The Legend of Ramayana Game Design

Original Game Title: The Legend of Ramayana
Author: Peter Ingham

Table of Content
The Legend of Ramayana Peter Ingham
Table of Contents...................................................................................................................1
1. Introduction........................................................................................................................ 3
2. Description......................................................................................................................... 3
3. Target Audience.................................................................................................................3
4. Genre................................................................................................................................. 3
5. Platform/Distribution...........................................................................................................4
6. Graphics Style/Rendering System......................................................................................4
7. Music & Sound Effects.......................................................................................................5
8. Objects/Perishable Items....................................................................................................6
8.1 Objects/Weapons.............................................................................................................7
8.2 Objects/Armour................................................................................................................7
8.3 Objects/Accessories......................................................................................................... 8
8.4 Objects/Key Items............................................................................................................ 9
8.5 God Elements...................................................................................................................9
8.6 Skills............................................................................................................................... 11
8.7 Magic.............................................................................................................................. 12
9. Characters........................................................................................................................ 14
9.1 PC............................................................................................................................... 14
9.2 NPC/Sidekick 1........................................................................................................... 14
9.3 NPC/Sidekick 2........................................................................................................... 15
9.4 NPC/Sidekick 3........................................................................................................... 15
9.5 NPC/The Princess......................................................................................................16
9.6 NPC/The Demon King................................................................................................16
10. Game Structure and Gameplay Overview......................................................................18
10.1 Story/Gameplay Matrix Main Story...........................................................................18
11. Rules.............................................................................................................................. 24
11.1 World Rules.............................................................................................................. 24
11.2 Item/Equipment/Magic/Skills Rules...........................................................................25
11.3 Character Rules........................................................................................................26
12. Controls.......................................................................................................................... 27
13. User Interface................................................................................................................. 30
14. Production Report.......................................................................................................... 38
14.1 Planning and Development of the Prototype.............................................................38
14.2 Play test Results.......................................................................................................41
14.3 Changes to implementation requirements and schedule...........................................43
References........................................................................................................................... 45
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Appendices.......................................................................................................................... 46
Appendix A....................................................................................................................... 46
Appendix B....................................................................................................................... 46
Appendix C....................................................................................................................... 47
Appendix D....................................................................................................................... 47
Appendix E....................................................................................................................... 48
Appendix F....................................................................................................................... 48
Appendix G....................................................................................................................... 49
Appendix H....................................................................................................................... 50
Appendix I......................................................................................................................... 51
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1. Introduction
The Legend of Ramayana is an action-platforming RPG based on the Indian Sanskrit epic ‘Ramayana’.
The intended platform for the game is Sony’s handheld PSP games system and takes place over a
mythical India as told of in the story. It stars the character of Rama who is on a quest to save his wife
who has been kidnapped by the demon king Ravana. On this quest he will encounter various
enemies and friends that will hinder and help him in his journey.
2. Description
You take control of Rama, the mythical prince of Ayodhya as his kingdom is besieged by the evil
demon king Ravana. While fighting to defend your homeland your brother Lakshmana tells you that
Ravana has kidnapped your wife Sita. As you attempt to battle through the hordes of enemies you
see Ravana and Sita flying above. Your wife looks down and throws her ruby pendant to Rama as
they fly into the distance. The enemies disappear in black mist leaving you and your broken
kingdom. With Lakshmana by your side, you vow to go on a quest to rescue your wife.
During your quest you must locate the colossus rubies that will restore Sita’s pendant and guide you
in the right direction to Ravana’s hidden kingdom. You must travel through locales such as the desert
city of Kosala, Vindhya Mountains and the Dandaka forest. Each level has its unique breed of
demons and challenging obstacles that you have to overcome in order to progress. You’ll also get
the chance to recruit companions on your journey who bring with them new powers and knowledge
in your quest to find the hidden city of Lanka where Ravana waits your arrival.
3. Target Audience
The intended target audience for this game will be people aged 8-25. Younger people will find the
game engaging because of its easy playability and colourful cell-shaded graphics. It should also
appeal to the older gamer as well because of the interesting story and fun battle system. This target
audience includes both male and females because not only should the fact that it is a casual game be
engaging but it also appeals to people because the story is based on Indian culture and history.
4. Genre
The genre of this game that would best describe it would be a third-person, action platforming RPG.
By third person we mean that the camera would be positioned at the slightly elevated 45º angle
focused on the back of the player so you are able to see a short distance in front of them.
The action element would come in the form of a game similar to Kingdom Hearts because there
would be an active battle system that would come into play when the character is within a certain
radius of an enemy and they are free to attack and use abilities. The player would also be
accompanied by one team mate at a time that he can switch between if he needs specific abilities.
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The Role playing element would be provided by the fact that you are taking control of a specific
character and through the game you are experience his story as it unfolds as you progress through
the game. There would be common themes that are in keeping with the RPG genre such as having
separate towns and inns, a party system with equip-able armour, abilities etc and an emphasis on
characters and story.
The game is a single player experience and you instruct your partners what to do when they are out
on the field, this element is similar to the Tales of Symphonia system because you can assign them
with specific battle objectives like ‘all out attack’ or ‘focus on healing’.
The levels are in a small sandbox type with multiple levels for each little section such as Vindhya
Mountains where there would be the Vindhya Mountains Piedmont, Trail and finally Precipice. The
towns and cities are a lot different because they are presented as more of a static image (see
appendix A) where the player can guide his cursor along different POI and interact with something
like a weapons shop or an inn. The world map is a large map of a mythical representation of India
according to Rama’s journey (see appendix B) and functions in a similar way to the town system
which akin to a game like Final Fantasy X.
The only online features that the game features are players’ abilities to upload their level completion
stats to a score board and unlock trophies for certain game accomplishments. There will also be
downloadable content available such as extra weapons and costumes, but this is something that can
be added to with the predicted success of the game.
5. Platform/Distribution
Platform
The games intended platform is the handheld PSP device. This system comes with fixed
specifications such as graphical and CPU power that will be easy to stay in sync with by using the PSP
dev kit that is supplied by the parent company. This platform is a cost effective way of making a
game for the Indian market due to the fact that is already an established product and is appealing
for casual gamers due to its handheld nature.
Distribution
The game will be distributed multiple ways:
 In large chain supermarkets and media stores
 Online via established sites that Sony India have worked with before
 Smaller stores both on and offline that make purchase orders
The choice to make the game available in large supermarkets and media stores primarily due to the
fact they get the most market saturation in an offline medium, online sites such as Amazon’s India
outlet and any other online multimedia sites that place order for the product.
6. Graphics Style/Rendering System
The graphical style of the game can best be likened to a game like Tales of Symphonia or Zelda:
Windwaker with its character and world design due to the fact that it has a slightly anime like
character design. This was chosen because it would appeal to children but also it went hand in hand
with the choice to make the rendering style cell-shaded. This will give the game a bright and visually
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appealing look which will work with the bright mythical creatures and levels that the original
Ramayana story has.
7. Music & Sound Effects
Background Music
This would be music that is played while the character is in game levels, battles, on the town and
world interface. Each level and accompanying town would have its own theme of music, e.g. Kosala
being the main royal city would have to have an air of grandeur about it, and this could possibly be
done via the use of horns in its orchestral creation but also with the use of Indian instruments.
Examples:
 Battle themes
 Boss battles themes
 Different level themes
 Different town themes
 Music that conveys positive, negative, anger sorrow moments in the game
Background Sounds
These are sounds that would play in the background and would mostly be level effects that would
come into effect in certain areas.
Examples:
 Wind
 Rain
 Rivers/waterfalls
 Fire
 Crowds
 Creatures
Sound Effects
Sound effects would cover a large area in the in the game. There are numerous places that they can
and will be used. Areas such as:
Menu
 Navigating the system menu with the pointer,
 Accepting, going back
 Equipping weapons, armour etc
 Using items and curative magic
 Dropping items
 When items cannot be used ‘classic negative buzz’ SE
Town/Map
 Entering a level
 Entering shops and buildings
 Points of interest jingles
Field
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 Running on different surfaces

