Below is a copy of the Game Design Document I have created for the Rover Game me and Moin are working on:
Game Design
Document
Working Title: ‘The
Rover’ or ‘Vivus-Nix-Mundi’
Elevator Pitch
We are developing a game
very similar to Iron Lung by David Szymanski, wherein the Player is trapped in
a claustrophobic rover on a mysterious ice planet. The game is limited to four gameplay
loops and a feeling of horror will be created through use of atmosphere and
sound design. Taking advantage of the Player’s sense of isolation, we aim to
create a sense of both mystery and oppression as the Player tries to survive
and learn more about the Planet.
Concept:
Genre: First-Person Immersion Horror, Psychological
Horror
Target Audience:
Age: 15-30
Gender: Male & Female
Theme and
Setting:
The Rover is a
Psychological Horror game that puts the Player in the role of a Scout Scientist
for a Colony Ship, tasked with discovering whether the planet they are on is
suitable for colonisation. However, after venturing from their scout ship in an
exploration rover, it suffers an engine failure that leaves them stranded
(almost) alone during a freak snowstorm. With the rover’s defective and AI, Dave, as their only company, the Player
must try to repair the engine whilst maintaining the rover’s heating system to
keep it running and prevent Hypothermia. Additionally, they must monitor the
changes outside through the camera feed to observe changes to the planet’s
surface and keep an eye on the storm outside. Dave will tell the Player a
little about the planet, but it will often be trivial, non-sensical or
contradictory in nature, adding to the intrigue. All the while they are
juggling these three tasks, the Player can do research to learn more about the
mysterious, remote, and forbidding planet, Vivus-Nix-Mundi.
Location: The interior of a planetary exploration
rover on a planet of ice and snow.
Antagonist/s: Vivus-Nix-Mundi, Dave the AI (to an
extent).
Gameplay:
Gameplay
Loop/s (Objectives):
The main gameplay loops will be related to keeping the Player Character alive by:
Repairing the Engine
Maintaining the Heater
Monitoring the Cameras
There will be an optional side objective to Research Vivus-Nix-Mundi.
Game
Progression:
The game will progress,
with louder, more frequent odd SFX and gradually more bizarre visuals through
the camera feeds with each successive repair of the Engine. The Engine must be
repaired six times with a five-minute delay before repairing can be continued.
Mechanics
Dead By Daylight quick-time event mechanic followed by a “Simon’ Says” minigame to represent the Repair the Engine Objective. It is on a five minute-loop timer and gradually gets more difficult with each successful Engine repair.
A decreasing bar with requires
button-mashing to keep the bar filled as the Maintain the Heater Objective. Is
on a 3 minute-loop timer.
Five Nights at Freddy’s style Camera Feed mechanic
Pony Island style Programming Minigame to represent the Research Optional Objective.
The game will have
realistic Physics.
Game Elements:
Story: As outlined under Theme and Setting
Character/s: The Player
Character, Dave the AI, and Vivus-Nix-Mundi.
Location: Vivus-Nix-Mundi,
a planet of snow.
Assets:
· Rover Components
· The Engine
· The Heater
· The Cockpit Controls
· The Desks
· The Monitors
· The Snow-things
· Rocks & Mountains
· Research Terminal Controls
· Dave the AI
Overview
Project Scope
Budget: UndeterminedMonetisation: N/A
Timeline: N/A
Stakeholder
Moin Ahamed
Tim Shaw
