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Brennan Couturier edited this page Feb 17, 2022 · 2 revisions

Game Design Document

Log Line

Shear Terror is a 3D 3rd-person game about a sheep fleeing from a farmer attempting to shear it. Fortunately, the sheep knows parkour and easily escapes the pen. Play as the sheep and flee from the farmer through multiple unique environments, protecting the only valuable thing you have - the fleece on your back.

Genre Discussion

  • Linear, procedurally generated, levels - littered with obstacles
  • Perform parkour tricks to earn style points
  • Avoid crashing into the obstacles, otherwise the sheep will get caught by the farmer
  • Dodge and jump around the level while the sheep runs at a constant speed

Features

  • Procedurally generated levels
    • Levels are built by combining pre-made environment blocks into a line
    • Levels end with a final block where the player's score is revealed before moving onto the next level
  • Obstacles are littered throughout the levels in the way of the player
    • Barriers (fences, rivers, etc.) must be jumped over
    • Some barriers can be jumped OR dodged (other animals, rocks, holes, etc.)
    • Others must be dodged (trees, projectiles fired from the pursuing farmer)
  • A farmer is constantly chasing the sheep
    • Colliding into an obstacle brings the farmer closer
    • If the sheep is caught, the level must be restarted from the nearest checkpoint
    • At later levels the farmer will file projectiles at the sheep that must be dodged (e.g. missiles that land in pre-determined locations)
  • The sheep can perform parkour tricks while in the air to earn style points
    • Players can combine inputs to perform different tricks

Gameplay Example

  • Player starts at the beginning of the level
  • A brief cutscene shows the farmer arriving to chase the sheep, weilding whatever equipement he has for that level
    • One level he might have a net launcher, another he might have a tractor to catch up quicker, for example
  • The camera settles behind the sheep giving the player a good view of the terrain in front of them
  • The sheep begins to move forward through the level
  • The player controls the sheep to dodge, jump, and perform tricks over obstacles until they reach the end of the level
  • Their score is tallied and displayed, and they return to the level selection screen to choose the next level
  • Repeat until all levels have been completed

Art Style

  • Environments will be colorful and bright
    • Realism is not a goal, however the models will not be low-poly
  • The sheep will be white and fluffy, a cloud with legs
    • It will also be animated similarly to the goat in "Goat Simulator"
    • The head and tongue will bob and flop around as the sheep runs
  • The farmer will be animated in the same exaggerated style as the sheep and will be just as colorful

Summary (why is the game fun?)

This game combines a funny premise, a sheep fleeing a frustrated farmer, with fun gameplay similar to games like "Crash Bandicoot" and "Temple Run". It also includes parkour and a trick-scoring system similar to Tony Hawk's "Pro Skater" games. These components have all been proven enjoyable by other games that have included them, which lends itself to this game being fun as well.

Pillars of Design

  • Movement: The core gameplay mechanic is running and jumping through a linear level, so a strong focus should be placed on accentuating this.
  • Stress: The player should feel increasing stress both as the farmer gets closer to the sheep through player error, and as they get closer to the end of the level. This will be followed by a sense of relief that they finally reached the end.
  • The Pursuit of Freedom: The premise of the game is that you are a sheep seeking freedom from the clutches of the farmer. The game must communicate this clearly to the player.

Characters

The Sheep

The player plays as a sheep, fleeing capture by a farmer who wants to shear it.

The Farmer

The farmer is hell-bent on getting the sheep's fleece, and will pursue it around the globe to get it.

Story and Setting

The story starts on a farm. A sheep is casually grazing, when it spots a farmer exiting his house. In his hands is a pair of shears. The sheep looks around and sees that all the other sheeps have been sheared, and it is the only one left with fleece on its back.

To avoid getting its fleece cut off, the sheep summons a deep and ancient power from within itself, and leaps over the fence into the field beyond. The farmer cannot believe his eyes, then takes off after it...

The chase moves across five unique locations, with the sheep always narrowly escaping the farmer's shears.

Eventually, the sheep gets an idea: Now that the farmer is gone, the farm is unguarded. The sheep will run back to the farm and take over, locking the farmer out. One final chase ensues, but the sheep reaches the homestead first and bars the farmer from getting in. All the sheep live happily ever after, as fluffy as they could ever be.

Core Mechanics

  • Run through a level dodging obstacles
  • Perform aerial tricks to score style points

Mechanics Broken Down

Running Through a Level

  • The player will control the sheep to dodge and jump over obstacles as the auto-running sheep meets them
  • If the sheep collides into an obstacle, it will ragdoll, then respawn back on the trail running again
    • The farmer will be closer with each collision.
    • If the farmer is close enough, they will catch the sheep and the player will have failed the level

Performing Aerial Tricks

  • During a jump, the player may press various combinations of inputs to make the sheep perform tricks
    • Tricks include, front/backflips, barrel-rolls, and poses.
  • If the player is still holding the inputs when the sheep reaches the ground, the sheep will ragdoll, then respawn back on the trail running again
    • The farmer will be closer with each failed trick
    • If the farmer is close enough, they will catch the sheep and the player will have failed the level

Audio Styles

  • The game is in a bright, fun style; the music should be too
  • As the farmer gets closer, the tempo of the music will increase

Asset Production

  • 3D models will be created using Blender
  • Animation will be done within Unity
  • UI elements will be created using Gimp

Level Design

  • Levels will be composed of a collection of pre-made blocks, linking to form a linear level with a start and end point
  • Each level will be in a unique location (on a field, on a mountainside, on a coast, etc.)
  • Levels will be procedurally generated, using a selection of blocks and a pre-defined length
  • As the levels progress, they will increase in complexity and will contain more obstacles
    • Some blocks will contain branching paths with different obstacles, the player must make a quick decision on which one to take

UI Design

  • Simple, minimalistic

NPC Behaviours

  • The farmer will chase the sheep at the same speed that the sheep is moving
    • He will not dodge obstacles, they do not affect him
    • He will get closer with every player mistake, until he eventually catches up to the sheep and captures it
  • Any NPC obstacles (e.g. other animals) will, at most, move side to side slowly
    • If not that, they will stand still in an idle animation, waiting to be run into

Development Tools

  • Unity 2019.4.34f1
  • Blender 3.0
  • Gimp 2.10

How the Game Will Be Received

This game will be a casual experience. The player will move from level to level to reach the end of the game.

Other Important Details (Stretch Goals, etc)

  • Each level will get a thematic pause screen, relating to the level's setting
    • The level escaping from the farm will have a farm theme, the mountain will have a mountain theme, etc.
  • The longer the sheep evades the farmer, the thicker its coat gets
    • Powerups are available for each tier in coat thickness
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