Proudly Presents

CSC407 - Computer Game Programming

Phan7oms Team Members

Cheong Ying Ying (Leader)

Chai Yi Yun Edwin

Ng Kun Ting

Oh Li Choo Christina

Ong Kian Ann

Phua Joon Kiat Derek

Su Qin

Introduction

Game Information

Description

Untoten is not just another zombie killing game, but instead, it is an updated ancient story based game with modern touches that appeals greatly to anyone. The game boasts cute and stylish graphics and with the intuitive controls, the game is set to capture the young at heart to spend hours playing.

Game Play

Player will assume control of the main character (Protector of the Untoten) and move through the world chasing after the main antagonist (German Researcher). The game-play is separated into stages, whereby in each stage, the player will encounter undead that must be put to rest once again. Toward the end of the each stage, the player will be pitted against a boss-level undead. By defeating the boss-level undead, the player will advance to the next stage, and is one step closer to the main antagonist.

Other Information

Target Audience

Young Teens (Parental Guidance Required)

Platform/Genre

3D Side Scrolling Action Game - PC

Game Mechanics

General Rules

The player will start off with 3 lives, and each life is deducted when an undead captures (touches) the player. When the player advances to the next stage, all remaining lives are brought forward as is.

In the event that all 3 lives are deducted or the player falls into the crack in the earth, the game ends.

Help items are available through out the game, and the consumption of each item is instantenous upon contact.

The only combat mode of the game is via shooting of power ball, no melee attacks are possible.

Physics

As with most games, there are certain physics laws in play. The basics of gravity are adhered to, and is evident in the jumping motion of the player, and when the player is walking upslope or moving downslope (minor speed changes can be observed). The falling into a crack in the ground is fatal based on the idea that the crack opens up a hole deep into the earth mantle.

Another law of physics the game uses is that one is not able to pass through matter. When an obstacles is presented to the player, example, a fallen tree blocking the path, the player will not be able to walk through the tree, but instead has to jump on top of it and jump off it subsequently.

The power ball projection is based on the theory of a normal shooting with no homing funtion. The power ball moves along a straight line and is dissipated upon contact with enemy, else the power ball automatically dissipates after moving for certain distance.

Combat

The combat feature of the game follows the standard Shoot'em Up style, in which upon contact of the enemy, the player will engage with shooting of power balls. There is a cool down period of 1 second between each shot, to ensure a certain level of difficulty within the game.

Movement Controls

Primarily, the game requires the player to control movement and attack via the use of the keyboard. Directional movement are based on the arrow keys and jumping is set to the 'Spacebar'.

The firing of power balls have each of their own keys, set to 'A', 'S', 'D', 'F' and 'G', for Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Jasper and Amber power respectively.

Help Items

The game also provides with player a number of help items that will aid in the playing of the game. The use of such items are instantenous and are directly reflected upon its status. Items cannot be stored for future use.

Life Potion

Life potions are essentially a life saver, it allows the player to gain an additional life. It is very useful when the player is running low of the life count.

The maximum life that a player can have is 3, therefore, if the player consumes the life potion when his/her life count is already at the maximum, the life potion will have no effect.

Power Crystal

Power Crystals are available through out the level in very limited quantity. Each crystal corresponds by color to the respective Power Ball that the player can access. Each item gives user access to that particular power ball in limited shots.

Each item typically grants 5 shots to the corresponding Power Ball, and the effects are stackable. Once a particular Power Ball counter reaches 0, access to that power is restricted untill consumption of the said crystal.

Emerald Power Crystal

Ruby Power Crystal

See section Power Ball for more details.

Power Ball

Follows the 5 elements of nature, namely, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal. The ranking of each power is also ranked respectively from left to right. Known as Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Jasper and Amber. At the start of the game, level 1, the main character only has access to 3 of the 5 elements power, Water, Wood and Fire. Water being the basic power and ranking the lowest is the main power most often used with unlimited ammo. Power upgrades to Wood and Fire are accessible via power upgrade items found within the level.

