Concept Artists AND 3d artists

I am recruiting for Abnormal Studios, we are working on our first project and its a big one. I am looking for concept artists mainly but also 3d artists and some ideas developers. I will Paste in the GDD for descriptive purposes.
You will be under a heavy (ish) workload and you need to be loyal and patient. We are not expecting to make this over night.
You need to e-mail me on williamdunne@hotmail.co.uk with a resume which contains images of past work. Thank you.

ABNORMAL STUDIOS
�Untitled� Game Design
Document
Version 1
Kevin Hynes
7th May 2011
This document explains the design of the game �untitled�. Details of gameplay mechanics, storyline,
characters, locations, marketing and budget are outlined. Flowcharts and diagrams of interface
screens are also included, along with dialogue and cinematic descriptions.
�Untitled� Game Design Document
Kevin Hynes � Abnormal Studios Page 2
�Untitled� Game Design Document
�Untitled� is a FPS with a hero Meerkat seeking revenge against an
evil rabbit, with one unsettling final revelation.
Contents

�Untitled� Game Design Document
Kevin Hynes � Abnormal Studios Page 3
Introduction:
This section provides an overview of the game with some examples of play.
Overview:
�Untitled� is a first-person shooter game in which the player takes control of a meerkat
named Meerkat. Their main goal is to track down and destroy an evil rabbit named Cuddles who is
responsible for killing Meerkat�s family and destroying his home. The game follows a storyline in
which Meerkat meets and befriends a beaver named Herbert, who follows Meerkat around in an
attempt to find Cuddles too � apparently to get revenge on him for destroying his dam. However, it
is only at the conclusion of the game that his real motive becomes clear, along with a revelation
about Meerkat�s world that alters his (and the player�s) perspective drastically.
The game is set in the fictional world of XYZ which is primarily made up of forests, towns,
grasslands and rocky cliffs. Many locations should be generally familiar to the player, other than the
fact that they will be comically over-emphasised and populated with invented species of plants.
Throughout the game, the player uses weapons (both ranged and melee) to defeat a near
constant stream of enemies. These weapons can be upgraded at various points in the game, as can
the maximum health points of Meerkat. Vehicles are also used at certain locations for the sake of
transport, weaponry and/or objective completion.
During the course of the game, the player will be required to solve puzzles or complete
secondary objectives in order to advance. These puzzles and objectives will usually require the
player to use the in-game weapons for tasks other than killing enemies, such as shooting targets at
great range, cutting into walls and so on. Aside from weapon skill, the player will need to use logic
and problem solving in order to complete these objectives, ranging from tasks as simple as pushing
boxes to the more complicated act of dodging enemies and using their attacks against them.
Between scenes, there will sometimes be a cinematic sequence that explains the story and
the characters. At other times, during gameplay, characters will speak to Meerkat by means of text
boxes and audible dialogue, often for the sake of relaying objective hints or summarising the
previously viewed cinematic sequence.
The game concludes with two final boss battles � one the player expects and one they don�t.
The death of one of these bosses is questionable, allowing for the possibility of his return in
subsequent games or bonus material.
The general theme of the game is gory comic/cartoon violence with some adult references,
designed to be played on the Unreal Engine. A multiplayer version of the game will be available,
detaching from the storyline, allowing players to choose from a list of characters and battle
individually/cooperatively in some of the game�s locations.
�Untitled� Game Design Document
Kevin Hynes � Abnormal Studios Page 4
Basic Game Story:
At the start of the game, the player is shown a cinematic of Meerkat being beaten up by an
unknown enemy. He is left to pass out on the floor, reawakening some time later to discover his
house in ruins and his wife being mockingly taken advantage of by a large rabbit. As Meerkat
approaches them, the rabbit bounces away and leaves Meerkat to comfort his dying wife whose last
request is for him to kill the rabbit.
The player takes control of Meerkat and, as he proceeds through his hunt of the rabbit (later
discovered to be called Cuddles), a beaver called Herbert joins him to track down Cuddles too.
However, as events progress, Herbert seems more focussed on finding Cuddles but not killing him,
raising suspicion as to his true intention. There are other situations that add to Meerkat�s confusion
too, including witnessing odd glitches in his world, strange behaviour from Herbert and encountering
what appears to be his recently deceased wife alive and well.
The story concludes with the Meerkat finding and killing Cuddles in a boss battle by pushing
him off a cliff. It is at this point that Herbert explains the true story: Meerkat, Herbert and the world
they inhabit is a fictional world � a science experiment created by �?� for the purpose pitting good
(Meerkat) against evil (Herbert). Since their creation, Herbert has been trying to create a minion to
defeat Meerkat, with his latest creation being Cuddles. It was Herbert himself who beat up Meerkat
in the first cinematic, allowing himself to complete the creation of Cuddles uninterrupted.
However, to create something as diabolical as Cuddles, Herbert had to infuse part of his own
mind into the rabbit. The experiment was not entirely successful, resulting in a gradual loss of
individuality and stability on Herbert�s part and a gradual increase of character in Cuddles �
Herbert�s character to be exact. Essentially, since the start of the game, Cuddles and Herbert have
been becoming like each other, hence Herbert�s desire to find Cuddles (after he escaped from his
dam/laboratory) and reverse the experiment.
Herbert also explains how Meerkat�s wife was merely a successful creation of his, designed
to keep Meerkat occupied while he worked on perfecting his minion. All the other rabbits in the
world were previous failures, as was the female meerkat that Meerkat encountered during the hunt.
The reason for the towns being empty is due to �?� not fully completing the experimental world, with
the glitches being down to negligence on his part. When Meerkat asks how Herbert knows all of
this, he replies that he was designed to be evil and thus was destined to find out.
Realising that he will soon have the mental state of a rabbit completely, Herbert fights
Meerkat in a second boss battle with nothing to lose. The game concludes when Meerkat defeats
him once and for all, leaving Herbert severely weakened. As he attempts to hop away into the
forest, Meerkat shoots him dead.
The final cinematic is an enigmatic clip of Cuddle�s top hat. At this point, the player is left to
consider that Cuddles may now have the complete mentality and characteristics that Herbert would
have been created with. Combined with the fact that his death was not specifically witnessed, this
should raise questions as to his defeat.
�Untitled� Game Design Document
Kevin Hynes � Abnormal Studios Page 5
Core Gameplay:
The main role of the player is to guide Meerkat through his world, defeating enemies and
solving puzzles along the way in order to advance.
For the most part, the player will be controlling the character in a search-and-destroy
manner; exploring the environment to find puzzle clues, exits from natural mazes, hidden objects or
simply following the given path, all while defeating enemies that emerge from the surroundings and
attempt to harm Meerkat.
During combat, the player will be using either a ranged weapon, a melee weapon (once
obtained) or will be using the location to their advantage, such as allowing the enemy to kick solid
rocks as Meerkat dodges out of the way. Meerkat himself does not gain experience from successful
battles. Instead, at certain points in the game, the option to obtain or upgrade weapons will be
provided. The choices made at these points determine how easy or difficult subsequent battles and
objectives will be. For example, if the player chose to upgrade the shotgun early, it would make the
following target-based objectives easier but would mean that they would struggle to fend off close
combat enemies due to the lack of a melee weapon. Alternatively, the option to increase Meerkat�s
health points is available, fundamentally having no effect on the difficulty of challenges, but
providing the player with more chances.
The game will feature 15 levels of progressive difficulty in both combat and puzzle solving.
There will also be the expected boss battle against Cuddles and the unexpected boss battle against
Herbert at the end of the game, along with the even more unexpected semi-boss battle against
Meerkat�s wife after level 10.
