Aliens in My Crane Design Document

Version: 02-00

Aliens in My Crane Design Document

Version: 02-00

Contents
1.1
1.2

Game Name: Aliens in My Crane................................................................................................................................. 2

List of Team.................................................................................................................................................................. 2

2
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5

Game Overview......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Game Concept............................................................................................................................................................. 2
Genre............................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Target Audience............................................................................................................................................................ 2
Game Flow Summary................................................................................................................................................... 2
Look and Feel............................................................................................................................................................... 2

3
3.1
3.1.1
3.1.2
3.1.3
3.1.4
3.1.5
3.2
3.2.1
3.2.2
3.2.3
3.2.4
3.2.5
3.2.6
3.2.7
3.3
3.4
3.5

Gameplay and Mechanics...................................................................................................................................... 2

Gameplay..................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Game Progression....................................................................................................................................................... 2
Mission Structure......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Puzzle Structure........................................................................................................................................................... 3
Objectives.................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Play Flow...................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Mechanics.................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Physics......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Movement.................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Objects......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Actions......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Combat......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Economy...................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Screen Flow................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Game Options.............................................................................................................................................................. 4
Replaying and Saving................................................................................................................................................... 4
Cheats and Easter Eggs............................................................................................................................................... 4

4
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.3.1
4.3.2

Story, Setting, Character........................................................................................................................................ 4

Story and Narrative....................................................................................................................................................... 4
Setting.......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Game World................................................................................................................................................................. 4
General look and Feel of the world.............................................................................................................................. 4
Areas............................................................................................................................................................................ 4

5
5.1
5.2

Levels.......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Levels........................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Training Level............................................................................................................................................................... 4

6
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4

Interface....................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Visual System............................................................................................................................................................... 5
Control System............................................................................................................................................................. 5
Audio............................................................................................................................................................................ 5
Help System................................................................................................................................................................. 5

7
7.1
7.2

Artificial Intelligence.................................................................................................................................................. 5
Opponent and Enemy................................................................................................................................................... 5
Non Combat................................................................................................................................................................. 5

8
8.1
8.2
8.3

Technical..................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Target Hardware........................................................................................................................................................... 5
Development Hardware................................................................................................................................................ 5
Network........................................................................................................................................................................ 5

Game Art...................................................................................................................................................................... 5

10

Outline of Development............................................................................................................................................. 5

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Aliens in My Crane Design Document

Version: 02-00

1.1

Game Name: Aliens in My Crane

This is a game where the camera sits at a third person perspective to a saucer that is controlled by the player. The
objective of the game is to grab as many magnetic objects as possible and take them to a weighing station so as to
score points within a limited amount of time.

1.2

List of Team
The design team is Jason Bourn, Kevin Roney, Julio Hernandez, and Kevin Markley. Art assets will be provided by
the children and purchased, or made by one of us. All of us have programming experience.

Game Overview

2.1

Game Concept
The game concept is that the player controls an alien spaceship and uses it to pick up ferromagnetic items using
their spaceship. The game will play much like a crane machine, but the crane is replaced by the magnet on the
spaceship. The objects will also have weight, so if it is magnetic but doesnt get picked up, the children will have to
figure out the appropriate strength of the magnet in order to pick it up.

2.2

Genre
The game will be a casual third person crane game.

2.3

Target Audience
The target audience is 3rd grade students in Georgia, as this game covers an educational standard in that state.

2.4

Game Flow Summary

The player will have to look for an object of the correct weight to finish the on screen equation. Once they are able
to find it, they must ensure that it is magnetic and then they will have to take it to the weighing station. There is a
limited amount of time for this to take place in, so once the time runs out the player will then be shown their score
and, after pressing a button, they will be transported to the high scores page. If their score was high enough it will
be displayed on the screen. From there they can go back to the main menu and play the game again.

2.5

Look and Feel

The look and feel of the game is going to be based on the space themes. There will be particle effects, nebulous
sky boxes, and more to impress upon the player the idea of a large space. It should also be vibrant and give the
feeling of a richly colored world. The look of the UI will also inherit from space themed ideas, as the text font and
such will look more like a spaceship's control panel.

3
3.1
3.1.1

Gameplay and Mechanics

Gameplay
Game Progression
There is no persistent state of the game universe. The game only progresses through the time limit on each mission
slowly going down.

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Aliens in My Crane Design Document

3.1.2

Version: 02-00
Mission Structure
The mission is based on the player's ability to find an object of the correct weight to complete the equation that is
displayed on screen, and then swiftly bringing it to the weighing station. A time limit will be present in every mission
and it will steadily go down. The player will have until it reaches zero to keep collecting objects, and once the time
limit is reached they will be shown their high score and then returned to another screen.

3.1.3

Puzzle Structure
The puzzle of the game comes from the weighing equation. The player will have to be able to quickly do simple
addition and multiplication to look for the correct objects. There can also be considered a bit of a puzzle to navigate
through the playing field without attracting other metallic objects.

3.1.4

Objectives
The player's main goal is to increase their score by collecting more metallic objects that correctly answer the
weighing equation that is displayed.

3.1.5

Play Flow
The play flow relays on the player's ability to correctly answer simple mathematical equations, and locating objects
that are weighted to answer the question.

3.2

Mechanics

3.2.1

Physics
The ship, and all objects, are all controlled physically using Unity's built in physics. Objects will have different
weights and masses based on their size and this will affect which objects the player is going to need to look for
when completing an equation. There will be magnet that follows the saucer, and it will be able to attract metallic
objects.

3.2.2

Movement
The saucer will move physically based on the inputs of the arrow keys. The movement is meant to be fluid and
quick, so that the players' feel in control of the ship and not cheated out of time because the ship was too slow. The
ship will also bring along a magnet that is able to attract objects that are metallic.

3.2.3

Objects
Metallic object will be able to be attracted by the player's magnet. All others will simply react to the player in a
physical sense and will not move or perform other functions. The weighing station will determine if an object
satisfies an equation, but otherwise will not move or interact.

3.2.4

Actions
Actions are simply the input of the arrow keys, and the raising and lowering of the magnet. The player can use
these actions to magnetize an item and drop it off at the weighing station so as to gain points or lose points if
incorrect weight.

3.2.5

Combat
There is no combat in this game.

3.2.6

Economy
There is no economy in this game.

3.2.7

Screen Flow
The title screen goes to the options, missions, and high scores list. The options and high scores screen both simply
go back to the main menu. The mission screen actually goes to a character selection screen, and the the user

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Aliens in My Crane Design Document

Version: 02-00
decides on a level and saucer there. The level is then loaded from there, and after time runs out it goes to the high
scores screen.
3.3

Game Options
The game will have the option to mute itself.

3.4

Replaying and Saving

The game does not save anything apart from high scores. The player is intended to continually repeat the process
of playing through the current missions.

3.5

Cheats and Easter Eggs

There will be none, at least not by the end of the semester.

Story, Setting, Character

4.1

Story and Narrative

The player is an alien that needs metallic objects to rebuild their homeworld. The alien does this by grabbing objects
and placing them onto a teleportation pad. The magnet forces the player to only collect metallic objects and the
teleportation pad leads directly to some resource collector who praises the player and gives them more money
(score). If they incorrectly place an object, the resource collector will deduct from their pay.

4.2

Setting
Bikini bottom, the moon, and other locations are the intended setting of the game. Modern day Earth, is the world
where the aliens are collecting things.

4.3

Game World
The game world is intended to be modern day Earth.

4.3.1

General look and Feel of the world

The game world is meant to look and feel like a space based civilization is doing things.

4.3.2

Areas
The areas of the mission will be several different areas that have been made and stated above.

Levels

5.1

Levels
Each level will have and generate many metallic objects. These objects are then to be picked up by the player using
their magnet and then dropped off at the weighing station. The weighing station will be on every level.

5.2

Training Level
There will be no tutorial for this game.

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Interface

6.1

Visual System
The HUD will have a score, and amount of time left., as well as display the weights of the objects that are on
screen.

6.2

Control System
The controls are simple, arrow keys to move, A and D allow right and left movement, and W and S raise and lower
the magnet. Space turns off and on the magnet and R resets the level.

6.3

Audio
The audio will be tracks that are expected for the respective areas.

6.4

Help System
The game will not include a help system yet.

Artificial Intelligence

7.1

Opponent and Enemy

There will be no AI enemies.

7.2

Non Combat
No AI.

Technical

8.1

Target Hardware
The target is a computer.

8.2

Development Hardware
The game will built on Unity.

8.3

Network
Requires internet connection and browser that supports the Unity Web Player.

Game Art
The game art will be made one of our team, or purchased through the Unity Asset store.

10 Outline of Development
See our semester plan document on the website, which will be posted below this.

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