Dual Discourse
General Game Design Document
Design Team:
Jeremy
Justin Candeloro – Designer/Programmer
Sean Whyte – Sound/Music
Fausto Franco – User Interface
Introduction
Dual Discourse is a unique puzzle game focused around the use of magnetism. The player controls two characters at once, one attract, and one repel, to try to “push” and “pull” a ball across a level. The levels will resemble simple mazes and puzzles, plagued with hazards and other thought provoking elements to force the player to think how to navigate the ball safely through.
The WHY Factor
The internet is flooded with mediocre puzzle games, and it is time for a new, entertaining puzzle game to finally be created. This game can help fill that space. The framework for the game will be easy, understandable, and solid enough that it will be easy for designers to create an infinite number of puzzles based around the original structure. The ability to control two characters at once has also not been used as a main gameplay element before. This, and the use of magnetism, will set it apart from other games on the market, create a new and fresh feeling for the player, and open up new gameplay elements never seen before.
Previous Games in
this Genre
Mazes and puzzles have been around for thousands of years, but none have been done like this. Our unique magnet attract/repel system will help set this puzzle game apart from any game made before.
Target Audience
The target audience for this game is everyone. The puzzles will start off easy, and get more difficult as the game goes on, and there is also a possibility of having a difficulty setting. The content of the game would be rated E for Everyone.
Story
There is no real story to the game. It is an abstract world, and the only objective is to somehow move the ball to the finish.
Cultural Project
Impact
Dual Discourse will help revitalize mazes, and puzzle games in general. It will also prove that controlling two characters at once can be done, and will help persuade game designers to consider this gameplay technique when developing other new games.
System Requirements
The platform for this game will be the PC. The hardware requirements will be very low, as this is a two dimensional sprite based game, which is easily rendered on any of today’s computers. A game controller can also be used by simply plugging it into the computer.
User Interface
The user interface will be very simple, and small. The player can start the game, quit the game, or view high scores and instructions. The HUD will be simple and easy to read as well. A timer will be added to the bottom of the screen, as well as the best time for that level.
User Interaction
The user will interact via two sets of directional buttons (for instance, arrow keys, and WASD keys). Also, if a game controller is hooked up to the computer, the plus pad and four face buttons on the right can also be used. If time allows, support for a dual analog controller will be written. In this case, the two analog joysticks will control the movers, the shoulder buttons will change the power given to each magnet.
The World Layout
The entire level will be viewed on the screen. Each level will have themes, and they will all resemble puzzle mazes. The game is completely played with a top-down view.
Screenshot
Level Design
The design of each level will be puzzle based, and sometimes will resemble a typical maze. The design of the levels will force the player to think about how they can use their attract and repel abilities to get the ball through the level and past the hazards in the time allotted.
Visualization
The two characters will be abstract balls representing attract or repel. Each level will have a completely different look and theme, keeping the player interested and impressed. Hazards and power-ups will also have a specified visualization. Items that will affect the ball will have a solid frame around it, and items that will affect the movers will have a spiked frame around it. The frames will be color coded red for hazards (pits, electricity, etc.), green for power-ups (invincibility, etc.), and blue for neutral effects (making the ball large, etc.).
Music / Sound Design
The musical elements in Duel Duality are light and fun while keeping a tempo that increases as time decreases in the level. The changing tempo helps increase the feeling that time is against the user during the playing of each level. The music also helps bring the user into each scene by mimicking the environment that each level is based on. Customized sound effects are used for each level to help convey how the elements in each level will interact with the environment of the level.
Rules and Gameplay
A. Setup - The player controls two characters with two attract and repel magnets, and they have to use them to push and pull (without touching) a ball through a puzzle maze.
B. Gameplay - The player will use directional buttons to move the two characters. They will have to use these magnetic fields to push and pull the ball through the maze, avoiding hazards and grabbing power-ups, all the time trying to get record times.
C. Scoring will be based on how much time it took to complete each level.
Program Structure
Our game will be designed in Game Maker, a free game design program that allows non-programmers to make simple games, and programmers to more easily make complex games, and concentrate on game design. Using this program, we can easily set up as many sprites, object, and rooms as we want, while easily being able to add in programming code, artwork, and sound. This makes level creating very fast and easy.
Technical
Specifications
The game will be in a two dimensional space, but will still follow closely to the rules of real world physics. We will be using Game Maker for most of the game, which will allow an executable to be created that can be played anywhere. Dual Discourse will basically be a two dimensional sprite based system. To use a game controller to play the game, simply plug one into your computer.
Implementation
Our game system will be able to handle an infinite number of levels, but we are planning to have at least nine levels in time for beta.
March 15 - We will have three levels designed, and initial graphics made for them. By this date we also will have some programming done, as well as a developing physics system.
March 22 - We will have most of the sound effects made and they will help bring the game to life. By this date we also plan to further perfect the physics code and other programming. User input will be fully developed at this time, and research into using a gamepad will begin.
March 29 - We will have composed initial songs for the game, and the ability to play them in-game.
April 5 - We will have a demonstration version of our game completed, for general feedback and testing.
April 19 - We will perfect our game, fix all bugs from our
beta release, and finalize all graphics, sounds and songs that need editing.
Production
We will try to follow as closely as possible the schedule outlined in the above Implementation section. The main structure for the game and at least nine levels will be completed by the end of the semester.
Research
We will research mazes, puzzle games, physics, magnetic fields, and other elements related to our game to help create as fun and realistic gameplay as possible.