Case Study of Frejas Journey

Game Design and Design Documentation during Prototyping

Abstract
Though two months of work, we have helped a team of four seasoned game artists create a prototype of their own personal project in terms of code. Having such a bigimpactontheentire project, we had to help themflesh out the game design aswell asthedocumentation,andas a result also experienced firsthand the huge impact that lacking documentation can have, compared to properly developed documentation, and what truly sets thetwo apart.Inthispaper we discuss the fundamentals ofwritingadesign documentandhowwe,usingourknowledge of game design, could help the team achieve a better quality design document and a fleshed out gameplay. We also highlight some of the important pitfalls that a game designershould try to steerclearof,whenwritingadesigndocument.

Frejas Journey
The Projects Origin
Frejas Journey started out as a concept between fourartistsworkingatIOInteractiveunderthe collective name: Tinysaurus. They wanted to create a game set in the world of Norse Mythology, revolving around a character called Freja. The game should be a 3D side scrolling action/adventure game, that would have Freja travel through Middle Earth, Asgard and Jotunheim. The game should be playable by youngergamersandolder games alike, and work onamultitudeofplatforms,includingtheiPad. A visual vertical slice had been sent off to DFIs (Dansk Film Institut) video game fund,butwas rejectedduetothelackofgameplayanddocumentationforthegame.

Our Role in the Project

This is where we came in. The team was looking for a student to help them with the programming for creating a prototype needed for their next submission to DFI. They ended up recruiting two instead of one, and we were immediately tasked with realizingthe vision.Laterin the process we would also work along the team on improving bothgamedesignandthedesign documentation, with the goal of improving the game and the better documentation that might helpthemwhenpitchingthegame.

The Goal of Frejas Journey

The goal for us to begin with,was to realize as much as the gameplay for thevertical slice as possible within twomonths.Theintentionwastobuild aprototypethatcouldbepresentedtoDFI orother fundsorpublishers.Itwasourjobtobuild,inUnity,thegameplayofFrejasJourney.The prototype of Frejas Journey had a deadline of March 1st (2013) where the team had to submit the game for funding evaluation at DFI. It was our goal to realize as much as possible of the 1

gamedesign,beforethedeadline.

Design Documentation
Even though it was not our task at first, we ended up spending a lot of time, working on the documentation ofthegame.Inorderforustobuild upagreatdocumentthatwouldrepresentthe experience in a sales pitch as well as clearly communicate the design in depth, we required further knowledge on what truly makes good documentation. This chapter is dedicated to discussing the role of a Design Document, and how we ourselves helped handle the documentationofthedesignersvision.

The Role of a Design Document

Its commonpracticetowriteadesigndocumentforagameidea,butoftentheroleofthedesign document is mistaken. Some people think that the design document isjustawaytowritedown some ideas about the game in a standardized template, that could then be shipped off to a development team, that churns out a great product (Rouse, pp. 380381). However the design documents are very organic, and have to suit the needs of whoever should read it, which in almostallcasesarethedevelopers. "Adesigndocumentisallaboutcommunicatingavisionforagame formappingoutasmuchinformationaspossibleabouthowthatgamewillfunction, whatplayerswillexperience,andhowplayerswillinteractwiththegameworld. Organizingandstructuringallofthisinformationintoappropriatesectionisone ofthekeychallengesinwritingagooddesigndocument."(Rouse,pp.356) Something that people might not also know isthatthe DesignDocumenthastobekeptrelevant duringdevelopment,andthewritingisnotaonetimejob.

The Impact of Bad or Good Documentation

The design document is thecore that an entire development team work around, and thequality of it can be the difference between a smooth development or a painful experience (Freeman, 1997). Its important to know what rolethedesign documentissupposedtoplay,whenwritingit. If the designer cant imagine the document being usedregularly,hemightnotwriteinawaythat makes it easy to doso.The game design document is a referencetool that should automate the game design, so developers can dont have to be in constant dialogue with the game designer (RyanPart 1,1999, p.1), and most questions aboutthegameshouldbeeasilylooked upandanswered.(Shuyteapp.109) Truly good documentation is difficult to describe, since its very dependantonthegameandthe team and is a fine balance between too little and too much information, but truly bad documentation is often very superficial and does not go into depth with any game mechanics (Rouse pp. 361). The documentation may also be out of date or theindexingmightbebad.The game designer has to look at the document from the teams perspective, and predict what information that will be most critical to them, when implementing new features. (Ryan Part 2, 2

1999, pp. 2) Programmers probably wont need any variables or algorithms, but instead just a basic set of rules. Maybe a few ifelse sentences or some simple illustrations might help the coders, but especially if the designer has littleknowledgeofprogramming,hemightconfusethe programmers more than he might behelping them. Similarly, the designer should consider the other branches of the team. Artistsmayneedsomedetailabouttheworld,butthedetailsshould be short and tothepoint,soitsnotnecessary toreadthroughtensorhundredsofpages,which wouldslowdowntheprocessconsiderably. Another thing that may make the document easier to handle is readability (Freeman, 1997), which may stem from the fonts chosen. How much white space theres kept between the sections that should be separate or eyecatching headers. Finally informationshould never be repeated in the design document, but instead reference to the appropriate place where the design will be described. Repeating the information can lead to contradictory information later, when the design document needs to be revised, and informationmightonlybechangedinwhat seemsliketheappropriateplace.(Rouse,2004pp.358))

Categorizing Bad Design Documents

Writing a design documentsseems to beveryindividualtothedesigner,itsstillimportantforus to communicate what the flaws in a document may be, even though there no such thing as a standard template. Rouse hasneatly categorized design documents under5names,according tothemistakesthattheymake:

The Wafer-Thin or Ellipsis Special Document

Documents that barely mention the gameplay, and often focus on very small and specific elements, but will fail to describe the gameplay beyond simple comparison like: This plays like [Video Game] buthasgraphicslike[OtherVideoGame].orjustdescribethebasicfeelingofthe levels and weapons (ex. This levelwill be fun) Its often a sign of a manager that tries to be a game designer (Rouse,pp. 374375), and truly misses the point ofthedesigndocumentforthe developers.

The Back-Story Tome

Unlike the Ellipsis document, the BackStory Tome is very detailed,especially whenitcomesto describing the backstory and the world, and often has a lot of work put into it, sometimes hundreds of pages. However these are not always indexed properly. The BackStory Tome is often written by people that are more interested in the storytelling,anddont care much for the way that its presented to players(Rouse pp. 375376). The BackStory Tomemight be a sign that the game designer cantdistinguishthegamedesignfromstorylineorlore,anditsdefinitely agoodideatoseparatethetwointodifferentdocuments.

The Overkill Document

Completely opposite the Ellipsis document, the Overkill document will dig too deep into the gameplay details,andcan easily subtract from the ease of usethata design document should have (Rouse pp. 376377). Examples might be that code or pseudocode is stated, or that all 3

statistics for an item or weapon are stated. The Overkill documents details are probably best stripped entirelyfromthedesigndocument,andaddedasadditionaldocumentationfor thegame (i.e.itemslist,systemarchitectureorleveldata.

The Pie-in-the-Sky Document

The PieintheSky document refers to adesigndocumentthatdescribesanunrealisticgameor game feature (Rouse, pp. 377378). Examples could be inconsideration to technical limitations or levels of detail that are unachievableinthethe timespansetforthedevelopmentofthegame. These documents are often results of management setting too high expectations or a designer withoutproperknowledgeofwhatthetechnicalorartisticstaffcanachieve.

