squawks as their means of communication. Others may be so cruel as to taunt Sam that
he will never see his parents again.
Falling into Traps
A big part of the game mechanics inAtomic Samis the player using the environment to
his advantage by triggering various traps and contraptions that will help to defeat the
robots Sam faces. The AI will actually facilitate the player using the traps effectively, in
part through the robots’ lack of intelligence. In addition, designers will be able to set up
these adversaries to have a tendency to maneuver into areas where the player will be
able to incapacitate them if she is clever. For instance, if there is an empty oil drum set
on a lever that the player can activate, the robots will have a tendency to fly by the
potential trajectory of that oil drum.
Non-Combatant Agents
The various areas Sam travels to are places where the people of Sam’s world live and
work. As such, the areas will not only be inhabited by the enemies sent to capture Sam,
but also by normal citizens. These citizens will not be very smart, and their inclusion in
the levels is not in order to create the impression of a “real” environment. These citi-
zens are mostly there for color, while also creating targets that Sam must be careful not
to accidentally hit with his projectiles.
Fleeing
Often, at the first sign of trouble, these citizens will run away, trying to find cover away
from the battles between Sam and the robots. Of course, the mere existence of flying
Appendix A: Sample Design Document:Atomic Sam 559