Amicia Game Design Document Tyler Marie Brown
Table of Contents
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Technical Definitions
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High Concept Brief Summary Target Platforms Core Gameplay
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Gameplay General Movement & Controls Levels Example Gameflow Chart
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Detailed Gameplay NPC Recruiting Gathering Supplies Combat Items & Collectables
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Story & Narration Background and Overview
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Settings & Important Locations The City Blackbell The Resplendency Court Outer Places
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Characters Amicia Crocus Begonia Jobs
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Bestiary and the Infected The Fungus Encounterable Enemies Bestiary
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Technical Definitions These definitions are not specific to the game of Amicia within this document but can apply to other video games as well. Terms specific to Amicia will be described as they appear. RPG: Role-playing game, a genre of video game that includes a detailed story revolving around exploration, quests, collecting items, upgrading characters, and combat mechanics. AAA: Triple-A refers to video games produced by major publishers with large budgets, production teams, and marketing efforts. These video games are equivalent to “blockbuster” films in the movie industry. Indie: Independent video games refers to video games created by self-funded developers with much smaller teams. These indie games have risen in popularity and have begun to blur the line between AAA and indie levels of quality, often outselling many AAA titles. NPC: Non-player or non-playable character, these characters are controlled by the video game AI (artificial intelligence) and help to simulate a more life-like world for the player. These characters often have their own set of dialogue and goals that further flesh out the narrative and lore of the game. The Player: The player refers to the individual playing the video game by directly imputing choices into the game through button presses on a keyboard or controller. Enemies: Enemies refer to NPCs that appear only in combat situations. These characters actively challenge the player in combat, deal damage, and reward the player when they are successfully defeated. Third-Person Game/Gameplay: A third-person game/gameplay refers to the main character being viewed from the back throughout the game. Rather than first-person, where the player sees as the character, the player always sees the character they control on the screen. Tutorial: Tutorial is an introductory level of a video game, usually when beginning a new game for the first time, that teaches the player how to use the controls in the game. Usually movement, combat, and special character abilities are taught to the player with no connection to the game’s story, but there are exceptions. The Party: The party refers to the cast of characters that the player can control. Traditionally in RPGs, the party is composed of four different characters with their own unique abilities that the player can switch between during combat.
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High Concept Brief Summary Amicia is a third person, RPG that focuses on narrative based storytelling, resource gathering, and action-based challenges. The player, by arranging with in-game NPCs, must gather resources in the world and help heal the enemies they encounter from an aggressive, fungal illness. Where this sickness originated from is a mystery, but it is up to the player to find its source and prevent its spread. Amicia, unlike AAA RPGs, does not include violence as the main focus of its gameplay nor its narrative. RPGs like Final Fantasy 7, which use violence as a means to progress the story, often use violence to justify killing off its women characters for narrative impact and character development. This is called the women in the refrigerator trope. Amicia aims to challenge that trope and offers different mechanics to build a compelling narrative that does not revolve around violence but focuses on healing and preservation to tell its story. Target Platforms The main platform for Amicia will be PC and Mac. Amicia will be developed in Unity and hosted on itch.io and Steam for free. Itch.io and Steam are both online game hosting sites, enabling anyone with a computer and internet access to play. Core Gameplay As a Resplendency Court Mage, it is the player’s job to venture out of the safety of the City and access the spread of fungus in the Outer Places. Combat mechanics revolve around defensive techniques and healing; there are no opportunities to attack and kill the enemy characters the player encounters. In preparing to venture out of the City, the player can recruit characters with a variety of jobs. By altering the party which accompanies Amicia outside of the City, the gameplay and techniques used to encounter and heal the enemies with the fungus change. The player is encouraged to experiment with different party configurations and figure out which technique works best for their style of gameplay.
