I. OverviewOverviewCamera PositionUser Interface DesignReplaying and SavingControl SummaryGame Play DetailsCut-ScenesStorytellingLevel SummaryOpponent AIPlayer DetectionMotionPathfindingSpecial ActionsCombatNon-player CharactersPuzzles and TrapsItemsCharacter BiblesStoryboardBackground/Plot SummarySettingIntroductionFlowchartLevel and Scene DetailsPirate Showdown: The Game Design DocumentDavid NowellCIS 58712/17/02I. OverviewPirate Showdown’s story follows a pirate from the beginning of his career as a lowly cabin boy all the way to eventually becoming a pirate captain. The player begins as the lowest ranked member of a pirate crew. Through various challenges and missions, he will attempt to rise in stature, until he has become a more accomplished pirate than the Captain, at which point he will take control of the ship and win the game.The challenges, missions, and options are all pirate-themed. There are four areas to the game:1) A boat race between the player and another pirate.2) A parrot shooting test of skill3) Raids on cargo ships4) The opportunity to interact with the crew at the bar.Pirate Showdown is easy to play, with simple controls similar to that of basic arcade-style games, and an inuitive point-and-click menu. A thorough but concise help menu will give the beginning player instructions on how to play the games and what the goal of each is.The game is set in a romanticized, cartoonish version of historical pirate stories. It is not intended to be historically accurate, and is more akin to a cartoon than a simulation. For instance, objects disappear when destroyed, and the physics are not rigorously modelled. There is no gore, only cartoon violence.Due to its cartoonish feel and simple game mechanics, the most receptive audience would seem to be a pre-teenage demographic. However, since each mini-mission is designed to be completable in a fairly short length of time, an older crowd could be receptive to this as a game that can be played intermittently, perhaps as a break from a more intensive activity.II. Game MechanicsOverviewPirate Showdown is a set of smaller arcade style game wrapped around a main menu and a pirate theme. It differs from just being a collection of games in that each success or victory in the smaller games affects the player’s overall rating. In addition, there is some interaction with the other pirates on the ship, making the player aware of how others feel about his character’s actions.Camera PositionPirate Showdown has 2 different camera angles used in the action sequences. In the boat race and cargo ship raid missions, the game is in top-down overhead view mode, with the player able to view the whole scene on the monitor. In the parrot shooting session, the player’s avatar is not visible. All the player sees is a gun-sight, like a first-person shooter. However, the player does not move himself, instead the gun is moved around the screen to aim at the targets.User Interface DesignThe main control panel for launching all the sub-missions is a very straightforward menu controlled by the mouse. The menu provides all the vital information the player needs to know. How much gold he has, his current level, health, and how the other pirates regard him. In addition, every pirate’s level is included on the main menu, so the player will know approximately how difficult the opponent is.Replaying and SavingThis game does not support multiple lives, so if the player is killed, the game will end. However, at the main menu the player can save his current game, or load another game. Currently only one saved game is allowed, and saving again will overwrite the previous save. The specific state variables that need saving are the player’s level, his gold, health, and how the other pirates regard him.Control SummaryThere are different methods of control depending on the area of the game the player is in. In every section of the game, the Escape key exits. At the main menu, the mouse is used to select the next action, and opponent if applicable. Inaddition, here the player can hit the S key to save the game, or L to load a new game.While shooting parrots, the controls are completely mouse driven. The target-hairs are moved with the mouse, and holding down the left mouse button fires at the parrots.In both the boat race and cargo ship raid sequences, the arrow keys control the ship’s movements. Up accelerates the boat up to its maximum velocity, and down brakes it. Left and right turn the boat based on its facing. In addition, while raiding, the Spacebar is used to fire the cannon, and the R key willallow the player to retreat when his health drops perilously low.Finally, the help menu and the bar scene both use the keyboard to navigate. The N key goes to the next help screen, and the Q key returns the player back to the main menu. In the bar, B buys a drink, R buys a round, and Q returns to the main menu.Game Play DetailsThe main menu of Pirate Showdown has all the sub-missions available to the player. In addition, it shows your rank, gold, health, and a chart with information about all the other pirates on the ship. This chart includes their name, pirate rank, a picture, and how they feel about you, in a percentage format. This value will start off at 50% and fluctuate based on the following:- Defeating other pirates in boat races. The defeated pirate will like you less, but it will increase the respect of others, assuming the race was truly a challenge, and not just the player defeating a lower-ranked opponent.- Buying grog for others at the bar will improve your standing- The player’s performance in solo missions & tests of skill, such as parrot shooting and raiding ships.The player’s rank will start at 1, the lowest possible, with the goal being to rise in rank to a level higher than the captain, at which point the player will become the new captain and win the game. Total rank will be computed by adding base rank and adjusted rank together. Base rank is modified based on defeating other pirates, performance in parrot shooting, and raiding ships. Adjusted rank will be computed based on how much gold the player has and the overall like or dislike that other pirates have for him, weighted by pirate rank. Theformula will be created to encourage balanced play, so there will be penalties to adjusted rank if the player spends all his gold trying to improve his standing with the other pirates.In the ship raid,
View Full Document
Unlocking...