Super Character’s Name Land

Design Document by:

Brian Toms

Rich DeFrancisco

Javas Shankar

Vincent St. John

Philosophy

1. For a game to be successful, it must be financially viable; however, in order to enjoy true success, it must also be creative, original, and fun.  
2. Many of the most beloved and influential games of the last three decades continue to appeal to the popular imagination today. Many of these games focused on their gameplay and made their scenarios, stories, and characters an afterthought, and therefore many otherwise absurd, arbitrary, or otherwise silly conventions have entered into the popular lexicon of gaming culture. One need only examine Pac Man's odd shape, Mario's personal biography, or the very notion of jumping on an enemy's head to defeat him and realize that the things we as gamers have come to accept as cliches and staples of the medium are actually quite absurd, no matter how much we love them.  
3. Games can use these conventions if they use them well, and in new and interesting ways.  

Document Index

Philosophy 

Document Index 

Design History

          Paper Prototype, Primitive Prototype, Engine Proof

Common Questions

Features 

          General Features, Gameplay 

Visual Design

          Rendering System, Camera, Style

Sound Design 

          Overview, Music, Sound Effects 

User Interface 

          Controls, Heads-Up Display 

Game World 

Overview, World Layout, Key Locations, Travel, Scale, Objects, Time 

Game Characters

     Playable Characters

     Non-Playable Characters

Items

          Expendable Items, Equippable Items, Key Items 

Story

Engine Recommendation