1. CS 134
Design Documents

2. Any Requests for the Flexi-Lectures?

3. Team projects start NEXT CLASS!
Team Game Project
Team projects start NEXT CLASS!

4. Problems with Team Projects
Communication is an O(n^2) problem
Everyone may have a different vision
Programming is not parallelizable

5. Problems with Game Projects
“Fun” is not well understood
Development is also animation, world, enemies, rewards, pacing, story, and more
Non-programmers need the engine to do their work

6. End Result
End Result

7. End Result
End Result
The whole notion of "Columbia" was created halfway through development.
Elizabeth AI was extremely not fun one year before the game launched
Irrational spent four years working on multiplayer... then cut it from the game
Brought in Jordan Thomas in 2012 to get the game done
And all this is pretty normal.

8. Why? Really big teams! No clear vision!
Iteration on iteration on iteration
Development of games can be quality based or deadline based, YOU MUST CHOOSE ONE!

9. Design Documents Create a specific vision
Communicate how you will do something
Identify potential issues sooner
Prototyping (hopefully without code)

10. Types of Design Documents
Tech Design Document
Level Design Document
Art Design Document
Reward Design Document
Monetization Design Document
Etc....
For this class, just focus on the “why”, “what” and “how”

11. Why – the Pitch Sell others (and yourself) on the design
When working in a studio, used to get funding / convice others to work with you
Should be EXTREMELY short
Under 10 pages in real companies
One paragraphs for this class
Sections:
High Concept
Project Overview

12. Why – the Pitch High Concept
A one or two sentence description of what the game is about.
Project Overview
Expands on the High Concept to describe details of how the game will function

13. What – the GDD Solidify the design for the game
Don't need to specify everything
Game can change during dev (but you don't have much time for that)
Sections:
Game Mechanics
User Interface
Storyline (if important)
Level flow (or full example levels)

14. What – the GDD Game Mechanics
Everything the player can do and how he interacts with the world.
Think about moment to moment and level to level flow
User Interface
A mock up of how the game will look and how the player will control themselves.

15. What – the GDD Storyline Plot (of course)
Also world building. What is the history of the characters in your world?
Level Flow
Define how levels for your game should be made.
Think about pacing, rewards, and progression.
Examples can help greatly here!

16. How – the TDD
Prove to yourself (and others) you can implement the design.
Figure out what parts of the game design are risky and should possibly get cut.
Estimate how long it will take to implement your game
Sections:
Graphics, Physics, AI, Events
Other unique things: Moving platforms, networking

17. How – the TDD For each section: What you will support
What you will not support
How you will do this

18. Design Document Remember the goal:
To help communicate with other people on your team, and possibly with outside groups.

19. In the Industry Many formats for all the documents
Powerpoint, Word doc, paper diagram
Every document is only a jumping off point
Rarely frozen until the game is done

20. On that note...

21. Scheduling
Development of games can be quality based or deadline based, YOU MUST CHOOSE ONE!
But you have to be deadline focused
Due end of class
Keep it simple!

22. Scheduling Aim for two – five minutes of fun! One or two levels
Build on existing engine. You already have
Animation
Scrolling
Movement
Collision detection (maybe platformer style)
Creativity can help!

23. Creative Engine Use

24. Was Originally This

25. Team Project Teams must have one or two people
You must have a complete “game”
Title screen, Levels, Ending
You can have just one level
Other students will be trying out your game.
Due last day of class
Make your teams!