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Copyright (C) 2012 Vancouver Film School – All rights reserved

Game Design Document for:

All work Copyright ©2012 Vancouver Film School

Written by Jacqueline Zarka

Version # 2.00

Tuesday, May 09, 2023

Jacqueline Zarka 5/9/2023Louie & Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure


Table of ContentsDESIGN HISTORY_____________________________________________________________________6GAME OVERVIEW____________________________________________________________________7

HIGH CONCEPT________________________________________________________________________7PHILOSOPHY__________________________________________________________________________7

FEATURE SET________________________________________________________________________9FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS__________________________________________________________________9

FEATURE DETAILS__________________________________________________________________10FLY AS HIGH AS THE SKY! (3D FLYING)___________________________________________________10POWER OF FRIENDSHIP (SUMMON ALLY TO ATTACK FOES)____________________________________10BEAT UP THE FUN POLICE! (DYNAMIC AI)_________________________________________________10

SINGLE-PLAYER GAME______________________________________________________________11DETAILED WALKTHROUGH_____________________________________________________________11GAME SAVES________________________________________________________________________11ZONE BREAKDOWN___________________________________________________________________12BEAT CHART________________________________________________________________________12

CAMERA____________________________________________________________________________13OVERVIEW__________________________________________________________________________13FIRST PERSON VIEW___________________________________________________________________13COCKPIT VIEW_______________________________________________________________________13PARTICLE EFFECTS____________________________________________________________________14

THE GAME WORLD__________________________________________________________________15LEVELS_____________________________________________________________________________15THE PHYSICAL WORLD________________________________________________________________18

GAME CHARACTERS________________________________________________________________20PLAYERS - LOUIE AND SUZIE____________________________________________________________20NPC - THE CAPTAIN__________________________________________________________________21ENEMY - FUN POLICE__________________________________________________________________21

WEAPONS___________________________________________________________________________28VEHICLES___________________________________________________________________________29USER INTERFACE - CONTROLS______________________________________________________31GAME INTERFACE__________________________________________________________________33

HUD/ON SCREEN DISPLAYS____________________________________________________________33MINIMAP___________________________________________________________________________34WIREFRAMES________________________________________________________________________35

MUSICAL SCORES AND SOUND EFFECTS_____________________________________________36SOUND DESIGN_______________________________________________________________________36

APPENDICES________________________________________________________________________37“CHARACTERS” APPENDIX______________________________________________________________37“GAME INTERFACE – MENUS” APPENDIX__________________________________________________42“AUDIO ASSET LIST” APPENDIX_________________________________________________________43“COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS” APPENDIX_____________________________________________________45“TARGET MARKET” APPENDIX__________________________________________________________46“CONTACT INFO” - APPENDIX___________________________________________________________47



Table of Figures Figure 1: First Person View............................................................................................................................13Figure 2: 30% Screen is HUD........................................................................................................................13Figure 3: Particle Effects Highlighted showing motion.................................................................................14Figure 4: Enemy Placement of Level 1..........................................................................................................16Figure 5: Enemy Placement of Level 2..........................................................................................................16Figure 6: Enemy Placement of Level 3..........................................................................................................17Figure 7 : Space..............................................................................................................................................18Figure 8 : Asteroids........................................................................................................................................19Figure 9: Closed Gateway..............................................................................................................................19Figure 10: Open Gateway...............................................................................................................................19Figure 11: Sugar Cube....................................................................................................................................19Figure 12 : Louie (Left) and Suzie (Right).....................................................................................................20Figure 13 : The Captain..................................................................................................................................21Figure 14 : Fun Police Decal..........................................................................................................................21Figure 15: Shark Box Spawn..........................................................................................................................22Figure 16: Player in Danger...........................................................................................................................22Figure 17: Player Safe....................................................................................................................................22Figure 18: Out of territory..............................................................................................................................22Figure 19: 3D SharkBox Final.......................................................................................................................23Figure 20: Shark Box AI Flowchart...............................................................................................................23Figure 21: Scout Awareness...........................................................................................................................24Figure 22: Charge the Scout...........................................................................................................................24Figure 23: And they'll flee!.............................................................................................................................24Figure 24: Confused Player............................................................................................................................24Figure 25: 3D Scout Troop Final....................................................................................................................25Figure 26: Scout AI Flowchart.......................................................................................................................25Figure 27: Happy Spatula...............................................................................................................................26Figure 28: Angry Spatula...............................................................................................................................26Figure 29: Player entering Spatula line..........................................................................................................26Figure 30: Targets Scout instead of Player!...................................................................................................26Figure 31: Stationary Spatula.........................................................................................................................26Figure 32: Final 3D SpatulaTron....................................................................................................................27Figure 33: SpatulaTron AI Flowchart............................................................................................................27Figure 34 : Pewinator 3000............................................................................................................................28Figure 35 : Louie’s Ship the USS Awesome...................................................................................................29Figure 36: Suzie’s Ship the Triumph of Eternal Glory..................................................................................29Figure 37 : Shark Boxes.................................................................................................................................30Figure 38 : Scout Troops................................................................................................................................30Figure 39 : SpatulaTrons................................................................................................................................30Figure 40 : Controls (PC)...............................................................................................................................31Figure 41 : Controls (Gamepad).....................................................................................................................31Figure 42 : HUD.............................................................................................................................................33Figure 43: Musical Influence.........................................................................................................................36Figure 44: Character Selection Menu.............................................................................................................42Figure 45: Main Menu....................................................................................................................................42Figure 46: In-Game Pause Menu....................................................................................................................42Figure 47: Controls Menu..............................................................................................................................42



