game design doc

Game Design Document Version #3.1

Broken World- שבור עולםGame Design Document

Written by: Ben Brook

Version: 3.1

Date: 12-11-2016

Copyright 2016 by <Ben Brook> All Rights Reserved.

Do not Duplicate or Distribute without the express permission of the copyright holder.

This document is CONFIDENTIAL and PRIVATE.

Confidential of 14 5/2/2023


TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................................................................2

VERSION HISTORY....................................................................................................................................4

01.00.00.......................................................................................................................................................4

PREMISE........................................................................................................................................................5

GAMEPLAY/FEATURE SET......................................................................................................................5

PURPOSE.......................................................................................................................................................5

GENRE............................................................................................................................................................5

PLATFORM...................................................................................................................................................6

ESRB RATING...............................................................................................................................................6

TARGET MARKET......................................................................................................................................6

GOALS............................................................................................................................................................6

PLAYER MOTIVATION..............................................................................................................................6

PLAY MODES................................................................................................................................................7

RULES.............................................................................................................................................................7

CHALLENGES..............................................................................................................................................7

STRATEGIES.................................................................................................................................................8

THEORY/GAME BALANCE.......................................................................................................................8

PERSPECTIVE/GAME VIEW....................................................................................................................8

GAME ENGINE.............................................................................................................................................9

USER INTERFACE.......................................................................................................................................9

AESTHETICS...............................................................................................................................................10

SOUND/MUSIC............................................................................................................................................11

MARKETING POSITION..........................................................................................................................12

COMPETATIVE ANALYSIS.....................................................................................................................12

BACKSTORY...............................................................................................................................................12

GAME STORY.............................................................................................................................................13

CHARACTERS............................................................................................................................................14

HISTORICAL CONTEXT..........................................................................................................................14

SUMMARY/FUTURE UPDATES..............................................................................................................15



VERSION HISTORY

Version 1.0- Set in Warsaw or another European city. Individual is part of an oppressive

society but an even causes the player character to see cracks in the society’s façade.

Cracks contain info from the past and help the player affect the future.

Version 1.2- Scaled down setting to a town instead of a city. Incorporated three player

characters. Thought about shifting setting to New Orleans bayou and focus on voodoo.

After meeting with Theresa, decided to switch culture to one I am familiar with.

Version 2.0- Developed backstories for each character as well as the circumstances in

which they come to arrive at the setting. Going to focus on mystical Judaism i.e. Da’at

Yichud from Wolfenstein. Maybe make an alt. version of the Leśni from Poland.

Version 3.0- Expanded on the lore and narrative by adding The Watchers, a group of

angels/archangels referenced in the Book of Daniel found in the Ketuvim.

01.00.00Concept Document

Added:

Premise

Genre

Platform

ESRB Rating

Target Market

Goals

Player Motivation

Marketing Position

Competitive Analysis

Backstory



PREMISE

Warsaw, Poland. Split between 2 distinct realities. The player is sentenced to death at

Auschwitz but reacts unexpectedly to Zyklon B gas. Instead of perishing, the player gains

supernatural abilities. The Nazis are dumbstruck, and decide to transport the player to

another secure research facility. During the transfer, the convoy is attack by various

entities as well as a polish resistance group, and the player awakens in the groups camp.

The main objective is to discover the truth about this group as well as their own abilities.

The player must confront the watchers, a group of angels and archangels referenced in

the book of Daniel.

GAMEPLAY/FEATURE SET

After the event in which the player character “awakens,” Player character starts out in a

German convoy en route to a concentration camp, when the convoy is attacked by the

Leśni or “forest people.” What starts as a gunfight will eventually erupt into something

more supernatural. Minimalist combat, with emphasis on lore and story.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the game is to highlight the idea that everything that exists or will exist

has been influenced by what has come before. By looking at this concept through a

specific lens, i.e. through the Holocaust and Jewish mysticism, I hope that players will

take everything the game has them uncover about this specific culture and apply it to

their own.

GENRE

Narrative/Adventure.



PLATFORM

PS4, Xbox One, PC

ESRB RATING

TBD (Going for M)

TARGET MARKET

North America and Europe. 18+ age range.

GOALS

Show aspects of my culture and explore mature and occult themes prevalent during WWII

using a specific viewpoint in a way that provides a deep, engaging story and experience

for the player.

PLAYER MOTIVATION

Uncover the truth about this resistance group as well as the players own abilities and

decide whether the player supports or rejects their actions and ethics in a supernatural

setting.



PLAY MODES

Single player. With such a narrative driven experience, I think a single player format will

allow the player to experience a gritty, deep story with minimal distractions. Each play

through may be different, so players are encouraged to discuss their choices with each

other afterwards.

RULES

Single player, 18+, length TBD, victory and loss is contributed to how the player feels

about their choices and what they are seeing, actions include basics such as walking and

looking around but will include aspects of discovery and detective work which will

manifest in terms of picking up and examining art or evidence, some light stealth

mechanics i.e. sneaking, and narrative trees which allows players to make choices. Game

will conclude with a final decision that influences the history created by this alt. past.

CHALLENGES

Players will be faced with ethical choices. Follow 4 systems of ethical design. Choices

and mission will be based on Kant. Players will be faced with ethical choices. Follow 4

systems of ethical design.

Clear usability so as to not get in the way of interpretation

Provide a space for interpretation but not a solution

Conventional interpretations should be blocked

Downplay systems of authority

Players will have to uncover secrets about this mysterious offshoot of the Leśni, while

staying under the radar of the groups ranking members. At the same time, players have to

deal with the fictional occult aspects of the group while resisting the Nazis own occult

division, Ahnenerbe, and witnessing the suffering these supernatural elements cause to



both innocents and the environment. Exploration, discovery, choice driven conversations,

and light stealth will all be featured.

STRATEGIES

Collecting, exploration, resource management, social interaction, direct vs stealth

combat, hiding, quick reflexes, knowledge application based on player’s experiences,

spatial navigation symbolism, choices.

THEORY/GAME BALANCE

What type of game theory elements are you using in the game? How are you maintaining

game balance? Some examples might be transitive vs intransitive relationships, perfect vs

imperfect information, Prisoner’s Dilemma or tragedy of the commons scenarios

(cooperation/non zero sum games), dominant strategies, skill vs luck (randomness), and

difficulty levels.

Secret sliding difficulty scale.

PERSPECTIVE/GAME VIEW

First person view. Home base will be situated in a dense forest, but player will explore

mystical ruins, hidden occult vaults, Warsaw Ghetto, Resistance HQ located in a hidden

cave, hidden temples. Exploration lends itself to open area type of gameplay.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFv6KAdQ5SE


GAME ENGINE

This game will include animation, particle effects, weather, path finding, inventory, small

mini-map, weather such as rain, wind, sun, lighting, day/night cycle. Will use Unreal

Engine 4. Major challenge will be learning to use the engine.

USER INTERFACE

Inventory will take the form of a backpack which when opened, will show a grid that

allows players to move and manage their inventory. Weapons will include a Pistolet wz.

35 Vis (handgun) with limited ammo, and a club for stealth based melee. Items can be

equipped i.e. flashlight, and weapons. Watch will be used to tell time, sleeping in a bed

will save the game. Dialogue options will appear during conversations, and players can

scroll over each to see a brief description of what will be said. UI is designed to be as

clean and simplistic as possible.



AESTHETICS

Realistic foliage and weather effects as well as day/night cycle. Dynamic weather and

article effects. Occult settings will manifest in temples and ruins. Certain zones will be

restricted which will require the player to use stealth mechanics. Both groups will

remember every NPC you kill if you choose to do so, so nonlethal actions against Leśni is

preferred but not a requirement. Players can avoid combat altogether. Player will care

enough about most NPC’s so they will not resort to violence. Combat should be as light

as possible which reflects the idea that you are unsure of your surroundings and the



people in it. This means that any form of lethal action must be thought out since you don’t

initially know who you’re killing or their motivations.

SOUND/MUSIC

Synth based ambient music while exploring i.e. Far Cry 3. Mystical or traditional

Jewish/Polish music while interacting with group members. Music should convey tension



or provide a calmer feeling when appropriate. Tense music may instinctively cause a

player to hide or make stealth segments more intense. Yiddish violin melodies are very

somber but are also used in joyous occasions showcasing light and dark moments.

Yiddish music is very diverse but copyright may be an issue. Unlike the synth based

music, I cannot create original violin melodies. The Last of Us, Far Cry 3, Legend of

Zelda: Twilight Princess, etc.

MARKETING POSITION

Judaism and the occult is a concept that hasn’t been explored very much in any medium.

Wolfenstein the New Order touched on it as a convenient plot point, but no other game

has a narrative like this. An offshoot of a resistance group during WWII that has set up

camp in the forests and is in direct competition with the SS to uncover a long lost Occult

secret has never been done before. The game will highlight the suffering of the people,

mainly Jews, during this time, but will also show their strength and determination.

COMPETATIVE ANALYSIS

I don’t want this game to be another Dear Esther, Vanishing of Ethan Carter, or Gone

Home clone. The POV and aesthetics may be similar, but this is not a walking sim.

Players actions will directly affect the game’s outcome and players will be involved from

the beginning. Nothing that happens is done without the player doing it themselves.

BACKSTORY

Poland, 1939. Nazis have invaded Poland and started setting up concentration camps.

Apart from the camps primary goal, Hitler’s interest in the occult has grown. Branches of



the SS have been tasked with investigating the supernatural in hopes to create new

weapons and technology from their findings.

GAME STORY

Work or die. This is the decision the Nazis are making as they have their prisoners stand

in line for hours in the snow. Left or right. After being inspected by a physician, a Nazi

officer would point to the left or right. The right meant hard labor, while the left was an

immediate death sentence. The doctor looks the player character over and await

judgement. To the player’s horror, the guard points to the left. Procedure dictated that

the prisoners had to take off all their clothing and submit their belongings to guards

nearby. They were then told they were to shower to avoid spreading any disease. Once

the doors were sealed, Zyklon B gas rained down from the ceiling, killing everyone.

Except the player. After witnessing innocents die in agony, a green glow surrounds the

player’s vision and a voice from the past speaks directly to you and instructs you to seek

out the Leśni. We are “an ancient mystical society. For millennia we’ve operated with

utmost secrecy, up until right now. (…) We do not pray. We invent things. The technology

developed by Da’at Yichud is centuries ahead of anything you’ve ever seen or imagined

and highly dangerous in the wrong hands. The Nazis found our safe-keep. They stole our

secrets. They used them to win the war. Everything they have accomplished. Everything

was built upon our knowledge, but it wasn’t our only safe-keep. We have hundreds of

them hidden in the secret places of the world. Some small and tentative like the one the

Nazis found. Others [are] great halls of knowledge stacked high. Magnificent inventions.

There was never any purpose or intent of use beyond the act of creation. We create to

commune with God” (Wolfenstein). Once the player is found in the chamber alive, the

Nazis are stunned and a convoy is quickly set up to transfer you to Mengele, the head

Nazi Doctor. On the way, your convoy is ambushed by Leśni soldiers but amidst the

chaos, demented creatures can be seen tearing through Nazi soldiers leaving nothing

behind. An explosion knocks you unconscious and you awaken in Leśni HQ. After



meeting the groups leadership, you remember the creatures seen during the attack and

investigate. After exploring the camp, you come across an ancient ruin sealed shut with a

large metal door. There doesn’t seem to be any way inside and on your way back to the

camp, a group of resistance members find you and escort you back. Everyone is tight-

lipped on the subject, and before you can investigate more you are selected to go on a

raid. The objective is to free prisoners from the ghetto in Warsaw. After infiltrating the

ghetto, you find evidence of supernatural rituals being practiced in the ghetto. You must

stealthy navigate the environment while solving a series of word puzzles a la L.A. Noire

that eventually lead you to a painting of an amulet. Finding nothing else, you make your

way to the underground resistance HQ in the ghetto and assist them with escaping. While

navigating the environment, players will be exposed to sights that showcase the brutality

of the Nazis and the strength of their prisoners. Texts and symbols from ancient Hebrew

culture will be disguised on everyday items, showing that their spirit has not been

crushed. Over the course of the rest of the game, these ideas will be cemented into the

players’ minds as they uncover the mysteries before them.

CHARACTERS

Player character.

Resistance leader.

Nazi leadership.

The Watchers.

HISTORICAL CONTEXTRegarding Jewish mysticism and more specially, names of angels:

The period you are focusing on is around second temple period. During that time,

Judaism was in close interaction with Greek and Roman culture (Hellenism), but also


http://www.angelarium.net/grigori/

http://lanoire.wikia.com/wiki/The_Quarter_Moon_Murders


with all the cultures who were under these empires including India and Persia in the east

and Egypt in the south. This meant a lot of new ideas, theories and "science", including:

(a) Magic -- the attempt to harness the godly powers in order to make unnatural

occurrences (and/or miracles?) in this world. (b) Mysticism -- an attempt to describe the

divine world/s with the ultimate purpose of merging/become one with the divine. This

literature is vast, complex, highly allegorical and often irrational. Many dismiss it and

those who take it seriously warn to engage with it before a certain age or before one

studied other forms of knowledge first.

This being said, if you are only looking for names of angels and their

"function"/"purpose" (some were used for "medicine" purposes, or other forms of magic)

you can look at Sefer Harazim or Sefer HaMalAchim ( המלאכים ספר = the Book of

Angels) which is part 2 of Sefer Ma'aseh Merkavah ( מרכבה מעשה ספר ). You can also

look at this really great article (in Hebrew) by Meir Bar Illan. The article deals with a

large number of angels and explains each name, where it comes from and what it means.

SUMMARY/FUTURE UPDATES

A gritty, deep story with minimal distractions. Each play through may be different, and

exploration is essential. Cultural elements from Judaism and Jewish folklore will be

implemented, as well as aspects of the occult. Narrative trees, thought out characters,

and a focus on setting and atmosphere will be a focal point.


https://faculty.biu.ac.il/~barilm/angel.htmlhttps://faculty.biu.ac.il/~barilm/articles/publications/publications0053.html

https://books.google.com/books?id=uUyTngEACAAJ&dq=%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8+%D7%9E%D7%A2%D7%A9%D7%94+%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%9B%D7%91%D7%94&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3uNfshcnPAhUMyWMKHUHgDeYQ6AEIJzAC

https://www.amazon.com/Sepher-Ha-Razim-Mysteries-Special-Publication/dp/0891306153

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