The Fossilized Document

A document is called a Fossilized Document when its become out of date forthedevelopment (Rousepp.378379).Sometimesadesigndocumentstarts outasagreatreferencetool,butthe designer may not have built up a good routine of continualmodificationofthedesigndocument, asdecisionsaremade,andchangesimplemented.

Design Documentation in Frejas Journey

The first documents that we were introduced to was a short singlepage pitch and some screenshots from their visual prototype. The pitch was well written, and well considered. It was abletocommunicatethatgameverywellinfewshortsentences. Frejas Journey is an exciting sidescrolling action gamesetin amagical vikingworldbasedon theNordicmythology.Frejasquesttosaveherfamilyand friends bringsherallthewayfromthe green fields and forests of Midgard, through the icy mountainsin Jotunheim,allthe way to the gods mighty fortress Asgard. Thegameistargetedatsoftgamers:peopleofallageswhoenjoy qualitycasualgameswithalittlemoredepth to the game experience. It willbe availableonthefollowingplatforms:iPhone,Android,Windows 8, Mac and Linux. It features beautiful game art and stunning visuals, witha rich customization system, Deep combat system and a unique quests and achievement system with exciting rewards.FrejasJourneyPitch The pitch might also be referred to as the games High Concept (Shuytema p . 85) which describesthecoreofthegame,whereapitchwouldnormallybeabitlonger,andincludedemos or proofofconcept and describe in detail the themes, play styles and the team behind it. (Shuytema p 86). In thiscaseitwasamixtureofboth,avery shortpitch oralongHighConcept. Well refer to it as the Core Overview, which seemed to be the best description according to Shuytema.(p95) When we started workingontheprojecthowever,thedesigndocumentationthatwehadto work withseemedto suffice,yetlaterrevealeditselftobelacking.The teamhadputtimetoputalotof effort to write a design document that covered as many categories as possible, but didnt have much experience writing them, which is probablythereasonthatthedocumentdidnotmeetour 4

needsasconsultingprogrammers. The design document we had to work with to begin with was just32pageslong,whichtobegin with seemed like sufficient information to build our game on. Furthermore the team had also created a document called LevelZoneOverviewthatheldthemostbasicinformationaboutthe levelsthroughoutthegame.

The Quality of Documentation

As described, theCore Overviewthatpitched the game was well written, and didwellinputting the game concept into as few words as possible. Since it wasnt meant as specifically Core Overview, High Concept or Pitch, we just went along with it being a Core Overview, since it seemedlikethebestdescription. The Level Overview document had a long list of levels, and had neatly categorized them under which world (Midgard, Asgard, Jotunheim) that they belonged to. Theyalllistedwhat gameplay type the level was, and whattime of day the levels would be shown as. Some levels also held questinformationforthemailquests,andalllevelshadasmalldescription. The level documentwas definitelyunfinished,butprovidedgreatmaterialforstartingworkonthe different level. For future development, the document might also includelinkstoconceptartand quests,andmightevenbeexpandedfurtherwithadetaileddescriptionofthelevel. As we also mentioned, the design document consisted of several pages of documentation. However,whenwestartedworkingonthegameweimmediatelyhitaroadblock,becausedetails of the game didnt seem to be communicated well enough. We had to implement the basic movement and actions of Freja to begin with, but it seemed like there was too much freedom given to us. After discussionswith theteam,werealizedthatmanyof thedeeperdetailshadnot been thought of at all. It seemed like a case of an Ellipsis document, wherethe details of the game mechanics looked underdeveloped, but at the same time the length of the document seemed to imply otherwise. We definitely got an impression that the team knew how the gameplayshouldwork,butthattheywereunabletoproperlyputitintowords. Like a BackStory Tome, thedocument was rich instoryanddescriptions oftheworld,andwas missing a proper table ofcontent (Rouse, pp. 360). The way itwassetupinthedocumentwas two bullet points to help people look up 32 pages of designdocument. The tableof contentsplit the document into two sections: The first part (that coveredstory,characters, worldandbasic gameplay) andThesecondpart(thatheldthetechnical specificationsandworkflowdescription and othertechnicaldetails).Thismadeitverydifficultforusas well, asitwas hardtograspwhat we could look up, without having to read the entire document, eventhough the document was rich in sections and subsections with proper headlines. The documentalsofeltveryWaferThin insomesections: People 5

During her journey Freja encounters different people frompeddlersandmerchantstovillagers indistress,whowillneedherhelpandsendheronquests.InitialDesignDocument BasicMovement Thebasicplayermovementisthefollowing:walk,run,jump.InitialDesignDocument with other sections providing much more information. It was obvious to us that the design document needed to have a lot more information abouthowthesemechanicsworked,and what theplayercoulddototriggerthegamemechanics. In terms of readability, the document really excelled, with nice headers, a good amount of whitespaceandfewbutsimplepictures.

Expanding the Documentation for Frejas Journey

We had identifiedthe design document as having the biggestflaw,andthatswheremostofthe focus should be put. We especially wanted emphasis on the thingsthatwehadtoimplementin prototype, and we started to work with the Tinysaurus team on making detailed descriptions of thegamemechanics,andhowFrejawascontrolled. Since the designdocument is protected by an NDA (NonDisclosure Agreement) we will notbe able to quote the final design document directly, but we are able to include a stripped down excerptofit.Thisexcerptdoesnotcontainthefulldetailsof thefinaldocument,butexampleswill begivenonhowthefinaldocumentshoulddescribethegameplaydetails.

Movement
Movementwasonlydescribedusingasinglesentenceintheoriginaldocument,yettheteam alreadyknewhowthismechanicwasgoingtowork,sotheprocessherewasassimpleasjust writingingreaterdetailhowthecontrolsofFrejaworked. BesidestheinformationinAppendixA,wefurtherneededtodescribetheinput.Thefinaldesign documentwehadtoalsoexplainthat:Frejamovedbytiltingtheleftjoystickleftorright.Overa specificthresholdwouldshestartrunning,otherwiseshewouldwalk.Ontouchdevices,this joystickwouldbevisuallydrawnonthescreen.ThejumpbuttonwouldmakeFrejajump,andif shewasrunningorwalking,wouldkeepmovingforwardintheairwhenjumping.Frejawould keepmovinginthedirectionthatshewasrunning/walkingwhenthejumpbuttonwaspressed. Whileinair,Frejacouldstillbecontrolledabit,butwouldstillkeepthesamegeneraldirection.

Combat
Whenwehadtowriteaboutcombat,unlikethebasicmovement,theteamhadnotthoughtthe controlsthough,andweresplitbetweenhowitshouldbeimplemented.Asdescribedlaterinthe GameDesignchapter,youllseethatprocessofevaluatingandupdatingthegamemechanics ofthecombat,butintermsofdocumentation,itseasyworkonceyouknowhowthegameplay shouldwork. 6

Thecombatsectionwasexpandedtoincludethebuttonlayoutandhowitwasutilized: Toattack,Frejahadasingleattackbutton.Tomakeaquickslash,theattackbuttonshouldbe tappedquickly.Tomakeaheavierattack,thebuttonshouldbepressedandhelddownbriefly. Theattackbuttonwouldexecutedifferentattacks,dependingonwhatstateFrejaisin.Examples wouldbethatwhentheattackbuttonistappedrightafterajump,wouldmakeFrejaexecutean upwardsslashortappingtheattackbuttonwhileinmidair,whichwouldenableFrejauptothree slashesoftheswordwhilesuspendedinmidair.