Table of TablesTable 1: Walkthrough.....................................................................................................................................12Table 2: Beat Chart.........................................................................................................................................12Table 3: Ellipsoid Particle Emitter set to Simulate in World Space...............................................................14Table 4: Particle Animator.............................................................................................................................14Table 5: Particle Renderer..............................................................................................................................14Table 6: Required Cubes for each Level........................................................................................................17Table 7: Shark Box Variables.........................................................................................................................23Table 8: Scout Variables................................................................................................................................25Table 9: SpatulaTron Variables......................................................................................................................27Table 10: Bullet Statistics...............................................................................................................................28Table 11: Player Vehicle Stats.......................................................................................................................29Table 12 : Controls.........................................................................................................................................32Table 13: MiniMap Tuning Variables............................................................................................................34Table 14: MiniMap Representations..............................................................................................................34Table 15: Audio Asset List.............................................................................................................................43


Design HistoryThis is a brief explanation of the history of this document. Each version of this document is based on when

a document is released for feedback/review, or major changes/additions have been made.

Version 1.00Sunday, April 8 2012

- The first complete version of the design document submitted for review.

Version 1.1Thursday, May 31, 2012

- Updated the mechanics section in accordance with design changes made in Pre-Pro - Introduced the Power of Friendship mechanic. - Updated the Controls to reflect changes

Version 2.0July 6th, 2012

- Massive overhaul of information to reflect changes made during Production.- Replaced most of the placeholder images with images from in game except where necessary. - Added final tuning variables to mechanics to specify the design

Game Overview High Concept

Let’s Go On An Adventure!

Louie and Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure is a first person 3D Action Flight Simulator where players control either Louie or Suzie as they battle the evil Fun Police with their makeshift spacecraft. L&S contains intense and campy dogfights through asteroid fields where players can use their tow cable to make sharper turns to get behind their enemy and fire.

Philosophy Recreate childhoodThe primary goal of Louie & Suzie is to evoke the same feelings felt as a child using their imagination to create crazy antics with a cardboard box as your only tool. The art and the mechanics all revolve around creating a nostalgic factor complete with revitalizing an old favorite genre of the game creators. While Space and Flight Simulators went more on the realism direction, L&S jump back to its cartoonish roots.

Minimalist DesignA way of pursuing the nostalgic factor of Louie & Suzie is to keep the design simple and work on the mechanic. Players should feel very natural and at home with the game without being distracted by flashy button combos or over-exaggerated art assets. This game is meant to provoke a child-like sense of wonder and the design choices focus on recreating this.

Common QuestionsWhat is the game?

L&S takes many references from childhood imaginative adventures. Louie and Suzie use their limited materials to create an immersive world where they are Space Adventurers in ships made of cardboard doing battle with enemies to recover the grand treasure.

Why create this game?L&S is meant to be a Nostalgia Fest both in theme and mechanic. The Flight Simulator genre has

mysteriously fallen out of favor and it’s time to bring that back. Games recently have also been taking themselves too seriously recently, and this is meant to remind everyone of the games we played as children and how awesome viewing the world with a different perspective can be.

Where does the game take place?The game takes place in a make believe world imagined by our main characters. What used to be an empty

basement is now a vast area of space waiting to be explored. What used to be tin foil and cardboard now join together to power our adventurers through space.

What do I control?Players control the spacecraft Louie and Suzie have made.

How many characters do I control?Players control either Louie or Suzie on their adventure with the other character acting as your wingman.

What are the Goals/Objectives of the game?Once every thousand years, the Great Star outputs Gooey Cookies. However, the Fun Police have

kidnapped these Cookies and are holding them hostage until they are cooled. Help Louie and Suzie weaken the Fun Police’s defenses by killing their drones to get to the Great Gooey Cookies before they cool to harvest its deliciousness. Each enemy drops a sugar cube which players collect to engage in the Sugar Rush, a high powered version of flight like Warp Drive.

What is the main focus?Players should focus on destroying enough of the Fun Police to weaken their defenses of the stronghold so

Louie and Suzie can get to the Great Gooey Cookies.

What’s different?The most opportune thing about this game is its uniqueness in industry. For the off-the-cuff humor,

reminiscent of childhood themes, games have been traditionally sticking to the platforming genre. The Flight Simulation genre has gone more realistic with titles like MS Flight Adventures. This game combines the childlike theme with the fun of flying for a Star Fox-y experience.

Feature Set Feature Highlights

Fly as High as the Sky!Players can fly up, down, left, right, and forward as they twist, turn and navigate in a completely 3D atmosphere allowing for more dogfights and more fun!

