Family Odyssey

Game Design
By
Alpine Studios
Developed and produced by Family Crusade, LLC

Introduction

Family Odyssey is an exciting new game that incorporates the player’s own ancestry into an fun game of mystery and intrigue. Players will be able to create their own family tree or upload their own GEDCOM file or use existing data from FamilySearch to populate their ancestry within the game. Players then go back in time visiting their ancestors to return stolen artifacts that are needed to keep the fabric of time intact. Along the way players will learn about history and their own family tree.
Family Odyssey is the perfect blend of family history and video games. Its players will be able to customize the game specifically to their own family. The game let’s someone with an extensive history input stories and episodes from their own family. For those that have limited information the game assists them in locating their ancestors. Players will be able to play with as little or as much personal history as they like.

Basic Game-Play

Game play consists of solving and correcting historical problem of their ancestors to keep the ribbon of time intact. A diabolical history thief named Phobias Timestill has disrupted the player’s family history by sabotaging and changing historical events that relate directly to the player’s ancestors. The player must go back in time and right those things that were changed or run the risk of never being born.
Players start the game in the Nexus cavern. This chamber exists outside the normal progression of time within an ancient cave in Mammoth Cave Kentucky. The Nexus allows a player to travel to any point in time and any location based on the player’s own family history and DNA makeup. The player must use the Nexus of Time to travel back in time and return or correct stolen items.
The player has several tools to help correct the changes to history. One is his or her family history or family tree which can be loaded into the game in the form of a GEDCOM file or created from scratch or found among hundreds of thousands of family trees located on the FamilySearch database. The other is a historical database that will help the player with clues and information critical to the mission. The historical database and family history are loaded into a portable device called a Histrolator that the player can take with them through the Nexus. The player can then use the Histrolator to gain historical clues to help them find their ancestors.
When history is changed it sends a shock wave through time changing future events. If the change is left, it will permanently change history. This means that if grandma never met grandpa, the player’s own life is in jeopardy. To stop this from happening, the player must travel through the Nexus and fix those things that were changed thus correcting history.
Once on location, the player will be given a list of options such as look around, talk to specific people, visit shops or others depending on the location and event and time period. Using the clues uncovered players will then narrow their search until they find their ancestor and find a way to fix whatever was changed.
The game is broken into episodes centered on specific time disruptions. A time disruption is anything that was changed by the time thief that caused history to be changed. There will be several types of disruptions in the game. Some will be simple to solve such as returning a stolen item. Others will take more time and thought like finding evidence that will absolve an ancestor from implication in a murder investigation.

Platform

The lead platform for the game will be PC. Other possible platforms for this game are Apple’s iPhone/iPod and Mac computers. Console versions of the game are also possible like Nintedo Wii and Microsoft Xbox. All other platforms other than the PC will each require their own development design and budget. This document only deals with the development of the lead platform on the PC.

System Requirements

The game will require a modern PC system with a 256 MEG video card and 512 MEG of RAM or better. We will likely also require 500 MEG or more in hard drive space for installation. Any computer system purchased within the last 4 years is likely to have this minimum configuration. If we need to work on older systems, we may need to cut features or animations in the game to accommodate them. We want to have the game competitive with other games on the market so we need to take advantage of some of the higher end features of newer systems like hardware shader support and added memory.
We will have the game look at the player’s system prior to installing the program to see if they can run the full game or a scaled down version. We can give player’s options on what they install to minimize problems running the game.

Release Date

We are projecting a release of the first version of the game in the spring of 2010.

Features

The game will include the following features:

The player’s own ancestors as characters in the game
Affiliated with New Family Search
Accurate historical locations events
Use of actual historical photographs
Compelling story to drive the game
15 decades of history from 1800 to 1950
Easy control system
Game editor so players can input their own family stories

Allows for creation of personalized family histories
Multiple story possibilities

Player’s Ancestors

Family Odyssey is the ultimate in customizable games. Players will be able to upload their own family tree and visit their own ancestors in the game. The game will contain a family tree builder system that will allow a player to manually input family history information including major events like birth, marriage, and death dates; and locations for each. It will also allow for more specific data like occupations, hobbies and other information to help the player build a personality for their ancestors in the game.
In addition to manual data entry the player will also be able to upload GEDCOM files and possibly other family history files like .paf files. These files will automatically populate the player’s pedigree in the game and intelligently add other information if it is available.
If the player has family photographs of their ancestors, they will be able to upload those photographs for use in the game. The player uploads photographs and then ties them to specific characters. The photographs then can be used within the game as pictures on a wall or in newspaper articles or other game important documents. For example, the photo may go on a driver’s license or on a passport. It might appear in a magazine article or in army discharge papers.
Players can also build their own 3D characters that look like their ancestors. The game will include advanced technology that lets the player create 3D characters. They will be able to start with the characters face shape, then add hair styles and clothing to create a character that looks like their own ancestors. Once created, the characters will be incorporated into the game with realistic animation.
Ancestral information provided by the player will form the basis of who the player will be allowed to meet and where the player will be allowed to go in the game. Players will travel to the location of their ancestor and try to correct history so it is right. They will be able to meet and talk with their own ancestors and depending on the story they may be instrumental in helping great grandpa and great Grandma to meet.

