This is a example of a design document I did for the project last to fall. Please note that while the formatting is a bit off (due to it being originally typed in word) the core structure of how I organize my documentation is there. This document was authored by me with input from the rest of my team.
Concept
In ancient Japan it was said that every fallen cherry blossom represents a samurai who died in battle. In the Last to Fall you control one of those samurai traveling though the afterlife in his quest for inter peace. In this 2d vertical action platformer the player must avoid yokai and demons as they navigate down a cherry blossom tree in an effort to reach the shrine at the end and achieve inner peace.
Context
A long time ago in ancient Japan there was an honorable samurai named Daiki Kato. Daiki served no lord and walked the earth with his one purpose being to help others. One night a group of bandits attacked the town he was staying in. Daiki drew his sword and sought to defend the town but was overwhelmed by the number of bandits and killed.
After being stricken down Daiki awoke on top of a giant cherry tree. He could remember nothing except his name and the night he was struck down. He wondered why he spent so many years traveling and helping others but he could not find the reason. On top of that he felt a great unease that he could not explain. Eventually he looked off of the side of the branch he was sitting on to see the rest of the tree. The tree was massive and he could not see the ground. However when he looked he heard something calling to him. First it was a thought in the back of his mind then it grew to a desire and finally an obsession. He couldn’t explain how but he knew that if he could reach the bottom of this tree then all of his questions would be answered and the unease he felt would be corrected. So he made his choice and began descending the tree.
As he descended the tree his memories began to return to him. He remembered that in his you he blindly served a greedy lord named Takahiro Yoshida. One day his lord tricked Daiki him into killing innocents for personal profit. Upon finding out about his lord’s treachery Daiki went into a mad rage killing his lord. Feeling shame at what he has done he spent the rest of his life trying to atone, never forgetting his sins.
As he remembered this his uneasy turned to guilt which turned to despair. As he descended further down the tree he realized that this must be his punishment. An eternity of falling as punishment for his sins. Just as he was about to succumb to his despair he began to see the bottom. He hurried his pace and the bottom became more and more visible. He could see a temple resting at the bottom of the tree. He now knew that he must reach that temple. He began to fight harder and faster. However every time he slayed an enemy he would look at the temple and see its calming presence opposed by his own furry. Over time his rage lessened and his grief was forgotten. By the time he reached the bottom he had made the decision that the sins of the past would not be forgotten but that he must move on from them. Finally at the end of his journey he knelt at the shrine and felt peace for the first time in what seemed like forever.
Mechanics and Systems
Goal
The player begins each level with three lives. The player loses a life every time they are hit by an enemy attack or projectile If the player lose all their lives then they revive a game over. The player’s goal is to make it to make it to the shrine at the bottom of the level without receiving a game over.
Player Controls
The player’s main movement controls consist of moving using the arrow keys and jumping using the space bar. We purposefully chose simple movement controls in order to put more emphasis on the combat. This movement while simple will enable the player to maneuver to any place on the screen allowing them to attack enemies from any angle.
The player has multiple options for combat. The player’s main source of attack is swinging their sword. This attack has a short range and will destroy an enemy if it lands. If their attack hits a projectile that projectile is then destroyed. The player’s second attack is throwing knives that will destroy any enemy they hit. The player only has a limited amount of knives at the start of the level but can pick up more.
The player can also dash. Dashing sends the player quickly forward for a short distance and damages any enemies they hit while moving. However the player will have to be careful while dashing as they can very easily fall off the platform and into another enemy. The player can also deflect enemy attacks and projectiles.
Enemies
In the last to fall there are three different types of enemies. The first type of enemy is an Enenra. The Enenra is a creature made of fog that is made of smoke and can only be harmed by the player when it is solid form. The Enenra will initially appear as a faded cloud of mist. Once the Enenra is on the same screen as the player they will begin moving towards the player. Once the Enenra is close to that player it will show its true form and emerge from the mist. If the player touches the Enenra, after they emerged from the fog, they will lose a life.
The second type of enemy is the Basan, a large fire breathing chicken. It will begin charging at the player when they land on the same platform as it. The player must avoid the Basan and attack it. If the Basan hits the player then they will lose one life.
The final type of enemy is the Preta. Pretas are spirits who were especially greedy in life and are now cursed with eternal hunger in death. When the player lands on the same platform as them they will begin throwing money at them. The player must either dodge or deflect the money. If they fail to do either then the money will hit the player and they will lose a life.
Kodama
The Kodama is the spirit of the tree sent to guide the player though the afterlife. Along the way the Kodama will give info on the various enemies the player faces and explain the player’s backstory. The Kodama will always fly behind the player and will not collide with any enemies or obstacles.
Player Motivation
The player is motivated down the level by the level design. The player starts at the highest point of the level so there is nowhere left to go but down. As the player falls they will also come to points where they cannot move back up. This will force them downwards and motivate them to complete the level.
The player is motivated into attacking by the simple moment controls and the enemies attack patterns. Because of the amount of enemies and their complex attack patterns it would be nearly impossible to doge all their attacks. This forces the player to master the game’s combat controls as well as its movement controls.
The player is motivated to lean from the spirits by the power up reward system. Every time the player reads information that the spirit gives them they are rewarded with ammo and health. This motivates the player to stop at every spirit they come across as they receive a reward for doing so.
Game States
Win/Lose State
The Last to Fall’s win state is achieve when the player reaches the bottom of the level and reaches the shrine. The lose state comes about when the player loses all of their lives and receives a game over.
Player States
The player can be in the grounded state when they are on a platform. During this state the player can jump and perform all their normal actions. If the player is not on a platform they are not in a grounded state and cannot jump.
When the player attacks they are briefly put into an attacking state. While in this state the player will swing their sword and any enemy in their normal state who touches it killed. Any projectile that hits the sword will be destroyed. After a half second in this state the player will reset to their non-attacking state.
When the player dashes they will go into the dash state. While in this state the player moves forwards extremely fast. Any enemy that the player touches while in this state is killed. After moving a short distance the player stops dashing and is put into their normal state.
Enemy States
All enemies have a stun state in addition to their other states. This state is entered after the player hits them with a shuriken or successfully parries an attack. While in this state they cannot move attack or enter any other state. This state lasts around a second before the enemy is unstuned and goes into their previous state.
The Enenra has three states. The first state is its normal state. In this state is stands sill and does no actions. In this state it can transition to the attack state and the player can attack it. If the Enenra is hit by a shuriken while in this state it is stunned meaning it can neither attack of fade to smoke. The second state is the fog. When the Enenra enters the same state screen as the player it fades to fog and cannot be harmed by the player. After a few seconds the Enenra will appear behind the player and transition into the normal state. If the Enenra is within striking distance of the player while in normal state it will transition to the attack state. During this state the Enenra lunges forward and attempts to strike the player. This state lasts for half a second before the Enenra fades back into its fog state.
The Basan has two states stationary and charging. In the stationary state the Basan sits on a platform looking either left or right. If the player lands in front of them on the same platform then they enter the charging state. While in this state the Basan constantly moves forward at fast speed. Once this state is entered the Basan will never leave it
The Preta has two states normal and firing. While in the normal state the Preta remains stationary looking to one direction. If the player lands in front of them on the same platform then they enter the firing state. While in this state the Preta will contently be firing projectiles at the player. Once this state is entered the Preta will never leave it
Target market
The target market for Last to Fall is people traveling to Japan via flight. The Last to fall is meant to entertain this market while they are in the airport or on their flight. It is also meant to inform them on Japanese folk lore and the samurai. This market is perfect for The Last to Fall as passengers on long flight want entertainment. Passengers traveling to Japan will also be more likely to select our game over others as they will want to learn more about the culture they’ll be visiting.
Monetization
Last to Fall will have two streams of revenue. The first and primary revenue stream will come from airlines purchasing the game to entertain their customers. Airlines almost always use media such as movies and television to entertain their guests during flights. The longer the flight the better entertainment will be provided. International flights such as a flight from America or Europe to Japan are typically very long flights. As such airlines looking for interactive entertainment are perfect for are game. We will sell copies of our game in bulk to airlines with the normal price being $3 per copy but that will go down the more copies the airline buys.
The second main revenue stream is the private market. We will sell our game on steam and mobile platforms to appeal to a traveling audience. This audience is designed to be of people taking a flight from an airline that does not provide our game as entertainment. These people most likely are on low cost fights and must provide their own entertainment. On steam our game will cost $5 and on mobile our game will cost 99 cents. These prices are designed to be cheap and affordable for passengers looking for some quick entertainment.
Marketing Approach
In the private sector we will directly market to airlines. To do this we will advertise at any business conferences that have a large amount of airline officials at them. We will also directly reach out to airline officials. We will provide free copies of our product to airline officials in the hopes that it will make them want to include it as entertainment on their airline.
In the public sector we will advertise in the international terminals of airports. We will take advantage of our low prices and advertise how people can get our game for cheaper than a newspaper that they would usually get for airplane trips. We will pay for advertising in the terminal and work out a deal with shop owners to advertise in their store. It is our hope that by doing this we can convince people to purchase our game over the newspaper or magazine they would normally purchase for flights.
Game Engine
For our game engine we have chosen to use Unity 2D. We have chosen Unity for its variety of 2d tools and easy compatibility with visual studio. This is software that our programs are extremely familiar with and as such the amount of technical research required can be kept to a minimum. Another advantage of using a familiar program is that a QA ready build can be ready early on and changes can be made in a timely manner.
Art Direction
The Last to Fall’s art style will draw heavily from Japanese art. We are particularly looking at art produced in the Edo period of Japanese history. While our backgrounds seek to emulate the bright colorful art styles of the Edo period our characters draw on ancient Japanese ink work. The works of Katsushika Hokusai and Tomioka Tessai are in the style that we want to emulate.
Sound Design
For Last to Falls’s soundtrack we will take inspiration from Japenese music in the edo period. This music often used instruments such as the taiko drum and other percussion to build up suspense and show action. Meanwhile flutes and harps are meant to evoke a calming sensation eluding to peace and tranquility.
Last to Falls’s soundtrack will consist of two layers one of taiko drums and one of harps. At the beginning of the level the harps will be at full volume while the drums are muted. As the player goes down the tree the drums will become louder while the harps become softer. Once the player reaches the middle of the level the drums should be at full volume while the harps are muted. After which the drums will begin to get softer and the flutes louder as the player descends. At the end of the level the harps should be at full volume while the drums are muted.
Comments