The document outlines a fighting game called 'The Next Dragon,' set in the 1980s where players rise as kung fu action stars. It details gameplay mechanics, character customization options, and various game modes, emphasizing an immersive experience through first-person perspectives and diegetic user interfaces. Players engage in one-on-one combat, utilizing combos, special moves, and unique environmental settings inspired by classic kung fu films.

1. Table of Contents
What is this game? ............................................................................................................................ 3
Focus (…Grasshopper).................................................................................................................... 4
Cast of Characters .......................................................................................................................... 5
Non-playable .................................................................................................................................. 5
Customizable................................................................................................................................... 7
Gameplay ................................................................................................................................................ 8
Basic Move Set ................................................................................................................................. 8
Lock-on Mechanic ........................................................................................................................ 9
Combos and Blocking................................................................................................................ 9
Special Move Set .......................................................................................................................... 10
Weapons ............................................................................................................................................ 10
Ultra Move Meter ...................................................................................................................... 11
Player Health ................................................................................................................................ 11
Limb Damage System .................................................................................................................. 12
User-Interface .................................................................................................................................. 13
Diegetic .............................................................................................................................................. 13
Meta-Perception .......................................................................................................................... 14
Environments .................................................................................................................................. 15
The Kumite ....................................................................................................................................... 15
Bamboo Forest ............................................................................................................................. 15

2. The Next Dragon 2
Wild West.......................................................................................................................................... 16
Hall of Mirrors ........................................................................................................................... 16
Abandoned Warehouse .......................................................................................................... 17
Western Tournament.............................................................................................................. 17
Game Modes ........................................................................................................................................ 18
Unlocks................................................................................................................................................. 18

3. The Next Dragon 3
The Next Dragon is Street Fighter meets Zeno Clash with some Enter the Dragon
and The Last Dragon sprinkled on top (and now the name makes sense).
It’s 1980. You are the newest and hottest up and coming Kung Fu action star in
Hollywood, but there’s one problem standing in the way of your success: every
other Kung Fu action star that ever existed before you.
Battle your way to the top of Hollywood’s Kung Fu food chain (also known as the
B-list) and take your place as the rightful Kung Fu movie master during the peak
decade of Kung Fu movie fervor, the 1980’s!
+
With a little…
&
(And yes, Bruce Leroy does catch a bullet with his teeth in The Last Dragon)

4. The Next Dragon 4
The Next Dragon explores the idea that fighting games can be more immersive.
What self-respecting martial arts hobbyist didn’t want to be Bruce Lee, Chuck
Norris, or Jean Claude Van Damme (well…maybe not that one) when he was
growing up? How do we accomplish this? Who are you to ask me a question?
• first-person camera (!!!)
• diegetic and meta-perception user interface elements (don’t worry, we’ll
explain this later)
• character customization (now you too can be an over-the-hill, overweight,
slow-moving, fake Native American just like Steven Seagal!)
• actual 3D movement with interactive environments (now you can throw
the boxes at your opponent as opposed to just fighting in front of them!)

5. The Next Dragon 5
The list of non-playable characters will borrow heavily from the classic heroes and
villains of the 1970’s and 1980’s Kung Fu movies. Such as:
Kung Fu Master (from a faraway land)
• Inspired by Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan
• Usually wearing a Kung Fu shirt or no shirt at all (especially when there’s a
lot of mirrors)
• Q-tip inspired hair cut
• Yells things like waaaataaaah…a lot
• Master of Wing Chun Kung Fu (hand-to-hand)
• Proficient with Nunchucks
• Really Cocky
American Karate Master
• Inspired by Chuck Norris or John Saxon (in Enter the Dragon)
• Really big and tall (like America!)
• Normally doesn’t use weapons
• Performs rigid Karate movements (hand-to-hand)
• White teeth
• Wears typical Karate gi and a black belt (so you know he’s awesome)
• Ladies-man
Harlem Shogun
• Inspired by Sho’nuff from The Last Dragon
• The meanest
• The prettiest
• The baddest mofo low down around this town