New Family Search

An exciting opportunity for the game will be to allow the players to have access to the incredible archives of family history information available through the New Family Search. New Family Search contains Billions of records of individuals throughout history. If the player’s ancestors are part of the historical records available through New Family search, those records will be made available to the player. These records include birth certificates, census records and other records. Players will be able to download and keep these records.
In addition we will be able to do background checks behind the scenes on the player’s ancestors and locate records that then can be used in the game. For example, if the player is required to find a census record of their ancestor in one of the stories, we can have the player find the real census record in New Family Search making the experience real.
Maybe of more significance to the player New Family Search might have additional family history that the player might not be aware of. For example, the player might be able to tie into family lines that go back generations giving the player knowledge of ancestors throughout history. Maybe the player is descended from a royal line or they have famous ancestors like presidents or other historical figures in their line. New Family Search can help the player identify these individuals.
An added bonus for using New Family Search is that the player might be able to find other players who are related to them in some way. This will give players a chance to find relatives they didn’t know they had.

Historical Events

The game will have a number of historical locations and events that coincide with the player’s own family history. This will give the player the opportunity to learn about history while playing the game. For example, if the player’s ancestors lived in San Francisco during the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, the game story might be about the something that happened during the bridge construction.

Archive Photographs

The game will use actual historical photographs from a number of historical archives to give it historical accuracy. The style of the game will be blended with the photographs to give the game a historical flavor. As much as possible historical events will be depicted using actual photos of the events and characters from those times.

Back Story

Phobias Timestill is on a mission to change history and gain unlimited power. His theory is that if he can adjust a few things in his family tree he will have been born rich and powerful.
Phobias is an archeologist and historian who discovers a magical gemstone used by ancient Indians in the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky to travel to the past. The past is entered by entering the giant cavern where an altar holds the gemstone. Upon touching the gemstone, the person’s DNA is read and time travel occurs back to moments along the historical past of your direct ancestors because of the unique roadmap of ancestry that our personal DNA holds.
Phobias has engaged the help of Timothy Wells to assist in his efforts but Timothy notes that Phobias is becoming possessed with evil intentions. Timothy traps Phobias in the past hoping that that will doom Phobia’s efforts but now, later in life, Timothy discovers that Phobias has invented a way to travel back. Knowing that he is ready to die, Timothy helps the player learn how to utilize his DNA and a developed “histrolator” to travel back and catch Phobias again before he changes the player’s family history thus causing a chain of events that would cause the family to cease to exist and meaning that the player is never born.

15 Decades of History

The game will cover the time period of 1800 to 1950. The reason for limiting the time period to these dates is to limit the scope of the game in its initial version. Later versions will go back farther in history, be international in scope and incorporate international records.
Because recent history may be too fresh in the minds of the players, the 1950s will be our launching pad for historical events. Players may be too familiar with more recent events or ancestors who are still living to the point that it will be more difficult to blend the games fantasy events with more recent times.

Interface and Controls

The main system for controlling the game will be the use of the mouse to point and click on activated areas on the computer screen. Players will be able to use the keyboard for data input, but during the actual game most of the functions will be controlled by use of the mouse.
During the game the player will have access to a virtual portable devise that will be part of the on screen interface. This device called a histrolator will be used to access game options, item inventories and other important game options

Game Editor

Players will be able to customize their games by inputting their own family stories. These stories will form the basis for how history really was. Players will then be able to set up the events with in the game to how history was changed and what the player needs to do to right what was changed. The game editor is the key device used for developing user created content.
The game editor will allow the player to input their own family stories. For example, if they have a diary of their grandmothers that talks about leaving on the frontier during the settlement of the west, they will be able to input a story form the diary and the true history. This true history will then be used as background information for the game story.
Once the true history is in the game the player will then be able to choose form available options how history was altered by the story antagonist. The user then can select events that need to happen and people that need to be visited to correct history to how it should have been.

Family Histories

Because the player will likely be inputting or gathering a lot of family historical information in the game there is a great opportunity to let the game organize the information for the player so the player can export their own personalized family history.

