Game Design Document for:
The Veil
"Ideals cannot hold a man, Chains cannot hold a spirit."
All work Copyright ©2010 Vancouver Film School
Written by Team Horrifying Experience
Version # 1.1
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Copyright (C) 2010 Vancouver Film School – All rights reserved
Table of Contents
DESIGN HISTORY __________________________________________________________________________________ 4
Version 1.00 _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4
Version 1.10 _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4
Version 1.20 _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4
Version 1.3 ______________________________________________________________________________________ 4
Version 2.0 ______________________________________________________________________________________ 4
HIGH CONCEPT_____________________________________________________________________________________ 5
PHILOSOPHY _______________________________________________________________________________________ 5
A World Apart __________________________________________________________________________________ 5
A Thoughtful Approach ________________________________________________________________________ 5
The Horror ______________________________________________________________________________________ 5
What is the game? ______________________________________________________________________________ 6
Why create this game? _________________________________________________________________________ 6
Where does the game take place? _____________________________________________________________ 6
What do I control? ______________________________________________________________________________ 6
What are the Goals/Objectives of the game? __________________________________________________ 6
What is the main focus? ________________________________________________________________________ 6
What’s different? _______________________________________________________________________________ 6
Ethereal form ___________________________________________________________________________________ 8
light bolt ________________________________________________________________________________________ 8
teleport__________________________________________________________________________________________ 8
SHADE FORM _______________________________________________________________________________________ 9
TELEPORT ________________________________________________________________________________________ 10
LIGHT BEAM ______________________________________________________________________________________ 11
Hours of Gameplay ____________________________________________________________________________ 14
Victory Conditions _____________________________________________________________________________ 14
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WORLD LAYOUT___________________________________________________________________________________ 16
THE PHYSICAL WORLD _________________________________________________________________________ 16
Overview _______________________________________________________________________________________ 16
Key Locations __________________________________________________________________________________ 17
Travel __________________________________________________________________________________________ 19
Scale ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 20
Objects _________________________________________________________________________________________ 20
Weather ________________________________________________________________________________________ 20
Day and Night _________________________________________________________________________________ 20
USER INTERFACE - CONTROLS_________________________________________________________________ 22
GAME INTERFACE - MENUS ____________________________________________________________________ 23
SCREEN FLOW DIAGRAMS _________________________________________________________________________ 23
O V E R V I E W ___________________________________________________________________________________ 24
Screen Flow Diagram _________________________________________________________________________ 24
Pause Menu ____________________________________________________________________________________ 24
Normal Vision__________________________________________________________________________________ 25
Shade Form ____________________________________________________________________________________ 25
Pause Menu ___________________________________________________ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Pause Menu (Stage 2) ________________________________________ Error! Bookmark not defined.
MUSICAL SCORES AND SOUND EFFECTS _____________________________________________________ 26
APPENDICES ______________________________________________________________________________________ 27
“COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS” APPENDIX ______________________________________________________________ 27
“OBJECTS” APPENDIX _____________________________________________________________________________ 28
“STORY” APPENDIX _______________________________________________________________________________ 29
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DESIGN HISTORY
This is a brief explanation of the history of this document. Each version of this
document is based on when a document is released for feedback/review, or major
changes/additions have been made.
VERSION 1.00
Initial pass at design. Individual sections added for feedback.
VERSION 1.10
Added Game and Combat Mechanics.
VERSION 1.20
First pass at formatting. Added wireframes and screen flows.
VERSION 1.3
Added objects and story appendices.
VERSION 2.0
All parts incorporated final pass at formatting.
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GAME OVERVIEW
HIGH CONCEPT
“Mind over matter"
In the first person puzzler horror game The Veil, players control an Ex-exorcist who
has been imprisoned for committing heinous crimes. To escape the clutches of the Order
players rely on the powers of their holy bolt, their ability to turn into a shade and the power
to teleport short distances. Solve the puzzles and escape deadly traps to acquire freedom!
PHILOSOPHY
A WORLD APART
One of the primary concerns of The Veil is that we do not appear to be “just another
first person game”. Through the use of only a few key abilities we leave it up to the player to
manipulate the environment.
