LO1: Plan a new computer/console game.

Mind Map of Game Ideas:

My Final Game Idea:

This game is a 2D side-stroller shooter that's in a cut-away view, the game is stylised like a comic book, with each pane of the comic there is a different room that is randomly picked from a list of set rooms, the player must kill every enemy or achieve an objective to recieve a key to move onto the next pane. The comics are episodic, with each comic being themed with different genres (Horror, sci-fi, medieval etc.). The enemies, that can be created by other players, can be put into your game. These enemies follow a theme, just like the comics, you can then choose an enemy type for the different comics, have different weapons and armour and finally the colours themes of the enemy, the player's character is also customisable but only the amour, weapons and colours. The difficulty is set with 'age ratings', 3 being the easiest, 12 being medium and 18 being the hardest. At the end of each comic you fight a boss that is also customisable by other players. Finally, their is a ranking system at the end of each level (An S rank being the highest, then A* and so on.), depending on the rank you get, you gain experience points, where if you level up you unlock new comics and new customisations for both your character and enemies. 

Level Synopsis:

The tutorial level is where the player is introduced to the games mechanics and story. The level starts with the front of a comic book in which it says "The Tutorial", it then opens onto which it zooms into a comic pages 'Pane' where the default character for the player is dropped into the comic, the story is told through the text boxes and any dialogue the character says is told through speech bubbles. The tutorial messages are also shown through the text boxes, they are shown how to move and are told to proceed to the door, once through they move to the next 'pane'. This level is where they are told how to jump, there is a simple object to jump over and then to get to the next door they need to jump up onto a ledge which shows how they can grab onto it and climb up. The next pane is an empty room with the door on the opposite side, the player tries to open it but it's locked, this is when a few platforms are revealed that the player has to jump up to so they can press a red button, a pedestal then raises out of the ground giving the player the key, this is to teach them that they have to complete an objective to get the key some times. The next pane shows how to get the key by defeating all the enemies in that level and to also show how the player uses a weapon. It starts with a weapon placed on another pedestal in the middle of the room, the player picks it up and then a singular enemy spawns, it's an easy kill for the player, the enemy also drops an upgrade point. The player is took to the weapons menu where they can apply it to a weapon (With different upgrades, come different stats i.e. More Damage), an even harder enemy spawns (Mini-Boss) and takes a few more hits than average, when defeated it drops the key to the door. The comic book then closes, the blurb is then a results screen.

Explanation of Game Mechanics:

This game will be a 2D side-scroller shooter. The main premise is that the player can roam around the level fighting the NPC enemies and completing an objective to recieve a key to progress to the next level. Movement is limited due to the game being 2D, but it makes movement much more simpler, there is the option to move left and right, as well as be able to jump and crouch and jumping twice whilst near a high ledge allows you to climb up.

The combat is simple, with the player having 3 weapons; a primary weapon, a special weapon and then melee. The primary weapon has standard damage and a steady amount of ammo available throughout the levels, the special weapon is much more unique and is not given to the player at the start of the level, but it does alot more damage and the ammo is scarcer than the primary weapons ammo. Melee allows you to have a weapon if you ever run out of ammo or an enemy is too close, there are also melee items that do more damage than your standard melee attack, but this has a duration and breaks after a while. The enemies that you face fit the theme of the comic and have the same moveset as the player, but vary between the different types; light (Fast but low damage), average (Standard speed and damage) and heavy (Slow but high damage). There is then the mini-bosses which are the standard enemy with much more health and then the bosses, a rare enemy that isn't like any of the other enemy types. Enemies are added into the comic from enemies designed by other players, the enemy creation allows you to create your own version of each enemy type which will be seen in someones game.

There are a few droppable items that do different things for the player. The most important, that helps the player progress, is the key which lets the player move to the next level, this is either a drop from an enemy, or is given to the player after an objective is completed. Coins are also dropped by enemies, this can be used to buy a special weapon from a merchant which randomly appears, you can also save the coins for later if the merchant doesn't appear or if you don't have enough to buy anything, similiar to 'Binding of Isaac'. Ammo and upgrade points are also dropped; the standard ammo drops consistently, whilst special ammo is more rare. The upgrade points are the rarest drops, they allow the player to add more damage to their primary or special weapon. Finally, health is also a drop from an enemy, if the player has full health it remains in place until the player leaves that level.

The game's world is based in a comic and, depending on the genre of the comic, has a different theme. Each level is in a comic's 'pane' and every time the player beats a level they go over to the next one. Each pane is made of platforms and objects that the player can crouch behind for cover, or jump over. There are things that the player can interact with too that can either help them or make things worse, such as switches and hidden traps. At the end of a comic, the game takes the best moments in each pane and makes a comic out of it, there are also panes that are story based and have the character talking to an NPC and that will all be included in this comic that you can keep.  

Flow Chart of In-Game Actions:

This is a flowchart demonstrating how the tutorial of the game would operate. 

This flowchart shows how the different inputs the player makes will control the actor on screen.

This flowchart shows how the game would check if the player is at the end of the level and if they have the key in their inventory to unlock the 'door' that will take them to the next level.

This flowchart demonstrates the basic combat of the game, the player has the option of using a normal weapon, a special weapon and then a melee move, the cursor on screen is where the weapon shoots, depending on where it is, it will deal dmage to an enemy.