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Helios
Game Design
Document
By Team Chobits
Dean Fazio Marcus Fletcher Darren Gilkes Cass Hensley Benjamin Jaekle Brad Meister 2 Table of Contents Game Overview ........................................................................................................................ 5 Game Concept.....................................................................................................................................5 Platform...................................................................................................................................... 5 Target Audience....................................................................................................................... 5 Game Flow Summary.............................................................................................................. 5 Project Scope ......................................................................................................................................6 Levels........................................................................................................................................... 6 NPCs ............................................................................................................................................. 6 Scope Management ................................................................................................................. 6 Market Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 7 Target Market.....................................................................................................................................7 Top Performers .................................................................................................................................7 Terraria ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Limbo........................................................................................................................................... 7 Trine 2 ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Rayman Origins........................................................................................................................ 7 Feature Comparison.........................................................................................................................8 Mechanics................................................................................................................................... 8 Puzzles ........................................................................................................................................ 8 Health .......................................................................................................................................... 8 Story............................................................................................................................................. 9 Characters ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Player.........................................................................................................................................10 Guru ...........................................................................................................................................10 Other Cyborgs .........................................................................................................................11 Aesthetics.................................................................................................................................12 Visuals................................................................................................................................................ 12 Environment ...........................................................................................................................12 Look and Feel .................................................................................................................................. 14 Look............................................................................................................................................14 Feel .............................................................................................................................................15 Execution..................................................................................................................................15 Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 3 Theme........................................................................................................................................16 Cyborgs and Humanism ............................................................................................................... 16 Player Character ....................................................................................................................17 Player Health and Death.............................................................................................................. 17 Basic Abilities .................................................................................................................................. 17 Movement ................................................................................................................................17 Jumping.....................................................................................................................................18 Use ..............................................................................................................................................18 The Lights ......................................................................................................................................... 19 Blue Light .................................................................................................................................19 Yellow Light.............................................................................................................................20 Green Light ..............................................................................................................................21 Traveling Between the Two Worlds................................................................................22 Controls ....................................................................................................................................23 Interactive Objects................................................................................................................24 Green Light Objects ....................................................................................................................... 