Tibbets Prison design document / 2 This is part 2 of the Tibbets Prison design document for " Van Buren " , the canceled " Fallout 3 " by Black Isle Studios . Locations . The Locations section of the document will probably be a series of entries , each one describing each location within the area . Designers will determine what format and procedure works best for them . Each location section should probably cover the following information , however : A potential sample from the Raiders caves would be : Example : Bak Entranze Summary . Back Entrance : This map is pretty small and ( hopefully ) uncomplicated . This is the secret backdoor entrance to the Raider caves that the player can find if they have a high Outdoorsman skill . This “ secret entrance ” is a hole in the ground surrounded by a cluster of abandoned shacks with their walls falling down and huge gaping holes in the roofs . There is no living in these shacks , so don ’ t worry about having to place critters anywhere around here . The Raiders also do not guard this backdoor entrance to their caves ( they don ’ t believe anyone could really find it ) . The only item of interest on this map is the black hole that leads down into the Raider Caves . Design Note : When designing locations and sub - locations , keep in mind that there may be locations the player returns to frequently , such as stores , flophouses to rest , or the local doctor . Try to make these as convenient to reach as possible . Cast of Characters . The Cast of Characters section describes the major NPCs found in the location . Generic NPCs . Describe their background , personality , their function , any ties to quests in the area , and if they are voice - acted or not . If voice - acted , include a brief sentence indicating what you think the character would sound like , preferably using a real world actor as an example ( it ' s easier for audio to do voice casting if they have a real world actor to use as a basis for comparison – chances are , they can ' t get THAT particular actor , but they can get someone who sounds like him or her ) . Companions ! Be sure to include potential companions here , too . Make a note of what they ' re good at , their stats , and so on , along with any things that would prevent them from joining the party ( the player ' s Karma is too high or too low , his Reputation isn ' t high enough , the player needs to complete a quest first , and so on ) . Design Note : Might want to combine the cast of characters with the Monster Roster , at least in terms of stats . Dave Maldonado had a suggestion for a series of task lists for the producers that combine both the cast of characters , companions , and the critters all in one list . I keep wondering if there should be separate completion lists maintained outside of the templates that track overall progress . Dividing them amongst various location documents seems counterproductive – I ' d prefer the Icewind Dale : HOW excel sheet , though there is the problem of regular upkeep . Scripting . Scripting covers a number of elements : General . There are some general scripting issues . . . Town - Specific . There are some important things to consider for towns . . . Dungeon - Specific . There are some important things to consider for dungeon locations . . . Monster Roster . The Monster Roster section indicates what monsters are found in the location . If you can , list the numbers of critters present , their approximate XP award , and if they are intended to respawn in a location or not . If any monsters change according to difficulty level , make sure you note these variations here as well . In addition , write a sentence or two about what kind of random encounters would you expect to see near the town - - and make a note of what ones " shouldn ' t " occur near the town . You may need to pass this information off to a designer who is solely responsible for designing random encounters , and the more he or she knows , the better . Cool Shit . The Cool Shit section is just that - - what ' s cool about this area ? For starters , you should be able to say in one or two sentences why a player would remember this location . If you were a player , what would make you want to " play " this location ? What would make you " glad " you played this location ? This section should include the following technical details : Item progression should be broken down in a skill basis , and it can be included in the " Location Checklist " , below . Basically , whenever possible , a location should have some item or weapon that compliments a skill . Quests . The Quests section should be set up so you can cut and paste the damn thing into a PIPBoy quest log . This section is broken into several parts : The " Main Quests " in the area that are designed specifically by a designer , the " Merchant Quests " which are more generic " go to X with caravan Y and get Z reward , " and the " Floating Quests " , which are