A THOUGHTFUL APPROACH
Through extensive research and planning, we plan on tackling broader themes that
reflect the chaos of the time period the game takes place in. Our goal is to incorporate
religious history into the game without offending or distancing our target audience in any
way.
THE HORROR
The games’ soundtrack and overall visuals will have the character feeling cornered
and mildly paranoid, creating the right mood for the game.
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COMMON QUESTIONS
WHAT IS THE GAME?
The Veil is a first-person horror/adventure game where the player controls a
imprisoned hero seeking his freedom from the clutches of the Order of the Valseer, a clergylike organization.
WHY CREATE THIS GAME?
The whole The Veil team has a love for horror movies and games, and we felt that
medieval horror is a genre that is lacking in content. We also immediately took to the Unreal
3 engine, and are excited to put it to work making a game that is both fun and frightening.
WHERE DOES THE GAME TAKE PLACE?
The game takes place in Medieval Europe, during the same time period as the Salem
Witch Hunts. The actual content of the game takes place far from the large cities of the time,
and instead focuses on various abandoned catacombs and prisons located in rural areas.
WHAT DO I CONTROL?
You control Cain, a exorcist who was imprisoned for committing crimes against the
Valseer. Cain Has the power to use a holy beam of energy as well as a spirit form that allows
him to teleport short distances and avoid physical damage.
WHAT ARE THE GOALS/OBJECTIVES OF THE GAME?
The goal of the game initially is to escape the dungeon Cain has been confined to.
Short term goals are health management and dealing with the various traps and situations
presented.
WHAT IS THE MAIN FOCUS?
The focus is to escape the dungeon and seek retribution from the valseer.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT?
The Veil moves away from conventional shooters by using the first person view and a small
array of powers to solve traps and puzzles. A very eerie environment and interesting
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background story give The Veil an impression of surrealism and mystery. This non-combat
focus gives the game a distinct feel while maintaining the personal element of a first person
game.
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FEATURE SET
SHADE FORM
Ethereal Form gives the player the ability to warp short distances and become
immune to physical forms of damage such as arrows and blades.
LIGHT BOLT
When the player is in Corporeal Form they gain access to the Light Bolt, a ranged
bolt that can activate panels and triggers all around the game world.
TELEPORT
When the player is in Ethereal Form, they gain access to Teleport, an ability that
allows the player to warp short distances within the game world, overcoming things such as
pitfalls and dangerous terrain.
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FEATURE DETAILS
SHADE FORM
The player can switch from Corporeal (body) Form to Shade (ghost) Form at any
time by pressing the right trigger for Corporeal and the left trigger for Shade. When the
player is in Corporeal Form, they can be hurt by physically damaging objects, and when they
are in Shade Form they are damaged by the dark energy that exists in the dungeon.
Damages in Corporeal Form
Crossbow Bolts
Damages in Ethereal Form
Dark Energy
Blades
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TELEPORT
When in Shade Form, the player can teleport 100 units in the direction the crosshair
is facing. This means that if the crosshair is tilted upwards the character will teleport
upwards on the Z axis. To teleport the player holds down the left mouse button, this causes
a beam to shoot from his hand and is used for targeting, then releases it in order to warp to
the target point.
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LIGHT BEAM
The Light beam is the main characters’ method of opening doors, pressing buttons and
interacting with object. It can be used to do damage to specific objects, press rune panels
and activate trap buttons.
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DETAILED WALKTHROUGH
The player starts the Game through the Front end menu; the Cinematic will start and
play through. When the cinematic is complete the player will gain control of the main
character, and is introduced to movement and must pass some obstacles in the player path
such as debris and dead prisoners. Once the player is past the Initial halls he will come upon
the first puzzle: The Mirror Room.
The Mirror room consists of shooting the light beam at said mirrors, causing the
beam to ricochet and open the door to another part of the room. The next room consists of
an elevator, a locked door and a well. The player must take the elevator up which leads him
to a room where he can rotate two statues in order to reflect another beam When the player
manages to turn the mirrors the right way a trapdoor opens dropping him into the well and
also opening the exit door.
