Copyright 2018 by Shawna Mills (Soda Monkey Ent. LLC)

info@sodamonkeyent.com

Boomtagx.com

[Burbank, CA]
p. [6463611696]

Game Design Document

Detailed outline of the Technical Design of BoomTagx

Table of Contents

Index

Index

Summary

Gameplay

Mindset

Highlights

Input

System Design

Player Profile

Overview

Requirements

Movement

Overview

Requirements

Camera

Overview

Requirements

Combat

Overview

Example Weapon Description for Hammer in Sine Aura

Requirements

Sound Wave Counter System

Overview

Requirements

Collectible Item System

Overview

Collectible Item Definitions

Requirements

Weapon System

Overview

Requirements

Combo System

Overview

Requirements

Sound Byte System

Overview

Requirements

Monster Track System

Overview

Requirements

Audio Puzzles

Overview

Requirements

Enemy Placement and Spawning

Overview

Requirements

Achievements

Overview

Requirements

Object Hierarchy / Components

Level Design

Sorting Layers

Levels

Pathfinding

Boom

Enemy

Collision

Baking

Visual Design

Color Palette

Stylistic Attributes / Elements

Effects

Music / Sound Design

Sound Palette / Instrumentation

Stylistic Attributes / Elements

Effects

Required Assets

Visual

Audio

Schedule

Game Overview

Summary

An action/adventure RPG where you play as Boom, a boombox boy who collects things called Sound Bytes. Using the music and sound as a weapon, you battle your way across the map while battling other sound users.

Gameplay

The goal is to travel to all of the Islands, collect ice cream bars, solve puzzles to collect Sound Bytes to unlock special attacks, and defeat your enemies to save the world. With four different main attack forms, the player must use the appropriate weapon to better combat oncoming enemies.

Mindset

The player should take their time and explore the environment, during the journeys there should be a feel of wonder and serene charm, but during battles and matches, the stress factor should rise, become fast paced and exciting. Epic feelings arise that are both devastating and stylishly badass. The player should feel like the world is expanding with endless opportunities to interact and find new things. The player should feel like they are discovering a world of music.

Highlights

• What makes this game stand out?
  - Colorful Environment
  - Fusion Music
• Are there any new mechanics?
  - Sound Byte System
• New uses of old mechanics?
  - Combo Battle Mechanics
  - Beat-em-up Fighting Game Style
• RPG style exploration
• Interesting aesthetics?
  - Large Graffiti Influence
  - Environment is infused with Audio Equipment
• Heavy story narrative
• Algorithms
  - Mapped Level System
  - Linear Level Maps
  - Preset NPC Dialogue
• Enemy power classes changes in relation to the levels

Input

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System Design

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Player Profile

Overview

A player has a persistent player profile that is created when the player starts a new game. This profile contains all of the information the player would need to resume their game upon a subsequent session. Upon reaching certain checkpoints or key events, the player’s profile is saved automatically for them. A player can save their progress at any time, but will appear in a subsequent session only at the last checkpoint they reached.

Requirements

• Player profiles must be serializable or convertible to a flat file format such as CSV or JSON.
• The domain objects that comprise a player’s profile must be capable of being serializable and when hydrated constitute the necessary forms for a player. For example, a projectile weapon’s information per player must be serializable, but when hydrated must be able to be loaded into the appropriate Unity prefab format for gameplay.
• Player profiles need to be saved and loaded from a static, standard path per platform.
• Player profiles require both manual workflows prompted from the player and automated workflows when prompted from passing a checkpoint or other key event.
• When a player profile is saved via an automated workflow, it must not interrupt the player’s flow playing the game. This is most easily achieved by saving the profile via a background thread so the main thread is not disturbed.

Movement

Overview

The overall movement of all entities including Boom, NPCs, and enemies will be a combination of 8 Directional and Pathfinding.

Requirements

• 8 Directional range & Pathfinding behaviors: Max speed is 400. Rotation, Acceleration and Deceleration is 1000.
• Bound to layout. Stop the player leaving the layout area.
• Enemies will angle their positions towards player, only once enemies enter screen.
• Typical NPC, when interaction is triggered, it halts the NPC in place or in the case of Crowd NPCs, changes the course of direction. NPC continues their movement pattern once obstacles or player interactions are out of the way.
• Crowds “NPCs”, are treated as objects. On start of layout, crowd entities has a set angle to a random 360 degrees within the an area. This entity has collision barriers and flexible movement patterns that allow player to push through them without player movement being slowed down or halted.

Camera

Overview

On game play, During gameplay, the camera movement will take on subtle changes reflecting on the Player’s movements and interactions. Boom will always be center present, with exception of cutscenes and mini puzzle games. The camera will shake during combos and some plot triggers.

Requirements

• Scroll to. The screen follows Boom as he moves around. Set Player position at X(0). Y(0)
• Mini puzzle games and cutscenes have special cameras, unrelated to the cameras during gameplay.

Combat

Overview

Entities including Boom, NPCs, and enemies are capable of initiating attacks against other entities that reduce their health. When an entity's health is reduced to zero from 100, that entity dies and is destroyed.  Hammer equipped increases range of attack.

Weapon Description for Stuns (Ice Cream and Soda Throws)

Weapon Description for Melee

Weapon Description for Hammer

Requirements

• Entities have a stateful object of Entity State that represents their health and any other information that is needed to calculate combat.
• The source of an Entity State’s initial and static information is a data-driven object whose values can be adjusted and changed from an external file such as JSON, CSV, or ScriptableObject.
• Some Entities, such as NPCs, are not capable of being attacked and must be excluded from combat calculations.
• Entities regenerate health when not in combat.
• Each attack has a clear movement that indicates the range of the attack and where an impact would be landed (for example, if an enemy has a wide range attack, any animations or effects must clearly display this).
• Attack animations must be clearly made in the direction of the attack.
• Each attack has a cooldown period during and afterwards where the Entity who made the attack cannot make the attack again.

Sound Wave Counter System

Overview

Sound waves are a distinct enumerated type of Sine, Sawtooth, Triangle, and Square. These four types form a rock-paper-scissors mechanic where one type is always more effective against another. Sound rings circle enemies, indicating what sound wave and power level to expect.

Requirements

• Enemies always display one sound wave type via sound wave ring, but may have more that they cycle between.
• Each sound wave type has a distinct visual appearance.
• While being attacked with the correct sound wave, and for a short period of time after, Entities do not regenerate health.

Collectible Item System

Overview

There are unique objects that Boom can collect in the world, or are given to him. Some objects are given or rewarded directly to the player from a boss, NPC, or containers in the level. Some objects that are collected by a player can be collected only once, while others can be collected multiple times throughout the game in different locations. Item collection is a persistent player property which persists through multiple sessions.

Collectible Item Definitions

Requirements

• Item data derive from a data driven source such as JSON or CSV.
• Each collectible item has a distinct type and visual appearance that distinguishes it from others.
• All collectible items have a distinct number that can be collected from a minumum of one to X.
•  A player must be able to view the items he possesses and the maximum number that can exist (for example, a monster track can only be collected once, but a sound byte can be collected multiple times).
• Once a player has collected an item, the game should automatically save the player’s progress and upon subsequent play sessions of that profile the collected item should no longer appear at that place in the game.
• Items can be obtained in the following ways:

• Rewarded by an NPC or boss (event).
• Collected by the player directly (objects are visible in the scene and can be walked over to obtain).
• Obtained from a chest or container (player can initiate an action to open the chest, which plays an animation and grants them the item directly).

• Collected items persist through multiple sessions (linked to persistent player profile above).

Weapon System

Overview

Boom has zero to four weapons that he can switch out at any time. Each weapon has a specific range at which the force and effect takes place.

Requirements

• Each weapon has unique stats for combat that are data driven. The source values for these attacks come from a data file such as JSON, CSV, or Scriptable Object.
• The weapons a player has collected persist through multiple play sessions.

Combo System

Overview

When Boom makes two or more successive attacks against an enemy within a specific timeframe and each attack has the correct sound wave counter for that enemy, a combo has occurred. This can occur proactively as part of a player initiated attack or as part of a parry leading into an attack (the parry in this case counts as the first part of the combo). A completed combo increases the value of a special bar, which when filled allows Boom to execute a Monster Track special attack. Players can also just perform a combination of hits.

Requirements

• Only some entities have the capability of utilizing the combo system, primarily Boom and several bosses.

• Each attack an Entity makes wherein his sound wave type counters an enemy’s type, a combo is initiated.
• Only after the second successful combo attack is made does that Entity’s combo meter begin to increase.
• Each sequential attack in a combo increases that Entity’s combo meter by a higher value than the last, up to a cap.
• Once a combo has ended, a special increase is made to that Entity’s combo meter based on the total number of attacks in the combo.
• Boom’s combo meter must be visible to the player in an impactful and engaging way.
• After a certain amount of time passes from the last successful attack in a combo, if another attack is not made the combo ends for that Entity.

Sound Byte System

Overview

A sound byte is an item that a player collects that unlocks and strengthens their sound wave auras and attacks. They can be obtained only through interactions with NPCs and in-game purchased alternatives, such as sharing the game through social media. Each sound wave type has corresponding sound bytes, which have a finite number in the game and, once collected, are persistent. The first sound byte collected unlocks its related sound wave aura for use; every sound byte collected afterwards strengthens the attacks and moves made in that aura, both literally and visually.

Requirements

• Each sound byte is set up as a collectable item that persists through play sessions, and has a finite number in the game.
• The first sound byte collected unlocks the corresponding sound wave aura.
• Collecting a sound byte the first and subsequent time is celebrated with a victory animation.
• Each found sound byte collected potentially decreases the cooldown of and/or increases the strength, range, and AOE of attacks made in that sound wave aura.
• Each found sound byte increases the displayed visual strength and feedback of attacks made in that aura.
• The sound byte progression curve increases are data driven from an external data file, such as CSV, JSON, or ScriptableObject.
• The distribution of sound bytes throughout the game is balanced and fair in regard to weapon progression.

Monster Track System

Overview

A Monster Track is an item that Boom collects and can equip, one at a time.  Once the player has collected appropriate sound bytes to complete a combo, the player must be able to input a combination in order to activate the Monster Track special attack sequences. Monster Tracks can only be triggered once the power bar is full. See Combo System.

Requirements

• The input combinations for each Monster Track trigger.
• Gameplay must pause before the special attack sequence is run.
• On finished MT animation, power bar animation frame set (instance variable) will be the last frame (0).
• Enemies previously in frame will be destroyed.
• These are the sequenced conditions, in short:

• Combo meter reaches full capacity.
• Boom initiates a Monster Track through 8 - 10 combination inputs.
• The scene cuts to a punchy animation sequence.
• Once the animation sequence finishes, the screen fades back to the game.
• Once the sequence ends, the power bar is reset to zero.

Ice Cream System

Overview

Coolers like the ones above, are located on each Island. Players can only access ice cream once they open them in the beginning of the level. Once the coolers are opened, collectable ice cream bars will spawn through the rest of the level.

Requirements

• The system won’t store this action (opening the cooler) as a status in the player’s profile, so once the player leaves the stage, all coolers reset. Collectible status will not be affected by this.

Audio Puzzles & Mini Games

Overview

Puzzle games are constructed to their own formulas. They will be audio/music themed versions of games we already know, such as, Flappy Bird, Candy Crush, and others. These will be the parts of the general game where players will have the chance to get through the puzzles to win a new Sound Byte or take the alt option of sharing the game through online social media.

Requirements

• The system needs to cut to a totally different game structure stored in our system.

Enemy Placement and Spawning

Overview

Enemies spawn up once the player enters a section of the map.

Requirements

• There will be three families of enemies.
• First level enemies are Critters. They will have only one sound attack type.
• Second level enemies are Minions/Mini Bosses. They may have two wave types.
• Third level enemies are Bosses. They have four wave types.
• Once enemies health equals 0, the sprite is destroyed.
• Their angle and position will be set towards the player axis.
• They will attack once the player reaches their collision barrier.

NPC Placement

Overview

What to expect from NPC (non enemy types) in the game. NPCs are characters crucial to the plot development or the advancement of the play to obtain new items or unlockables. They may also be non interactive NPCs, such as the NPC crowds which will be treated as indestructible unanchored objects meshed with a physics prefab. NPCs will follow an animated pattern that can be interrupted by player interaction and objects obscuring their paths.  

Requirements

• Typical NPCs, when idle, have looping animations until the player interacts. When interaction is triggered, it halts the NPC in place or, in the case of Crowd NPCs, changes the course of direction. NPC continues their movement pattern once obstacles or player interactions are out of the way.
• Crowds NPCs are treated like objects. Using a physics prefab in Unity, they have flexible movement patterns but can be pushed if the player collides into them.
• There is one NPC per level.

NPC Dialogue System

Overview

NPCs introduce the player to the Audio Puzzles and Mini Games. Dialogue text saved on file will run once the player and NPC collision meet and input actions. On dialogue panel opening, the game pauses and text will begin to scroll. When the final line is reached, player input unpauses game and closes the dialogue window.  

Requirements

• As a player, when I trigger a dialogue action I see a unique panel with the character’s face and one or more lines of dialogue.
• As a player, I know which NPCs do or do not have dialogue.
• As a developer, I have a data driven way of authoring dialogue conversations, which is composed of dialogue lines. Each dialogue line has a speaker name, speaker text, and a reference to that speaker’s image.
• As a developer, I have a way to tie a dialogue conversation to an NPC in the scene.

Sound Wave Switches

Overview

Certain doors are locked until prompted to open by activating a switch. Some switches require you to use a specific sound wave type on them in order to turn them on or off. Switches can be in a few different modes.

Requirements

• A switch can be turned off or on at will.
• A switch is either on or off, and once toggled remains in that state.

• As a player, I can interact with a switch that has visible states for on and off.
• As a developer, I have an easy way of linking a switch to a switchable object that can react to being switched on or off.

Destructible Objects

Overview

Certain objects that are collidable are also destructible and can be destroyed by the player. Once this occurs the object is visually destroyed and will no longer be collidable by the player.

Requirements

• As a player, I am able to destroy objects in the environment that impede my progress.
• As a player, I am able to visually distinguish which objects are destructible or not.

Achievements

Overview

Certain goals that are met, obtained, solved or beaten. They are the main force moving the plot. Once a goal has been achieved, players gain access to unlockable content and progress.

Requirements

• At sea, make it to the next island and defeat sea monsters along the way.
• Solve Mini Game puzzles to earn Sound Bytes.
• Collect ice cream bars.
• Make it to the end of each level to uncover parts of the story.
• Collect the right Sound Bytes to make Monster Tracks.

Object Hierarchy / Components

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• NormalizedInputData2D
• EntityState
• BasicAnimationController
• BasicInputController

• PlayerInputController

• PersistentPlayerProfile

• Inventory

• Monster Tracks
• Sound Bytes
• Weapons

• Location

• Level Id
• Checkpoint Id

• Global Settings

• Audio

• Master Volume Level
• Sound Volume Level
• Music Volume Level

• Language Preference
• Controls

• Keybindings
• Inverted
• Sensitivity

Level Design

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Overview

The levels of BoomTagX are comprised heavily of orthographic tiles on a grid; these compose the background, static layers whilst any other environmental objects that Boom can maneuver around, such as props or minor environmental features as well as items and other entities, are set as a dynamic environment layer. 

Sorting Layers

Levels

There are 3 worlds per full game. There are 3 levels to each world. Each level is comprised of 3 districts/stages. Our vertical slice will only feature 1 district, not featured in the final game.

Level Maps

The maps displaying the levels of each world. They are simple and will allow players to choose their next stage. Each level is an island, and as the player progresses the levels will unlock.

Pathfinding

Boom

Boom’s pathfinding will be simple directional based on the position the player has clicked on and that position’s direction from the player. I do not feel at this time that more complex pathfinding is necessary for the player in the context of an action game and gives more things to do for the player to maneuver Boom around than it would if Boom were to be pathing around the environment.

NPC
NPC pathfinding will be very simple pattern based with no larger hierarchal or lookup structure. At the point where we believe we need a more complex structure the existing level setup can facilitate supporting more complex structures.

Enemy

For now, the enemy pathfinding will be very simple seeker/flocker based with no larger hierarchal or lookup structure. At the point where we believe we need a more complex structure the existing level setup can facilitate supporting more complex structures.

An exception to this might be enemies with ranged attacks who would use a lookup table of angle/speed to determine where to aim their attack.

Collision

My initial plan is for each static environment tile to build specific colliders for each one in photoshop that would represent the bounds the player would be able to traverse off of that tile. For example, for a vertical ramp the player would climb up, there would be colliders present on the sides of the ramp to prevent the player from walking directly off or on from the sides.

Together, these environmental tiles would be set up as prefabs in the Unity project where anyone building a level would be able to just drag and drop tiles into the scene and with the level editor tools grid and snapping would be able to set up a consistent, working scene.

Baking

To improve performance and keep a consistent framerate, I will be researching and setting up a baking process whereby visual and collider meshes will be combined/simplified in order to reduce the number of draw calls and Game Objects.

Demo

Demo Level Design

Visual Design

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Color Palette

The environment will be lush in color, but mildly muted so as to not clash with the color of the playable character. Splashes of complimentary colors are common in the more dark and grey environments.  Environment and Enemy color themes can be any color except hot pink (Boom’s color). How will they be applied to the game objects (outlines, base tones, shading, etc.)? Solid thick outlines for the foreground objects. Assets have slightly thickened outlines.

Stylistic Attributes / Elements

Urban Fantasy. Graffiti is incorporated onto any surface and asset. A fusion of graffiti, nature, and old school audio equipment make up the urban, metropolitan, and natural landscapes. Set in a urban modern/pop art style. Depending on the level, the theme goes from:

• World 1: Blue/Gold/White Tribal Aztec City.  
• World 2: Yellow Sunny Cuban Havana Busy Tropic City.
• World 3: Black/White Urban Metropolitan City.

All levels are separated into districts. District styles are formularized in this order:

• Primal
• Urban
• Metropolitan

Effects

        There is a color tint around the edges of the frame, making the environment surrounding the player somewhat out of focus. During combat, paint splatter effects on successful combo hits, the camera will shake and everything except for the player and the enemies will turn white. When Boom uses a sound attack, graphic words splash across the screen in the direction of the attack. Upon Monster Track trigger, the camera zooms in before cutting to the cutscene.

Music / Sound Design

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Sound Palette / Instrumentation

This section is still being determined. Decisions better spitballed out with Audio Engineers.

What are you going for on the instrumentation? Dark, bassy tones? Happy, high-pitched tones? Suspenseful, low percussion? Full-range percussion? Even electronically synthesized instruments can use a well-grounded basis - what real instruments do you want to base your palette on? Where is the emphasis, which instrument will carry the focus? Is there an existing song or two you want to draw from?

Stylistic Attributes / Elements

Main Theme Song:

Level 1 Score:

Level 2 Score:

Level 3 Score:

Enemy Score:

Boss 1 Track:

Boss 2 Track:

Boss 3 Track:

Monster Track1:

Monster Track2:

Monster Track3:

Monster Track4:

Monster Track5:

Monster Track6:

Monster Track7:

Monster Track8:

Any particular musical/auditory motifs (signature phrases/effects) you’re planning to incorporate? Does the game have a specific “theme” you want to reuse throughout the game? Are there any dynamic effects you plan to use? Distortion, filters, reverbs, etc. Any specific influences you want to incorporate? Celtic, chants, indigenous instrumentation? Are there any musical tendencies you can tap into - e.g. modal music, scales? Is there an existing song or two you want to draw from?

Effects

This may be a simple reiteration of the effects listed in the previous section. What post-processing techniques are you going to need? Cross-fading? Reverberation? Filters?

Other Notes

additional notes, logs, etc.

Copyright 2017 by Shawna Mills (Soda Monkey Ent. LLC)

info@sodamonkeyent.com

Boomtagx.com

[Burbank, CA]
p. [6463611696]