Unit 2: Making a game design document
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Concept
Driving in Tokyo is an open-world racing based in Tokyo, Japan. Which will capture the landscape of both country and city giving the player many ways of exploring Tokyo. Players will be able to compete in various races with different game modes. It will also be a free-roam exploration which you can participate in AI or multiplayer powered racing. The world will have a anime shaded theme which embraces anime culture. Explore the streets of Tokyo and climb through ranks or drive freely with no limits.
Game Objective
Main Objective
The objective of the game is to be a cosy arcade like racing game so that people can unwind and take in the buildings which Tokyo has for those who want to visit and providing a semi-realistic experience for those who can’t afford to go to Tokyo and has 2 game styles.
- Relaxed: Open world laid back experience where you can do whatever you please.
- Multiplayer: Race against friends or explore the open world together.
Gameplay Goals
I want the player to experience the roads in Tokyo with a new look of anime to embrace the Japanese culture. So there is no limitations to the game weather that is crashing into other cars or building. But if they are feeling competitive then why not race with the AI or with others.
Presentation Goals
I want the players to feel immersive within the world as they are part of it. Taking in the scenery and beating their personal best. I want all assets to look like they belong in an anime but sells the realism of Tokyo and that the player is part of that anime show. In order to give this immersive goal I will need to consider audio, graphics, interface and more.
Game Engine
I decided to go with Unreal Engine 5.6.1. Which already had a built in racing template which could be built upon. I have also chosen Unreal Engine as I am more familiar with it. Unreal Engine has also become one of the largest known game engines and has a good reputation compered to the newer engines or those with a bad reputation.
Target Audience
To find my target audience I decided to look at the biggest competitors within the genre to best idea on who my target audience might be.
Forza franchise – Forza Horizon 5 is rated PEGI 3 which is suitable for everyone. However, it has 2 different types of audiences this is because of their game series Horizon and Motorsports. For the Horizon it is more a for a casual audience, including younger players and families whereas Motorsports is aimed at racing enthusiasts and simulation players who appreciate technical precision, realistic physics another games like Gran Turismo.
Research I have done
There are 2 main types of research that I have done.
- Primary: Primary research often is first hand research which has not been done before. The benefits of primary is that it will be up to date and is more accurate towards my target audience.
- Secondary: Secondary research is second hand research often being done by someone else and sources from Wikipedia or books which can be out of date.
I created a form which allowed me to create a profile for my audience. I asked a range of questions some being generic response and more focused questions. I managed to get answers which allowed me to get a good amount of data to help provide for my game.
Most people chose PC as their main gaming platform. Most people are willing to spend. I do think the survey could have been expanded on with more direct questions as it developed. But overall I managed to get fair response due to the multiple choice and avoiding bias opinions.
I did secondary research this was researching my competition which are
Ananta (Unreleased)
This game is unreleased and not primarily focused on racing however, it does feature unique car mechanics with a anime theme which is a huge inspiration to the project. As it is unreleased I have not be able to play it however, the reviews on the driving element is amazing therefore, it should be classed as a competitor as it has 2 elements which is inspired by it.
Assetto Corsa
This is very well known for realistic physics and it’s modding community this allows a lot of flexibility because they can add cars which aren’t suppose to be in game and can use them. It also allows them to add their own maps which allows the community to get very involved in the game.
This data showed me my age of audience is under 18 as all games are rated pegi 3 allowing anyone to play it. So it isn’t age restricted. With a large overlap on the audience this will be a competitive market.
Platform
I want to hit players on a wide range of hardware and low budget. This is because of the technical specs. However, I will be aiming at both console and PC this is because of my target audience.
PC specs
| Recommended | Minimum | |
| CPU | I5 10th gen | Intel I3 6th gen |
| GPU | NVIDIA RTX 2060 | NVIDIA GTX 1650 |
| RAM | 16GB | 8GB |
| OS | Windows 11 | Windows 10 |
I chose Windows as the recommended OS as it currently holds 94% of the market. For memory, 40.94% of gamers on Steam currently use 16GB, with 36.96% having 32GB. For graphics, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the lowest in the top 5 GPUs used on Steam. So this is our baseline. For the CPU, we had to match with our GPU choice, so the Intel 6th and 7th generation Core CPUs are a perfect fit.
| Estimated Specs | |
| CPU | Intel Core i3-2100 |
| GPU | NVIDIA GT 730 |
| RAM | 4GB |
I plan on releasing on console however, due to console having a lot of custom made software through companies like NVIDIA or AMD I tried to compere it specs to equal PC specs.
Player input
This game will be for controller use but with support for keyboard and mouse inputs. I have picked this because racing simulator setups come with a steering wheel which is mostly compatible with a console. On console there is also more control with steering however, for those without a controller and compatibility PC keyboard and mouse inputs will be important. Here is a example with the XBOX series controller.
Monetization
For me to best monetarise my game I will be launching on steam which is a $100 deposit to recoup some money I will sell the game at $15 and when on offer it will be $5. I will also have in game spending which they can pay for in game money to best use the vehicle customization however, everything will be earnable in time. Therefore, people will have the option to spend in game instead of being forced to in order to get something they want.
Game play
Mechanics
Closed Off Races: will feature in story mode and free roam this is because it’s optional and can be played as much as the player wants. It will contain difficulty to which is to make it more challenging as you play or more easy if you just want to race and chill.