24 Fruit ...........................................................................................................................................24 Blue Light Objects .......................................................................................................................... 24 Platforms..................................................................................................................................24 Switches....................................................................................................................................25 Conveyer Belts........................................................................................................................25 Yellow Light Objects...................................................................................................................... 26 Pressure Pads .........................................................................................................................26 Toxic Waste .............................................................................................................................26 Varying Light Objects.................................................................................................................... 27 Enemies.....................................................................................................................................27 NPCs ...........................................................................................................................................27 Crushing Devices ...................................................................................................................27 Force Fields .............................................................................................................................28 Bottomless Pits.......................................................................................................................28 Feedback ..................................................................................................................................30 HUD ..................................................................................................................................................... 30 Visual Feedback.............................................................................................................................. 30 Audio .................................................................................................................................................. 31 Level Design ............................................................................................................................32 Interludes ......................................................................................................................................... 32 Checkpoints...................................................................................................................................... 32 Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 4 Parallel Levels ................................................................................................................................. 33 Mock Level Design.................................................................................................................34 IPM Chart..................................................................................................................................36 Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 5 Game Overview
Game Concept
The player is a cyborg living in a mechanical future. He will learn important skills from a wise human in the role of a guru. These skills will allow him to see back into the past, bring life to the present, and help endure the hardships of his world. The player will go on a quest using these newly acquired skills, these skills are necessary for the quest for this robot to become fully human. Learning these skills will keep the player alive in times where it doesn’t seem possible and also make it through obstacles that require inhuman abilities to pass. The player’s only goal is to complete this journey and become a real human. Platform Helios is a 2D puzzle platformer that will be released for the computer and possibly for mobile platforms at a later date. Target Audience The target audience for Helios is males and/or females from ages 24 to 30. Game Flow Summary The player controls a cyborg character. Gameplay takes place in a 2D plane with a side-­‐scrolling view in which players navigate through obstacles and explore the world. The player is taught powers by a human guru who will help the player with these newly discovered powers. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 6 Project Scope
Levels We have a total of ten levels that will progress the player through different scenarios in the world with separate opportunities to use all of the abilities of the player. The first two levels will more than likely be tutorial levels for the player to get to learn all of the controls and mechanics. We feel that this is important for any player that plans to enjoy the full concept of the game. NPCs There are five non-­‐playable characters in Helios. Each character will reveal different things that make each one worth finding. We are looking to introduce a new non playable character every two levels to keep the balance of new characters and give the players a little bit of stability. Scope Management We felt that setting the scope up for success was the first big step on our road to designing this game. In order to help with the scope of our project we found the strengths of all of the members of the team and assigned the roles based off of that. We felt that knowing the interests and abilities of the team’s members was vital because of the short time span that we have to work on this game. With each member working on something they are enthusiastic about, things should work much more quickly and smoothly. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 7 Market Analysis
Target Market
Our target game being a puzzle platformer for the PC, other successful titles for the same platform would have to be many of the Rayman Origins, Trine 2, Limbo, and Terraria, just to name a few. The typical age range for these and most puzzle platformers are usually 10+, for any gender and for anyone that simply enjoys a good puzzle or a theme to go with the puzzles. Top Performers
