Warlord Online app

High concept document

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Contents Page

Controls system PG 3

Inventory, levelling up, game goal PG 4-6

Design questions PG 8-11

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RPG High concept document

Warlord the online app runs alongside the core game in terms of game mechanics and features. The player must achieve similar goals and also reach a similar end goal which is to become the leader of your group/army and to take over the island. The player assumes the role of a warlord hence the name of the game, the player starts as a low levelled low experienced leader of an army this is down to been exiled from their own tribe. The player must collect resources of different kinds to pay for tasks and completion of missions, this in turn rewards plays with experience which levels the player up unlocking more buildings and missions to complete.

-The Control System

The control system I will use for my game is as follows below there. As you can see like most games on IOS and Android it plays by simply tapping elements on screen. Using a control system like this is a useful one as it opens up playability for a large audience. Some people sometimes younger or older audiences struggle to play when there are multiple control commands that are dense and slightly complicated. In using a controls system like this it eliminates the difficulty in controlling the game and makes it playable to everyone.

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-The combat system

The combat system of the game is very simple it requires the player to merely tap on the enemy. The enemy will require three taps to be killed but tapping on them requires the use of resources. It will cost 20 food resources for each tap accumulating in 60 food to kill an enemy entirely.

An example of this can be seen in the game “The Tribez”

-Inventory system

The inventory system for my game counts as a counter for how much of a resource the player has this can be seen by clicking a drop down tab at the top of the screen or by clicking a resource shed which is the place all the resources are kept.

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-Levelling up process

The levelling up process for my game comes in the shape of an XP system. The player gains XP for completing missions set, taking over new areas and eliminating enemies.

For my game I want to make the levelling up challenging but rewarding I want to take time to level up but not much time that it becomes tedious and boring. As for rewards it will consist of upgrades that will make the game better and help the progress. New buildings and items which come available will help to create new resources and more income. The levelling system will also count as a rank so the higher level the player is the higher rank they are, with that also comes extra benefits as the player will have more villagers/soldiers.

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Above is a scale which is not accurate but is an example of the level cap you could go up to.

This would be my scale, the upgrades would include:

. Additional villagers . New Missions . Resource creations . Premium currency

.Salvage

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Goal of the game.

The goal of my game is to take over and expand to as much land as possible growing your tribe/army so that the players holds the entire island. The game will not end though with that the player will be able to play continuously as long as they like, the game itself won’t be short and will require a lot of time and attention in order for the player to have covered the island.

Micro-transactions

The game will offer in app purchases much like other app games. These will not be a necessity but more an additional for players to buy extras so that they can get further in the game quicker or with power ups. These will come in the shape of being able to by the premium currency in the game (Gold) in bulk. These will come in different quantities and cost starting at a common 69p and working up to 50 pounds.

App Adverts

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There would also be a small charge to be rid of adverts in the game as this is becoming more common in games you play and is a good way for companies to advertise and for us to make money both with the adverts and players paying for them not to show up.

Seasonal changes/updates

To keep the app fresh and new and keep players onto it we could design features for different seasonal holidays. An example of this would be that in the Christmas period have snow falling on the island and have lakes frozen leading to new areas and new missions become available.

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1. What is the nature of the game play? That is, what challenges will the player face? What actions will the player take to overcome them?

The nature of the game is a Fantasy RPG this is because the game is based around fantasy elements such as the games location the factions in the game and the layout of the game. The game is an RPG as the player assumes the role of the chief/leader of a small army in which they must grow and expand to be the leading faction. The challenges the player will face are one the level of missions they will undertake these will vary in what has to be done to complete them and what items/resources will be needed to finish them. Secondly the player will be randomly at times attacked by other tribes so the player will need to fight off the threat to save any damage done to their town. To overcome these challenges the player will have to firstly be diverse in what resources they can make and collect and not dedicate themselves to just one also the player will have to create an expansive village that allows them to have many buildings that help craft different items for use. For the second challenge the player will need to be vigilant and keep their eyes open so they can attack the enemy although this is done by simply tapping an enemy not killing them can have severe repercussions.

2. What is the victory condition for the game, if any? What is the player trying to achieve?

The goal of the game is to take over the island by expanding your village over it; in a sense the game is based on taking over and owning a large percentage of a place. The game has no conclusive ending with the player being able to continuously play even when they have complete ownership of all parts of the island.

3. What is the player’s role? Is the player pretending to be someone or something, and if so, what? How does the player’s role help to define the game play?

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The player is playing as a warlord/chief of a tribe and oversees everything that happens within. The players role is a defining role in the game as that is what makes the game functional players decisions shapes the way the game plays and when missions become available depending on what buildings players use at times within the game. The player gets to play how they want sometimes methodically as they have to decide when to spend salvage and resources and not leave themselves short.

4. What is the game’s setting? Where does it take place?

The games setting is a fictitious island much like the Bermuda triangle where it is hidden and has an interesting tale. This is where two tribes one like the Vikings and another like the Aztecs live. They don’t live peacefully and at times find themselves in battles for ownership of land or salvage sites. The salvage sites consist of things such as aircraft of different ages new and old that have come over the island and crashed due to instability on the island.

5. What is the player’s interaction model? Omnipresent? Through an avatar? Something else? Some combination?

The player perspective in the game is omnipresent they are their but never seen you take the view as a high up from the sky looking down on your village. This view works well as you have a clear view of everything going on in the village and can easily work and adjust with everything you need. It also works well with the view of most app games as most of them follow an isometric camera view. This is the only camera perspective available to the player the only extra additions is that they can zoom in and out to get an enhanced view.

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6. What is the general structure of the game? What is going on in each mode, and what function does each fulfil?

Like most games of this style there is only one mode as that is all that is needed and required. Also the fact the game is an RPG makes it a single player game. Like the core game and other games like it for example skyrim and fable games they online have one game mode and that is enough. So if our core game is single player it is good to match up with the online app. The mode available is the story/career mode in which the player plays the role of the warlord.

7. Is the game competitive, cooperative, team-based, or single-player? If multiplayer players are allowed, are they using the same machine with separate controls or different machines over a network?

The game is primarily single player but will have features of multiplayer and social integration. Whilst the player is running their village they can visit friend’s games via a link to facebook, twitter or IOS game centre. In this the players can look at friend’s villages and see how they have laid their village out and see how they are progressing. They will also be able to sell resources to each other to help one another complete missions or buy new buildings. Another idea was thrown in that maybe players all over the world could compete against one another with their army but this was to linked to the companion app which is directly linked to the core game so having a different multiplayer element was required.

8. Does the game have a narrative or story as it goes along? Summarize the plot in a sentence or two.

The game doesn’t really have a narrative as it is a numbed down version of the core game. The only way you could describe the game as having a story is that the player makes their own story with the accomplishments and failures they have whilst advancing through the game.

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9. Does the game fall into an existing genre? If so, which one?

The game falls under the genre of Fantasy RPG this was a simple and obvious choosing as it had to stay consistent with the core game which had strict limitations due to the client.

10. Why would anyone want to play this game? What sort of people would be attracted to this game?

People would be attracted to this game as it is very much like most app games of this sort but with a twist as it is connected to the core game. With that said people who have also been playing the core game would play the game to due to them liking the core. Due to this the game will be successful as some of the most played and grossing games on the app store are games of this nature.

11. What platform is the game going to be designed for? Is every element above suitable for a game delivered on this platform?

This game will be on the mobile platform available to mobile and tablet users of both the apple store and android store. Every element of the game will be suitable for the platforms as they have been designed from the start for these platforms with lots of research into current games on the market now and taking ideas from them then we knew what we were doing would be achievable and successful.

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