Use the Power of Friendship!Play as either Louie or Suzie, and when stuck call up your ally for a devastating air strike against your enemies!

Beat up the Fun Police!Battle the enemy in epic dogfights between ships. Be careful, enemy AI form strategic formations to attack you, you’ll need a creative mind to combat them.

Feature Details Fly as High as the Sky! (3D Flying)

Using the Unity Engine, Louie & Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure allows players to move in all directions and doesn’t limit them in the way that many flight simulators do by putting them on rails. This freedom allows for more intense dogfights between enemies and less of a “spray and pray” mentality. Players get to manage enemies coming from a full 360° space and move accordingly in a gravity-free environment to get to them.

Power of Friendship (Summon Ally to attack Foes)

Players can choose between two characters, Louie and Suzie, each with different playstyles to suit different players. In addition, the children avatars of different genders offer an avatar for everyone to identify with. Younger audiences can see themselves in these characters and older audiences get a representation of their inner child on screen while they play.

Louie pilots the USS Awesome, a stronger and more durable ship than his counterparts. Offering slower speed at increased health and firing range, he is available for players wanting a more cautious and careful play experience.

Players who want a fast-paced play through can choose Suzie’s ship, the Triumph of Eternal Glory. This ship is much faster than the USS Awesome with superior firepower in both strength and fire rate. However, these modifications leave the ship vulnerable to attack.

When either player in in danger, however, they can summon their ally with a quick press of a button to take out any enemy that is causing them trouble. Players can target any enemy for their ally to take out provided they have enough energy to do so, or take on the hoard solo. By working together with your ally and calling them in for help, you form a stronger psychological bond with your friend.

Beat up the Fun Police! (Dynamic AI) In each section of space, an AI combat manager tracks the player’s position and manages the AI. Each individual enemy unity’s movement and attacks are detailed in the Enemies section of the Game Characters, however a summary of their abilities and how they interact are included in this section.

There are three types of enemies, Scouts, Basic and SpatulaTrons. Scouts are fast and light units that attack the player once and then fall back to their position. Basic units are the most interactive with the player as they will engage the player while the rest stay out of the battle area. SpatulaTrons are single attack enemies that do not move until the player enters their awareness trajectory, upon which they dart towards the player and render him or her immobile, but still able to shoot.

During each battle segment, players will face numerous enemies of all varieties. The perfect play experience has the player either chasing after an enemy or dodging its fire as a primary action. This basic action is the purpose of the Basic units. The scout troops serve as a secondary action, fulfilling the need to shoot at a predicable enemy while in pursuit of another. They are the side missions, optional yet enhancing. SpatulaTrons serve as a tertiary action. They dart toward the player at a very high speed, making dodging them the best method. Should they miss this reflex check, players are rendered immobile and left open for the basic units to finish them off. There are only one or two SpatulaTrons per level, making them more of

an environmental factor than a face-to-face enemy. Players should not attack them head-on as they will be targeted and stunned.

Single-Player GameOverviewThe Fun Police are hoarding the Great Gooey Cookies and it’s up to Louie and Suzie to rescue them.

Plot OverviewOur heroes arrive at the scene of the Great Star just as it has finished making a Gooey Cookie. They have 30 minutes to battle through the Fun Police’s forces to get to the Cookie before it cools. As players get closer to the Cookie, the Fun Police throw more active drones at the player, forcing them to defeat the waves before continuing to the next one. Enemies drop sugar cubes when they die which players must collect in order to pass through the gateway to the next area.

StoryOne billion years ago, there was a Star. This was no ordinary star, but the Great Star, blessed by maternal powers to create life. Every thousand years, the Great Star outputs a new Gooey Cookie, the fuel for all life everywhere. But this Gooey Cookie has a short life span. If it is not used within 30 minutes of its birth, the light leaves and it becomes “cooled”, a dead cookie. It used to be this creation was cause for great celebration by all, but the details of where it is and when the next Gooey Cookie will be created have been lost for eons.

After years of searching, our Adventurers, Louie and Suzie have found the location and time of the next birth. Unfortunately, so have the evil Fun Police. Louie and Suzie race to the Star, but they realize that the Fun Police have beaten them there and have set up a stronghold around the star.

Just as Louie and Suzie arrive, the star gives birth! Rather than absorb the Gooey Cookie themselves, the Fun Police have kidnapped it and are holding it hostage until it cools. Louie and Suzie must overpower the Fun Police’s defenses and get to the Gooey Cookie in time to harness its power and save the universe!

Detailed Walkthrough The battleground of Louie & Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure is broken up into zones. Players start at the center of the map and as they move closer into each zone, they trigger new enemies. Each enemy drops a sugar cube which players must collect to advance. Gateways are present on the map, but will only open when a player gets enough cubes. This is also reflected with an audio hint. (For a full Level Breakdown, see Game World -> Levels)

Game Saves Upon completion of a zone, the game saves as a checkpoint before the player enters the next zone. If a player dies, they return to their last completed checkpoint. Upon respawn, a player’s Energy meter refills, but their sugar count restarts.

The game alerts the player when they have cleared an area and gotten a checkpoint. This is executed audibly by the Captain (See Game Characters -> NPCs for more information.)

Zone Breakdown In the first zone, players encounter the scout troops and some basic units. This zone is for familiarizing the player with firing and controls. The difficulty steadily increases in the next zone where there are more asteroids to maneuver through.

Each level has a boundary level, indicated by the lack of asteroids seen. The total playable area in each level has a radius of 1600 units. When players reach the boundary, they are automatically turned around along with an audio clip to return to the fight.

Should the player kill all enemies without collecting the sugar, they can shoot down asteroids which have a 20% drop rate of sugar, making it unfeasible to avoid enemies and just shoot asteroids.

Table 1: Walkthrough

Level Troops Present Intensity Meter

Sugar Required

Minutes of Gameplay

1 9 Scout Troops4 SpatulaTrons

Low 5 5

2 4 Scout Troops2 SpatulaTrons3 Shark Boxes

Medium 6 7

3 5 Scout Troops2 SpatulaTrons6 Shark Boxes

High 8 10

Beat Chart Table 2: Beat Chart

Level 1 2 30

20406080

Beat Chart

Intensity %

Hours of Gameplay (Well, Minutes)For scope reasons, the game has been cut to a small 3 level playthrough. It is wave-based combat that players trigger by moving closer to their goal. Upon completion of a level, they trigger a checkpoint. While it is possible to blitz through to go straight to the cookie, the game is intended to take 22 minutes.

Victory ConditionsPlayers win the game by reaching the Gooey Cookie in time and celebrating its deliciousness. Players are rewarded by an animated cut scene and an epilogue detailing how they saved the universe by absorbing the cookie. Players complete each level by acquiring sugar, not by clearly the level of enemies.

Camera Overview

Louie and Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure uses a first-person cockpit style of play in order to further immerse characters into their experience.

First Person View The crosshairs are still at the direct center of the screen, giving the illusion of space passing above them. This also increases the immersion of the cockpit view. The camera itself is stationary; players look around by moving the ship. Louie & Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure fixes the camera at 16:9 aspect ratio and has a 60° Frame of View, clipping the plane as close as 0.3 to 20000 units in Unity.

Figure 1: First Person View

Cockpit View 30% of the screen will be taken up by the HUD which displays all information for the player. By placing all information on the screen, players will not have to constantly check their menus for pertinent information. (For more information on HUD, see Game Interfaces – HeadsUpDisplay)

Figure 2: 30% Screen is HUD

Particle Effects While the character is flying through space, the lack of objects in scene makes this difficult to convey to the player. For these purposes, an ellipsoid particle field is created around the player for them to move through. This creates the feeling of “Space Grit” and makes motion easier to convey. For this, the Unity Particle system is used with an Ellipsoid Particle Emitter, a Particle Animator, and a Particle Renderer set to the following settings:

Table 3: Ellipsoid Particle Emitter set to Simulate in World Space

Min Max

Size .2 .4

Energy 1 2

Emission 150 300

Table 4: Particle Animator

Variable Tuning Value

Size Grow .1

Damping 1

Autodestruct No

Table 5: Particle Renderer

Variable Tuning Value

Cast Shadows Yes

Receive Shadows Yes

Use Light Probes No

Camera Velocity .1

Stretch Particles Stretched

Length Scale 2

Velocity Scale .5

Figure 3: Particle Effects Highlighted showing motion

Max Particle Size 1

The Game WorldOverviewLouie and Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure’s epic dogfights take place in outer space, next to the Great Star.

3D Free Form CombatThis game is not on rails, allowing players to fly up, down, and all around to better their experience. Space is wide open and the only obstacles players have to concern themselves with are the asteroids in the way.

AsteroidsAround the Great Star is a field of asteroids and satellites that orbit it. Players can shoot these asteroids for a chance to gain sugar or use them to out-maneuver enemies as they have collision. They are not specifically placed but rather randomly assigned a position in code. To ensure an even disbursement, they are divided into 3 zones: Close, Medium, and Far. Close randomized location within 400 units of the player’s starting position, Medium 800 and Far 1600.

Sugar RushWhen players have collected enough sugar for each level, they fly through a Gateway to trigger a Sugar Rush, this world’s equivalent of a Warp Drive. This Sugar Rush lasts long enough to get the player to the next level.

Levels There are three playable levels for the player, each with their own enemies and sugar required. Asteroids are randomly placed through areas, but below are the breakdowns for enemy placement. After completion of the third level, the player has beaten the game and a win scenario plays. In addition, there is a practice level with placeholder enemies that do not fire at the player providing a low-stress level for those new to gaming or the Flight Sim genre.

Level 1:

Level 2:Figure 4: Enemy Placement of Level 1

Figure 5: Enemy Placement of Level 2

Level 3:

Table 6: Required Cubes for each Level

Level Required Cubes01 502 603 8

Figure 6: Enemy Placement of Level 3

The Physical World OverviewThe “world” is outer space, specifically by the Great Star. As players progress to the next area, they move closer to the cookie. Each level, the cookie is larger and emits more light, providing visual feedback for their proximity to the Cookie and the completion of the game.

Figure 7 : Space

TravelPlayers travel around by soaring through space in their cardboard spaceships, powered by imagination!

ScaleObjects in Louie & Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure often vary in scale depending on their purpose in the character’s imagination. Asteroids, though all looking the same, range in size. The Gooey Cookie, a real life handheld object is transformed to a brilliantly lit byproduct of a star, which has shrunk down to the size of a house for the purposes of the adventure.

Objects

AsteroidsSurrounding the Great Star is a field of asteroids, made from paper balls that vary in size from flecks to the size of small cars. Each asteroid has a 1 in 5 chance of dropping sugar.

Figure 8 : Asteroids

Gateways In each level there is a gateway that is triggered by player action. These have two forms, a closed version for when the player does not have enough sugar collected and an open flashier version which is visible on the MiniMap for when the player can go to the next level.

Figure 9: Closed Gateway Figure 10: Open Gateway

SugarWhen a player kills an enemy, they drop a piece of sugar. Similarly, asteroids have a 20% of dropping sugar. These must be collected by the player in order to advance through the Gateway to get to the next level and defeat the game. Sugar cubes are available for 30 seconds and must be collected by then or else they’ll fade out of the scene. After 15 seconds, the cubes blink, alerting the player to their presence. In addition, they have a Halo effect on them to ensure that they stand out in the scene, regardless of being small. This Halo effect is a size 2 in Unity and has RGB Qualities of 108-108-108.

Figure 11: Sugar Cube

Game CharactersOverview

Louie and Suzie are two 4th grade students who have been selected for this deadly mission against the Fun Police by the Captain. A broken down table featuring each characters statistics is at the end of this section.

Players - Louie and Suzie Players take control of either of these two intrepid Adventurers whose stories are known throughout the galaxy. They face any challenge without fear and always manage to outthink or out fight any foe. They have been training their entire lives for this and are ready to save the Gooey Cookie.

Outside of the make-believe world, Louie and Suzie have been friends since kindergarten when they went on their first adventure to save an owl that had gotten stuck in their classroom. While other students and the teacher had been afraid to go near it, they bravely rescued the creature in what would be known later as the Great Dragon Taming. Since then, these two have been joined at the hip, taking on the world through a new light.

Both our adventurers are fearless in the face of a challenge, but there are subtle differences. While Louie is often willing to be the first to talk his way out of a problem, Suzie is the one who takes a more aggressive approach to negotiations. Often Louie takes the lead role as the more personable of the two; however this has been known to inflate his ego, a task left up to Suzie to viciously cut down.

Suzie had many years of being an only child, but her parent’s just had a new baby sister. To escape the crying baby and diaper changes, she has found herself at Louie’s house more frequently. This is where most of their adventures take place. Louie has an older sister in high school, who is often their babysitter and willing to let the children play in the downstairs basement as long as they don’t bother her phone conversations. When his sister was younger, they would all play together, but she has recently retired her adventuring days. (See Character Appendices for more information)

Figure 12 : Louie (Left) and Suzie (Right)

NPC - The Captain The Captain is the only NPC, but is never seen on screen. Players hear her voice through the com system giving instructions and hints. She alerts them to the next wave of enemies and informs them of the time constraints. Having dealt with the Adventurers antics before, she is firm in voice, but confident of their victory.

Figure 13 : The Captain

Enemy - Fun Police Enemy AI in Louie and Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure are the Fun Police, who do not want the players to have any fun. They are a race of alien trolls who seek out to explode every player they see. They shoot without thought and exist for pure destruction. Their faces are hidden behind the ships, save for the distinctive logo on all space craft. There are three types of enemies, detailed below. All except for the SpatulaTrons are armed with an equivalent of the Pewinator 3000. (For information on Backstory see Appendix –Characters)

Figure 14 : Fun Police Decal

Shark BoxOften found roaming in packs of 3 or more, the Shark Boxes are the brute squad of the Fun Po-lice. While swarming in a pod, Shark Boxes have reached speeds of up to 50 units/second by fly-ing in each other’s wake. Savvy adventurers know to wait for a pod to send out an attacker before firing upon them, lest they waste valuable energy bullets.

Figure 15: Shark Box Spawn

Shark Boxes are fiercely territorial, as such only attack when an adventurer comes close to their circle. The Fun Police have taken advantage of their habits by assigning them to guard the valu-able Gateways that transport travelers closer to the Great Star. Regardless of any havoc that is en-gaged around them, they only attack when their territory is threatened.

When facing a Shark Box solo attacker, it is important to remember that they care more about keeping their area safe than killing intruders. If you fly far enough away from their home, they as-sume you are no longer a threat and will return to base. A true opportunist knows to chase them down and shoot as it takes them a long time to turn around and return fire. However, be sure that this doesn’t bring you back into their territory or you’ll get another Shark Box to battle with!

