High Concept Document (GDD)

Working Title:

Thief

Target Demographic:

The target demographic of Thyv would be aimed towards a younger demographic between the ages of 13-20+, however the game would not exclude these demographics because it would be an enjoyable experience for older audiences as well. The reason why this age range would be the target demographic is because this age range enjoys games that will provide a challenge.

Target Platform:

The targeted platform for Thyv would have to be PC, mainly due to the larger audience that use PCs for gaming over consoles so therefore there is a greater chance to have the game noticed and played. However, targeting strictly PC only excludes another audience. If the game was targeted towards the console platforms such as PlayStation, Xbox and the Nintendo Switch would expose the game to yet another large audience, but exclude the larger PC platform.

Technological Direction:

With the recent advancements and rise in VR technology, it would be interesting to see what Thyv would look like, however the game would not be taken in that direction because I don’t believe that the game would be suitable as a VR game.

Competitor Titles:

The competitor titles of Thyv are UGG (Untitled Goose Game) and Hello Neighbour. I discovered that these two existing titles are the main competition for Thyv because they share similar playstyle and game loop, especially Hello Neighbour because of the repeating theme of trying to retrieve something and thinking of ways around obstacles that will try to stop you from retrieving an item.

USP (Unique Selling Point):

The USP of Thyv would be the art style and the expansion on the mischief genre bringing dialogue, story and unique sets of challenges. The art style a USP because of the game with its cartoony fantasy style which brings a certain charm and attractive element.

Pitch:

The idea for an Untitled Goose Game inspired concept would be a thievery based game that takes place within the medieval era and would feature both mischief and thievery mechanics. The thief would need to go around completing quests on their to do list, for example steal some bread from the baker. The game wouldn’t make it easy to accomplish these tasks because of obstacles such as NPCs will stop you from stealing and getting away with items. In order to complete your quests you would have to find a way around the NPCs – this is when the mischief mechanic comes in. The player will have to use the environment they’re in to cause distractions, either by nocking or dropping items in the environment.

Theme/Art Style/Genre:

The genre that my game would fall under is the same genre that UGG is categorised as, which would be a mischief and stealth based game with puzzle elements. As for the theme and art style, I would be aiming for a either low poly or high poly based game that would feature hand painted style textures and a cartoony art style much like the game Medievil, which was recently remastered. Any extra details can be added by sculpting and other methods of adding detail such as creating maps.

Narrative

The story would revolve around the wizard and the thief. As the wizard sets more quests, then more of the story will be unlocked through progress. The thief wishes to learn magic so they venture out to the old wizard who lives in his tower outside of the village. In return for learning magic, the wizard tells the thief to acquire ingredients

Gameplay Mechanics

– Stealth which can be used to avoid detection and steal items.

– AI NPCs which act as a means of obstructing the player from getting quest items and can be distracted by nocking items over ect – they’ll patrol the shop wondering what happened and so on

– Later on the player can use magic e.g. possession magic so they can make NPCs buy quest items of cause mischief/distractions so the player can grab quest items

– Dialogue with the wizard, this is a mechanic because the wizard will be used to deliver new quests and finish previous ones for the player. This also acts as a bit of a story/background aspec ect

– Potion usage, this is a mechanic because the options that the wizard has made and gave you can be used to alter gameplay and make it easier to get around obstacles. Example, the player only has 1 invisibility option so they have to use it at a crucial time or a sleeping potion that can be used only once ect.

– Grabbing, without this mechanic the player can’t get any items that they need for the quest.

– Inventory system can store items needed for quest (optional)

Game Controls

For controls, the game will have standard key bindings such a ‘W, A, S, D’ for movement, as well as shift and Ctrl (Control) for running and crouching. As for any specific key binds such for the game’s player mechanics such as using potions, grabbing items or looking at your to do list etc, the keys would have to be decided. For those controls I would have ‘E’ as the ability to interact and grab, ‘R’ to use potions and ‘Esc’ for checking your to do list – this could also serve as a means of saving and exiting the game as well. However, if my game were to be hosted on platforms other than PC, controls would have to be adapted to specific platforms. Example: the Nintendo Switch would have different controls compared to the PlayStation or Xbox.

Progression and Learning

Throughout the game, the player will constantly be challenged with the task of overcoming obstacles that will serve to hinder the player’s progress during quests. It will be completely up to the player with how they will approach each quest they are given, and as the player moves on through the game it will become progressively more difficult. Example, the player will be given quests to steal uncommon ingredients or harder to get ingredients to make better potions that last longer.

Game Universe

Thyv will take place within a medieval based fantasy world, filled with multiple different races like Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings etc. The game will be set in a small town surrounded by a thick stone castle wall. Within the town, there are shops and homes that the player can steal from, there are also plenty of ally ways to help evade being seen or captured by the town’s guards too

Hooks

Hooks that will keep the player enjoying the game will be things such as the increased challenge as the game progresses – there will be progressively harder items to steal and NPCs which will patrol the shop frequently as the game gets harder. Another game hook would be the given ability to use the potions that the wizard will make you to help the player through their quests – this offers the opportunity to approach quest differently. These hooks will keep the player entertained and keep them playing.

Social Features/Multiplayer Options

I don’t believe there would be any multiplayer features included because there is an overabundance of multiplayer titles out there. Social features would be interactions with the wizard and potentially other characters.

Concept Art Created By Nathan May: