Design Document
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Figure 1: Underwater ruins
Design Document: The Secret of Tritonis
Skyrim
Version 1.0
Position Title
Name
Signature
Level Designer
Raul Siqueira
Designer:
Raul Siqueira
Document Date:
10/27/2012
Intended Level Delivery Date:
10/31/2012
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Document Revisions Table
Version
Description
Requestor
Date
0.1
Initial Document/ Added reference images
Quick Summary/Gameplay Highlights/Setting
Summary/Characters
Visual Themes/Campaign/Objectives
Background Story
Level maps and flow
Level Progression Chart/ Mission difficulty
References and caption for images
Revision
Raul Siqueira
10/27/2012
Raul Siqueira
10/28/2012
Raul Siqueira
Raul Siqueira
Raul Siqueira
Raul Siqueira
Raul Siqueira
Raul Siqueira
10/28/2012
10/29/2012
10/30/2012
10/30/2012
10/30/2012
10/31/2012
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Table of Figures ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Quick Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Hook(s) ...................................................................................................................................................... 6
Gameplay Highlights ................................................................................................................................. 6
Exploring underwater locations is fun .................................................................................................. 6
Puzzles are fun ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Setting Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Mission Difficulty....................................................................................................................................... 7
Mission Metrics ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Characters ............................................................................................................................................. 7
Visual Themes ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Key Theme References.............................................................................................................................. 9
Level Summary ............................................................................................................................................ 14
Campaign ................................................................................................................................................ 14
Context ................................................................................................................................................ 14
Backstory ............................................................................................................................................. 14
Aftermath ............................................................................................................................................ 15
Objectives................................................................................................................................................ 15
Side quest ............................................................................................................................................ 15
Entrance Map .......................................................................................................................................... 16
Entrance Flow Summary ..................................................................................................................... 17
Exterior Map .............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Exterior Flow Summary ....................................................................................................................... 18
Interior 3 Map ............................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Interior 3 Flow Summary .................................................................................................................... 19
Exterior Map part 2 .................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Exterior part 2 Flow Summary ............................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Interior 1 Map ............................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Interior 1 Flow Summary .................................................................................................................... 20
Exterior Map part 3 .................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Exterior part 3 Flow Summary ............................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Interior 2 Map ............................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Interior 2 Flow Summary ....................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
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Level Progression Chart ...................................................................................................................... 21
References .................................................................................................................................................. 22
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Table of Figures
Figure 1: Underwater ruins ........................................................................................................................... 1
Figure 2: Reference of underwater ruins ...................................................................................................... 9
Figure 3: Reference of different water levels on a dungeon ........................................................................ 9
Figure 4: Reference of underwater exterior ............................................................................................... 10
Figure 5: Reference of underwater civilization ........................................................................................... 10
Figure 6: Reference of underwater civilization ........................................................................................... 11
Figure 7: Reference of underwater ruins .................................................................................................... 12
Figure 8: Reference of underwater ruins .................................................................................................... 12
Figure 9: Reference of underwater lighting ................................................................................................ 13
Figure 10: Entrance Overview Map ............................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 11: Entrance Key/Legend .................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 12: Exterior Overview Map ................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 13: Exterior Key/Legend ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 14: Interior 3 Overview Map ............................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 15: Interior 3 Key/Legend ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 16: Exterior part 2 Overview Map...................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 17: Exterior Key/Legend ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 18: Interior 1 Overview Map ............................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 19: Interior 1 Key/Legend ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 20: Exterior part 3 Overview Map...................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 21: Exterior Key/Legend ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 22: Interior 2 Overview Map ............................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 23: Interior 2 Key/Legend ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 24: Level Progression Chart ............................................................................................................. 21
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Level Abstract
Quick Summary
“The Secret of Tritonis” is a quest for the RPG game Skyrim, developed by Bethesda Softworks. The
quest begins on the continent of Tamriel, outside of Riverwood and takes place in the ruins of an
underwater city called Tritonis. The player encounters a young man named Kaldur’ahm who claims to
have been born in Tritonis hundreds of years ago. Kaldur’ahm asks the player to find any survivors and
try to discover the truth behind the calamity that struck his civilization. The player receives a gift from
Kaldur’ahm giving him the unique ability to breathe underwater in order to complete the quest. “The
Secret of Tritonis” is a puzzle-orientated quest for a single player, with a small number of enemies inside
the dungeon.
Hook(s)
The level takes place in an underwater setting.
Gameplay Highlights
Exploring underwater locations is fun
Exploration is one of the core mechanics of Skyrim. In “The Secret of Tritonis”, the player explores in a
different way. Underwater exploration allows the player to visit more places since he can navigate up
and down as well as left and right. The lighting used in underwater environments is unique and provides
wow moments for the player.
Puzzles are fun
“The Secret of Tritonis” is a puzzle-orientated quest with interactive switches and doors. It begins with
simple puzzles to give the player a sense of progress. Then it progresses to more complex puzzles that
have story related hints on how to solve them making it easier for the player to get to the eureka
moment.
Setting Summary
Theme
Mood
Setting
Time of Day
Season
Weather
Raul Siqueira
Underwater
Dark ,scary and wet
Underwater ruins
Night, between 9pm and 11pm
Winter
Underwater temperature, between 0 °C and 2 °C
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Mission Difficulty
Position
Difficulty
Reasons
Beginning
1
This area of the level takes place in the exterior of Tritonis. The player
(Arriving at
must explore the surroundings to find a hint of the correct position of the
Tritonis
center pillar
exterior
Middle
3
This area of the level takes place in the first interior space and the
(Interior and
exterior of Tritonis. The player must position two pillars in the correct
exterior)
position to enter the next building.
End
5
This area of the level takes place in the second interior space. The player
(Second
has an internal puzzle to solve, sea creatures attacking him and traps on
interior
the floor.
space)
Scale: 1-10 (1 is Easiest and 10 is Hardest)
Mission Metrics
Play Time
Critical Path
Physical Area
This mission would take the player about 10 to 15 minutes to complete
Approximately 100m
Entrance ¼ cell = 14.4m x 14.4m
Exterior: 3 cells = 172.8m x 172.8m
Interior 1: 1 cell = 57.6m x 57.6m
Interior 2: ½ cell = 28.8m x 28.8m
Interior 3: ½ cell = 28.8m x 28.8m
Total: 302.4m x 302.4m
Characters
Character
Kaldur'ahm
Tula
Orm
Garth
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Description
Kaldur’ahm is a young man born in Tritonis. Exiled from his home hundreds of
years ago, he dreamed of returning to his friends, family and the love of his
life. Unaware of the fate of his civilization he attempted to go back, only to
find ruins of what Tritonis used to be. Sea creatures attacked Kaldur'ahm
before he was able to search the ruins, forcing him to return to the surface
and leaving him too injured to try again.
Kaldur’ahm is distraught that he does not know what happened to Tritonis or
the ones he loved, and realizes that he is going to need help to discover the
truth and search for survivors.
Tula is Kaldur'ahm’s love. Kaldur'ahm questions if she is still waiting for him to
return home because they have been apart for so long.
Orm is the king of Tritonis. He holds a journal that contains the truth about
what happened to the city.
Garth is Kaldur’ahm’s best friend. He holds a detailed journal of the attempts
the people from Tritonis made to survive during the years that followed the
destruction of the city.
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Visual Themes
Theme
Tritonis(Exterior)
Tritonis(Interior)
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Description
The exterior of Tritonis is completely underwater. There are different types of
fish constantly wondering around the ruins. The lighting is dark mixed with
shades of blue; there are a few spots of light coming from the surface. The
mashes used are mostly destroyed pieces of houses and pillars to help create
the impression that there was once a civilization there. The surrounding
environment consists in rocks and caves that represent the submerged parts
of mountains. The exterior of Tritonis has puzzles that required to solution in
order to enter the interior spaces. Puzzles include leavers, pillars, traps and
doors.
The interiors of Tritonis are broken down in two different stages, the first
being completely submerged and the second being half-submerged. The
completely submerged interiors make a bridge between the exterior and the
half-submerged ones. They are mostly entrances to buildings in the exterior,
using the same kind of lightning and mashes. The half-submerged interiors
consist of dark surroundings with a dark blue light to create the impression
that the player is still underwater. The floors mostly filled with some kind of
water coming from the celling or crack in the walls. The decoration matches
the exterior, destroyed walls and ceiling with occasionally rocks invading the
interior to remember the player he is on ruins of a civilization. Some rooms
have skeletons of the people who used to live there; they are either just
bones or skulls with some bones. Interiors also have the same kind of puzzles
found in the exterior; the only difference is the complexity to solve them. The
half-submerged interiors have hostile sea creatures wondering around the
place.
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Key Theme References
Figure 2: Reference of underwater ruins
Figure 3: Reference of different water levels on a dungeon
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Figure 4: Reference of underwater exterior
Figure 5: Reference of underwater civilization
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Figure 6: Reference of underwater civilization
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Figure 7: Reference of underwater ruins
Figure 8: Reference of underwater ruins
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Figure 9: Reference of underwater lighting
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Level Summary
Campaign
Context
“The Secret of Tritonis” is an optional quest available from the moment the player starts the game. In
this quest, the player explores the ruins of an ancient underwater civilization searching for survivors and
the truth about the events that led to the destruction of Tritonis. The player gains access to this
underwater civilization after speaking to a young man who claims to be an exiled member of Tritonis
trying to find out if the love of his life is still alive. He thus gives the player a mystical amulet that allows
him to breathe underwater and explore the city. The player must search for exiled man’s lost lover and
bring back some evidence of what happened to her. The player can also look for evidence that explains
exactly what happened to Tritonis as a side quest. After finishing the quest, the player can keep the
amulet for himself, and Kaldur’ahm rewards him with 1.000 gold pieces
Backstory
Before its destruction, Tritonis was a small and peaceful civilization. The population was mainly scholars
devoted to the study of mystical arts, which allowed them to breathe underwater and live for hundreds
of years. The Tritonians never saw the need to train themselves in combat or have an army, since
Tritonis was the only submerged civilization and no one in the surface knew about its existence.
The Tritonian King, Orm had a reputation for being wise and powerful, he treated the people with love
and justice, the only thing he asked in return was a vow that all Tritonians had to take. To keep Tritonis a
secret and protect their culture, the King forbidden all Tritonians to ever go to the surface. One curious
young man, did not listen to the King and decided he wanted more to his life than just staying in Tritonis,
he wanted to explore the world an discover the wonders it had to offer. The King found out about the
visits the young man was paying to the surface, and King Orm was many things, but tolerant was not one
of those things. The young man was coming back from one of his adventures in the surface, but the King
surprised him before he could reach Tritonis. The King was furious with the young man’s betrayal
against the vow; he then banished the young man from Tritonis and declared he would never return to
his family and friends. The young man tried to reason with the King but every word that came out of his
mouth meant nothing to the King, making the young man despaired with the thought of never seeing
the love of his life ever again. He then foolish tried to attack the King, but what neither the young man
nor anyone else knew was that the King secretly trained dark magic. The King cursed the young man
with dark magic, taking away his ability to bread underwater and making his banishment from Tritonis
permanent.
The King’s obsession with dark magic only got worse after that day. He was determined to learn all of
the most powerful dark spells from an ancient book called “The Book of Shadows”. The addiction for
dark magic was slowly turning the King into a mad man, it made him insane to the point he would cast a
spell so powerful that not only killed himself but also destroyed the civilization we was sworn to protect.
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Hundreds of years passed since the King banished the young man from Tritonis. The young man
searched for years a way to go back to Tritonis, he learned of a race called Argonians who could actually
breathe underwater without any spell. After living among the Argonians and studied them for years, the
young man was able to make an artifact that would allow him to breathe underwater again. On his
journey back to Tritonis, the young man noticed that something was wrong. Kaldur could see from a
distance the ruins of the place he once called home. Sea creatures attacked the young man before he
could come any closer to Tritonis. The young man returns injured to the surface and begins to search for
someone who is willing to help him discover what happened to his former hometown. That is the point
where the quest begins
Aftermath
At the end of “The Secret of Tritonis”, the player brings the horrible news to Kaldur’ahm that there are
no survivors down in Tritonis, not even Tula, the love of his life. If the player completed the side quest,
he also tells Kaldur’ahm that King Orm was responsible for the destruction of his people. Orm was a
greedy King and desired power though dark magic, which he found in an ancient book called “The Book
of Shadows”. Unable to control the dark power inside the book the King unintentionally destroyed
Tritonis, and everyone who was living there.
