This is the document that everyone involved with the game comes to for an understanding of the game's details.
Different parts of the document will take shape over time. You won't be ready to write final dialogue on the first day of product development, for example, but you should know how many characters you'll be asking the art team to create. Similarly, you won't have a detailed level walkthrough on day one, but you should know what will happen in each level, what equipment the player will start with, and what new toys he'll acquire.
What's important for you to realize is that at some point, you'll need to document all the following information. Keep it current. Failure to maintain an up-to-date game design document (or, more accurately, set of documents) will cause team members to waste their time creating features whose specifications have been altered , or that may no longer be needed at all.
You'll notice that a change list is not included as part of this document. While it's important to keep a change list for many documents ( especially formal agreements between companies), it's hard enough to get people to read the current design document, much less slog through information that's out-of-date. Instead, see the final document in this appendix, which contains a separate change list and project archives.
The following game design doc template can be used for an action game, and it can be modified for games in other genres as needed. Please note that many of the "lists" should actually be maintained as linked spreadsheets or tables. Also note that the order of the sections is somewhat arbitrary; you should order the sections in your own GDD in the way that makes most sense to you.
See Chapter 5 for additional notes about developing and maintaining the game design document.
Game Name
Copyright Information
Table of Contents
SECTION I: PROJECT OVERVIEW
Team Personnel (with contact information for each individual)
Production Team
Producer
Office phone
Home phone
Cell phone
Assistant Producer
Same contact info as above
Etc.
Design Team
Design Lead
Level Designer #1
Writer #1
Etc.
Programming Team
Tech Lead
Additional Programmers
Art Team
Art Lead
Additional Artists
QA Team
QA Lead
Additional Testers
External Contractors
Mocap Company
Contact Name
Contact Phone Number
Company Address
Composer
Sound Effects House
CGI house
Voice Director
Etc.
Executive Summary
High Concept
The Hook
Story Synopsis and Setting
Genre & Scope (such as number of missions or levels)
Visual Style (2D? 3D? Isometric? etc.)
Engine (and editor?)
Core Gameplay (What does the player do ?)
Single-player
Co-op?
Multiplayer?
Game Features
Gameplay innovations
Advances in AI
Artistic techniques and achievements
License tie-ins (if applicable )
Other features that will make this game better than others like it on the market
Project Scope
Number of distinct locations
Number of levels/missions
Number of NPCs
Number of weapons
Number of vehicles
Etc.
Target Audience
Delivery Platform(s)
SECTION II: STORY, SETTING, AND CHARACTER
Story
Back story
In-game story (What happens during the game)
Environments
Area #1
General description
Physical characteristics
List of levels that take place in this area
Area #2
Etc.
Characters
Player Character(s)
Personality
Back story
"Look"
Special abilities
Ability #1
When it's acquired
How the player invokes it
Effect it has on the world
Graphic effect that accompanies it
Ability #2
Etc.
Weapon set
Regular animations
Walk, run, climb, roll, swim, crouch , crawl, idle, etc.
Situation-specific animations
Statistics (if applicable)
Allies
Ally #1
Personality
Relationship to player character
Back story
"Look"
Special abilities
Weapon set
Regular animations
Situation-specific animations
Statistics
Ally #2
Etc.
Bad Guys
Ultimate bad guy
Personality
Relationship to player character
Back story
"Look"
Special abilities
Weapon set
Regular animations
Situation-specific animations
Statistics
Sub-bosses
Grunts
Neutrals
World NPCs
NPC#1
Attitude towards player character
Function in the game
Animation set
NPC#2
Etc.
Level Flow (A flowchart that summarizes the action of each level, and the cutscenes or mission briefings [if any] that take place between them)
SECTION III: COMBAT
Weapons
Weapon #1
General description and most effective use
When it is first acquired
Art (if available)
Statistics (for both primary and secondary fire)
Type of ammunition
Shots per clip
Fire rate
Reload rate
Damage inflicted
Range
Weapon #2
Etc.
Spells
Spell #1
Description
When it is first acquired
How the player invokes it
Statistics
Range
"Refire rate"
Damage
Area of effect
Spell #2
Etc.
Inventory Items/Gadgets
Item #1
Brief physical description of the object
When it is first acquired
What it does
Art (if available)
How the player equips it
Statistics
Item #2
Etc.
Powerups
Powerup #1
Brief physical description of how the object is represented in the world
When it is first acquired
Art (if available)
What it does
Statistics
Effect
Duration
Powerup #2
Etc.
Melee (hand-to-hand) combat (if applicable)
Attacks
Defensive moves
Combos
Vehicles (if applicable)
Capacity
Speed
Armor
Weaponry
Combat statistics
Etc.
SECTION IV: CONTROLS
PC Keyboard/Mouse Commands
Default keys for movement controls
Move forward
Move backward
Strafe left
Strafe right
Jump
Etc.
Default keys for using weapons
Primary fire
Alt-fire
Reload
Previous weapon
Next weapon
Etc.
Inventory access and manipulation
Menu access
Console Platform #1
A picture of the controller explaining what each button does
Movement controls
Weapon controls
Action controls
Combos
Force-feedback options
Console Platform #2
Etc.
SECTION V: INTERFACE
The Camera
Standard view
Alternate views
Player-controllable options
HUD
Worldview (what the player sees)
Status information
Health
Energy
Armor
Weapon equipped
Ammo remaining
Mission objectives?
Crosshairs (targeting reticule)
Radar or proximity map?