Once the player crosses the mirror room he is confronted with the Statue Puzzle. In
this area the player has to do a series of events to trigger a path to the door on the opposite
side (a small cinematic indicates the objective). Starting from the entrance the player has to
run up the ramp, jump on the battering ram and then shoot the glowing chain. This will
make the ram swing, knocking down the statue and dropping the player on the next wooden
platform. From there the player must jump onto the rotating lifts and then from rock to
rock. The rocks will shake and then fall after a few seconds, prompting the player to keep
moving.
As the player reaches the end of the Statue room he is confronted with a hall filled
with rotating blades that will jump out from the walls and ceiling to damage him unless he
is in shade form. There is a large mural right in front of the hallways’ bend indicating in its
imagery that shade form prevents physical damage. After crossing the hall the player is
confronted with and orb which needs to be destroyed in order to open the doors to the final
room.
Entering the final room the player crosses a small bridge that is thereafter
destroyed (this is indicated in a short cut scene). The boss consists of 2 stages. On the first
one the player has to shoot the glowing orbs with his beam of light. Once the orbs are
destroyed the boss goes into the second’s stage, knocking down platforms and changing his
attacks. In order to finish him the player has to press all 4 corner platforms that will unleash
a beam to destroy him. After this is done the player jumps to the middle platform, which
rises to the sky, bringing about the ending.
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Cinematic
Cell Escape
Teach player basic
movement
Mirror Room
Introduction to the
boss
Transition Point
Statue room
Blade room
transition point
Boss Battle Stage
1
Boss Battle Stage
2
Victory and Ending
sequence.
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Beat Chart
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Beat
HOURS OF GAMEPLAY
We are going for a vertical slice of our game. We are hoping it will take a minimum
of 5 minutes to get through from beginning to end. We want to world to give the illusion of
an open world in the town, to give the player some side objectives to do to add more play
time to the game or replay.
VICTORY CONDITIONS
The victory condition for the game is that the player is able to make his way to the
Last area and defeat Aegis (a boss). As the boss dies the player is rewarded with and ending
cinematic/music.
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CAMERA
The game will be entirely in first-person perspective, with the players
hand shown on the right side of the screen.
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THE GAME WORLD
WORLD LAYOUT
The world will be Realistic style world, based in the late 1600’s. It will be laid out in a linear
style. The player starts the game escaping his cell, proceeds through
THE PHYSICAL WORLD
OVERVIEW
The world will be realistic looking; it will be based in the late 1600’s.The world will
have a dark gritty look to it.
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To see a list of key components of the physical world see Object appendices.
KEY LOCATIONS
The game is very linear making each trap room a key location. Mirror puzzle, Statue Trap,
Blade Hallway, Boss room.
MIRROR ROOM
STATUE TRAP
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BLADE HALLWAY
BOSS ROOM
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TRAVEL
The travel in the game will be composed of walking, jumping and teleporting.
Distances are 56 uts for the jump and 500 Uts for the teleport.
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SCALE
The scale of the world is Realistic. The average human is 6ft which will be equal to
96 units in UDK. 1 Foot = 16 UD
K units
Player
Other creatures within the world
OBJECTS
See the “Objects Appendix” for a list of all the objects found in the world.
WEATHER
The Weather will not be changing since the adventure takes place within a dungeon.
DAY AND NIGHT
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The games only change of daytime is when the player reaches the boss room. In that
particular room there is a setting sun skybox.
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USER INTERFACE - CONTROLS
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GAME INTERFACE - MENUS
SCREEN FLOW DIAGRAMS
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Overview
All of the menus are meant to be simple and straightforward. At no point will the
player be overwhelmed by too many options. The idea of our HUD’s is for the player to
experience the game through the eyes of the protagonist, perhaps a little more literally than
most 1st person games. In The Veil, the player will see a small portion of the constraint on
the player’s head.
SCREEN FLOW DIAGRAM
The screen flow shows the initial entrance into our game; from the optional opening
cut scenes, to the main menu and choices. Like most simple action adventure games, the
player will not be scrambled by too many choices and insignificances. The main menu is
straight to the point and only provides only what is mandatory for the player’s needs.
PAUSE MENU
The pause menu will be very rarely used in The Veil. Should the player feel the urge
the change his/her difficulty setting, the player can do so through the “options” menu. The
player can also adjust his/her audio and visual settings, making the game more comfortable.
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HUD/ON SCREEN DISPLAYS
NORMAL VISION
This is the view the player will see throughout the majority of the game. This is the basic
view seen through the character’s eyes. His arms are in the lower half of the screen, only
reaching up when the player uses his light bolt or teleport.
SHADE FORM
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Once Shade Form is activated a filter is applied to the screen, making the scenario semiblurred and grayed/out.
MUSICAL SCORES AND SOUND EFFECTS
Please refer to the Audio Design Document and the Audio Asset List.
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APPENDICES
“COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS” APPENDIX
Competitive Analysis
Competitor
What They Bring
What We Offer
Elder Scrolls IV:
Oblivion
-Open world allows for
extensive exploration
but suffers from a "Jack
of All Trades" syndrome,
wherein the locations
themselves are
somewhat sparsely
detailed
-Tightly scripted events
allow for a deeper
narrative and more
involved gameplay
-Players choose a class
at the beginning of the
game, and are locked
into that classes'
gameplay mechanics
-Players do not have to
choose a class to play,
but have to choose the
best way to manipulate
their environment in
order to succeed.
-The focus is moved
away from traditional
weaponry and more
towards use of few
unique skills
-Players have access to a
variety of standard
weapons and spells
Bioshock
-A mix of guns and
powers give the player
the choice as to how to
approach a situation
-A small number of skills
but fast paced events
and wow moments make
for both an exciting and
quick thinking
gameplay.
-A rich narrative and
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detailed environment
involve the player
within the game
-A morality system
affects how the player
receives upgrades to
their abilities
-Scripted events, a deep
narrative pull the player
into a dark and
terrifying world
-A dynamic light and
dark system changes the
player's abilities on the
fly, allowing them to
escape peril and
manipulate their
surroundings on the go.
“OBJECTS” APPENDIX
Environment Indoors
Tree
Books
Fence
table
Broken Fence
Chairs
Broken Brick
wall
Bed
Brick Wall
Dishes/Silverware
Water Mill
Benches
Water Wheel
Stain Glass
Candle
Broken Stain
Glass
Crates
House1
Broken Crates
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House2
Bear skin
House3
Long House
Church
Statue
Pillars
Archways
“STORY” APPENDIX
Every couple of centuries the empires of the world reach their peak and then fall.
This strange process was never explained, or even noticed, by the common folk.
Worried about how this could affect the world in the coming years the rulers of the
world decided to create a special order to deal with it. Thus was born the Order of
the Valseer, known by the lesser castes only as Exorcists.
The actual fault of the Empire Fall Thesis lies with the entities that live beyond the
veil, such as demons and ghosts as most common folk call them, when the
populations reach their peak the amount of negative feelings and energy flow freely
about, enticing these beings into our world. Civil wars break out; murder and
domestic violence become common place. Soon after these effects start happening
society breaks apart and the empire crumbles.
The world is now reaching that breaking point once more.
THE VALSEER
The Valseer are trained to be expert demon hunters and exorcists from a very early
age. The orders ethos states that exorcists can only have children with others from
the order itself, thus preventing any possible weaknesses that could be exploited by
the creatures they fight. Exorcist children start their training at the age of 12 and
are considered mature by their early twenties, if they survive the harsh training and
emotional isolation that the order enforces.
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The head of the order is the Arch Bishop Deemas .He is stationed at the small town
of Wisproot , which contains one of the Valseers’ most powerful branch, The Holy.
THE SITUATION
Born from a forbidden relationship between an exorcist and an outsider the main
character was born with the enigmatic ability to see beyond the veil and take a
shadowy form. This power puzzled the Orders’ elders and was quickly considered a
threat, an abomination. The Shade Form, as it is called, only manifested when Cain
reached the age of 17. Having already learned much of the exorcism training and
worse, having a natural talent for it, the character was imprisoned; Wards placed
within his cell and his bindings, making sure he could not use his powers again. He
was not killed outright due to a request from the Arch bishop himself, who wanted
to learn more about this power.
The Empire Fall starts and the place where the character is being held is attacked.
Seeing a chance to escape and seek vengeance Cain makes his move and the
adventure begins.
OPENING PARAGRAPH
The world is reaching a turning point once again.
Shadows from beyond the Veil seep through the cracks.
Bearing the weight of thousands, a cursed man will make his stand.
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