Glossary - Writing for Video Games - page 167

include story completion, level completion, character animations
complete, etc.
Design document :This is the complete description of all the details relevant
to the creation of the game. It may not be a single document, but a
collection that covers gameplay mechanics, visual style, technical
information, story and character information and level designs. This can
also be known as the game design.
Design overview :A document which summarises all the gameplay elements
and level designs without going into all of the technical detail.
Developer : The team responsible for making the game. The size can vary
from single individuals (generally independent developers) upwards, with
some teams consisting of a hundred or more artists, animators,
programmers, game designers, writers, etc. The development studio may
have a large number of staff, but may split into smaller teams working on
a number of parallel projects.
Dialogue engine :How the characters speak to one another and how the
player interacts during conversations is controlled by the dialogue engine.
The design team may consult with the writer to help define how it works.
Dialogue script : Strictly speaking, this is the document containing the
dialogue as written by the game writer. The format may vary depending
on how the developer and the writer define it, based on the requirements
of the development tools.
Edutainment :These are games that are educational in nature.Teaching while
having fun.
Environment :A section of the game world. Because of memory constraints
of gaming systems, the game world is split up into a number of environ-
ments. These are generally modelled in 3D these days, though some 2D
environments are still created using hand-drawn backgrounds or 3D
environments that have been pre-rendered into 2D.
Establishing shot : An introductory scene. This may be used for mood
purposes and may be used for the whole game and/or to introduce each
of the levels. May also be used to put the player character into the context
of his environment and help the player see the objectives.
Event :Whenever a game object moves from one state to another, this is said
to be an event. The triggering of events can also happen when objects
(characters, say) cross pre-defined lines, or move into certain areas of the
game world. Boolean variables are usually used to keep track of whether
important events have been triggered.