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Game Design Document

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Network Game Design Document

Version 0.42 - Last Modified 12/12/2012

Table of contentsBasic Overview High Concept – Page 1Multiplayer Features and overview – 1Release Estimates -

In-game Features and requirementsLevel Linking – Page 2Map Link 1 Storyline – To be writtenWeapon Upgrade System – Page 3Health System – Page 3, 4Class System and values – Page 4Armor Upgrades – Page 4, 5Game Modes – Page 5Multiplayer Levels – Page 5, 6Micro Payments System and values – Page 7Weapons – Page 7Ammo Variations – Page 7, 8Grenade Types – Page 8, 9Armor Sets – Page 10Credit Prices – Page 9

User Interface (HUD and Menu)Menu UI – Page 9, 10Pre-Match lobby Page 10Social Features – Page 10Heads up Display – Page 10, 11Pre-Spawn Screen – Page 12End Game Lobby – Page 12

Basic OverviewHigh ConceptTo create a fun and unique multiplayer free first person shooter experience which differs from your typical call of duty/battlefield clone in both gameplay and visual style alongside a variety of other cool gameplay mechanics whilst being monetizable. The style of the game we are going for is similar to call of duty in terms of style in the sense that it’s not super realistic and somewhat arcade like in a way however we are going to build a truly unique and fun concept that brings the player back for more. At the moment we are currently in development stages and aim to have an open alpha/beta our once our game gets to a playable stage in early 2013. We choose to use UDK as it allows us to easily export to multiple platforms and for its ease of use whilst still being high quality. On that note we decided to focus exclusively on steam as it already has plausible UDK integration allowing us to bring our concept to a reality and has exceptional publishing opportunities.

Game Overview:Network is an up-coming free-to-play First Person Shooter game set in its own unique sci-fi world. The game focuses on tight combat, a dense atmosphere, and high quality visuals. The game is multiplayer only, meaning maximum quality of the game in that regard bringing you pure multiplayer brilliance. Network has its own class and ranking system, filled with persistent options to enhance your character with new gear, items, and personalization options. Whether playing as the nimble Scout class or the beefy Tank class, Network strives to deliver game play and visuals on a level that most free-to-play FPS games can’t match.

Multiplayer Features and overview: Social Features – To create a fun social experience while allowing the player to get into a match easily through some sort of server browser, also alongside an easy to use server browser I would like to have a sort of friends system which allows the player to add contacts and join matches with them.Dynamic Class System – Put together a class system that differs from usual fps games in both weapons and values so basic things like armor and speed would change accordingly…Market Place – Put together an in-menu marketplace which allows the player to buy weapons and armor through a currency which the player can buy through steam transactions…Custom Game Modes – Develop game modes which aren’t just your typical kill based objectives, so we can offer the player a different game style to your typical FPS…Weapon System – Make a weapon system that is completely unique from your typical fps game that is more efficient and easy to use while at the same time fun.Clan/Alliance based play – To be written

In-Game Features and RequirementsLevel Linking System:In Network we plan to have an alternative to single player which lets the players play through all of the different multiplayer maps in a story driven manner whilst still playing in multiplayer mode with and against other players. The game mode would consist of two teams (acting as opposite factions) with one team attacking and the other defending, there would be numerous objectives which need to be completed in order to go through to the next section/level including primary objectives alongside secondary (optional objectives which would somehow benefit the team completing the objective in question). Below I have made a flow graph to show the order in which the levels are played through.Urban > Mall > Subway > Submerged Lab > Space Station

Weapons upgrade System:Gun Augmentation Protocol (G.A.P Drives?) Haven't really figured out a name yet.In standard FPS games, gun attachments are a great way to change the stats of a gun or add new features and mechanics. It's a fun way to get a gun to be more geared towards your play style but it's generally pretty basic and over-used. Since our game is a futuristic FPS, I’ve been able to come up with an idea to re-invent the 'gun attachment' mechanic. But because it's such a complex idea, there are 2 ways it could exist, the first being simple and the second being a little more complex.First, let’s explain the basic idea and then we'll split off into the Simple and Complex versions.http://gyazo.com/abdae1544a93401a7b69a7c6eba15205We'll be using this image as reference. The original concept art depicted the gun and the circular ammo cartridge. Near the stock of the gun (left side, back end of the gun) is a blue, horizontal slot. This was originally part of how i came up with the idea. The additions I’ve made to the concept itself are the 3 'USB-like' cartridges that would be what goes into the horizontal slot. You put them in and the gun reacts, each of these would be colored depending on what stat-type they are changing and each would represent a single attachment. As you level up, you unlock higher level weapons that have more slots in them. So the gun depicted in the concept art (that's assuming we stick with this exact weapon) would be an entry-level weapon, with only 1 slot that is horizontal. Higher level weapons will most likely have vertical slots to allow for most slots in the same sort of area.There are 3 kinds of (let’s just call them) G.A.P. drives (for now) and each has a color assigned to them and a name, these are:Range: Yellow - DamageAccuracy: Green - Rate of FireRate of Fire: Red - AccuracyNow we're nearing the part where i need to split the idea into 2 but the last thing to say is that all weapons will obviously have stats. Adding these G.A.P. drives will change those stats, enhancing their corresponding stat (Range G.A.P. drives will enhance range) and then DECREASING another stat accordingly to keep the balance. Better weapons will have better base stats and different starting mechanics. Also, one of the last things to add would be that

you get these G.A.P. drives through whichever unlock system we go for. If we decide playing games unlocks points or a currency, these G.A.P. drives would have a cost, if we choose level unlocks then it would change accordingly. If they have a cost and a level requirement... You get the picture. Special drives that have more interesting changes in how the gun behaves could be unlocked using achievements, possibly achievements relating to the change given from the G.A.P. drives.Multiple G.A.P. drives:Another thing to take into account is how multiple slots affect each other, because of the nature of how the idea can be complex or simple; I’ll have to explain that differently in each section.Aright, bare with me, here is where i split the ideas up, first up we have:SIMPLE:So let’s say you get a G.A.P. drive through one of the obtaining methods mentioned above. You then put the drive into a slot and the stats will be changed accordingly. Simple as that. If it's a Range drive, you get a boost in Range; higher level Range drives will give larger enhancements and lesser decreases in another stat to keep the balance. Multiple drives:Let's assume we set up a system like this: Range slot level 1 = +10 Range -5 damage. That's a 10 point increase and a 50% of augmented value decrease, so if it had been +20, the decrease would've been -10. A level 2 Range drive might give you +20 Ranges and -7 damage decreases. The decrease will always be the same, so you can't get a Range drive that decreases something else.Now you have, for example, a level 3 Range drives that is +30 range, -10 damage. You can put anything else in the other slots except from the same type with the same level. So you can have lv1 Range and lv2 Range. But not the same type and same level. You could have lv1 Range and lv1 Accuracy though.Example: You get 100 long range kills and unlock a yellow, Range G.A.P. that is level 3.At this point, you have a gun with 3 slots and you then put the drive into one of the slots getting a +30 Range increase and a -10 damage decrease. You then go and grab 2 other drives that do their own stat-change thing and boom, you're good to go.

Health SystemThe health system we are going for is slightly different from your typical call of duty/battlefield game. In terms of character statistics you would have 2 stats, Health and ammo, We are looking for a health system where you have to go through the armor before the health. By default every player would start with armor based on their class accordingly, The way we want health and armor to work is that once the armor has been taken down they begin to lose health, their armor regenerates however their health doesn't to give the sense that they have battle wounds so to speak and stop the player from just regenerating everything and going in a loop of just taking out lesser skilled players...

