Game Document (second draft) for "Feng Shui Master"

March 30th, 2001

INTRODUCTION

FSM is a level-based, quasi-isometric puzzle game, designed to be intuitive and addictive edu-tainment. While teaching the player the basics of feng shui (the ancient Chinese art of placement), it will also engage her in a fast-paced and colorful puzzle game.

The design of the game, inspired by Chilly Willy and Dig Dug, has a simple and familiar interface that will encourage people to jump into the game, as will the warm and cuddly cartoon aesthetic. As much toy as puzzle, both visuals and sound effects will be used to optimum effect.

OVERVIEW OF GAMEPLAY

The player has the option of choosing a male or female character, one of which is faster and one of which has more spirituality.

The player, using the direction keys, moves the character around a room viewed from above. The character must rearrange the furniture (done by simply pushing it around and using the spacebar to spin the object) to achieve optimum chi (life force or energy) flow through the room. If an object is moved to a place which increases chi flow, the room brightens and a chime sounds.

The player can learn about how different objects placement affects chi flow in two ways -- either by noting when the room is brightening (difficult) or by asking the Ghostly Grandfather for advice.

When the mouse arrow is moved into the room it becomes The Ghostly Grandfather, floating mysteriously above the scene. When moved over an object and clicked, the object's affect on how it redirects chi becomes visible -- a word bubble will appear, with the GG revealing how, for instance, a bed with its head to the window is bad chi.

The first level (Bedroom) begins with a cut scene of the character waking up and accidentally knocking over her/his grandfather's urn. The ghost of the grandfather appears, and looks around. "This room is arranged very badly!" chastises the grandfather. "No wonder my otherworldly sleep is so fitful. You must use feng shui, the ancient art of placement, to optimize the flow of chi energy. In general, you want to arrange things so an octogon shape is acheived." (Flies around the room in an octogon shape.) "Click me on an object for advice on a specific piece of furniture."

The player can consult the GG about as many objects as she likes in the first level. It's a tutorial, with no time limit -- however, the GG will stop you from leaving the room until a minimum chi brightness is achieved. The second level, Living Room, begins with a cut scene: the character receives a phone call, which s/he automatically answers. It's the character's boss -- the Big Important Clients are arriving soon and he's on his way to pick the character up. The character has five minutes (marked by a wall clock in the room) to optimize the chi in his room before his boss arrives -- if he fails, his boss fires him and the character dies.

It's the second level that the choice of the faster or more spiritual character matters. The more spiritual character has six consultations with GG per level, while the faster character has only three. Once the GG's consultations are spent, he zips off the screen.

The third and final level is the Office. If the player has optimized the chi in his living room and avoided being fired, the next cut scene involves him being brought to an office and told he has three minutes before the Big Important Clients arrive. Unfortunately, as well as the shorter time limit, the character also has to contend with a Corporate Saboteur who follows the character around, putting the furniture the character moves back into to a bad-chi position. The GG repels the CS (who screams in fear at the sight of the GG), and with strategic use of the GG the player can trap the CS in a corner.

If the chi in the office isn't optimized at the time the BICs arrive, the BICs walk away from the boss, the character is fired and dies. A death scene shows the character at the poorhouse, or in a degraded and shameful position. If it is optimized, the game is completed and the character is declared a FSM. The player gets a .tiff certificate stating something to this effect that they can print out.

PLATFORMS

Feng Shui Master will be a Shockwave game, and thus will be fairly cross-platform. It will be playable online, either via NoMediaKings.org, Bumblenut.com, a dedicated www.fengshuimaster.com URL, or on a game site that purchases the rights to have it on their site (ie. Heavy.com). The target audience for this would be intelligent and irony-hungry websurfers.

Dependent on interest, a more graphics-intensive CD-distributed version could be made for Macintosh, Windows, or Linux. As well as more levels and a more randomized furniture placement, it would allow for a more sophisticated chi-computational engine and would include a mode where players could create their own rooms: not just to make more levels, but to test out layouts for their actual homes. It may also use a floating point rather than a grid system, and a turn-based strategy option might be implemented. The target audience for this would be people with a genuine interest in feng shui, as well as the people who bought novelty game Deer Hunter, and priced at $29.99 for sale in places like Walmart.

TIME SCALES

The Shockwave version will be completed by the middle of July. A working version of the design document will be complete by April 1, illustration work will be done May 15, and the programming will be done by June 15. This allows for a month of finessing and playtesting as well as online implementation. After the design document is complete, the designer will occupy his time with everything else not illustration or programming, such as contacting game-friendly sites about purchasing the online rights and liasing with the illustrator and the programmer about troublespots. (Note: The illustrator and programmer are also co-designers.)

If it's decided that a CD version for commercial release is viable, a timeline will be drawn up for this (potentially close to 18 months).

WHY FSM WILL BE GOOD

A Clever and Marketable Concept: Feng Shui is very much a pop culture trend, with hundreds of books available (including Feng Shui for Dummies). Basing a video game on this spiritual art is funny and irreverent enough to attract attention.

A Warm and Cuddly Sensibility: Avoiding the sharp-edged aesthetic of most computer entertainment, FSM will be combining cartoon illustration and familiar video game sounds to create an enticing and unique package.

Simple Interface and Achievable Gameplay: The interface will be minimalist, with nothing outside the room -- the antithesis of Starcraft's control panel. The first two levels will be fairly easy, to draw the player into the game, while the third level will need a few tries -- combining fun with challenge.

OBJECTS AND WHAT THEY CURE

(Note: These are what the Ghostly Grandfather will say when clicked on a certain object. If the GG is clicked on the room generally, he will whisk around the room giving a general description about the octagonal shape ideal for chi flow.)

Lights: "Bright objects can cure problems caused by slanted walls or awkward shapes. Very useful -- and very breakable, granddaughter."

Mirrors, Disco Balls: "Mirrors are known as 'the aspirin of feng shui.' Light-refracting objects can cure problems caused by slanted walls or awkward shapes. Very useful -- and very breakable, granddaughter."

Fishbowls, Aquariums, Plants, Flowers: "Living objects cure sharp corners and, if placed near the doorways in places of business, attract money and clients."

Bell, Wind Chimes: "Things that make sounds are especially auspicious hung on doorway eves -- they disburse malign energy and act as a simple security system. Especially if the malign energy is tall and clumsy."

Dresser Drawers, Statues: "Heavy objects are good for harmonizing irregular shapes... and throwing your back out."

Beds: "The foot of your bed should never face the door directly, be positioned under a window, be placed on the same wall as the door, or be at an angle. And don't eat in it or you'll be cursed by crumbs."

Desks: "The desk shouldn't face away from the doorway or the window, be placed against a wall, or be placed on an angle."