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Gameplay General Amicia is a third-person RPG and the key elements for the player will be: Exploration, relationship building with in-game NPCs, gathering supplies, and a combat system focused on healing and saving the enemies encountered. Movement & Controls As a third-person game, the controls are the standard keyboard and mouse input as well as the ability to connect and play with controller input. The main movements for the characters in Amicia include walking, running, casting spells, and being able to investigate, interact, and pick up objects in the world. The aim is to have a readily accessible playstyle that is similar to other adventure RPGs so the player won’t need to relearn controls to begin exploring and enjoying the game. The more advanced controls will take the form of the battle system. Here, the player will be responsible for controlling the character Amicia while simultaneously giving instructions to the companions the player has chosen to join them in the battle. Based on the different jobs of the characters accompanying Amicia, the playstyle will differ, (see Jobs below for more information.) Amicia will allow the player to experience each different job style in tutorial format, and as the game progresses, allow them to choose which techniques they enjoy the most. The goal through this mechanic will be to allow the player full control of how they want to play along with opportunities to play through the environments with different styles and challenge themself if they choose to do so. Levels There are no specific levels the player will advance through in Amicia. Rather, there is the City Blackbell hub and Outer Places. In the City, the player can interact with the NPCs and progress through the relationships with the different characters, gain insight about the world, collect quests, and upgrade party members and supplies. Similar to game franchises like Pokemon or games like Hades or Hollow Knight, the Outer Places will start off limited in exploration. This will be accomplished through the assignment of quests, player challenge curves in encountering certain enemies, and obstacles that need to be overcome by unlocking abilities later on. As the player progresses through the game’s narrative, the Outer Places will expand in exploration and difficulty. It is up to the player to travel between the Outer Places and the City in order to accomplish quests, advance the story, and gain supplies used to level up the characters and items used. AMICIA | Tyler Marie Brown | 2021 5
Example Game Flow Chart
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Detailed Gameplay NPC Recruiting A large portion of the story in Amicia is dedicated to engaging with different NPCs, learning about their own stories, and assisting them with the quests or problems they have. In doing so, certain NPCs can be recruited to help assist the player on their own journeys to the Outer Places, (see Jobs below for more information.) Combat is changed based on the different NPCs that join Amicia on their quests. For example, having an apothecary character makes it easier to find useful items in the Outer Places and opens up opportunities for crafting certain items. Having a Musician would allow encounters to proceed faster, since the enemies are lulled to sleep by the music. It is up to the player to learn about and help the different NPCs to then recruit to help in their own quests. Gathering Supplies While out in the Outer Places, the player can search for different supplies that can help them in many ways. Certain items are required by quests and are the main reason the player is in the Outer Places. In other instances, supplies can be found that are used to create items that are useful to the player, like health recovery or magic boost items. Supplies can be found hidden around the Outer Places, and certain supplies are specific to a certain area. Lily pads, for example, can only be found in the marshlands and shiny stones can only be found in the wind-swept plains. This helps to limit how fast the player can upgrade based on their abilities to navigate the different areas. Players can’t rush to get the best items since their magic prowess and combat skills are not high enough to deal with the encounterable enemies in these different areas. Items & Collectables Items range from single use items to key items that are always with the player. Single use items, or consumables, are items that can be crafted by the player and benefit them for a certain amount of time. A health recovery item is single use and requires the player to continuously find resources to craft or trade for them at the City Blackbell. In contrast, key items are not crafted and are acquired either through finding them in the Outer Places or by completing quests given by NPCs. These key items are required to unlock and then traverse different areas in the Outer Places.
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Combat Combat in Amicia refers to the player encountering infected enemies and then their attempts at healing the enemy. Unlike other RPGs where combat starts and the enemy is destroyed for a reward, enemies in Amicia are healed and nothing is killed by the player. This removes any possibility for violence to be used as a narrative device to kill women characters and develop the men characters. There are three stages to every encounter, and the amount of time it takes to get through each one depends on the size and strength of the enemy. Combat begins when the player approaches an enemy and/or the enemy sees Amicia and approaches. There are no random encounters in Amicia where the player is unaware of the location of an enemy. Enemies can sneak up on the player if the player is unaware, but their model within the world is always present. When the combat sequence begins, depending on the type of enemy, there are two initial outcomes: either the enemy attempts to flee from battle, and the player has to corral the enemy to continue, or the enemy begins to attack, and the player must defend themselves and their companions. After the enemy has stopped fleeing or stopped its initial attack, the player enters the second phase of combat. In this phase, the player has to control Amicia and Crocus to get three successful ropes around the enemy while giving commands to their accompanying companions. During this phase, the enemy will move around the area and attempt to attack. The player uses Amicia primarily to ward off attacks, defend herself, and distract the enemy from Crocus who will try to lasso the enemy. The player can use their companions to further defend and distract the enemy, speeding up the battle towards the three successful rope lands. If the player is successful in landing all three ropes, then the last phase begins. The enemy is now subdued enough so that Amicia can approach and heal the enemy of its infection. After, they are free to leave, now decorated with their own lights to prevent reinfection. If the player is unable to land the ropes and/or Amicia loses all of her health, the party will flee back to the City Blackbell. Unlocking New Areas Amicia allows the player to explore and advance through the Outer Places in layers. The Outer Places is a huge area that is slowly unlocked through leveling up and acquiring new items and skills. Certain areas are open for the player to handle with ease and others are open, but the player is encouraged not to explore because of the difficult enemies present. This encourages the player to gain more strength and confidence before returning to explore further. Other areas are locked behind barriers which require a new ability or item that is given to the player later on in the game. The player makes a mental note of what they may need for this locked area to return to later on. These abilities or items can be acquired through completion of a quest, searching a previously open area, or bringing around a certain NPC with insight on how to get through to the locked area. AMICIA | Tyler Marie Brown | 2021 8
Story & Narration Background and Overview In a damp, rainy world of no sunlight, wielding light is the best form of protection for the people and animals from a dangerous, all controlling fungus referred to as the Sun-Eater Agaricus, or simply the Devouring Star. This fungus thrives in the dark, spreading rapidly through contact when there is no light. Those affected by the fungus are carefully treated by members of the Resplendency Court, a group of elite mages specializing in light magic. Amicia, a young mage of the Court, leads excursion missions out of the City Blackbell in order to help control the spread of the fungus outside the City and try to find the source of its spread.