Enemies
SincetheTinysaurusteamhadverylittleknowledgeofprogramming,AIhadntbeenaconcern oftheirstobeginwith,andthereforethebehaviourofenemieshadnotreallybeenfleshedout.In thetrimmeddowndesigndocument(AppendixA)theresshortdescriptionoftheenemies behaviour,whichwasmorethanwehadtoworkwithattheoffset.Thefinisheddesign documentdescribedtheenemiesbehaviourintermsofstate,butdidnttakeintoconsideration theAIDirector(Chapter:PrototypingEnemiesandAI)forexample. ExamplesofstatewouldbethatenemiespullingthewagonwereinaPullingstateandwould thenonlypullthewagon.Ifallprotectingenemiesforthewagonhadbeendefeated,theenemy wouldenteraFleeingstate,andrunawayanddisappear.IfEnemieswereinaProtecting state,theywouldmovetowardsthewagon,untilacertaindistance,andbeIdle.Wheninthe idlestate,theywouldmovetowardsthewagon,oncethedistancewastoobig,orenter CombatwhenFrejawaswithinacertaindistance.AfterafewsecondsofCombattheywould enterAttack,theretheywouldchargeFrejaandattackher,afterwhichtheywouldreenterthe combatstate.CombatstatewouldgobacktoidleifFrejagottoofaraway.AIusuallymightbe muchmoredetailedthanwedescribedhere(RyanPart2,1999,p.4)(Rouse,pp366368)but forthepurposesofdevelopingtheprototypeitwouldhavebeenabadideatosettoomuchin stoneforthedevelopersintermsofAI,sinceonlyasinglequests(thewagon)hadtohaveAI implemented. Finallysomedetailsofthedesigndocumentwerealsoremoved.Aswewilldiscussinanother chapter(GameDesignProcessinFrejasJourney)someaspectsofthegamedesignweretoo complex(RyanPart2,1999,p.3),butsomeplacesgameobjectshadbeenwrittenintoomuch detail,maybeevenasmallcaseofanOverkilldocumentandweadvisedthemtostripitaway.

Prototyping
Our first concern when starting work with the Tinysaurus team was to write code for them. In this chapter we will touch upon all the areas of coding thatwehadtoworkwith.Documentation and Game Designare discussed in theirseparatechapters.Inthischapterwediscussallofthe majorsystemsthatweimplementedintothegameinamoreorlessfinishedform.

Freja
The most important thing was ofcoursetogetFrejatorunaroundthelevelproperly.Animations 7

were handled separately from Frejas basic movement,thatdependedonacharactercontroller. This controller would be fixedto a lane, defined by the level. Each level wouldhavethreelanes, where the middle one was intended for Freja, and the other two would allow enemies to walk pasteachotherwithoutcolliding. Besides simple walking, we also had to implement attacking and jumping. Sincea low priority had been keptforcombatintermsofdocumentation,asimpleattackwasjustimplemented,and notcombosasitwouldlaterbedescribedintheDesignDocument. Freja was also fitted witha lot of smallerscripts: e.g.suckinallsurrounding itemsormoney,if there were any of them close to her or hold different weapons that had asmallchanceofdoing extradamage.

Animations
The team had many animations of the main character but they had not been configured to play with the controls, and were impossible to merge. The artists were very keen on portraying a fantasy yet realistic feel in their game, so animationshadtobe workeduntiltherewasnosliding (walking animation while not moving),the jumping feltaccurate andrealistic,andtheanimations weremergednicely. This work was done with Mecanim, Unitys animation system, which proved to be immensely useful in creating statemachines and configuring ittoperformblendsbetweenwalking,running, jumping and attacking. Freja had to be able to attack while standing, while running and while jumping, and also jump while standing and running. All these actions had to be mapped accordingtocontrollerinputandpolisheduntiltheyseemedrealisticenough. We had toaskforbasicanimations(walk,run,jump,attack)fromtheartistsinordertoperform effective blends (runattack, walkjump),modifying the clip length and the blending conditions in ordertomakethemfitoneanother. In the end, the work was validated and appealed to the artists, as it effectively conveyed the senseofrealisticfantasytheywantedtoportray.

Enemies and AI
The enemies of the game had to at the least have a basic AI that could walk on the lanes, and not collide with each other. For this a central AI was created that would be the director of all enemies, and assign each of them a task that they should accomplish. That way only a single enemy would attack at a time, and not every one of them acting completely identical. The AI system could tell the enemies to walk to a specific place (xposition) and the enemies should automatically walk around each other, yet end up in the middle lane whenever they are the closest enemy to Freja. The AIdirectorwould look at all enemies and their target position, and see if any of their paths would cross, if so the AI director would tell one enemy to switch to a differentlane. 8

As mentioned, enemieswouldonlyattackoneatatime, andforthisprototypeitwouldalwaysbe theclosest enemytoFreja.Someenemieshowevercouldbe taskedwithotherthingsthatwould not allow them to attack. Forexample in the level, two goblins will pull to wagons with supplies away from Freja (each in a separate direction) and for each wagon, twoenemies will spawn to protect it. The two pullers would no be concerned with Freja at all, but instead only pull the wagon. If the protectors diedhowever, he would flee the scene.The protectors would however stay within proximity of the wagon,unless Freja would be near them, in whichcase theywould beinanaggressivestance,andattackwhentoldto.

Quests
Since the game was told though quests, a simple quest system was put into place, for the purpose of thesingle scene. A list of quests wouldbecreateduponstartofthegame,and each quest would then have a number associated with it. The numberwould be the progress, so 0 meant that it had not been started, and 1 meant that Freja had triggered something, and progressed the questto the next stage. 1 meant that the quest was completed.Forthewagon quest, it wouldbe triggered once Freja initiated a dialogue.Oncethedialoguewascompletethe second stage ofthe quest would trigger a cutscene. The third stagewouldbetriggeredonceall wagons had been stopped, and Freja could return to the originaldialogue trigger, and receive a thankyoumessage,whichwouldsetthequestprogressto1.

Conclusion
In this chapter we have looked at what a design document is, and what impact a bad design document can have. We have also given some examplesof typicalbaddesigndocuments,and where (if at all) they the Frejas Journey designdocument had similarities.Wehavefurthermore given some examplesofhowweexpandedthedesigndocumentofFrejasJourney,andmadeit more detailed whereit needed be. Both to make sure that futuredevelopersontheproject have better reference tools,but also in order to help the team to sell thegame idea, so they can get fundingfortheproject.

The Role of the Game Designer

WhydoweneedGameDesigninGames? Game Design is the process of imagining a gameidea, defining how it works, describing the various elements that make upthe game and communicating the information to the rest of the team(Adams&Rollings,2007,pp.3642).Itisimportanttoevade variousmisconceptions,such as thinking of the player as oneself, or thinking of him as an opponent. This process includes conceptual design elements, such as mechanics and character design, but also artistic aspects,suchasvisualart,musicandsound.

Stages of Game Design

Threeimportantsteps According to Adams &Rollings,theGameDesignProcessisdividedinto threemajorparts:the concept stage, which you perform at first, and whose results do not change the elaboration stage, in which you add most of the design details and refine your decisions throughout prototyping and playtesting, and the tuning stage, at whichpointnonewfeatures maybe added, butyoucanmakesmalladjustmentstopolishthegame(2007,pp.5260). We focused on thefirst two stages, as the aim of the project was always tocreateafunctional prototypeandgamedesigndocument,nottohaveafinal,polishedversionofthegame.

Game Designers
The Game Designers are the team members in charge of overseeing and documenting the whole design process of the game. Starting from the most abstract level and detailing the idea and mechanics as the team iterates on the design, the game ideaturns into a game concept andthenintoagamedesign,closelyfollowingtheteamsprogressintheotherareas. Specialized game designers which are responsible for levels are called level designers, and must get the mechanics and concepts down to earth in a practical,tangible level,combiningall the elements. In our work, wehelpeddesignthefirstprototypelevel,withthemainmechanicsof thegame.

Concept Stage
FromGameIdeatoGameConcept This is the initial stage, where the group comes up with a game idea and works on it until it becomesasolidgameconcept.

Coming up with an Idea

This process is usually characterized by various creative brainstorming sessions withtheteam or a smaller subteam in charge ofdesign. As Jesse Schell states in The Art of GameDesign, 10

the core of this phase isiterating through an idea until it is good enough (pp. 5861). Sometips regarding this processaretofindinspirationoutsidegames(environments,art,history,everyday chores, childhood memories, hobbies) and toleadagoodcreativebrainstormingprocesswitha moderator,promotinganactiveenvironment. Ernest Adams and Andrew Rollings have also been very keen on expressing, in both Fundamentals ofGame Design and Game Design, to dream the dream, and think ofdesigning games as fulfilling dreams. Shigeru Miyamoto has found inspiration for The Legend of Zelda games in his childhood memories, exploring a river valley with mountains and caves near his rural village. (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/12/20/101220fa_fact_paumgarten) Videogames are about gameplay and entertainment, but also have a lot to do with enacting fantasies (mimicry)andpresentingtheplayerwithrich,virtualworlds,societiesandcharacters. Richard Rouse states that itis possible to start a game idea fromastoryor setting(pp.4546), as long asit dramaticallyaffectsthegameplayandthe designershavetheskilltothinkhowitwill adapt to the game.Many games are more about the story and setting than thegameplay, while others focus more on the gameplay, with the setting being only a way to illustrate the world. In fact, in our process, we started with an idea or a fantasy, and coupled it with gameplay that wouldfit. Games that feature a balance between the setting, gameplay and mechanics create harmony between them, and are the most solid games. Andrew and Rollings state the importance of harmony in games, and how designers should strive for harmony and portraythefeelingthatall elements of a game belong to a single, whole, coherentexperience(AdamsandRollings,2003, pp.5660).Thisiswhatweintendedinthegamedesignprocessthatwecarriedout.

Crafting the Game Concept

Once the basic idea has been established, it is a good idea to describe it in a document and validate the idea with the team. The process of writing the document is usually an enlightening one, as it is a process fueled by questions and placing oneself in the position of a third party reading the document. As Adams & Rollings state, it is an assembled skeleton (2003, pp. 5253). In this stage, it is usual to write a Pitch Document or a Game Concept Document. Many authors make several distinction between them, buttheyaremainlytheinitialpitchorideaofthe game,withthevitalelementsandgamefeel. Adams&RollingshavestatedthatthefourvitalpointsthatneedtobeestablishedintheConcept Stage, which cannot be changed once the elaboration stage has started, are four (2007, pp. 5455): the concept of the game, which is the general idea of the gameplay and the reason behindwhythegameiscompelling the target audience ofthe game, whichdictatesthekindofexperiencetheplayerswillbe 11

presentedwith,andisvitalinaplayercentricdesignapproach the players rolein the game, which relates tothe characterorcharactersthattheplayer willcontrolandtheobjectivesthattheplayerwillhave the fantasy of the game has to do with fulfilling the players dreams and wishes, and presentinghimwithwhatheexpectsfromthegame Note: These pointsdo not applytoabstractgames,whicharegamesthatlackadefinedsetting, world and reason to be, and rely on abstract mechanics. The gamethedesignteamismaking, however,isarepresentationalgame,sothepointsstandvalid. Finally, Jesse Schellrecommends applying eightfilterstoanygameideaintheiterativeprocess (pp7679),byaskingeightquestions: Doesthegamefeelrighttothedesigner? Willtheintendedaudiencelikethegameenough? Isitawelldesignedgameregardingthetheme,mechanics,balance? Isthegamenovelenough? Willthisgamesellorappealtoitsconsumers? Isthegametechnicallypossibletobuild? Doesthegamehavesocialgoals,anddoesitfulfillthem? Dotheplaytestersenjoythegameenough? With playtesting, Jesse Schells enforces the idea of early prototypes (paper,whiteboard,basic digital)inordertotryoutideas.

Elaboration Stage
DevelopingtheConceptintoaFullfledgedDesign With the concept in a basic level of abstraction, each mechanic is further developed and put together into aharmonicdesign.Thisvitalstageinvolves describingthegameinahigherlevelof detailandprototypingthemechanicstotesttheideasinpractice.

Game Design Tasks

Thisstageinvolvescompletingvarioustasks(Adams&Rollings,2007,pp.5659),whichare: defining the primary gameplay mode, which means defining what theplayer will mostly be doing in the game, not having to specify every single element, but defining the components that make up the mode, the interaction model, thechallenges presented to theplayerandtheactionsavailabletohim designing the protagonist in order to let the player feel identified with it, working on its appearance and/or behavior, the emotions and body language he possesses, the vocabularyheuses 12

defining the game world, relying on real life and imagination in order to create the world inside the video game,which includes look and feel butalsophysics,time,environment, emotionsandethics further designing the core mechanics to understand how they willrelate tothe intended challengestheplayerwillfaceandtheactionsthemaincharacterwillbeabletoperform creating additional modes when necessary, such as tactical modes in a war game, or equipment modes in a roleplaying game, documenting their perspective, interaction modelandgameplay designing levels that will bring to life the intended game experience using the components provided by the design (characters, challenges, actions,world,mechanics, story), starting from thefirstplayablelevel(importantfuturemilestone)andleavingspace forleveldesignerstocontinuetheirwork writing the story if there is one, as theyhelp to keep the player interestedandinvolved, and act as motivation to the players actions as they go through the levels it may be linearornonlinear,withoptionalquestsanddifferentkindsofprogression building, testing, and iteratingthrough thevariousversionsofthegame,astheunderlying principle behind game development states, prototyping various ideas and keeping the onesthatworkbest,testingthemateverysteprightfromthestart

Luckily, thegameconceptthatwewereelaboratingrequiredthecompletionofmostofthetasks, somostofthemwillbereferredtointhefollowingsections.

Towards a better Game Design

Richard Rouse recommends keeping the design process and documentation organic and simple (Richard Rouse,pp 283286). What he means is that overly long documentsatanearly stage are not useful, as the concept may still be flawed and needsplaytesting and elaboration. He recommends developing the concept at a steady pace,allowing prototypingandplayteststo validateitastheprocessgofurther. Adding toomuch content too early or going from abstract to overly specific canonlybringflaws and errors to the process. It is the designers role to always keep the rightlevel of abstraction and the right amount of content in each process. Paul Schuytema states that adding just the right amount of detailis necessaryinordertokeep thedesigndocumentseffectiveasblueprints ofthefinalgame(pp.108109). Adams & Rollings (2007, pp 278281) also recommend to focus on execution and fun, not focusing on innovation but execution, and finding the fun factor. To help carry out this process, they mention a series ofprinciples which state the importance of gameplay overthe rest of the 13

elements of the game (players actions), solidfeatures(morevalidtoshipagamewithfewsolid features than many broken ones) and playercentric design. They also recommend having a personwiththevisionofthegameandkeepingtruetoit.