There will be 5 difficaulties
- Beginner – This is for the lowest of the low as it has all assistance and that AI will be slower and less aggressive for the player. But good for players that are playing casually and not completive. Unlimited retries when racing.
- Easy – Car physics is more grounded not as floaty as beginner but not selling the realism of a car. But more anime styled.
- Medium – This is the middle ground between hardcore and beginner you will have the most real physics that this game can handle with unlimited redo’s. This is for racing enthusiasts if they want real but not to be completive.
- Hard – This has the most real physics that this game can handle meaning one mistake could cost you the race however, there are 3 redo’s. which the player can use before automatically giving up.
- Hardcore – This has the most real physics that this game can handle meaning one mistake could cost you the race with no redo’s. This is one chance. The AI’s are the most aggressive but drive according to laws.
Vehicle Customization: This will allow the player to customize their car like they would be able to do in real life such as changing the colour, decals or changing internals such as engines. This gives the player complete freedom for customization.
Advanced AI: AI should cover both race opponents and everyday traffic. Players can adjust options such as traffic density and collisions in free-roam. The aim is flexible AI that supports different play styles.
Offline Play: This game also has a offline mode. This is a handheld only mode so they can play the game on the go without having to worry about if they have a connect or not. This allows them to play anytime anywhere.
Level design
Tokyo is a metropolitan which is similar to a large county or state but combines surrounding cities, towns, villages, and islands called wards. all under one Tokyo Metropolitan Government. It’s the world’s largest city but it is legally classed as one of Japan’s 47 prefectures. I plan on adding all 47 prefectures however, this would be too much strain for what the software requirements are to overcome this I will use culling and LOD around each prefectures and the prefectures themselves will be teleportable instead of load all at once. The player will spawn in centre of Tokyo itself.
Shibuya crossing featured in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 during the Shibuya Incident arc. Known as a major commercial and entertainment district in Tokyo. Known as the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing. Crossing can see thousands of people cross simultaneously. This location has featured in more than Jujutsu Kaisen.
Rainbow Bridge featured in numerous amines such as Sailor Moon. Is a suspension bridge crossing northern Tokyo Bay between Shibaura Pier and the Odaiba. The bridge carries road, rail and pedestrian traffic on two decks allowing anyone to cross it. This bridge started construction in 1987 and was completed by 1993. Its official name is the Tokyo Port Bridge.
UI
Forza Horizon 5 – I really like the map UI, as it gives you a focus on where the player is on the map without feeling overwhelmed by the UI as it is contained. I also like the speedo as that is also contained well.
Forza Motorsport 4 – I like the speedometer, as the black contrasts well to what is displayed on screen, along with reduced opacity. This helps it not to feel so harsh. However, I do not like the map, as it feels too open and that the fade doesn’t work that well.
Assetto Corsa – I like the UI customization as you can move elements around on your screen and toggle what you want to see on and off. However, its visual appearance isn’t stunning.
Visual
I will use post processing for creating lighting effects such as depth of field and saturation. I can also use post processing to give the world a anime style, that adapts for different lighting during day and night.
Initial D – It’s a anime which is heavily based on cars. It is also a game series which makes the brand of the anime more recognisable however, their game is realistic and doesn’t carry that anime ascetic.
Auto Modellista is a old retro racing game released on PS2. Visually, the game looks out of date right now. However, if modernized with elements from Ananta, I think it would make a good combination.
Audio
I plan on using live sounds meaning for each car in the game will have its own real engine from the real car this will help build a sense of atmosphere. I also want to add live radio station so people can listen in real time. The reason for realistic audio is to add more depth within the game and to make it more unique.
There will be licensed music contained in the game. Some can be accessed through radio such as heart or smooth. Some will also be original made by a third party to use on the game. This means there will be numerous genres being used from country to pop.
Possible Hurdles
There a numerous hurdles in the way which I’ll have to overcome in order for this game to be developed.
- Quality not quantity: It can be challenging to build high quality cars and buildings on scale. I want to prioritize the quality of these assets, by reducing their scale.
- AI: I will utilize behaviour trees and splines for AI logic.
- Multiplayer: This will require c++ and networking, which needs specialized talent.
- Brands and licencing: I want to use recognisable brands like Toyota, but this requires specialized licensing.
- Music: Music being licensed by the official artist will be hard to do this is because you got to often pay for licensing fees and radio even more so.
I will over come these hurdles by separating each one into their own unreal engine project this will allow me to work on systems more effectively as I would not feel overwhelmed when working on it. Then I will combine them and tidy them up when needed.
References
Steam (2024). Steam Hardware & Software Survey. [online] Steampowered.com. Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam.
Reddit.com. (2023). Reddit – The heart of the internet. [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/forza/comments/16twx63/what_is_the_difference_between_horizon_and/?utm
Post #2 (2012). Who is the target market for GT6? [online] GTPlanet. Available at: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/who-is-the-target-market-for-gt6.265368/
Quora. (2019). Is Tokyo a city or a state? [online] Available at: https://www.quora.com/Is-Tokyo-a-city-or-a-state
Wikipedia. (2020). Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Bridge_(Tokyo).
Wikipedia. (2022). Shibuya Crossing. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibuya_Crossing.
Atlassian Williams Racing. (2025). The Formula 1 rules that every new fan needs to know in 2025. [online] Available at: https://www.williamsf1.com/posts/f1783718-39b3-4cc3-bfd3-eb52165df9d5/the-formula-1-rules-that-every-new-fan-needs-to-know-in-2025