 Swimming, diving
 Jumping
 Opening chests
 Destroying different objects
 Switches, buttons etc
 Pushing/pulling objects
 Explosions
 Using abilities
 Speaking catchphrases (no other vocal audio)
Battle
 Normal attacks
 Magic, skills, God Elements
 Getting hit by different attacks
 Defeating an enemy fanfare
 Using items
 Switching characters
 Character sound effects e.g. speech
 Game over music
8. Objects/Perishable Items
Object Name Description Location found/ Movable/

how gained Carried
Solace Drop Restores 30%, 70%, 100% life Shops, chests, item Carried
respectively to 1 team member points, battle reward
Solace Stock
Solace Max
Karmic Drop Restores 30%, 70%, 100% KP Shops, chests, item Carried
Karmic Stock
Karmic Max
KI Drop Restores 30%, 70%, 100% KI Shops, chests, item Carried
KI Stock
KI Max
Elixir Restores full status to 1 team Chests, item points, Carried
member battle reward
Full Solace Restores 50% life, KP and KI Shops, chests, item Carried
respectively to all team points, battle reward
Full Karmic
members
Full KI
Full Elixir Restores full life and status to Chests, item points, Carried
all team members battle reward
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Soul Drop Brings character back from Shops, chests, item Carried
death with 30%, 50% of life points, battle reward
Soul Max
respectively
Sage Restores characters status Shops, chests, item Carried
from all abnormalities points, battle reward
8.1 Objects/Weapons

how gained Carried
(Rama) Swords The sword is Rama’s primary Shops, chests, item Carried in
weapon; they come in many points, battle reward. equip screen
different forms getting more Some must have special when used
powerful as the game objectives met.
progresses.
(Rama) Bows The bow is Rama’s secondary Shops, chests, item Carried in
weapon; they come in many points, battle reward. equip screen
different forms getting more Some must have special when used
powerful as the game objectives met.
progresses.
(Lakshmana) Tridents The Trident is Lakshmana’s Shops, chests, item Carried in
primary weapon and he can points, battle reward. equip screen
acquire better weapons as the Some must have special when used
game progresses. objectives met.
(Sugriva) Staffs The Staff is Surgriva’s primary Shops, chests, item Carried in
weapon and he can acquire points, battle reward. equip screen
better weapons as the game Some must have special when used
progresses. objectives met.
(Vishvamitra) Astra’s Astra is Vishvamitra’s primary Shops, chests, item Carried in
weapons and he can acquire points, battle reward. equip screen
better weapons as the game Some must have special when used
progresses. objectives met.
8.2 Objects/Armour

how gained Carried
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(Rama) Cuirass’ The cuirass is chest armour Shops, chests, item Carried in
that covers the breast. There points, battle reward. equip screen
are various different kinds to Some must have special when used
be acquired, bronze, gold etc objectives met.
(Lakshmana) Toga Even though the toga is quite Shops, chests, item Carried in
thin they are imbued with points, battle reward. equip screen
magical defensive properties. Some must have special when used
Kinds include, lilac, aqua etc objectives met.
(Sugriva) Sherwani This armour was built more for Shops, chests, item Carried in
manoeuvrability and aesthetics points, battle reward. equip screen
than it was to provide proper Some must have special when used
defence. Types include royal objectives met.
and assassins etc.
(Vishvamitra) Aba’s The Aba is a robe that covers Shops, chests, item Carried in
the whole body. They are high points, battle reward. equip screen
in magical resistance but poor Some must have special when used
in physical. Types include, objectives met.
mages, grand etc
(Rama, Lakshmana, These are worn on the arms Shops, chests, item Carried in
Surgriva) Gauntlets and add defence, but can points, battle reward. equip screen
sometimes add/detract from Some must have special when used
agility and weapon mastery as objectives met.
a trade off. Types include, iron,
bronze etc
(Vishvamitra) Bangles The bangles are small charms Shops, chests, item Carried in
that go on mages wrists. They points, battle reward. equip screen
boost magic and evasion stats. Some must have special when used
Types include, jade, gold etc. objectives met.
(Everyone) Sandals These are worn on the feet Shops, chests, item Carried in
and have many different stat points, battle reward. equip screen
boosts. Some increase speed, Some must have special when used
evasion, attack, defence or objectives met.
magic.
8.3 Objects/Accessories
Object Name Description (everyone can Location found/ Movable/

use them) how gained Carried
Necklaces Accessories come in many Shops, chests, item Carried in
different forms but they all points, battle reward. equip screen
Hair bands
boost certain stats from Some must have special when used
Rings strength to magic. They objectives met.
Bracelets sometimes can bestow certain
skills on players when they
wear them.
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8.4 Objects/Key Items

how gained Carried
Large Ruby Pieces These are parts of the ruby In different places in each Carried in
Rama’s pendant needs to level. His pendant glows key items
regain its full power. Each level when he is near one. pocket
he will need to acquire 2 to
proceed.
Rupee Purse A small magical purse that can Given to you by Carried in
hold the rupees a player Lakshmana after key items
collects completing the first level. pocket
God Gauntlet This holds all the god elements Given to you by Carried in
you collect by slotting them Vishvamitra before you key items
into their respective slots. set out to find your first pocket
God Element.
Various Keys to open A key used to open unique From people, item spots, Carried in
door and chests etc doors, chests etc battle rewards etc key items
pocket
Various items needed A key item used to open From people, item spots, Carried in
to progress or unique doors, chests, exchange battle rewards etc key items
exchange between between people etc pocket
NPC’s
8.5 God Elements

how gained Carried
Twashtri (Illusions) The deity of buildings. He The player must return to Carried
causes the players defence, Kosala after receiving the
agility, evasion and accuracy to gauntlet where they talk
increase greatly while lowering to one of the castle
the opponents same stats. servants who found the
element in the castle
rubble.
Indra (Lightning) Increases a player’s magic The player must return to Carried
attack, speed and agility. the Vindhya mountains
Allows them to use the move where Vishvamitra can
‘Vajra’ which sends multiple now bridge a gap to a
lightning arrows at on-screen secret mountain top
enemies. where Indra waits.
Agni (Fire) Increases a players attack and This is the 1st god Carried
defence greatly. Allows them elemental the player can
to use the move ‘Agneyastra’ acquire. When they meet
which adds a fire element to Vishvamitra he gives
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the player’s weapon and every Rama the ‘Deity gauntlet’

