A Bad Meat or Good
Cheese Production
Design Document for:
SAIL
“Why live on the edge
when you can fall off it?”
All work Copyright ©1999 by A Bad Meat or Good Cheese
Production
Version # 1.0
Game Overview
This
game is trying to create an epic love story. Not a cliché or cheesy one, but a
story that is both relatable and told on the grand scale of adventure and depth
that a player wants to dive into the game and feels the story through the
characters and unique worlds. Fundamentally I am aiming to achieve something
that is both relatable to RPG and Adventure fans but through the characters,
magical gameplay style and environments is something that they have never
experienced before.
We want this to be an
all-inclusive game, that meaning that it will be multi-platform non-exclusive
endeavor. For those who want to play on
PC they will be able to, for those who want to sit in front of their TV and
play on a controller they can do that as well. We want to give access to the
people, and to do that we want to reach them on as many platforms as possible.
My game design goals is to
create an immersive and expansively beautiful RPG game and world that is so
nice you don’t want to explore it by yourself. That’s why you will have the
multiplayer/co-op function so you can play a top of the line RPG/Adventure game
not solo (even though you can if you choose) but with a friend.
Common Questions
Game Pitch in one
sentence:
Witcher 2 meets Odyessus’s journey set in Ursula K.
Leguin’s Earthsea universe.
General Genre:
Fantasy adventure
Game Genre:
Third-person action/exploration
Game Summary:
Set in a near flooded world the land spans only over a vast
reaching archipelago of hundreds of islands, surrounded by uncharted ocean. The
central and larger islands long held influence over the reaches and outlaying
atolls have begun to crumble as long held alliances break and even Imperial
power itself is threated by the onset of a bloody civil war. As rebellion
encroaches from the distant islands the Imperial city descends to chaos as talk
of the end of the royal family’s 300 year rule begin to spread. In the midst of
this chaos the young future king and his to be bride are themselves lost in the
bliss of young love, innocent and mindless to the pending war that will soon
arrive at their doorstep. When it does, the lovers are forced to meet their
doom or set sail, not for a new home or in exile, but for the pursuit – the
edges of the unexplored world, and perhaps off it.
The centerpiece of this game is the story. My aim in
creating it was to create a world and story so intriguing and so powerful the
character wants to get involved and once they do they get swept into the
universe. Like a great novel I want it to be something a player returns to
again and again, if only because it was part of a world that you never wanted
to leave.
Personally I love RPGs and I think this one will be a unique
take and perspective on what has kind of become a stereotypical market.
The game takes place on a
dozen or so Islands out of the Hundreds that make up the entire known
archipelago. From the heart of the Empire on the core islands to the distant
outer reaches and all the way into the uncharted waters beyond the known world.
You control: the main
character, his customization, leveling style, fighting and play style. In
situations where there is not a second player the Ai takes over but the main
character still has complete control over their customizations.
This
game also offers choices, choices that affect your story. These choices you
make don’t just determine how immediate story events play out but have dramatic
impact on the whole game. These aren’t good or bad choices, your choices are
morally ambiguous. The main character is not a hero or a villain, just a guy in
love.
How many characters do I control?
Two
at most. One completely and the other you will not directly control but will
set and control HOW they will play alongside you.
The main characters goal
is literally to sail off the edge of the world. The initial starting goal of
the naïve characters is light hearted and innocent – it is adventure! They want
to set off away from the stuffy royal lives they have known and set out to
explore all the way to the end of the world
which is unknown to them and everyone as it is uncharted and mysterious.
As the plot thickens though we find our main character on an adventure gone
astray, their past having caught them, and a hero now chasing his lost love.
The possible co-op RPG elements
will be a unique as well an awesome part for anyone wanting to directly share
in their adventure with a friend.
Feature Set
Game play:
This game is primarily action based, with a unique co-op
function that reflects the relationship between the ex-prince and girlfriend.
This combines the varied weapon melee combat with magic and spells that each
character can wield. A unique aspect of this game is that spells and weapon
attacks can be synched together if both players are using the same combat style
for an extremely effective result; however, they can still be unleashed
separately depending if the players have different preferred play styles.
Physically players will be able to: run, cover, block, hack, slash, jump,
crouch, but will have no physical ranged abilities. On the magical side players
will be able to: cast defensive and healing spells as well as buffs for
themselves and each other, they can also inflict damage through paladin type
holy spells, however as they explore on their adventure they can learn more
“animalistic” and darker tribal spells from other cultures they encounter.
Within the game, the player will also be able to upgrade
their personal abilities as well as their weapons and gear through various
crafters, forgers and blacksmiths they find throughout the game. Spells and
magic can also be upgraded and new ones can be learned through wizards and
magicians scattered throughout the islands. Trinkets and other miscellaneous
available upgrades can be looted, received from quests or crafted by the
players
In addition to the RPG gameplay elements, the game is
heavily story driven and a major emphasis of the game is the exploration factor
and quest to the edge of the world the players have embarked on. The game is
set over numerous islands, each with a varied culture that is uniquely
individual to the inhabitants. Some are sunny, tropical and warm, while some
are dark, foreboding and cold. Some islands frown or forbid the use of magic’s
and some have embraced it. However, each island has been affected by the fall
of the Empire and the story is constantly unfolding around the players.