Terraria For the PC, Playstation 3 and XBOX 360, released on 05/16/2011, Terraria was definitely an above average game, and quite popular. Having sold over one million copies, and with many updates from the first version, it can be said that Terraria did quite well for itself. Limbo For the PC, Mac, Playstation 3 and XBOX 360 and released (for the PC) on 08/02/2011, Limbo was definitely one of the popular ones. Selling over one million copies as of August 2011, Limbo did very well for itself, it would seem. Trine 2 For the PC, Mac, Playstation 3, Wii U and XBOX 360 and released for the PC on 12/07/2011, Trine 2 was also fairly popular. Selling over 400,000 copies, Trine 2 also did fairly well, in terms of sales. Rayman Origins For the PC, XBOX 360, Nintendo 3DS and Wii, it was released for the PC on 03/29/2012 and did quite well, in terms of popularity. Its sales were not so great, only selling about 50,000 in the first month. Reviews were quite good for the game, however. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 8 Feature Comparison
Mechanics In Rayman Origins and Limbo, abilities are handled actively, and are available for use in real-­‐time, with specific button inputs. In Trine 2 and Terraria, abilities must be selected, and can detract a little from the flow of gameplay. In our game, we have the option of either scrolling through the abilities or direct selection of said abilities. Coupled with the control scheme, this will allow the player to select their abilities easily, and not detract from the flow of gameplay. Puzzles In Limbo and Trine 2, puzzles are handled rather intuitively, making the player use their environment in order to progress further into the game. Rayman Origins features something similar, but the puzzles are a little more obvious and easy to figure out. Terraria has a unique approach to puzzles -­‐ in order to make progress, stronger and stronger tools, weapons and armor are needed. In order to get them, materials are needed...they can only be mined with certain tools and materials. In our game, puzzles are handled much in the way Limbo and Trine 2 handle puzzles, requiring the player to intuitively think about how they may solve the puzzles presented, using their abilities in ways that would help them progress in the game. Health In Limbo, running into something dangerous is fatal, so there is really no need to heal, per se. Trine 2 features a healing/checkpoint system in the form of an orb that will heal/revive any team members that require it. Terraria features a Legend of Zelda-­‐like health system, where damage is healed by picking up hearts dropped by enemies (or statues), or by paying money to be healed by the Nurse NPC. Rayman Origins has no health bar, but getting hit by enemies makes the player expand, and requires touching by the second team member to save them. If they are hit while they are carrying a heart, the heart is simply removed. In our game, damage is taken from using the blue light or from dangerous elements in the environment, and the player can use the green light and find fruit in the nature world, which can heal the player. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 9 Story
You are walking; you have been for as long as you can remember. You don’t know where you are going or how to know when you get there. At this point it doesn’t matter because as you look down your dream has come true: you are a human. This is what you have wanted since the first time you saw one. What is that noise, very loud and pulsing, like an alarm…? You have awoken, realizing that you have just suffered a tease from the same dream that you have at least once a week now. It’s getting worse; more than ever you long to be human. Like most mornings, the want for this gets you out of bed with a motivation that you never thought could be matched. There aren’t many of any kind left in this oppressive mechanical world. It’s a lonely journey in which you don’t even know what or who you are looking for. There’s a feeling about this day – not sure what it is, but it just feels different. Maybe this could be that day where you meet someone that won’t run scared from you and can help you in the right direction to find your purpose in this abandoned life. The next thing you see is a brightly colored figure standing on the side of the road. Just standing, looking confident and as if they are fulfilling their purpose, a very rare sight in this lifetime. “I have been waiting for you,” the man says. He is wearing a bright orange sheet over his shoulders. Completely bald head, eyes that look very distant yet determined, and a beard that would put Santa Clause to shame. “I am going to teach you how to find what you have sought for longer than you can remember, young one,” he continues. “I will teach you the skills that I possess, how to see into the past. I will teach you how to bring life to the present and how to endure the hardships of the life that you are living.” The man holds out what looks to be three different colored orbs. The Guru teaches you the meaning and purpose of each orb. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 10 The white orb makes you invulnerable to enemy attacks and acid pits, but makes your body slow and heavy. The green orb hides the present and shows you the natural world of the long-­‐
forgotten past – the fruit of this world can heal you. The blue orb electrifies you and all of the mechanisms in the world around you, but harms you with its current. As your journey continues, you will learn how to use the different lights at different points throughout the world. Whether it be to defeat something that is harming you or an obstacle that does not seem possible. You have received the help that you have so desperately searched for. Although it has not been said out loud, you know that at the end of this journey you will have what you have wanted more than anything. You will be a human. Characters
Player A cyborg that wants nothing more than to be a human. He is a little distraught and aggravated by the fact that he isn’t getting any help in his journey and has become doubtful that it may never happen. Ragged looking, like a machine that has needed replaced for some time but you haven’t got to it. Guru This is the man that will be helping you throughout the game. He shows you the meaning of the lights and helps you begin your journey. He doesn’t say much and doesn’t always explain, but when he speaks, you know to listen. He is old and wise, and appears to have an answer for everything. Bald head, eyes that appear to be looking in to the future. Long beard and a really bright orange robe covering almost his whole body. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 11 Other Cyborgs Cyborgs identical to the player character can be found, sparely, throughout the game world. They may have things to say, advice to offer, or stories to tell. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 12 Aesthetics