Sapphire

Attributed to Water element, blue in color
Weakest power of all, requires no item pick up
Unlimited shots

Emerald

Attributed to Wood element, green in color
Slightly more powerful than Sapphire, requires item pick up
Limited shots (5 per item)

Ruby

Attributed to Fire element, red in color
Most powerful power possible in level 1, requires item pick up
Limited shots (5 per item)

Jasper

Attributed to Earth element, brown in color
More powerful than Ruby, requires item pick up
Limited shots (5 per item)
Only available from level 2 onwards

Amber

Attributed to Metal element, yellowish-red in color
Most powerful of all power, requires item pick up
Limited shots (5 per item)
Only available from level 3 onwards

Enemy

The primary enemy that the protagonist will meet are the undead that are raised by the antagonist. As with the different level of powers provided, the undead are also categorize by different level of diffuclty. At the end of the level, the player will be pitted against a Boss undead belonging to the level.

Level 1 Undead

Level 1 undead - 1 hp
Blue Tailsman corresponding to the Water element

Level 2 Undead

Level 2 undead - 2 hp
Green Tailsman corresponding to the Wood element

Level 3 Undead

Level 3 undead - 3 hp
Red Tailsman corresponding to the Fire element

Level 4 Undead

Level 4 undead - 4 hp
Brown Tailsman corresponding to the Earth element

Level 5 Undead

Level 5 undead - 5 hp
Yellow Tailsman corresponding to the Metal element

Boss Undead

Boss undead - random hp (randomized between 10 and 20)
No Element by nature

AI of Undead

Level 1 to 5 Undead

The undead in general will appear at set locations throughout the entire game and will jump along an randomized path, with limited distance. Upon detection of the player nearing (via use of proximity sensoring) the undead will alter their course slightly and begin nearing the player.
In the first level, only Level 1 to 3 undead are activated.

Boss Undead

The boss level undead appears only toward the end of the game, just before the player can advance to the next level. The boss jumps around within a limited space but will not go after the player.

Power/Undead Matrix

Basic number of shots needed to kill of the undead based on the type of power

	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Sapphire	1	2	3	4	5
Emerald	1	1	2	3	4
Ruby	1	1	1	2	3
Jasper	1	1	1	1	2
Amber	1	1	1	1	1

World and Level

Level 1 Preview

"Time to kill some zombies!!"

"What the... a hole on the road!! Hope I can jump over it."

"Yes I make it!! You go girl! Let's see.. power-up!! COOL!!"

"Finally!! Zombie Action!! Cowabanga!!"

"Whaa!! A big one!! what did he..err..it eat to become so big?? Eat-All-You-Can Buffet?"

"Nice fountain...with no water....someone forgot to pay the water bill..."

Story and Characters

Story

Prologue

"You shall fail in whatever you are doing and will be cursed for using it" said the dying man as he drew his last breath.

"You are a fool, this is now mine, finally mine. After so many years, I have finally found the Untoten." German researcher Durer proclaimed in delirium when a flash of lightning raced across the sky breaking the darkness surrounding Durer and the Untoten.

"With this I can now control the whole world, the whole world will bow down to me!"

The legend started to glow faintly, and no sooner the glow started spreading toward Durer.

"Argh! What... What is this..." said Durer, disappering within the glow. The next moment, a deep tremble is felt all over the world.

Chapter 0

The moon has just ripen into her full glory and the warm summer wind is gently blowing across the street, but Xiao Ling shivered a chill up her spine. She had lost track of time while rushing her game assignment in the library, and now she has no choice but to walk home. The route that she is taking is no different from the one she has had taken for the past three years whenever she has to walk home.

Tonight, it felt different, it felt as if someone was spying on her and the trembling of the earth eariler on made her nerves worst. Xiao Ling quickly blamed it on her paranoia that she has developed since young. She ignored the shiver and hurried her steps, wanting to get back into the warmth of her apartment.

Its been three years since she left her hometown and headed into the city to start her college education, much to the displeasure of her father. Her father had wanted her to stay in her village, to fulfill her destiny, to be the protector of the Untoten. Xiao Ling has been trained in martial arts and the way of the Untoten by her father from a young age, but when she reached her youth, she started disbelieving the Untoten and the power that entails it.

The Untoten is believed to have the ability to control life, it grants the bearer the ability to raise the dead and to control them. There are also rumors that the Untoten has other abilities, but those are never proven, since no one has seen it since Xiao Ling's ancestors sealed it a few centuries ago.

Upon reaching her apartment, she had the shiver again, and this time she recognized the feeling, it is the feeling of the dead. More correctly, it is the feeling of the undead, and instantly she knew there was trouble. The phone started ringing right after she locked the door behind her, and it gave her a scare. Picking up the phone, she was relived to hear that it was her mother, but the news that came wasn't something Xiao Ling had expected. Her father is dead and the Untoten is missing.

Chapter 1

Reeling in the sadness of the departure of her father and the news of the missing Legend artefact, Xiao Ling knows that she is now the 40th generation protector of the Untoten as well as head of the Ba family, and it is her duty to hunt down whoever stole the Untoten and reclaim it before it is too late.

Recalling what she has learned with the way of the Untoten, Xiao Ling hones in on the essence of the Untoten in hopes of tracking it down. Every time the Untoten is being used it emits an aura essence that the protector can use to track it, but at the same time it also means that there are undead being reanimated.

While hunting the perpetrator down, Xiao Ling is blocked by scored of undead and she must fight to put them back to rest. Following the trail, she is finally led to a tower where she catches a glimpse of Durer, only to have him escape into a portal he had opened.

Chapter 2

Xiao Ling follows Durer into the portal, and is transported to a small town, where the undead roam the streets openly and are harder to put to rest. After another round of battle, Xiao Ling finds herself in front of an old and gigantic castle.

Chapter 3

In the castle, Xiao Ling finds a frail and sickly Durer sitting on the throne, but is also protected by undead which seemingly seems even more powerful that those that she had encountered.

Durer than revealed that Xiao Ling's father had activated the Legend curse to slowly destroy him, and the key to reverse the curse is the blood of a living Protector of the Legend. Durer further disclosed that he has cracked the final ability of the Legend, which is granting immortality. But the immortality ritual requires the life source of the protector as the main ingredient.

Durer summons a large, hideous creature made up of a combination of undead board parts. He commands the creature to capture Xiao Ling so he can collect her blood and perform the ritual. Xiao Ling fights for her life and her family's honour, knowing that if she succeeds, Durer will be left dead and she can recover the Untoten for safekeeping once again.

In the following battle of life and death, Xiao Ling faces her strongest yet enemy, Jiang Cheng - King of all Undead. Will she survive the battle?

Characters

Protagonist - 40th Generation Protector of Untoten, Ba Xiao Ling

Protagonist - Protector of the Untoten Xiao Ling

Age: 18

Personality: Outgoing, Rebellious, Helpful

Ba Xiao Ling born in China to father Ba Long Long (Head of Ba family) and mother Miao Zhui Hua (Martial Artist and Seer) is the 40th generation successor to the Head of family as well as the Protector of Untoten.

Having grown up in a traditional family, that values the Learned Ways of Untoten, Xiao Ling is well versed in martial arts as well as the Way of Untoten, but deep in her heart she desires freedom and a normal life. After completing her high school, she applied to an prestigious college far far away from her hometown behind her parents back. When the results were announced, her parents - father in particular - were very much against the idea of her traveling to a forigen land to have her college education, but soon gave in.

With promises that she would constantly practise her martial arts as well as keep honing her Way Of Untoten skills, Xiao Ling started her college education in a place far away from her hometown with no one to nag at her. She enrolled in Computer Science, specialising in Computer Games and led a peaceful 3 years, until that fateful phone call she recieved.

Antagonist - German Researcher Durer

Antagonist - German Researcher Durer

Age: Unknown

Personality: Psychotic, Sociopath, Deranged

Much is unknown about Durer, other than he is born in Germany and had spent his later years as an archeologist and scientist in China. Nobody really knows him very well for he is very secretive and does not trust anyone for any matter.

Over the years, there had been rumors that he is involed in some human experiment and that body parts, often in indistinguishable form, are found near his campsite village. Anyone who has ever investigated him are often found dead or missing, and most recently, it is said that he had finally discovered the location of an ancient artefact that holds power beyond one's imagination.

One can only shiver in fear on the thought of what will happen if he gets his hands on that ancient artefact.

Father - 39th Generation Protector of Untoten, Ba Long Long

Father - Ba Long Long

Age: 64

Personality: Serious, Over-protective, Honorable

A steadfast and serious protector of the Untoten, as well as an over-protective father, Ba Long Long is the 39th generation head of the Ba family. The Ba family has in all known history the offical protectors of the Untoten, an artefact of extraordinary powers, and it is the head of family to protector it even if the cost is his/her own life.

As a Protector, Ba Long Long is fiercely loyal and a highly trained martial artist, whom vowed on his life to protect the Untoten. His learned way of Untoten is of the highest understanding, but age is working its way onto him.

As a father, Ba Long Long has high hopes of his only child, Ba Xiao Ling, and is often grooming her to be his successor much to her dismay. However much he dislike the idea of his daughter leaving his side to get her college education in a forigen place, he also knows that times are changing, and it is unfair to deprive her off her own life.

Story Board

Durer discovers the location of the Untoten

Finally laying his hands on the Untoten, after killing the protector

The glow overcomes Durer and suddenly an explosion so strong, it shook the whole world

On the other end, Xiao Ling feels a tingle down her spine, sensing something is not right

Durer activates the Untoten and summons forth an army of undead

Xiao Ling seeks revenge and aims to recover the Untoten, but has to first lay the undead back to rest

After a long battle, she finally sees the tower where she senses the presences of the Untoten and Durer

But, lady luck is not shinning upon her, Durer escapes into a portal.

Should Xiao Ling follow? Where does the portal leads to? Will she ever see daylight again?

The adventure continues...

Interface

Screens

Menu Screen

HUD

Pause Screen

Game Over

UI Controls

Keyboard Controls

Or

Screen Flow

Visuals

Concept Art

Ba Xiao Ling

Undead

Splash Screen

Character Designs

Ba Xiao Ling

Durer

Undead

Character Animations

Ba Xiao Ling

Idling

Walking

Jumping

Shooting

Dying

Audio

Music

Menu Music
Game Music
Game Over Music
Boss Fight

SFX

Character Walking
Character Jumping
Character Shooting
Character Power Upgrade
Character -1 Life
Character +1 Life
Character Dying
Enemy Dying (On Fire)
Enemy Hit

System

Tools

Scripting

3D Game Studio A7
Lite C

Modelling, Animation and Graphics

3D Studio Max
Adobe Photoshop
Houdini

Project Management

SourceForge Project Management and SVN Repository
Tortoise SVN
Blogspot - Discussion and Updates

System Requirements

Minimum Requirement

OS: Windows XP with SP3, Windows Vista, Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.4Ghz or greater, AMD X2 (or equivalent) running at 1.8Ghz or greater
RAM: 512MB or more
VIDEO: 64MB and above
HDD: 500mb and above
OTHERS: DirectX 9.0c or above

Recommended Requirement

OS: Windows XP with SP3, Windows Vista, Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.6Ghz or greater, AMD X2 (or equivalent) running at 2.2Ghz or greater
RAM: 1GB or more
Video: 128MB and above
HDD: 500MB and above
OTHERS: DirectX 9.0c or above

Future Developments

Help Items

Jasper Power Crystal
Amber Power Crystal

Environment

Level 2
Level 3
Multiplayer

Character

Jasper Power Ball
Amber Power Ball
Melee Attack
Customized Characters Design
Character Inventory
Skills Tree / Experience Points

Sound Effects

Speech for each characters