Game Design Document

Alone in Paradise
Contents
Alone in Paradise .................................................................................. 1

Introduction ..................................................................................... 4

Storyline ......................................................................................... 4

Story Brief/line .............................................................................. 4

3 Act Structure .............................................................................. 5

Objectives ....................................................................................... 6

Structure ...................................................................................... 6

Infiltrate the enemy base and help clear the battle zone of enemy
activity ......................................................................................... 6

With support find and retrieve the encryption codes from the enemy ... 6

Using the encryption codes hack into the two control panels and copy
the data ....................................................................................... 6

While the data copies defend the control panel from enemy soldiers .... 6

Collect the hardrive and make it to the extraction zone ...................... 6

Target Audience ............................................................................... 7

Gameplay ........................................................................................ 8

Optional Game Decisions ................................................................ 8

Gameplay .................................................................................. 8

Game Ending .............................................................................. 8

Freedom & Representation of the Power of Manipulation ..................... 8

Gameplay Elements .......................................................................... 9

Skill Tree ...................................................................................... 9

Abilities ........................................................................................ 9

Player Skills ................................................................................ 10

Controls...................................................................................... 11
Art ................................................................................................ 12

Level Design ............................................................................... 12

Animation Sequences & Cut Scenes ............................................... 12

Location / Landscape / Environment ................................................. 13

Generation of Ideas / Inspirations .................................................... 14

Films / TV Shows / Documentaries ................................................. 14

Video Games ............................................................................... 14

Real World Conspiracies................................................................ 14

Players Perspective & Visuals ........................................................... 16

Structure / Strategic Play ................................................................ 17

Customisation ............................................................................. 17

Artificial Intelligence..................................................................... 18

Messages / Influences / Exposing Truth .......................................... 19

Informative & Influential ............................................................ 19

Subliminal Messages ................................................................. 19

Exposing Truth ......................................................................... 19

Extra Content DLC .......................................................................... 20

Bibliography................................................................................... 21
Introduction
My mod is specifically designed to be a preview from a larger game with
the mission level which is available for the player to experience
representing a start of a large complex storyline. The reasoning behind
this decision was I didn't want to cram everything I intended to use for
my games development into one mission level. This is due to the amount
of potential issues it could cause like balancing, map bugs and glitches
and a tightly packed confusing storyline. Designing my game like this also
reduces me becoming limited in what I can accomplish, this is due to me
otherwise needing to design the game to be completed and presented in
one short mission level.

Storyline
Story Brief/line
After the rumours of a potential terrorist threat, a plan of action is
initiated by the President and his associates in an effort to prevent world
war 3 and eliminate bomb threats throughout the country. Unfortunately
due to the underestimations and complications of upcoming events by the
top secret group authorised to deal with the surge of activity from
terrorist threats, with assistance from a Special Forces team, the military
conflict escalates resulting in cataclysmic consequences as most of the
country is placed under quarantine to contain the radioactivity and
brutality virus produced from the unknown source.

As the player you are the weapons sergeant and second in command of
the team, your mission is too search and destroy the terrorist threats and
retrieve enemy Intel to ensure the future safety of your country. But after
disaster strikes the Special Forces team is trapped inside the quarantine
zone with no communications with headquarters leaving the team alone in
an apocalyptic type of environment. However what is discovered could
determine the alteration of the course of human history in the form of a
new world order.
3 Act Structure
Players are introduced to the protagonist hero of the game and his
environment, the story is designed to lead players through a journey of
changing perspectives on the character and morality of the objectives
they are forced to complete. The setup of the game works by quickly
informing the viewers that the protagonist works for an important role of
government, the story starts it development in game by having the player
play through a mission objective which is supposed to be standard but is
actually part of a bigger story. The event that causes the games story to
become deepen and lead onto confrontation in the three act structure is
the result of Intel suggesting a destructive chemical weapon in
development which inevitably sets off a term of events leading to a rise in
action.

The second act consists of the protagonists attempting to resolve the

threat by destroying the weapon but instead sets of a chain of events
which leaves them trapped inside a quarantine zone of a once populated
area filled with infected people.

