A game design document is living document which describes the intent of the game design.
It has two goals, first to document the decisions that have been made about the game and communicate those concepts to the entire team.
Thus, it needs to be detailed enough for programmers to refer to when they need clarification about an aspect of the game.
It must be able to be updated as the game is to be built.
The need to have a game design document increases with the size of the team and length of the project.
For a student project the intent is to capture as much as possible of your design.
The game design will be larger than what you can achieve in a semester, but you must then decide what you need to do first.
This document should be in version control so that you can see it changing and growing.
Given we are using git you could also use @name to assign parts of the design to individual members of the team.
## Overview
*Name* , *Team*
### Game Concept
What the game is about?
### Genre
What other games is it like?
### Target Audience
Who will play it?
### Game Flow Summary
How does the player move through the game?
### Look and Feel
What is the basic look and feel of the game? What is the visual style?
## Gameplay and Mechanics
What does the player do?
### Gameplay
What is the core of the players interaction with the game?
#### Game progression
How does the player progress through the experience and how do they know they are making progress?
#### Mission/challenge Structure
Is there a heirachy to the challenges in the game?
#### Puzzle Structure
Are there puzzles, ie challenges that have a correct answer?
#### Objectives
What is the player trying to achieve?
### Mechanics
What are the rules to the game, both implicit and explicit?
This is the model of the universe that the game works under.
Think of it as a simulation of a world. How do all the pieces interact?
#### Physics
How does the physical universe work?
#### Movement
How the player interacts with the game?
#### Objects
What are the objects in the game?
How does the player interact with them?
#### Actions
What are the other interactions the player has with the game world?
#### Combat
If there is combat or conflict, how is this specifically modeled?
#### Economy
What is the economy of the game? How does it work?
#### Screne Flow
A graphical description of how each screne is related to every other and a description of the purpose of each screen.
### Game Options
What are the options and how do they affect gameplay and mechanics?
### Replay and Saving
### Cheats and Easter Eggs
## The Story, Setting, and Character
### Story and Narrative
If there is a story component includes back story, plot elements, game progression, and cut scenes.
Cut scenes descriptions include the actors, the setting, and the storyboard or script.
### Game World
The setting of the game
#### General look and feel of the World
Aesthetics
#### Areas
including the general description and physical characteristics as well as how it relates to the rest of the world
(what levels use it, how it connects to other areas).
### Characters
Each character should include the back story, personality, appearance, animations, abilities, relevance to the story and relationship to other characters.
## Levels
### Playing Levels
Each level should include a synopsis, the required introductory material (and how it is provided), the objectives,
and the details of what happens in the level.
Depending on the game, this may include the physical description of the map, the critical path that the player needs to take,
and what encounters are important or incidental.
### Training level
How is onboarding managed?
## Interface
### Visual System
If you have a HUD, what is on it? What menus are you displaying? What is the camera model?
### Control System
How does the game player control the game? What are the specific commands?
### Audio, Music, Sound Effects
### Help System
## Artificial Intelligence
### Opponent and Enemy AI
The active opponent that plays against the player and therefore requires strategic decision making.
### Non-combat and Friendly Characters
### Support AI
### Player and Collision Detection, Path-finding.
## Technical
### Target Hardware
### Development Hardware and Software (including game engine)
### Network requirements
## Game Art
### Key assets
How are they being developed. Intended style.
This is an extension of parts of [cs.unc.edu](http://wwwx.cs.unc.edu/Courses/comp585-s11/585GameDesignDocumentTemplate.docx)
