explores the levels. As with the friends, the Priestess may explain to Sam about the cul-
ture of the areas he is navigating and the nature of the adversaries he is facing. All of the
dialog that the player hears over the radio will appear on the screen via the in-game
GUI, as discussed earlier in this document.
Signs
As discussed earlier in the Actions section, Sam will also find static information dis-
plays that he will be able to read. These signs are yet another way to communicate the
story of the world ofAtomic Sam.
Levels
Atomic Samis different from other console third-person action/adventures in that the
gameplay focuses less on exploration and more on Sam’s battling his way through the
levels, avoiding the robots and other adversaries that try to block his progress. Cer-
tainly the levels will be interestingly designed and appealing to look at, but the player’s
motivation for continuing in a level will be more to confront the next interesting chal-
lenge than to merely uncover more of the level. Overall, the gameplay in the levels will
be frantic and harried, and the player’s split-second decisions and manual dexterity will
be key to Sam eventually finding his parents. Sam will generally fight robots in two
ways. The first way will be multiple robots at once, with all of the robots being of lesser
power. The second way will be fighting a single, much more powerful or “boss” enemy.
Usually the battles with the boss enemies will involve figuring out a particular method
necessary to defeat the enemy, and will involve a bit more thinking than the battles with
multiple adversaries at once. The method through which the player will maneuver Sam
and the ways he will interact with his environment have been discussed earlier in this
document.
That said, not all of the game will be frantic and combat-oriented. Between the bat-
tles with robots there will be calm, “safe” moments in the levels where the player can
rest and regain his bearings. It will be in these calmer sections that the auto-save
checkpoints (described later) will be included. This will allow the player to restart her
game in a relatively safe area. Some of these “safe” sections may also require simple
puzzle solving in order for the player to progress in the game.
Critical Path
All of the levels inAtomic Samwill have a definite “critical path” to them, a particular
route the player is encouraged to travel in order to complete that level and move on to
the next one. Though there may be bonus or secret areas off to the side, the critical path
will remain strong throughout the levels. For each of the different sections of the game
— Gargantuopolis, Benthos, Harmony, New Boston, and the Ikairus — the player will
have to complete the levels within that section in a specified order; this will help to
communicate the story line effectively, to build tension appropriately, and to ramp up
difficulty over the course of a series of levels.
Training Level
The very beginning of the game will also provide a special “training” opportunity for
players who want it. When Sam first returns to his apartment and finds his parents
554 Appendix A: Sample Design Document:Atomic Sam