Core Game Design

The Design for each Hydra head can vary, but will follow a similar structure. The fundamentals will be be

• 3D

• Single player

• Unarmed and Unnamed Protagonist

• Linear storytelling and branching capable

  • Scale is limited to 3 possible endings at most

• Single Map/Navigation layer. Map can be as big as performance allows. sublevels are encouraged

Each Story will be built from the same foundation so they will progress in the same fashion and be routine to the player. The core of the foundation is meant to leave room for designers to create the stories they want to, but with tools that can turn over something that doesn't require too much reinvention for the deliverables

Player

• Humanoid

• Movement

  • Crouch

  • Sprint

  • Walk (Default speed)

  • Jump

  • Ascend/Descend Vertical Wall (with assistance object

• Interact

  • Open and Close Doors (regular doorframe doors)

  • Inspect objects

  • Talk to Character/Be talked to

  • Be Perceived (audibly and visibly)

Quests

Quests represent the core gameplay progression mechanic Hydra uses. This does not include cinematics or sequences. A Game will be made up of at least one quest but can have as many as it would like. Quests will always progress linearly and automatically.

Activities

A quest is made up of activities. Activities are simple actions the player must do such as:

• Go to location

• Pick up object

• Interact with character

etc.

Activities are meant to be basic and only be considered the "destination". However the player is supposed to reach the destination is for the design team to determine.

Quests will always have at least three activities

1. Start: Activity to get the player to start this quest.

2. Activity: The actions the player must take to complete the quest

3. Decision: Something the player must do to assert their agency within the world. The only requirement for this is that there are two branches the player must be able to take that reliably complete the quest. Each option should challenge the player in someway but should be different and valuable enough to ensure the decision makes the player want to go back and try the other option.

A decision is not required to affect the story. It also doesn't have to be at the end of the quest. A quest should only have one decision, but can have any number of activities.

Worlds

Each game will be a single map and must be traversable by the player without a loading screen for all accessible areas of the map.

Maps can be indoor or outdoor but should be environmentally bounded rather than an invisible wall. The world and its boundaries should feel natural to the context.