1. Christopher Orchard
Game Specification
Christopher Orchard
Document Introduction 2
Game Concept 2
Introduction 2
Game Analysis 2
Game Description 2
Game Reference 3
Game Technical 3
Game Sales 3
Game Atmosphere 3
Game Play 3
Key Features 4
Design Information 5
Design Version 5
Design Guidelines 5
Design Definitions 5
Menu 5
Game Play 6
Game Over 6
Flow Chart 7
Player Definitions 7
Player Properties 8
Player Rewards 8
User Interface 8
Heads up Display 8
Audio & Sound Effects 8
Technical Information 9
System Requirements 9
Code Structure 9
XAML Files 9
Version Control 10
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2. Christopher Orchard
Document Introduction
This document shall include information regarding the designs and creation process of the
application. The document shall be split into multiple sections, each of which will include unique
information on a set topic.
Game Concept
Introduction
The game concept idea is a simplistic noughts and crosses game. This game shall give the player
the option of single and multiplayer game modes - Therefore allowing interaction between them
and their friends. However, the multiplayer game mode shall only be available on the singular
device and not over a network connection.
Furthermore, this game shall be targeted at mostly children and teenagers; the reason for this is
that Children often get entertained and distracted by the simplest of things and therefore a simple
game may entertain them for a long period of time.
Game Analysis
Game Description
Genre The game that is being created is a very simple and very well
known game, noughts and crosses. Within this game, players will
have the ability to play in both a single and multiplayer game
mode, which can allow more interaction with friends and family.
Elements The elements within this game are extremely simple; the player is
able to place their ‘icon’ on a 3x3 grid - and from this try and beat
either the AI or the opposing player.
Theme The theme of this game is extremely abstract, as the overall
objective that has to be completed is very simplistic and easy to
understand.
Style The style of the game will be very simplistic. Using a simplistic
style helps ensure the game matches the style of the desired
system we wish to release onto.
Game Sequence Loading Screen->Main Menu->Select game mode->Decide first
player->Player makes move->Player2/Computer makes move-
>Repeat taking turns until a win/tie.
Player This game has the option of a single player game mode and a
multiplayer game mode. The multiplayer mode allows two people
to play against each other via the same device.
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3. Christopher Orchard
Game Reference
Game Technical
Game Sales
Game Atmosphere
//See attached mood-board
As you are able to see within the attached mood-board, the game is going to feature a very
simplistic and easy to understand interface. The reasoning behind this is because a simplistic and
flat interface shall match the Windows Phone system and shall ensure the game stays up to date
with modern changes.
Game Play
Upon opening the application; the user shall be presented with a very simplistic and flat splash
screen. This splash screen shall give the user a small inside of what the game is and of the
interface style. Once the slash screen fades away, the user shall be presented with an easy to
understand interface - this interface will include the play buttons for both single and multiplayer
game modes, along with an options button which shall allow the user to configure the game to their
needs.
Player Immersion Whilst the player is playing the game, they will be immersed in a
number of ways in which have been listed below.
- Tactical - The player will be required to think of unique tactics to
win each round of the game.
- Strategy - Much like tactical, the player will have to have a
unique strategy in which they follow to win each round of the
game.
- Mental - As the game will constantly require the player to think
and decide what their next move shall be - the player may
become mentally immersed within the game.
Technical From Very simplistic interface, with the use of an AI on the single player
game mode.
View The game will be viewable from a single, flat, 2D perspective on
the players device.
Platform C#
Device Windows Phone
Consumer Group The consumer group for this application will be younger children
and teenagers. This is because young children often get
entertained by the simplest of games and therefore this game will
easily keep their attention
Payment Free - However a paid version shall be available for £0.99
Device Supported List Windows Phone
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4. Christopher Orchard
When the user navigates into the options panel, they will be able to change two very basic options
which include the icon of ‘Player 1’ and ‘Player 2’ - Player 2 shall be the AI when playing on a
single player game mode. Allowing users to change their icon gives them more free roam within
the application.
As previously stated, there will be two game modes in which the player is able to choose from.
Firstly, there is the single player game mode which allows the user to play against the AI coded into
the application. If the player chooses the multiplayer game option; they are able to play against
anyone of their choice on the same device, by simply alternating turns.
When the player makes their move, their chosen icon will be placed onto the game board, and the
secondary player or the AI will take their turn and place their icon onto the board. The game will
stop when there is either a winner or a tie. A winner is determined by whoever has 3 of their icon in
a line first.
Players often enjoy the game noughts and crosses as it is a very easy to understand game, and a
game which can be completed in a matter of minutes. This allows for a game which can quickly be
played on the move. Along with this, younger children are often easily distracted and entertained
by simplistic and easy to understand games and therefore this game may keep their attention.
Key Features
Within this application; there are a number of unique features which make it enjoyable for the user.
Firstly, there is the use of the leaderboard - This will track how many times the player has won a
game, and how many times the AI has won a game.
The use of this leaderboard can make the game very competitive between friends as many friends
will compare scores to try and be the best.
Along with this, in the premium version of the application; there will be multiple AI difficulties. The
use of this allows players to configure the game in a way in which they enjoy.
As previously stated, this game will be compatible with up to two players on a single device. This is
because currently Windows Phone does not offer any network services to play games on multiple
devices. In the case this was added, we would then be able to allow multiplayer games over a
network connection.
The graphics and audio within the application will be extremely simplistic. This is to help us follow
the style across the entire Windows Phone platform.
This game will be compatible with Windows Phone as it uses a very simplistic user interface which
is carried across all applications. Along with this, Windows Phone is a new marketplace which is
slowly increasing - This can be seen below.
As you can see within this graph, the Windows Phone market share has increased by 0.2% - This
may not be a large amount, however it is able to show that it is a growing market.
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5. Christopher Orchard
Design Information
Design Version
Currently this application only has a single design version. The reason for this is that we are
creating it for a very simplistic system. In the case we were releasing this application on multiple
platforms; there may be multiple designs as we would have to change it to fit in with each of the
systems.
Design Guidelines
The design for this application will be very simplistic, this is so it can easily fit into the style of the
Windows Phone platform. Along with this, the simplistic style of the application ensures everyone is
able to understand how the application works and how to navigate around the different pages.
Along with this, the colour scheme of the application will be very bland. We will use a specific
colour set throughout the entire application and therefore keep everything consistent.
Design Definitions
Menu
The menu of the application will contain buttons navigating to other pages within the game. The
main two buttons will be the “Single Player” and “Multiplayer” buttons - These will take the user
straight into a new game of their choice, either against an AI or of another player on their device.
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15
30
45
60
May August
Android iOS BlackBerry Windows Phone Other

6. Christopher Orchard
Along with the play buttons, there will be a “Settings” button, this will navigate the user to the
settings page of the application. Within this page, they are able to change the “Icons” of each
player and reset the application default settings.
Finally, there will be a “Leaderboard” button, this will navigate the user to the leaderboards page
and from here they may view how they cope against the AI within the application.
The menu page will use a very simplistic interface, with ‘Titles’ representing each of the buttons.
Using a tiled interface helps us follow the Windows Phone style, found in many applications.
Game Play
The gameplay elements within this game are extremely easy to understand. Players will take turns
in placing their ‘Icon’ on the board, until a player gets three in a row or until there is a tie. The board
itself is a 3x3 grid.
The interface for the grid will use very bland colours, as will the reset of the application. The use of
these colours ensures we are not offending anyone of a different race and that the application is
not found to hurt anyones eyes.
Game Over
Players are able to win the game by matching three of their icons in a line. This line can be
diagonal or straight. Once a player has won, a line will be draw through their set of icons to help
represent the line they created. Once the player has either won or lost a game, their score is then
added onto the leaderboard - This allows the player to look back at their scores over a period of
time.
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7. Christopher Orchard
Flow Chart
Player Definitions
- Actions: The player is able to easily navigate around the application. From this, the player is
able to start both single and multiplayer games. The single player game will be against an AI -
Which has difficulty levels if using the premium version of the application.
Generic Name Game Name Description
CrossIcon Cross The cross icon used within the
game.
NoughtIcon Nought The noughts icon used within the
game.
MoonIcon Moon The moon icon used within the
game. Players can change their
icon to this.
StarIcon Star The star icon used within the
game. Players can change their
icon to this.
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Player Opens
Application
Menu Loads
Player Selects
Single Player
Player Selects
Multiplayer
Player Selects
Settings
Player Selects
Leaderboard
Game Loads.
Turns Alternate.
Settings page
loads.
Leaderboard
loads.
Winner/Tie
Settings
changed &
Saved.

8. Christopher Orchard
- Information: The player is given information regarding who's turn it currently is, and when they
are to place their move. Along with this, the player is able to view leaderboard information
including how many times they have won and lost.
- Default Properties: When the game begins, the game board is completely empty. During this
time, the game determines which player goes first. Once the first move has been made - Players
alternate turns until there is a winner or a tie.
- Winning: To win the game; the player must get three of their ‘Icons’ in a line. This line can be
diagonal, horizontal or vertical.
- Loosing: To loose the game, the other player must get three of their icons in a row. If neither
player gets three in a row, then there is simply a tie.
Player Properties
The player has access to two properties in which they are able to easily change within the
application. The first of these properties is their player ‘Icon’ - This is what gets placed on the board
whenever the player goes ahead and makes their turn.
The second of the two properties is the game difficulty. This is only available on the premium
version of the application. However, this does allow the player to change the difficulty of the AI and
therefore make the game more or less challenging.
Player Rewards
As the player wins a set number of games against the AI on the single player game mode, they are
able to unlock new Icons which they are then able to apply within the settings menu.
Having this as a reward to players may encourage them to continue playing as they know they may
be able to unlock icons which their friends do not have.
User Interface
The user interface for this application will follow the simplistic style found throughout the windows
phone platform. The design will be very ‘tile based’ and therefore follow the style of the windows
phone home screen.
This style includes large buttons, therefore ensuring they stand out and can easily be clicked.
However, with these buttons being so large, we need to ensure the user does not accidentally click
on these and from this perform an unintended action.
One of the worst possible designs would include very small buttons with a large variety of colors.
This would make the buttons extremely difficult for the user to click onto and thus make navigating
around the application much harder. The use of many colors would then cause issues for those
with bad eye sight and could result in the interface being hard to look at for a long period of time.
Heads up Display
When the player is within a game, there will be information regarding who's turn it currently is. This
information is able to help the user understand when they’re required to take action and make their
move within the game. If this information was not provided, the player may try making their turn
before ready and thus believe the application was broken.
Audio & Sound Effects
This application is going to use very basic and short sound effects. Whenever the player goes
ahead and presses a button the screen, there shall be a small ‘clicking’ sound effect. This will help
show that the user has clicked on the button and that an action has occurred.
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9. Christopher Orchard
Technical Information
System Requirements
This application will be able to run on extremely low end devices as it does not use a large portion
of memory on the device. The application itself is very simplistic and does not require too much
processing power for graphics either.
Code Structure
Within this application, we shall be using a ‘View’, ‘ViewModel’ and ‘Model’ class set. The
‘ViewModel’ class will contain a collection of methods which can then be used to determine if there
is a winner on the board, along with saving data in IsolatedStorage.
The use of isolated storage allows us to store information including the users set ‘Icons’ and their
scores on the device. Doing this then allows us to reference it to display information on the device
screen.
XAML Files
Within the application, there will be a set of XAML files - These are used to create interfaces for
each page within the game.
- MainView - This will be the menu page of the application and shall contain buttons used for
navigating around.
- GameView - This view shall include the noughts and crosses grid. This view will be capable of
running both single and multiplayer games.
- SettingsView - This will be the settings page of the application. It will often call upon methods
within the ‘ViewModel’ class file.
- LeaderboardView - This view will be responsible for loading information from IsolatedStorage
and from this displaying a leaderboard.
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10. Christopher Orchard
Version Control
Version Number Date Changes Made
0.1 11/11/2013 - Document Introduction
- Game Concept Started
0.2 13/11/2013 - Game Concept Completed
- Designed Information Started
0.3 14/11/2013 - Gathered Market Research Information
- Created a graph within the Design Information section
- Created a flow chart within the Design Information section
0.4 17/11/2013 - Completed Player related information within Design Information
section.
0.5 21/11/2013 - Completed design information section
1 25/11/2013 - Started and Completed Technical Information.
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