attack releases a fire plume. and sends them on a
quest to a cave in
Dandaka forest to face
Agni and make him join
them.
Varuna (Water) Increase a player’s magic When Rama returns to Carried
attack and resistance and the port town Chitrakuta
makes them immune to water it is being attacked by
based attacks. Allows player to Varuna, they must defeat
use the move ‘Varunaastra’ him to acquire his
which calls a torrent of water service.
to flood the enemy.
Vayu (Wind) Increases a player’s agility and In Kishkindha Rama Carried
evasion greatly. Allows the meets Vanaras, who after
player to use ‘Vayvayaastra’ helping him retrieve an
which calls forth a great gale important artefact
with the chance of throwing exchanges it for the God
the enemy out of battle. Element.
Nagas (Poisons) Causes multiple poisonous In the city of Sinhala, just Carried
snakes to come out of the outside Lanka, Rama
ground and attack the fights one of Ravana’s
opponent. Each bite is a generals. This God
different status ailment. Element is the battle
prize.
Brahma (Death) Increases a player’s health, In the last level of the Carried
defence and magic attack underworld the player
(Ultimate God
greatly. Allows them to use must defeat 4 previous
elements available
‘Brahmaastra’ where the bosses with varying
after opening the gate
player becomes possessed and difficulty ranges and is
to Lanka which opens
attacks all enemies frantically won from the last as a
the underworld area)
sometimes causing death. battle prize.
Vishnu (Weaponry) Increases a player’s attack, This is a grand prize in Carried
speed and accuracy greatly. the coliseum which is
(Ultimate God
Allows them to perform located back in Kosala, it
elements available
‘Vaishnavaastra’ where they is only available when
launch a unique combo attack the gate to Lanka is open.
with their selected primary and
secondary weapon.
Shiva (Mass element) Increases a players magic This is in the 2nd to last Carried
attack, defence, and evasion underworld level where
(Ultimate God
and luck greatly. Allows them the player must complete
elements available
to use ‘Pashupatastra’ which several puzzles using
performs all of the different each of the players
elemental attacks in sequences differing abilities. There is
on all enemies on screen. a chest with it in at the
end.
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8.6 Skills

how gained Carried
Rama: Sword skills Lvl 1: 8 of the skills are Learnt
including Hidden skills acquired as the player
Lvl. 10
levels their character up.
Lvl. 20 The last 2 can be learnt
Lvl. 30 by beating the final level
of the coliseum and
Lvl. 40 battling through the
Lvl. 50 underworld to the final
boss respectively.
Lvl. 60
Lv. 70
Hidden:
Hidden:
Rama: Bow skills Lvl 1: 8 of the skills are Learnt
including Hidden skills acquired as the player
Lvl. 10
of the coliseum and
boss respectively.
Lvl. 60
Lv. 70
Hidden:
Hidden:
Lakshmana: Trident Lvl 1: 8 of the skills are Learnt
skills including hidden acquired as the player
Lvl. 10
skills. levels their character up.
of the coliseum and
boss respectively.
Lvl. 60
Lv. 70
Hidden:
Hidden:
Surgriva: Staff skills Lvl 1: 8 of the skills are Learnt
including hidden skills. acquired as the player
Lvl. 10
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by beating the final level
Lvl. 30
of the coliseum and
boss respectively.
Lvl. 60
Lv. 70
Hidden:
Hidden:
Vishvamitra: Astra Lvl 1: 8 of the skills are Learnt
skills including hidden acquired as the player
Lvl. 10
skills. levels their character up.
of the coliseum and
boss respectively.
Lvl. 60
Lv. 70
Hidden:
Hidden:
8.7 Magic

how gained Carried
Crimson Tome: (Fire) Spells must be acquired by Shops, chests, item Carried in
reading tomes. Once the points, battle reward. item slot
Lvl1: Flicker
player has read the tome the
Lvl2: Blaze magic is usable. To level it up
Lvl3: Inferno they must use it a certain
amount of times. Characters
that are more adept with
Intelligence i.e. Vishvamitra
would learn quicker than
Lakshmana. (see rules section)
Auburn Tome: (Earth) Same applies Shops, chests, item Carried in
points, battle reward. item slot
Lvl1: Shudder
Lvl2: Tremor
Lvl3: Planet-break
Aqua Tome: (Water) Same applies Shops, chests, item Carried in
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Lvl1: Splash
Lvl2: Wave
Lvl3: Tsunami
Jade Tome: (Wind) Same applies Shops, chests, item Carried in
Lvl1: Gust
Lvl2: Whirlwind
Lvl3: Tornado
Ashen Tome: Same applies Shops, chests, item Carried in
(Lightning) points, battle reward. item slot
Lvl1: Spark
Lvl2: Thunder
Lvl3: Tempest
Cerise Tome: Same applies Shops, chests, item Carried in
(Curative) points, battle reward. item slot
Lvl1: Cure, Heal
Lvl2: Mend
Lvl3: Solacestein
Pallid Tome: (Life) Same applies Shops, chests, item Carried in
Lvl1: Revive, Holy
Lvl2: Full Life
Lvl3: Devine
Retribution
Lime Tome: (Poisons) Same applies Shops, chests, item Carried in
Lvl1: Sickness
Lvl2: Disease
Lvl3: Plague
Dark Tome: (Evil) Same applies Shops, chests, item Carried in
Lvl1: Spite
Lvl2: Malice
Lvl3: Malevolence
Amethyst Tome: Same applies Can be found on the 1st Carried in
(Forbidden non- level of the Underworld item slot
elemental) in a secret area.
Lvl1: Grand Squall
Lvl2: Tempest Flare
Lvl3: Devils Burden
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9. Characters
9.1 PC
Character Name Rama
Appearance He has shoulder length black hair over square angular facial features. His skin
tone is aquamarine with various henna style tattoos over his midriff. He has an
athletic, well toned figure and is round 6ft tall. He wears a golden gauntlets and
matching chest armour with a golden belt buckle and violet sari down to his
calves. He wears golden sandals and has his bow attached to his back. He has
his sword holstered on his left hip and a pouch on his right.
Personality Rama is confident and has experienced a number of adventures before this
one. He speaks eloquently and has served as a diplomatic emissary before. He
has a sharp mind and is very intelligent and shows no fear in front of his
enemies. Sometimes however, his sorrow of his kidnapped wife can blind him
from the truth and enemies.
Capabilities Rama is able to wield a sword and bow masterfully, making him an adept at
both range and close combat. In the beginning he can harness basic magic and
skills but as he progresses to unlock the god elements he can learn more
powerful techniques giving him the edge in battle. He is able to leap of great
distances and run off surfaces such as walls and water thanks to his enchanted
sandals.
Important Stats Starting stats: Lvl 5
HP: 500
KI: 250
KP: 150
Other stats such as ‘atk’, ‘def’ and ‘agl’ level up accordingly with the proper
growth equations and weapons/armour equipped.
9.2 NPC/Sidekick 1
Character Name Lakshmana
Appearance Lakshmana has burgundy shoulder length hair with a golden headband. He has
a large muscular frame, dusty coloured skin and is around 6’5 tall. He wears a
dark red toga top that covers some of his chest. His arms are left bare with
sleeve tattoos on each arm. The bottom half of the toga stops just before his
knees and he wears knee high bound sandals. He uses the ‘Vel’ which was a
mythical trident wielded by the deity Murugan which stands at 7ft.
Personality Being Rama’s younger brother he looks up to him and is always by his side in
times of need. Even though he is quite large and intimidating he is more of a
clumsy gentle giant but when forced to he can become quite ferocious.
Capabilities Lakshmana’s inhuman strength allows him to move objects such as boulders
and collapsed debris in order to help in his brother’s quest. He can launch his
trident over great distances and use it to vault into the air and come crashing
down on his opponent.
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HP: 800
KI: 400
KP:50
Other stats such as ‘atk’, ‘def’ and ‘agl’ level up accordingly with the proper
growth equations and weapons/armour equipped.
9.3 NPC/Sidekick 2
Character Name Sugriva
Appearance Sugriva is the monkey and has the face of a baboon. He has a thick red scarf
around his neck and accompanying red short sleeved sherwani and short
trousers. He also has many jewels adorning his attire because he is an acclaimed thief.
He is quite short at about 3ft when he is hunched over.
Personality Being the king of a troupe of monkeys’ means that Sugriva has a cheeky and
witty personality. He can be quite sneaky and arrogant at times but is a very
knowledgeable person and can infiltrate almost any location. He agrees to join
Rama after they finally corner him after chasing him through a forest and goes
with them on the one condition that he gets all of Ravana’s gold when they
defeat him. He wields a Shareeravadi which is a large bamboo staff that lends
itself to his agility.
Capabilities Being an adept thief Sugriva can fit into small places in levels and scale areas
where the other characters are not able to. He has the ability to steal from
enemies if he is the assisting character and also has the ability to craft
weapons, swords and accessories.
HP: 1500
KI: 2000
KP:700
Being a thief and also a monkey lends his stats to grow in the more archetypal
direction fitting to the RPG genre. This means that he will has high stats in
evasion, agility and speed but other stats will be lower such as health, defence
and KP.
9.4 NPC/Sidekick 3
Character Name Vishvamitra
Appearance Vishamitra wears the traditional mages cowl tinted in lime green. He has prayer
beads around his neck and is partially bald on top while having a long, white
braided beard. He wears dark sandals and wields the Astra which is a
mythological weapon that can invoke attacks such as flame, or a hail of arrows.
Personality Vishvamitra has spent years in solitude when Rama and his companions wake
him. He has an arrogant personality because of his wealth of knowledge and
has tendency to be quite cantankerous, especially towards Surgriva. He agrees
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to help them because it was originally Ravana who imprisoned him for not
teaching him the secrets of the Astral and gold elements.
Capabilities Vishvamitra specialities lie in the Karmic arts so he is adept with magic and the
like. He can bridge areas once thought inaccessible and change the landscape
of the world around him, proving himself to be a valuable asset. He also comes
with the ability to teach Karmic techniques and can craft new spells and
enchant weapons and armour. One of the biggest talents he imbues is to Rama,
who he teaches to use the god elements, granting him great power.
HP: 2000
KI: 500
KP: 3000
Being the archetypal mage of the plot, Vishvamitra is proficient in magic and
magic resistance. His health, defence and other stats suffer but his abundance
of spells and healing capabilities prove that he is not easily defeated.
9.5 NPC/The Princess