Visuals
Environment Helios will be unique in an aesthetic sense. We feel that by doing this, it will greatly help the theme of the game stand out as well as the storyline. The environment within Helios will have two very distinct looks. One world, which will be accessed by the player when he or she has the blue or yellow light active is, will be themed as a mechanical and futuristic world that appears to be decaying and corroding. We want to make sure that players can visually see that this world is slowly dying to some degree, which hopefully will fill the player with a sense of loneliness and sadness, to some degree. We want the players to see that there is obviously a problem with this world and that he or she is progressing through the game for some very important reason. The gloomy and odd world of Machinarium Above is a screenshot of the game Machinarium. This is a good example of the tone and aesthetic value of the mechanical world. This game has managed to instill a Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 13 somewhat sad and depressing look and feel to the game through their aesthetics. You can also see that the world seems to be rusting and decaying to some degree. We will be achieving our goal of having a mechanical and futuristic world that is dying and decaying by introducing proper art assets and using things such as brightness, saturation, and color to set the tone and mood. The second world will be accessed by players when they have the green light active is a polar opposite of the mechanical world. This world will be themed as a nature world that is vibrant and full of life. This world will be void of anything mechanical and futuristic in look; however, it will feel similar to drive home the fact that both worlds are the same world but in two different points in time. The scenic zone of Nagrand in World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Above, you will see a screenshot from a zone in the game World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade that just simply showcases the nature theme that we are aiming for. The main idea behind the nature world is to make it feel and look as if it is a safe and peaceful place for the player to visit. The player will mainly be using the nature world to heal, so we want the environment to feel holistic and comforting. This of course, will be the opposite of the mechanical world; however, the two worlds combined should give the impression that they are the same world in two different points in time. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 14 Look and Feel
Look Helios will have a very modern and cartoony look. The game’s two worlds will be similar in art style; however, things such as color, saturation, contrast, and brightness will be different. This is due to the fact that we want our look to tie directly into our mechanics and storyline. Helios will technically consist of two worlds that revolve around our time shift mechanic. One world will be rich and full of life with a strong theme of nature, while the other has a mechanical theme and features a futuristic environment that is corroding and dying. A great game to base the look of Helios around is Bastion. Below is a screenshot from Bastion showcasing the contrast between verdant nature and futuristic mechanisms. The grim yet colorful world of Bastion Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 15 The screenshot above is a great example of the art style that will be featured throughout the game; more importantly it shows the richness in color and brightness that we are aiming for in our nature world. Both of our worlds will look and feel different, yet the same as well. Feel Helios will revolve around a modernized retro feel. We will achieve this primarily through gameplay. We wanted to take elements that made retro games unique and memorable and mix them with modern design practices to produce a unique feel. We decided that the game type, controls, and mechanics in Helios all work together to deliver the feel we want. We decided that a puzzle platform game would be a great game type to base the feel of Helios upon. We wanted to keep controls simplistic, but allow them to create diverse gameplay. We based the foundation of our mechanics on movement and jumping and then built off of those to create the unique mechanics featured in Helios. More detailed information about the mechanics can be found in the mechanics section of this document. Execution Luckily, the Unreal Development Kit comes with two major sets of assets. The Unreal Tournament assets are very mechanical and futuristic looking and dark and dull in coloration, making them a perfect fit for our game’s future world. The assets associated with the foliage demo are very natural, featuring trees, grasses and rocks. By combining these two sets of assets and toggling between them using Kismet and the “Hidden” bool accessible in all UDK meshes, we can move back and forth between the worlds with ease. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 16 Theme
Cyborgs and Humanism
We stand on the cusp of an interesting time. Almost everyone is constantly connected to the rest of the world using digital devices like cell phones, tablet PCs, GPS devices. Electronics have allowed the deaf to hear for years. Lasers correct our vision. The limbless may walk with the help of electronic devices that receive impulses from the brain. Google glasses overlay our vision of the real world with detailed digital maps, advertisements, and information. We hold tiny windows in our hands that allow us to see the other side of the world. We drop bombs on our enemies overseas from the detached comfort of our own lands. Our knowledge we once downloaded from the brains of others or from thick Encyclopedias; now, we all contribute our knowledge to a growing cloud of knowledge that exists in a plane we can only see through these digital devices. In a brief TED talk, “cyborg anthropologist” Amber Case asserts that we are all cyborgs now. As technology progresses, slowly, from something we sit down at to something we wear on our bodies and finally to something integrated into our flesh, we need to ask questions about the potency of our humanity, and how much electronics, the internet, medicines, and machines amplify and smother our natural human selves. Perhaps we can go too far. In discussing our design, the team latched onto the theme of the natural versus the artificial. We decided that our player would be super-­‐powered by his mechanical abilities, but that he could only heal in the richness of nature. The old world of the game has been destroyed, corrupted, and machines have been wrought over it. Travel is more convenient, but the world is unhealthy – once-­‐pure rivers have been polluted into pools of toxic sludge, the green grass is gone, and the inhabitants of the world are logical and powerful but empty and all but soulless. The player’s cyborg, with the help of a rare and mythical human, embarks on a quest to give up his power and its heavy price and find something more simple, peaceful, and meaningful – a sense of authentic humanity.
Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 17 Player Character
The player character in Helios is a cyborg who uses his abilities as a human and as a machine to progress through the levels towards his eventual goal, humanity. Player Health and Death
The player has 9 hit points represented in a HUD image. The player can lose hit points in a variety of ways, which will be expanded upon later in the document, but include: using the Blue Light, touching hazardous liquid, bumping into enemies from the side, and falling from high up. Several objects will be able to reduce the player’s hit points to zero instantly. These include crushing devices and bottomless pits. When a player’s health hits zero, the player will die and spawn at the last checkpoint. Players can replenish their scarce health by visiting the Nature World and eating the fruit that grows on the trees there. Basic Abilities
The player has some standard abilities common to platforming videogames: basic movement, jumping, and a context-­‐sensitive “use” action. Movement The player can move left and right in a 2D perspective at a constant speed – roughly, jogging. He’ll be reduced to a slow, heavy, laborious jog when using the Yellow Light. The player will be able to go underwater at certain points in the game, and the player will be encumbered by the water. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 18 Whenever the player is not on the ground (as is the case when jumping or falling) his movements will be encumbered. A note on falling: The player is subject to gravity and as such will fall whenever he walks off the edge of a surface. Falling from too high a height will damage the player, as long as he’s not using the Yellow Light, which renders him impervious to damage. Jumping The player will be able to jump using the ___ key. A prolonged press of the button will enable the player to jump slightly higher and clear larger obstacles. While in the air, the player will have a reduced control of the character’s movement. Using the Yellow Light makes the player jump less than half as high or as far and further restricts his control over movement. Use The player can “use” objects in the environment, including switches and fruit, in order to advance through the level. The results of using an item will vary depending on what the item is and where it is in the level. For example, using a switch might make a door open nearby. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 19 The Lights
The player will emanate one of three lights at all times. The player controls which light is active, and each light has benefits and drawbacks, but each will be required to explore the world. The lights are summarized below. Blue Light The Blue Light allows the player to energize the environment with electricity. Being a cyborg, the player has electrical implants which allow him to generate energy, but also cause him harm as the human parts of him are sensitive to electrical shock. By turning on the Blue Light, platforms and other objects in the mechanical world will come to life and begin to move and perform functions, but the player is dealt 1 damage every 1 second while the Blue Light is active, so it must be used sparingly. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 20 Yellow Light The Yellow Light renders the player invulnerable to many harmful objects in the game world, such as dangerous acid and prowling robots. Because generating this protective field is very taxing on the player character, the player will have reduced speed and jump ability while it is active, meaning that progress is slower. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 21 Green Light The Green Light allows the player to enter the world as it once was: lush, green, and untouched by the mechanical developments that pervade his native environment. The Green Light alters the environment around the player, removing all of the mechanical apparatuses and replacing them with greenery. Entering the green world will allow the player to move through the world in ways he could not otherwise. The green world also allows the player to heal using the fruit in the world. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 22 Traveling Between the Two Worlds In the future world, the player is able to activate mechanical gizmos using his Blue Light and can bear its tribulations using the Yellow Light. However, there is no source of health in the future world, and sometimes the future world is simply resistant to the player’s movements, meaning that the player must enter the past world in order to heal or advance. By using the Green Light, the player visits the past world. In the past world, some new paths will be open that were not open before, and some open paths will be closed. Also present in the past world are fruit, which hang from the trees and allow the player to eat them to replenish some health. While the past world is very inviting, it is also very difficult to advance through because of the lack of technological niceties like moving platforms, bridges, etc., and the player must live in his own world to complete his quest and fulfill his obligation to the future world to continue to undo the damage. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 23 Controls
Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 24 Interactive Objects
There will be various different interactive objects within Helios. All of these objects will be used in different ways by the player to solve puzzles and progress through the game. These objects will be broken up into different categories, which are listed below depending on how the player will generally interact with them via the three main mechanics of the game. Green Light Objects
