Game Bible

Game Bible
<< INSERT GAME LOGO >>

GAME TITLE
Author(s)
Affiliation
Address
Date
Document Version Control Information
[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]
[ Project ] Game Bible
Revisions
Version
Primary
Author(s)
Description of Version
Draft Type
and
Number
Full Name
Information about the revision. This table does not

need to be filled in whenever a document is
touched, only when the version is being upgraded.
Date
Completed
00/00/00
Page i
Contents
DESIGN DOCUMENT
REVISIONS........................................................................................................................I
CONTENTS.......................................................................................................................II
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY....................................................................................................1
1.1 MISSION STATEMENT....................................................................................................1
1.2 HIGH CONCEPT............................................................................................................1
1.3 LOCALE......................................................................................................................1
1.4 GENRE........................................................................................................................1
1.5 BASIC CONTROL..........................................................................................................1
1.6 GAME GOAL...............................................................................................................1
1.7 TARGET PLATFORM......................................................................................................1
1.8 TARGET AUDIENCE.......................................................................................................1
1.9 KEY FEATURES............................................................................................................1
1.10 GENERAL FEATURES...................................................................................................1
1.11 PLAYER UPGRADES.....................................................................................................2
1.12 GAMEPLAY................................................................................................................2
1.13 COMPARATIVE PRODUCTS............................................................................................2
1.14 HOW THIS GAME STACKS UP.........................................................................................2
1.15 FOLLOW UP PRODUCTS...............................................................................................2
2 GAME CHARTER............................................................................................................3
2.1 MEETING SCHEDULE.....................................................................................................3
2.2 HOURS WORKED PER WEEK.............................................................................................3
2.3 CODE REVIEW PROCESS................................................................................................3
2.4 WHEN THINGS GO WRONG...........................................................................................3
2.5 DECISION MAKING PROCESS..........................................................................................3
2.6 RULES OF CONDUCT.....................................................................................................3
2.7 TEAM SUMMARY..........................................................................................................3
2.8 INTEGRATION SCHEDULE................................................................................................3
3 TREATMENT...................................................................................................................4
3.1 DUST JACKET STORY....................................................................................................4
3.2 FULL STORY................................................................................................................4
3.3 CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES...............................................................................................4
Page ii
3.4 CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS............................................................................................4

3.4.1 Name or I.D..............................................................................................................4
3.5 WEAPONS OR ABILITIES................................................................................................5

3.6 POWERUPS...................................................................................................................5
3.6.1 Name or I.D..............................................................................................................5
3.7 WORLDS AND MAPS.....................................................................................................6

3.7.1 Name or I.D..............................................................................................................6
3.8 COMBAT.....................................................................................................................7
3.8.1 Combat Type.............................................................................................................7
3.8.2 Combat Interface......................................................................................................7
3.9 SPECIAL SYSTEMS........................................................................................................7

4 INTERACTIVITY..............................................................................................................8
4.1 INTERFACE...................................................................................................................8
4.1.1 Interface 1.................................................................................................................8
4.2 FRONT END FLOW CHART.............................................................................................8

4.3 GAME FLOW CHART.....................................................................................................8
4.4 PLAYER EXPERIENCE.....................................................................................................8
4.5 INTERACTIVE RHYTHM..................................................................................................8
4.6 HOW THE PLAYER MARKS PROGRESS.............................................................................8
5 MODULES AND ALGORITHMS...........................................................................................9
5.1 MODULES....................................................................................................................9
5.1.1 Module Name............................................................................................................9
5.2 MODULE INTERACTION COMPONENT MATRIX...................................................................9

5.3 ALGORITHMS...............................................................................................................9
5.3.1 Algorithm Name........................................................................................................9
6 KEY ELEMENTS...........................................................................................................11
6.1 SCORING...................................................................................................................11
6.2 WINNING AND LOSING................................................................................................11
6.3 TRANSITIONS.............................................................................................................11
6.4 REWARDS..................................................................................................................11
7 ART AND PRODUCTION.................................................................................................12
7.1 STYLE OF ART AND ANIMATION...................................................................................12
7.2 STYLE OF SOUND EFFECTS...........................................................................................12
7.3 STYLE OF MUSIC........................................................................................................12
8 ASSETS........................................................................................................................13
8.1 3D ART...................................................................................................................13
8.1.1 Character Models...................................................................................................13
Page iii
8.1.2 Environment Models...............................................................................................13
8.2 2D ART...................................................................................................................13
8.2.1 Character Art..........................................................................................................14
8.2.2 Environment Art.....................................................................................................14
8.3 SOUND......................................................................................................................14
8.3.1 Music......................................................................................................................14
8.3.2 Sound Effects..........................................................................................................15
8.3.3 Recorded Dialog/Voiceovers..................................................................................15
9 SCREENPLAY................................................................................................................16
10 WALKTHROUGH.........................................................................................................17
10.1 MAIN MENU...........................................................................................................17
10.1.1 Main Menu Item 1.................................................................................................17
10.2 INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................17
10.2.1 Cut Scene 1...........................................................................................................17
10.3 LEVEL 1 TITLE ....................................................................................................17

