Game Design
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Concept Paper (One-pager)
 Executive Summary (Game Treatment)
 Design Document
 Technical Document
 Production Document
 Design Journal
 Post-mortem
Design Document

Description of entire project
– Acts as a script; it should be giving every
other professional involved with the product a
more than firm idea of what they need to
know to implement their portion of the
product.
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Story, characters, features, user-interaction, look &
feel, assets, etc.
 Living document
 Good design not only about ideas, but it's
also about the implementation of those
ideas.
One-pager
from http://www.gamasutra.com/features/19991019/ryan_02.htm
Introduction
 Background (optional)
 Description
 Key features
 Genre
 Platform(s)
 Concept art (optional)
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Common Mistakes
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The concept is totally off base or
inapplicable to the company's current
plans.
In terms of resources, the document
asks for the moon.
The document lacks content.
The game isn't fun.
The game-concept document employs
poor language and grammar.
Design Questions
(adapted from Tim Huntsman - Lead Designer for Acclaim‘s WWF Franchise)
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What are current trends?
What do people want?
What tools/assets/technology do we have access to?
What has been done and how was it done?
How does the front-end flow?
What options or mods should we allow?
How is the pacing?
How difficult are the levels?
Cut scenes vs. run-time movies?
Replay value?
Development Ladders
Chief Technology
Officer
Director of
Technology
Art Director
Audio Director
Lead Programmer
Senior Programmer
Programmer
Junior Programmer
Lead Artist
Senior Artist
Artist
Junior Artist
Audio Lead
Senior Sound
Sound Eng./Comp.
Junior S.E./Comp
Design/Production Ladders
CEO
Chief Creative
Officer
VP of Production
Creative
Director
Executive Producer
Producer
Lead Game Designer
Game Designer
Level Designer/
World Builder
Associate Producer
Assistant Producer
QA
Testing
Design Considerations
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Cooperation, Conflict, Confusion
Formal Abstract Design Tools (Church ’99)
–
INTENTION
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–
PERCEIVED CONSEQUENCE
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Making a plan in response to the current
situation in the game world and one's
understanding of the game play options.
A clear reaction from the game world to the
action of the player.
STORY
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The narrative thread that binds events together
and drives the player forward towards
completion of the game.
Design Dos
(Adapted from Tzvi Freeman)
Describe the body AND soul
2. Make it readable
3. Prioritize
4. Go into details
5. Demonstrate
6. What AND how
7. Provide alternatives
8. Make it “living”
9. Info should be locatable
10. Make it look important
1.
Design Don'ts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Never overcomplicate a game if you
can help it
Never make the same mistake twice
Never take control from the player if
you can help it
Never forget the controller or I/O
device you will be using to play the
game
Never assume the player knows what
you're thinking.
Design Don'ts
Never break the established rules
unless you TELL the player
7. Never assume technology can fix
bad design.
8. Never assume the license is all
you need
9. Never cheat the player
10.Never design morality.
6.
Design Document #1:
Overview
- recap and revision of the original
concept paper
 The User Experience
– Genre, Type
– Compelling aspects
The Platform
 The Users
 Time
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– Game-play time
– Product life
Design Document #1:
Overview
Overview
 Basic Concepts
 Navigation Chart
 Scenes and Action
 List of Resources
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Design Document #1:
Basic Concepts
- feel for the game, why things are the
way they are, and what the essential,
indispensable elements are
 Storyline
– The background story
– Storyline or object of the game play
– Rules of the game
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Heroes and Villains
– biographical information and descriptions.
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Novelties and Compelling Features
Design Document #1:
Navigation Chart
- An illustration of how parts of the game
link to each other.
 Entry and exit Main menu
 Level movement
 Access to preferences and credits
 Global Behaviors
– Ensures that your game will have a
consistent feel to it.
– buttons, life-bars, input devices, etc.
– animations, at least in stick form.
Design Document #1:
Scenes and Action
- In an adventure game, this will
take up most of your document.
 preferences, credits, and main
menu.
 In subchapters, lay out consistent
behaviors of local elements.
 Optional Storyboard
Design Document #1:
List of Resources
- should be thorough. Leaving out even a
few items, or failing to describe them
clearly, could prove a major source of
exasperation later on.
 This section comprises detailed lists of
models, animations, sounds, music,
narration, backgrounds, etc.
Design Document #2
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Revised game concept doc
Market analysis
Technical analysis
Legal analysis
Cost and revenue projections
Art
Design Document #3:
FEATURE-ORIENTED
Goals are broken down into doable bits.
1 FEATURE HEADING
1.1 Contact
1.2 Goals
1.3 Implementation
1.4 Impact
1.5 to 1.8 Tasks & Questions for:
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–
Designers, Programmers, Artists, Sound
Design Document Resources
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http://www.ihfsoft.com/designdocuments.ht
m
 http://www.designersnotebook.co
m/Lectures/BGDNT.zip
 http://www.gamasutra.com/