Game Design Document

Copyright 2012 Last Chance Games All rights reserved
Design Document for:
TASK FORCE: SENTINEL

Humanitys future is the defence of its past!
All work Copyright 2012 by Last Chance games

Written by Arran Topalian
Edited by Arran Topalian
Version # 6.00
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If you are reading this document, you have

been successful in your application for
piloting the Defender Z-Class Fighter Jet,
and are hereby granted Level 5 security
clearance.
Welcome to the war, Sentinel.
This document will not self-destruct in five seconds
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Table of Contents
DESIGN HISTORY ________________________________________________________________________5
VERSION 1.00________________________________________________________________________________ 5
VERSION 1.10________________________________________________________________________________ 5
VERSION 2.00________________________________________________________________________________ 6
VERSION 3.00________________________________________________________________________________ 6
VERSION 3.10________________________________________________________________________________ 6
VERSION 4.00________________________________________________________________________________ 7
VERSION 4.10________________________________________________________________________________ 7
VERSION 4.20________________________________________________________________________________ 7
VERSION 5.00________________________________________________________________________________ 8
VERSION 5.10________________________________________________________________________________ 8
VERSION 6.00________________________________________________________________________________ 9
VISION STATEMENT___________________________________________________________________________ 10
GAME DESIGN GOALS__________________________________________________________________________11
MOOD BOARD_________________________________________________________________________________ 14
COMMON QUESTIONS_________________________________________________________________________ 15
What is the game? __________________________________________________________________________15
Why create this game?_______________________________________________________________________15
Where does the game take place? ______________________________________________________________15
What do I control?__________________________________________________________________________16
Will I be able to run this game?________________________________________________________________16
What is the main focus?______________________________________________________________________16
FEATURE SET _________________________________________________________________________________18
GENERAL FEATURES _______________________________________________________________________ 18
GAMEPLAY FEATURES _____________________________________________________________________ 18
Guns- lots of guns__________________________________________________________________________18
Chronodome Structures_____________________________________________________________________ 18
Kill-chaining______________________________________________________________________________19
War Paint________________________________________________________________________________19
Bullet Bravado or Bullet Hell?_______________________________________________________________ 19
The Majors Mission Feedback_______________________________________________________________20
The Workshop____________________________________________________________________________20
Level Generator Randomisation______________________________________________________________20
Micro-transaction Inclusion_________________________________________________________________21
Wow Words____________________________________________________________________________ 21
MULTIPLAYER FEATURES __________________________________________________________________ 21
THE GAME WORLD____________________________________________________________________________22
KEY LOCATIONS ___________________________________________________________________________ 22
KEY HISTORIC STRUCUTURES INCLUDED____________________________________________________ 22
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS ________________________________________________________________22
SCALE _____________________________________________________________________________________23
WEATHER _________________________________________________________________________________ 24
DAY & NIGHT ______________________________________________________________________________24
TIME ______________________________________________________________________________________24
CONTROLS____________________________________________________________________________________25
THE WORLD LAYOUT_________________________________________________________________________ 26
THE WORKSHOP_______________________________________________________________________________27
WAR PAINT____________________________________________________________________________________28
WEAPONS_____________________________________________________________________________________ 29
PULSE CANNON____________________________________________________________________________ 29
GATTLING CANNON________________________________________________________________________ 29
PERCUSSION SHELLS_______________________________________________________________________ 30
SPIDER MINES______________________________________________________________________________30
SHOT-GUNS______________________________________________________________________________ 30
BIO CANNON_______________________________________________________________________________31
GRAVITRON________________________________________________________________________________31
(JERICHO) MISSILE SALVO__________________________________________________________________ 32
MODEL-FR3AK1N9 LASER BEAMS____________________________________________________________32
TESLA TURBINE_____________________________________________________________________________32
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SPEAR THRUSTER JETS____________________________________________________________________ 33
USER INTERFACE SET-UP____________________________________________________________________33
KILL-CHAIN ABILITIES________________________________________________________________________ 34
KILL-CHAIN FLOW__________________________________________________________________________ 34
KILL-CHAIN ABILITIES______________________________________________________________________ 35
WOW WORDS__________________________________________________________________________________39
THE CHRONODOME & STRUCTURES___________________________________________________________ 40
THE CHRONODOME BACKSTORY_____________________________________________________________40
STRUCTURE FLOW_________________________________________________________________________40
STRUCTURE FEATURES______________________________________________________________________41
SUPPORTING STRUCTURES__________________________________________________________________ 41
SHIP MODELS__________________________________________________________________________________44
GAME CHARACTERS___________________________________________________________________________45
YOU, THE PILOT_____________________________________________________________________________45
THE MAJOR_________________________________________________________________________________45
ENEMIES___________________________________________________________________________________ 46
USER INTERFACE______________________________________________________________________________47
VISUALS_______________________________________________________________________________________49
GAME ENGINE______________________________________________________________________________ 49
RENDERING SYSTEM ________________________________________________________________________49
COLLISION DEDECTION, PHYSICS & ANIMATION______________________________________________ 50
ONLINE TURBULENZ SPEC.___________________________________________________________________50
CAMERA____________________________________________________________________________________50
MUSIC & SOUND FX____________________________________________________________________________ 51
SOUNDTRACK- KEY INSPIRATIONS___________________________________________________________51
GAME SOUND DESIGN_______________________________________________________________________ 51
Weapon & Kill-chain Effects__________________________________________________________________51
Enemies__________________________________________________________________________________51
Ship Effects_______________________________________________________________________________52
Structure Construction_____________________________________________________________________ 52
GENERAL GAME FLOW________________________________________________________________________ 53
SINGLE PLAYER_______________________________________________________________________________ 54
STORY______________________________________________________________________________________54
VICTORY CONDITIONS_______________________________________________________________________55
SAVING & LOADING_________________________________________________________________________ 55
CUSTOMISATION____________________________________________________________________________55
MULTIPLAYER_________________________________________________________________________________57
AUDIENCE_____________________________________________________________________________________59
PRODUCTION SCHEDULE & DEVELOPMENT____________________________________________________ 60
REQUIREMENTS & BUDGET____________________________________________________________________ 63
MARKETING___________________________________________________________________________________ 64
APPENDIX A (POSTCORE GAMER QUESTIONNAIRE)_______________________________________________65
APPENDIX B (USER INTERFACE DIAGRAM)_______________________________________________________71
APPENDIX C (ASSET LIST)_______________________________________________________________________72
REFERENCES___________________________________________________________________________________75
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Design History
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.- George Santayana
To illustrate the evolution of Task Force: Sentinel, the following is an account of the various versions the game
has assumed and its development to the end product.
Version 1.00
The original game design, Defender 2.0: Prepare for Attack:
A fancier, explosion ridden Defender game drawing inspiration from games such as Ratchett and
Clank.
Enemies enter map in increasingly large waves.
Containing countless, highly explosive and creative weaponry allowing for multi-kill romps. Includes:
Pulse Cannon (default weapon)
Bio Cannon
Gravitron
Missile Salvo
Model-FR3AK1N9 Laser Beams
Tesla Turbine
Spear Thrusters
Enemies drop weapons at random in varying levels of rarity.
Humans not imperative to save but their abduction instead resulting in increased difficulty.
General game flow:
X number of alien spaceships descend from the sky.
Player may collect new weapons dropped by defeated foes, able to wield two at a time.
Map navigation is from left to right- map will revolve as players travel. Vertical navigation will not
result in map pitching i.e. no travelling into outer space!
Player is permitted 3 lives. 3 lives lost = return to very start of game.
Key emphasis: visual eye candy and satisfying explosions from cool weaponry.
Version 1.10
Re-iteration of 1.00 but also including:
Ship model choice
Addition of weaponry:
Machine Gun
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Version 2.00
Following changes made:
Story: Aliens decide to travel back in time and wipe us out at an earlier, weaker time in history.
o
Provided more interesting, varied environments.
Title: Defender 2.0: A Defence Through Time
Game progression:
o
First X levels are tutorial based.
Following this, levels are generated randomly.
Version 3.00
Addition of Chronodome base

o
Player able to establish a m
ini-base centre-level
Added an element of custom gameplay and micro-management.
Player may build up to six structures around dome.
Chronodome and all surrounding structures are non-destructible.
Chronodome structures- by flying past/through these structures, players may benefit from their
purpose.
Shield Recharge Station: top up shields.
Ammo Dump: top up current weapons equipped.
Turret Maintenance: repairs turrets automatically for player.
Hunter-Tracker Munitions: temporarily allow all weapons-fire to loosely track

enemies. Cooldown applied.
Chrono-portal hub: players may build up to two teleportation portals which they may
travel between. Destructible.
Salvage
o
Enemy deaths may result in their dropping salvage: scrap metal which players must collect
to build Chronodome structures.
Turrets: player able to deploy turrets anywhere in level to help defend. Enemy destructible.
Denki art style (see Appendix).
Version 3.10
Re-itation of 3.00 but also including:
Structure defence
o
Players must defend certain structures in-game to complete mission.
Environmental dangers
o
Some levels will include natural dangers
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Medieval level= a dragon to avoid.
Jurassic level= volcanic geysers.
Addition of Home Key

