8. Threat to Antiquity
Contents
Introduction
Lost in Time aims at getting children to know
about historical monuments in Delhi, capital of
India, through an action adventure packed game.
Fun Part
Beating the time, solving the clues and chase and
kill the evil guy.
Game Concept
Story
A Historian stumbles upon an ancient
mythological book, which describes about the
‘Karna ka kawach’ from Mahabharata time that
can make the wearer immortal. The ‘kawach’
is said to be hidden in old monuments in Delhi
(which was known as Hasthinapur during
Mahabharata period). At the same time, a scientist,
who is also historian’s friend, is working on a Time
Machine. To get the ‘kawach’ the historian needs
to travel back in time, so he kills the scientist to use
his time machine. The protagonist is the scientist’s
student, who sees the historian killing his teacher
and gets assigned from his dying teacher to save
the future by stopping the Historian. Now, he has
to find the ‘kawach’ before the historian does or
kill him before he finds the ‘Kawach’.
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Game Flow Summary
Game flow is such that the player is left in the
world exploring his way to the treasures in a race
of time. There is a play of characters and actions
at every scenario. A task has to be established to
settle the tension down or crack a puzzle. It is up
to the player to see if he can use his environment
to his advantage. If he attacks a person, he will
be attacked back, hence he has to maintain the
decorum of the place (also a teaching). If he is
being attacked, the player can engage in the fight
or flee from the place. The other person attacking
always stays guard and doesn’t come chasing.
Scope
No. of locations
Every level has about 8 to nine locations.
No. of levels
The game has five levels
No. of non player characters
Every scene will have a maximum of 5 non
playing characters who will be involving in the
current event. For example, if you are fighting in
the market, not more than 5 persons at any time
are entering the circle and engaging in the event.
That too, they will take turns in fighting with
you. You can choose to hurt different non-playing
characters in a burst but they will come to fight
one by one and evidently display their anticipation
in being involved in the encounter while waiting
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for a certain individual involved in fighting to be
finished with his mode.
No. of weapons
A maximum of three hand-held weapons is
allowed to be carried and used by the player.
But along with there other weapons systems like
‘Poisonous mushroom’ can be carried in inventory
without a limit.
Game Play Description
Includes {Game progression, Mission/tasks
structure, Objective of the game, Play flow}
Lost In Time is a Role playing First Point Shooter
game with Third Person View set in a realistic past
of Old Delhi in 1573 during the time of rule of
Humayun. The main aim of the game is to teach
history to children of secondary schools by means
of Role-playing. In the game, the player shall come
across visuals or events and he would have to deal
with it in various ways getting him accustomed
to the culture and architecture of that time. The
story telling of facts is done by actually character
back to that time and putting in middle of those
events. For most of the game, the player explores
on foot. The player can choose his or her path in
the game to complete a mission to an extent. The
story mode progresses in a linear fashion. There
is navigation system on the interface, which will
help guide he player to various destinations. This
navigation system displays a Map region around
present location of the player. It only reveals
certain distance of the paths around the player. It
also displays the various pick able items as blips.
The player needs to go to the destination as soon
as possible and unlock the clue to the ‘Kawach’.
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Cup of Life: The player has to maintain the liquid
of life in the cup to be alive and loses the liquid
based on the way he or she plays the game. If the
player gets hurt, by falling or getting encountered,
the liquid spills from the cup proportionately. By
picking eatable items along the way, the Cup of
Life will continue to be filled.
If the Cup of Life is less than half-full then the
player cannot climb walls. This way he or she
will have to play the game cautiously to progress
through the game. During a mission, if the Cup
of Life goes empty, the player has to restart the
mission, no matter how far he may have come in
that mission.
Game Structure and Mechanics
Controls
Arrow keys give the player movement of character
about the world in the game. Arrow keys have
been assigned along with A,W,D,S as default
movement keys (they can be changed). Mouse
gives the camera direction or the direction of the
characters view.
Movements:
General movements
The Character can walk and run. For running,
holding Shift Key (which has been selected as
default key, can be changed) and using arrow keys
(again default, can be changed).
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Other movements
The player can use a combination of actions like
Jumping and running to do a Leap. By leaping
from a wall, it is possible for the player to catch
onto another wall.
Actions:
Picking up objects, carrying and dropping the
ones not bigger than the Character is possible. For
fighting, player can use a combination of attack
key with running or jumping key to bring variety
into blows of sword. Mouse scrolling changes
the weapon along with keys 1,2,3,4,5 and so on
assigned for the weapons and inventory. Mouse
right button does the action of talking or picking
up objects or turn a doorknob, using a key, etc.
While using Bow and arrow, mouse right button
activates zoom for bringing in accuracy to the
shoot.
Scoring
Collecting scrolls of the city layout, historical
events and the monuments gives us Cartography
points, which help you solve puzzles easily.
Collecting old artifacts and relics can give you
points as well but they will be needed to finish a
mission accordingly. Collecting weapons that are
already being carried by you gives you points.
Replaying and saving
Any point of the game can be saved, so you can
get back to that point. But if killed, the mission has
to restarted (the save disappears).
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Mission mechanics
Main missions
All pieces of Kawach need to found in the past.