Level Design
As theothersprocessestakingpartofGameDesign, itisalsoaniterativeprocess.Itisenriched by early input by artists, programmers and other designers, as they will take charge of developing the visual aspect and mechanics of the game, and should comment on the scope and feasibility of them. Adams and Rollings (2007, pp 418421) recommend structuring the process into certain tasks, that the design group has divided in three small phases: Planning Phase,PrototypingPhaseandReviewPhase. Planning Phase is, in short, about sketching the level itself, thinking of gameplay, challenge areas, triggers with certain events, storytelling, save points. It deals with determining thescope of the level, the required visual assets. Prototyping means building the prototype in a digital medium, getting the models and using placeholders to get a basic version on the level, upon which the level designer can iterate and playtest. Level reviewandrefinement is about holding review meetings, getting the team members to playtest the game and give feedback, dealing withthingssuchasscope,pacing,placement,performanceandaesthetics. Adams andRollings(2007,pp.400404)alsoofferaseriesofprinciples,fromwhichwehighlight the importance of making the early levels tutorial levels, pacing the game correctly, keep the player informed of shortterm goals and being clear about risks, rewards and consequences. Additionally, they recommend big rewards with small punishments and trying to implement difficulty settings, to keep players balanced with the game. Regarding actionadventure and roleplaying games, they state that varying the pace, promoting character growth and player selfexpression and offering locationbased challenges and story development are the three mostimportantprinciplestofocuson.

Tuning Stage
BalancingandPolishing The design group will not focus on this stage, as it falls out of the scope ofthe project, but will briefly describe themain pointsofit.Inthisstage,nomorefeaturesmaybeaddedtothedesign, as the design entersa locked state. However, small design adjustments are still necessary,as balancingelementsandcoremechanicsofthegameisapriority. Tuning and polishing the game is the main goal of this stage, and should be seen as a subtractive notanadditiveprocess,removingimperfectionsandmakingthegameshine(Adams andRollings,2007,pp.5960).

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Game Design Process in Frejas Journey

Conceptualization Stage
The concept stage was atypicalin the sense that, when we joined theteam,abasicgameidea had already beenestablished. They had the feel ofthegameintheirheadandweretryingtoget it down to a document, albeit focusing toomuch oncertainelements(likestoryprogression)but being too vague in mechanics (like fighting, items and equipment, quests). The design team helped them develop those ideas, simplifying the concept and making it work for their target audience.

Assessing Initial Pitch

From the beginning of the project, the Tinysaurus team had a vague idea of the game they wanted(withaveryhighlevelofabstractionsandplentyofunexploredpoints).Theyhadtalkedto each other and agreed on basic mechanics, yet as thesenever gotwrittendown,theideaeach individual hadon its mind was,in fact, different. This wasthestartingpointoftheproject,asthe designgroupbegantopolishthisidea. We deeply read thepitch document that they had madeandheldafirstgameideameetingwith them, where the main ideas of the game were discussed and written down. Moreover, we got informationontheclientsintendedtargetaudienceandpossibleplatforms. The pitch document was overly long, but was effective in getting the idea across. They could effectively convey the feel of the game and main character, with their fascinating world based uponnorsemythologyandthestoryofachildinherquestofrescuingherfamilyandfriends. The key words for their game were adventure game,engagingworldandnarrative,semicasual and game for everyone. They had carefully crafted a world and adventure based on norse mythology,withvikings,goblins,trollsandvariouslocationsalsoderivedfromthismythology.

Conceptualization meetings
We held a conceptualization meeting, where wegathered the main ideas, further developed them and made them fit together. Initially, the scope of the project wastoobroadandnotsuited for the target audience they expected. Furthermore, there were many elements that had not been discussed yet, such as supporting characters and how level progression adapts to the storyprogressiontheyhadplanned. Original Idea The team originally wanted a 3D sidescrolling adventure game with a fighting system (which they had not developed), items (that you can buy or found and use at any time), quest system (with rewards), equipment (weapons, armor, accessories, magic runes, which you canbuy or find) andbigmagicrunes,whichchangeproperties.Theyhadtalkedabouthavingstatus effects, elementalattacksandachievements. 15

The fighting model they wanted included levels, active stats (such as strength, willpower, endurance), passive stats (Damage, Protection, Magic), Energy and skills (becoming stronger for some time). They wanted accessories to enable the player to use magic attacks or have elemental attacks in their weapon. They wanted different types of weapons that worked differently(axes,hammers,maces,swords)anddifferenttypesofarmor. The game idea did notfit its intended audience, as thecomplexity of the system was too high, the mechanics didnot fit with one another and were notcoherentandharmonic.Ameetingwith them was held to adjust the scope of the project, and decisionsweremadetoreducethebasic ideatoafeasibleconcept. Simplified Idea In the meeting, we decided to merge many concepts, remove the complex ones, and make a system easy and understandable. This allowed us to create a simple System Image for the game, enabling users tocreatetheirownUserModelsinamoreintuitiveway,withamuchmore intuitivemappingbetweenthecontrolsandthegameplay(DonaldA.Norman,pp.1226). Firstly, the players actions were discussed. The player can walk/run, attack, block, jump, perform combo moves and interact with townsfolk. The player can also build up energy, and unleashaspecialattackwhenenoughenergyhasbeenbuiltup. Secondly, the whole stats model was heavily simplified, removing active and passive stats, leaving only 5 basic, intuitive stats: Strength, Agility, HP, Vitality and Limit Energy. Strength would affect the attack power, agility the speed, HP the players life,vitalityitsdefense,andlimit energy would establish the frequency with which the player can use special attacks. It was important to create a simple enough interaction model for the playertounderstandandmanage (AdamsandRollings,2003,pp.358361). Leveling up would allocate stats automatically, allowing the player to choose one stat to give a bonus point to. Enemies would level up as the player levels up, inorderto carefully control the difficultyforeachplayer. Regarding equipment, it wascutdown to weapons and armor only, removingaccessories and magic runes. Different types of weapons have small differences, but have the same combo moves and wayofattacking.Somemayhaveanelementalpropertyembedded,whichmayoffer resistancetofire,oricebasedattacks,etc. Achievements, quests and equipment were combined, having equipment be the reward of fulfilling quests, with onlyoneof each piece of equipment in theworld(workingasacollectible). Questscanbeundertakenfromthecityhubandviewedfromthemainworldmap. A very basic inventory system was developed, being able to buy2 types of items (HP potions 16

andEnergyElixirs)andusetheminanycombat. Result The final concepts complexityfinally suited a semicasual audiencemuchbetter,leavingspace to cut certain elements (different types of weapons, different special attacks) if the playtest showedthattheconceptwasstilltoocomplex. After rounding up the concept idea, the Game Concept Document was crafted by the designers, including every element from the game idea. After validating the document with the client, the design groupmade sure to possess all the vitalelementsneededtomovetothenext phase.