6. The Next Dragon 6
• Wears Kanye West glasses
• Has glowing hands
• Master of Karate
• Wears a garish outfit, like this:
Muscles from Brussels
• Inspired by Jean Claude Van Damme
• Knows an undetermined martial art, something like Karate
• Can do the splits
• Hard to understand
• Wears a one-piece or pants that are probably too tight
Blind Samurai
• Inspired by Zatoichi (the blind samurai)
• Is blind (but that doesn’t actually affect gameplay)
• Wields a Katana
• Uses Jiu-jitsu when without a weapon

7. The Next Dragon 7
The player will customize his character. However, the customization system will
be not as physically robust as many role-playing games out there, but a couple of
the choices will affect gameplay. These choices will be selectable from a list of
possibilities and not through the use of a million sliders to get the correct nose
size.
Cosmetic customizations:
• Hairstyle (Q-tip, Afro…)
• Headwear (bandana, sunglasses, mask, blindfold…)
• Top (no shirt, Karate gi, Tank-top, polyester disco shirt…)
• Belt (giant wrestling-champion-style buckle, Black belt, sash,
interconnected rings…)
• Pants (bell bottoms, spandex, puffy pants…)
Gameplay customizations:
• Choice of fighting style (Kung Fu, Karate, Mystical…)
• Choice of weapon (fists, sword, projectile)
By allowing the customization of characters we hope to make the player feel
more immersed in the world. With the Kung Fu movie theme, almost any type of
character can be part of the experience.

8. The Next Dragon 8
The game consists of one-on-one combat between the player and a computer
controlled non-playable character in a large, three-dimensional environment. As a
fighting game, this game will include combos and special moves. Each match will
consist of one round. The player and the opponent will continue to fight until one
of them is knocked unconscious (indicated by a player’s health).
The basic move set involves a 1-to-1 mapping of limbs to buttons. Using a
PlayStation 3 game controller to better understand (and general controller layout
for future reference):
L2 (Left Leg) R2 (Right Leg)
L1 (Left Arm) R1 (Right Arm)
Up on D-pad
(equip/unequip O (activate
blade weapon) special move,
interrupt combo)
Down on D-pad X (run/dodge)
(equip/unequip
projectile)
Left Analog Stick (3D Right Analog Stick (Special Move input
Character movement) when locked on, camera when not)
R3 (clicking the stick, locks on/off a target)

9. The Next Dragon 9
The player will have a cursor (or crosshair) in the middle of the screen that will be
used to highlight an opponent (by placing it over the opponent). When the
opponent is highlighted, pressing the R3 button (or clicking the right analog stick)
will lock-on to the target. At this point the camera will become fixed on the
opponent and will not unlock until the R3 button is pressed again.
Each character will have simple punch and kick combos, utilizing the shoulder
buttons for the player’s left and right arms and legs. Holding both arm (R1 and R2)
buttons will block. Combos will be available to the player in a menu. For example:
• R1, R1, R1 – Jab combo
• R1, R1, L1 – Uppercut combo
• R1, R1, R2 – Sweep combo
• R2 + L2 – Drop kick
• L1, L2, R1(lifts opponent into air), R2 – Air-lift combo*
* Some combos will have the ability to lift an opponent into the air. After the
opponent is launched, the player can hold the button to jump into the air after
him and finish the combo. Much like Wolverine is doing in this picture:

10. The Next Dragon 10
The special move set will be available once the player locks on his opponent (by
pressing the R3 button while the opponent is highlighted). This is akin to the
special moves in the Street Fighter series, and will be different depending on the
player’s move-set choice. The player will make sweeping motions on the right
analog stick, once he is locked on to his opponent to prevent the camera from
moving erratically. For instance, in a Kung Fu move-set:
• ↓↘→ + R1 – Throw Tornado
• ←↙↓↘→ + R2 – Chi Storm
• ↓ (hold for 1.5 seconds) ↑+ L2 – Teleport Kick
These moves will be more powerful, or have a distance advantage to more
traditional punch and kick combos.
The player may find weapons lying about the levels of the game. There will two
distinct weapon types:
• Projectiles
• Blades
Projectiles such as a shuriken, kunai, or revolver will be able to be thrown (or
shot) by the player by pressing the R1 or L1 buttons and targeting the opponent
(either through the use of the lock-on mechanic or using the crosshairs). They can
be equipped or unequipped by pressing Down on the D-pad.
Blades such as a katana or rapier can be used to attack once the player is locked-
on to his opponent. These can be swung or thrust with the R1 and L1 buttons. If a
blade requires two hands, either R1 or L1 can be used.

11. The Next Dragon 11
The player will have the ability to use Ultra Moves (or just Ultras) once his Ultra
Move Meter is built up sufficiently. A player’s Ultra will do a very significant
amount of damage, usually ending the match. These will range from unblockable
combos to large, powerful projectiles. A player’s status toward being able to
perform an Ultra will be indicated by the glow of the player’s hands (see the User
Interface section for more details).
Player health will be displayed through the use of meta-perceptive elements (see
the User Interface section for more details). This is akin to the screen turning red
around the camera in a game like Gears of War. Like most modern day first
person shooters, a player’s health will slowly regenerate over time. This will
encourage fast-paced gameplay and the desire to finish off an opponent once he
has taken a significant amount of damage.

12. The Next Dragon 12
By targeting an enemy’s specific body part, that enemy will no longer be able to
use that body part. This is done through the use of the combo system and the
blocking system. Some combos may perform finishing attacks that sweep legs or
throw a hook punch at an opponent’s arm. These will, over time, wear down the
limbs of an opponent. Similarly, if an opponent blocks too much (or blocks a
sword with his bare arms) eventually he will lose the ability to use those arms.
This is a similar system to the body damage system used in the PlayStation game
Bushido Blade. Below is a screenshot of someone crawling on one knee because
she lost the ability to use her leg.

13. The Next Dragon 13
Most fighting games, if not all of them, use non-diegetic means to display
information about player and enemy health, power-up meters, secondary power-
up meters, and time remaining. As the goal of this game is to deliver an intense
fighting game experience within a first-person, immersive environment, we are
designing this game with only diegetic and meta-perception user interface
elements allowed. What the heck does that mean?
• The player will be aware of usable limbs and equipped weapons and
projectiles through the use of diegetic cues
• Arm(s) will no longer appear on screen if one (or both) of them cannot be
used
• If a weapon is equipped, the player (or opponent) will be holding it in his
hands
• As an example:
Use of both hands Use of only one hand
• The player’s hands will gradually glow more and more as he fills up his Ultra
Move Meter

14. The Next Dragon 14
• “…conveys information about ones in-game internal status in a way
reminiscent of some kind of perception if it were to be visualized
graphically.”
• Basically, this is like the onscreen red effect used to indicate damage has
been taken in games like Gears of War and Mass Effect
• As the player regains life, the effect will lessen, and vice-versa

15. The Next Dragon 15
A great advantage in using the Kung Fu movie theme is the ability to have a
multitude of different types of environments all taking place in the same location,
a movie set. This allows us to remake classic movie fight scenes in a spatially
immersive level. Some levels may show the “behind the scenes” section of a
movie set. Some examples below:
• Located in the seedy underbelly of Hong Kong
• Arena with a sloped fighting platform
• Two levels with bench seats
• Classic samurai movie location
• Easy to lose sight of your opponent

16. The Next Dragon 16
• East-meets-west sensibilities
• Possibility for guns vs. ancient martial arts showdown
• Classic Bruce Lee fight
• Technical limitations?

17. The Next Dragon 17
• Lots of debris and hiding places
• Makeshift weapons
• Karate Kid yo!
• Dramatic climax with sweet 80’s jams
• Terrible fighting stance not necessary

18. The Next Dragon 18
• Story Mode
o Main Focus
o Player progresses with his customized character through a series of
one-on-one battles
o Short cutscenes between battles to further the story along
o Player vs. computer
• Versus
o What self-respecting fighting game doesn’t have a Versus mode?
o Player vs. Player
o Both players can play with saved (or newly created) customized
character
o Possibility of selecting pre-made characters from the game
o Stage select
• Training
o Player can practice move-sets and execution here
o Single-player only
o Robust options for computer controlled opponent (such as blocking,
running, jumping, only using special moves, etc.)
Who doesn’t like new hats? Or sweet new platform shoes? Or some awesome
scars on your chest? As the player progresses through the game, she will unlock
items for use in customizing her character. Such as:
• Bruce Lee’s yellow jump suit
• The Karate Kid’s headband
• Other colors of belts (white, yellow, orange, etc.)
• Sho’nuff’s sunglasses
• Sweet Muay Thai shorts