This sections sums up the design document into five short paragraphs.
1) What’s the game about?
This game combines the open, go-as-you please spaces of open-ended games such as GTA with the familiarity and guidance found in linear games such as Sonic Adventure 2.
The player can switch between three sizes: small, normal and big.
When small sized mundane objects suddenly become huge worlds to explore.
When giant sized, the space becomes more linear and easy to navigate.
[See Overview and gameplay spaces for more]
The player must switch between sizes to learn more about the germ race, that plan to destroy humanity.
But, as the player begins to ‘befriend’ the germs to learn their plans, s/he will see humans from a new perspective that shows how despicable they can be. Will the player save his/her own kind or betray it?
[See game story for more]
2) What’s unique about this game?
The player has the freedom of open-spaces without the frustration of getting lost.
[See Overview for more]
The player can shape the story according to his/her choices.
[See interactive story for more]
The game offers an interesting mix of reality and fantasy.
[See gameplay spaces for more]
3) What’s the GAPP (Genre, audience, platform, perspective)?
Genre: Adventure platformer
Audience: General
Platform: Next-generation consoles (PS3, X-Box 360)
Perspective: Third person.
[See Overview for more]
4) With all these different spaces to access, won’t this game be too expensive to produce?
This game offers efficiency of production in two ways.
The first is the inner/outer-world concept.
Shrinking in size obviously causes the game map to become bigger. However, the game map is divided into two categories: outer and inner-world.
The outer-world occupies the majority of the map. However, it is mostly a barren space with few assets.
When the player is in the outer-world, his/her goal is to look for air streams that will carry him/her to the inner-world. Because the player is working to this goal, the barren nature of the space is not noticeable.
The inner-world is a more fantasy based space that has a variety of attractions.
The second method for efficiency is the story of the game, which sets many of the spaces inside books or germ-world colonies. This provides a plausible reason for efficient asset production without compromising on player experience.
For example, many of the assets for the book worlds are made out of simple, flat low poly structure to create a paper-like effect, with the majority of the visual emphasis coming from the textures.
The germ worlds are made up of simple atom like structures, which, because of their subject matter, involve much repetition.
However, there visual appeal comes from offering a different, more fantasy based perspective for everyday mundane objects.
[See inner/outer world, Book worlds and germ-worlds for more]
5) Where can I find the five best moments of the game?
Have a look at:
The gingerbread obstacle
The printing press obstacle
The spores obstacle
The transport obstacle
The flagellum obstacle
All the other attractions in the game are just as good.
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