Elaboration Stage
Towards a Game Design Document
With all of the concepts in a basic level of understanding and abstraction, we developed the conceptsfurther.Thisleadustofinddifferentproblemsintheconcept,andmechanicsthatwere still vague. Specifying these mechanics in a lower level of abstraction enabled us to develop themandunderstandthembetter. Game Modes Four game modes were defined, to explain the game better: Menu mode, Worldmode, Village mode and Combat mode. The first two deal with stats, equipment and levels. Village mode involved exploring villages, talking to townsfolk, taking on quests and buying items. Combat modeinvolvedfightingwithenemies,beingabletoattackandperformcombomoves. Fighting System The fighting system and controls were still vague, so we developed them. We held a creative brainstorming session and discussed various possibilities for the combat, finallysettling down for a simple onebutton attack withdifferent possible combinations according totheirtimingand thecharactersposition(ground,midair,air). Combos such as ground combo (attack on ground), upwards slash (attack whilebeginning to jump), aircombo(attackwhileinmidair),downwardthrust(attackwhilefalling) and roundattack (chargeapowerfulattackandunleashtheattackbutton)cameup. Enemies To better fit the different combos, enemies were changed to appear intuitive to these combos: tall enemies would haveto be knocked down with air combos, shortenemiescouldbeattacked from above with downward thrust and armed enemies would have to bedisarmed by blocking and counterattacking. Enemies would be able to be defeated using normal fighting skills, but thesespecialtacticscouldbeusedtodisposeofenemiesinamoreeffectiveway. Furthermore, different types of enemies were developed, with small differences between one 17

another (suchas normal goblin, armed goblin and goblin soldier). This would provetobeuseful asartistscanreusemodelswithsmalldifferencesinequipmentbutbigdifferencesintactics. Bosses were also defined, with the game flow being different from normal enemies, as these havecertainattackpatternsandtacticstobedestroyed. Quest System The whole narrative is divided in quests:mandatoryquests(advancethestoryandopenupnew areas) and optional quests (revisit old areas and learn background story). Questsaredividedin three types:defeatinganenemy,rescuing avillagerandfindingahiddentreasureincertainlevel. These quests are collected automatically and may be fulfilled simultaneously whenever the player visits thelevel,withamessengerdeliveringthecorrespondingitem/villagertothecity,and givingtheplayeritsreward.

Level Design
Theteamofartistshadanideaofthelevelstheywanted,butthedesignteamhelpedthem developthem.Wedevelopedoneprototypelevelthatwouldincludemanymainmechanics, portrayingthegamefeelofadventuretheartistsintended. Initially,thelevelwouldfeatureexploringaforest,goingtoavillageandbattlingsomegoblins. Thecombatpartwasfurtherdeveloped,withthegoblinswantingtostealfoodfromthevillage, withthemaincharactertryingtopreventthis.Toaddvarietytothis,thegoblinsprogressively becomehardertobeat(differentgoblintypesappear),andabattleindicatorappearstoshow howtheplayerisfaring. Asthegameissidescrollingin3D,alanesystemwasdevelopedtoplaceeachgoblinina differentlane,sothattheplayerisnotoverwhelmedwhileattackingtheenemies. Thegenerallevelprogressionwasalsodiscussed,buttheteamalreadyhadaprogressionin mind,whichworkedquitewell.Theydividedtheworldinregions,eachwiththeircityhub(totake onmissionsandbuyitems)anddifferentareasaccordingtothetheme(firevolcano,mystic forest).Thequestsystemwasquitecompatiblewiththeseprogressionaswell,andmadeit easytotheplayertoknowhowtoprogressfurther.

Prototyping and Playtesting

Theteamagreedonmakingasmallverticalsliceofthemechanics,includingfighting, exploration,asmallcutsceneinvolvingavillager,enemiesandthevisualstyleofthefinalgame. Thefightingsystemwassimplifiedforthisplaytestanditemsarenotpresent,butitincludesthe fullyanimatedandtexturedmaincharacterwithalocation(forestandvillage),avillagerand goblins.Theenemieshavetacticsandpositionthemselvesindifferentlanesaccordingtotheir peers,andwillattackFrejaorrunawayifoutnumbered.Thebattleshownisatimedbattle,as Frejaneedstorunfromoneedgeofthetowntoanother,tryingtopreventthegoblinsfrom 18

stealingcartswithfood. Thefantasyofthegameandtheplayersactionscanbeunderstoodfromtheprototype,which wasthefocusweallwantedtogive.

Conclusion
To sumup,the processwasveryenlightening,andquitemotivatingforallmembersoftheteam. The artists and designers developed a bond oftrust betweenoneanother,whichmotivatedboth parties to work more, with artists giving the initial ideas and art and the designers polishing the ideaintoaconcept,andlater,intoadesign,andcraftingaprototypeofthegame. The close contact between all team members made the concept and prototype much easierto develop, as the design team could take control of the different phases, with the support of the artistteam. The project went through the concept phase successfully andexecuted part of the elaboration stagewithhighsatisfactionfromtheteam.Thedesignteam progressivelyloweredtheconcepts level of abstraction and specified mechanics in higher detail as the initial prototype was being developed. We could make use of the feedbackwereceivedfromtheartistteamplaytestingthe prototype andour own observations while playing it,which enabledustodevelopmoreaccurate mechanics, keeping the documentation organic and simple, and in close relation to the game developed.

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Summary
Thisprojecthas beenasuccessfulcasestudyofawelldocumentedandexecutedgamedesign process,whichhassatisfiedallmembersoftheteam. In the process of writing this report, we have mostly learned about the importance of documentation throughout the game design process and the role of game design in the game developmentprocess. We have also firsthand experienced the need for proper game design documentation, when working with otherpeoples visions. Being able toworkwiththemondevelopingithasalsobeen a great way to experience this aspect of game developmentfrombothadesignersperspective aswellasaprogrammers. Our role in this project has mostlybeen polishingtheinitialidea andturningitintoaconceptthat would fit the intended target audience and scope. After that,wewereresponsiblefordeveloping vague mechanics into detailed and coherent mechanics, which together integrate a cohesive and harmonic design. Wetook part in bothgamedesignandleveldesign,andalsoprototypeda first vertical slice of the game. In theprocess,welearntalotaboutpracticaltools,suchasUnity andMechanim,andhowtointegrate3Dassetsintoaprojectandanimatecharacters. To sum up, it has been a very useful experience to both of us, and the learning experience we got from this project will be very useful for us in the future, in our roles of game designer and gamedeveloper.

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References
Literature: A. Rollings and E. Adams (2007). Game Design and Development. Fundamentals of Game Design A.RollingsandE.Adams(2003).AndrewRollingsandErnestAdamsonGameDesign R.RouseIII(2005).GameDesignTheoryandPractice.2ndEdition J.Schell(2008).TheArtofGameDesign DonaldA.Norman(1988),TheDesignofEverydayThings P.Schuytema(2007),GameDesignAPracticalApproach OnlineArticles: T,Ryan(1999),TheAnatomyofaDesignDocument,Part1:DocumentationGuidelinesforthe GameConceptandProposal http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3384/the_anatomy_of_a_design_document_.php T,Ryan(1999),TheAnatomyofaDesignDocument,Part2:DocumentationGuidelinesforthe FunctionalandTechnicalSpecifications http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3411/the_anatomy_of_a_design_document_.php T.Freeman(1997),CreatingaGreatDesignDocument http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3224/creating_a_great_design_document.php

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Appendix
Appendix A - Excerpt of Game Design Document

2 Gameplay
2.1OverviewandStoryProgression
Frejas Journey is a 3D sidescrolling adventure game with light RPG elements, aimed at a semicasual public, for gamers that want experiences with more depth than most casual games. The game features fighting, exploration and questfulfilling mechanics in an interestingworldbasedintheNorseMythology. The game tells the storyof a Viking Kidinaquesttorescue herfamily.Thestoryisdividedin different quests:compulsary quests that move the story forward, and optional quests, that featuresmallsubplotsandtellFrejabackgroundinformationaboutvillagersandtheworld.

