Game Design Document (GDD) Template #
Game Title: [Insert Title]
Target Genre: [e.g., Arcade, Puzzle, Platformer, Shmup, Strategy, Rhythm, Action]
Target Platform: Desktop (Windows/macOS/Linux) & WebAssembly (Google Cloud Run)
Target Aspect Ratio & Resolution: 16:9 Widescreen (320x180 or 640x360 Virtual Pixel Canvas)
Author / Lead Designer: [User Name / Agent]
1. Executive Summary & Elevator Pitch #
- Elevator Pitch: [1–2 sentence hook describing the core player fantasy and main gameplay twist]
- Core Inspiration: [e.g. Space Invaders meets Match-3, Flappy Bird with gravity reversal]
- Target Audience / Mood: [e.g. Fast-paced arcade action, relaxing ambient puzzle, tense survival]
2. Core Gameplay Loop & Mechanics #
- Primary Gameplay Loop: [Step-by-step description of player action \rightarrow challenge \rightarrow reward/feedback cycle]
- Core Mechanics:
- Player Abilities / Actions: [e.g., Move, Jump, Shoot, Dash, Rotate Tile, Swap Gem]
- Interactions / Hazards: [e.g., Enemy AI, Falling Obstacles, Timer Pressure, Spikes]
- Win & Loss Conditions:
- Win Condition: [e.g., Reaching target score, clearing level 10, defeating boss]
- Loss Condition: [e.g., Health reaches 0, timer expires, grid fills up]
- Primary Input Devices: Keyboard / Mouse / Gamepad / Mobile Touch
- Default Control Scheme:
| Logical Action |
Keyboard / Mouse |
Gamepad Button |
Touch Gesture |
ActionMove |
A / D or Left / Right |
D-Pad / Left Stick |
On-screen Virtual D-Pad |
ActionPrimary |
Space / J / Left Click |
Button South (A / X) |
Tap Screen Region |
ActionPause |
Escape / P |
Start Button |
Pause Icon Button |
4. Visual Style & Asset Strategy #
- Aesthetic Direction: [e.g. 16-bit Retro-HD, Cyberpunk Neon, Chibi Pixel Art, Minimalist Vector]
- Asset Creation Approach:
- Procedural Pure-Code (
procedural-art): [e.g., UI panels, particle systems, Kage shaders, vector shapes]
- Generative AI Assets (
nano-banana): [e.g., Character sprite sheets, background concept art, item icons]
- Animation Sequence Needs:
- Character States:
idle (6\text{f}), run (8\text{f}), attack (8\text{f}), death (6\text{f})
5. Audio & Soundscape Strategy #
- Background Music (BGM):
- Style & Mood: [e.g. High-energy synthwave, ambient lo-fi, 8-bit FM chiptune]
- Creation Engine:
lyria (CD-quality 44.1 kHz stereo) OR procedural-composer (pure-code DSP chiptune)
- Sound Effects (SFX):
- Required SFX: Button clicks, action discharge, collision/impact, coin pick-up, game over fanfare
- Creation Engine:
procedural-composer (code-synthesized waveforms and noise bursts)
6. Game State Sequence & HUD Layout #
- Scene Flow:
Boot (Logo) \rightarrow Intro \rightarrow Title Screen (w/ Attract Demo Mode) \rightarrow Gameplay \rightarrow Game Over / Victory
- HUD & UI Overlay:
- Displayed Metrics: [e.g. Score counter, timer, health bar, level indicator]
- Layout Anchoring: Top-Left (Score/Lives), Top-Right (Timer), Center (Game Over Modal)
7. Technical Scope & Architecture Notes #
- Ebitengine Subsystem Plan:
- Physics/Collision: [AABB / Spatial Hash / Tile Raycast]
- Level Layout: [Tilemap autotiling / Procedural grid / Fixed arena]
- Server Backend: High score submission to Cloud Run REST API (
/api/v1/scores)