a series of randomly generated quests for the area . Note : Make sure to refer to the quest design section in the " F3 _ Style . doc " . Main Quests . Main Quests are quests designed specifically by the designer for the area . Information on these quests should include : " Importance : " Critical quests are ones that the player has to do to advance the game , Major quests are ones that could span an area or two and involve a lot of steps , and Minor quests are ones that could be solved on the same map or by walking to an adjacent map , or may involve only one step to solve . " Scope : " Small ( same map ) , Medium ( a map or two away ) , and Large ( crosses several maps , takes a long time to complete ) . Area : The area of the game and the map in the area where the game takes place . Quest Name : The name of the quest . Designer : The designer responsible for the quest so people know who to contact . Dstatus : The status of the design . Script : The programmer in charge of programming the location . Dscript : The status of the coding for the quest . LogStat : What ' s the status of the log for these quests ? Do you get the unsolved version , do you get the solved version , and do you get a good / bad karma and a stupid one , if appropriate ? Passable : Is the quest passable in " some " form ? QA 100 % : Is the quest completable in ALL forms ? Note that quests should reinforce the " feel " of a location . As an example , Redding in Fallout 2 was set up to be a frontier , rough - and - tumble Western mining town , with a " Gold Rush " kind of ambiance about it . Quests in the town involved becoming the sheriff ( a career move that , in classic Western style , no one wants ) , dealing with drunken brawls in the local saloon , dealing with dirty infighting between the two mining companies , trying to help out the local country doctor , cleaning out an infested mine , dealing with a band of robbers , and so on – the nature of the quests made you feel like you were in a Old West movie . Also , if there is a companion in town , make sure you indicate how to get him in your party , and set up the conditions as a quest . ( " To get Cassidy in your party , you need to find him in his tavern , ask him about his recent rash of troubles , then invite him to come with you . You will gain + 500 XP , + 1 Reputation , and Cassidy comes with a shotgun , leather armor , several shells , and a lot of whiskey . " ) Merchant Quests . For some locations , there will be a merchant caravan that travels to and from the city . Make sure you describe what caravan missions are available in the location , and a note of who the caravan master ( s ) are for the location and where they can be found . It ' s usually best if they are located somewhere near the opening map of the location . Floating Quests . Scott Warner suggested implementing a randomly - generated quest system for TORN , based on the " Privateer " model ; basically , a number of random quests appear on a " job post " ( or its equivalent ) somewhere in the world , and the player can pick and choose from a number of simple quests that change over time . These randomly generated missions make no pretensions about being cut - and - dry FedEx or Murder Quests : " Go collect bounty on five ghoul s , " " retrieve five chunks of gold ore , " " deliver three sub - machine guns to the caravan master , " and so on . Make a quick list of different kinds of quick and dirty random missions that would be appropriate for the location – several of the missions ( but not necessarily all ) should be tied to the random encounters that occur near the town . Task Lists . The Tasks section is a list of all the work that needs to be done for the area . It is a good summary for the producer , other designers , artists , and programmers as to what has been done in the area , who to check with if you have questions about certain tasks , and so on . This section is only useful if it is used . If we ' re several months into the project and no one has been using it , then it will no longer be used or updated . There ' s no sense in wasting time doing additional bookkeeping if it ' s serving no purpose . Sound Requirements . The Sound Requirements section is intended to cover every conceivable audio question you ' ve had to answer for an RPG in the past . You know the drill . Some aspects to consider : Music . The music breakdowns depend on the game . In Fallout 3 , we will most likely be going with music themes tied to areas , which is in keeping with the previous games . Be sure to include your preferences for these themes in the document so Adam Levenson has something to work off of . . . even if it ' s just a starting point for a debate . Basic SFX . An area ' s going to need sound to make it come alive . Some basics : Environmental Sounds : Wind , weather , settling rocks . Item - Specific Sounds : Glance through your area , see if there ' s any items that might need