Game Stories

During the game the player will have the chance to interact with their own ancestors to correct history. To give the game variety there will be multiple stories that can be played out. The following is a preliminary list of possible story categories:

Theft of an item – in this story Phobias has taken an important item from the player. This item will need to be returned to the player before a critical event or history will be changed. Items can be simple like a pin to a wagon wheel or they can be complex like immigration papers or court document. The challenge in this story will be to find the ancestor before the critical event takes place. Players will have to search for their ancestor following clues to locate him or her.
Changing document – Phobias makes changes to your some important documents that affect your ancestor’s life like changing a treaty or changing the expiration date on immigration papers. The net effect is your ancestor is not where he or she is supposed to be when they are supposed to be there. The players challenge will be to find and fix the document before is causes problem.
Implication in a crime – Phobias had planted evidence or constructed events in the game so that one of the player’s ancestors is implicated in a crime of some kind. The implication in the crime will cause events in the live of their ancestor to change making it impossible for them to meet their intended wife have children. The challenge in this type of story will be to remove the evidence or otherwise right the wrong so the ancestor is no longer a suspect.
Fatal accident – Phobias creates a situation where the player’s ancestor is run over by a car, falls off a building, is buried in an avalanche or has some other type of horrible accident. The challenge here is for the player to discover what happened and then go back before the accident and somehow prevent the accident from happening.
Fortune – Phobias gives your ancestor a gift of wealth that causes his or her life to change. The change could mean they don’t marry the right person or their children don’t meet the person they are supposed to marry. The challenge here is to somehow either convince the ancestor to not accept the money or take the money before they have a chance to do anything with it.
Lost – Phobias has given your ancestor bogus directions that sends them in the wrong direction missing a critical event in their history. The challenge for the player will be to find the lost ancestor and get them back to the critical event before time runs out.
Kidnapping – Phobias kidnaps your ancestor and places them in a different time. The player’s challenge will be to locate the person in the new time and return them to their proper time.
Health – Phobias steals some vital medicine or waylays a doctor on the way to visit your ancestor. The challenge for the player will be to get the needed medicine or locate the doctor and get them to his or her ancestor.

Dialogue Engine

An important part of the game is the dialogue engine. The dialogue engine is a system for controlling dialogue in a game. The basic principle is to let the player carry on a conversation with characters in the game. This game will be utilizing a simple system for dialogue. Players will choose from a list of options what they want to say to a character in the game. The option the player chooses will determine the character’s response. Based on the response the player will be given more possible options of things to say.
The basic concept of the dialogue engine is to create conversation trees the have branches. Players can explore the branching dialogue streams to gain information to help them solve problems. Some of the branches will give critical information while others may be dead ends resulting in no useful information.
To have the dialogue engine work properly game story writers will need to develop the dialogue trees. To make the game robust there will need to be hundreds of dialogue trees developed. Every story will likely have 6 to 10 characters that the player will be able to interact with some sorties may have more. Each of these characters will have their won dialogue tree. In some cases one character may have several trees that change depending on events in the story. For example, a police officer who has arrested you great grandmother may have a different dialogue tree after the arrest than before the arrest.

Internet

The game will be a downloadable internet game that can be played offline by anyone with the proper PC, however, connecting to the Internet will give the player access to the New Family Search feature and any other feature provided by any sponsoring partner. We can also add other online features like live chat rooms for family members with common ancestors or status boards that show how other players are doing in the game.
The Internet will be an important part of the total game experience so we may want to require Internet play. The only drawback will be for those who have slow connections or want to play the game when they don’t have an Internet connection.
Minimally we should build an online portal in the game and encourage players to log on for game updates and to enjoy the other online features periodically. We can do this by having timed messages come up at game launch that asks players if they want to check for game updates or if they want to check out new online features. These periodic messages can also be updated when the player logs on to an online session.
When the player is online, they will have access to enhanced game features and also be able to visit partner areas in the game. We can build a hosting center for companies like Gene Tree where they can entice player to use their services. This needs to be more than just an advertisement. Partner companies need to bring a better game experience or give the player something that will improve the game like finding more ancestors or finding more information about their known ancestors.

Art Style

The primary art style for the game will blend a feeling of the industrial revelation with a somewhat modern look to give us something that will work nicely with the black and white photographs used in the game. Interface gadgets will be slightly ornate. Color schemes will be silver and blues mixed with warm accents.

Introduction Story

The introduction story will be presented by a series of text and pictures to bring the player into the game and give them a reason to play the game. The pictures will be like a storybook but they will each likely have some animation to give them life and make them more interesting.