The resolution in the game for the protagonist is when the character
discovers the truth and is stuck in the middle of a war scale battle with
both sides intending to kill him and the other side which results in the
protagonist ending the conflict on his own accord.
Objectives

Structure
The game I have made has been designed in mission form where the
player needs to complete one objective to move onto the next step,
although the mission only has two major objectives which are to retrieve
enemy Intel and destroy the control panels, I have categorised the
objectives and broke the mission into small steps so it’s clear to the
player what they need to achieve.

Infiltrate the enemy base and help clear the battle zone of enemy activity
The first objective consist of infiltrating the compound and destroying
enemy forces, more specifically the player must successfully support their
teammates and eliminate a certain amount of enemy soldiers before
advancing to the next objective.

With support find and retrieve the encryption codes from the enemy
This objective requires the player to locate and retrieve the encryption
codes located in the enemy base, to complete this player must scout
through the enemy base and when found pick up the encryption codes
and take them to the control panels located in separate control rooms
inside the compound.

Using the encryption codes hack into the two control panels and copy the data
This objective requires the player to take the encryption codes to the
control panels and initiate a download which will be represented by a
timer that states the progress of the download. There are total of two
control rooms and panels so the player will have to repeat the download
in order to complete the objective.

While the data copies defend the control panel from enemy soldiers
During time of downloads the player must defend the control panel from
enemy forces, there are a total of two control rooms meaning the player
must defend the control panels twice. Both control panels must be
defended until the download has finished otherwise the mission is a
failure.
Collect the hardrive and make it to the extraction zone
If the player is successful when defending the control panels and
collecting the hardrive after the download, then the next step is going to
the extraction zone and eliminate the enemy from the helicopters to
capture the compound. If though the player is unsuccessful and the
control panels are destroyed before download then the player must plant
bombs throughout the compound and make it to extract for escape.
Target Audience
The target audience for this game is aged 18 and above, this is due to all
the offensive language, gore, violence and illegal drugs that are in this
game. My game is not aimed at any religion in anyway what so ever but
nevertheless even though there is nothing religious in this game people
from any religion or race could still be offend because of how graphic and
sometimes disturbing the game can get which will go against lots of
peoples beliefs. My game has not been aimed at people of any gender,
but it does contain offensive remarks and graphical scenes that are
against both the male and female gender which could offend them. To
summarise anyone over the age of 18 can play this game and enjoy it as
long as they don’t get offended easily and can handle a game with gore
and violence in it a this game is not trying to make any religion, gender or
race appear to be better that the other in any way.

The reason I have chosen a mature target audience specifically ranging

between eighteen and forty years old is because I prefer to create a game
with a maximum amount of freedom and reduce the limitations the target
audience could influence on my mod like violence, gore, language and
more. I believe that the violence, gore, mature language and strategic
aspects of my game will appeal to my chosen target audience and support
the educational side of my mod. I believe that the violence, gore, mature
language and strategic aspects of my game will appeal to my chosen
target audience and support the educational side of my mod as well as
improve the overall experience of the realistic representations during
gameplay.
Gameplay

Optional Game Decisions

Gameplay
The player’s experience of the gameplay in my game has been designed
to be influenced by the choices of the strategies the player may use. If
the player chooses to enter the battlefield then open long ranged
uncontrolled chaos is what they will face, or if the player wants to control
the speed of the game to their own pace then an indoor strategy will
change the gameplay to a more of a close quarter combat game. In terms
of balance the player will have weapons to deal with enemies in every
combat situation, the level of difficulty will also change whenever a player
makes a choice and this is influenced based on the logic of the approach
the player has on an objective.

Game Ending
If the player chooses an ending which exposes the truth causing the fall
of government order then society becomes fair with living conditions,
jobs, food and more improving for people in the form no race, religion,
group or individual is treated differently to a certain extent.

Freedom & Representation of the Power of Manipulation

As the player becomes more aware of the truth and meaning behind the
game they are able to make more and bigger choices which influence the
game in different ways. (The purpose of this is to represent how
manipulation can control people’s views and actions, hence the more the
player learns the more freedom and control they have.)
Gameplay Elements

Skill Tree
One planned but unused gaming element was the skill tree system that I
had researched and at one part thought suitable for my game mod, the
idea was presented to me through the games "Dead Island" "Far Cry 3"
and "Red Dead Redemption" which was before I was designing and
creating a game mod. The logic and structure of the skill tree system if it
was in my game would have included such categories as agility, survival,
hunter and predator although this setup wasn't definite or expanded on.
The reasons behind the skill tree system progressing no further than the
initial design faze was because of two important factors that I thought
would of affected its success, efficiency and game balance if ignored.
These are the sheer size of my game and the problem that my small mod
could not support a big, complex or balanced skill tree system, and the
time to learn, design and create such a system would take up time that I
personally believe would be more efficiently used if I set aside the idea
until the point of me considering extra content being implemented into
my game mod.

Abilities
The player has multiple abilities they can use for gameplay to assist them
when completing objectives, these basic abilities are designed to give
player control over their character by increasing the level or interactivity.
The abilities that are available for the player to use are walk, run, jump
and crouch which are a popular and generally standard setup for most 1st
or 3rd person shooters. Another and more uncommon ability that the
player will have at their disposal is playing dead, if used correctly this can
be very useful to players in certain situations to stay alive like a patrol
roaming past or on the battlefield with low health warnings.
Player Skills
Players in this game have skill bars which consist of many categories like
shooting, stealth, running, climbing and more. The way the skill bars work
in this game is that players must practice, complete tasks, kill enemies,
reconnoitre the map, secure safe zones and finish missions in order to get
XP to level up skill bar levels. Every time a player levels up they will
unlock an ability related to the category they levelled up. An example of
improving skills in this game is when players want to level up their gun
skill they will have to get head shots, complete challenges like shooting
bottles and hunting. Each mission and challenge players are in will have
the opportunity to earn bonuses if players can finish them perfectly which
could result in being rewarded with a new gun or an XP bonus. When you
earn an XP bonus you will have the choice to upgrade any skill by my
50%. The skill bar in my game is also important for the storyline as
players may need to have a specific skill unlocked in order to advance to
the next area.

(Dead Island - Skill Tree)

Controls
Every ability in my mod the player will have control over how and when
they choose to use them, each ability can be triggered during gameplay
by certain keyboard buttons. The controls for walk, run, jump and crouch
are standard for PC games making it easier to use for most people. The
movement controls require the player to use the W key for forwards, A
key for left, D key for right and S key for backwards with the C key for
crouching. For the more advanced controls like running, activating used
events and playing dead the process is still kept simple so there is no
confusion in the gameplay mechanics. To play dead the player must press
the F key to activate the action and the space to get up again, with the
running action requires two presses and holding the W key to work. As for
the control mechanics which trigger different events, it usually requires
the E key to use but if different my game will give the player visual
instructions on screen to ensure its clear enough to understand. The
control mechanics in my game are commonly used for other shooter
genres meaning the setup will be familiar to gamers and straightforward
to new players.
Art
Level Design
The design of my mod's mission level is structure around a centre point or
more specifically an abandoned compound that has been partially
reconstructed to be a suitable use for a laboratory which specialises in
biological weaponry. For the majority of mission times and objectives the
focus of the level designs in everything within the boundaries of the
compound walls, but I have designed the map with an outside which acts
as a battlefield for players as well as being vehicle accessible.

Animation Sequences & Cut Scenes

I have designed the animation sequences and cut scene to be dramatic
and filled with action to represent the level of destruction military conflicts
can have. Certain sequences of animations like a helicopter's flight path is
designed to cover the hole map and show the player its layout as an aid
for completing upcoming objectives. Cut scenes are not used in the
production of my mod but are designed as a vital element to my larger
game for the specific purpose of explaining and developing the storyline
as the player progresses through missions.
Location / Landscape / Environment
There is no specifically set location for my games concept only a
landscape and an environment, this is because the structure of the
storyline and also helping to support appealing to the target audience
both influence the message in my game. My game is designed to expose
corruption, secret societies and more so it’s important for me not to
specify a certain government, power or society because the story is aimed
at power throughout the entire world. But due to realism I had to pick a
certain place for my mod's mission level which I have decided to be
located in north Russia in an area which is specifically unpopulated by
people in the real world and a perfect place for solitude so governments
can devise potentially lethal plans in secret.
Generation of Ideas / Inspirations
I have researched upon many different media forms to help me build
upon and generate my own ideas; specifically certain films, video games
and real world events have influenced and inspired my work. Before
research I already had a the bases for my game and its story, but after
being inspired changes have been made to support educational purposes,
certain video game genres and more importantly exposing real world
conspiracies and corruption within government power.
Films / TV Shows / Documentaries
There have been numerous films, TV shows and documentaries that have
inspired me in either generating ideas or creating designs. Particularly the
films “Enemy of the State”, “28 Days or Weeks Later”, “Zero Dark Thirty”
and the TV show “Prison Break” have inspired me the most in my work.
The reasoning for this is because they all relate or support my initial ideas
and my personal preferred intentions of the design and what I want to be
included in my game mod.
Video Games
Obviously video games have influenced and inspired many of decisions in
the development design process of my game mod, but by far the most
inspiring has been the entire "Call of Duty" franchise specifically the
campaigns and storylines which support them in single player. Other
video games and not just 1st person or third person shooters have also
assisted me and my work during the development of my mod.
Real World Conspiracies
I decided at the very start of my initial design work or brainstorming
activities for a game mod that it would promote an educational side or
more specifically expose conspiracies, cover-ups, unethically classified
information and various subliminal messages which relate to real world
governments and secret societies. The goal for me is to expose the
deception, lies and the truth behind corruption that consist within all
governments and make people aware of secrets which are hidden from us
by secret dangerous societies such as the illuminati.
Players Perspective & Visuals
The game is primarily 3rd person, but in some situations the view will
change from a 3rd person perspective to 1st person and in other situation
player will be able to choose between 1st and 3rd perspectives. An
example of this is when players are in a vehicle like a car they can choose
from the drivers view or the 3rd person view by the click of a button. In
other circumstances like holding a weapon like a sniper rifle and zooming
in the perspective will change from 3rd person to 1st person and cannot
be changed. Other than in some circumstances the game character will
not change from the 3rd persons perspective view. When something
happens in a mission that is forced to happen then it might switch to a
camera type view, like if you throw someone of a cliff the camera will
change to a different angle which gives the player a better visual look of
the moment making it more entertaining to watch like a film scene. Every
time a player or players takes over an outpost, finishes a mission or
something important is about to happen the camera will change to show
people what’s happening, I think it’s important to do this because it stops
players who may be behind in the mission or injured from missing
anything important that they should know about which also keeps the
experience of the game fair and equally entertaining. In particular when
player are inside a building or a helicopter the perspective will
automatically change to 1st person because it supports the player's
perspective view so the environment is more visually appealing.
Structure / Strategic Play
The structure of my game has been designed to adapt the player’s
choices, abilities, progression, and failures to complete missions
throughout the game. The reasoning behind this structured design is to
make the game a realistic representation of the manipulation and
deception within governments throughout the world. The difficulty and
speed of progression of the games story will depend on the players
understanding of what the game is trying to accomplish, the more the
player realises the governments real intentions and the more they choose
to go against the government the quicker they progress through the
game. Failing to complete missions will not restart the mission unless the
player dies, this means if the objective isn’t achieved then the advantage
goes in the opposite sides favour. The game is structured by having to
sides which is presented to the player by manipulation and lies as right
and wrong, for instance the player is constantly being told the
government is for the people and the terrorist are just evil with negative
motives, but the game is designed to encourage the player that they
don’t need to be commanded and only they can prevent world war 3 as
both sides want to eliminate the other which will kill millions.

Customisation
My game was initially designed with customisation elements like weapon
sights and vehicle turret projectile types, but after serious consideration I
decided to delay or plan for customisation to be implemented as a form of
game extension for after the game was created. This is because of
numerous factors like game balancing, map design and the focus on
consideration to level size with my game and its limitations in terms of
processing power, graphics cards and the overall smoothness of the
game. I also intend to have the game tested thoroughly so when
customisation or other elements are implemented into my game the
balance of gameplay stays strong and reduces the amount of bugs or
glitches that may occur.
Artificial Intelligence
The AI system or artificial intelligence in my mod is designed to preserve
stability and gameplay balance for players in game, but still provide a
more than challenging game story mission with different levels of
difficulty which varies in certain situations. For instance where a large
area of the map is open or exposed the player will have team support and
cover to use against the swarms of enemies and explosive chaos. Then in
other situations like close quarter combat players will deal with lots of
controlled artificial intelligence which are programmed to stay behind
cover and overwhelmed the player, but opportunities for adaptations in
game shift the balance towards the player if they are strategic and smart
like switching to shotguns or LMGs in appropriate circumstances.

