Team Enuf Semester 7 Fall 2004

Cubed Page 22

Cubed GDD

Version 1.0

October 1, 2004

Team Enuf

GAM 400, Semester 7 (Fall 2004)

Michael Moore

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

High Concept 4

Overview 4

Target Audience and Rating 4

Sample Turn 4

Target Platform 5

Market Comparison 5

Mario Tennis 8

Selling Point 9

Business 9

Milestone Schedule 9

Salary 10

Equipment 10

Game Mechanics 11

Game Overview 11

Game Flow 12

Game Screens 13

Heads-Up-Display (HUD) 14

Game Lobby 15

Playing Field 16

Level 16

Play-Area (The Puzzle Board) 16

Player Actions 16

Movement 17

Using Special Items 17

Saving and Loading 17

Controls 17

Default Controls 18

Winning Conditions 18

Puzzle Solving 19

Modes 19

Single Player 19

Multiplayer 19

Artificial Intelligence 20

Tutorial 21

Content 21

Characters 21

Avatars 21

Non-Playable Characters (N.P.C.s) 22

Levels 22

Level: The Sandbox 23

Level: The Igloo 24

Level: The Volcano 25

Level: The Bathtub 26

Level: The City 27

Level: The Aquarium 28

Clearable Objects 29

Items 30

Puzzle Pieces 30

Special Items 31

Music 32

Sound Effects 32

Appendices 33

History 33

Dr. E-Nuf 33

Team Signoff 34

Introduction

High Concept

Cubed is a three-dimensional puzzle game where players must get rid of objects by enclosing them with various shaped blocks.

Overview

Cubed is a game where you may compete solo or with friends in an attempt to be the first to rid your theme-based play area of specific objects by surrounding them with puzzle blocks, essentially creating the shape of a cube. Depending upon the play area’s theme, certain interactive influences from it may cause problems for clearing objects. Therefore, you must be quick and strategic when placing puzzle blocks in order to prevent cluttering the board.

When playing with friends, you can also pick up special items that will give you a temporary advantage over other players. Consider using these often, as they’ll either help you or harm others, which will be necessary for victory.

Target Audience and Rating

Cubed is the type of game that can be played for five minutes or a few hours in one sitting. Its simple and addictive nature will attract people from all crowds. Aesthetically appealing visuals combined with simple yet subtly strategic gameplay will garner alike attention from both young and old gamers interested in the puzzle genre.

Cubed has no intentions of including any material that may be considered offensive to anyone. Therefore, an ESRB rating of ‘E’ for “Everyone” will be issued.

Sample Turn

The level begins with the camera circling around a bathroom in order to entirely display the level’s layout. The camera stops in an isometric position with its center of attention on a bathtub full of water. A group of yellow, rubber ducks then fly into view of the camera and land in the tub creating soft ripples in the water. A counter pops up in the center of the screen counting down from three as it announces the game is now starting.

The first puzzle piece falls out of the bathtub faucet and into the water. You begin maneuvering the piece around the ducks in order to get to one that is farther away, but as you do so there is a timer counting down the amount of time you have to set the position of the piece before it’s automatically done for you. You maneuver a few more pieces around before you finally have the duck enclosed which causes it and the blocks surrounding it to vanish.

As you begin scanning the tub for the next duck that you want to get rid of, you briefly glance at your opponents’ screens which are displayed in a scaled down fashion on the side of the screen. You notice that a few people appear to be doing better than you and realize that you must do something quickly to catch up, so you decide to go out of your way to get a few of the special items floating in the tub. A few moments later you now have a Bomb item and a few Add Object items. You figure the best strategy is just to hit the person doing the best with them all, so you do. That person isn’t too happy with the fact that their playing board (puzzle pieces and rubber ducks) is now completely scrambled and a few other ducks have flown in as well, and they decide to retaliate.

Soon, you realize you may have made a mistake attacking this person as a flock of several ducks is now flying and landing in your tub.

Target Platform

Cubed makes use of cross-platform libraries that will allow the game to be played on multiple platforms.

Those platforms currently intended are:

· Windows (several versions)

· Macintosh

Market Comparison

The market for puzzle games has seemingly died down over the past few years on consoles and the PC (if it ever was popular on the PC to begin with), perhaps due to lack of current popularity for two-dimensional games and the poor showing for three-dimensional puzzle games. However, while the puzzle genre has been in a downward spiral on those formats, it has prospered over the internet. Websites such as Yahoo have regularly introduced new puzzle games and have shown that there is still a strong interest in this vastly untapped genre. Cubed attempts to draw characteristics from what we consider to be a few of the better puzzle games available and additionally incorporate unique ideas of our own in order to provide a familiar experience with new twists, leading to a richer experience than that of its competitors.

Dr. Mario

Release Date: July 27, 1990

Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System

Dr. Mario is one of the oldest puzzle games that is still widely known and popular today. Originally released in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment system, the game has seen several reincarnations through ports to more modern hardware. The game itself, however, has remained almost entirely unchanged, most likely due to the fact that the original gameplay is considered by many to be excellent.

The gameplay of Dr. Mario is very simple. It revolves around the theme of a Nintendo character, Mario, being a doctor and having to kill viruses. Viruses are killed in the following manner: Mario throws a puzzle piece (a colored pill, in this instance) onto the playing area and the player must navigate it onto a virus of a matching color. When three colored pills are placed on top of the same colored virus, the virus and pills disappear.

While the gameplay does sound extremely simple, its complexities are subtle and yet simple themselves. The removal of several viruses, for example, can be completed as a combo by thinking several steps ahead. These are the types of subtleties that we hope to incorporate into the gameplay of Cubed.

The theme of a puzzle game is another characteristic that we hope to successfully incorporate in Cubed. While Dr. Mario’s theme is mildly intriguing, the game does not nearly take full liberty with it. However, Cubed will attempt to make the most of its theme-based levels by providing more interaction between the level and the gameplay.

Tetrinet

Release Date: 1997

Platform: PC

Tetrinet has established itself as one of the best online puzzle games. Spawning many websites and having a fan base that seems to be the equivalent of that of an underground music band, the game has basically developed a cult following.

The gameplay of Tetrinet should at least be slightly familiar to everyone due to its roots. It’s taken the Tetris gameplay, added networking to support multiple players, and added special items. The result is a very fun and addictive puzzle game that people of all ages can quickly become familiar with and enjoy.

The extreme simplicity of Tetrinet, however, is sometimes a turnoff for certain people. The fact is that there just isn’t that much strategy involved and the winner can sometimes be thought of as being random. These are minor issues for a game so proven and addictive but they do exist.

Cubed will base its networking aspects off of Tetrinet, and improve upon them in the process. More players are planned to be supported, and a much better user interface will be established.

The puzzle pieces of Tetrinet also sometimes leave something to be desired. Cubed will elaborate upon these basic shapes, including several more various shaped pieces in order to implement a bit more logic with linking them together.

Lastly, Tetrinet has no real graphical appeal at all. Cubed will establish a more elaborate graphical theme and appeal that will catch the attention of people easily attracted to graphics.

Mario Tennis

Release Date: November 8, 2004

Platform: Nintendo Gamecube

Mario Tennis, while not yet released, currently has enough information available about it that it is fair at this point to use it in a market comparison. However, if one’s opinion differed, there is also the original Mario Tennis available for the Nintendo 64 to which a similar comparison could be made. But because the currently unreleased version is more similar in structure to Cubed, that game will be analyzed instead.

The gameplay of Mario Tennis is not important in this comparison. This game was chosen because of the structure of its levels and art style. Both are very similar in what Cubed is planning to accomplish.