sounds to complement their presence : the humming of generators , crackling of fires , buzzing of neon signs , and so on . Wildlife Sounds : Wolves howling , birds chirping , crickets , hissing of rattlesnakes . Do not include human voices in this category ( that ' s covered in " Walla , " below ) . Business Sounds : Any SFX tied to businesses or merchants in the area ( sound of a tractor in the distance , a trash compactor crushing metal , gunshots from the rifle range , roaring of a plane from an airport ) . Living Sounds : Any SFX tied to everyday life in the area ( tolling of a church bell , sound of a basketball on asphalt , car engine coming to life , chopping of wood ) . For every sound effect you want , be sure to include : Distance : The distance you expect the sound effect to be played at . Time - Dependent : Is the SFX tied to a time cycle ? Does a factory stop crushing metal cans at night ? Is a neon sign turned off during the day ? If so , audio needs to know . Any Walla ? Is there any walla that needs to be done for the locations ? This is much different from sound effects , because a voice actor must be employed to do the lines . See " Walla " SFX , below . " Walla " SFX . Walla is a term used to describe any voices you hear in the area . The catcalls of prostitutes , people groaning in pain in a dungeon , ghostly whispers in a haunted house are all examples of this . Walla SFX questions break down into the same categories as basic SFX : Distance : The distance you expect the walla sound effect to be played at . Time - Dependent : Is the walla tied to a time cycle ? Does a street empty out at night ? Do the merchant stalls close up shop and the merchants go home ? Does a bar become more lively when twilight falls ? How many people and what ' s the gender and racial mix ? Be sure to include roughly how many people are in the location , their races , and their genders . For example , a rough and tumble bar might have " 12 patrons : 5 human male bandits , 3 human female bandits , 2 super mutant males , 1 ghoul female , and a whirring servant robot that occasionally asks if a customer wants drinks . " ) What ' s the mood of the place where the walla is occurring ? And how should the voices sound ? In the example above , you might describe it as " a rough and tumble bar in a bad section of town where disreputable raiders gather to smoke , drink , and occasionally get into a fight or two ; all conversations should either be loud , raucous , drunken stories about successful raids , attacks on caravans , or other crimes , or else be mumbled planned conversations with a group planning their next raid . A few insults may be being thrown around at other patrons or directed toward the robot servant . The area should feel alive and threatening ( like a WWF match ) , but not sinister . " Does the walla sound have any other SFX ? In the example above , the servant robot ' s speech may need to have a slight whirring or clicking sound associated with it as the robot speaks and rolls around the bar . Does this walla sound need any DIRECT SFX attached to it ? If the walla sound effect is " people screaming as they ' re being whipped , " then not only do you need a whip SFX , but you need to make sure that the whip SFX plays before the screaming or at least complements the screaming . The basic chart for SFX would be as follows : Map and Map Key . The Map and Map Key section has a JPG of the area , with each important location numbered . Again , this is useful for QA , other designers , game editors , and strategy guide authors . Here ' s an example of what I mean ( see next page . . . ) : Example : Virgin Street Map Key . 1 . Empty Lot : This is where the Corvega is parked when the player comes to New Reno . At some point while the player is in New Reno , the car will be stolen , so there will need to be a “ scripting hex ” somewhere in the lot that activates when the player comes within 10 hexes of it ( basically , whenever the player hits that hex radius , he ’ ll say “ Where the hell is my car ? ” ) . 2 . Miss Kitty ’ s Scratching Post : This building has tons of graffiti covering its surface and ten cap whores line the sidewalks outside , calling out to the character . 3 . Miss Kitty ’ s Parlor : This is where clients can check in with the madam and arrange to get their snake drained . 4 . “ Bedrooms ” : This is where Miss Kitty ’ s prostitutes take care of the customers . 5 . Shitty Building : A number of junkies fill this building . It is run down and crappy , more so than any building on the street ( no one lives here ) . Junkies lie on the floor or stagger around the edge of the building , high on Jet . 6 : Shitty Building , 2 : Some random building . Feel free to play around with it or cut it out to save space on the map . 7 : Mordino Casino : The entrance to the Mordino Casino . Clicking on one of the doors takes the player to the Mordino Casino , First Floor Map ( below ) .