Settings & Important Locations The General Environment The world of Amicia is one of longing. The world is shrouded in heavy cloud cover that prevents any sunlight from breaking through. It rains continuously and inhabitants of this world wear layers of protective clothing adorned with light emitting objects. This rainy world, however, wasn’t always normal. There are legends passed down through generations that speak about a world basked in the light of a star. What happened to make their world now drenched in rain is a mystery that drives a majority of character and story interactions. Handling the rain runoff is a major task for communities and a substantial effort is placed towards maintaining aqueduct and drain systems. As a result, complex systems of embellished pipes and aqueducts are not only required to live safely but are a good indicator of how long a community has lived in that place. These systems drain out away from cities and form surrounding lakes and marshlands. The City Blackbell The City Blackbell is the major hub of activity in the world of Amicia. Here, streets are carefully decorated with glowing candles and lanterns set on pedestals to avoid rain puddles. Candle Guards and Match Runners patrol all throughout the day ensuring that candles and lanterns still glow and keep the inhabitants protected. A complex system of aqueducts, canals, and fountains help to store and move the large amounts of rainwater out of the city and into the surrounding lakes and marshlands. Originally an abandoned city long ago, homes are built into the old structures with little care for what they once represented. Rarely are new structures built from the ground up as inhabitants take to reinforcing and repairing what was originally there. This gives the City Blackbell a AMICIA | Tyler Marie Brown | 2021 9
haphazard, dangerous look coupled with a warm, orange glow from the multitude of lanterns, candles, and magical objects.
The Resplendency Court The Resplendency Court is housed in a large, gothic, cathedral-like structure towards the center of City Blackbell. The Court is extremely important to the citizens of the City Blackbell as they offer protection and resources from outside the safety of the city walls. The cathedral that the Court resides in is large enough to house several other organizations, and the sect of Astronomers and Musicians Guild are just some other groups who inhabit the same building. All three assist one another in their efforts to provide resources to the people of Blackbell and figure out the origins of the rapidly spreading fungus. The Court’s building consists of deep grey, weathered stone and embellished with stained glass windows depicting images of stars and legends of a lost brightness breaking through the clouds. The building glows the most, alight with hundreds of candles that can be seen all throughout the City.
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Outer Places A mixture of old-growth forests, windswept plains, and river basins and marshlands, the Outer Places refer to the valley directly surrounding the City Blackbell. Mountains, their peaks hidden in the thick clouds, surround the Outer Places far into the distance and waterfalls and rivers originating from them run throughout the valley. Descending from the City Blackbell is an ancient forest decorated with lanterns. It is up to the Resplendency Court, on their journey out of the City and then returning from their quests, to make sure the lanterns are functioning properly. The fungus is rarely seen this close to the City because of the Court’s efforts in lighting up the forest, but occasionally infected animals can wander too close for comfort.
Further on down from the City and into the valley are deep lakes and marshlands. These places are difficult to navigate for both Court Mages and animals alike, so quests to these places are often saved for the most experienced Mages. But because they are often avoided, these swampy areas have become hotspots for the Devouring Star to spread and create incredibly dangerous creatures. Apothecaries work in collaboration with the Resplendency Court to create their own species of glowing fungus to help treat these marshlands.