o
By pressing H players may warp back to their Chronodome base quickly.
Version 4.00
Chronodome structures no longer require flying through to activate. Structures provide PASSIVE
bonuses only.
Currency
o
End-mission scores are converted to currency.
This currency may be spent on ship/ Chronodome structures to upgrade them. Upgrades
persist throughout player account.
Players may also buy access to additional structure-building options.
Score multipliers
o
Humans on the ground and Human structures (3.10) are no longer essential to defend, but act
as score multipliers for end-level score.
Humans- environmental correspondence

o
Humans, as defendables, will vary in appearance depending on the environment.
Medieval= knights.
Jurassic= cavemen.
Player lives (1.00) removed. Upon player death:

o
X amount of total score deducted.
This way, player never has to feel frustrated, but also, suffers for their performance via low
income at end of level.
Version 4.10
Chronobomb
o
This is to replace the original, 1980s games smartbomb. This item will spawn randomly
during a level and may be collected/fired if the player so chooses.
Has large chance to freeze all enemies for X time or a small chance to freeze the player for
X (less) time.
Version 4.20
Chronobomb status
o
Player is now provided with one chronobomb as standard.
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o
This chronobomb will only ever freeze all enemies for X time- never the player.
Version 5.00
Following Chronodome structures are now removed from build list:
Orbital Cannon Relay
Nano-fleet bay
Thruster Overclocker
Ghost Module Installation
Battle Ship Upgrade Center
Chronodome total structure count reduced from 6 to 3.
Kill-chains added:
o
By killing numerous enemies at once, players may activate kill-chain abilities.
Up to three may be equipped per level.
Each kill-chain ability has a corresponding cool-down timer and enemy death requirement.
Orbital Cannon
Nano-fleet
Thruster Boost
Ghost Ship
Battle Ship Upgrade
Cloaking
Invulnerability
Overshield
Tank Deployment
Make Em Count: added score multiplier.
Firepower
Bottomless clip
Insta-turret
Insta-arsenal
Further kill-chain abilities may be bought with currency earned.
Wow-words added:
o
Upon achieving a kill-chain, a wow-word pops up on screen (see Appendix)
Micro-transactions: players may pay real money to purchase Chronodome structures or kill-chain
abilities quicker.
Added Alert Box to U.I.
Version 5.10
Any unspent salvage at the levels end is also added to the total score.
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Added weaponry:
Percussion Shells
Demolecularizer
Spider Mines
Shot-guns
Addition of two multiplayer game modes:
Invasion Mode
Dogfight Mode
Changed default kill-chain requirements to 6, 10 and 12 kills instead of 3, 5 and 7.
Renamed Machine Gun weapon to Gattling Cannon
Aliens can fire through their friends at you.
Home key feature removed.
Hunter-tracker Munitions removed from Structure list and added to Kill-chain list.
Satellite Uplink structure added to Structure list.
Version 6.00
Title change: Defender 2.0: A Defence Through Time to Task Force: Sentinel
Dogfight multiplayer mode removed from game.
Cloaking
activated
[Translation: I think
we lost him!]
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Task Force: Sentinel

Tons of over-the-top weaponry? CHECK
Awesome jets to pilot? CHECK
High-octane, fast-paced action? CHECK
Plenty of stuff to unlock? CHECK
Casual, no-questions asked sex!? Of course not
what the hells wrong with you?
Alien scum to blow up time after time after time in
a multitude of gloriously fun ways providing you
dont get killed like some flower-arranging, dresswearing rookie?
CHECK!
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Game Design Goals:

These are the eight core design goals of Task Force: Sentinel, which combine my own
personal goals and those of the Denki brief this project is based upon.
i) Provide A Modern Twist

Aside from the fact that twist is a pillar in Denkis The End design philosophy, a twist of
some form will provide an element of identity to Task Force: Sentinel, and allow to stand
out, and therefore is an essential goal of the project.
How? Task Force: Sentinel will combine two genres relatively unfamiliar with one another:
STRATEGY and SIDE-SCROLLER, resulting in a unique gameplay experience laced with
fast-paced action, player customisability and traces of retro micro-management.
ii) Made it Denki

Task Force: Sentinel must come across as a Denki title.
How? This will be approached from two angels:

A. Visually
B. Philosophically (by following design methodologies The Way and The End).
iii) Keep it Challenging & Meaningful

Aside from this goal being a priority of the Denki brief, entertaining the target audience- and
keeping them as such- should be of prime importance for any game.
How? Through:
The score to currency system
Death=score deduction feature
Strategy elements (structure choice; weapons choice)
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iv) Meet the Experience Goals

Following preliminary questionairres and the establishment of a Customer 0, there are three
experience goals which Task Force: Sentinel will aim to accomplish for those who play it:
A. Excitement
The player must of course feel excited during play, whether over their own
ability to play the game; the new weapons they get to try out; the various
combinations of kill-chains and structures that may work well together; over
achieving a high score- even simply upon loading up the main menu for the
fiftieth time. That sense of thrill must persist throughout all elements of
gameplay, each time they play.
B. Challenged
The player must feel challenged. There is a cautious balance between making
the player feel powerful, or capable, against providing them with enough
challenge to ensure they play again. Further to this, overcoming this
challenge, when it arises, will only magnify the former sensations of skill and
ability.
C. Satisfied
The target market is, supposedly, only able to play for small sessions at any
given time. Therefore, their gaming experience cannot rely on gratification
through time attrition: their gaming needs must instead be met in a condensed
form, whilst still providing that sense of satisfaction experienced following
longer gaming sessions.
How? Each feature, art style choice, even the game title, have been chosen specifically to meet
these experience goals. The latter elements will be described in full detail throughout this
document.
v) Nostalgic
Task Force: Sentinel must be able to evoke nostalgia in those who player it, whether having
been players of the original Defender title or not. An element of the game must exude
nostalgia, and be evident enough that it resonates with both the target market and beyond
alike.
Page | 12
How? Task Force: Sentinel will use audio effects and appropriate music tracks to provoke this
desired response in players, relating to that of 1980s arcade video games. In short, they will
sound noticeably older than modern-day versions.
vi) Social Elements

With multiplayer now at the forefront of the modern gaming experience, it is imperative that
Task Force: Sentinel not only provides players with at least one form of multiplayer, but also
one which conforms to the games identity and is not simply tacked on.
How? Task Force: Sentinel will feature a strong multiplayer feature Invasion Mode, to keep
players entertained:
vii)Postcore Friendly
Postcore players are the target market of this title, according to the Denki brief. The title
must therefore understand what these gamers want, and provide that in an effective manner.
How? Preliminary questionairres have already been conducted to provide a base understanding
of what the postcore gamer is as well as what they wish to see in their games. Further to
this, paper-version prototypes will be created and used with these same questionnaire
candidates to ensure user compatibility.
viii) Turbulenz based

In technical terms, the only requirement of users to play this title is that they are able to run
an internet explorer on their laptop / desktop.
In terms of production, Turbulenz is an HTML5, Java Script based platform.
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Mood Board
Page | 14
Common Questions
What is the game?
If Modern Warfare were to meet a real-time strategy game, their collision would
result in Task Force: Sentinel. Visually inspired by Denkis Save The Day, the title
involves playing through x-axis based levels of varying setting (ranging from the
medieval to the Jurassic) and fighting off waves of alien spacecraft through either
sheer firepower or clever tactics- or both!
Why create this game?

There are two key reasons as to why we are making this game:
1) Supply & Demand: A new market is emerging in gaming society: the postcore
player (see page 45). These gamers, once hardcore players, now no longer have the
time to sacrifice on games- despite the fun they still get from them. These gamers
need a new genre to call their own, not only to cater for this ever-evolving audience,
but from a fiscal standpoint, to benefit from this increasingly large market, also.
2) Reviving A Classic: If todays best films have anything to thank, it is movie greats
such as Casablanca, The Godfather and Citizen of Kane. Similarly, games too
have ancestors to thank for where they stand together- and one of these is Defender.
Being able to revitalise such a classic is not just a pleasure but a privilege, and if
being done, it deserves to be done right by those who appreciate its grandeur- no
matter the low pixel count!
Where does the game take place?

The story takes place so many decades after the events of the original Defender
title, in which the aliens decide to travel back in time and attempt to destroy us during
our more vulnerable stages in history.
Players location will not only range across the many periods of human civilisation,
but across various locations too, including Rome, Cairo and Paris.
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What do I control?
Players will be entrusted with their very own state-of-the-art Defender, Z-Class
Fighter Jet, for which they will have control over:
In-game navigation:
o Weaponry
Upon shooting down alien ships, they will randomly drop
weapon pick-ups, which players may choose to collect/equip or
avoid. Players may have up to two weapons equipped at any
one time.
o Skin
Players will be able to make their mark on their ship by
purchasing different, custom skins to paint their ships with.
o Piloting
Players will lastly, of course, have control over the piloting of
their ship.
Chronodome structure choice: players will have control over which
structures they choose to build around their Chronodome base, as well as
when to destroy said structures and replace them with something else.
Kill-chain selection: players will have control over which three kill-chains
they take into combat with them. These kill-chains are not changeable
until the end of the level, or the restart of that same level however, so
choose wisely!
Will I be able to run this game?

So long as youre able to run Turbulenz on your web browser, then you most certainly
will be!
What is the main focus?

To the end-user in playing Task Force: Sentinel
Page | 16
For the score orientated player: deciding which weapons work best with
which structures, according to their play-style.
For the non-score orientated player: enjoying the vast selection of
weaponry and offensive capabilities at their disposal and enjoying the
mayhem!
Playing against friends co-operatively or competitively.
And most importantly:
To provide a FUN experience which CHALLENGES the

player without FRUSTRATING them!
Page | 17
Feature Set
General Features
Hand-drawn 2D visuals.
Turbulenz based.
Original Defender themed soundtrack.
Multiplayer available.
Facebook friendly.
Play from any computer.
***
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING FEATURES ARE SUMMARIES. MOST KEY
FEATURES HAVE THEIR OWN DEDICATED CHAPTERS (see page references)
Gameplay features
i)
GUNS- LOTS OF GUNS (page 22)

Players will have access to an impressive arsenal of weaponry, each of
which tends to be highly explosive (Area of Effect based). Players
will also be able to unlock other weapon drops in the workshop (see
vii) or via micro-transactions (ix).
ii)
CHRONODOME STRUCTURES (page 30)

Not every player plays the same way: some are cautious, others are
psychopaths. And we at Last Chance games want to cater for both
parties!
Page | 18
iii)
KILL-CHAINING (page 26)

By destroying X number of enemies at once, players can gain access
to powerful bonus abilities. Players will begin with three abilities,
which unlock at killing 6 enemies at once, 10 enemies at once and
12 enemies at once. Once used, players must achieve the same killchain again to re-use it. Furthermore, players will only be able to
access level 10 or level 12 (or higher) abilities by unlocking and not
using a level 6 ability.
iv)
WAR PAINT (page 20)

Through gameplay or micro-transactions, players may unlock new
skins and ship paint schemes for their vessel.
v)
BULLET BRAVADO OR BULLET HELL?

In order to cater for the casual postcore and hardcore postcore
alike, Task Force: Sentinel will feature two difficulties: Bullet
Bravado and Bullet Hell.
Bravado: regular gameplay.

o Enemy ships spawn at the normal level and fire at a
normal rate.
o Death penalises player with a currency deduction.
o Player will respawn from Chronodome- same level.
Hell: increased difficulty.

o Enemy ships spawn at above the normal level and fire at
an increased rate.
o Greater scores will be rewarded.
o Death penalises player with complete deduction of all
salvage.
No salvage = true death i.e. level restart
Page | 19
vi)
THE MAJORS MISSION FEEDBACK

Upon finishing a level, players will receive textual feedback from The
Major on their overall performance. Each bracket of performance
will randomly retrieve a quotation from The Major.
I.E. a levels best current score (online) is 30,000 points. Within the
10k-15k bracket, The Major will dish out insults. Within the 15.1k20k, The Major will still dish out insults, only milder! Should the
player supersede the top score, The Major will praise the player- in his
own way!
vii)
THE WORKSHOP (page 19)

At the end of a level, a players score is totalled from:
A. Enemy kills
B. Civilians saved (score multiplier)
C. Structures saved (score multiplier)
D. Left-over salvage
This total score is converted to in-game currency, which may be used
at The Workshop to purchase various upgrades and extras. These
include:
Ship models
Ship structures
Weapon drops
Chronodome structures
Kill-chains
Once purchased, these items cannot be sold back.
viii)
LEVEL GENERATOR RANDOMISATION
The first X levels of the title are introduction levels, and once
completed, may be played again. Upon playing again, these levels will
be the same and require the same objectives to be completed.
Page | 20
However, the following X number of levels (each themed within a

different time) will not follow the same principles.
I.E. Level 1 is and always will be (upon replay) the medieval time
period. However, upon completing all X remaining levels and
restarting from Level 1, the location of Level 1, and its objectives, may
vary.
ix)
MICRO-TRANSACTION INCLUSION
Should players not be willing to earn their upgrades and in-game
purchases through play, they can also pay a small amount of real
money in exchange for in-game currency.
x)
WOW WORDS (page 29)

To augment that sense of satisfaction, impressive kill-chains reward
players not only with impressive abilities, but positive feedback for
their stellar performance!
***
Multiplayer features
i)
INVASION MODE (page 41)
ii)
Up to four players may fight co-operatively against increasingly large waves of

alien spacecraft. Players have access to their own Chronodome station, as well as
all personal upgrades.
dont miss.
Page | 21
The Game World

Overview
Denki art style.
Filled with humans and structures native to the given environment (knights in the
medieval era etc)
Overall cute tones.
Blockish, primary colour scheme.
On Earth.
Key Locations
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
vi)
vii)
viii)
ix)
x)
FIELDS OF ENGLAND (ENGLAND)

CAIRO (EGYPT)
PARIS (FRANCE)
ROME (ITALY)
PISA (ITALY)
MACHU PICCHU (SOUTHERN PERU)
STONEHENGE (ENGLAND)
AGRA (INDIA)
ATHENS (GREECE)
VERSAILLES (FRANCE)
Key Historic Structures Included

i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
vi)
vii)
viii)
ix)
THE COLUSSEUM
PARTHENON
THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA
THE PYRAMIDS
CASTLES
TAJ MAHAL
ACROPOLIS
OLYMPIA
PALACE OF VERSAILLES
Environmental Hazards
Depending on the environment, players may have to contend with a wide range of
dangers native to the location, such as:
JURASSIC = VOLCANIC GEYSERS
MEDIEVAL = DRAGONS
FUTURISTIC = ELECTRONIC SURGES
EMPIRE OF ATLANTIS = TSUNAMIS
Page | 22
Scale
Scale will be primarily inaccurate and instead Denkis art style. Please refer to image
provided.
Denkis Save The Day
Task Force: Sentinel

I.E. due to cartoonish art style, scale will not be a primary concern.
Page | 23
Weather
Three forms of weather will be found in Task Force: Sentinel- each form will occur at
random upon level commencement.
A. Sunny
B. Rainy
C. Snowing
Day and Night

Day and Night periods will be included in Task Force: Sentinel. However [see
Time below]
...this transition will not be observable. When a level is generated, a day or night
version will be automatically chosen.
Page | 24
Controls
Overview
The following is a summary of in-level controls which the player must use to control their
ship and dictate gameplay.
Out-of-level controls will follow game standards: left click to select / buy upgrade etc.
Left Click: primary weapon

Right Click: secondary weapon
Mouse direction: aiming
Space bar: Thrusters (press

and hold to enable to allow ship
to fly around)
W: Fly up
S: Fly down
A: Fly left
D: Fly right
Page | 25
The World Layout

Overview
By world I refer to in-game content layout as well as selection between missions i.e. how
to access the workshop; how to access your currently available ship models; how to
customise your kill-chain selection- in short the layout of game destinations.
In order to illustrate this effectively, please refer to the screen flow diagram below.
It should be noted that upon level completion, players will simply be transferred to the next
stage- there is no navigation between current and past levels. Past levels can only be
played again upon complete game playthrough.
Main Menu
(cockpit)
Single Player
Multi-player
Full screen
option
Mute Button
Badges
earned
Change ship
model option
(page 32)
Purchase/upgrade
Chronodome structures
(page 30)
Please refer to following chapter for

further info on The Workshop
Replay Tutorial
Missions
Workshop
Change ship
colour scheme
(page 20)
Purchase Killchain abilities

(page 25)
Page | 26
The Workshop
Overview
The Workshop can be accessed outside of playing levels in Task Force: Sentinel and offers
several functions to the player.
i)
Change ship model (please refer to page 32 for further info)

By clicking on the spanner, nuts and bolts, players will be able to pick and
choose between which ship model they would like to pilot. It should be noted
that ship models do not have corresponding statistics- they are purely
cosmetic. Purchasable ships will be displayed as shown below.
SHIP
IMAGE
SHIP
INFO
ii)
SHIP
INFO
SHIP
IMAGE
SHIP
INFO
SHIP
PRICE
Badges earned
By clicking on the medals, players can view which Turbulenz badges they
have achieved over the course of their gameplay.
iii)
Purchase upgrade Structures / Kill-chain abilities