Menus
Game screen flow diagrams (schematic of how all the game's various screens are accessed)
Start Menu
Install
Play game
Explore CD (bonus features)
Uninstall
Quit
Main Menu
Single-Player
Load game
Save game
Play training level
Set difficulty level
Co-op
Multiplayer
Connection instructions
Character/team selection
Game Menus
Remap player controls
Display (video)
Audio
Music
Map
Advanced
Help screen
Quit
Inventory Menu
Credits
SECTION VI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
NPC #1
Statistics
Field of view
Range of view
Etc.
Internal states & the triggers that change them
Idle
Guarding an area
Patrol
Follow
Search
Etc.
Movement
Pathing
Combat decisions
Friend/foe recognition
Targeting decisions
Attack with ranged weapon
Attack with melee weapon
Take cover
Team-based decisions
Etc.
NPC #2
Etc.
SECTION VII: DETAILED LEVEL/MISSION DESCRIPTIONS
Level #1
Synopsis
Introductory material (Cutscene? Mission briefing?)
Mission objectives (player goals)
Physical description
Map
Enemy types encountered in-level
Weapons/powerups available
Level walkthrough, including scripted sequences and non-interactive scenes. This should also include any puzzles the player must solve, as well as the solutions to those puzzles.
Closing material (Cutscene? Debriefing? Statistics menu?)
Level #2
Etc.
SECTION VIII: CUTSCENES
Cutscene #1
List of actors
Description of setting
Storyboard thumbnails
Script. This should be done in screenplay format, as if you were writing a movie. Include the action, suggested camera angles, location descriptions, etc. You must also include all lines of dialogue that are to be recorded or displayed on the screen.
Cutscene #2
Etc.
SECTION IX: SCORING, CHEATS, EASTER EGGS, & BONUSES
Score
How score is tracked
How score is communicated to the player
Cheats (God mode, all weapons, etc.)
Cheat #1
What it does
How it's activated by the developer
How it's unlocked by the player
Cheat #2
Etc.
Easter Eggs/Bonus Material
Easter Egg #1
What it is
How it's activated/unlocked
Easter Egg #2
Etc.
SECTION X: GAME MODES
Single-player
Split-screen/coop (if applicable)
Multiplayer game types (if applicable)
Gametype #1 (such as "Capture the Flag")
Description of gameplay
Min/max # of Players
Rules
Respawning
Delay
Respawn locations
Default weapons
Victory conditions
Scoring
Maps
Gametype #2
Etc.
SECTION XI: ASSET LIST
Art
Model & Texture List
Characters
Player character
Undamaged
Damaged
Allies
Bad guys
Neutrals
Weapons
Weapon #1
Weapon #2
Etc.
Equipment/Gadgets
Item #1
Item #2
Etc.
Environmental Objects
Object #1
Object #2
Etc.
Animation list
Characters
Character #1
Move #1
Move #2
Etc.
Character #2
Etc.
Weapons
Weapon #1
Firing animation
Reload animation
Projectile in flight animation (if appropriate)
Destructible or animated objects in the world
Object #1
Object #2
Etc.
Effects list
Weapon effects list
Firing effects
Hit effects
Etc.
Environmental effects
Decals
Smoke
Sparks
Fire
Explosions
Etc.
Interface Art List
Icons
Buttons
Menus
Windows
Etc.
Sound
Environmental Sounds
Walking/running sounds on different surfaces
Foley sounds of character actions within the game
Explosions
Doors opening and closing
Etc.
Weapon Sounds
Weapon #1
Firing sound
Hit sound
Reload sound
Weapon #2
Etc.
Interface Sounds
Various clicks, beeps, etc., as the player maneuvers through the menus.
Alert/acknowledgment sounds as the player picks up objects or his game state changes.
Music
Ambient
Loop #1 + duration
Loop #2
Etc.
"Action"
Loop #1 + duration
Loop #2
Etc.
"Victory" loops
"Defeat" loops
Cutscene music
Piece #1
General description of mood and accompanying action
Duration
Piece #2
Etc.
Voice
Actor #1 lines
Line #1. Each line in the game must have a unique identifying filename. This will help both the recording process and localization. Don't forget to include various screams, yells, grunts, laughs, and other "non-word" lines.
Line #2
Etc.
Actor #2 lines
Etc.
SECTION XII: LOCALIZATION PLAN
Languages with full text and voice localization
Languages with text localization only
Text to be localized
In-game text
Game interface text
Voice to be localized
(See "Voice" section of asset list above)
SECTION XIII: MAJOR EVENT PLANNING
Trade Shows
Trade Show #1
Date
Materials needed for event
Demo description and specifications
Trade Show #2
Etc.
Special Publicity Events
Event #1 (such as "Editors Day" to show off game)
Date
Description of event
Materials needed for event
Demo description and specifications
Event #2
Etc.
PR/Marketing Support
Date when concept art will be available
Date when first screenshots will be available
Plan for creating additional screenshots throughout project
Plan for making team available for interviews
Etc.
Sales Team Support
Projected date of first "sell-sheet"
Demo loop for retail outlets
Other materials
Etc.
Prerelease Demo
Date
Scope
Content
SECTION XIV: TECHNICAL SUMMARY
Single-Player
PC
Minimum system requirements
Recommended system requirements
Number of characters viewable at once
Max # polys per character
Max # polys per level
Console Platform #1
Etc.
Multiplayer
Type of connectivity (Splitscreen? LAN? Online?)
Max # simultaneous players
Client-server? Peer-to-peer?
Etc.
SECTION XV: MISCELLANEOUS
Acronyms used in this document
Definition of terms
SECTION XVI: REFERENCES
Games
Movies
Books
Art