10.3.1 Main area.............................................................................................................17
10.3.2 Boss......................................................................................................................17
1 CODING STANDARDS.......................................................................................................1
1.1 NAMING STANDARDS....................................................................................................1
1.2 PREFIX CONVENTION....................................................................................................1
1.3 DEFINES......................................................................................................................1
1.4 COMMENTS..................................................................................................................1
1.4.1 File Headers.............................................................................................................1
1.4.2 Function comments...................................................................................................2
1.5 DATA ALIGNMENT........................................................................................................2

2 UNIT PLANS..................................................................................................................3
2.1 UNIT NAME.................................................................................................................3
2.1.1 Description...............................................................................................................3
2.1.2 Stipulations...............................................................................................................3
2.1.3 Interface....................................................................................................................3
2.1.4 Members...................................................................................................................3
2.1.5 Functions..................................................................................................................3
2.1.6 Dependencies............................................................................................................4
2.1.7 Flow Chart................................................................................................................4
2.2 INTEGRATION...............................................................................................................4
2.2.1 Schedule....................................................................................................................4
2.2.2 Team member roles...................................................................................................4
2.2.3 Testing Schedule and Procedures.............................................................................4
Page iv
DESIGN DOCUMENT
Page v
1 Executive Summary
1.1 Mission Statement
What is your goal in creating this game?
1.2 High Concept

Explain the high design concept in your game.
1.3 Locale
Where will your game take place?
1.4 Genre
Explain the genre your game lends itself to.
1.5 Basic Control

List out the control scheme for your game. If multiple schemes exist, list them all. Also
explain what hardware is associated with each scheme.
1.6 Game Goal

What is the player trying to accomplish?
1.7 Target Platform

Include hardware title (PC, Xbox, etc) and specific hardware requirements. List any optional
hardware that can be used with your game (voice input, for example).
1.8 Target Audience

Who will play this game? Also, explain the expected ESRB rating the game will receive and
why.
1.9 Key Features

Quick pitch of main draws of the game.
1.10 General Features

What is used for the various game elements? Engine? Rendering? Audio? Etc
Page 1
1.11 Player Upgrades

What types of upgrades will the player have over the course of the game? How will they
obtain these upgrades?
1.12 Gameplay
What type of gameplay are you developing for? Fast paced? A focus on boss fights or
acrobatics? Explain your goals here.
1.13 Comparative Products

Products that are similar to yours and how they are.
1.14 How this game stacks up

How does your game set itself apart?
1.15 Follow Up Products

Are any sequels planned? Briefly describe the plans for these titles here.
Page 2
2 Game Charter
2.1 Meeting Schedule
When will your team be working on your title?
2.2 Hours worked per week

Estimated time that your team will be working each week.
2.3 Code Review Process

Plan for discussing new features and code implemented by various team members. Describe
focus group structure and size here.
2.4 When Things Go Wrong

What is the contingency plan for bumps in the road? Describe recovery scenarios for
various high risk situations.
2.5 Decision Making Process

How are major decisions made within your team? What happens when team members dont
agree?
2.6 Rules of Conduct

What are various rules for behavior within the team? What is encouraged and discouraged?
2.7 Team Summary

List out your team members and who is in charge of what. Member mini-bios are also very
useful here. What experience does each member have?
2.8 Integration Schedule

How will modularized aspects of your code be integrated and undergo integration testing?
How often will this process occur?
Page 3
3 Treatment
3.1 Dust Jacket Story
Brief description of the story.
3.2 Full Story

The long version of your story.
3.3 Character Attributes

This is a gameplay view of characters. How much health do they have? Speed? What types
of damage do they deal and how much impact will each attack have?
Character Attributes
Name
HP
Speed
Damage
3.4 Character Descriptions

3.4.1 Name or I.D.
3.4.1.1 One Sentence Description
Single sentence to describe character.
3.4.1.2 A Brief Description

More in depth description of character and place in the story. One to two
paragraphs.
3.4.1.3 Backstory
What is the characters story prior to the game?
3.4.1.4 Behaviors
Page 4
What types of behaviors does the character display? This should include
behaviors that impact gameplay, along with behaviors that are purely story
oriented.
3.4.1.5 Concept Art

<< Insert Sketch Here >>
Scan in the character concept art here. Describe any necessary design
aspects of the character. This is similar to section 1.3.1.3 of the Initial
Design Document.
3.5 Weapons or Abilities

Weapons and/or Abilities
Name
Damage
Rate of Fire
Degree of Fire
3.6 Powerups
3.6.1 Name or I.D.
3.6.1.1 Brief Description
Brief Description of weapon. When it is available is also described here.
3.6.1.2 Attributes
Attributes of the weapon or ability. What does it do? What are its pros and
cons?
3.6.1.3 Visual Design

Describe specific design aspects of this weapon. If it is an ability, include
concept art of the appropriate character using the skill.
Page 5
3.7 Worlds and Maps

3.7.1 Name or I.D.
3.7.1.1 One Sentence Desciption
Brief Description of map. When it is available is also described here.
3.7.1.2 Goal
What is the goal of this level?
3.7.1.3 Travel
How does the player get around this world?
transportation means? Is this unique to this area?
On foot?
Through
3.7.1.4 Scale
Approximate size of the map. This is especially important for prioritization
and budget analysis.
3.7.1.5 Backstory
What is the story behind this map which extends prior to your game?
3.7.1.6 Rules
What rules exist in this map? This may include lava/chemical pits that
damage the player or certain NPCs which can or can not be attacked, to name
a few examples.
3.7.1.7 Attributes
What are the various attributes of the area? Is it a wasteland or a utopia, for
example?
3.7.1.8 Environmental Interactions

More detailed descriptions of elements of the map and what can be done with
each element. Can certain boxes be used? NPCs be talked to or otherwise
interacted with?
3.7.1.9 Ambient Environmental Aspects

What kinds of elements are present in the background of the level? Skies in
flames? Meteor showers?
3.7.1.10 Time
How much time is expected to be spent on the level?
3.7.1.11 Visual Design

Page 6
Describe the areas design and why certain aspects were positioned as they
were.
3.8 Combat
3.8.1 Combat Type
What type of combat is in your game? Is it turned based, hack-n-slash, etc.?
3.8.2 Combat Interface

How is combat achieved? Menu traversal or button combinations? A combination of
both?
3.9 Special Systems

Miscellaneous gameplay systems that have been produced solely for this title. What are the
pros and cons of this feature?
Page 7
4 Interactivity
4.1 Interface
4.1.1 Interface 1
<< INSERT SCREEN SHOT HERE >>
Describe the various aspects of the interface displayed in the above screenshot. These
will be necessary for menus, loading screens, and various interfaces that exist
throughout different game phases.
4.2 Front End Flow Chart

This flow chart mainly deals with the flow of the main menu and entering a new game.
4.3 Game Flow Chart

Give a diagram which explains the movement through main game states at a high level view.
This may include main menus, main game loop, game over, continues, etc.
4.4 Player Experience

What do you foresee as the overall player experience. References can be made here to
surveys conducted during focus groups, and whether or not goals were met or not, and what
alterations were made to ensure the proper experience was conveyed..
4.5 Interactive Rhythm

What is the rhythm of the game and its interaction with the user? Is the combat fast paced or
thought provoking? Are decisions made and expressed quickly through a simple interface or
is the goal a thought provoking sequence that traverses a detailed and complex decision
making menu system?
4.6 How the Player Marks Progress

How does the player mark his or her progress? Whether this is experience points or simply
progressing through a compelling storyline, describe it here.
Page 8
5 Modules and Algorithms

5.1 Modules
5.1.1 Module Name
5.1.1.1 Description
Describe the module and its purpose.
5.1.1.2 Criticality
Rate the criticality of the module from 1 to 10. When you are done, list the
modules in order from highest criticality to least criticality.
5.1.1.3 Risks
Describe any risks that are involved with this module.
5.1.1.4 Rules
What rules are in place for this module? An example of this would be the
format of a date this is passed into the module, etc.
5.1.1.5 Interaction
List other modules that interact with this one. Describe information that is
passed between them and information that is outputted and in what format
these interactions occur.
5.2 Module Interaction Component Matrix

<< INSERT DIAGRAM HERE >>
Describe your diagram and explain the functionality and necessity of various components.
5.3 Algorithms
5.3.1 Algorithm Name
5.3.1.1 Description
Describe the algorithm and its purpose. How does it work? What is its role
in the product?
5.3.1.2 Criticality
Rate the criticality of the algorithm from 1 to 10. When you are done, list the
algorithms in order from highest criticality to least criticality.
Page 9
5.3.1.3 Risks
Describe the risks involved with this algorithm. What are its weak spots?
Page 10
6 Key Elements
6.1 Scoring
Explain the scoring scheme. When does the score escalate? When does this rate change? If
scoring is not direct in your title, ranking of players is also applicable.
6.2 Winning and Losing

How does the player win? How does the player lose? What happens in each case?
6.3 Transitions
Explain transitions which exist between various gameplay phases.
6.4 Rewards
What reward system is in place for your audience?
Page 11
7 Art and Production

7.1 Style of Art and Animation
Describe the visual style of your game. What kind of look and feel is present in your
product?
7.2 Style of Sound Effects

What kinds of sounds are going to be present in your game?
7.3 Style of Music

What kind of music does your title contain? References to other games, movies, or albums
can be helpful here.
Page 12
8 Assets
8.1 3D Art
8.1.1 Character Models
8.1.1.1 Model Name or I.D.
The name of your model. This should correspond and reference a specific
subsection from section 3.4.
8.1.1.1.1 Description
Description of model. Who is this in your game?
8.1.1.1.2 Duration
How long is this model present?
8.1.1.1.3 Design Factors

How were design factors for the character concept implemented in
the model? List any failures that occurred in implementation here as
well.
8.1.2 Environment Models
8.1.2.1 Model Name or I.D.

Description of model. What is this in your game?
8.1.2.1.2 Duration
How long is this model present?

How were design factors for the initial drawn concept implemented
in the model? This may not be applicable for simple models, but
will be crucial for aspects of the environment that the player interacts
heavily with (a bridge that collapses or a rope that is cut while
traversing, for example).
8.2 2D Art
These are usually present even in 3D games! HUD and menu buttons are just a few
examples.
Page 13
8.2.1 Character Art

8.2.1.1 Name or I.D.
Brief description and purpose of art.
8.2.1.1.2 Duration
How long is this art present?

Were there design factors that played a role in the art?
8.2.2 Environment Art

Brief description and purpose of art.
8.2.2.1.2 Duration
How long is this art present?

Were there design factors that played a role in the art? A health
gauge flashing when health is low would be an example of this.
8.3 Sound
8.3.1 Music
Brief description and purpose of sound.
8.3.1.1.2 Duration
How long is this sound present?

What were design factors in this sound?
Page 14
8.3.2 Sound Effects

8.3.2.1.2 Duration

8.3.3 Recorded Dialog/Voiceovers

8.3.3.1.2 Duration

Page 15
9 Screenplay
<< INSERT YOUR SCREENPLAY HERE >>
Page 16
10 Walkthrough
In the following section, I have included some basic elements as an example of how to lay
out your projects info. You will want to be as detailed as possible here. Describe the main
menu, then its submenus in subsections. Describe those submenus with even more
subsections. This will be a text walkthrough of the high level concepts you presented in your
flow charts previously.
10.1 Main Menu

10.1.1 Main Menu Item 1
Describe what the player does at this point. A common example of what would go here
would be New Game. Make a subsection for each menu item and continue as
appropriate.
10.2 Introduction
10.2.1 Cut Scene 1
Describe. Make subsections as appropriate.
10.3 Level 1 Title

10.3.1 Main area
Describe what the player does to completely traverse this level.
10.3.2 Boss
Describe the boss and strategies that were considered to beat him during development.
Etc, etc, etc
Page 17
TECHNICAL DOCUMENT
Page 18
1 Coding Standards
1.1 Naming Standards
Describe generic naming standards here.
1.2 Prefix Convention

When creating an instance of types you should give each variable a prefix that is
appropriate for that type. For example, a b in front of a variable that is a Boolean or a
t in front of a structure type. Remove this paragraph and fill in the table below for
this section.
Prefix Conventions
Type
Prefix
Example
1.3 Defines
Describe your policy for how data will be coded to standard for the define keyword
in C/C++.
1.4 Comments
Here you should give a brief overview of what style of comments is to be used.
Will /* ever be used in C/C++ projects, for example? Will you put specific labels on
any comment or author them with initials to track who commented what?
1.4.1 File Headers