Historian needs to be stopped.
Unlock various puzzles at each of the monuments
to find ‘Karna Ka Kawach’. At the Purana Qila,
Karna’s Forearm Bands lie locked and hidden
away in one of rooms, which is said to be a King’s
secret chamber not open to anyone else other than
the royal family.
In the second challenge at Qutub Minar, one of
the earrings of Karna lies hidden at the highest
floor and unnoticeable to the untrained eye. It has
to be identified and surfaced by the player also
the biggest step would be to get entry into Qutub
Minar which happens to be restricted to anyone
outside the royal family.
Third Challenge is the recovery of Mettalic body
armour at the foundation of the Black Taj Mahal.
The clues lead the player to the Taj Mahal, which
after exploring and identifying the further of
the clues lead to not the White but the Black Taj
Mahal.
Fatehpur Sikhri becomes the next arena where
Karna’s second earring needs to be unearthed
from the city planned and erected by Akbar the
great with his visions of future.
The last of the mission ends with discovery of
Karna’s crown, which is laid hidden beneath
layers of clues at Red fort. The fort with its unique
pillars and climate controlling walls all hold sets of
puzzles for the discovery of the crown.
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Player mechanics
Character is able to walk on the ground as well
as climb walls and hang onto edges of planes and
swing. All of this gives the world of the past its
plethora of regions for secrets to be hidden away
and reached onto.
Since a lot of the game play happens around huge
monuments, the ability of the Character to scale
them tactically is explored. This gives the players
newer angles to look at the monuments and be
amazed while are subtly learning facts at the back
of this educational game. Hence, working with
ropes and available sticks and pillars should be
conducive for player to sneak into such structures
of the past. Using flora and fauna to the player’s
advantage seems apt for the context of the game,
hence using poisonous mushrooms for over
powering bad agents or getting out of trouble is
possible in the later stages.
AI system
Opponent AI: historian and few guards are AI
controlled players, which are active and plays
against the game player and create challenges
for him. For example, field of vision/hearing can
tuned up to track player from far and poses more
difficulty for player to accomplish his task.
Pedestrians/public AI: The purana qila has lot of
general public walking, talking, sitting and doing
their daily jobs. They must avoid pounding with
other NPCs and static objects around them. The
number of NPCs can be accommodated according
to the game engine’s capacity and should be
rendered around a certain radius of the player’s
position.
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Public behaviors
Walking: The ped do not follow todays’ rules of
walking on road. They should be able to avoid
static and dynamic objects. If there is any other
pedestrian in its path then they avoid each other
or change its behavior to talking. There should be
variation in speed of pedestrians.
Talking: group of two or three people can be
engaged in talking along the sides of the road. A
pedestrian can join two people for talking for brief
time and can continue with his walk afterwards.
These talking people are to create feel of market/
crowded place.
Sitting: The market place has few NPC sitting at
the shop counter. These characters wave or greet
the pedestrian going in front of them and keep
looking here there otherwise.
Other:
Special figures
These are important characters in the game that
guide the game player to complete his mission.
They look as one of the NPC, and interacting with
them start the dialogue scene/ cut scene.
Cut-Scene
1. Introduction:
After loading the game starts with the cut scene,
where a Historian is searching through books
in a huge library. He comes across an ancient
mythological book, which describes about the
‘Karna ka kawach’ from Mahabharata time that
can make the wearer immortal. The ‘kawach’,
is said to be hidden in old monuments in Delhi
(which was known as Hasthinapur during
Mahabharata period). This information is showed
16. Threat to Antiquity
as flashing images, while the historian is reading
the book with greedy eyes. Historian goes to
his scientist friend, who is working on a Time
Machine. Scientist do not want historian to use
the time machine since it’s not fully tested. The
historian and scientist have a debate over this
and historian kills the scientist to use his time
machine. One of scientist student sees the historian
killing his teacher and gets assigned from his
dying teacher to save the future by stopping the
Historian. By that time, historian has already
transported himself to some era in history to fetch
the ‘kawach’. The student runs towards the time
machine and push the button to transport himself
in the history.
2.Talk with Ali :
Ali: Hello traveler! What brings you here?
Player: I am a unique collector of artefacts. What
can you tell me about the legend of Karna’s
Kawach?
Ali: Well, it is said that there is a secret room in the
Qila of Humayun Emperor. And the clue to the
secret treasure of Karna lies hidden in this room.
Player: How do you know of this?
Ali: It is a famous story of this place and its is said
even Kingsmen are unaware of unlocking this
puzzle to the treasure. Also, the King has a price
held for any intruder who sneaks up to this place.
He will be hanged without trial.
Player: Is there any way around all of this?
Ali: None but one. You will have to disguise
yourself as a guard only then can you walk around
the place without becoming a target.
Player: Thank you sir!
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Sound system
1.Music – Ambient music ; played at different
scenarios like when he is in certain area of the
level.
2.Effect – played in player’s environment (ex.
Waves when he is in water)
3.Vocal (played by characters)
References
Archie’s Design Document
Baldwin Game Design Document Template
CTAY LORD Design Template
Break Out Game Design Document
An Ant’s Life Game Design Document
Danger ball ’77, Game Design Document