Environments

Most game play environments will be black and white archival photographs. It is anticipated that there will be hundreds if not more photographs used in the game. These photos will all be period pieces.
Other environments in the game will be 3D rooms like the nexus room. This room will be the hub of activity between game stories. It will be a constructed room that will look and feel like an ancient cavern with an altar. Players will be able to move freely about this cavern.

Characters

The main characters in the game will be the player and Phobias Timewell. The player will never really see him or herself because the game will be viewed first person. Phobias Timewell will be a fully animated 3D character that will be glimpsed by the player from time to time as the player chases him through history.
The game will include a number of NPC (Non Player Characters). These characters will be animated 3D models that the player can interact with using the dialogue engine. Currently the plan is to license DAZ 3D technology to let us create a vast number of characters that we can animate during the game. Their technology will also be used by the player to create 3D models that resemble their own ancestors.
DAZ 3D models are high resolution models that will bring a high level of sophistication to the game without bringing a lot of cost. They have available to us a number of artists who can create custom costumes for our character giving us the ability to dress them in period clothing.

Animations

The primary character animation in the game will be lip sync talking animations of NPCs and facial expressions. Because we plan to use DAZ 3D models in the game, we can take advantage of the animation sets for expressions and speech that they already have. This will save us thousands of dollars in animation cost while still having very high quality animations in our game. If we handle it well the game will be a step above other popular game of similar configuration like CSI and Cold Case.
The game will also have a lot of animated interface art. This will include the Histrolator and all its many pop out pieces. These animations will be somewhat mechanical in nature giving the interface a 19th century feel that coincides with the archival photos we will be using.

Objects

Object in the game will be mostly lifted from the photographs themselves. This will be in keeping with the archival photo motif that we have established. Taking the object straight from the photographs will also help in game-play as the player will be able to identify them when they see them in the photo.

Game Shell

The game shell represents all of the popup menus; interface art and all opening and closing screens. We intend to keep these screens to a minimum to keep the player in the game, not caught up in an endless interface land. The game will have a simple opening that shows logo screens and other important credits and the opening story. Players will have the option to skip the opening sequences and go directly to the game after the first time through it.
The first area of the game will be the ancestry input screen discussed earlier. This screen will provide an interface for the player to upload or manually input their family history.
The game itself will employ a heads up display with the interface being the histrolator. Most of the in game interface screens will be popup windows that will disappear when not in use. These popup interface elements are commonly called widgets.

Audio Style

We will be using audio to enhance the feeling of the game. We plan to us period music as much as possible to indicate the era in history the player will be visiting. This will give the game a sense of history with each historical event. We will also have a lot of sound effects to help bring the photographs to life. Audio is an inexpensive way to enhance the feeling of the game, much less expensive than creating extensive visuals.

Music

The game will have a main theme score that will set the mood for the game and play during the opening sequence. It will also play whenever the player returns to the nexus room. The theme music will be an original song developed specifically for the game. The idea here is to create a nice centerpiece for the game that will stick in the players mind even after they quit a play session.
Additional music will be period music form history. We will try to match each time period with a famous song that represents that time. It is likely that we may have to license some arrangements of the music particularly for more modern time periods, however, we may be able to just simulate a sound that is similar to what was popular and do new arrangements of older pieces that are no longer protected by copyright law.

Sound Effects

We will be developing a number of sound effects for the game. Every picture in the game will need sound to bring that picture to life. This means that we will need to evaluate every picture used in the game and apply ambient sound to each. For example, a busy room may need a sound effect of a lot of low background conversation. A busy street may require the sound of cars moving and other city noises.
We can get a number of sound effects from existing sound libraries, however it is likely that we will have to have a sound engineer create some of the sounds.
In addition to ambient sounds we will also need to have user feedback sounds that let the player know they have done something. Every time a player does something in the game there needs to be an audio cue that something has happened. The cue can be something as simple as a click or as complex as a long widget noise.

Voice

There is an opportunity to have a voice for every character in the game; however, this may be costly. Some voice actors have a wide range of voices they can do but we have so many possible characters in the game that we could spend a lot of time doing voice recordings. Voice is a great enhancement to the game and if possible we should try to include it in the game.
Another issue with including voice for every actor in the game will be that it will be that it will greatly increase the size of the game. It may make the game too large to be practical for downloading.
A possible solution to the voice problem will be to use some emerging technology created by I3 Technology. They have a way of creating voice banks that we can apply to the game. Their technology will bring the cost of the project down and greatly reduce the size of the audio but it may not be ready for when we want to release the game.

Family Odyssey

Contents

Introduction

The game will include the following features: