combination of characters and items) detailing all of the different units that the players
or their adversaries can control, along with an objects/mechanisms list that details any
objects players interact with, such as doorways or teleporters. If the RTS being
designed is one in which units could pick up objects, however, you might want to create
a third classification after all. An RPG such asDiablomight add fourth and fifth group-
ings for listing the players’ skills and spells respectively, since these are game elements
that do not really fall into any of the three classifications I have discussed. Try to sepa-
rate your game-world elements, whatever they may be, into the most logical groupings
possible. Depending on the nature of your game, it is not unreasonable to have only one
class or as many as ten; compelling games can be created in either case.
Within each class, try to list the objects in the most logical order possible and group
different subclasses of objects together. For instance, if you are working on an RPG, you
might want to list all of your potions in one spot, all of your bladed melee weapons in
another section, and all of your ranged weaponry in another. An RTS might want to sep-
arate its units into offensive, defensive, and construction, or perhaps static and mobile.
Again, take a look at the kind of game you are making, and try to divine the method of
representation that best suits the data you are presenting and that makes it easily navi-
gated and understood by readers. The Game Elements section should provide
information for both the art and programming teams. The art team will need to make
sure art assets get created for all of the elements you describe. The programming team
will want to read the Game Elements section in combination with the Game Mechanics
and AI sections to get a full understanding of what the game will be expected to do.
Keep the artists, other designers, and programmers all in mind as you work on catalog-
ing the game’s characters, items, mechanisms, and whatever other classifications your
game may demand.
In listing and describing these game elements, you want to avoid assigning actual
statistics to any of them. This level of detail about the items or enemies is simply not
something you can predict before you have a functioning game in which you can test the
370 Chapter 19: The Design Document
The design document
forDiablo IImight
contain separate Game
Elements sections for
describing the player’s
spells and skills.