Fruit Fruit will be an object that the player will be able to interact with after using the time shift ability. The main goal of the fruit is to heal players that have lost health due to various reasons. Players will be able to interact with the fruit object in random locations in the game world after activating the green light, which is shown and described in detail in the mechanics section. There is no limit to how much fruit the player can eat. Players will interact with the fruit by pressing the “E” button. The storyboard below details an interaction between the player and the fruit. Blue Light Objects
Platforms Platforms will be an object that the player can interact with in various ways; however, the overall idea of platforms is that the player can move through the level by jumping on platforms, which allow the player to cross gaps or reach elevations he Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 25 or she might not otherwise reach. An example of how a player might interact with a platform is detailed in the storyboard below. Switches Switches will be used to activate various objects within the game world while the player has the blue light active. The player will simply activate the blue light, which will allow him or her to interact with the switch. The switch will then provide power to an object such as a platform that would have otherwise been out of reach of the player. An example of how the player might interact with a switch to provide power to an object is detailed in the storyboard below. Conveyer Belts Conveyor belts are objects that the player will do various things with to solve puzzles and progress through the game. The main idea behind the conveyor belts is that they will be used to transport objects or the player throughout the level, and the player may have to provide power to them to for them to operate properly. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 26 Yellow Light Objects
Pressure Pads Pressure pads will be used in various ways to solve puzzles and progress through the game; however, the main idea behind them is that the player will use heavy objects such a crate to hold the pressure pad down. This in turn, will typically activate some other object within the world for the player to interact with and progress. An example of how the player might interact with a pressure pad is detailed in the storyboard below. Toxic Waste Toxic waste will be present in the mechanical world and has the ability to damage the player if he or she comes into contact with it, which will deal a set amount of damage. The player has the ability to protect him or herself from the dangers of the toxic waste by activating the yellow light. This will protect the player, but it will also limit the player’s movement. Players will need to figure out how to solve puzzles when toxic waste is present. An example of an interaction that the player may have with toxic waste is detailed in the storyboard below. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 27 Varying Light Objects
Enemies Enemies within the game can either help or hurt the player depending on the interaction. Players are able to ride on top of enemies; however, if enemies collide with the player in either the front or the back they will deal damage to the player. An example of how the player will interact with an enemy is detailed in the storyboard below. NPCs NPCs will be present throughout the game world as the player progresses. The player will be able to interact with them for various reasons. The main reason behind interacting with NPCs will be to gain more of the story. Other reasons would be to gain tips and hints as to how to solve future puzzles and to gain information as to what is yet to come. An example of how the player will interact with an NPC is detailed in the storyboard below. Crushing Devices Crushing devices are objects in the game world that will deal crushing damage to the player, which will kill them instantly. The yellow light, which typically gives the Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 28 player protection against various environmental hazards and damage, will not give the player protection from crushing damage. The player will need to figure out how to interact with crushing devices in order to either power them down or circumnavigate them. An example of an interaction that the player may have with crushing devices is detailed in the storyboard below. Force Fields Force fields are dangerous objects in the world that the player will need to avoid in order to stay alive. Similar to the crushing devices, force fields will deal damage to the player that cannot be deflected by using the yellow light. The player will need to figure out how to interact with force fields in order to either power them down or circumnavigate them. An example of an interaction that the player may have with force fields is detailed in the storyboard below Bottomless Pits Bottomless pits are featured throughout the world that will act as an area that will kill the player if they fall into them. They can be avoided by performing various tasks throughout the game in order to solve the puzzles to progress forward. An example of an interaction that the player may have with bottomless pits is detailed in the storyboard below. Special Note: Water will be an element that is present in the nature world primarily. Water will affect player movement similar to the way that the yellow light does. Water will not damage the player; however, the water has the potential to turn into toxic waste if the player Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 29 is to shift back into the mechanical world, which would damage the player unless the yellow light is active. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 30 Feedback
HUD
The HUD will consist of one main element, which will be a segmented health bar that provides clear understanding to the player as to how much health he or she has. An example of the segmented health bar that will be implemented can be seen in the below screenshot of the game Star Wars. We want the player to have a clear indication as to how many hit points he or she has without having to pay attention to numbers of any sort. This will be the only element to the player’s HUD in attempt to keep it as clean as possible. Visual Feedback
Helios will provide the player with visual feedback in a number of ways. The most evident is the changing of the world when the green light is on, but each of the lights will be very obvious when activated: the whole world will glow faintly of that color, and the player will emanate light of that color. Electrical objects will spark feebly when the Blue Light is off, and become bright and animated when the Blue Light is on. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 31 The screen will shake gently when the player takes damage to give the player the feedback necessary to adjust their behavior without disorienting them. Audio