Character Name Sita
Appearance Sita is dressed in an orange and yellow decorative sari. She has a slender figure
with a pretty face and long dark brown hair. Her hands have intricate henna
tattoos and she wears the broken pendant on her neck because she gave Rama
the other half.
Personality Sita is quite a headstrong woman and can handle herself quite well when faced
with Ravana’s advances. She is quick witted and attempts to escape multiple
times from Ravana by pretending to seduce him. Although this side melts away
when she remembers her husband and Ravana shows her what demons he has
sent to dispatch him.
Capabilities Sita is a character that does not participate in combat or have any stats that are
required.
Important Stats N/A
9.6 NPC/The Demon King

Character Name Ravana
Appearance Ravana stands at over 12ft tall and has the face of demon with overgrown
fangs and a dark moustache that goes into long sideburns. He wears a golden
crown over long dark curls. He is dark skinned and bare chested with large
beads worn like a sash over his shoulder. He wears a red sari on his bottom half
and dusty sandals. He wields a large flaming sword in one hand and a lightning
bolt in the other.
Personality Ravana, being the antagonist of the story is a mainly evil character willing to
sacrifice anything to get what he wants. In his quest for power he kidnapped
Rama’s wife and burnt his city to the ground. He has been out casted from the
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other deities and is a very bitter being. Known for his virility, Ravana had a large
harem of women at his kingdom and tries to seduce Sita.
Capabilities Ravana has many capabilities including the ability to transform multiple
weapons in his sword hand such as blades, axes, javelins depending on the way
he wishes to attack. He can call on hordes of demons at will and control the
elements in his other hand, favouring the lightning bolt. He has amazing
strength and is quite agile for his size.
Important Stats Being the final boss of the game, Ravana’s stats will be very high and the battle
will of course meant to be challenging to the player. He has very high attack,
defense and health points but he has a weakness to the God elements because
they can surpass his defences.
17
10. Game Structure and Gameplay Overview
When thinking about how to best layout my story I referred to Cambell’s The Hero Wtih A Thousand Faces (1949). This helped me to choose the three act
structure that I implemented in the game. For me, this structure started with ‘the call to adventure’ which is where an event happens that makes the hero
take action. In my story this is the arrival of Ravana who kidnaps Sita and Rama must set off on a journey to rescue her. The second act would be the ‘road
of trails’ where the hero must navigate through treacherous environments and obstacles to progress. In this second act he meets the ‘old wise man’ who
enables him to carry on the journey with the power he bestows. The second act ends just before the climax. In the final act, which is ‘the return’ where the
hero has finally defeated him nemesis and can return home triumphant. With the denouement being him restoring his kingdom and a land in peace.
What also helped greatly in the crafting of the games story was Narayan’s ‘The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic’ (2006)
because this gave me all of the salient points of story that made it easier to implement into the game, events such as meeting Sugriva and travelling through
the Dandaka forest.
10.1 Story/Gameplay Matrix Main Story

