One-page Game Design Document
Game Identity / Mantra
2D strategy puzzle game with trains
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The length of the train (racer) is increased or decreased by the carriages according to the player’s objective
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Carriages have functions for the player to choose and combine
Mechanics
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gaining a passenger carriage to accept passengers = increased score
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gaining a cargo carriage gives skills = obstacle clearing, collision avoidance, acceleration, etc.
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gaining a fuel carriage gives power = keep going (more passengers need more fuel)
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need to disconnect carriages when power is low = fewer passengers to keep going
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disconnecting carriages = roadblocks
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hitting a carriage or an obstacle = number of carriages - 1
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Game over when the number of cars is 0
Features
Test the player’s strategic combinations
Interface
1. Left and right controls
PC: keyboard left and right keys (AD)
Touch Panel: carriage left and right
2. Disconnecting carriages
PC: keyboard up/down (WS) = select disconnect position / disconnect = SPACE
Touch Panel: press screen
Art Style (reference):
Game Art
After determining the game mechanism and the referenced artistic style, I began drawing the scene of the game and the train using Photoshop. I made sure that my drawing would be as close as possible to the physical object of Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway, from the sketch to the final colour matching. Due to the dearth of information about locomotives, I was able to draw one only by referring to the appearance of locomotives in the 19th century.
The size of the drawing’s background was set to 1,920 × 9,720.
After finishing the production of the game’s art part, I used Figma to typeset the game picture and to confirm its visual effect and the size of each object in it.
Usability Testing
After finishing the production of the game’s art part, I used Figma to typeset the game picture and to confirm its visual effect and the size of each object in it.
I sorted out the results of the usability tests and found that the trains’ and tracks’ visual effects had no three-dimensional sense. After that, I used Photoshop to increase the shadow effect. In the game experience, the running speed of the train is too slow and there is no feeling of racing. It was also a good suggestion that I add pop-up historical information about the train, similar to the barrage, to increase my chances of achieving my goal.
Reflection
1. In terms of the preliminary research, I should further research more examples of child-centred service design. I should also create the persona and the journey map from the perspective of children so that the game’s art style and mechanics would be more relevant to children’s needs. Asking people who are closer to my user persona to participate in the game usability tests will also more likely enable me to obtain my targeted output.
2. I was not fuller understanding of such museum’s reason for choosing to exhibit trains in current ways could have enabled me to design a more realistic solution to the problem of low user engagement. This improvement would have allowed me to avoid simply adapting a successful example of a game experience from another museum to the National Railway Museum.