An
Empire that has stood for 300 years has become hollow and weak, eroded from the
core. As rebels and unrest take root on the outlaying sphere of the Empires
influence, a once conquered kingdom at the edges of the Empire reemerges and
unleashes a devastating attack against the heart of the known world.
The
Islands are connected by the same time period but look of houses and the
cultures of the island are distinct.
World
Feature #1 - Ord
The
heart of the Empire and the largest Island of the Archipelago is Ord. Home to
numerous ports as well as the seat of the Empire; its capital Rune is largest
of them all. It is said all routes lead to Rune and the island is gluttonous
with resources and wealth. In the past 100 years though the islands population
has also exploded, leading to an explosion of immigrants and a huge poor class and growing tension and
unrest with the established nobles and political system.
World
Feature #2 – Yir
Long ago the Kingdom of
Year dominated the landscape of the planet. Using their dark magic’s and
powerful military they conquered much of the known world. A rebellion and revolt ensued against their
rule though and they were pushed back by the budding Empire, at the time a
collective of free Islands led by Ord, to their home reach. There a divisive
and crushing victory ensued with the king choosing to demolish his own people,
instead of succumbing to defeat at the hands of the enemy. Now long forgotten the
Kingdom has re-emerged after 500 years, for what purpose and to what means no
one yet knows.
The
world is near completely water but islands varying in size speckle this blue
water world.
The
islands of: Ord, Yir, Dal, Dune, Abal and Kry
The
travel is a unique function of the game; the player can travel over water in a
boat that can be upgraded to complete certain mission. The player can also
choose to fast travel to various locations they have already been.
On
land the player can buy or steal riding animals or run.
Weather
will be everything from beautiful sunny days to hurricane force storms.
The
game offers a day and night cycle at an equal time scale to the real world, but
in this world daytime extends longer than it does in the real world .
Time
will work on a real world basis. Minute for minute. Players can sleep and fast
forward time if they choose or need to.
The future king of Ord, the
young prince Mur.
The future queen of Ord, the
young princess Mial
Numerous other characters Mur
will pick up as companions throughout the game.
Personalization
has everything to do with how you want to play, either melee or magic and this
style will also impact your characters look, in what armors you can wear and
also certain things like your eyes and build.
User Interface
The game’s interface will be a
mix of Iron/bronze age medieval elements with a heavy touch of Fantasy and
Magic. Think of the magic level up system of Skyrim with some of the in depth
skill and technical physical info of Dark Souls. The player will have an
inventory system that allows them to set up what weapons and skills they want
to have selected, but can have a multitude equipped to switch through during gameplay
without having to pause. They will also be able to switch between physical and
magic attacks easily in this fashion – Dead rising inventory system is an
inspiration. This will be a pivotal aspect of the game, as much uninterrupted
gameplay as possible. Of course, there will enough aspects that occasional
interruption will occur during non-combat moments to set up these systems and
for more detailed level up and upgrades.
Health, navigation,
weapon and spell lists will all be displayed on screen.
Interaction
Combat
Melee weapons
Swords
Maces
Axes
Knives
Defensive Weapons
Shield
Armor
Magic offensive
Magic defensive
Magic buffs
Healing/Recovering
health
Combined
abilities that unleash improved results
Character
Interaction:
Co-op fighting styles between
players
Relationship meter between
players
Shopping: Merchants,
blacksmiths, Wizard trainers
Weapon
upgrades
Gear
upgrades
Spell
upgrades and new spells
Some type of recognition threat level
Exploration:
Navigation
On foot
Compass
Piecing together a map
Single-Player Game
The single player game will
function much like the multiplayer game; accept instead of a co-op player the
main player will have an NPC companion alongside them. Should the player really
choose to go solo than the game will function like most other RPGs with
personal gameplay and exploration possibilities, as well as different side
quests the player can choose and fulfill them as wanted, with an overarching
story that the player also has control of with their choices they make in game.
As
I stated before this game also offers choices, choices that affect your story.
These choices you make don’t just determine how immediate story events play out
but have dramatic impact on the whole game. These aren’t good or bad choices,
your choices are morally ambiguous. The main character is not a hero or a
villain, just a guy in love.
Would aim for a 30 hour main
story with many, many other hours added on should the player want to complete
every single story in the game.
Multiplayer Game
The
Multiplayer will function much like any RPG game but instead of solo questing
the player will have a companion that will aid them in support along the way.
Much like the Mass Effect or Star Wars: The Old Republic companion functions.
2
would be the maximum number of Multiplayer players.
Customization
comes in the people who the main character picks up and meets along the way; if
possible the second player can import their own character into the game to
play. Players can customize these characters with weapons and fighting styles.
No.
The
players will be able to save a multiplayer game when not in combat. When they
reload that, they can continue playing with the same person or if that person
is not there they can continue questing solo or with one of their NPC
companions or even a new person.
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