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Criss-crossed with streams and rivers, wind-swept grassy plains with ancient roads are the second most common environment along with forest. These plains are usually free from flora infected fungus and infected animals are easy to spot. Dotted here and there are rocky outcrops and ruined structures, allowing Mages spots to rest on their journey. This mixture of resources makes the plains important training places for young Mages to hone their skills. However, it is up to the more experienced Mages to escort them through the more dangerous places firstly.
Characters Amicia Amicia, the main character, is a Resplendency Court Mage. Raised by Begonia at a young age and mentored underneath her, Amicia is now learning to become her own mentor to younger mages. She is confident and determined, eager to help solve the issues around her in her home City Blackbell. But her eagerness to help sometimes gets the better of her, and Amicia can become overwhelmed by the amount of work she takes on. Crocus, her companion and closest friend, often has to remind her to take it easy and let someone else take on the tasks. Amicia uses fireflies as a catalyst for her light magic. By carefully infusing them with her own magic, the fireflies help to quickly spread light around fungus-infected enemies and cure them faster. The fireflies are carefully tended to at the Resplendency Court, and when Amicia leaves the city on an outing to the Outer Places she takes them with her in a glass flask that she wears on her hip. Crocus Crocus is an experienced lassoer who has known Amicia ever since she first joined the Court. The two of them were raised together throughout their training and their bond is extremely strong because of it. It is not often you see them away from Amicia. Crocus is quiet and stern, taking their role as a protector to heart, but they’re kind once you get to know them more. Crocus is confident in their physical skills but relies on Amicia for more social responsibilities like communicating with those offering quests and building relationships with other professionals within the Resplendency Court. Crocus’ training was more intense than Amicia’s, as their job as a lassoer is more dangerous and costly if they mess up, so Crocus takes comfort in the days where the two of them could relax with one another. They carry with them their lead-weighted lasso and tying ropes infused with subtle glowing fibers that help to further calm the enemies they encounter. They don’t have any additional light-emitting objects they carry with them, instead relying on glowing threads in their outfit. Begonia AMICIA | Tyler Marie Brown | 2021 12
Begonia, Amicia’s once mentor, is a highly experienced Resplendency Court Mage. One of the oldest members, Begonia is not restricted by her age and instead continues to be one of the most skilled and resilient when it comes to exploring the Outer Places. Often, Begonia is the one to lead apprentice mages to safe training areas since she is the most trusted in the Court. Although she refuses to take on any authoritative positions apart from being a mentor, many of the other Court Mages look to her for insight and guidance. She is blunt in her emotions and explanations, seeking to tell the truth rather than risk the person getting hurt or in trouble. Yet she is motherly to a fault. Begonia uses bioluminescent light magic with moon jellyfish as her catalyst. She carries a large glass ball on her back where the jellyfish stay during her outings to the Outer Places. Because of its weight, she brings along Aster, her beloved oxen, to help with the more difficult environments on their journeys. Aster is well cared for by both Begonia and Amicia and is decorated in lanterns and colorful fabrics to keep her protected from the fungus.
Jobs Although this story focuses on the Resplendency Court Mages, the people of Blackbell inhabit a variety of crucial jobs to help and keep one another safe from harm. From craftsmen to candle lighters, each job is finely tuned to a specific need in the world of Amicia.
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Musicians Guild: The members of the Musicians Guild are trained in a variety of instruments before choosing the instrument they wish to specialize in. By recruiting a member of the Musicians Guild to accompany the player into the Outer Places, you can use music magic to soothe the enemies encountered. Enemies who are soothed are slower and less likely to attack. Lassoers: Lassoers will always accompany a Court Mage out into the Outer Places. It is their job to completely restrain the enemy creature for the Mage to apply their final healing spells. Crocus is Amicia’s lassoer and is never left at the City when the player goes on excursions to the Outer Places. The lassoer’s job is to land three successful ropes on the enemy before the battle is considered over and the Court Mage can get close enough to safely heal. Shields: Those who specialize in the Shield job are extremely resilient to the Outer Places. Be it because of their familiarity with the wild, or their heavy armor and shields, bringing a Shield along with you is a sure way to protect yourself from attacks. Some beasts are more aggressive than others; by recruiting a Shield, the player is able to take more physical damage from attacking wildlife. Apothecaries: Skilled scientists focused on understanding the flora that grows in their world, how to use it to their advantage, and where the fungus appeared, they will occasionally accompany the Court Mages on their outings. There are rumors that a few apothecaries are breeding a special glowing mushroom to combat the spread of the fungus. By recruiting an Apothecary, the odds of finding more supplies and useful materials are increased along with the opportunity to craft certain supplies together while still in the Outer Places. Astronauts: Philosophers and astronomers, the astronauts help to maintain the original star maps passed down through the generations. Although unable to see the stars, the sect of astronauts believe that the storm plaguing their land for generations will eventually let up and the stars will appear once more. Their research has led to remarkable discoveries and inventions that have since aided the Resplendency Court and all people of the City Blackbell. These characters are not readily recruitable but do offer the player quests and item upgrades for successful quest completion. Light Weavers: Similar to the Astronauts in that these characters offer quests and are not recruitable, the light weavers are responsible for creating the glowing fibers for clothing. The magic used to craft glowing wearable fabric is ancient and takes a long time to create; therefore, outfits with a lot of glowing strands are often reserved for the Court Mages to use when they venture out to the Outer Places. By completing their quests, the Light Weavers will give the player upgrades to their equipment.
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Candle Guard and Match Runners: The Candle Guard and their young apprentice Match Runners are just that, guards to make sure candles throughout the City Blackbell stay lit or need replacing. They work in shifts all throughout the day and night and relight lanterns and candles, replace spent candles and refill lantern oil, and report any fungus growth to a Court Mage. Match Runners are quicker and help to bring light supplies to where they are needed. These characters occasionally will request the help from the player to handle a clump of fungus in the City.
Bestiary and the Infected The Fungus The Sun-Eater Agaricus, better known as the Devouring Star Fungus or simply Devouring Star, is an aggressive, all controlling fungus that spreads in dark, wet places. The Devouring Star is a bright orange or yellow erect fungus with branching fruit bodies that hold its spores. The fungus spreads rapidly in the darkness, infecting both flora and fauna that come into direct contact with it. The spores on this fungus do not transmit through the air but are knocked off when rubbed against. Animals are the primary spreaders of the fungus since their abilities to travel allow the fungus to spread rapidly. When in contact with the fungus, it will quickly begin to grow within the skin of the animal or outer membrane of the flora. After extensive exposure to the fungus, the host will begin to become frantic and aggressive, spreading the fungus further as a result of its rapid movements. Eventually, the host succumbs to the amount of energy needed to move. For plants, energy is converted to grow the fungus rather than itself, resulting in towering fungus trees that unfortunately become homes for birds and tree-fairing rodents. Being exposed to the fungus is not instantly fatal but can result in rapid breakouts of the fungus within communities if the individual is not treated and quarantined correctly. The fungus cannot survive in bright light and exposing it to light magic treatment is 90% successful in saving the exposed. The 10% failure rate is dependent on how long the host was carrying the fungus and whether they have the strength to survive after treatment. The fungus has been found in any environment yet its origins and how it first appeared is unknown. Encounterable Enemies Enemies that can be encountered in the Outer Places are variations on real wildlife. Enemies that have been infected recently will appear similar to their real-life counterparts. As the infection spreads and worsens in the bodies of these animals, their forms distort and the fungus appears
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in their design. The player will be able to judge how infected the enemy they are facing based on how corrupted their bodies are with the orange fungus. Occasionally, the infection within an enemy will be so severe that it corrupts the original animal into something monstrous. This “boss enemy” will take the form of some fantastic beast covered in the fungus: a once normal monitor lizard has grown fungus wings and horns and appears as a dragon for example. These creatures are rare, and often appear surrounded by variants of themselves with less severe infections. Enemies are free roaming in the Outer Places, and it is up to the player to figure out the necessary tools, method, and approach to save the creature. Bestiary Creatures in Amicia come in many different forms based on their level of fungus infection and where they are spotted in the Outer Places. A large number of species the player will encounter come in the form of land-dwelling mammals. Rodents, deer, and wolves are a few species that are found throughout all three different environments of the Outer Places, and based on their level of fungal infection, appear in varying different forms. For example, a deer with an infection just beginning may appear with the orange fungus growing on its hooves, whereas a deer with a more severe infection may have antlers made of the orange fungus! The fungus doesn’t discriminate based on what it infects, and some of the enemies the player can encounter that require healing include: Mammals: deer, livestock, wolves, rodents, big cats, domesticated dogs & cats Birds: songbirds, avian raptors, domesticated fowl Reptiles: lizards, turtles, snakes Amphibians: frogs, salamanders Invertebrates: insects, arachnids, shellfish Different species of fish The fungus also infects flora life including everything from the underbrush to the high canopies of trees. Plants are generally unharmed by the fungus, but present areas to continue its spread.
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