Post by JRooster76 on Jul 12, 2013 20:56:26 GMT -5
I think this is something that would be useful for us to do before we proceed. It would help all vested parties easily see what it is we are striving for, as well as give the project some direction. Found this at www.pdf-archive.com/2012/07/29/the-ultimate-guide-to-video-game-writing-and-design/the-ultimate-guide-to-video-game-writing-and-design.pdf
THE ONE-SHEET
The one-sheet, also called the Executive Summary, is up front
in your design document. You may even find that you create a
separate one-sheet or executive summary document of your
game. The reasons for this are numerous. First, this is a fast
way to pitch the game to busy decision-makers. Secondly, it
allows everyone else who might be interested, or have input,
to see an encapsulation of your vision. Perhaps most
important, it forces you to figure out exactly what is the core
gameplay experience you’re creating.
Often, we’ll start by trying to write the manual. If you can do
this, and communicate all of the ideas that you hope to
achieve in the game, then chances are good that your design is
solid. You’ll find that the longer and more detailed the
document gets early on in the process, the more “idea drift”
you are likely to experience (A one-sheet can be anywhere
from one to five pages in length. Go figure).
So start by trying to write the one-sheet. The elements of the
one-sheet are as follows:
TITLE
The title of your game. If you are not yet settled on a title, it is
a good idea to include (working title) in parenthesis. Spend
some time on this and really think it through, because your
title is your opening salvo. It should be something
memorable, and should tie into the main theme, action,
character, or genre of your game. Will a catchy title be
enough to sell your game? Of course not, but at this point it
can do two important things for you: It can set the title (and
by extension, your game idea) in the mind of your audience
and it can draw them into your document.
GENRE
Some common genres are FPS (First-Person Shooter),
Third-Person Action, Stealth, RPG (Role-playing Game),
Simulation (Driving, Flying, etc.), Survival-Horror, RTS
(Real-time Strategy), Platformer (sometimes called
Hoppy-Jumpy), and Sports. Sometimes, your game will
include more than one element from multiple genres.
If so,then call it a hybrid, so you have to list the genres that best
describe the envisioned gameplay. Listing a genre is
important, because, like film studios, developers often have a
slot to fill, and they are looking for a specific type of game, or
gameplay.
VERSION
Usually, we’ll put a version number on our document, but not
a date. Why? Anything with a date has a shelf life attached to
it. If you submit a document in January, and it is reviewed by
a publisher in May, it doesn't feel as fresh and new when a
decision maker reads it. Also, it implies that a lot of time has
fallen off the calendar since you first took the project out. By
simply assigning a version number instead, you can keep
track of the document, verify that your executive has the
latest draft, but do so in a way that does not draw attention to
how long you've been shopping the project. Remember,
everyone likes to think that they are the first ones to see a new
idea, and that the idea is coming to them “oven fresh.” Don’t
put anything on your document that can make it look stale.
Note: this same note also applies to any “Header or Footer”
that you choose to put on your document.
THE BIG IDEA
Put a brief synopsis of your content (story, character, worlds)
and your gameplay here. In one or two paragraphs, describe
the essence of the game experience.
CATEGORY
Similar to genre, here go ahead and list a few games that
compare to your title. You might say: “Game X (your game)
is a unique experience that combines the fast-paced action of
Game Y with the open environment worlds of Game Z.”
If you have a unique gameplay or content “hook,” this is
where you should feature it.
Also, is your game Single Player, Multiplayer (local, network,
wireless or Internet), Cooperative, etc.? If it’s Single Player,
do you have a “campaign” (a series of missions or levels with
a possible narrative storyline that progresses as the player
advances through the game)? If so, this is where to put a brief
description, and if possible, compare it to other games in the
marketplace.
One final note: Never badmouth another game in an attempt
to build up your own. Always make favorable comparisons,
never negative ones. And try to pick games that are successful
in the marketplace. It should be obvious that you don’t want
to say that your game is going to be a comparable to another
game that has failed; yet we see this done all the time.
PLATFORMS
List the target platforms for your game (PlayStation 3, Xbox
360, Nintendo DS, PC, etc.). Note that each time you list a
potential platform for your game, you will need to explain
why it is important to release the game for that platform.
Some games are better than others as multisku titles. If your
game is really optimized for a single platform, say so, and
why.
LICENSE
If the game is based on a license (film, book, comic, etc.),
describe the license here. Also, if the game is utilizing
licenses (such as identifiable brands), name them. Finally, if
this is an original intellectual property, briefly explain why it
can become a license (lay out the foundations of the
franchise). Remember that your reader is looking for more
than a one-shot deal. Think about how can your game be
more than a game.
PLAY MECHANIC
This is the core gameplay and control of the game. For
instance, in a driving simulation, the play mechanic would be
driving the car. However, this can go an additional step to
include unique elements, such as crashing the car, upgrading
the car, or using it to run over pedestrians. The play mechanic
describes how the player interacts with the gaming
experience, and how and why it will be compelling and fun
for him to do so.
TECHNOLOGY
Provide a summary of the technology you plan to use for the
game. If you are using middleware, list the engine and tools
that will be employed. If the engine is proprietary, list its key
features. Note that there are separate documents that will have
to be included from the engineering team that will fully detail
the technology for the game (often called a TDR—Technical
Design Review). That is not anything that you need to worry
about for this part of the document, though you should have
an accurate description of the tech, and why it is the best
solution to execute the game.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Who do you expect to play this game and why? You can
describe a specific demographic, but it is more helpful to
describe a type of gamer.
KEY FEATURES—USPS (UNIQUE SELLING POINTS)
Here, list the key elements of your game that make it unique.
Think of these as the bullet points that would be listed on the
back of the box. Keep this to about four to six features. You
can describe more later in the document if you need to; for
now, you are hitting the high points.
MARKETING SUMMARY
This is a quick list of why this game will do well in the
marketplace when compared to others. Also, think of “hooks”
that marketing people can get excited about because early on,
they—more than almost anyone else—determine the viability
of your project. If marketing doesn't think they can sell your
game, it doesn't matter how groundbreaking you are, how
many champions you have at the publisher, or how cool the
lead character is. You’re dead in the water if marketing is
against it.
Describe how the player will control the game and advance.
Is the game “twitchy”? Does it rely on combos that will take a
while a while to learn? Are there “skill levels”? Does the
game have multiple play modes, such as shooting and
driving? Are there any minigames? Is there an inventory
system? Can you “level up” the hero character? And so on.
As with the big idea, describe the core mechanics in as
straightforward a manner as possible.
THE ONE-SHEET
The one-sheet, also called the Executive Summary, is up front
in your design document. You may even find that you create a
separate one-sheet or executive summary document of your
game. The reasons for this are numerous. First, this is a fast
way to pitch the game to busy decision-makers. Secondly, it
allows everyone else who might be interested, or have input,
to see an encapsulation of your vision. Perhaps most
important, it forces you to figure out exactly what is the core
gameplay experience you’re creating.
Often, we’ll start by trying to write the manual. If you can do
this, and communicate all of the ideas that you hope to
achieve in the game, then chances are good that your design is
solid. You’ll find that the longer and more detailed the
document gets early on in the process, the more “idea drift”
you are likely to experience (A one-sheet can be anywhere
from one to five pages in length. Go figure).
So start by trying to write the one-sheet. The elements of the
one-sheet are as follows:
TITLE
The title of your game. If you are not yet settled on a title, it is
a good idea to include (working title) in parenthesis. Spend
some time on this and really think it through, because your
title is your opening salvo. It should be something
memorable, and should tie into the main theme, action,
character, or genre of your game. Will a catchy title be
enough to sell your game? Of course not, but at this point it
can do two important things for you: It can set the title (and
by extension, your game idea) in the mind of your audience
and it can draw them into your document.
GENRE
Some common genres are FPS (First-Person Shooter),
Third-Person Action, Stealth, RPG (Role-playing Game),
Simulation (Driving, Flying, etc.), Survival-Horror, RTS
(Real-time Strategy), Platformer (sometimes called
Hoppy-Jumpy), and Sports. Sometimes, your game will
include more than one element from multiple genres.
If so,then call it a hybrid, so you have to list the genres that best
describe the envisioned gameplay. Listing a genre is
important, because, like film studios, developers often have a
slot to fill, and they are looking for a specific type of game, or
gameplay.
VERSION
Usually, we’ll put a version number on our document, but not
a date. Why? Anything with a date has a shelf life attached to
it. If you submit a document in January, and it is reviewed by
a publisher in May, it doesn't feel as fresh and new when a
decision maker reads it. Also, it implies that a lot of time has
fallen off the calendar since you first took the project out. By
simply assigning a version number instead, you can keep
track of the document, verify that your executive has the
latest draft, but do so in a way that does not draw attention to
how long you've been shopping the project. Remember,
everyone likes to think that they are the first ones to see a new
idea, and that the idea is coming to them “oven fresh.” Don’t
put anything on your document that can make it look stale.
Note: this same note also applies to any “Header or Footer”
that you choose to put on your document.
THE BIG IDEA
Put a brief synopsis of your content (story, character, worlds)
and your gameplay here. In one or two paragraphs, describe
the essence of the game experience.
CATEGORY
Similar to genre, here go ahead and list a few games that
compare to your title. You might say: “Game X (your game)
is a unique experience that combines the fast-paced action of
Game Y with the open environment worlds of Game Z.”
If you have a unique gameplay or content “hook,” this is
where you should feature it.
Also, is your game Single Player, Multiplayer (local, network,
wireless or Internet), Cooperative, etc.? If it’s Single Player,
do you have a “campaign” (a series of missions or levels with
a possible narrative storyline that progresses as the player
advances through the game)? If so, this is where to put a brief
description, and if possible, compare it to other games in the
marketplace.
One final note: Never badmouth another game in an attempt
to build up your own. Always make favorable comparisons,
never negative ones. And try to pick games that are successful
in the marketplace. It should be obvious that you don’t want
to say that your game is going to be a comparable to another
game that has failed; yet we see this done all the time.
PLATFORMS
List the target platforms for your game (PlayStation 3, Xbox
360, Nintendo DS, PC, etc.). Note that each time you list a
potential platform for your game, you will need to explain
why it is important to release the game for that platform.
Some games are better than others as multisku titles. If your
game is really optimized for a single platform, say so, and
why.
LICENSE
If the game is based on a license (film, book, comic, etc.),
describe the license here. Also, if the game is utilizing
licenses (such as identifiable brands), name them. Finally, if
this is an original intellectual property, briefly explain why it
can become a license (lay out the foundations of the
franchise). Remember that your reader is looking for more
than a one-shot deal. Think about how can your game be
more than a game.
PLAY MECHANIC
This is the core gameplay and control of the game. For
instance, in a driving simulation, the play mechanic would be
driving the car. However, this can go an additional step to
include unique elements, such as crashing the car, upgrading
the car, or using it to run over pedestrians. The play mechanic
describes how the player interacts with the gaming
experience, and how and why it will be compelling and fun
for him to do so.
TECHNOLOGY
Provide a summary of the technology you plan to use for the
game. If you are using middleware, list the engine and tools
that will be employed. If the engine is proprietary, list its key
features. Note that there are separate documents that will have
to be included from the engineering team that will fully detail
the technology for the game (often called a TDR—Technical
Design Review). That is not anything that you need to worry
about for this part of the document, though you should have
an accurate description of the tech, and why it is the best
solution to execute the game.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Who do you expect to play this game and why? You can
describe a specific demographic, but it is more helpful to
describe a type of gamer.
KEY FEATURES—USPS (UNIQUE SELLING POINTS)
Here, list the key elements of your game that make it unique.
Think of these as the bullet points that would be listed on the
back of the box. Keep this to about four to six features. You
can describe more later in the document if you need to; for
now, you are hitting the high points.
MARKETING SUMMARY
This is a quick list of why this game will do well in the
marketplace when compared to others. Also, think of “hooks”
that marketing people can get excited about because early on,
they—more than almost anyone else—determine the viability
of your project. If marketing doesn't think they can sell your
game, it doesn't matter how groundbreaking you are, how
many champions you have at the publisher, or how cool the
lead character is. You’re dead in the water if marketing is
against it.
Describe how the player will control the game and advance.
Is the game “twitchy”? Does it rely on combos that will take a
while a while to learn? Are there “skill levels”? Does the
game have multiple play modes, such as shooting and
driving? Are there any minigames? Is there an inventory
system? Can you “level up” the hero character? And so on.
As with the big idea, describe the core mechanics in as
straightforward a manner as possible.