By clicking on either the blueprints (Structures) or the handgun and
accompanying clip (Kill-chain abilities) players will be able to browse what
they currently own and upgrade them via spending currency, or, buy more!
Menu will match Change ship model set-up.
Page | 27
War Paint
Overview
War paint relates to the colour schemes players may purchase for their ship. Each ship is
comprised of parts. Each part may be painted a different colour or pattern. In order to access
a part to customise, players must first purchase the unlock for that part. An example of which
parts may be customised, colour-wise, is displayed below, alongside corresponding options
which may be available.
PAINTABLE
PRONGS
VISOR
HULL
WINGS
Page | 28
Weapons
Overview
Given the joy gamers get from explosions (such is there dominance in the majority of video
game titles!) in addition to the kill-chain feature, the majority of weapons found in-game are
Area of Effect based, and designed to engulf as many enemies as possible if used correctly.
The following is a description of these twelve weapons and the nature of their firepower.
Please note that additional weapons will be available for purchase from the Workshop at a
later date.
Pulse Cannon
The default weapon of all Z-Class Defender jets, the pulse
cannon boasts what any marine needs on the battlefield:
reliability and infinite ammunition.
The pulse cannon simply fires a shot in a straight line at a medium pace, and is practically
impossible to nab any sort of kill-chain with, but may come in handy when in a tight spot,
and will always return to play when any other weapons ammunition is depleted.
Gattling Cannon
Screw dogs, this is a mans best friend.
The Gattling Cannon spews smaller versions of the

Pulse Cannons ammunition in a wide arc, potentially
capable of mowing down wave upon wave of weak
adversaries. While ammunition consumption is of
course extremely high, and its lack of explosive capacity will leave enemies at the back of
any wave unharmed.
Page | 29
Percussion Shells
Originally developed as a crowd control weapon by the
military following the whole of the 1960s.
Percussion shells are three shots fired at once, which

themselves are similar to Pulse Cannon munitions. However,
the wave of percussion they emit ahead of them is most
definitely not. Whilst perhaps not quite powerful enough to
obliterate enemy ships at full health alone, any enemy vessel showing signs of moderate
damage will be finished off by this impressive piece of hardware.
Spider Mines
Not for the arachnophobic.
Spider mines may be deployed on any manner of terrain, whether

it be solid ground, lava, or even in mid-air! Upon deployment,
spider mines will wait for as long as it takes for an enemy to enter
its proximity ring. Upon doing so, said spider mine will latch on
to said enemy, and blow it up amid a large ball of nasty napalm. Nice.
Shot-guns
Fondly named after the original shotgun weapon. Not fondly
named after the act of pre-booking the passengers seat.
The shot-guns are a twin-set of cannons which fire a shortrange cone of titanium-alloy shrapnel. Although their range
is extremely poor, the daring pilot can wreak havoc on groups of close-knit enemies with its
devastating firepower and wide scope of fire.
Page | 30
Bio Cannon
The blueprints for this weapon were recovered from a crashlanded alien saucer, including an intergalactic copy of Alien
Hotties Weekly. Both items were confiscated for further
research.
The Bio-cannon can be a seasoned pilots best friend, or a rookies luckiest shot ever: firing
in a soft arc, the Bio-cannon boasts an impressive clip and rate of fire, shooting globules of
green bio-mass at whoever you aim it at. As soon as the gloop comes into contact with
another surface, it begins to react with the foreign body and, ultimately, explode. However,
the more gloop stuck to the surface, the greater the resulting explosion. We are yet to find
any surface this strange substance does not respond to aggressively. We are hoping to
conduct further testing on cats later this year.
Gravitron
The Defender project only came into possession of
this weapons schematics recently from an unknown
source. Were not sure how it works yet. So if its
equipped, just, dont worry if your ship starts to feel a
littleexplodey.
The Gravitron creates what is, for all intents and purposes, a mini-black hole. Upon firing,
the site of this black hole is fixed, and maintains a connection with the Gravitron weapon.
Should the pilot fly too far away from the black hole site, the connection will break, and the
black hole will quickly desist. However, the longer this connection is maintained, the larger
and more powerful the black hole will become. Enemies caught at its centre will soon find
that smashing into one another is a quick way to die.
Page | 31
(Jericho) Missile Salvo

Countless rockets packed full of explosive, fiery death.
Humanity at its best.
A more traditional style of weapon, the Missile Salvo

fires rockets with soft tracking software i.e. they could
be full homing rockets if they tried a little harder.
Nevertheless, while their blast radius isnt as large as other weapons, their plentiful supply
shouldnt hinder theyre undoubted effectiveness.
Model-FR3AK1N9 Laser Beams

Were not sure who named this piece of
equipment but a strict internal enquiry
is currently being conducted.
Imagine a pair of razor-sharp katanas

slicing through the air. Now imagine
that theyre lasers. Upon firing, this
weapon will emit two high-intensity
beams which are capable of cutting through solid lead with ease. Each beam will fire at an
upward and downward angle from the front of your vessel, before gradually approaching one
another to meet in the middle, firing as one incredibly powerful beam. We call it the sweet
spot. Enemies will call it the oh fu-. But be warned: this weapons ammunition deletes
extremely fast.
Tesla Turbine
The technology behind this weaponry could easily solve
the current energy crisis, forever. Were using it to fight
aliens. No complaints here!
Page | 32
A chain-based weapon, the Tesla Turbine fires a continuous bolt of electrical energy at the
target. Upon hitting said target, lesser bolts will emit from them, damaging all those around
them. This weapon also consumes ammunition considerably fast.
Spear Thruster Jets

Lesser men will tell you this weapon is not to be trusted. Lesser men will tell you that flying
head-first into enemy vessels can only end badly for you. Lesser men can go to hell!
The Spear Thruster Jets equip your vessel with nitrogen based fuel and two titanium-alloy
prongs at the helm. The resulting effect is a faster ship capable of literally piercing through
others. Not only that, but any explosion you cause from enemy destruction will damage
surrounding vessels. Ever seen what happens when a wasp flies into a rugby scrum? Youre
about to.
User Interface Set-up (please refer to User Interface diagram)

i)
Upon enemy death, they may drop one of the weapons listed above, varying in
likelihood according to their individual rarity level.
ii)
This weapon drop will hover in mid-air wherever its carrier was killed.
iii)
This weapon drop will begin to fade away and eventually vanish unless
picked up by the player.
iv)
The enemy ship will crash land.
v)
During either its descent or its crash site, by flying close to either players will
collect the scrap metal they leave behind.
vi)
Scrap metal will NOT fade away and vanish.
Page | 33
Kill-chain abilities
Overview
Kill-chain skills are one-time use, extra-powerful abilities which players may use upon
killing a pre-ordained number of enemies at once. This section will briefly explain the
mechanics behind kill-chains, as well as list the kill-chains currently available to the player.
Please note that further kill-chain abilities will be developed/released following game launch.
Kill-chain [3] active
Kill-chain flow
i)
Player successfully kills (for example) 3 enemies at once.
ii)
This enables Level 3 kill-chain ability chosen before level start.
iii)
If player activates Level 3 k.c. ability, player must successfully kill 3 enemies at
once again to re-enable it.
iv)
If the player dies before activating ANY Level of enabled k.c., k.c. enabling is lost
i.e. if player has enabled a Level 50 k.c. and dies before its use, that k.c. is lost and
must be achieved again.
v)
If player wants to enable a higher Level of k.c., player must have successfully
enabled all previous k.c.s, i.e.:
a. Player X currently has no Level of k.c. enabled, but
chose Level 7, Level 15 and Level 40 abilities prior to
the level.
b. Player X successfully kills forty-two enemies at once.
c. This will not enable either Level 40 or Level 15 abilitesonly Level 7.
d. Should player successfully kill forty-two enemies again,
likewise, only the Level 15ability will be enabled.
vi)
Kill-chain abilities CAN count toward higher abilities.
Page | 34
KILL-CHAIN
NAME
MULTIKILL
NUMBER
NEEDED
DESCRIPTION
UPGRADES
A large beam is fired down from a

space-station, causing immense
damage over time to enemies caught
Orbital
Cannon
20
in the blast.
Centre of beam fixes/fires on players
Upgrading will
increasing the width
and firepower of the
beam.
current location upon firing.
Upgrading will
Nano-fleet
15
A small battalion of micro-jets (3) are
increase the number of
released into the atmosphere. These
nano-jets activated, as
vessels will not only fire their low-
well as mildly increase
damage lasers at enemies but also soak their firepower.

up any enemy fire taken at the expense
of themselves.
Thruster Boost
Ghost Ship
10
Your fuel systems receive an injection
Upgrading will
of a nitro-based compound, increasing
increase the amount of
your flight speed exponentially for a
time you receive
short time.
Thruster Boost for.
Your on-board A.I. is able to use its
Upgrading will
scanning technology to output a
increase the amount of
convincing duplicate of your ship
time you are able to
nearby for a short amount of time,
project the duplicate

Page | 35
which may confuse and distract enemy image of your ship.

fire.
Your ship is temporarily provided

access to a Battleship class form
currently in development. Given that
Battleship
Upgrade
this vessel is still a prototype, you

40
cannot maintain this form for long, but

will briefly benefit from faster
thrusters, stronger shields and hugely
Upgrading will slightly

increase shield
strength; firepower;
ship speed during
Battleship mode.
increased firepower.