The overall appeal of the game comes from the inclusion of problem solving within a combat
action FPS. Some problems will test spatial awareness and memory while others will require
resourcefulness and ingenuity, requiring the player to use the weapons and environments creatively
to achieve their goals. Similarly, the battles (while demanding skill and accuracy) will require a
degree of initiative, as in the rock kicking example mentioned above. As a whole, the game should
be enjoyed for its testing of both the mental and physical capabilities of the player. Combined with
the plot twists and hidden clues, the game should intrigue and challenge the player until the very
end and keep them interested in the meantime as they progress through the story. And of course,
the cartoon-styled graphic and eccentric characters keep everything light and entertaining.
Marketing:
The game is designed to work cross platform, playable on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Online play
will be available where possible, allowing for multiplayer battles with a maximum of 48 players per
server. The game will be sold on Steam, purchasable at $5-$10.
The ESRB rating is likely to be Mature 17+ given the high level of (albeit cartoon) gore, sexual
references and adult language.
�Untitled� Game Design Document
Kevin Hynes � Abnormal Studios Page 6
Although it is impossible to predict, the characters most likely to become popular with the
target demographic are Meerkat and possibly Cuddles, following the tradition of games whereby the
hero and outward villain are coveted for their heroics and evilness respectively. Once the game
gains popularity however, and the full story is understood by the players, there is the potential for
Herbert to gain more recognition too, noted as the �traitor� of the game.
Estimated Budget and Schedule:
All member of the team should be aware that at the current stage all work is voluntary. Any
money that is made from the game�s sales will be shared accordingly with the team dependant on
their input into the development. Adverts have been placed on the Abnormal Studios website
(http://www.abnormalstudios.co.uk/), generating a small amount of income for every visit to the
site. A request has been put forward to Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/) for $30,000 to
cover the costs of using the Unreal engine and other various expenses.
The game does not currently have a set deadline. Instead the focus is on quality. A lack of
time constraints means that this can be a priority, as each section of the development can be
completed to perfection. Assuming communication is upheld and work is shared and discussed
frequently, the project should not have any major holdups � or rather, any problems would be
resolved as soon as possible, nipping them in the bud and preventing extra work at later times. As a
general estimation, the game is hoped to be completed by September 2012.
Example of Play:
Below (Figure 1) is a sequence of three concept sketches. They illustrate an example of
when the player would need to combine accuracy with the weapon, good observation to notice the
seesaw and loosely hanging bell, and ingenuity to use the Kicker Rabbit�s attack to his/her benefit.
When successful, the two rocks are removed from the pathway and the player can pass through.
Figure 1: Concept sketches of the process needed to remove two rocks from the path
�Untitled� Game Design Document
Kevin Hynes � Abnormal Studios Page 7
Gameplay Mechanics
This section discusses the logical working behind the game.
Game Flow:
Below (Figure 2) is a flowchart showing the relationship of the main interface screens.
Cinematics and still screens are represented by rectangles, actions taken by the player are
represented by rounded rectangles, and screens that offer decisions are represented by diamonds.
When continuing a saved game, the play resumes at the last level the player saved on. A
game can only be saved during a level and not its preceding cinematic sequence. If the game is
paused during a level, a �pause options� screen is displayed, giving the following options:
� Resume (resumes gameplay)
� Restart (restarts the current level after confirmation by the player)
� Save (saves the current game)
� Load (allows loading of a previous save game after confirmation)
� Options (provides visual, gameplay and audio options)
� Quit (returns the player to the main menu after confirmation)
Legal, Copywrite
and Title Screens
Install/Download
Game
Start Game
Start new Game
Continue Saved Game
Start Multiplayer Game
Options
Quit Game
Intro Cinematic
Game Level
Inter-level Cinematic
Final Cinematic and
Credits
Audio
Options
Main
Menu
Visual
Options
Gameplay
Options
X 15
Multiplay
Setup
Figure 2: A flowchart of the main interface screens and their navigation
�Untitled� Game Design Document
Kevin Hynes � Abnormal Studios Page 8
The game proceeds in the fashion of:
Intro Cinematic �� Level 1 �� Inter-level Cinematic 1 �� Level 2 �� Inter-level Cinematic 2 ��
Level 3... Inter-level Cinematic 14 �� Level 15 �� Final Cinematic and Credits
In other words, features a clip between each level as well as one at the start and conclusion
of the game.
