Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

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AFTER
you’ve completed your previsualization phase, it’s time to
gather up all of that information into a clean and
ready-to-use design document. If you’re interested in finding out how to build a complete
design document, you can find a growing number of design document templates at
www.gamedev.net. The specific type of information you’ll include in your design document
is dependent on your game’s genre details and platform specifics. Platform
specifics shape your design. Your platform hardware will determine in detail the largest
aspects of your design. A basic shooter for a PDA or cell phone will have a vastly different
design orientation than a third-person action title for the PlayStation 2.
When I’m writing the “Level or Mission Description” sections of a design document
(for example, the game content specifications), I like to try to include detailed
information about the following:
� Location What is the action setting? A graveyard? A tunnel system?
� Time of day Is it fixed time or dynamic? Does time change visibly during play?
� Weather conditions Rain? Lightning storm? Hail? Wind gusts? Does
weather change over time?
� Story setup What main story points set up the player for the level or
mission?
� Story continuity What main story points need to be reinforced in the
mission or level?
� Mission or level summary Provide a complete general “walk-through”
description of the mission or level.
� Topographic map Provide a bird’s-eye view of your level or mission.
� Specific objectives or goals What will the player be asked to accomplish in
the game setting?
� Subobjectives or subgoals What peripheral challenges are required of the
player, if any?
� Terrain features Describe and specify. How do terrain features connect
with one another?