actual list of the different weapons found in the game-world until later in the document.
The specific weapons represent instances of the functionality you describe in the Game
Mechanics section. You can think of it in the following fashion: many different games
could be made from what you lay out in the Game Mechanics section. For instance, the
design documents for theThiefgames follow a nearly identical Game Mechanics
description. It is only the weapons, items, levels, and enemies that change fromThiefto
Thief II.The core game remains the same, and it is the core game you are documenting
in the Game Mechanics section.
It makes sense to introduce the players’ different capabilities in the same order
someone playing the game for the first time would experience them. For instance, start
out simple. What are the most basic moves players can do? Say you are working on a
game where players control a game-world surrogate (be it a human, a spaceship, an air-
plane, a robot, or whatever your imagination may have concocted). You should probably
start with how that character moves forward and backward, turns left and right, and so
forth. After you introduce the simpler moves, introduce more complex ones such as
jumping, crouching, rolling, and so on, as appropriate. If your game is more of an RTS
game orDiablo-style RPG, it may be that players move their surrogate(s) using
point-and-click, and you will want to describe precisely how that works. How good does
the player character pathfinding need to be? What does the game do when the surro-
gate cannot reach the place players clicked? Do you have separate buttons to select a
character and then to move it, or is it more of a one-button system?
As you describe the character’s movements, you will want to list the physical com-
mands users need to perform to pull off those movements. For instance, “To move
forward, players will need to press and hold the Forward Button. If players just tap
the Forward Button, the player character will only move a tiny amount.” It is probably
a good idea to name the different keys or buttons players have as their controls instead
of referring to them specifically; use “Forward Button” instead of “Up arrow” or
“Blue X button.” This keeps your description of the players’ controls more
362 Chapter 19: The Design Document
Sequels are often able
to use a Game
Mechanics section in
their design documents
that is identical or
extremely similar to the
original game. Pictured
here:Thief II.