets” © Unity

ringbearer.zip (font download) © Klassen P. (None). Ringbearer. Available: http://www.dafont.com/ringbearer.font. Last accessed 1st December 2013.

“Sunny2 Skybox” (“Front (+Z)”, “Back (-Z)”, “Left (+X)”, “Right (-X)”, “Up (+Y)”, “down (-Y)” images © Unity

doodle_en.png (image of iPad) © None. (2012). Doodle comes to the iPad. Available: http://en.blog.doodle.com/2012/07/12/doodle-comes-to-the-ipad-2/. Last accessed 1st December 2013.

magic_spell_pass_by_whoosh.mp3 © http://www.freesfx.co.uk/users/blastwavefx/ /www.freeSFX.co.uk. (None). None. Available: http://www.freesfx.co.uk/sfx/magic. Last accessed 1st December 2013.

Storyboards.jpg (storyboard template image) None. (2013). Appendix 6 - storyboard template (handout for group storyboard planning). Available: http://casj-2011.wikispaces.com/Appendix+6. Last accessed 1st December 2013.

(All of the above resources were free and did not require any permission to use)




10. Sixty-seconds of Play

(See appendix B for full sized images)

Moment to Moment Gameplay

In order to produce the table for the sixty seconds of play from the end of the final boss cutscene, the storyboard artist picked one of the most important moments within the gameplay.

The green cells below show how the excitement level increases as the final boss’s events take place.

For the cutscene section, the last ten seconds of the final boss cutscene are shown. During this there is no movement, combat, attack patterns, enemies or button sequences. The movement of the character takes place after the first twenty seconds and then continues until fifty seconds in. at this point a button sequence is activated and no movement, enemies, combat or attacks occur. A cutscene is activated in the last ten seconds showing the final button sequence. The combat and movement sections depend mainly on the player’s technique. Finally, the boss attacks are not very consistent (yet again this varies depending on the player’s technique).

Samantha Rawlings, 1306137

Cutscene Movement Combat Boss Attacks Enemies Button Sequence 00:10 00:20 00:30 00:40 00:50 01:00

10



Appendix

APPENDIX A – CONCEPT/DIGITAL ARTWORK OF LEVEL

DESIGNS


Digitalised Artwork of the entrance which leads to

Crystal Cave.

Original Concept Artwork of a top-down view of

Phoenix Island

Original Concept Artwork of the inside of A Volcanic

Path.

Rough Concept Artwork of Harbour Edge after Lana

has awakened.



Original Concept Artwork for Sir Conjure


Name: Sir ConjureAbilities: Shockwave Devastator/Flight Story: After deceiving the king Conjurer was exiled from his homeland and stripped of his knighthood title. Enraged, he swore to take his revenge and soon learned a source of dark magic.



Original Concept Artwork of Lana Dragonheart


Name: Lana DragonheartAbility: Spells/Enchantments Story: Lana was raised in a village on a faraway island where she was taught how to use her magical abilities in combat.



Original Concept Artwork of Thane Phoenixhawk


Name: Thane PhoenixhawkAbility: Archer (experienced in skill and accuracy) Story: Thane is one of the last inhabitants of Phoenix Island. He was trained to be skilled in the art of accuracy.



APPENDIX B - STORYBOARDS OF PUZZLES/CUTSCENES

Storyboard for the “Watch your Step” Puzzle (found inside the Temple of Grithis)




A storyboard of the cutscene that appears if the player wins the “Watch your Step” puzzle




A storyboard of the cutscene that appears when the player loses in the “Watch your Step” puzzle




The final boss cutscene




APPENDIX C – WEAPONS/HUD DESIGN

Staff of Serenity (Lana’s main weapon choice)




Bow of Enchantments (Thane’s main weapon choice, created by Lana)




HUD Design of Entrance to Crystal Cave (and the other levels)


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game screens54

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deserted island

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