Game Levels:
The game is set on an island named XYZ (which is revealed at the end of the game). The
player will visit most of the island during gameplay and will be lead back to previously visited
locations through the course of the narrative. Such locations will have changed slightly during the
passing time, such as a previously healthy forest appearing burnt and destroyed upon revisit. The
image below (Figure 3) shows the navigation of the island that the levels will lead the player on.
Level 1: Training Camp
Level 2: Smirf Forrest
Level 3: Herbert�s Dam
Level 4: Town 1
Level 5: Mountain
Level 15: Cliff
Level 14: Town 3
Level 13: Town 2 Level 12: Grassland
Level 6: Meerkat�s Home
Level 7: Caves
Level 8: Smirf Forrest
Level 9: Town 2
Level 10: Mountain Level 11: Waterfall
Figure 3: A diagram of the general layout and navigation of the island
�Untitled� Game Design Document
Kevin Hynes � Abnormal Studios Page 9
Character and Object Attributes:
Characters
Below is a list of all the characters in the game. Their basic actions are noted.
� Meerkat: Run forwards, left, right, strafe left/right/backwards
Jump up (to reach a ledge), forwards, left, right, backwards
Climb up from hanging onto ledge, onto low platform/tree etc.
Shoot various guns (see Figure 4)
Strike with various melee weapons (see Figure 4)
Get In various vehicles (see Figure 5)
Push move objects across the floor in any direction
� Baby Run any direction, fairly slow
Rabbit: Jump hop when needed in attempt to reach Meerkat
Charge aim at Meerkat and charge. A weak attack (see Figure 3)
� Bomber Walk any direction
Rabbit: Jump small hop when needed in attempt to reach Meerkat
Blast when near Meerkat, rabbit presses detonator on held carrot bomb to cause
it to explode. Explosion causes damage to Meerkat if still nearby, kills the
rabbit and sends out a ring of harmful carrot shards (see Figure 3)
� Kicker Run any direction
Rabbit: Jump hop when needed in attempt to reach Meerkat
Kick fall back onto their tails when near Meerkat and deliver a double footed kick
that causes great damage to whatever is on the receiving end (see Figure 3)
� Puncher Run any direction very quickly
Rabbit: Jump hop when needed in attempt to reach Meerkat
Punch deliver a rapid punch when near Meerkat causing a fair amount of damage
to whatever is one the receiving end (see Figure 3)
� Meerkat�s Run any direction very quickly
Wife: Jump hop when needed in attempt to reach Meerkat
Strike use various nearby objects to inflict damage
� Cuddles: Jump large hops in any direction to move
Kick powerful kick from either foot causing great damage to Meerkat
Stomp land heavily from a Jump to cause great damage to Meerkat
� Herbert: Run flailing run in any direction which causes minor damage to Meerkat if hit
Kick a flying kick aimed at Meerkat, causing a fair amount of damage if it hits
Bite when attached to Meerkat, causes a fair amount of damage until shaken off
�Untitled� Game Design Document
Kevin Hynes � Abnormal Studios Page 10
Other than Meerkat, all the characters in the game are non-playable and will attempt to
harm Meerkat at some point in the story. The different attacks will cause damage of varying
degrees. Similarly, the speed of each character also varies. The chart below (Figure 4) shows the
effect that the characters� actions cause. Speed and Height values do not signify actual mph or
distance, but show the relative values in comparison to each other.
Character Hit Points Action Damage Speed/ Attack Rate Height Notes
Meerkat 50
(can be
increased
� see the
section on
Objects)
Run - 10 - -
Jump - - 4 -
Climb - - - Hoist up from hanging on a ledge
or from standing
Shoot Various Various - (see Figure 5)
Strike Various Various - (see Figure 5)
Get In - - - (see Figure 6)
Push - - - Pushes objects such as crates
Baby
Rabbit