Objectives


Explore the ruins of Tritonis
o Solve the external puzzles
Find evidence of what happened to Tula
o Gain access to the remaining interiors of Tritonis
o Solve the internal puzzles
o Survive the attack of the sea creatures
o Bring the evidence back to Kaldur’ahm
Side quest
 Find evidence of Tritonis destruction
o Gain access to the remaining interiors of Tritonis
o Solve the internal puzzles
o Survive the attack of the sea creatures
o Find the former King of Tritonis
o Bring back the evidence to Kaldur’ahm
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Overview Map
Figure 10: Overview Map
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Flow Summary
1. Player begins on a regular terrain environment where he finds an injured man lying
close to a fireplace. The player must talk to the man in order to receive the quest and
the mystical amulet to breathe underwater.
2. After diving underwater, the player must follow a straight path to find the first house.
The player finds the first puzzle in the level. He must set the pillar in the correct order
and pull the lever to open the door. The hint for the puzzle is right next to the door
3. Once the player entered the house, he finds a basic enemy encounter, a mud crab. After
killing the mud crab, the player must solve the puzzle inside the house to unlock the
door to the left. In the next hallway the player finds a frost traps that when touched
inflicts damage.
4. In the next room the player must solve the puzzle to unlock the door to the left and
another door in the exterior.
5. The player exits back to the underwater exterior. He must travel towards the safe house
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Flow Summary
6. Upon entering the second room, the player sees two hints for puzzle pillars inside the
second interior. The player can choose which room he visits first. On the left room, the
player encounters two mud crabs guarding the puzzle pillar.
7. In the room to the right, the player must avoid the frost traps surrounding the puzzle
pillar.
8. After setting both puzzle pillars in the correct order, the player moves towards the final
room where he finds Tula. The player must retrieve the letter from her bones and bring
it back to Kaldur’ahm. Upon picking up the letter an enemy Draugr appears.
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Flow Summary
1. After killing the Draugr the player has the possibility of progressing with the side quest.
The key to the temple of Tritonis is located in the bottom right corner of the room.
2. After picking up the key the player must go back to the exterior area and set the puzzle
door in correct order, the hint for this puzzle is in front of the temple. Once the door is
set in the correct position, the player must use the key to open the door.
3. Inside the temple, the player finds the king’s journal that explains what happened to the
civilization.
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Flow Summary
After the finding the King’s journal inside the area, the boss battle starts. King Orm resurrects along with
two enemy Draughrs. The player must kill all of the enemies before he can exit the room. From that
point, the player goes back to the surface, talk to Kaldur’ahm and finish both the main and the side
quest.
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Level Progression Chart
Figure 11: Level Progression Chart
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References
Figure 1: Underwater ruins - http://www.freshmindworkz.hu/wolverine/media/ruins01.jpg
Figure 2: Reference of underwater ruins- http://www.freshmindworkz.hu/wolverine/media/ruins04.jpg
Figure 3: Reference of different water levels on a dungeon- http://3.bp.blogspot.com/6wnJZCU9O2Y/TinsFimifjI/AAAAAAAAAGM/0VmWceHCUjE/s1600/tumblr_laxck7nQg81qa4jl7.jpg
Figure 4: Reference of underwater exteriorhttp://gallery.nen.gov.uk/assets/0609/0000/0172/folly_mid.jpg
Figure 5: Reference of underwater civilization- http://worldofweirdthings.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/03/ruins_of_atlantis_440.jpg
Figure 6: Reference of underwater civilizationhttp://bluebutterfliesandme.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/lost-atlantis-civilization.jpg
Figure 7: Reference of underwater ruins- http://www.robotarm.se/images/underwater_city.jpg
Figure 8: Reference of underwater ruinshttp://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7pw412srq1rbk77ko1_400.jpg
Figure 9: Reference of underwater lighting http://www.oxmonline.com/files/u12/OXT46_feat_bioshockairlock.png
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