Audio feedback will feature standard sound effects like footsteps, the sound of the lights toggling, and the noises made by moving levers or opening doors. When switching between worlds, players will hear very different sounds: the mechanical world will feature a soundtrack, whirring gears and clanking metal; the nature world will be peacefully quiet except for the player’s footsteps and the ambient sounds of nature. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 32 Level Design
Helios features ten unique and diverse levels that will test the player’s mettle in both platforming skills and puzzle solving. These levels are fairly long, and are therefore broken into chunks using a simple checkpoint system. Each level is, in essence, two levels, with the mechanical world overlaying the natural world. Each level will detail a step along the cyborg’s journey towards his transcendent moment. The cyborg will journey to the top of a mountain, overcoming each level’s obstacles as he goes. By reusing assets, the levels will maintain a cohesive feel and visual theme, but by varying the shapes of the levels and what the player is required to do within them, we can ensure that the player is never bored. Possible ideas for later levels in the game include a purely vertical level, an underground level, a water/toxic waste level, and a level made almost entirely of conveyors, platforms, and switches. Interludes
Between each level, the player will see text on a black screen that reveals the cyborg’s steady transformation from mostly robot to completely human. In the earlier levels, these brief Interludes will feature very rational, cold, distant cyborg thoughts, but as the player progresses, the Interludes will become more and more humanized and poetic, allowing the player character to undergo a subtle emotional journey. Checkpoints
Each level in Helios will include several checkpoints (2-­‐4) which will allow the player to progress through the level without having to backtrack too much if they perish. These checkpoints will be implemented using a simple system of Kismet nodes that toggle Player Start objects on and off. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 33 Parallel Levels
The levels within Helios will be parallel with one another meaning that the design of them will be able to intersect with one another. This will be done to create better synergy and comprehension between the theme and gameplay. For this reason, one world will be designed around a nature theme, while the other will be designed around a mechanical theme. Both worlds need to speak to the theme of having one cohesive world that the player traverses, which is broken up in two different points in time. The nature themed world will be the past, while the mechanical themed world will be the future. The player will be able to flip between the two worlds using the yellow light ability, which is discussed in more detail in the Basic Abilities section of this document. The images above show a visual representation of how the two different worlds may look if the player was to traverse between the two at the same point in the game. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 34 Mock Level Design
On the next page is a mock level design showcasing a tutorial level for Helios. A larger version of this mockup is bundled in the folder with this document as a standalone PDF. The level is broken into sections for easier distribution of mechanics during the crucial tutorial level. These sections coincide with the locations of checkpoints in the level. The same is true for the IPM chart which follows the mock. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 35 .&>&+,
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Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 36 IPM Chart
Our IPM chart showcases our checkpoint system in the first level and shows the appropriate distribution of skills learned over the course of the tutorial section of the game. Other mechanics are introduced more slowly later on as the puzzles become more complex by utilizing all of the earlier mechanics and objects in addition to the newly-­‐introduced mechanics and objects. Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 37 Asset List
Static Meshes
Mechanical World
Girder 1
Girder 2
Pressure Plate Frame
Pressure Plate Button
Mechanical Platform 1
Mechanical Platform 2
Relic
Handrail
Elevator 1
Elevator 2
Toxic Waste
Big Crate
Small Crate
Force Field
Wire Bunch
Conveyer Belt
Single Wire 1
Single Wire 2
Switch
Control Panel
Support Beam 1
Support Beam 2
Nature World
Grass
Bushes
Water
Rock
Boulder
Cliff
Mountain
Nature Level Backdrop
Relic
Tree 1
Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 38 Tree 2
Tree 3
Fruit
Roots
Flower Blue
Flower Red
Flower Yellow
Tree Trunk
Nature Platform 1
Nature Platform 2
Skeletal Meshes
Player Character Human
Guru
NPC Cyborg 1
NPC Cyborg 2
Player Character Cyborg
Enemy 1
Enemy 2
Animations
PC Idle
PC Run
PC Jump
PC Take Damage
PC Fall
PC Swim
Guru Idle
Guru Talking
NPC Cyborg Idle
NPC Cyborg Talking
Particle Effects
Light Change Activated
Light Change Completed
Power On Electricity
Harmful Gas
Water Bubbles
Fruit Glow
Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 39 Sound Effects
Footsteps on dirt
Footsteps on grass
Footsteps on stone
Footsteps on metal
Character Jumping
Character Takes Damage
Character Death
Chasm Echo
Activated pressure plate
Deactivated pressure plate
Activated lever
Deactivated lever
Door opening
Door closing
Conveyor Belt Start
Conveyor Belt Movement
Conveyor Belt Stop
Harmful Liquid Sound
Water Sound
Electric Field Activated
Electric Field Deactivated
Yellow Light Activated
Blue Light Activated
Green Light Activated
Robot steps
Crusher Descent
Crusher Press
Crusher Lift
Crusher Stop
Ambient Mechanical Sounds
Ambient Nature Sounds
Music
Loading Screen Music
Level 1 Music
Level 2 Music
Level 3 Music
Level 4 Music
Level 5 Music
Level 6 Music
Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University 40 Level 7 Music
Level 8 Music
Level 9 Music
Level 10 Music
Materials
Mechanical World Terrain Material 1
Mechanical World Terrain Material 2
Nature World Terrain Material 1
Nature World Terrain Material 2
Pristine Water Material
Polluted Water Material
Player HUD
Dialogue Font Text
Player Skin Human
Player Skin Cyborg
NPC Cyborg Skin 1
NPC Cyborg Skin 2
Guru Skin
Mechanical Level Backdrop
Nature Level Backdrop
Enemy 1 Skin
Enemy 2 Skin
Water
Toxic Waste
Grate
Crate
Wire Bunch
Wire Single
Glow
Spark
Support Beam Rusted
Support Beam Dull
Rock
Flower Blue
Flower Red
Flower Yellow
Blue Sky
Tree Green Large
Tree Green Small
Team Chobits – GDD Version 1 Full Sail University