Act 1 Characters Main/sub goals and how achieved Story overview
in team
1.1. Kosala Rama, Lvl1. Follow Ravana and make your way to the enemy Rama and Sita are enjoying a celebration in the Palace hall when
Lakshmana general in your palace. demons crash through the windows followed by Ravana. People
Kosala City
scatter and Rama gets knocked out by Ravana. When he wakes
Lvl2. Battle through the city streets to the town centre.
up he finds his wife has disappeared and Lakshmana by his side.
Lvl3. In the town centre you must defeat the fake He informs him that Ravana was seen flying towards the town
Ravana. centre and they decided to give chase.
Note: After all the levels are complete you may gain They battle through the city streets until they arrive at the town
access to the town screen with shops etc. centre where Ravana appears to have his wife and is waiting for
them. They battle and win but it turns out that it was a fake and
Ravana is seen flying above with Rama’s wife. Staring at each
other, Sita drops her pendant as Ravana tries to stop her. Part of
the Pendant breaks as Rama catches it. They decided to give
chase and Rama vows to get his wife back.
1.2. Rama, Lvl1. Find the two crystals to open the magic gate An FMV shows a hail of crystals raining down from the heavens
Chitrakuta Lakshmana blocking their passage. and into different parts of the land. Two of them land in the in
Trail the Chitrakuta trail. Rama decides to investigate this and gets
Lvl2. Two of the villagers children have gone missing
into a sub-boss battle with a crystal keeper. After he defeats it,
Chitrakuta and you have to find them, while also getting the
the crystal breaks and the energy goes into the pendant. The
Town crystals.
pendant then floats around his neck and points in the direction of
Lvl3. The village is being attacked by demons and you another crystal. They figure out that destroying the crystals will
have to save it. (Boss battle) be able to lead them back to Ravana.
Note: After this level each one has 2 crystals in it. You While in this area they must also help two children from the
only fight a boss on the last level of each area. town that have become lost and also thwart a demon attack from
one of Ravana’s generals. With the town saved they can now
enter it.
1.3. Rama, Lvl1. Find and destroy the 2 crystals in the level. With the crystal pointing the way they head towards to the
Sarabhanga Lakshmana Vindhya mountains. Passing through Sarabhanga Plains they find
Lvl2. Demons have been spawning and attacking
Plains that there have been demons attack the wildlife and decide to
wildlife in the area, you need to destroy them and the
put a stop to it. They destroy more crystals and the pendant
Sarabhanga crystals.
around Rama’s neck is able to close the gap to Underworld.
Camp
Lvl3. Rama finds the source of the demons, a hole
In the village they learn of an old sage who is supposed to live in
coming up from Underworld and he needs to defeat a
Dandaka Forest who could help them out. They continue
large demon. (Boss battle)
onwards.
1.4. Vindhya Rama, Lvl1. Vindhya’s Base Rama makes it from the Sarabhanga Plains to the Vindhya
Mountains Lakshmana mountain range which he needs to pass through to reach
Rama must find a way to stop the falling boulders by
Dandaka forest. The mountain range is full of traps and demons
defeating the demons along the mountains ridge.
that they must navigate through on their way to the top.
Lvl2. Vindhya’s Heart
At the mountains summit they meet a large demonic general that
Rama must destroy 4 demons guarding spawn points. they have to defeat. After they defeat him he tells them of how
Lvl3. Vindhya’s Face Ravana once tried to get the mages help but he refused so he
imprisoned him in a magical tomb. They carry on disheartened.
Rama must find the 2 switches that will open up the
path to the mountains summit. End of act 1
Lvl.4 Vindhya’s Eye

Rama must fight one of the generals on top of the
mountain to allow them to get to the other side. (Boss
Battle)
Act 2. Rama, Lvl1. They must navigate through the forest to find Rama and Lakshmana arrive in the Dandaka forest and must
Lakshmana, where Vishvamitra is being imprisoned. Rama’s uncover where Vishvamitra is being kept. They find the cave
2.1 Dandaka
Vishvamitra magical pendant uses its power to free him. entrance behind a giant vine wall as the pendant attracts them.
Forest
The pendants magic releases the tomb walls and they find
Lvl2. They need to navigate through the forest to find
Vishvamitra’s Vishvamitra inside. He has spent the decades reading literature
the secret cave where one of the Gold Elements is
Cave and building his knowledge. After they explain their situation to
located.
him he agrees to help them, but assures them they can only win
Lvl.3 Once in the cave they need to navigate to its if they have the god elements.
centre to battle with Agni the fire deity. (Boss Battle)
He tells Rama that he is able to use them with this special
gauntlet he’s made and advises them they should all go and find
the cave where one of them is hold up.
They travel deeper into the forest and eventually find the secret
caves location with Vishvamitra’s help, they are able to part a
waterfall and travel into it.
Deep in the cave they find Agni waiting for them and they must
battle with him in order to gain his power. After they defeat him
he is absorbed into one of the gauntlets slots and they are able to
use his powers.
2.2 Karavira Rama, Lvl1. They must traverse the run down area and locate They come across the wastelands after exiting the Dandaka
Wastelands, Lakshmana, the crystals. forest. The area has been ravaged by demons. They save a girl
Vishvamitra from being killed by a new type of demon. After they defeat it, it
Wilds Town Lvl2. A new type of more powerful enemy is revealed
destroys the bridge in anger cutting them off from the town.
as they save one of the towns inhabitants from it
(Mini-boss) The girl says she can help fix the bridge if they bring her all the
required materials. After the bridge is fixed the monster
Lvl3. They need to repair a bridge the monster broke
reappears and they have to fight it again. They defeat it and it
for the towns inhabitants by gathering certain
materials scattered across the level. falls down in a large pit.

While in the city they talk about how to get into Lanka and
Vishvamitra reluctantly tells them that they should look for
Sugriva the thief King in Kishkindha. They set off.
2.3 Rama, Lvl1. They must navigate through a crowded market They arrive in the market town where they attempt to track
Kishkindha Lakshmana, place and follow Sugriva down Sugriva. After interacting with town’s people they go to a
Vishvamitra nearby Inn to find him gambling. They attempt to talk to him but
Sugriva’s Lvl2. They follow him into the slums; they must find
he recognises Vishvamitra and runs off.
Manse Lvl3. Sugriva the entrance to the thieves’ guild.
joins They must chase him through the town and into the slums area
Lvl3. A demon comes forth within the guild’s treasury
where they chase him to his thieves’ guild headquarters. In there
and Sugriva agrees to help them. They must fight the
they chase him to the treasury where a demon rises. In exchange
demon. (Boss Battle)
for helping him battle the demon so it can’t steal his treasure he
agrees to help him break into Lanka.
2.4 Rama, Lvl1. Destroy the 2 crystals The team must cross through the Mahishaka Glades so they can
Mahishaka Lakshmana, get to the area of Pandya and signal for the Kosalan army to
Lvl2. Unblock the multiple waterfalls to cross the lakes
Glades Vishvamitra, come down and build the bridge to Sri-lanka.
by using various teammates’ abilities.
Sugriva
Mashishapuri In the glades they find that the area is being polluted by a demon
Lvl3. Defeat the monster in the elemental glade that is
Village from Underworld. They must help unblock the waterfalls and
poisoning in the area.
destroy the demon to help the inhabitants of Mashishapuri
Village.
2.5 Madura Rama, Lvl1. Help secure the sea cliffs so they can support the You arrive at the sea cliffs and have to make preparations for
Sea cliffs Lakshmana, building of a bridge. when your army come down. To do this you first have to help the
Vishvamitra, sea front cliff from crumbling by using your magic and other
Madura Lake Lvl2. Acquire all the necessary supplies to use to build
Sugriva abilities.
Front the bridge.
When this is done you must find the necessary materials that
Lvl3. Defeat a wave of enemies that fly over to attack
the workers. (Boss Battle) your workers can use to start construction of the bridge. As they
are building are horde of enemies start attacking the village and
workers, you hurry to defend them and have to fight off a large
demon general that appears.
When you secure the village and workers, work can resume and
the bridge is built.
End of Act 2
Act 3. Rama, Lvl1. Fight through enemies to get through to the The team manage to get the Kosalan army across the bridge and
Lakshmana, numerous commanders and give them their orders. make a camp outside the city. The plan it put in motion that they
3.1 Sinhala
Vishvamitra, should help create a distraction so that Rama and his companions
Lvl2. Keep enemies at bay while the siege weapons are
Sinhala Camp Sugriva can slip by unnoticed in the chaos.
prepared.
Rama helps his army out as much as he can but has to make the
Lvl3. Help a unit storm the gate and buy yourselves
most of the time and sneak into the great city.
sometime to sneak in through another entrance. (Boss
Battle)
Note: After the demonic general is defeated at Sinhala,
Underworld opens up because they are all defeated.
This allows the player to enter Underworld if they
wish.
3.2 Lanka Rama, Lvl1. Destroy the crystals and the devices that are The team arrive in the land of Lanka and can see the castle in the
Outskirts Lakshmana, spawning the demon armies. distance. They need to help the armies advance by destroying all
Vishvamitra, the devices that are controlling the castles attack and defences so
Lvl2. Destroy the statues that are controlling the
Sugriva they have an advantage.
castles defences.
They finally have to defeat the gate guardian that is stopping
Lvl3. Destroy the device that is stopping the entrance
them from getting into Ravana’s castle.
guardian so the armies can come in. (Boss Battle)
3.3 Lanka Rama, Lvl1. The Ward The team arrive at the final hurdle before they face Ravana. They
Castle Lakshmana, have to make their way through various rooms of the castle,
Destroy the crystals and solve the puzzle to get into the
Vishvamitra, solving puzzles and fighting enemies as they progress until they
next room.
Sugriva finally reach the throne room where Ravana is waiting for them.
Lvl2. The Mezzanine After they defeat Ravana the castle starts to crumble and begins
to sink into the ground. Sita begins to fall into the pit and Ravana
Fight your way through the level to get through the
has to save her. He tells the others to get out while they can and
flights of stairs.
they reluctantly escape.
Lvl3. The Antechamber
The team wait outside as the castle is eaten up by the ground.
Solve another puzzle to unlock the throne room and They assume Rama has died but he ends up flying out of the
fight a mini-boss battle. ground on the same beast that originally held Ravana as he stole
Lvl4. The Throne Room his wife.
You must face off with Ravana and defeat him in order Victorious the team can return to their respective homes as
to save your wife and return order to the realm. Rama plans to rebuild his kingdom.
0.1 Rama, Lvl1. The team must solve puzzles and battle enemies Underworld is an extra level that has nothing to do with the story
Underworld Lakshmana, to get to the next level. and is just for fun and prizes.
Vishvamitra,
Lvl2. In this level they team must fight random bosses
Sugriva
from the game so far who are super powered to reach
the end.
Lvl3. The team must fight an ultimate boss who is the
hardest in the game to win a prize.
11. Rules
11.1 World Rules
When deciding what rules I would need to include in the game I first thought of having just one
section where this could be explained. However, after reading a section on rules in Fullerton’s
Games Design Workshop(2008) I came to the realisation that there are many nuances to rules and
many different sub-sets I had to think about. Fullerton states
‘When you are designing rules, as when you are designing procedures, it’s important to think of
them in relation to your players.’ (Fullerton, 2008)
When designing the rules I planned to make them as clear and understandable as I possibly could.
NOTE: The pause menu is always accessible regardless of the characters whereabouts in game,
although its options differ in certain areas.
Pause Menu
 Continue
 Quit Game
-Return to title
-Quit game
 Quit Level (only applicable to Field menu once level has been completed once)
 Skip FMV (only applicable when an FMV is playing)
 Save State (only applicable on the Field menu, saves the game and then turns off the PSP,
the player can later continue but the save disappears)
Field
 When the player is on the field they can run around an access their menu
 They cannot attack while on the field
 They can jump and use players abilities and their own
 They can access the menu
 They can only save at the save point located in each level
 They can use items
 You can only see an area of the map when you’ve explored it
 Player will die if they fall off a ledge or into something that detracts health
 They slow down when swimming, a windy area or a swamp
 They speed up when wind is blowing them in a direction
 To complete the levels after the 1st they must destroy 2 crystals in each level
Field Menu Options

Log Party Items Equip Magic/Skills Gold Settings Save/Load
Elements
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Battle
 The battle menu comes on the hud

 The player can attack, use skills and magic
 Button sets switch over to battle mode
 The battle only ends when the player defeats the monsters or successfully escapes
 If the player dies then it is game over, unless they have an auto-revive spell or potion
 Partners can die, but it is not game over as they can be revived
 One partner is present on screen at a time, the others can be called on screen to swap
Battle Menu Options
Log Party Items Equip Magic/Skills Gold Settings Save/Load
Elements
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Town/World Map
 Buttons change the town/world map functions

 Not battles occurs
 The player can save and load freely
 Town options are added
 They can talk to people, use shops and inns etc
 Player uses the hand to select various menus/levels
Town/World map Options

Log Party Items Equip Magic/Skills Gold Settings Save/Load Quick Explore World
Elements Travel area Map
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
11.2 Item/Equipment/Magic/Skills Rules
Field/Battle/World
 Items can be used at anytime, anywhere

 Equipment can be equipped and removed anytime, anywhere
 All magic can be used in battle, only curative magic can be used outside
 Skills can only be used in a battle situation
 Key items can only be used on the field or in the town/world map screen when they are
needed
 God elements can only be used in battle, but can be equipped/removed/organised any time
 Abilities can only be used on the field but are part of the skill menu
 Items can be gained from chests, battles, item spots and shops
 The item/weapon/armour skills can be used in the field and Town/world map only
Item Equipment Magic Skills Key God Abilities

Items Elements
Field Yes Yes Yes Yes*creation Yes No Yes
*Curative skills
Battle Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Town/Worl Yes Yes Yes Yes*creation Yes No No
d Map *Curative skills
11.3 Character Rules
Field
 Rama is always on the screen apart from when an ability is used
 When a ability is used border encompasses the screen with the characters assigned colour
and the avatar changes to them
 Players cannot die while in the ability mini-game, only fail in which they have to start again
 Players will get into battles when they are within a certain radius of the enemy and they spot
them
 Players can die when jumping of the edge of the level or lose all their HP in a trap
 If you die then you will have to reload from your last save point
 The player is able to jump from surface to surface
 The player can swim
 The player can climb up rope, ladders, vines etc
 Players equipping weapons, armour, accessories etc stats will change accordingly
Battle
Main Character
 He is the only one who can use God Elements
 Only one God Element (and its attacks/stat boosts) can be equipped at a time
 Can freely cycle through the God Elements (using the controls)
 If he dies he must restart from the last save point used
Secondary Characters
 If a character dies and the battle ends they receive no exp or skill/magic restoration
 If a character dies they can be revived
 If they die they will automatically switched to a live one
All Characters
 Learn magic at varying speeds e.g. it would take Vishvamitra 50 casts of fire to level it up
where as it would take Lakshmana 100 casts because he is less adept.
 Everyone’s skills increase by level, e.g. at lvl10 Rama would learn Precision Shot for his
secondary weapon
 Can freely cycle (using the controls) through their skills and magic
 Everyone levels up at the same rate e.g. all need 1000 exp to level 12
 After a battle all players regain as percentage of KI and KP
 Stats are relative the skill and magic damage e.g. ( Precision shot = 1.5 of attack)
Town/World Map
 There is no avatar on screen only the small pointer
 Players cannot die when in the town or world map
 The player can heal themselves and purchase things
 They can interact with people via the menus
12. Controls
Button/Control Mode Field function Mode Battle function Mode Town/World

Map/Menu function
Analogue stick 1. Move character, swim, 1. Move character 1. Move through menu
run along wall
↑ 4. First Person 4. Cycle battle mode for 4. Move through menu
Perspective sidekick e.g. (heal, defend) upwards
↓ 3. Bring up map 3. Call to be immediately 3. Move through menu
healed downwards
← 2.1 Cycle through 2. 1 Cycle through sidekick 2.1 Move through
sidekick menu leftwards
→ 2.2 Cycle through 2.2 Cycle through sidekick 2.2 Move through
sidekick menu rightwards
X 5. Jump, pull up from 5. Jump 5. Backwards selection
ledge, kick legs
underwater
○ 6. Interact, drop from 6. Use Magic 6. Forwards selection
ledge, dive underwater
∆ 7. Menu 7. Use Skill N/A
□ 8. Abilities when 8. Attack N/A
appropriate
L1 9. N/A 9. Lock-on enemy N/A
L1+Analogue×2 N/A Strafe in direction N/A
L1+x N/A Dodge in direction N/A
R1 10. N/A 10. Battle Menu (pauses N/A
game)
LR+Analogue N/A Cycle through battle menu
○+↑, ↓, ←, → N/A Quick-key Magic N/A
□+↑, ↓, ←, → N/A Quick-key Skills N/A
Start 11. Pause Menu 11. Pause Menu 11. Pause Menu
Select 12. Level Stats 12. Turns on battle info 12. Info on item
selected
13. User Interface
Battle Interface
(See appendix C for larger screenshot)
When a battle commences the camera dips in closer giving a more in-depth view of the fight.
1-3. Rama’s selected skills appear on the bottom left of the screen complete with their
corresponding colours.
4. A small banner appears at the top of the screen to let the player know that they are in battle
mode.
5. The map is still displayed in the top right hand corner of the screen
7. The health HUD appears with a picture of Rama in its centre
8. Rama’s experience bar is on the bottom right with his current level at the top
6. The supporting character is displayed in a small circle which shows their current HP, KI and KP
9-10. Rama’s primary and secondary weapons are shown just below the health sphere
11-12. Just to the left of the health sphere are his KI and KP, which will grow over time
13. The enemy currently targeted has a small arrow over their heads
Menu interface
Basic options
(See appendix D, E or F for larger screenshots)
There are a number of options on the menu screen that stay the same throughout
Menu Option Function

1. Neutral Menu The player can look their current status, party
setup, location, rupees and ruby’s collected.
2. Log The player can see information such as their
current missions, story events, different levels
they have been to and the map.
3. Party The player can look at individual player stats in-
depth and can see their current stats and
equipment.
4. Items The player can look at their perishable items,
materials, weapons, accessories, armour and key
items.
5. Equip The player can equip the characters here with
their specific weapons, armour and accessories.
6. Magic/Skills The player can select/arrange each players skills
and magic and set up quick-magic and quick-
skills.
7. God Elements The player can equip/arrange their collected god
elements, see a description of the deity and look
at its skills/effects.
8. Settings The player can alter things here such as display

aspect ratios, brightness, volume control and
audio options.
9. Save/Load The player can save when appropriate, load their
game and alter the auto-save function.
Journal
(See appendix E for larger screenshot)
1. Missions: The player can check their mission status and objectives/sub-objectives
2. Story Events: The player can catch up on the story so far
3. Levels: The player can look at the level they are on and previous ones which show the
percentage complete and other stats such as rupees collected, monsters killed etc
4. Characters: The player can find info on characters in the game, monsters and NPC’s
5. Map: The player can review the map of the level and the world map
6. Help: The player can look at tutorials and info on how menus and mechanics work
Neutral menu
(See appendix D for larger screenshot)
This is the menu that appears when the player opens the menu it displays:
1. Rama’s current status

2. Party setup
3. Location
4. Ruby’s collected.
5. Rupees
Party Menu
(See appendix F for larger screenshot)
1. The player can get an in-depth look at each characters current status including their HP, KI, and
KP.
2. They can also look at their current equipment and how it affects their stats
3. They can look at individual stats
4. The can look at the experience needed to next level up
Field Interface
(See Appendix G for larger screenshot)
1. Ruby’s collected: Slides into screen when the player collects ruby’s in stage
2. Rupees collected: Slides into screen when the player finds money
3. Items collected: Slides into screen when the player finds an item
4. Health metre: Slides into screen when the player takes damage
5. Sidekick metre: Shows the sidekick currently with the player so they can use their abilities
6. Mini-map: Always onscreen but can be enlarged with the d-pad
7. Large ruby’s destroyed: Slides into screen when a player destroys a large ruby
Town Interface
(See appendix A for larger screenshot)

Log Same as normal menu
Party Same as normal menu
Items Same as normal menu
Equip Same as normal menu
Magic/Skills Same as normal menu
God Elements Same as normal menu
Settings Same as normal menu
1. Quick Travel The player can travel to a different section of
town e.g. Slums>High street
2. Explore Area The player can explore the area currently
onscreen, they can look at shops and interact
with points of interest
3. World Map The player can exit the town for the world map
interface where they can choose their
destination.
4. Save/Load The player can save and load anytime, and alter
the auto-save function.
5. Item/weapons shop etc: The player can purchase things from many shops. They can also sell
items they don’t want. Visit the junk shop to find materials for creating
weapons/armour/accessories and call also use the talk function to gain information.
6. Inns: Here the player can rest, buy perishable items and talk to people
7. POI: Points of interest are places that may help to forward the story or just have a scene to
watch such as statues and houses
8. Next Area: These are arrows that allow the player to move to another section of town
9. Info: This is displayed at the bottom of the screen and gives info on the what the player has
selected
World Map Interface
(See appendix B for larger screenshot)

Log Same as normal menu
Party Same as normal menu
Items Same as normal menu
Equip Same as normal menu
Magic/Skills Same as normal menu
God Elements Same as normal menu
Settings Same as normal menu
1. Explore Area The player can explore the selected level and
choose to play one of the stages.
Save/Load The player can save and load anytime, and alter
the auto-save function.
2. Select Level: Here the player can select the level they want to play when they have selected a
location to visit.
14. Production Report

14.1 Planning and Development of the Prototype
When approaching the prototype of an RPG game there were a few hurdles that I had to overcome
because the game experience is a very active one with different modes and function. To make an
effective prototype I consulted Fullerton’s Games Design Workshop again. This helped me to
effectively go about designing my paper based prototype.
Fullerton states that with a prototype you are ‘...simply trying to formalize your ideas or isolate
issues so that you can figure out what works...’(Fullerton, 2008:175) and this became very evident by
the time the testing had been complete which was very useful. With help from the book I decided to
create my level digitally and then implement a grid system with accompanying rule handbook that
could be used for ease.
To design a level that had features that would help bring about the best platforming experience I
looked at games such as Spyro the Dragon, Prince of Persia and Kingdom hearts. These were games
that at their heart were platforming games but also had elements of battle and adventure. In order
to help me and made a checklist of what I thought my prototype should have in it.
 Expansive level with many places to explore
 The level should be in keeping with its main setting e.g. forest
 Easy to navigate but with the element of fore thinking in order to effectively traverse it
 Making sure the player would be able to use all their abilities in interesting
 Enemies should spaced about and not clustered together
 There should be the ‘want’ of the player to explore all of the level
With these things in mind it came time to construct a rough sketch of the level that I would design. I
decided that I would use the Dandaka Forest level of my game because it was quite a way into the
game and the test could see how various abilities and battle skills could function.
(See Appendix H for sketch)
After I had a sketch of the level drawn I decided that an effective way to make the level look
distinguishable and aesthetically pleasing was to construct a digital layout using a sprite template.
This would allow me to easily place key level elements such as Crystals, enemies and treasure chests.
Allowances that had to be made
When creating the paper prototype there were a number of game elements that I removed because
it would have been too difficult to recreate them in a paper prototype.
 The wall jump ability
 Switching different characters in battle
 Abilities
 Switching different magic and skills
 Getting new armour and equipment
 The save point was taken out because the game would be quite short
With the level constructed, I chose to use a small counter as the player and dice to decide a number
of game aspects such as:
The player starts the level where the arrow is at the lower section of the screen.
Field Section
Actions How To
Movement Player rolls the dice and can move double that
amount across the grid
Jumping Player can jump over 2 squares, this does not
detract from your movement number
Battles If the player is within a 1 square radius of an
enemy they will attack
Swimming Players movement rate will be halved
Interaction Player must be within one square of a crystal or
chest
Crystal Interaction Whenever a player interacts with a crystal they
initiate a battle with a ‘Crystal Keeper’
Save Crystal (Pink crystal) When the player interacts they can save their
game and restore their health
Chest Interactions When a player interacts with a chest they must
then roll to see what item they will receive

1-2: Solace Drop
3-4: Karmic Drop
5-6: KI Drop
Battle Section
When battle is initiated the turn based system will go RAMA>SECONDARY CHARACTER>ENEMY until
the enemy is dead or Rama is KO’d.
The character chooses which move they want to use from the list and then rolls accordingly. If the
attack misses then it moves on to the next player in line and does no damage.
Rama
Normal Attack Roll > 2
Skill Roll > 3
Magic Roll > 3
God Element Roll > 4
Lakshmana
Skill Roll > 3
Magic Roll > 3
Normal Enemies
Crystal Keeper
Normal Attack Roll <>1-4
Magic Breath* Roll <>5-6
Boss
Normal Attack Roll <>1-2
Skill* Roll <>3-4
Magic* Roll<> 5-6
*If the enemy has used all their KP or KI up then their skill/magical attack will fail but their normal
still works
To also accompany the player while they were playing the game there would be:
 Player status table where they could mark things such as HP, KP and KI and showed their
abilities
 Normal enemy status, attacks and HP table
 The boss’s status, attack and HP table
 Sidekicks status table with all their skills, abilities etc
 An item table they could fill in as they collected things
 A checklist where they could tick of crystals destroyed
(Appendix I for all relevant lists)
14.2 Play test Results
1st Play test

The play test was very interesting because it showed me some aspects of gameplay and mechanics
that I had previously overlooked.
Problem: Battles were too easy
Most people playing the game found that the 1 st iteration of the game was too easy when battling
enemies, which of course detracted from the fun of the game. People said the battles were too easy
for a number of reasons such as the God Elements were too powerful and could kill normal monsters
in 1-hit and the boss in only 2 which made things not much of a challenge.
Solution:
To remedy this problem I chose to:
 Make the monsters have more health and attack points
 Decrease the power of skills, magic and God Elements
 A condition on the God Element that meant after using it, it had to recharge over 4 turns
 Take out the ‘elixir’ item that healed all the players because the game was too easy with it in
Problem: Pointless Monsters
A few people testing the game felt there were monsters in some locations that were pointless to
engage in combat because there was no level up system or some kind of incentive.
Solution
 Make monsters in difficult and obscure place to have special item drops
 Implement a level-up system to the paper prototype to give incentive to defeat them
Problem: Final boss was too easy
This problem refers to both the first and second problems that I had encountered. The final boss was
too easy to fight and also the player could go and face them straight away if they wished.
Solution
To remedy this problem is chosen to:
 Make the last boss more powerful and therefore urge the player to level before they fought
them to give them a better chance of success
 Make the crystals in the game act like defence barriers to the ‘final area’ of the level so they
had to be destroyed before the player could fight it; this also gave the player more incentive
to explore the level.
Problem: Enemies and objectives in the level were too hard to distinguish
This problem refers to the icons of enemies and items in the game prototype. People said they had a
hard time seeing them on the paper because they were slightly cut off.
Solution
 Took the icons out from within the sprite level and replaced them with full sprite characters
as seen in the levels 2nd iteration.
2nd Play test

With the various problems identified and the solutions taken to help make the game a more
enjoyable and effective game experience another test was undertaken to make sure the new
iteration was functioning correctly.
This play test was a lot more effective and people found the level a lot easier to navigate around
which in turn gave them more incentive the fully explore it. The battles became more challenging
and therefore the player found it useful to level up there character and collect all the items in the
level. The addition of the ‘gate’ feature combined with the crystals also made the player want to
explore the area more and they found it a more enjoyable experience. The play tests enabled me to
get a detached view of my prototype which in turn helped me to form a more enjoyable and
functional game.
14.3 Changes to implementation requirements and schedule.
I have chosen not to change the way that my game would be made because I still believe that it is
possible and practical to be made for a handheld system. When I looked at the features in my game
and wondered how they might be successfully condensed into such a small package I only had to
look at other such games in the handheld market such as Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy Crisis
Core.
When examining the games schedule and the people that would be employed for its production I
felt that all the necessary elements with their and chose not to change them. The games schedule, I
feel is still practical and I made it originally thinking to mark down the most time that believed it
would take.
References
Fullerton, T. (2008), Game Design Workshop, Morgan Kaufmann, United States

Cambell, J. (1949), The Hero With A Thousand Faces, Princeton University Press, United States
Narayan, K., R. (2006), The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic, Penguin
Classics, England
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
Appendix F
Appendix G
Appendix H
Appendix I
(attached with game)

The Legend of Ramayana Game Design

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The Legend of Ramayana Game Design

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Original Game Title: The Legend of Ramayana

Author: Peter Ingham

6. Graphics Style/Rendering System

7. Music & Sound Effects

 Running on different surfaces

Object Name Description Location found/ Movable/

Object Name Description Location found/ Movable/

Object Name Description Location found/ Movable/

Object Name Description (everyone can Location found/ Movable/

8.4 Objects/Key Items

Object Name Description Location found/ Movable/

8.5 God Elements

Object Name Description Location found/ Movable/

the player’s weapon and every Rama the ‘Deity gauntlet’

Object Name Description Location found/ Movable/

Lvl. 20 The last 2 can be learnt

Object Name Description Location found/ Movable/

Important Stats Starting stats: Lvl 5

9.5 NPC/The Princess

9.6 NPC/The Demon King

10. Game Structure and Gameplay Overview

10.1 Story/Gameplay Matrix Main Story

Lvl.4 Vindhya’s Eye

materials scattered across the level. falls down in a large pit.

Field Menu Options

 The battle menu comes on the hud

 Buttons change the town/world map functions

Town/World map Options

11.2 Item/Equipment/Magic/Skills Rules

 Items can be used at anytime, anywhere

Item Equipment Magic Skills Key God Abilities

11.3 Character Rules

Button/Control Mode Field function Mode Battle function Mode Town/World

13. User Interface

Menu Option Function

8. Settings The player can alter things here such as display

1. Rama’s current status

(See appendix F for larger screenshot)

Menu Option Function

Menu Option Function

14. Production Report

then roll to see what item they will receive

14.2 Play test Results

1st Play test

2nd Play test

14.3 Changes to implementation requirements and schedule.

Fullerton, T. (2008), Game Design Workshop, Morgan Kaufmann, United States

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