Your ship utilizes light-manipulation
increase the duration
technology to achieve practical
of cloak.
invisibility. The demand this

technology places on your systems is
Cloak
30
extremely high, and as such, cloaking

will not last long. During cloak,
enemies will either be unable to target
you or have extreme trouble doing so.
The most powerful kill-chain

available, requiring a great deal of
Invulnerability
50
skill from the player to successfully
Non-upgradable
herd and kill 50 enemies at once.
Shield generators are placed into

Overshield
15
Upgrading will slow
overdrive, allowing them to maintain a the speed at which

stronger field, represented by the
your Overshield charge
Page | 36
intense glow your shields will emit.
depletes.
Note that this state is not permanent:

regardless of avoiding enemy fire, this
over-charge will slowly deplete.
The clever eggheads back in our

current time are able to calibrate the
Chronodome to carry additional forces
Tank
Deployment
10
(2 tanks) through time to support you.
Each upgrade will add
While these Predator Tanks are slow,
an additional tank to
they will patrol the ground below and
the battalion.
fire their explosive shells at any airbased opponent that comes into range.
These tanks will persist until destroy.
Upgrading will
During this state, any points you earn
Make Em
Count
20
toward your total score are multiplied

by X.
increase both the

duration of Make Em
Count as well as
increase the
multiplication by 0.5.
Firepower
Boost
Your weapons system receive a

temporary software upgrade. The
15
Lost
him!
software is unstable, so it wont last
Upgrading will
you forever, but during its presence,
increase damage
you will benefit from increased
output factor by X.
damage output for all weapons.
Page | 37
There is no rational explanation for

this unfounded phenomenon. All we
Bottomless
Clip
15
know is that, you kill aliens enough,
you somehow receive infinite
ammunition for any/all weapons
of this ability.
equipped for a duration.
Insta-turret
Upgrading will
improve the model of
the turret deployed,
15
Activating this ability will allow you
ranging from:
to instantly deploy a ready-made
i)
Defender-class turret, which

otherwise would cost valuable salvage
Pulse Cannon
turret.
ii)
and time.
Gattling
Cannon turret.
iii)
Missile Salvo
turret.
Insta-arsenal
Activating this ability will allow you
20
to instantly receive a pre-selected (by

the player) weapon of your choice!
Hunter-tracker
munitions
Temporarily allow all weapons-fire to

25
loosely track enemies.
Upgrading this will

increase the starting
ammunition of the
weapon received.
Upgrading will
of this ability.
Micro-transaction prices for additional structures TBA

Upgrade prices (in-game currency) to be assigned post-testing
Orbital Cannon fired
Page | 38
Wow Words
Overview
While originally an attempt to satisfy all pillars of Denkis The End, the Wow Word
feature was developed to also provide players with an improved sense of satisfaction upon
kill-chain achievement, in addition to augment the arcade feel of the title.
So how does it work?

Upon achieving specific calibres of kill-chain, the following catchphrases will either:
Spin into view
Dash into view from the side of the screen.
After a few seconds, they will fade away until the kill-chain is achieved again.
The current Wow Words are:
KILL-CHAIN CALIBRE
WOW WORD
KILL 10 UP
KILL 20 UP
KILL 35 UP
Page | 39
The Chronodome & Structures

Overview
This section will briefly explain the mechanics behind the Chronodome and its possible
supporting structures, as well as detail the supporting structures currently available.
Please note that additional supporting structures will be developed/released following game
launch.
The Chronodome backstory

The Chronodome is mankinds greatest invention
yet- and our answer to time travel! The structure
is relatively large and currently allows for
transporting limited numbers to any point in time,
along with itself. It emits a strong, space-time
contortion, and as such, is impervious to damage.
Further to this, the Chronodome boasts an
impressive internal construction facility, and is
able to receive/ house building construction materials via space/time teleportation and
process digital blueprints through use of a highly capable on-board processor. Upon
receiving the raw materials required to power this faculty (salvage) the Chronodome
may construct and support up to three adjoining structures.
Structure flow
i)
At start of each level, players are given a blank Chronodome.
ii)
Player destroys alien enemies.
iii)
Player flies near falling/fallen salvage randomly dropped by enemies (10 per
piece)
iv)
Player returns to Chronodome or presses hotkey to build desired Structure.

Page | 40
v)
These Structures can help support the players play-style: take a lot of enemy
fire? Chances are a Shield Stability Station, which improves shield recharge
delay, will do you no end of good!
vi)
Upon returning to Chronodome, player may fly close to it and press X .
vii)
Gameplay pauses and menu opens to structure list.
viii)
Player clicks on structure desired (if affordable)
ix)
Player presses latter key to return to gameplay.
x)
Structure begins building.
xi)
Upon completing, Alert Box will notify player of such.
xii)
Please note again that structures are invulnerable to damage.
Structure features
Structures vary in price and build time.

Both Chronodome and adjoinging Structures (i.e. turrets not included etc.) are
invulnerable.
Structures may be demolished at any time by player to swap it for another.
Supporting Structures
STRUCTURE
COST
DESCRIPTION
For the player who gets hit often.
Shield
Recharge
Station
Ammo
Dump
UPGRADES
Upgrading this
structure will slightly
500
300
This structure improves shield charge improve affected rate

rate and recharge delay.
and delay factors.
For the player whos a little too
Upgrading this
trigger happy.
structure will slightly
Page | 41
improve the
This structure will allow for the
regeneration rate of
gradual regeneration of weapon
ammunition, as well as
ammunition.
extend the weapons the

structure affects.
This structure will allow playerplaced turrets to self-repair over time.

Turret
Maintenance
250
However, self-repair costs X

salvage for every X of turret
health.
Upgrading this
structure will improve
the rate at which turrets
self-repair, as well as
reduce turret repair
costs.
Upgrading this
Military
Intelligence
Centre
150
Increases chance of rare weapon
structure will improve
drops by X%.
the chances of rarer

weapon drops by X%.
Allows player to place two

teleportation portals at points of their
choosing, which they may transition
between freely. These structures are
Chronoportal hub
200
destructible. Note that a

Chronodome structure placement is
still taken by this structure, despite
not being adjacent to the
Upgrading this
structure will increase
the health of the
teleportation portals,
allowing them to
endure for longer.
Chronodome.
Page | 42
Upon death, the amount of score

Satellite
Uplink
250
points lost is reduced when this

structure is in play.
Upgrading this
structure will further
reduce death
penalisation.
Micro-transaction prices for additional structures TBA

Upgrade prices (in-game currency) to be assigned posttesting
Page | 43
Ship Models
Overview
As aforementioned, players will be able to change the model of their ship. This is purely
cosmetic, but will allow the player to feel further attached to their vessel. The following is
the models currently available and their given title.
Z-Class Defender Fight Jet

(default)
Hyperspace Shuttle series,

The Beetle
Leviathen-class
Reconnaissance, Talon
[CLASSIFIED], Confiscated
Alien Saucer Craft
Page | 44
Game Characters
Overview
Given that Task Force: Sentinel is strongly focussed on ludology over narrative, there are no
typical characters the player will encounter- excluding the Major. Therefore, this section
will briefly detail who the player is meant to be within the context of the game, the enemies
the player will encounter (given their character-esque existence) and information regarding
the Major himself.
You, the Pilot

Players assume the role of a new pilot. Until players unlock
additional ship models and colour schemes, there is little else the
player can or must do to create any form of identity other than
sign in to Turbulenz.
The Major
The Major is the only persistent, faced character within Task Force: Sentinel, who is
currently in charge of all operations pertaining to the defence
of the human race from alien scum. He will feature in:
The tutorial levels as an instructor
Mission feedback provider.
He is largely inspired by Roosterteeths The Sarge, and
exhibits similar characteristics in his dialogue, namely:
Extreme bravado
Egotistical
Extremely patriotic
Mildly stupid
Page | 45
Enemies
There are three types of alien ship the player may encounter during their defence of
Earth.
i)
ii)
Saucers:
Weak
Rely on strength of numbers
Similar size to player ship
Weapons fire is poor and slow.
Tend to flee from combat until numbers improve.
Sized-up Saucers:
Tougher than Saucer ships.
Less common than Saucer ships.
Tend to hunt in packs of 3.
Slightly bigger than player ship.
Weapons fire is moderate and similar in

speed to players pulse cannon.
iii)
Super-saucers:
The alien warship.
Rare- only ever appear one at a time.
These ships NEVER flee. You, on the other hand, just might have to.
Much bigger than player ship.
Weapons fire is a beam which slowly sweeps a pre-targeted area.
Page | 46
User Interface (please refer to Appendix B)

Overview
Please refer to the images provided.
Detail 1- Player Condition

When the player takes fire, their shield will dim in colour. When broken, it will
shatter apart. Any enemy fire received without a shield will result in death.
Detail 2- Remaining Ammo

Once weapons are equipped with have ammo supplies, these will be represented by
two orange-filled bars: the left representing the left-click weapon and the right, vice
versa. Once an ammo clip is empty, it will remain white until a new weapon is
equipped, or the current weapon is reloaded.
Detail 3- Objective in danger off-screen

When civilian structures are under attack, or civilians are in the process of being
beamed up, ! alerts will appear indicating the direction in which the event is
occurring.
Detail 4- Incoming Wave

A counter will indicate which wave the player is currently on out of how many waves,
and how many aliens have and will need to be defeated in the current wave.
Detail 5- Kill-chain active

An icon will indicate which kill-chain the player currently has at their disposal.
Page | 47
Detail 6- Score
Players total score will be displayed, accompanied by the multiplication factor that
score will receive- assuming their continue to defend their current objectives
successfully.
Detail 7- Alert Box

The Alert Box is a multi-functional invisible box which will assume an onboard
A.I. persona, and will display important information to the player, including:
Objective lost, Ammo depleted, Incoming wave & wave count-downs
E.G
objective lost
Blinks, as if on a computer screen
Detail 8- Salvage owned

The amount of salvage the player currently owns will be displayed here.
Page | 48
Visuals
Please note that this section contains technical details intended for technical artists, and is to
provide a basic introduction of the Turbulenz SDK and its underlying capabilities.
Game Engine
Turbulenzs SDK revolves around a HTML5 game engine, and allows for the
development of next generation quality, browser-based games, based upon two
technologies:
Runtime: executed on the final user machine
Offline: used only during development of the game
According to Turbulenz:
The engine libraries are implemented in optimisted JavaScript supporting rapid
iteration of game code and dataand includes Asynchronus resource loading and
swapping; Lazy evaluation of scene updates; Multi-threaded evaluation and
execution.
http://biz.turbulenz.com/developers
Rendering System
Shader based immediate mode dispatch; Supporting multi-technique, multi-pass,
multi-materials; Dynamic vertex, index, and texture buffer processing; Deferred
rendering supporting unlimited lights; Pluggable POST effects and collection of
effects; Exponential shadow maps and occlusion queries; Extensive particle and effect
systems; GUI/HUD system supporting multiple fonts and languages.
Page | 49
Collision Detection, Physics and Animation

Rigid bodies, Collision primitives and constraints; Ray and convex sweep queries;
Large collection of built-in animation controllers; Skeleton animation with
quaternions.
For access to the full, online version of Turbulenzs game engine overview,
please follow the link provided:
http://docs.turbulenz.com/game_engine_overview.html
Camera
The camera view of Task Force: Sentinel will remain fairly constant throughout
gameplay.
Camera will always position player ship at centre focus when possible, and will
never deviate from this focus save in the following circumstance(s):
Processing data stop looking at me

Page | 50
Music and Sound FX

Overview
As mentioned during the pitch of Task Force: Sentinel, music and sound in video game
history has provided a powerful means of impression: theme tunes and sound effects
belonging to industry figureheads such as Mario and Sonic The Hedgehog immediately evoke
both nostalgia and memories for those who have played them, especially from a young age.
Task Force: Sentinel will make full use of this powerful media.
The following bullet list provides online links to a variety of audio samples which highlight
the primary inspirations behind what the titles overall sound design will draw from.
Soundtrack - Key Inspirations
Halo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjvo0SPAOiQ)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rl2eeb8cyc)
Williams original Defender theme tune

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdUlS_cSMoE)
Game Sound Design

Weapon & Kill-chain Effects
Each weapon sound effect will sound both accurate and, more importantly,
powerful- we want players to feel the weapons firing, beyond simply seeing
them.
Orbital Cannon - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whLbGbpt-E4
Gattling Cannon - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsOOYnfye2A
Page | 51
Overshield
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCnCVNVTsiE
Enemies
In keeping with the old arcade game feel, enemy spawning, weapons-fire
and movement sound effects will be cartoonish and light-hearted, yet also- to a
degree- intimidating. We want the player to feel challenged.
Enemy wave approaching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZphm7OZp54
Enemy action - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9sDonzejEI
Enemy weapons-fire http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myAmiHOyoLo
Ship Effects
Similarly to Weapon & Kill-chain Effects, the players ship should not just
evoke both vulnerability and capability in equal measure visually, but also
in its sound effects.
Ship movement - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUwZHOrM_jo
Ship: alert
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwOyh-TD3JQ
Ship: shields down - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsOon8_EqLQ
Structure Construction
Audio for Structure construction should provide players with a sense of thrill
and that whether or not it is the correct Structure for that moment in time, it
sparks that moment of inner monologue toward the enemy that says
Bring it on!.
Structure: building - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHQIiB4dJfs
Page | 52
Game Flow (general)
Start Level
Build desired
structures
Kill initial
(usually weak)
wave
Collect salvage
dropped (10a-piece)
Fight off next

wave
Pick up
weapon drops
if desired
Receive final
score:
Use killchains
selected
pre-level
start
- 'X' per
enemy kill
Defend objectives
(final score
multipliers)
plus
Spend scoreconverted
currency on:
- Score
multipliers
- Cosmetics
- Upgrades
plus
- Remaining
Salvage
Page | 53
Single Player
Overview
Overall, the single-player gameplay may be summed up by the high concept:
Modern Warfare married with strategy

Broken down, this high concept implies the fast-paced, high-adrenaline action of the former
(combined with the drive to enable kill-chain abilities) combined with the tactile, strategybased elements of the latter.
Story
Though there is not a heavy emphasis on any form of narrative during Task Force:
Sentinel, there does exist a small amount on contextual backstory.
Following the events of the original Defender game, the aliens decide that, in order to
destroy us, they cannot rely on brute force- considering one lone pilot managed to
successfully repel an entire fleet already! Therefore, they develop a time-travelling
capable of transporting their forces back in time in order to wipe us out before we
developed space-worthy war machines. Thankfully, humans learn of this sinister
Page | 54
alien plot and develop our own, lesser time-machine: the Chronodome. While unable
to support the transport of a large force, this large disc can not only construct but
support additional structures around it, which may in all manner of forms assist a
select group of specially trained pilots: defenders of the skies who might stand against
the alien horde- the Sentinels.
Victory Conditions
Players may win a level in single-player by successfully destroying all invading
waves of alien enemies with a score of at least 1. Considering that player death
results in overall score loss, any death which results in players entering negative
points will result in level reset.
Saving & Loading

Saving: the game will automatically save,
Player purchases & unlocks
Current level they are on
Current skin
Current ship model
Top scores for each level
Note that should a play cease play mid-level, they will be returned to the start of the
level, regardless of current level wave progression.
Loading: the game will automatically load all of the above, and return players to their
last visited level upon clicking Resume at the main menu.
Customisation
The following items are player customisable, in-game:
Which Chronodome structures are currently in use
,out-game:
Page | 55
Ship model
Ship colour scheme
Active kill-chains
Page | 56
Multiplayer
Overview
As aforementioned, Task Force: Sentinel will feature a dominant multiplayer mode. The
following is a summary of the game mode, Invasion, provided, and what it will involve /
offer players
INVASION MODE: Players must face off against increasingly large, difficult waves of
aliens and help each other survive.
Questions
Answers
4
Max Players?
None
Any Additional Weaponry?
No ally fire will never harm the player.
Friendly Fire Allowed?
Use Personal Upgrades? (purchased killYes
chains etc.)
10
How many waves will there be?
Either:
What happens if a player dies?
a) A fellow player can fly down to the

defeated players crashed ship and
revive it (press and hold R key for
[15 seconds]
OR
Can players exchange weaponry?
Is the Chronodome present? If so, how

many?
As the waves progress, what happens in
b) The defeated player may wait until

the current wave is over and revive
automatically.
No
Yes
One super Chronodome is provided at the
levels centre.
Players are allotted [TWO] build slots each.
Players have access to all default level
Structures.
Enemy numbers and difficulty will increase
as waves progress.
Page | 57
terms of enemy type and number?

Yes
Does progression/end score count

for/toward anything?
As with single-player, final scores count

toward the players own private currency
supplies.
The further the player progresses, the greater
the reward.
Yes
Does player performance count?

I.e. If Player A kills 20 enemies and Player B
kills 6, will Player A be rewarded more?
What happens if players complete all

waves?
What level will we play on?
Will the level setting change per wave?
Will there be objectives? (things to defend)
Is there any sort of timer?
In addition to wave reached, players are

assigned positions upon completion/defeat.
The player to achieve most kills is awarded
first position, and a greater portion of the
reward pot.
Players are awarded the maximum currency
reward in addition to one of five possible
War Paint schemes.
Duplicate schemes will never be awarded, to
avoid player frustration!
Host decision
No
No only each other!
Yes
Between waves only: [10 SECONDS] are
allotted to player teams between waves to
allow for Structure management.
Nano-bots engaged
Page | 58
Audience
Overview
This title is being produced for a very specific target market: the postcore gamer. This
demographic is still very much so in its infancy, and has only recently been so much as given
a name. In order to maintain an appropriate design approach, we must maintain a constant
and accurate understanding of this gamer type.
On the shoulders of giants

The following is an extract from Denkis Colin Anderson during an online article
regarding the postcore gamer. For the purposes of this document and its associated
Customer 0 persona, this extract is quintessential to the understanding of what this
gamer type is and what the gamer might want from Task Force: Sentinel.
if you could get it in front of me and you could distil it

down to something that I could get into in five minutes,
and I could play it with friends and other people, you
would have me. It's gotta be short-form, short session,
long arc.
Anderson, 2012
Customer 0
I love playing
games, but simply
cant justify
spending lots of
time on them like I
used to.
I want the same

buzz from a twenty
minute gaming
session as Id get
from a four hour
gaming marathon!
Customer 0 is based on primary

research (please refer to Appendix A)
Id like to feel as if my
time spent with the game
was worthwhile- that it Page | 59
amounted to something.
Production Schedule & Development

Overview
The proposed production length for this title is: [11-13 MONTHS]
The following
MILESTONE
SCHEDULE summarizes
the steps which will be
taken during the AGILE
development of the given
title.
It should be noted that, in

line with the brief, the
iterative design process of
Denkis The Way will be
augmented into this
schedule at various, timedependant pointshighlighted by:
1. Game Concept
PROJECT START
1.1 Initial Prototyping/ Concept Demo Construction

1.2 Low-tech Prototyping
1.3 Concept Demo
2. Pre-production
2.1. Premise Refinement
2.1.1. Theme Research
2.2. Market & Competition Analysis
Page | 60
2.2.1. Requirements Gathering

2.2.2. Comparative Analysis of Competing Products
2.3. Revised Production Plan Documents
2.3.1. Vision Document (Concept Document)
2.3.2. Game Design Document [CURRENT PHASE]
2.3.3. Art Design Document
2.3.4. Technical Design Document
2.3.5. Project Schedule
2.3.6. Risk Mitigation Plan
2.3.7. Software Testing Plan / Quality Assurance
2.4. Pre-visualisation
2.5. Demo/prototype development
2.6. Tool development
2.7. Manuscript Authoring
3. Production
3.1. Concept Art
3.1.1. Final Concept Art
3.1.2. Clay Models
3.1.3. Blueprints
3.2. Level Design
3.2.1. Level Geometry
3.2.2. Object and Actor Placement
3.2.3. Lighting
3.3. 3D Design
3.3.1. Static Objects
3.3.2. Dynamic Objects
3.3.3. Effects
3.4. Animation
3.4.1. In-Game Animations
3.4.2. Cut-Scenes and Full-Motion Video
3.4.3. Effects
3.5. Textures & Graphics
Page | 61
3.5.1. Menu & HUD Graphics

3.5.2. Skins Textures for 3D Models
3.5.3. Textures for Game Levels
3.6. Audio Design
3.6.1. Menu and Background Sounds & Music
3.6.2. Level, Character, Vehicle and Item Sound Effects
3.6.3. Speech Effects
3.7. Program code
3.7.1. Source code
3.7.2. Scripts
3.7.3. Integration
3.8. Play testing
3.8.1. Bug-hunting and priorisation
3.8.2. Reporting
4. Quality Assurance
4.1. Final testing / System testing
4.2. Alpha and Beta Testing
4.3. Bug fixes
5. Release
5.1. Master Gold
5.2. User documents (readme-texts, manuals, help-files)
5.3. Distribution
5.4. Support services
5.5. Localisation, porting
6. Post-Release
6.1. Patches
6.2. Upgrades and add-ons
For Asset List to be accomplished

during production, please refer to
Appendix C
PROJECT END
Page | 62
Requirements & Budget

Overview
Please find below current requirements and their corresponding costs for Task Force:
Sentinel production.
It should be noted that only articles which are not currently owned, or not free, are listed.
In addition, salaries are calculated according to the maximum estimated production time
(see page 44).
CATEGORY
REQUIREMENTS
COST
Designer/ producer
19,772 p.a. (1647.66

per month)
[2] programmers:
- Technical artist
(according to MCV
- Core programmer
20,000 p.a. (1666.66

per month)
Employment
2012 salary
report)
Software
[2] Artists
- User Interface / sound
engineer
- Character / Environmental
artist.
18, 055 p.a. (1504.58

per month)
Adobe Photoshop Suite
225.60 (x2)
Reaper Audio Software
139.16
CURRENT TOTAL 104462.18
Whats the matter buttercup, sad

that there aint no pretty
pictures?
Well take off the dress Betty-Ann
cause this aint no art gallery!
Page | 63
Marketing
Overview
The following details the proposed means by which Task Force: Sentinel will be marketed
for the intended consumer. All forms are intentionally free of charge services which may be
used to maximise title coverage and dictate game impression.
Youtube Dev Diaries & Mock Ads
Dev diaries will:

Be posted per fortnightly scrum.
Assigned to Producer.
Update potential players and fan-base on:
o Production milestone reached.
o Current features.
Alternative marketing promotion.
Provide possible end-user feedback on current design.
Tinychat interviews
Tinychat is a free-to-use webcam service which
allows users to set up and host webcam
conferences. Tinychat interviews will:
Allow direct contact between designer
and consumer.
Grant possible end users the chance to
find out more about the upcoming title.
Allow for further promotion of the title
directly to users.
Facebook, Twitter & the Denki website

Similar in fashion to the previous two means of marketing, we would
assume that, our brief being for Denki, that they would be willing to
allow for updates on the production and current state of the title to be
posted on their own website.
Denkis homepage and marketing assistancein particular will be
key to promoting previous forms of marketing listed.
Page | 64
Appendix A
The questionnaire designed and used for conducting further research into who postcore
gamers are and their gaming interests/ preferences.
Due to the extensiveness of the questionnaire, written responses have not been included.
However, please follow links provided below for access to audio interviews sampled, also
using questionnaire:
Interview #1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msllU05hhKE
Interview #2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTd-D9jeA2U&feature=youtu.be
***
(Customer 0s) Interview/ Questionnaire:
Congratulations, soldier! Youve just been selected as one of the few possible candidates deemed
worthy for our top secret anti-martian combat program! The training will be tough; the hours, like a
never-ending nightmare of horrors I cant even BEGIN to help a dirtbag like you understand!! But by
the time Im finished with you, youll be the best god-damn pilot in them skies the likes of which
nobodys ever seen. And that, son, makes me happy. Below youll find a dossier whichll get you up to
speed on whats going on and what well be expecting you to do. Now get those questions answered,
on the double! Dirtbag!
Page | 65

The following is a list of these key features to help you understand how the game will work and what
you may be able to do. There is also a rough sketch provided to further assist- it may look chaotic at
first, so just take your time to look at and read its content.
Pre-game:
i)
Select next mission available. Previous missions cannot be replayed. All missions may be
replayed with additional content once game has been completed.
ii) Player can select which ship they wish to pilot. Different ships have different speeds/
damage statistics.
iii) Player can select which 3 Killstreak abilities they would like to take into the level with
them.
In-game summary:
i)
Players must fight off invading aliens as a fighter pilot ship, which will attempt to abduct
humans from the ground of the level.
o
Each level will have varying waves of enemies i.e. Level 1 will have 1 wave of
enemies which arrive one-by-one on screen. 1 wave contains 40 enemies.
Subsequent waves will become harder/faster i.e. tougher alien ships, or

more appearing together at once.
ii) Players do not have to protect these human targets, however, each human saved by the end
of the level act as a final score multiplier. I.E. the more humans youve saved, the bigger the
score!
iii) Players will have access to up to 12 different weapons- each highly explosive!
o
Different weapons of varying rarity will be dropped randomly by defeated enemies.

Two weapons may be equipped at any one time.
When weapon drops appear, you may click on them to equip them. But be quick,
they dont stay on screen forever!
iv) By killing large numbers of alien spacecraft at once/ or in quick succession, players can
acquire Killstreaks: special abilities which may be unlocked for one-time use per level.
v) Players will be able to deploy different structures and ground-based defense turrets to assist
them in their fight for Earth! Here is a small sample of some examples.
o
Shield Station: Shields down? Fly through your Shield Station to give those shields a
top-up, soldier!
Page | 66

o
Reload Station: Out of ammo for that favourite weapon? No problem, simply take a
quick dock in the Reload Station to lock and load!
Defender Turret Mk.II: Deploy these automated turrets anywhere on the battlefield
to help stave off the alien scum!
vi) Structures can be built by collecting salvage which is dropped by some defeated enemies.
vii) Some missions may ask you to defend specific buildings or human beings. Their
capture/destruction loses you the level.
viii) When all enemies have been killed- assuming they havent killed YOU by now!- the level
ends and a total score is awarded, depending on (at the moment):
o
Lives lost
Humans saved.
ix) This score is converted to currency, which may be used to:

o
Buy new killstreaks
Buy new ships
Buy new skins
etc
Page | 67

Batch #1: Establishing your postcore gamer status
During a standard week, how often (average hours) would you say you play any of these games? You
can answer on a daily basis if easier!
In comparison to five years ago, would you say you play games more or less often? Explain your
answer i.e. why do you play more/less now?
If you had more time available, would play games more often? I.e. You just won the lottery- money
is no longer a prerogative!
Batch #2: Understanding you as a gamer

Tell me three of your current favourite games.
What do you find most enjoyable about these favourite games? Features, graphic style, etc
In your opinion, what 3 things (list more if you feel like it!) makes a game a must play, for you?
What would you say is your most played platform type? Why is that?
What would you say your most played platform type was five years ago?
Do you prefer single or multi-player focus in games?
Has the type of games you play changed over the last five years?
Page | 68
Batch #3- Understanding what the gamer wants!

What are the three main improvements youd like to see made to such a game as Defender (the
original) if you had to re-design it yourself? Here is a link to some original game footage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdUlS_cSMoE
Having gone over the improvements Id like to incorporate (seeing beginning of questionnaire), do
you believe you would play this game instead of previously listed three favourite games? Explain
your answer.
Having gone over my design, how do you think the game would make you feel? Competitive,
satisfied, bored, frustrated, intrigued etc.
Having gone over my design, what did/or didnt you like? Is there anything youd like to see removed
or added- off the top of your head?
Do you think you would find this game fun? Why is that? Explain your answer
Do you think you would find this game easy to play/understand? Explain your answer.
Finally, here is a link to Denkis current project, Save the Day- their first labelled Postcore game.
http://www.denki.co.uk/save-the-day/save-the-day.html
After trying it out, and bearing in mind it is an early prototype,
What did you think of it?
Did you enjoy it?
Would you play it instead of your favourite games? Explain your answer
Page | 69

THE END
On a scale of 1-10, how did you find this questionnaire? Briefly explain your score.
Page | 70
Appendix B- User Interface Copyright 2012 Last Chance Games All rights reserved
Total map view
5.Kill-chain
active
4.Incoming
wave
8. Current Salvage.
6.Score
Section of map
currently in
view.
3.Objective
in danger
off-screen
7.Alert box
1.Player
condition
Player shields
Player
< Please refer

to Weapons
section (page
24)
2.Remaining
ammo
X X
Page | 71
Appendix C- Asset List

The following is a categorised list of assets (in-game content) which will require creation
during the production of the title.
Please note this list is dynamic in nature and may alter during title
production.
ASSET
TYPE
VISUAL ITINERARY
Sprites
ALL Defender ships

ALL Martian ships
The Major
Chronodome Structures
Civilians (per time
period):
o Knights
o Cavemen
o Atlantians
o Cyborgs
o Peasants
o Gentry
o Spartans
o Druids
Wow words
Weapon drop icons
Salvage
Kill-chain awarded
pop-up
(where applicable):
o Nano-fleet
o Battleship
upgrade
AUDIO ITINERARY
For ALL Asset Types
Defender ship:
o Thrusters engaging /
dying
o Weapons fire
o Destruction
o Re-spawn
o Salvage pick-up
o Weapon pick-up
o Ammo resupply
o Shield depletion /
recharge
Martian ship:
o Movement
o Weapons fire
o New wave
approaching
Chronodome:
o Structure beginning
to build
o Structure finished
building
o Structure demolished
Page | 72
Effects
ALL weapons-fire
effects (both player and
enemy alike)
Enemy death explosion
Player death explosion
Player shield recharge
Player taking damage
Enemy taking damage
Player jet thrusters
(slow/ fast)
Animations
Civilian abduction
Civilian structure
damage/ demolition
Civilian panic
Fire
Water
Wind
Chronodome Structure
construction
Chronodome Structure
removal
Cloud movement
Ammo gauge re-fill/
depletion
Environmental
ALL environment
backgrounds
Hazards (per time
period):
o Dragons
o Geysers
o Falling rubble
o Electric storm
o Tidal Wave
o Wrath of Gods
(lightning bolts)
o Ambient sound:
Hissing
Whirring
Environment:
o Civilian ambient:
Panic
Cheering
War cries
Abduction
o Hazard effects:
Wave
Eruption
Electricity
Dragon roar
o Fire crackle
o Water wash
o Wind blowing
o Rubble tumbling
o Civilian structure
destruction
Kill-chaining:
o Effects
o Ka-ching for
accessing kill chain
On-board A.I.:
o Ammo depleted
o Kill chain active
o Structure, ready
o Approaching wave
o Incoming
transmission
o Congratulations
Sentinel
Menus:
o Button press clicks
o Mechanical door
opening / closing
effect.
Page | 73
Static
Main Menu
o Workshop and all
adjoining screens
ALL Main Menu and
adjoining screen icons
The Majors mission
feedback speech
bubbles
Page | 74
References
http://www.macross2.net/m3/sdfmacross/vf-1d-valkyrie.htm
http://wildones.wikia.com/wiki/Missile_Stream
http://www.clker.com/inc/svgedit/svgeditor.html?paramurl=/inc/clean.html?id=10454
http://ssb4u.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/items-laser-cannon-oil-slick-andwatermelon/
http://j70.deviantart.com/art/Tesla-cannon-257035306
http://kidicarus.neoseeker.com/w/i/kidicarus/0/0c/Dynamo_Cannon.png
http://kidicarus.neoseeker.com/w/i/kidicarus/7/78/EZ_Cannon.png
http://www.wreckamovie.com/shots/show/1438
http://www.predatorstuff.com/gallery/?level=picture&id=1371
http://guide.smashball.tv/index.php/Spider_Mines
http://www.deviantart.com/morelikethis/108335693
http://ryandemita.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.vectoons.com/stock-vector/speeding-bullets-3-5624.html
http://vfxfuture.net/goto/cartoon-explosion-animation
http://applenapps.com/review/jetpack-joyride-casual-gaming-perfection
http://militarytimes.com/blogs/scoopdeck/2009/09/page/4/
Page | 75
http://www.squidoo.com/Airplane-pinup
http://ludocraft.oulu.fi/elias/dokumentit/game_production_process.pdf
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Quarren_laser_cannon
http://www.mobygames.com/game/ipad/jetpackjoyride/screenshots/gameShotId,557144/
http://livehelpindia.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/how-business-rate-pace-up-with-agile.html
https://twitter.com/SentinelsOTM
Page | 76

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Copyright 2012 Last Chance Games All rights reserved

Design Document for:

TASK FORCE: SENTINEL

All work Copyright 2012 by Last Chance games

Copyright 2012 Last Chance Games All rights reserved

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Copyright 2012 Last Chance Games All rights reserved

Enemies enter map in increasingly large waves.

Pulse Cannon (default weapon)

Model-FR3AK1N9 Laser Beams

Enemies drop weapons at random in varying levels of rarity.

General game flow:

X number of alien spaceships descend from the sky.

Player is permitted 3 lives. 3 lives lost = return to very start of game.

Ship model choice

Copyright 2012 Last Chance Games All rights reserved

Provided more interesting, varied environments.

Title: Defender 2.0: A Defence Through Time

First X levels are tutorial based.

Following this, levels are generated randomly.

Addition of Chronodome base

Player able to establish a m

Added an element of custom gameplay and micro-management.

Player may build up to six structures around dome.

Chronodome and all surrounding structures are non-destructible.

Shield Recharge Station: top up shields.

Ammo Dump: top up current weapons equipped.

Turret Maintenance: repairs turrets automatically for player.

Hunter-Tracker Munitions: temporarily allow all weapons-fire to loosely track

Denki art style (see Appendix).

Players must defend certain structures in-game to complete mission.

Some levels will include natural dangers

Copyright 2012 Last Chance Games All rights reserved

Medieval level= a dragon to avoid.

Jurassic level= volcanic geysers.

Addition of Home Key

By pressing H players may warp back to their Chronodome base quickly.

End-mission scores are converted to currency.

Players may also buy access to additional structure-building options.

Humans- environmental correspondence

Humans, as defendables, will vary in appearance depending on the environment.

Player lives (1.00) removed. Upon player death:

X amount of total score deducted.

Player is now provided with one chronobomb as standard.

Copyright 2012 Last Chance Games All rights reserved

Following Chronodome structures are now removed from build list:

Orbital Cannon Relay

Ghost Module Installation

Battle Ship Upgrade Center

Chronodome total structure count reduced from 6 to 3.

By killing numerous enemies at once, players may activate kill-chain abilities.

Up to three may be equipped per level.

Battle Ship Upgrade

Make Em Count: added score multiplier.

Further kill-chain abilities may be bought with currency earned.

Upon achieving a kill-chain, a wow-word pops up on screen (see Appendix)

Added Alert Box to U.I.

Copyright 2012 Last Chance Games All rights reserved

Addition of two multiplayer game modes: