Comp 101 Project

Team : Direct Workflow

Project Type : Game Development

Game Design Proposal

So here is a rough outline and sketch of my ideas for the Game that we are going to
build. There are some aspects of the game that I have had trouble deciding on and
so I'm going to ask you guys for input regarding those. I have included some
thoughts on these and so feel free to let me know if you want something changed.

Game Name

I have a few name options that I think are good and appropriate. Read ahead
below first so you have a background of the game before voting on the name that
you want.
Allegiance - the story I crafted introduces a lot of factions and groups. Therefore,
loyalty is a big theme in the game and so I think this title is suitable because your
hero's allegiance is what's going to ultimately shape the game.
War of the Three - basically just highlights the war of the Three Kingdoms which is
a big thing in the plot.
The Ternion War - Ternion means 'a set of three' and so it's the same as the name
above. By the way, Ternion is a unique and cool sounding word so I thought I'd use it
here.
Blood Fate - a more general title for the game. Blood pertains to the ongoing war
and fate hints on how your hero's actions will shape the outcome of the war.

Let me know which one you like. You may add other options if you think of a cooler
name for the game. Personally, I vote for "Allegiance" because it fits the game well
conceptually.

Genre
So from the start we already decided that we wanted to go with an RPG game so I
went with that idea. But we're still trying to decide if we want to do a "Strategy
RPG" (which involves turn-based movement on a chess-like board) or just a simpler
"Turn-based RPG" (which gets rid of the movement aspect but is easier to
implement). To be safe, I went with a plot that will be able to make use of the
Strategy Option if we ever decide to go with that. But if not , the plot will work with
a simpler Turn-based option as well.

I vote for a simpler Turn-Based RPG. I foresee that adding movement may be a bit
harder and may demand more time for development (especially programming the
AI). I have a heavy load this semester so I'll vote for the easier option.

Setting
The game is set in a high fantasy world named Stanos. Stanos is the all
encompassing name for this world. Stanos is a magical, semi-medieval world with
distinctively progressed technology (similar to the Final Fantasy worlds where they
still fight with swords but they also have cool technology like airships, bombs, gun
powder and floating cities). It's in an age of ruling kingdoms, factions at war and
technological advancement. Stanos is divided into three huge continents Ensin,
Vaneel and Ashandra.

Storyline (Plot)
Okay so I just wrote a simple draft of the plot for the game's story. Let me know
what you think.
Stanos is torn apart by a long-standing war called The Ternion War. The war
has lasted for more than 300 years. War has been a way of life since anyone can
remember. There are only a select few remaining who even remember the events
that triggered the war.
This age brought about the formation of Guilds. The wars are fought by Guilds
from all parts of Stanos. Guilds are a group of skilled individuals who share a
motivation to fight in the war. Guilds were originally formed to serve as powerful
military forces for any faction who could pay the most. After the first few guilds
proved really effective in the war, countless other guilds were formed to balance out

the distribution of power. Soon the ruling authorities of each of the Kingdoms,
accepted guilds as the proper soldiers for the Ternion War.
Guilds are funded by the Kingdom that they represent. They serve as each
respective Kingdom's manpower and soldiers for war. There are three major
Kingdoms in Stanos - Extalia, Vandrios and Andriel. These three major Kingdoms are
the three factions that started the Ternion War. The advantage has shifted to all
three of these Kingdoms at some point but overall they are considered to be equal
in terms of military power.
The Hero (The User)
You start out as a young up-and-coming soldier who has trained hard since
childhood to finally be able to join a powerful guild to fight in the war. As you were
growing up, most of your family members have left to fight in the war and they
have all met death in the battlefield. This is what fuels you to join the war - to
avenge your loved ones and to maybe finally stop this unending trend of death.
Every few months, the Kingdoms hold an event called the "War Trials" for
guild recruitment. It is a renowned event where people who aspire to join the Guilds
display their skills to see if any guild would be interested in them. This is how the
Kingdoms get fresh blood to join the war - with the promise of money, prestige and
glory in the battlefield.
You finally turned the right age to participate in the Trials. Excited as ever,
you march into the enlistment tent and right your name on the scroll.
You are about to step into a world of war, deceit and adventure. Everything is
about to change, a chain of events is about to unfold that would shake the
Kingdom's foundations. Which Kingdom will you fight for? Which guild will you join?
What will keep you fighting for victory? How will your allegiance affect the fate of
Stanos?

This is just the basic plot and setting for the story. I haven't planned out the details
yet but I purposely left it ambiguous so we can easily shape the story how we need
it to be.

Gameplay Structure
The structure will be similar to a typical 2D RPG format. The nearest games that I
can think of that will be similar to the structure are the Pokemon Games (Yellow,
Blue, Red) for the Gameboy.
Story and Dialogue

The game will be story driven which means there will be texts for story dialogue and
there will be cut scenes that will advance the story when needed. Of course,
animation will be too much for this so when I say cut scenes I mean character
portraits will pop out occasionally with text bubbles for conversation.
Movement, Controls and Gameplay
The game will be in a 2D world (bird's eye view of the character) where we use the
four directional buttons to move around the world map. [UP, DOWN, LEFT and
RIGHT]. The levels and maps will essentially be blocks that we can rearrange to
form different layouts. Aside from the four directional buttons we will utilizing a
"Use/Confirm" button as our major button to function. We will use this button to talk
to NPCs, pick up items in the world, pick dialogue options (when applicable) and to
assign commands/actions in combat.

Within the immediate levels that the character is walking on, there can be places of
interest that he can enter like houses, caves, basements etc.

Game Mechanics

Your Hero
Since this is an RPG, we will start with being able to name our character. I don't
know how much harder this will be but I want to include an option to choose your
hero's gender just to add a level of customization.

Character Progression
As you defeat monsters, complete quests and explore the world you will gain
experience points. If you gain enough experience points you will "level up" and
reach the next level of progression. The higher the level is the higher your character
attributes will be. The level cap will be level 50 because this game won't be that
long anyway.

There will be four Attributes that will determine the effectiveness of your character:
Strength - increases the base damage of your attacks and skills
Cunning - increases the critical chance of your attacks and skills

Magic - increases the base damage of your magic spells

Vitality - increases your HP, Mana pool and armor

Your Character's life will be displayed as Hit Points (HP). When your HP reaches zero
you will die and suffer certain penalties. You will be resurrected on the nearest
Graveyard.
When using abilities in combat, some will require Mana to execute (mostly Magic
abilities). Mana regenerates slowly when not in use.

Character Classes
You will be able to choose a specific Class for your hero. Your "Class" will dictate the
type of combat gameplay your character will experience. Your Class will determine
which type of skills your character will learn as you level up.

There will be three basic classes.

1. Soldier - this is the melee class. You will fight up close and you will use abilities
that directly do damage to your opponent. Swords, axes, maces are just some of the
weapons you will wield.
2. Ranger - this is the ranged class. You will fight from a distance and you will use
ranged abilities that will utilize bows, crossbows, rifles etc.
3. Caster - this is the class that uses magic as his main attack. Your range will vary
depending on the spells that you cast. You will mainly use Staves, Scepters, Wands
for your attacks.

As your character levels up, you will gain better skills based on your class to use in
combat. Some examples of abilities that each classes will learn:
Soldier -> Charge -> Spinning Slash -> Decapitate -> etc...
Ranger -> Aimed Shot -> Spark Shot -> Blinding Shot -> etc...
Caster -> Fire Breath -> Ice Pierce -> Lightning Strike -> etc...

The higher the level required to use the ability, the better the ability is.

As the character reaches level 25, you will be asked to choose a class specialization
which will further increase the level of customization.
Some Ideas for the Specializations for each class:
Soldier can specialize into...
Berserker - dual wield weapons
Knight - utilize shields and a weapon on the other hand
Juggernaut -2 handed weapons
Slasher - Samurai katanas
Ranger can specialize into...
Hunter - use Bows and train combat pets
Sniper - specialize in long range rifles
Marksman - use throwing weapons, knives, stars, handaxes
Engineer - use high damaging bombs and traps

Caster can specialize into...

Summoner - summon legendary monsters to fight for you
Necromancer - use Death Magic and summon minions
Elementalist - master the elements, summon elementals to fight
Priest - use Light Magic and use healing magic

Gear / Items
There will be Weapons and Armor in this game to boost character attributes and
armor. Base skill damages will be based on the weapon equipped.

Attributes Provided for Gear Types

Weapons
-will provide base attack damage (ex. 4-6 damage)
- will provide additional attributes (STR +3, CUN+9, MAG+25, VIT+6,etc...)
-the higher the item level, the better the base damage and the more stats it
will have

Armor
-will provide Armor Rating (ex. Armor Rating 10)
- will provide additional attributes (STR +3, CUN+9, MAG+25, VIT+6,etc...)
-the higher the item level, the better the base damage and the more stats it
will have

Sample Low Level Item

--------------------------------------Staff of Bravery
Item Level: 2
Dmg : 3-5
MAG +1
----------------------------------------

Sample High Level Item

----------------------------------------Rifle of Legendary Aim
Item Level: 50
Dmg: 101-125
STR +30
CUN +31

VIT +15
------------------------------------------

Combat Mechanics

Like in Final Fantasy games, battles are randomly generated while walking in map
zones that are combat prone. There are no visual cues to show when you will fight
common enemies (unless they are Bosses that are visual because they are part of
the story). They are randomly generated depending on which zone you are in. After
the battle, you will return to the point in the map where you encountered the battle
and you can resume travel in the world map.

Menu and UI Design

I will sketch some drafts for these soon. I don't have proper sketches yet. But I will
probably be basing my designs on the Pokemon Gameboy games. I was visualizing
that game while writing about this in terms of overall Map / World / Menu / Combat
Layout.

Music and Sounds

My brother has some recording equipment that I can use to create the soundtracks
on. No samples as of now though.