For this I looked at the GDD for Silent Hill 2 

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The GDD opens up with a clear title page and bold titles and headings, and a contents page. Everything is labeled and laid out well and has a clear structure to it. This is well done as there are no really long paragraphs of just pure text, the text is broken up by the use of headings as well as small images which makes it easy on the eyes and pleasant to read. The main paragraphs use Calibri font which is a standard font type and easy to read.

 

We start with an introduction and general background and description of the game for the game concept. We also see some concept art of the characters featured and enemy designs - this is important as it’s vital to show and not only describe certain ideas. However, I think this section of the GDD is still very technical and there isn’t enough about the art direction. Whilst we have characters and enemies mentioned we don’t see anything about the environments which contributes a lot to the general feel and aesthetic of a game. 

From this, if I myself knew nothing about the Silent Hill series, I would not be able to understand where the game is set as well as time period - what types of environments does the player go through - are the environments cramped and linear or is it more of an open space with more exploration? The only thing that is mentioned in this section is that it is a survival and psychological horror game but doesn’t go into much more detail than that (it is mentioned much further into the document).

 

We then go onto the gameplay section. It describes the core gameplay - fighting monsters and solving puzzles, and goes into detail about how even when there are enemies nearby, the game still creates the sense of “isolation and fear” which is important to the game’s core and the survival horror genre. It also makes comparisons to the Resident Evil series and talks about the differences between the two, how Silent Hill has a more psychological approach to the game genre. From this we are able to understand the core of Silent Hill 2 better.

 

The game flow is clearly described; each “level” contains enemies, a puzzle, and narrative scenes. From this, we are able to understand the game’s basic structure well, although it doesn’t mention the level progression - do the levels become harder as the player progresses? How does the setting change, does it become increasingly more disturbing for the player? Do we encounter more difficult to kill enemies? More difficult puzzles?  Etc.

 

The GDD then shows the different types of enemies, and in a table, clearly writes out how much damage each obtainable weapon does to the enemies. This is important for programers to know how to implement these mechanics in game. 

 

In the gameplay elements section we read about certain items in the game and how they affect the gameplay such as the flashlight, radio, and health items. It describes these gameplay effects in detail, ”The flashlight helps James see in the dark, helping him to see important items and

monsters. Equally having the flashlight on makes James easier to be spotted by danger. The

radio helps James detect nearby enemies, emitting a loud static when danger is nearby. Like the flashlight, the radio can also draw attention to James.” and also describes the health items, “When used, the health drink restores 25% health. This item is fairly common. The first aid kit can restore 50% of health. This item is considerably rare. The Ampoule has the ability to restore 100% of health. This item is extremely rare and wont present itself easily.” - the rarities and percentages are important types of information for programmers so it is well detailed. 

 

The GDD also includes information about the controls and game physics. It clearly mentions how the player character has three movement speeds - walk, jog, and run, and how the speed is also affected if the player is injured. Additionally, how in combat heavier close combat weapons will take longer to strike, and the same idea with firearms; the ones that deal more damage will take longer to reload. As well as how the AI works; “enemies react on sight and sound, if the player gets too close to the enemy, the enemy will attack.” Also it mentions how it works in darkness and when using the flashlight, “the radial system depends on the flashlight - if it’s turned off, the enemy radius is reduced”. 

Again, this type of information is vital for game programmers and developers and we get a lot of detail in these paragraphs for them to be able to use these concepts in developing the game. 

 

The controls aren’t mapped out, but are clearly written out.

 

Furthermore, the GDD includes a lot of information about the interface - there are detailed flowcharts of the start screen, options screen, and in game menu. They also included mockups of the user interface which is shown clearly and in colour. 

 

We get a really detailed overview of the additional design information such as art, sound and music, story and multiple endings, level designs, and each puzzle. References are included right at the end in a bibliography. 

Overall, the GDD is very detailed and packed with relevant information which is laid out and structured well. However, what this GDD fails to include is information about the difficulty levels within the game and how that progresses as the player goes through levels.