Class System:

There will be a few different classes in Network, We wanted our class system to be truly unique to that of other games so we decided that we would make Each class have different a different base armor and speed to work around their style alongside other various gameplay statistical adjustments on top of those and other things such as character model and load outs accordingly, however their health value would not change, I've written down the values for Armor and speed based on 100 being the default speed/health in the actual engine itself. Classes would be restricted to certain weapons fit around their gameplay style. Alongside those changes each class would have different base meshes which are choose able for each class from the menu in the marketplace. You would be able to change your class from a pre-spawn screen along with various other options also you would have the ability to change your load out for each class in the menu however you wouldn’t be able to change class loud outs from the pre-spawn screen to differ the capability of out of game to in-game. Each of our classes has their up and down sides which I’ve listed below and have added values accordingly…

Class StatsScout – Faster objective capturing + Fast movement speed and agile.Assault – Equilibrium + assault rifleTank – Increased armor + Stronger MeleeSniper – Jammer + Faster ADS SpeedClass Assault Rifle Pistol SMG Shotgun PWD Dual Pistols Sniper RifleTank No Yes No Yes Yes No NoScout No Yes Yes No Yes Yes NoSoldier Yes Yes No No Yes No NoSniper No Yes No No Yes No Yes

Name Armor SpeedTank 250 50Scout 75 135Soldier 100 100Sniper 90 90

Armor upgrades: We didn’t want to go down the route of allowing the player to be able to change every different part of their body just as the workload would just be a little more than we can handle. So we thought of allowing the player to buy complete character models with their credits (the currency) that they earn in-game. Each class would have class specific character models (Just for the sake of realism). Also amongst those character models there would be tiers which would make certain character models (armor sets) cost more credits and require a certain rank to unlock. More specific values are down below in the appropriate section… Once you first play the game you would be able to choose male or female and you would get the appropriate character models accordingly…

Game Modes:

We want to get a variety of game modes into Network however we don’t want to go down the route of just simply having kills as the sole objective. We want to add other small details to the game modes to differ them from other generic fps games…Free for all: Free for all is a game mode based around every man for himself, The game will last for roughly 10 minutes however that can be changed if needed. To win the game you are required to hit the threshold (7500 points), However this game mode isn’t the same as usual fps games, You get more points for killing higher ranked members in the leaderboard also alongside that bonus the highest ranked player in the match would have a tool tip above their character when within roughly 100m to show who would earn you the most points, A game of free for all would consist of 8 players. Below I’ve marked the amount of points you would get for killing a player based on their rank in the leaderboard…Rank Points

1 1002 803 604 505 506 507 508 50

Team Death match: Team Death match is a team based game mode where you have to kill the enemy team, you have to get a total of 7500 points and you earn 50 each kill as in free for all with a time limit of 15 minutes.

Capture the flag: Capture the flag is a game mode based around two teams of 8 capturing the flag and returning it to their base, the first team to achieve 5 flag caps win the game with a time limit of 15 minutes

Domination: The game mode is based around two teams which have to capture three computers around the map. The more computers (nodes) the team has the faster the team’s score increases. The game mode will generally last longer if the players are having a constant fight over the nodes and for that reason I’ve chosen to give the game mode a 20 minute time limit.

Multiplayer levelsWe Have a few different maps in the works at the moment, One of the things that we want to do with our maps/level is add some sort of interactivity so the whole game isn’t just run and gun, For example we have an area in the space station level where you can go outside where the gravity changes…

Underwater research lab The Submerged Laboratory (still is yet to be named) is a map themed around water. The spawn room of one team is encased in ocean, for example, and the other spawn room is in front of a large waterfall. The map is designed around a three-floor

layout, with the middle floor being the spawning floor and easiest floor to navigate, while the bottom and top floors are flanking floors that are more difficult to properly navigate. The middle areas are designed for vertical combat, while the areas towards both extremes are more cased off, making them safer. The map is also primarily designed for objective-based games, but can be easily adapted to Team Death match, or even classic Death match. The map also is split in half vertically with a futuristic, clean atmosphere on one side and a rocky, more natural atmosphere on the other. Overall, the art theme is designed to be a clean futuristic look mixed with caves and a more natural ocean look. There is also a possibility for underwater gameplay, which has not yet been evaluated.

Space StationThe Space Station was built years before the war with the robotic beings began and was held as one of the greatest wonders of the world. Staying within close orbit of the planet Earth, people on the station can stay at awe at the visual of the planet from the safe haven of the station. Now, players can only see the destruction of the planet brought on by the war and the faint sounds of spacecraft’s being destroyed as the war wages on.

SubwayIt’s an abandoned subway stations which was built 15 years before the war between man and machine begun, It was sealed off by government forces due to the robots using the tunnels as a way to get to populated areas easily and safely, the environment will be dark in some places but have some machinery and screens still up and running with electricity coming out of wires and broken machinery...

Micro Payments and currency systemSeeing as the game is going to be free to play we are going to introduce a micro payments system where you can buy credits which are the same currency of which that you earn in-game,

however we are still going to have that crucial incentive for the player to buy that currency. We are going to have a system where there are tiers of weapons and character armor sets (character models). Each of those tiers would cost more for an item. For example the first tier would take roughly 10 matches to earn enough money to buy a gun, whereas the second tier would be something like 25 matches, and as those tiers go up, it becomes harder to earn enough credits to buy the good guns and armor sets that the player wants to get their hands on… So it’s not really a matter of misbalancing the game between free items and paid for items in usual micro transaction so players still have the ability to get every item but they just have to work hard for them…

WeaponsI expect to have at least one type of each weapon for each tier, For example assault rifles we would have 1 3 : round burst,1 full auto, 1 semi auto for each tier, and the same would go for the other types of weapons… Rather than going down the traditional route of having a arena style weapon placement in UDK we are aiming for the weapon to be placed in the middle similar to that of call of duty, battlefield etc. Also Weapons would have an arms mesh on them to add to the realism… Also we would need to code in an ammo based reload system where you keep ammo in your clip when you reload. Also another custom weapon system we need to put in as opposed to the default one is UDK is an ADS (Aim down sight) animation when the players holds down right click. Alongside our other cool weapon features we want to have a system where the player can have different types of ammo which can affect the enemy player when they get show. You can get the weapons as unlocks from the marketplace in the main menu for your in-game currency also below I’ve written up values for each of the weapons. I’ve referenced bps as “Bullets per second” and delay as “DL” and I’ve listed the weapons in order of tier below.

Weapon Rate of fire Reload Rate Damage Clip Size Accuracy Range

Light Hand 0.5 (2 bps) 1 (1.5 empty)

Heavy Pistol 1 (1 bps) 1.5 (2 empty)

SMG (1) 0.1 (1bps) 2.25 (3 empty)

SMG (2) 0.075 (14 bps) 2.75 (3.5 empty)

AR (Burst) 0.33 (3 bsp 1dl) 3 (3.5 empty)

AR (Full Auto) 0.15 (7 bps) 2 (2.5 empty)SG (Semi Auto) 0.5 (2 bps) 3 (4 empty)SG (1 shot burst) 1.5 (0.75 bps

Sniper (Semi) 1 (1 bps)

Sniper (Bolt) 1.6 (0.625 bps)

PDW 0.125 (8 bps)

Weapon Ammo TypesTagging Ammo – Sniper Immune – Tags the enemy with an image that shows where they are in-game.Adaptive Ammo - Soldier Immune - Adaptive ammo is something that works differently with each class. Scout removes the ability to capture stuff faster, Sniper Lower ADS Speed, Tanks get their armor pierced and gets cut through a lot easier from bullets, Sniper gets their jammer functionality taken away if shot for 2-5 seconds however does not stack…

EMP Ammo - Scout Immune - Screws up the enemies HUD and plays a EMP material onto the enemies screen once they get shot for 2 seconds which does not stack.Slowing Ammo - Tank Immune – Slows the enemy in physical forms of movement, turning, aim down sight.

Weapon Animations neededIdleReloadSprintAim down sightFire (Normal)Fire (Aim down Sight)Assault RifleFully Auto Semi Auto 3 Round BurstSniper RifleSemi Auto Bolt ActionSMGMedium Range, Low Damage Low Range, Medium DamagePistolSemi Auto Fully Auto Short RangeShotgun

Name CreditsTier 1 15,000Tier 2 35,000Tier 3 75,000Tier 4 125,000Tier 5 250,000

Grenade Types:In Network we want to have a variety of different grenade types that work around the player’s game style allowing them to choose equipment that would best suite them and be more efficient. Below I’ve listed the possible grenade types which will most likely go in-game alongside descriptions for each of them. Grenades would be chosen by the player from the customization section of the menu and would be used in game by pressing “G”. The player would be able to hold two different types of grenades at once, 1 lethal and 1 non-lethal grenade at once. The key to change between lethal and non-lethal is yet to be decided.Lethal – Frag, PoisonNon-Lethal – Smoke, FlashFrag Grenade – Throws a fairly powerful grenade that deals 150 damage within a 50 centimeter radius of the grenade, 75 damage within a 1 meter diameter of the grenade, 25 damage within a two meter diameter and no further damage outside of that area.Poison Grenade – Poison grenades emit a cloud of purple/pink gas which would somewhat obscure player vision at an opacity level of around 50-70% that lasts 15 seconds and when

touched would poison enemy players slowing them down to 60% of default running speed alongside slowing dealing damage over time equivalent to 7% of the player’s health per second lasting 10 seconds.Smoke Grenade – Smoke grenade emits a cloud of gray but with a slight blue hint smoke with an opacity level of around 85% that lasts roughly 25 seconds and does no damage. The overall diameter would be roughly 4-5 meters.Flash Grenade – Throws a grenade that deals 0 damage and disorients the player if looking towards the grenade in a 10 meter radius, the disorient strength would change based on the player’s position in regards to the flash grenade.

Armor Sets:Rather than going down the traditional route of allowing the player to change every piece of armor we want to allow the player to buy complete armor sets in the shape of a whole char model, these will cost slightly more than weapons. There would have to be roughly two armor sets for each class per tier so the player doesn’t feel so limited… Each Character model/concept would have to be available in 3 different color versions so that they can be used based on the team so for example in team based game modes each character model would have a different texture(Color) where as a free for all based game mode everyone would have the same color.Name CreditsTier 1 15,000Tier 2 50,000Tier 3 100,000Tier 4 150,000Tier 5 300,000

Credit Prices:You can earn credits in two ways, earn them from in-game matches or buy them in small packages (from steam) as a sort of add-on and those credits get added to your profile…I’ve written down the prices below for the currencies at which I feel is appropriate however are subject to change…Credits Price

100,000 $2 250,000 $4 500,000 $7

### $10

From a match you would get certain amounts of credits based on your performance, initially I wanted the player to receive 750 for winning a game and 250 for losing a game, on top of those bonuses we would like to award player for kills so the player would get around 50 additional credits per kill/objective completed.

Main Menu:

The main menu would be the player’s hub and main source of their customization. The main menu would have to include a few different options and areas; I’ve listed a few different sections below… On the main menu there would be 5 key areas which the player would have the ability to go to:Player Hub – Main Menu’s main screen showing player profile along with a bunch of featured items.Play – Server Browser.Marketplace – Take you to the marketplace.Customization – Allows the player to customize their load out for specific classes.Player Profile – Show your player’s profile. (Eliminated and put into the hub)Top Navigational Bar – To Be written.Screen Specific Navigational Bar – To be written.Exit – Exit the game.

Status BarThe menu would have a bar at the very top of the screen which shows you your player name, credits and rank as shown in the image below. The top bar would stay on the top of the menu at all times as a constant reminder of your credits, rank etc. however wouldn’t follow into an actual game match…

Play NowOne of the very first buttons you will see will be a button which directs you to the server browser where you can pick between a variety of hosted matches and would show server name, map and game mode, players and availability. Alongside the server browser we aim to have a quick join option however we haven’t figured out how it will be implemented over than your standard external interface button.

Player Profile (Eliminated and placed into the player hub)There would be an area dedicated to showing the players profile and data statistics and is accessible from match lobbies if you are trying to view someone else’s profile or yours directly from the main menu, There will be a few different statistics shown on the player profile including rank, games played, games won, K/D etc. (Alongside badges which are earned for completing an in-game feat) the text inside brackets is just an idea and we are not sure if we are going to implement it just yet…

MarketplaceThe marketplace would be the player’s main location for purchasing items and spending their well-earned cash. The marketplace would be split up into a few different sections to accommodate for all of the items on there by default you will be on a featured page with a variety of the featured deals or recommended items. You would be able to switch between the different sections from the screen specific navigation bar at the bottom.-Weapons – -Armor Sets --Upgrades –-Equipment –

Pre-Match LobbyBefore a game starts we need to have a lobby system in which the player can see who is in their lobby, use a basic chat box for communication, and visit player profiles of players in the match. Depending on the route we go down we can either allow the host to change the game mode and map or have set servers where there are pre-set game mode for each lobby and map change would be done through a voting system however is not decided at the moment and is most likely subject to change.

Social FeaturesWe need to allow the player to not only play matches over the internet with random players, We need to incorporate a system where the player can add friends which they can join matches if they are in one directly from the main menu. Players would be able to add another player as a friend from the pre-match lobby screen.

Heads up display

The heads up display (HUD) would have to display many different values based on the game mode, player variables alongside a Mini map. The HUD’s main values which are needed to be displayed are Health, Ammo, Game Mode Dependent Variables, on top of those variables we are going to display a few other ones which aren’t constantly on their which will fade in at the start of the match and then fade out after a certain amount of time and would be done with several different frames in action script. Below I’ve gone into a little more detail about each element.Heads up display Dynamic elementsAmmo In clip – Persistent – Dynamic Text FieldGrenade count – Persistent – Dynamic Text Field Next to an image for each grenade type.Ammo Total – Persistent – Dynamic Text FieldTime Remaining – Persistent – Dynamic Text FieldArmor Percentage – Persistent – Dynamic Text FieldYou’re Points – Persistent – Dynamic Text FieldHighest Player’s points (or player below’s providing you are the top) - PersistentMap Name – Float box which fades in and then out at the start.Game Type – Float box which fades in and then out at the start.Health – Visual Indicator alongside a persistent value.

Pre-Spawn Screen:The pre-spawn screen is the screen which the player will see right before getting into the match, alongside after they die and are awaiting respawn. The pre-spawn screen would act as a hub for the player whilst in the match allowing them to change class, go to the customization, view the scoreboard and use a more detailed version of the mini map with a whole overview of the map rather than the area around the player. Below I’ve written up a more detailed version of the key UI elements. All placements expressed are subject to change.Key Elements-Class Selection – Class selections through a series of rollover buttons for each class located on the left.-Positive/Negative Buttons - Buttons on the bottom left and right for Positive/Negative being Exit and Customization.-Scoreboard - Scoreboard which the player will be able to bring up on top of the current UI elements by press tab, the scoreboard will most likely be the same as the in-play one for efficiency as shown on the diagram below. Also the score HUD element from the HUD would stay persistent at the top.-Mini map – The player would have the ability to use a modified version of the mini map on the pre-spawn screen which would allow you to see a whole map overview of where your allies/objectives are.-Camera Options – The player would have the ability to change between camera options from little buttons on the left and right of the spawn button. Standard behind player view would be selected by default. However they would also have the option to change to a camera actor based view which would allow them to cycle through 5 different camera actors placed in the level, upon selecting that camera they would then use that area for spawning as opposed to traditional non player selected spawns.

-Float box – Above the pre-spawn button there will be a little a little float box that fades in and out providing you was killed that would show the name of the enemy that killed you and the weapon

End Game Lobby (Undecided):At the end of the match the players will be brought to an end game lobby which is overlaid directly on top of the game after the scoreboard has been shown etc. The end game lobby will be similar to that of the pre-match lobby in the sense that the player will be able to vote on what the next map will be, go to player profiles, and chat amongst other players in the lobby before it transitions onto the next match, also the player will be able to leave the game from there without being pressured into the next game lasting roughly 35 seconds.