Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
disappeared when he was young. As he follows the clues into a strange land that isn't
on any map, he encounters sights and peoples both strange and wonderful until he
discovers the insidious plot of the malevolent Copernican League and their tyrannical
leader, Dr. Indigo.�
The game treatment should still be high-level, so while you won't need to (and
shouldn't) write about every single moment of the player's experience in the game,
you will need to cover the major characters of the game, especially the villains that
comprise the main challenge to the player throughout the game.
Focusing on the Trailer Moments
“Trailer moments� are those moments in a movie that really sell the movie to its
audience. They show some of the best parts of the movie while still leaving the
audience hankering for more.
In writing the story treatment for your game, try to include the “trailer moments�
that you see happening to the player as he plays. Not only will you be showing how
exciting the game will be to the reader, but you will also be giving some idea of the
scope of the game. If your game has a daring fight on the edge of a volcano, that gives
the reader the information that you'll be building said volcano, that you'll probably
have to build some sort of lava technology into the game, that there is combat in the
game, and a host of other details. Writing these trailer moments should also ground
you a little, too. Your team (who should read what they are getting into) might
have an issue with your volcano and bring up the example of the failed “fight on the
edge of the mammoth water geyser� scene that you had to strip out of the last game
because of technical difficulties.
Gameplay and Specific Player Abilities
The treatment digs deeper into the technical specifications of the game. First and
foremost it reveals the gameplay of the game. What fun things can the player do in
the game? How is this accomplished using the standard controller that comes with
the game console you're aiming at?
Include descriptions of what the player can do to affect the game world. De-
scribe how he can attack, defend, use things and move. Describe the special game
mechanics that are unique to your game. Remember, the game treatment is only
a follow-up document, and that it still needs to convince the reader that the game
is worth devoting time and money into making. These mechanics need to sound
exciting and dynamic. They should be presented in a way that continues to sell the
game as something the reader would want to play.
Also in this section, include some of the things that enemies can do to the player.
This doesn't need to be an exhaustive list: you don't need to describe every single
ability of every boss monster, but if the game world or enemies have abilities that are
listed in your Unique Selling Points portion of your pitch document, you'll need to
describe those things in greater depth.
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