Monkey of Doom
Game Design Document
Copyright 2007 : Sarah Nicotra
Overview
 The goal is simple: escape the dungeon.
 In this game, you find yourself in a dungeon
with only a skeleton for company. There is
no jailor to bring you food, no cot to sleep
on, no toilet, and no windows. You must
either escape or waste away in the dungeon,
eventually becoming nothing but a skeleton
yourself.
Overview cont.
 Monkey of Doom is best classified as a
puzzle game, and more specifically as an
"escape the room" game.
 Monkey of Doom was created in Flash 8,
and will run in Flash or on the internet.
 This game is for people who prefer to spend
some time solving puzzles and using their
brain. There is no mindless clicking
involved.
Game Mechanics
 Core Gameplay - All of the gameplay
consists of the user finding objects and
using them to escape the dungeon.
 Scoring - The user wins points based on
how quickly he escapes the dungeon. The
faster he escapes, the more points he gets.
Game Mechanics cont.
 Mode of Play - Gameplay is very easy. The user
clicks on objects in the scene. An object that
cannot be used will acknowledge the click with a
very short sound effect or animation (e.g. clicking
a spider will cause it to move around, eventually
settling back where it started). An object that can
be used will disappear from the scene and
reappear in the inventory. To use an item from
your inventory, drag it from the inventory onto an
object in the scene. If the object is used correctly,
it will cause a reaction. If used incorrectly, the
item will simply reappear back in the inventory.
Game Flow
 The title scene takes the place
of any "boot up" scenes. When
the game is loading, the title
screen will show. When the
game has finished loading,
instructions will appear beneath
the title. Several seconds later,
the instructions will be replaced
with a "begin" button.
Game Flow cont.
 Pressing the “begin” button takes you to the first dungeon room.
Finding and using objects in this room will lead you to the
second room. Objects in the second room will allow access to
the third room. Once all three rooms have been "unlocked", the
user can travel freely between them by clicking on the walls.
The inventory is always displayed on the right.
Game Flow cont.
 The character is never visible because it is a first
person game. The user looks through the eyes of
the character. All game interactions occur through
the mouse, not through the character bumping into
anything.
Game Flow cont.
 The user causes all actions. If he is not currently doing
anything, the scene will remain just as he left it.
 When the user escapes the dungeon, the game is over.
An ending sequence plays and the score is shown.
Challenge
 The challenge in this game comes in two parts. First, in actually
finding the objects you need to use. Some of them are out in the
open, but some of them are hidden. Second, in figuring out the
correct way to use the objects you find. This is not intuitive, and
requires some imagination.
 The game also gets slightly more difficult as you continue. The
first objects are purposely easy to find, so you can get started.
After that, the objects are hidden, and you must search for them.
Then you must use the objects you have already found to find
more objects. Once all the objects are found, the easy part is
over, because now you must discover how to use them correctly
to escape the dungeon.
Challenge cont.
 The game is not extraordinarily difficult. It's not
based on skill, so anyone can win given enough
time. The most difficult part about it is that the
interactions between objects is non-intuitive, and
requires some imaginative thinking. I don't know
how long the game will take to complete, since
I've never played it, and I already know how to
beat it. A rough guess would be 10-20 minutes.
Media
Art
Sound and Music
 Monkey of Doom was
 Overall, the sound and
created in Flash, and
reflects that simple 2D
style. This reinforces the
idea that the game takes
place mostly in the user's
mind, and does not rely on
flashy graphics to make it
interesting.
music should convey a
slightly suspenseful,
thought provoking
atmosphere.
Media cont.
 The music during gameplay will be low, and just
suspenseful enough to remind the user that he's in
a dungeon. But since there is no time limit, it will
not be quick or frenzied.
 The music during the ending sequence will be
happy and playful, to signify that the user has
won.
 Any sound effects will pertain to the objects being
clicked. For example, clicking on a wooden door
would cause it to creak.
Storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboard