A Duck's Life (under DigiPen, Redmond)

Game Spec Overview

> GAME ENGINE: Unity 2022.3.27f1

> GAME TYPE: 3D 1st Person Exploration Simulation

> ESTIMATED PLAY TIME: 3 minutes

> GENRE: Simulation

> MOOD: Peaceful

> ART STYLE: Low Poly, Blocky

> MUSIC/SFX STYLE: Slightly cartoonish

Kinesthetic Flow Concept: Waterproof, Smooth, Floating

The player will be waddling around as a duck on the sand, floating on water smoothly at body height, and be able to shake off the water when he gets out of the water due to his waterproof feathers. It will look bright and blocky with its low-poly aesthetic, and effects will be realistic as if you are genuinely simulating a life of a duck in a blocky world.

Color Palette

Market Research 1 – Untitled Goose Game

Untitled Goose Game is an indie puzzle stealth game developed in 2019 by House House. Players play as a goose who wrecks havoc in an English village and complete objectives along the way. I chose this game as my main inspiration as I enjoy the simplistic art style paired with the humorous gameplay as a goose. Hence, I wanted my game to also emulate a similar sort of simplistic look but in 3D 1st person point-of-view.

PROS/WHAT I LIKE & WANT TO EMULATE

•Simple yet realistic duck movements

•Simplistic art style

•Smooth gameplay

CONS/WHAT I DON’T LIKE

•2D perspective

•Different art style from intended

•2D movements

Market Research 2 - Astroneer

Astroneer is a sandbox adventure game developed from System Era Networks in 2019. The player has to colonize planets, create structures, and collect resources.

I mainly chose this game as an inspiration regarding the art style that I intend to portray, and its ability to pull off the low-poly aesthetic with solid and bright colors.

PROS/WHAT I LIKE & WANT TO EMULATE

•Low-poly, blocky aesthetic

•Smooth camera movements

•Peaceful atmosphere

CONS/WHAT I DON’T LIKE

•3rd Person

•Didn’t have water physics to reference

Market Research 3 – Placid Plastic Duck Simulator

Placid Plastic Duck Simulator is a casual simulation game developed by turbolento games in 2022. Players will be able to view from the plastic ducks’ perspectives as more ducks spawn after each level. I chose this game as it acts as a good reference for the water physics that I envision and how I had imagined the duck in my game to float like.

PROS/WHAT I LIKE & WANT TO EMULATE

•Water physics

•Duck floatingphysics

•Simplistic

CONS/WHAT I DON’T LIKE

•Not 1st person

•Cannot controlor move the duck

•Smooth camera

Player Movement/Controller

The player movement should simulate the short and stubby legs waddling as a duck as he walks. When the duck enters the water, it should simulate the duck floating smoothly above the water with his legs still kicking the water. The duck should slow down to a stop when there is no input as well. When the duck gets out of the water, it should shake off the water dry.

Element #1 - Waddling

The duck should be waddling side to side at a fast pace but short steps.

Element #2 – Floating/Swimming

The duck should be floating from body height, and only the legs should be kicking the water as the duck floats smoothly. When input stops, the duck should float to a stop as well.

Element #3 – Body Shake

The duck should shake its body furiously and water droplets should come off its body.

Camera

Camera will simulate a rather accurate point-of-view of the duck, following its waddling, the floating, and the body shaking.

Element #1 - Waddling

Camera will be angling left and right following the waddling.

Element #2 - Floating

Together with the water physics, the camera will also simulate a shaky yet still smooth floating.

Element #3 – Body Shake

When the duck waddles out of the water, the duck will look down and will shake as well. However, to prevent the player from getting sick from the camera movement, the camera will shake a lot slower and lesser than the body.

Audio

The music will be peaceful and slightly cartoonish. There should be SFX of the duck’s stepping, the SFX of the duck kicking the water, and SFX of the duck shaking off the water.

Element #1 - Steps

It should sound light, fast, “pit-pat”-like.

Element #2 – Kicking the water

There should be sounds of water splashing at each kick, “shpish-shpish”-like.

Element #3 – Shaking off the water

There should be sounds of the wet feathers flapping, and slowly fading off to dry feather flapping, “shlap-shlap” into “flap-flap”.

Visuals

Environment should be bright and sunny, the water should appear very shiny and glossy. The duck should have a shadow cast on the water/sand. When the player enters the water, there should be a water, blue-tinted vignette over the screen. When the player exits the water, the vignette should fade to only droplets, to no filter covering the screen.

Element #1 - Environment

Bright sunlight, sun glare into the camera when the player looks at the sun.

Element #2 – Duck in water

A slightly blue-tinted vignette with small droplets surrounding the edge of the screen.

Element #3 – Duck out of water

Vignette will fade off from blue to clear, droplets will also fade off slowly.