Here you should give a brief overview of how to format comments at the top of
your files. An example is given below.
Header Example:
Page 1
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// File:
Levelhandler.h
// Author:
Jonathan Buffey
// Creation Date:
March 03, 2007
//
// Purpose:
Handles level events
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
1.4.2 Function comments

This section should explain how you will comment each function in your code.
This usually involves function name, brief description, input parameter
description, output data description, etc.
1.5 Data Alignment

Describe alignment of data in your code. How will indentation and ordering work?
Page 2
2 Unit Plans
2.1 Unit Name
This section will be MUCH larger than it first appears. You will need to make sections for
all of the units which occur in your product. This includes, but is not in any way limited to: a
renderer, front end events, main menu, HUD, in-game menu, input handlers, level/event
handlers, sound wrappers, collisions modules, and animation systems.
2.1.1 Description
What is it?
2.1.2 Stipulations
What needs to occur in the rest of the code for this module to work properly?
2.1.3 Interface
Most importantly, this section describes how this module interfaces with additional
units that are being developed for the product. Also, it briefly describes how the player
will be interacting with the module, often by describing yet more interfaces it has with
the other modules in the system (i.e. the input module).
2.1.4 Members
2.1.4.1.1 Data Type
List what type of data type the member is. Is it an int or a double, for
example? If it is an ADT, be sure to describe what the data type is.
2.1.4.1.2 Function
Describe the member of the module here and what its purpose is.
Any global variables would be included in the list of members.
2.1.5 Functions
2.1.4.1.1 Purpose
Explain what the function does.
Page 3
2.1.4.1.2 Parameters
List the parameters here, their data types, and give a brief description
of what they are used for.
2.1.4.1.3 Output
Describe what the function outputs. If void, describe how the data is
communicated back to the system or user.
2.1.6 Dependencies
List your modular dependencies here and explain why they are necessary.
2.1.7 Flow Chart

A flow chart which explains the different states
2.2 Integration
2.2.1 Schedule
When will your integration sessions occur?
2.2.2 Team member roles

Who will be responsible for what during integration? Will various team members be
responsible for different parts of integration? Explain this here.
2.2.3 Testing Schedule and Procedures

Describe what your testing will be like. When will testing occur? How will it be
conducted?
Page 4

Game Bible

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Game Bible

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Game Bible

<< INSERT GAME LOGO >>

[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]

[ Project ] Game Bible

Information about the revision. This table does not

[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]

[ Project ] Game Bible

[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]

[ Project ] Game Bible

3.4 CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS............................................................................................4

3.5 WEAPONS OR ABILITIES................................................................................................5

3.7 WORLDS AND MAPS.....................................................................................................6

3.9 SPECIAL SYSTEMS........................................................................................................7

4.2 FRONT END FLOW CHART.............................................................................................8

5.2 MODULE INTERACTION COMPONENT MATRIX...................................................................9

[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]

[ Project ] Game Bible

8.1.2 Environment Models...............................................................................................13

10.3 LEVEL 1 TITLE ....................................................................................................17

1.5 DATA ALIGNMENT........................................................................................................2

[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]

[ Project ] Game Bible

[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]

[ Project ] Game Bible

1.2 High Concept

1.5 Basic Control

1.6 Game Goal

1.7 Target Platform

1.8 Target Audience

1.9 Key Features

1.10 General Features

[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]

[ Project ] Game Bible

1.11 Player Upgrades

1.13 Comparative Products

1.14 How this game stacks up

1.15 Follow Up Products

[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]

[ Project ] Game Bible

2.2 Hours worked per week

2.3 Code Review Process

2.4 When Things Go Wrong

2.5 Decision Making Process

2.6 Rules of Conduct

2.7 Team Summary

2.8 Integration Schedule

[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]

[ Project ] Game Bible

3.2 Full Story

3.3 Character Attributes

3.4 Character Descriptions

3.4.1.2 A Brief Description

[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]

[ Project ] Game Bible

3.4.1.5 Concept Art

3.5 Weapons or Abilities

3.6.1.3 Visual Design

[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]

[ Project ] Game Bible

3.7 Worlds and Maps

3.7.1.8 Environmental Interactions

3.7.1.9 Ambient Environmental Aspects

3.7.1.11 Visual Design

[Paste your logo here] [ Organization Name ]