and extensive control of his game-world character while enabling the player to appreci-
ate the interesting and compelling game-world in which he is placed.
Camera
In the game, the player will control the character Atomic Sam. At all times, Sam appears
in the center of the screen, with a “floating” camera above and behind the character, in
an “over the shoulder” type of view. The camera will be at such a distance that the
player has a reasonable view of Sam and his current environment. The camera will be
“smart” enough to avoid penetrating objects in the world and will always give the
player a clear view of Sam. If necessary, in tight situations, the camera will zoom up
closer to Sam. If Sam is too large on the screen and prevents the player from viewing
the world adequately, Sam will appear translucent to the player, thus giving the player a
clear view of the world. This translucency is apparent only to the player, and has no
effect on the game-world or how the enemies react to Sam.
The camera will try to stay behind Sam as much as possible while providing a
smooth visual experience for the player. If Sam turns around in a hurry, the camera will
slowly catch up with his new direction instead of suddenly jerking into the new posi-
tion. If the player changes Sam’s direction for only a brief period of time before
returning to the original position, the camera’s orientation will not change at all. This
allows the player to make minor adjustments to Sam’s positions without having the
camera swinging around wildly.
In-Game GUI
The majority of the player’s screen will be taken up by a view of the game-world with
the player’s character, Atomic Sam, near the center of that screen. A few other
Appendix A: Sample Design Document:Atomic Sam 541