Crystal Quest

Design Documentation

Game Type: 3D Action-Adventure Puzzle Platformer

Mechanics:

Combat:
Basic and heavy attacks using the same button and time held.
Special Moves that can be switched, learned, or acquired and cost Energy to use.
Bracing and Dodging functions to negate or avoid damage entirely.
Ground Slam for basic AOE.

Platforming:
Moving platforms and stationary boundaries will have to be traversed using platforming abilities. (jump, double jump, glide, dash)

Inventory System:
Player will have the ability to hold up to 999 of each item. Players can use items from the pause menu (inventory UI) or from a shortcut slot with HUD UI. Inventory will be created using Data structure with a name string, quantity integer, and description/image.

Levels Experience and Stats:
Player will earn experience and once they reach the requirement threshold, they will level up to 100. Stats include health, energy, attack, magic, defense, ability points. Stats will automatically scale with leveling, but the player will be awarded an extra point to allocate to their choice.

Health/Death:
Health will be a part of stats component attached to the player and when they receive damage, the player will react. If they run out of health completely, they will lose all progress and return to the last checkpoint or save.

Save System/ Checkpoints:
Checkpoints will automatically recover stats, but the player will have to interact to save the game. The save will take the player location, inventory, stats, and game progress (world completed/ items collected) into a file and prepare for the next load.

World/ Gameplay:
The game will consist of one main area and divided segments or dungeons. The dungeons will feature a skill or item that needs to be earned or found to be able to complete them. The goal will be to collect the shards of the energy crystal divided into these areas and save the world. The world consists of combat, puzzles and platforming challenges.

Types and Player initial in-game choice:
(Earth- Water- Sky)
The player will be presented with these options to choose from and the decision will affect their stats and special move to begin the game with.
Earth:
Special is a wave of damage that spreads through the ground from the player about 1000 units ahead
Water:
Special is a shield that halves incoming damage while slowly recovering health.
Sky: Special is an ability involving physical attack speed/ movement speed. Reduce attack cooldown by half or double energy recovery speed briefly.

*Different Special Moves will work from either base stat (magic or attack) but they will all cost Energy to use.

Desired Player Feelings: Excitement and sense of exploration and completion. Power from training and smart use of items/ and abilities. Players should feel a steady learning curve. A no-risk intro to mechanics, difficulty introduced, mastery of mechanic tested.
For combat, the player will have to face one easy enemy and be told to attack. The attack will affect the enemy but not destroy it, they will then be introduced to heavy attack by holding the attack button.

Player Inputs:

Attack/ Heavy Attack (Regular attack is triggered if the hold time < 2 seconds, if holdTime >= 2 heavy attack for more damage and range)
Special Move
Interact
Dodge
Brace
Ground Slam
Lock-On
Pause
Jump
Move
Camera