Coo

CalArts/Coursera Game Design courseAlejandra Huerga

Revision: 0.0.5

GDD Template Written by: Benjamin “HeadClot” Stanley

Overview Theme/Setting/Genre Core Gameplay Mechanics Brief Targeted platforms (Market) Monetization model Project Scope Influences Gameplay Visual StoryWhat sets this project apart? Core Gameplay Mechanics (Detailed) Platformer mechanics Attack Puzzles Lumbering Quarrying Travelling Modifying rivers Fighting predators Taming creatures Modifying topography Level solvingStory and Gameplay Story (Logline) Story (Synopsis) Gameplay (Brief) Gameplay (Flowchart) Assets Needed 2D Characters Backgrounds Props and assets Sound Sound List (Ambient) Sound List (Player) Code Character Scripts (Player Pawn/Player Controller) Ambient Scripts (Runs in the background) Puzzle scripts Sprite Scripts 2D Animation Environment Animations (assets reactions) Character Animations

Overview

Theme/Setting/Genre Coo is a non linear adventure game mixing platformer and puzzle mechanics. It is set in a natural environment, where the player can unlock several game endings depending on their actions. Besides being related to environmental education, the game is not made to teach a lesson, but to solve levels with total freedom. It is the player’s part to deal with their path.

Core Gameplay Mechanics Brief Standard platformermechanics, with interactive options that affect the status bars ortrigger a puzzle, and small enemies scattered though the level. Puzzlemechanics differ in each type,during thefirst half of the game theyaffect theStatus bars and after that the only bar left is the Food one, that changes to Health.

Targeted platforms (Market) Aimed for both casual and harcore gamers. Levels can be played in short intervals as a light entertainment or the player can go after the higest score, with several gameplay hours. Created focusing towards adults and young adults (17yr onwards), nevertheless it can be playedbypeopleofallages.Puzzlesmaygetabitdifficultforchildrenattheendbutistheplayerwho learns and levels, not the character. So the most you play the better you get.

Monetization model The game only needs to be paid for once. Besides,ifitissuccesfulenough,someDLCscanbemadewithdifferentpuzzles,environments(mountain, seaside,tundra...) and seasons.

Project Scope Coo can be made in a approximately 18 months of work with a complete team. There would be needed: - Art team (at least two people and one as animator) - Programming team (at least two people) - Music and SFX Composer - Marketing Lead - Story Lead - Game Lead (full game coordinator) A single person can have several chores, but the production time would be increased.

Influences Gameplayinfluences: - Aquaria:Thisgameofferstheplayerthechance of attacking or not, and to explore in a world rich in details.

- Spirits: Basic platformer style, makes the whole level a big puzzle.

- Braid: An interesting mix between puzzle and platformer.

- Golden Sun: A lot of interesting puzzles scattered across the maps. The sliding ground Travelling puzzle comes from here.

Visualinfluences: - Avatar: Legend of Korra: Beautiful universe and with lots of changing environments.

- Little Inferno: A gritty and consumed aesthetics, if the player chooses certain path, Coowouldstarttolooklikeaburntfireplace.

- Real life environments: They are where everything came from.

- Rayman Origins:illustrationandflatlooking graphics (even in 3D ones), also 2D effectsmakeveryconsistentaesthetics.

Storyinfluences: - Undertale: Giving the player the power and freedom to do whatever they please.

- Nation: Novel written by Terry Pratchett, gives second thoughts about individual and collective needs, customs, and common sense.

What sets this project apart? The idea of making a non-linear platformer. There are not may platformer style games that give the player options to develop the story and also combine puzzles to do it. In addition, it breaks the usual “kill whatever comes on screen and collect everything you see” and makes the player think before playing, turning the gaming experience into a non-mechanic gameplay. Specially for hardcore gamers.

Core Gameplay Mechanics (Detailed) An important thing is that the player can’t die during thefirst half, just the Foodbarreaches the lowest level and then the Supplies bar starts to decrease too until the lowest is reached. Then nothing else happens, but the player’s score is severily damaged. Platformer mechanics:withflatlookinglevels,doublejumpphysics,grab,swim,directionchange in midair, etc. It also has interactive options: levels have interactive parts where the playercanchoosetoactornot.Theyaffectthestatusbarsortriggerapuzzle. Attack: Sprites began being passive, the player can kill them by stepping on top or using theattack.ItdecreasestheSpritesbar.Later,Spritesstartattackingtheplayerindifferentways.It decreases the Food bar. There are 7 puzzle types in-game: - Lumbering: the screen moves upwars so the player has to chop the trees to avoid getting out of the sceeen. Increases Supplies bar. - Quarrying: the player has a limited number of movements to pierce the mointain and extractthematerialsusinwatercurrents.Usesfluidsandgravityphysics.IncreasesSuppliesbar. - Travelling: sliding ground puzzle, where the player has to move around using air currents.Breeding: counter-time, in a closed farm the player has to redirect the herd to the house using a whip. The closest the whip cracks to the animal, the fastests and less controlled the animal runs. - Modifying rivers: given a number of ground tiles, the player has to make the course form A to B using them all. - Fighting predators, Taming creatures and Modifying topography: boss and miniboss platformer runner levels, the player has to make it to the end of the level alive and defeat the foes. - Level solving: some levels have hidden clues and are a riddle by themselves (besides having puzzles inside or not) so the player needs to solve them to reach the end.

Story and Gameplay

Story (Logline) After a long, exhausting journey, a little buddy called Coo sets themselves in a beautiful valley. It is the player’s job to make them comfortable in their newfound home.

Story (Synopsis) Just arrived to the Valley, the player impersonates Coo and decides how (much) they want tomakethemselvesathome(fillingtheStatusbars).All tasksdevelop inCoo’smind,sotheyareonlyfinishedwhenandhow theplayerdecides so.Threeoptionsarealwayspresent:notcompleting the task given, accomplishing the basics, or excel at the highest score. There are several things to do (lumbering, harvesting, quarrying, etc) that unlock many others (hunting, sowing,building).Also,therearelittleSpritebeingsinthedifferentlocations.Coohastochoosebetween being careful with them or going right though the annoyances. The game develops depending on Coo’s decisions, theres are three main storylines: If the player follows “Mother Nature” line, theyhavechosetonotfulfillanyneeds,notkilling Sprites and not collecting Supplies. Once the middle of the game is reached, Coo vanishes (dies) and the Valley is like nothing happened. When following a “Basic needs” route, the Valley changes bit by bit. When all the unlocked tasks have been played -completed or not- Coo has a look at their home and sees how much the Valley has changed. The hills are carved, wild animals have left the place, and struggling sprites are angry at Coo. Now they have a new batch ofworksmoredifficult than thepreviousones,whicharefixing theplace like itwasbefore.Thetaskshaveincreasedtheirtoughnessbyevolvingintomoredifficultpuzzlesandlevels,andtheSpritesarestartingtogetviolent.Afterallofthemarecompleted,Coocanfinallyliveinequilibrium with the Valley and the Sprites. The “Happy Ever After and After and After” route is like the previous one but reaching high scores several times. When the middle of the game is reached, the puzzles also increase their difficultyandtheSpritesturn intobossesandminibosses.Attheend,Coohascreatedafullyhuman-oriented environment, with houses, many farms, a fully functional place full of resources to the taking. But as long as it is not the place it was before, Coo leaves and travels to a new Valley where the game starts again. On a side note, the character name is taken from CO2. It must be said that there are no good or bad endings, just actions and consequences. If Coo lives without using the resources at their reach, they would die; if they want to live but keep the place nearly the same, it would take alotofeffort.AndifCoowantstolivecomfortablyandcareless,theValleywouldn’tsupporttheirlifestyle but they can travel to a place even better.

Gameplay (Brief) Three possible paths for three possible gameplays depending on the player’s scores. The breaking point its at the game climax.

Gameplay (Flowchart)

Assets Needed

- 2D Characters Coo

Sprites Water, Quarry, Wood, Mud

Backgrounds Starting levels Mother Nature Starting levels Basic Needs and Happy Ever After Finishing levels Basic Needs Finishing levels Happy Ever After

Miscellaneous props and assets

- Sound Sound List (Ambient) Outside levels Task map Cinematic Game menu Inside Differentlevel’smusicandambients Mother Nature and Basic Needs version Happy Ever After version

Sound List (Player) Character-triggered (movement, attack, collision, death...) Sprite sounds (chirp, blurp, crack, death...) Specialeffects(water,chop,rustle,buttons...)

- Code Character scripts Ambient scripts Puzzle scripts Sprite Scripts

- 2D Animation Environment Animations (assets reactions) Character Animations Player (jump, swim, attack...) Sprites (jump, hit, death...)