I am designing a RTS, and i am not sure how to make the game design document. I got all the research for the game, but i just don''t know how to put it all together. I have found template Design Documents, but none that really work with RTS games. Like, what is the storyline? My game, you just start in the Ice age and go through time making history. No real story to that. Anyways, could anyone give me suggestions on where to start? And something you have seen lacking in RTS games you''ve played would be helpful too. Thank you.

First of all what are your goals?

How long will each game be?
Single player or multiplayer?
Focus on team play? 1v1? free for all?
What other games is it similar to? What ways is it different from those games?

give as much information as you have.

Well, I am trying to make it so RTS games are more realistic, it terms of the age of people in the game (An axeman can''t live through 30 battles and 500 years,) the amount of people in a civilization (5 people cannot build the whole town of rome,) and stuff like damage on units (A guy gets hit 4 times by a sword before he dies *Cough, never shows blocking the hit with shield or anything, Cough* ) What do you mean Each Game? Do you mean each Age in history? That is based on historical information i have found. Like, the ice age ended about 10,000 B.C. It will be single player and multiplayer, single player is more historical-based and multiplayer is basically kill everyone in sight. In single player, you get enemies and allies like it happened in history. Like for example, During the Revolutionary War in America, the French helped America while the British were against us. In Multiplayer, you can choose teams you are on, and make changes by using diplomacy. This game will be similar to Age of Empires 1 and 2, Command and Conquer, Civilization 2, Knights and Merchants, and many more RTS games. It will differ from those games by the realistic battles, and real events that took place in history, and not, gather 3 sheep, send one guy to build a barracks, laddydada.

That is basically the outline of what i got so far... How is it?

oh, you meant RTS as in real-time sim, not real time strategy. I''ll have to admit that I don''t know that much about them at all. Well since the game will probably last quite a while you''ll want to look into how the resource model works and make sure that it never locks up. You have to figure out which processes rely on other processes and sort of set up a food chain. You know how in middle school they have science books with the water cycle? You know, the ocean evaporates, then it rains, water flows around, some goes into the ground, etc, until it gets back to the sea? You''re going to need draw all the cycles on paper, where resources come into the system and where they are wasted. The importance of different parts of the cycle will change over the course of the game, so you''ll want to consider that.

Try to slow down positive feedback loops (like economic systems, where things get better and better over time as you get more workers and more land and more wealth which leads to even more workers) because otherwise sitting at home and improving your town will become the best strategy and whoever acts first will lose. Get the players interacting with each other as fast as possible. Even if it isn''t full scale war get them doing something. Perhaps one player could steal another''s food, or women, or something. Players like to interact with each other, the game doesn''t really start until you start dealing with another human.