The AI system's health and regen abilities will not change throughout the
games mission but they are affected in different ways which could work to
support or hinder the players style of play, for example obvious realistic
mechanics like pistols and shotguns being easier to use at close range
with assault rifles and light machine guns at medium to longer range will
work best is all useful information and also basic rules of combat that the
player should consider sticking too for protection and ease of gameplay.

There are a total of four different types of artificial intelligence in my mod

that consists of important purposes in gameplay. The first type of bot is a
follower and is the most uncommonly used in my game, the purpose of
this bot is to follow the player and provide support from AI threats. The
second type is a roamer and is the most popular type of artificial
intelligence, for both teams this bot will roam the battlegrounds killing
any enemy it see no matter the circumstances. The third bot is an
attacker that serves the purpose of specifically tracking down and killing a
certain character which is the player, the reasoning for this is so the
player cannot just outrun or hide from roamers. Last but not least the
most important AI type is the destroyer bot which is used for multiple
objectives and is programmed to destroy certain objects and trigger event
that are against the players objectives.
Messages / Influences / Exposing Truth
Informative & Influential
The purpose of my game is to make players aware of the corruption, lies,
and truth behind what governments say is going on and what is actually
happening. The more people who realise and learn what governments and
secret societies intentions are and that innocent are merely guinea pigs in
an unfair world, then the more successful I would consider my game to
be.

Subliminal Messages
Throughout my game I will include subliminal signs, quotes, and more
which will represent governments and secret societies in a bad but
truthful way to help expose the truth to the players gradually throughout
the game. Those which are under control by manipulation will be harder
to convince that what they know isn’t the actually truth, as they will find
unbelievable an explanation which portrays the bigger picture. It’s
because of this reason I have decided to use subliminal messages in my
game.

Exposing Truth
I feel realism is important in my game as people will most likely take the
game and message behind the storyline seriously if they believe it’s a
realistic representation of life in the real world. I will make sure
everything I research is properly deconstructed to ensure that my game is
an accurate representation of reality the facts displayed in gameplay is
actually true.
Extra Content DLC
I have designed my mod to be suitable for extra content to be added into
my game by purposely structuring the story and the mission level with
the means of expansion in mind. Throughout the process of creation I was
developing idea's and assets which are specifically planned to be used as
a form of extra downloadable content for the game mod, there are also
assets that I originally designed for the finished version of the game that
due to either balancing or time restrictions have been pulled from
production until the development of a downloadable content expansion
package. Although most of the content which is designed as a DLC is only
at the initial stage of development, some elements have been completely
developed and are game ready for implementation into my game mission
level mod. The reason I have decided to hold back content is because of
game balancing, many games today bring out beta's and other means of
testing games and the most effective way of balancing gameplay after
release is to build upon the game with content instead of having
everything tested at once.
There are multiple design elements, mechanics and assets that are
intended for the game after release. These include such features as
customisation choices, more controllable weapons and vehicles, usable
equipment such as grenades and mines, level extensions, artificial
intelligence controllability and more. Although balancing, deadlines and
knowledge caused restrictions on how much I could implement into the
development of the game, I was more about me waiting for the finished
product and then building upon that. The reasoning behind this decision is
so I can easily control balance and also see the smoothness and
playability of the level so when I was satisfied with the results I then
improve the game. This I believe is a good technique to use because it
ensures the mod will be playable even if incomplete in terms of features,
instead of developing a big game with many elements to test and lots of
problems likely to occur. The biggest intention of mine is to expand the
game level's map size and missions objectives for the purpose of creating
a larger playing field for the player, artificial intelligence and vehicles.

Bibliography
Burns, D. (2014, March 20). Game Treatment. Retrieved February 19,
2015