2.1.1Playersobjective
The players main objective is to help Freja rescue her family, exploring the world aroundheranddefeatingenemiesineachstage The players secondaryobjectiveistofulfillthequeststhataregiven toFrejainorderto getrewardsanditems,andbecomemorepowerful

2.1.2GameModes
2.1.2.1VillageMode When Frejas inside a town and no enemies are around, Village Mode is activated. This mode lets Freja explore her surroundings and talk to villagers and merchants. She cant attackin thismode,butshecanjumptogettonewplaces. 2.1.2.2CombatMode When enemies appear, Combat Mode is initiated, where Freja can attack the enemies that surroundher.Shecanjump,attackwithherweapon,unleashcombosanduseitems. 2.1.2.3MainMenu When the player pauses the game, he/she enters the game menu, where information about Freja, her equipment, quests and abilities are seen. From there, the player can select new equipmentorchangetheabilitiesassignedtoFreja. ThemainscreensoftheMainMenuare:Stats,Equipment,QuestLog

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2.1.2.4WorldMap In order to traverse the world, Freja can choose what area to enter from the World Map.The WorldMapisdividedinregions,eachofthemdividedindifferentareas(villagesordungeons). Every village and dungeon are shown and represented in the World Map, with a small description of the quests and items in each place. Cities and compulsory dungeons are represented in themainroad,whereasoptional dungeonsandsecretareaspopup onthesides ofmainareas. <DrawingofMainMapneeded> New areas appear in the World Map as Freja completes Compulsory and Optional quests. Freja does nothave toreplayoldareastomovefromoneplacetotheother,butcansimplyskip oldareas,beingabletogobacktotowntobuynewequipment.

2.2GameMechanics
2.2.1MainCharacter
2.2.1.1MainMovements

Frejas normal movements are: walking, running, jumping, doublejumping, attacking, blocking andunleashingcombos. Walking and Running: Freja explores the world by moving around. She will automatically walk orrundependinginwhatGameModesheisin. Jumping and Double Jumping: When pressingthejumpbutton,Frejawilljumphighinthe sky. If pressed again whilein midair, Freja will jumpagainperforminganacrobaticroll.Thisenables hertoevadesomeattacksandreachhigherplaces. Attacking and Combos: The game has one attack button, but many easy and intuitive combinations(see2.2.2.1MovesandCombos). Blocking: Freja can block enemy attacks with her shield, allowingherto knockbacktheenemy andcounter.
2.2.1.2StatsandLevelingUp

Frejahas5basicstats:Strength,Agility,HP,VitalityandLimitEnergy. Strengthaffectshowstrongshehits AgilitychangesthespeedwithwhichFrejamovesandattacks HPrepresentsFrejaslife 23

VitalityisFrejasdefenseagainsttheenemy LimitEnergyaffectsFrejaslimitabilities(see2.2.1.3LimitAbilities)

Freja will earn experience as she defeats the enemies that surround her. When she gets enough experience, she will levelup one level, with her stats being automatically updated. The player can put 1 bonus point in a stat he/she chooses, in order to let the playercreatehis ownfightingstyle. The enemies in the game will levelup automatically as Freja levels up, keeping their strategiesbutimprovingtheirstats,tokeepabasiclevelofchallengeinthegame.
2.2.1.3Limitabilities

Freja has a limit bar that gets filled as she hits the enemies and gets hit. Whenitgetsfull,she canunleashapowerfullimitattack,beingabletooverturnthetideofbattle. She learns new limit abilities as she levels up and can choose which to use from the main menu. Listoflimitabilities: Viking Rage: Frejas speed is doubled, her strength increases and she becomes invincibletemporarily Healing Pulse: Freja is surrounded by a healing force field that cures her health constantlyforalimitedtime Powerful Shield: A force field surrounds Freja. Herdefenseincreasesandshecantbe knockeddown
2.2.2.4Equipment

Freja may equipaweaponandapieceofarmor.Generally,weaponsimproveherstrengthand armorimproveherlifeandvitality. There are 3 types ofweapons: swords, axes and maces. Swords are average indamageand speed, axe damage ismoreerraticandcriticalhitsmayoccur,andmacesareslowertousebut hitstronger. There are weapons with special abilities in the game. Some may inflict a status effect on the enemy (poison, burn, freeze, stun) while others may possess elemental properties (fire, ice, wind), adding them to Frejas attacks and defending her from these kind of attacks (see 2.2.2.5StatusEffectsandElementalAttacks). Many weapons and pieces of armor are hidden in dungeons or can be bought from merchants. Theres onlyoneofeachtypeintheworld,andFrejacanselectwhichonetoequip from the Equipment Screen. (I.e.:theresonlyoneFireSwordintheworld,whichcan befound 24

insideFieryVolcanoArea). Weapons and Armor may be bought or found but never sold. They will appear in the Equipment Screen as foundor not found, as means of a percentageofcompletionofthe game.
2.2.2.5Items

Freja can buy anduse 2 types of items: potions and elixirs. Potions heal a percentage of her HP,andElixirsfillherLimitBar. These items can be used from Combat Mode or VillageMode without the need to enter the MainMenuScreen. 2.2.2CombatandEnemies Combat in the game is fastpaced, with Freja unleashing streams of combos into the enemies, evading their attacks and disarming them. Enemies have different pieces of equipment(helmets,shields,armor)andcanbedisarmedifattackedeffectively. Whentheplayerdisarmstheenemy,itsdefenselowersdown,anditseasiertoattackit. 2.2.2.1MovesandCombos The game featuresonly one attack button, butdifferentcomboscanbetriggeredaccordingto Frejas position (jumping,onground)andwhethertheplayerpressesbuttonsquicklyorcharges upforaheavierattack. The games combat adapts well to amedcasual public, as there are few buttons butmany differentcombinations. FrejasMoves Ground combo: While on the ground, Freja hits up to 4 times. The last hit knocks enemiesdown Upwards Slash: If the attack button is pressed when Freja starts to jump, an upwards slash is executed. This upwards movement allows Freja to take off helmets from enemiesanddisarmthem AirCombo:Whileinmidair,Frejacanhitcontinuouslyupto3times. Downward Thrust: When landing from a jump, Freja canperform a downward thrust, allowinghimtoattackfallenenemiesandbreaktheirarmor Round Attack: If Freja is surroundedby enemies, bychargingtheattack buttonshecan perform a Round Attack, knocking most enemies down andpulling themawayfrom her

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2.2.2.2BlockingattacksandKnockingdownenemies

Freja and the enemy can be KnockedDown. Thisimplies them falling back to the groundand interruptinganyongoingcombo. Freja can also shield herself from enemy attacks by blocking. Some enemies start by attacking heavily, and Freja must block their attack to prevent being knockeddown. Most enemieswillfallbackwhenblocked,givingFrejaachancetocounterattack.
2.2.2.3EnemiesandRaces

There are several enemies in the world. They are classified in 4 main races: Goblins, Trolls, GnomesandYetis Each race is further divided into different types (I.e: Slimy Goblin, Fire Troll, etc), each with its ownAI,movesandequipment,retainingasimilarappearancebutwithsomeaestheticchanges. EnemyName SlimyGoblin <images> Description They are the weakest typeof Goblins. Theydonthaveanyarmorbutfightwith clubs and wooden swords. No special moveisrequiredtobeatthem. They are a strong type of Troll that lives in fiery places. They can stand extreme heat and attack with fire weapons. They have no armorbutuse weaponsandshields. AIandStrategytoBeat They will attack Freja when she comes into range, waiting for a couple of seconds and then rushingather.Theycantblock. They are very tall, so Freja must use jumping combos to defeat it. They will block when they see Freja and then chargea slow but strong attack. They are difficult to knockdown.

FireTroll

SoldierYeti

They are a very strong breed ofYetis, They are strong and armed, so knowing battle tactics and wearing Freja must effectively disarm themtobeabletobeatthem.They differenttypesofarmor. usually wear a helmet and an armor, whichcanberemovedwith an upwards slashanddownward thrust respectively (see 2.2.2.1 MovesandCombos).

Enemies levelup automatically withFrejainordertomaintainalevelofchallengeinthegame. The higher the enemy level, the greater the money it carries and the higher the chanceof them droppingaspecialitem,sogrindinglevelsisstillrewarding

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2.2.2.4Bosses

Apart from normal enemies,Freja willencounter a variety of Bosses guarding certain areas. The strategy with these enemies is different, as theyre much more active when attacking Freja, and the player has to follow certain patterns (evading attacks) and lookingforaweak spotintheirattack.
2.2.2.5Strategies

Theequipmenttheenemycarriesisaveryintuitiveandvisualhintonhowtobeatit Enemies carrying helmets must beattacked with an upwards slashinordertoremove it Enemies that have an armor must be knocked down and disarmed with a downward thrust Tallenemiesmustbeattackedwithaircombosinordertogetmoredamage Smallenemiescanbeknockeddowneasilywitharoundattack
2.2.2.7ElementalRunestones

Every once in a while, Freja will come across a Magical Elemental Runestone. If activated, these stones give Freja power, and allow her to greatly improve her speed, strength or vitalityforalimitedperiodoftime. 2.2.3Quests InherJourney,Frejawillhavemandatoryquestsandoptionalquests. Mandatory quests are connected to the main storyline and how it advances, so they mustbecompletedinordertocontinuetheadventure Optional quests open up alternative areas, and allow Freja to pursue secondary objectivesandacquirebetterequipment Each quest is givenby a villager in the city and has a different objective. Frejadoesnothave to acceptordenythequest,asallquestsaresavedintheQuestLog(MainMenu). Defeatingcertainenemyinanarea Rescuingavillagerfromadungeon Findinghiddentreasureandreturningittovillagers From the World Map, in each area Freja can enter, the list of Quests to be fulfilled and Equipmenttobefoundintheareacanbeseen The player does not need toselectaspecificquest,astheyareallcompatible,anda playermayfulfillallinthesameareaplaythrough
2.2.3.1WorldMapMessengerSystem

After a quest has been completed, the player doesnt have to return to the villager who gave himthequest.AmessengerwillappearintheWorldMapandgivehimthereward. 27

ThequestwillappearasfulfilledintheQuestLogandWorldMap. 2.2.4WorldMap,Villages,Dungeons TheWorldMapisdividedin3mainregions.

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Appendix B - Game Concept Document

ProjectInfo
WorkingTitle: Genre: Platforms: GameModes: Audience: FrejasJourney 3Dsidescrollingactionadventure iOS/Android/Windows8 SinglePlayer 9+

Description
Frejas Journey is a 3D sidescrolling, semicasual actionadventure game where the player takes on the role of Freja, a kid viking, in her quest to rescue her family and friends from the evil goblins andtrollsthathaveinvadedherhometown. Her journey will take her through forests, icy mountains and powerful fortresses in this rich world based in Norse Mythology. Players will be able to use different weapons and customize their character in ordertofighttheenemiesandrestorepeacetothecities. With beautiful game art, a character growth system and a semicasual quest and fighting system, every playerwillbeabletocompletequestsandhelpFrejareunitewithherfamily.

Setting
Thegame takesplace ina worldbasedinNorseMythology,withlocations suchas greenfieldsandforestsof Midgard, the icy mountains in Jotunheim, and the mighty fortress of Asgard, and enemies such as Goblins, Trollsandmore.Theprotagonistisakidvikingwhosevillagehasbeenraidedandherfamilykidnapped. In a quest to attainpersonalgrowth,Frejaembarks onajourneythatwilltakeher totheedgesoftheworld in order to get back with her family and defeat evil in the world, helping the villages she goes through, makingnewfriendsandattainingpowerfulequipmentandabilities. With a simple but deep combat system, a fun quest system and achievements, the game will prove to be idealforsemicasualplayerslookingforanadventurewithdepthandaction.

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CoreMechanics
Game The game is a 3D sidescrolling adventure game with fighting and character growth,wheretheplayercontrolsakidviking The objective is to help her rescue her family,fightingtheenemiesaroundherandhelping nearbycitiesandvillagers Gameplay Theplayercanwalk,run,jump,attack,blockandperformspecialcombos Combosareacombinationofmoves,progressivelyunlockedduringtheadventure The game involvesexploringlevels,visitingtowns,fulfilling questsandfightingenemies andbosses Thereareseveralcollectiblestobefound GameWorld The game world is based on Norse Mythology, with important locationssuchastheforests ofMidgard,theicymountainsinJotunheim,andthemightyfortressofAsgard Thecharactersandenemiesallfitintothisworld,astheyarevikings,goblins,trolls,etc Stats,FightingandEquipment Frejahas5basicstats:Strength,HP,Agility,VitalityandEnergy Freja can use different moves and combinations to attack in different ways (upwards, downwards,midair) Eachenemyhascertainmoveweaknessthattheplayercanexploit Frejacanuseaspecialattackwhenshegathersenoughenergy Frejawilllevelupthroughoutthejourneyasshedefeatsenemies QuestsandLevels Thereareseveralquestsfortheplayertoundertake Mandatoryquestsadvancethestoryandunlocknewlevels Optionalquestsgivebackstorydetailsandrewardstotheplayer VisualArt,MusicandFeel The game will feature 3D cartoony yet realistic visual art with a colorfulenvironment andacheerfulsetting The music will be range from mysterious (when exploring) to adventurous and fastpaced (whenfighting)

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References
The game plays like a mix of a 3D adventure game but with a fighting and growth system reminiscenttoactionRPGgames.

TheLegendofZelda:TheWindWaker Thetoneofthegameislightheartedandcheerful,withcomicalcharactersandquests ThebattlesystemissimilartotheYsRPGseries,withasimplebutdeepfightingsystem

Risks
The games setting should appeal to the target audience, with the narrative being light but motivatingtheplayertocontinuetheadventure The game should comply with the semicasual target audience of the game. If too complex, it shouldbesimplified. The game is quite ambitious in the art department, but this makes the world very tangible and colorful.Theassetsshouldbecloselymanaged.

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