While this game has small, arena-shaped levels with the main emphasis being on the tennis court in the middle, Cubed will also contain small, arena-shaped levels but with the emphasis being on a puzzle board instead. Each of the game’s levels similarly has its own theme, most corresponding to characters in the game. Cubed will not contain levels based off of themes of characters, but instead unique themes chosen for what they can offer interactively.

The characters in Mario Tennis each have some sort of special move that is derived from their themes. For instance, the character Donkey Kong lets loose a few creatures from his previous game series, Donkey Kong Country, that attack the other player during the game. While Cubed will not have characters that have special attacks, it will have special attacks (coming from special items) that players may use on other players. These attacks will behave differently depending on which level is being played, utilizing interactive elements in the level with which to make the attack.

The art style (the color palette, specifically) of Mario Tennis is something that can attract people of all ages. It utilizes a bright, vibrant color palette that gives off a sense of simplicity and a feeling of fun. When first playing the game, many people will be able to recognize the non-serious nature of it just from the colors. This is what Cubed wishes to achieve.

Selling Point

The biggest advantage Cubed has over its competitors is that it is a compilation of what we consider to be the best aspects of those games along with the addition of unique ideas that we feel will create an exceptional game.

Like its competitors, Cubed will present its material in a manner that is inoffensive and universally appealing. The attraction of people from a wide range is a strong point of the puzzle genre and one that Cubed hopes to exploit. Bright colors and simple geometry will help to attract children, while the gameplay will lure more mature gamers.

Business

Milestone Schedule

· Game Pitch / Artist Pitch (9/16/04)

o Explanation of the game idea and design

o Explanation of art resources

o In the form of a Microsoft Power Point presentation

· Game Design Document (9/30/04)

o Full description of all game mechanics, features, and elements

o Written as a Microsoft Word document

· Technical Design Document / Timeline (10/14/04)

o Full description of the technical design of the game

o When aspects of the game will be worked on and completed

o Written as a Microsoft Word document

· Revised GDD / TDD (10/28/04)

o Any revision needed of the GDD and TDD.

· Engine Proof (11/18/04)

o Features a working 3-D graphics engine complete with textures and

model animation

o Player will be able to see a level, move board pieces around,

and clear objects

o Level will have some basic interaction with the player

· First Playable (12/9/04)

o Player will be able to select single play or network play

o Player will be able to play a complete round against another

human player

o Player can win or lose the game

o Player can select from two different levels

o Special pieces will be operational

· Pre-Alpha (2/7/04)

o Complete game menus in place

o Full cross-platform network support

o Single play against A.I.

o Some special effects

· Alpha (3/7/04)

o Saving and loading profiles

o A.I. single player and network play

o Special effects complete

o 4 levels done

· Beta (3/28/04)

o All levels complete

o All game play modes complete

o All A.I. working

· Gold (4/11/04)

o Complete bug free game

Salary

Employee / Position / Yearly Salary / Project Salary
Elliot Baumbach / Technical Director / $60,000 / $40,000
Luis Correa / Producer / $60,000 / $40,000
David Gunderman / Product Manager / Art Director / $70,000 / $46,000
Rick Haller / Designer / Lead Programmer / $80,000 / $53,000

Equipment

Vendor / Product / Function / Base Cost / Quantity / Cost
Dell / Dell Precision 670 / Workstation / $1,444 / 4 / $5,776
Apple / I-Book G4 / Workstation / $1,099 / 1 / $1,099
Discreet / 3D Studio Max 5 / Modeling / Animation / $3,105 / 2 / $6,210
Microsoft / Office XP Pro / Office suite / $499 / 4 / $1,996
Microsoft / Visual Studio .Net / Development / $1,079 / 4 / $4,316
Sub-Total / $19,397
WA Tax / $1,711
Total / $21,108.79

Game Mechanics

Game Overview

Cubed can either be a solo experience or a competition between human and/or computer controlled players. Regardless, the object of Cubed is to clear the play-area of specific objects using puzzle pieces. In order to clear the objects, the player must surround them with puzzle pieces to entirely enclose it. Once a player has accomplished this goal, the game is over.