Hi. I didn't see a member introduction topic here. Therefore, allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Steve.
I've known about the Voxlap game engine for awhile. Quite a while ago (years, to be exact), I brainstormed an idea to take advantage of the Voxlap game engine to deform the terrain. However, my programming skills are nil to none. Despite my best intentions, I was never able to do much with my idea beyond writing it down. After a while, I forgot about my idea & moved on to other interests.
When the game Voxelstein 3D came out, it reminded me of my Voxlap game idea. I brushed off the idea, added some more description to it and... Promptly forgot all about it again.
To make a short story long & agonizing, I was recently pruning my bookmarks folder of dead bookmarks (I tend to collect such things at an alarming rate) when I ran across this website again. Remembering my Voxlap game idea & also remembering that I had a nil to none chance of ever developing it beyond a pipe dream, I figured that the least I could do for it was to clean the idea up enough for it to be presentable (aka "A 48-hour crash course in how to write a game design document or 'GDD' as it is called") & place it onto this forum.
I have no idea if the game is of any merit, if it's already been thought of elsewhere or the sort. If you like the idea then, by all means, use it. If there are huge design flaws in the game play mechanics, then it would be nice to know of them at least from an academic standpoint. I'm not in the market to become a game designer but it would be interesting to hear the game play critiqued by people who know more about this business then I.
The GDD will be in the next post. I hope you enjoy reading it.
In advance, I'd like to thank Ken Silverman for developing the Voxlap engine for which I would've never even had the idea; the developers of Voxelstein 3D for re-sparking the idea so that it grew to be more then an one-paragraph description; my own laziness for sitting on the idea for far longer then I should have after realizing I was never going to do anything productive with it & to everyone who comments on the design here. Thank you.
Steve at
Re: How Bad is My Voxel Game Concept?
PROPOSED VOXEL-BASED GAME FOR "VOXLAP" GAME ENGINE
DESIGN DOCUMENT
Introduction
"Untitled Game" is a 3D first person puzzle game that would work on the PC or for any other system that the Voxlap game engine is designed to be run on. The game is set in an abstract, 3D maze in which the player must decide whether to break through walls or not in order to get to the end of the maze before the player runs out of "time."
Genre
"Untitled Game" is a 3D first person game that combines classic puzzle elements, strategy & resource management to provide the player with an unique game playing experience that is both challenging & accessible to several demographics.
Target Platform
"Untitled Game" was envisioned to be built using the Voxlap engine provided by Ken Silverman. Therefore, the PC platform would be the only platform supported at this time. However, the game could be developed on a cross-platform voxel engine should such an opportunity arise.
Legal Background
"Untitled Game" was envisioned to be built using the Voxlap engine provided by Ken Silverman. Based upon statements on his website, the game engine is free to use for the public. No known limitations for the commercial use of the engine currently exists.
Game Description
The game is broken down into a series of mazes. There is one maze per level. Achievements during the course of one maze is not transferable to another maze.
The first initial mazes are tutorial mazes designed to inform the player on how to play the game. During this phase of the game, the player is introduced to the following concepts: Goal completion, resource management & environmental obstacles.
GOAL COMPLETION for every maze is the same - To get to the end of the maze before your resources run out.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT for the game involves managing a finite quantity known as "goo." "Goo" is used to power all of the player's activities. "Goo" may be acquired either through destroying the environment or through picking up "power-ups" scattered throughout selected mazes. "Goo" may also be projected out into a pile so that it may be stepped on or otherwise alter the physical environment of the maze to the player's advantage.
ENVIRONMENTAL OBSTACLES are introduced in the initial mazes of the game. The player will learn that walls, ceilings & floors of differing colors will have differing properties that could complicate or assist in the player's attempt at goal completion.
After the tutorial mazes are completed, the player will then play a series of regular mazes. These mazes will increase in difficulty by means of length of maze, complexity of maze, arrangement of walls, placement of power-ups & the efficiency of the player at consuming goo.
The player may run or walk but can not jump. The player may fall from any height without penalty.
A single-player "campaign" of several connected levels is possible but not planned.
Key Features
** GAME ENGINE - A game engine involving voxels & a completely destructible environment is essential for this game. The ability to directly affect the environment by adding or subtracting to it is essential for game play.
** CONSOLE FRIENDLY - Should the game be successful with the PC audience, the game play would not inhibit development on console platforms. The game involves no jumping which is seen as a historical hindrance for the console audience. The game play can be easily converted to be efficiently manipulated on console game controllers.
** COMPARTMENTALIZATION - The game has been developed with each level being independent from one another. Additional levels may be made by both amateurs & the professionals alike without concern over "breaking" the game. Levels may be added or removed during production without "breaking" the progression of the game, as it does not rely upon a strict storyline like traditional first person & third person games require.
Scenario
The player assumes the identity of a humanoid robot. The robot has the unique ability to utilize the contents of the panels in the maze to fuel it. The robot & it's unique ability is being tested through increasingly difficult mazes.
The mazes itself are uniform in appearance - A black, cube-like grid structure where panels fill in sections of that cube to create a maze. The start & finish of the maze may be marked with graphics, sound effects or other effects to easily designate them as the start & finish.
Due to the nature of the game, a number of single-player plots may emerge from this scenario. At this time, no single-player plot is being actively pursued based upon the nature of the game.
System
Due to the nature of this game, this section is not needed.
Game Play elements
CONTROLS
The player controls the character's movement using the traditional "W-A-S-D" keyboard controls ("W" for forward, "A" for left strafe, "S" for backwards & "D" for right strafe). The usage of the mouse allows the player to look in the direction that the mouse is pointing, including up & down.
Usage of the "Goo" gun involves both shooting goo out, vacuuming goo in & independent settings for both traits (shooting & vacuuming). Pressing the left mouse button results in vacuuming in goo. Pressing the right mouse button results in shooting out goo.
The independent settings for each would be handled by pressing & holding down keyboard buttons "1" through "4." "1" would increase or decrease the area of vacuuming depending upon how long the button is pressed. "2" would increase or decrease the rate of vacuuming depending upon how long the button is pressed. Buttons "3" & "4" would be the same for shooting goo out; "3" would be used to control the size of discharge while "4" would be used for controlling the rate of discharge.
Inventory would be accessed by pressing the keyboard button "I." Going through the inventory would consist of pressing the left & right arrow buttons on the keyboard. Using an item in the inventory would consist of pressing the keyboard button "Enter."
Pressing the keyboard button "1" through "4" or pressing "I," the game is paused until the selection (either of inventory or the setting of the goo gun) is complete.
Pressing "CAPS LOCK" once activates a "run" feature that allows the player to move faster but at a greater "goo" cost. Pressing "CAPS LOCK" a second time removes the run feature & the player reverts back to a walking pace.
HEADS UP DISPLAY
The Heads-Up Display (HUD) would be minimal.
A vertical progress bar to the left would identify how much "goo" the player has. A progress bar filled to the top would signify that the player has no further goo to gather. A progress bar that is empty would signify no goo left & the game would be over. To indicate to the player that the goo level is running significantly low, this progress bar could begin to flash & change color.
The goo gun would be held like most weapons in a first-person shooter, with the muzzle facing outward towards the game field. Pressing buttons "1" or "2" (settings for vacuuming) would bring a small half-circle from the bottom of the screen to the left of the weapon (one for each button). The half-circle, like a gauge, would have a needle moving from the left extreme of the gauge to the right. Once the needle hit the right extreme, it would go back towards the left. The same type of set-up would occur for buttons "3" & "4" but the gauges would be to the right of the weapon.
The inventory would be displayed in a box in the lower right hand corner of the screen, but only when the "I" button is pressed. As soon as the appropriate inventory had been selected, the box would disappear, leaving the screen less cluttered.
Pressing the "ESC" button would produce a box in the middle of the screen. This would be the main menu of the game, with the usual type of options listed ("Save," "Load," "Options," "Settings," "Resume," etc.). A word on the list of options would highlight as the player pressed the "UP ARROW" or "DOWN ARROW" on the keyboard. Pressing "ENTER" would activate that option.
SURFACES
For the purposes of this game design document, a wall, ceiling or floor will all be labeled as "surfaces."
Each surface will be color-coded for easy identification. The colors listed here may obviously be altered for aesthetic or play testing purposes.
RED - A red wall is static (it does not change), consumable & does not regenerate. A red wall is the "standard" wall of the maze.
ORANGE - An orange wall is static, consumable but DOES regenerate ONLY back to the shape of a wall AS LONG AS even one voxel of the wall exists. This regeneration is variable for each individual orange wall.
YELLOW - A yellow wall is static, consumable, does not regenerate but walking on, over or aside it will reduce the speed of the player.
GREEN - A green wall is NOT static & is consumable. This wall will start expanding beyond the confines of a wall the moment the level is started. As long as even one green voxel exists, the green voxel will continue to multiply until it is confined by another non-green voxel. The speed of reproduction is variable with each individual green wall. The voxels of two green walls with different reproduction speeds can not combine but two green walls with the same reproduction speed can combine.
BLUE - A blue wall is NOT static & is NOT consumable. This wall will start expanding beyond the confines of a wall the moment the level is started. The speed of reproduction is variable with each individual blue wall. The voxels of two green walls with different reproduction speeds can not combine but two green walls with the same reproduction speed can combine.
INDIGO - An indigo wall is static, consumable & does not regenerate. Touching an indigo wall is instant death. However, using your special device to eat through the wall is allowed.
PURPLE - A purple wall is static, not consumable & does not regenerate. Touching a purple wall is instant death.
BLACK - A black wall is static & is not consumable. This is simply a wall made out of the exact same substance as the frame of the 3-dimensional grid. A black wall is impervious to all special effects (getting touched by a gray voxel, the effects of assorted power-ups, etc.).
GRAY - A gray wall is NOT static & is consumable. A gray wall will start to decompose the moment the level starts. Any goo connected to a gray goo voxel (except for the frame & any black walls) will also turn gray & decompose. The rate of decomposition & conversion into gray goo is variable with each gray wall.
TIP: To "defeat" the effects of a blue, indigo or purple wall, simply use your goo gun to shoot enough goo to connect one of those walls to the remains of a gray wall. The offending wall's voxels will then turn gray & decompose.
POWER-UPS
Throughout the maze, there will be opportunities to retrieve power-ups. These power-ups are maze-dependent & are not transferable to other subsequent mazes.
EFFICIENCY 1 (through 5) - Makes you more efficient in both collecting & using goo.
TIME STOP - The various non-static effects of the maze stops for a pre-determined amount of time. Can be activated after it is picked up.
COLOR CHANGE - Allows the player to change the color (and, therefore, the effects) of one wall (except for black walls) to that of another color.
MORE GOO - These super-concentrated packets of goo are effectively "time boosts." You receive more goo from these packets then you would receive in an equivalent amount of eating through walls.
END OF DESIGN DOCUMENT
Atomic at
interesting idea (and it shouldn't be hard to code assuming one has familiarity with the engine-which I do not) but unless there are far more unconsumable walls then consumable ones it seems very easy to get thru unless the mazes are *very* well designed