Figure 17: Player in DangerFigure 16: Player Safe

Figure 18: Out of territory

Shark Box AI Details

Table 7: Shark Box Variables

Figure 20: Shark Box AI Flowchart

Figure 19: 3D Shark Box Final

Stat VariableRadius from Flock Placement 100fRadius between each Enemy 10f

Height Variation 15fVelocity (in Flock) 50f

Velocity (Chasing Player) 40fVelocity (Retreating to Flock) 30f

Awareness Radius 300fTerritory Radius 600f

SCOUT TROOPSContrary to the Shark Boxes, the Scout Troops relax as individuals, only coming together to at-tack an enemy. When defending an area, they spread their perches out to get a good view of things. Scout Troops have an excellent awareness range and as the player enters a new zone, the Scout Troops are poised to strike.

However, their main strategy is one of distance and avoidance. Adventurers facing a large group of attackers should not flee but face the horde head on. Once an enemy is in close proximity to a Scout Troop, they will scatter and return to their perch to regain their vantage point.

Figure 22: Charge the Scout

Figure 23: And they'll flee!

Scout Troops are fueled by adrenaline. When charging at intruders, they are much faster than while running away, revealing a prime opportunity to fire. However, Adventurers should be aware that while attacking one Scout, you are exposing your back to the rest of their kind in the area.

Without charging at the oncoming Scouts, Adventurers may find themselves disoriented by the Scouts constant circling of the player. This is a very vulnerable position for anyone to be in as Scouts have a very high turning radius and can outmaneuver even the best agents.

Figure 24: Confused Player

Figure 21: Scout Awareness

Scout Troop AI Actions

Table 8: Scout Variables

Figure 25: 3D Scout Troop Final

Figure 26: Scout AI Flowchart

Stat VariableWait Minimum 2 secondsWait Maximum 7seconds

Fire Rate 1/secondChase Speed 30f

Retreat Speed 15fTurn Rate 2fAwareness 400f

Proximity to Player 15f

SpatulaTronsThe newest members of the Fun Police, the SpatulaTrons began as a helper race for the Great Cookie. However, for their current goal of holding the Cookie hostage the first thing the Fun Po-lice did was place the SpatulaTrons under a mind control agent to work for them. Unfortunately for the Fun Police, what they got were not the elite guardians of the cookie but a shadow of the former Spatulas. Now powered by anger, they attack any entity they see.

This includes everyone from our Adventurers to agents of the Fun Police. When you see a Spatu-laTron chasing after you, a clever tactic is to maneuver so that another enemy is in its path.

Figure 29: Player entering Spatula line

Figure 30: Targets Scout instead of Player!

Anyone that is caught in this attack is instantly stopped, their massive body blocking them from continuing their course until they are killed. After a charge attack, SpatulaTrons will not pursue anyone for 5 seconds, needing time to gather up the strength to look again. This gives our Adven-turers time to flee.

Figure 31: Stationary Spatula

Figure 28: Happy Spatula Figure 27: Angry Spatula


SpatulaTron AI Actions Table 9: SpatulaTron Variables


Figure 33: SpatulaTron AI Flowchart

Figure 32: Final 3D SpatulaTron

Stat VariableSight Angle 60°

Attack Speed 75Proximity to Player 100


WeaponsOverview

Overview of weapons used in game.

Pewinator 3000At the front of the ship is a Nerf-style gun that rapid fires laser shots. The sound for this is a recording of an actor going “Pew Pew.” This is the main light shot and regenerates over time. (See Player Vehicle Statistics for more detail)

Figure 34 : Pewinator 3000

Light AmmoThe Pewinator shoots laser ammo at enemies. They travel at 400 velocity and have a lifespan of 3 seconds before they are killed on the screen. For the visual effect, Unity’s placeholder capsule was used, with its xyz values shrunk down to 0.1, 0.1, and 0.5 respectively. After this, a script is attached to make the colors change from bright green to a neon red every frame and a trail renderer was attached with the follow criteria:

Table 10: Bullet Statistics

Tuning Statistic VariableCast Shadows Yes

Receive Shadows YesUse Light Probes No

Time 2Start Width .1End Width .05



VehiclesOverview

Overview of vehicles used in game.

Player VehiclesAll ships are simplistic and made out of cardboard boxes. Each player character has their own ship with their own statistics. Players see the inside of their ship at all times, while their ally stays beside and behind them unless triggered by the ally attack. During the ally attack is the only time players see a player vehicle on screen.

Figure 35 : Louie’s Ship the USS Awesome

Figure 36: Suzie’s Ship the Triumph of Eternal Glory

Table 11: Player Vehicle Stats

Louie SuzieMax Speed 50 75Acceleration 5 10Max Energy 75 60Fire Regeneration Rate 1.5/s 1/sHealth 100 75



Enemy VehiclesThe Fun Police compile their Armada out of any material they find floating in space. Their ships are created out of household objects Louie and Suzie have found and created a rich backstory for them. The three vehicles/enemies created for this Adventure are the Shark Boxes, Scout Troops, and SpatulaTrons. (For more information see Enemies)

Figure 37 : Shark Boxes

Figure 38 : Scout Troops

Figure 39 : SpatulaTrons



User Interface - ControlsOverview

Louie & Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure is made with Unity for PC-based devices. As such, players can choose to play with either a mouse/keyboard combination or plug in a gamepad such as a 360 controller. All controls can be remapped, but these are the default settings.

Default Controls

Figure 40 : Controls (PC)

Figure 41 : Controls (Gamepad)



Table 12 : Controls

PC Xbox 360 Default ActionTurn Ship

W Accelerate

S Brake

D Strafe Right

A Strafe Left

Q/E Roll

Fire Pewinator

Summon Ally

Esc Pause Game

I Invert Y Axis


http://strategywiki.org/wiki/File:PC_Mouse.png

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/File:Xbox-Button-A.png

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/File:Xbox-Button-B.png

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/File:Xbox-Button-RB.png

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/File:Xbox-Button-LB.png

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/File:Xbox-Rstick-Neutral.png

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/File:PC_Mouse_Left_Click.png

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/File:Xbox-Button-RT.png

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/File:PC_Mouse_Right_Click.png

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/File:Xbox-Button-LT.png

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/File:Xbox-Button-Start.png


Game Interface OverviewFollowing the style of Flight Simulators, most information a player would need is displayed on their HUD. This minimizes the importance of a complicated menu system. All statistics and mission necessities are located right on the screen for players to check as they go.

HUD/On Screen Displays


Figure 42 : HUD


MiniMap On the bottom right hand of the screen is the player’s MiniMap. This is set up in Unity by adding a second camera with a fixed position above the player. The MiniMap should rotate along the X axis of the player, but remain stationary around the others in order to maintain its top view capabilities without disorienting the player.

Table 13: MiniMap Tuning Variables

Tuning Trait Variable UsedBackground RBG 0-0-38Projection OrthographicSize 200Clipping Plane Near .3Clipping Plane Far 1000Depth 1Normalized View Port Rect: X .75Normalized View Port Rect: Y .02Normalized View Port Rect: W .2Normalized View Port Rect: H .22Height from Player 200

Table 14: MiniMap Representations

Object in Game As seen on MiniMap



Wireframes The wireframe for Louie& Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure is not too complicated as there are

no inventory slots or other status’s to check. All relevant in-game information can be found on the HUD.



Musical Scores and Sound Effects

OverviewThis section covers the intended audio assets for Louie & Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure.

Sound Design Some of the sound effects will be supplied via a recording. The weapon sounds and ship

movements will all be recorded voices making these sound effects, just like children at play. This will add to the nostalgic theme of the final project.

MusicThe background music and the title music will be influenced by Indiana Jones and other

adventure movies. There should also be a hint of old time Radio Announcer voice over.

Figure 43: Musical Influence

Sound EffectsMost sound effects will be recorded and done by voice actors. The Pewinator 3000 sound

is the main characters saying “Pew Pew”, the ships will make Whoosh noises occasionally. During moments of idle flying, each character will also hum their awesome theme song, to be made up by the voice actors once they’ve gotten into the role. (For more on this, see the Audio Asset List Appendix)



APPENDICES “Characters” Appendix

The following images were created to serve as background information for the players who are interested in the story of the world. Each character that appears has his or her backstory and tendencies displayed. While not offered in the final build of the game, these posters were released on the Facebook page as promotional material as well as Portfolio pieces for a narrative design focus.



“Game Interface – Menus” Appendix

Due to time restraints, the menus created were very minimalist. Little art is shown on the pages. Given more time, childlike doodles would have been added into the margins further simulating the childish environment.


Figure 44: Character Selection Menu

Figure 46: Main MenuFigure 45: In-Game Pause Menu

Figure 47: Controls Menu


“Audio Asset List” Appendix Table 15: Audio Asset List

Character Dialog FXLouie

"I need help!" Ally Call"It's time for JUSTICE BOMBS" Ally AnswerOh yea Killed an enemyMy health is low Health is low"Time to take a breather" Energy is lowSweet! Collected sugar cubeSUGAR RUSH!!!!! Collected enough sugar cubesPew! FiringMy ship! is HitDo a Victory Dance Win Condition!

Suzie"Wanna grab that guy for me?" Ally CallKarate Yell "Suzie Super Punch, gooooooooo!" Ally Answer"Booyah" Killed an enemy"Oh No!" Health is low"Ugh! Almost out!" Energy is low"gotcha!" Collected sugar cube"All right, let's blow this popcorn stand!" Collected enough sugar cubes"Awww yeah!" Firing"No fair, they're cheating!" is HitDo a Victory Dance Win Condition!

The Captain“All right Space Guys and Gals, it’s time to start your mission! The Fun Police have set up a blockade around the Great Star. You’ll have to fight your way through to get to the cookie in time. Happy Flying!”

Starting the game

“What are you doing, trooper? Don’t abandon the fight!”

Flying Out of Bounds

“Chin up Space Boy, we’ll get you a Band-Aid and you’ll be as good as new”

Player Death - L

“Chin up Space Girl, we’ll get you a Band-Aid and you’ll be as good as new”

Player Death - S

“Get back out there and save that cookie!” Restart Level“You’re getting closer, but don’t celebrate yet! Advance to Next Level



The Universe isn’t saved until you get that cookie!”“You did it! I knew I could depend on you two! Now grab the cookie and get back here – I got two glasses of milk with your names on them!”

Win Condition!

Scout Troop"Ah-ha! I have found him!" Player found"You are mine, you pig-dog" chasing playerLe Ow, Zut Alors! is HitLe Dead DeadLe Pew Firing

SpatulaTron“Grrrrrrr” Player found"Attack!" Charging at Player"Ack!" is Hit"Ich bin dead" Dead

Shark Box“Mine Mine Mine” Flocking around the playerPew Pew Firing"Ack!" is Hit"Oy, you got me" Dead“Get 'em Sharky” Switching

MiscFizzle Out of EnergyPop Click button



“Competitive Analysis” Appendix LEGO: Star WARs

Similarities:The tone of LEGO: Star Wars is something that Louie & Suzie has tried to emulate

throughout production. Rather than go for the blood, gore, and gritty graphics, every texture is very plastic – clear and shiny. This keeps the area friendly to those new to gaming and lowers the system requirements for those playing on PC. In addition to the art style reflecting this, the game does as well. Rather than have elongated death scenes, enemies poof out of the screen in a non-threatening way.

Differences:Rather than have the stylized glisten of plastic pieces, Louie & Suzie focuses on blending

reality of household objects and makeshift toys with the game world. The textures are drawn in 2D with a crayon-simulating brush and are handwritten to give off this opinion. Whereas everything in the LEGO world is implied to be made of plastic LEGO pieces, everything in Louie & Suzie appears to be created by the main characters. Instead of being a set where the avatars are toys to be moved around, this game implies that the player is the creator of the game world, hence the first-person view instead of a third-person. By taking on a first-person camera, Louie & Suzie is meant to be immersive than LEGO games where you identify with the toy avatar instead of imagine you are them.

Star Wars: TIE FighterSimilarities:

The mechanic inspiration for Louie and Suzie is earlier Flight Simulators such as Star Wars: TIE Fighter. Both are first person, cockpit view flight simulators wherein players must balance their energy accordingly while fighting through a varied cast of enemies in a 3D space. Unlike other space shooters, such as StarFox, these games are not on rails and give the player more independent movement and encourage exploration. The main goal of the game is to kill enemies and battle through various levels to reach your goal.

Differences:Unlike TIE Fighter, Louie & Suzie does not have objectives other than clear out enough

enemies to proceed through to the next level. In addition, the energy balancing system has been simplified to just shooting instead of shield and attack power. This was done to reduce both scope and ease of entry to the genre. Combined with the child-friendly theme, this makes an easy game for new players and a familiar theme/mechanic for old fans of the genre. In the years since TIE Fighter, flight simulators have gotten progressively more complex and realistic. Louie & Suzie serves as a reboot for the simulator genre, bringing it back to its simpler roots.



“Target Market” Appendix Louie & Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure is intended for children age 10+. While the

themes are childlike in nature, the main mechanic focuses on destroying enemies to get to the next area, which may prove inappropriate for children under the age of ten. To directly access this age group, the characters themselves are in the 4th grade, aged 10. Players can easily identify with the voiced sound effects and maybe even speak along with them while playing. The art is very simple and friendly with hand drawn effects and details to make the world more accessible and believable.

In addition, the gameplay is very direct and simple: defeat the Fun Police, collect the sugar, and get to the cookie. There are not underlying objectives or game-y guesswork that players only know how to do after they’ve played for hours on end. The total playtime has also been shortened to fit not only the attention span of a child but the recommended hours of interactive media stimu-lus. Younger players will be inspired by the game to go create their own world and play outside the game, creating a lasting influence.

To access the specific target market of Louie & Suzie, we must market to the areas wherein consumers use their imaginations to go on adventures and would like to see that replicated in a 3D game world. In addition to advertising on regular channels, ads should be placed in the back of children’s novels to access readers who truly like to immerse themselves in new worlds. Mar-ket can also be reached through traditional methods such as television ads on child-oriented tele-vision such as Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network in the United States and Y-TV in Canada. These ads should air during series that focus on new worlds and adventures such as Adventure Time, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, and Johnny Test rather than the more mature live-action series focused on introducing young teenagers to High School life.

With a rich world and an adventurous aim, Louie & Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure is the first step to a larger world in terms of creating a franchise. Rather than move through the tra-dition media expansion of having a television show first, and then books, media, and games, Louie & Suzie serves to create a franchise that will eventually follow to exist on other forms of entertainment to be enjoyed by the young and young at heart for a time to come.



“Contact Info” - Appendix Creator:

Jacqui Zarka

[email protected]

ZarkasticGames.com (Coming Soon!)

Game:Louie & Suzie’s Awesome Space Adventure

[email protected]

Facebook.com/LouieAndSuzie


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