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Part 2 of Game Design Explained by an Industry 3N Game Planner: Story, Character, Combat, and Quest Design

Learn how to plan content that enriches the framework of a game. Design the flow of play through stories, characters, and quests, and organize combat concepts, boss patterns, and monster AI using specific figures and documentation. Master the standards for writing practical design documents that the development team can immediately work from, and complete your portfolio.

1 learners are taking this course

Level Basic

Course period Unlimited

Character Design
Character Design
Portfolio
Portfolio
Game Planning
Game Planning
Content Planning
Content Planning
Character Design
Character Design
Portfolio
Portfolio
Game Planning
Game Planning
Content Planning
Content Planning

What you will gain after the course

  • Write character, monster, and quest design documents in a format the development team can work on immediately.

  • Numerical combat balance design based on startup/end lag, hitbox timing, DPS, TTK, and more

  • Explain it based on boss patterns, monster AI design, and the fun of combat.

From characters, monsters, to quests
Design the fun of the game in a planning document


Translate the fun in your head into a design document containing timing, patterns, and numbers.
Organize combat and content so the development team can build them as is.

Grow into a game planner who can explain the fun you experienced while playing games using evidence and numbers.


Introduction to Game Design / Practical Game Design Part 2
Turn fun into development documentation.

Shape the game's story and gameplay flow with story · characters · quests,
create fun through combat roles · actions · monster patterns, and then validate the experience with combat balance.

It doesn’t stop at just looking fun.

Startup delay · recovery delay · telegraph · TTKare also defined numerically

animation, combat, and level designerscan immediately use the completed design document.

Define characters and monsters starting with their roles

Design everything from attack patterns and behavior conditions to quest states.

You will also learn what happens when values are changed and how to validate them.

A Course for Content Planners

Section 1 - Story · Characters · Quests

Understand how a game's story persuades users and the flow of gameplay, then organize the roles, appearances, and personalities of player characters and NPCs in a planning document.
Next, learn the purpose and tasks of quests that connect the story and characters to what users do, along with their data structure and progression flow.



Section 2 - Character Combat and Action

Design the character's combat concept and role,
as well as their resources, strengths, and weaknesses. Organize the elements that create the feel of control—such as inputs and responses, impact, and hit detection timing—using numbers and timelines.



Section 3 - Monster Concepts and Actions

Starting from the role monsters play in the game, we define the combat concept, appearance, and TTK.
We design monster actions that are easy for users to read, such as casting and follow-up actions.


Section 4 - Boss Patterns and Monster AI

Divide attacks into tiers and create patterns using a telegraph → response → reward structure.
Define monster AI through states and movement · skill usage conditions,
and organize the action design document for readability.

Section 5 - Combat Balance

Balance combat using stats, damage formulas, DPS, and TTK, and validate through testing and data what happens when you change even a single value.
This is the final step of tuning the experience created by characters, monsters, and AI with numbers.


Are you unsure how to translate the fun of a game into a content design document?

This course was created specifically for people like you.


✔️ Those who want to learn content planning after completing Part 1

  • Those who have learned the basics but find combat and content planning daunting

  • Those who want to organize characters and monsters into design documents

  • Those curious about how the story and combat fit together

✔️ Aspiring planners preparing a planning portfolio

  • Those who are unsure what to include in character, monster, and quest design documents

  • Those who want to explain what makes combat fun using evidence and numbers

  • Those curious about the work involved in combat and content planning roles

✔️ Those who want to develop their content design skills

  • For those who want to define pre-delay, post-delay, and hitbox timing numerically

  • Those who want to design boss patterns and monster AI

  • Those who need criteria for calculating and validating combat balance


Turn the fun in your head into
character, monster, and quest design documents your development team can create exactly as envisioned
.

Things to know before taking the course


Practice environment

  • You will take the course in a Windows or Mac environment.

  • Having document and spreadsheet tools like PowerPoint and Excel will make it easier to follow the examples.

Prerequisites and Notes

  • If you take Part 1 (the fundamentals of planning and documentation, data, and systems) first, you’ll be able to follow along more easily.

  • No programming experience is required. Having played action or RPG games will help you understand the examples better.

Learning materials

  • We provide a PDF of the lecture slides for each class.

  • We will examine examples of character, monster, and quest design documents, along with their table structures.


Recommended for
these people

Who is this course right for?

  • Beginners who have completed Part 1 of game planning and want to learn the practical aspects of content planning

  • An aspiring game designer looking to add character, combat, and quest design documents to their portfolio

  • A working game developer who wants to design combat systems and boss patterns using numbers and logic

Need to know before starting?

  • Basic knowledge of Part 1 of game planning or system and data design

  • Gameplay experience and interest in game content

  • Basic proficiency in Excel or spreadsheets

Hello
This is hitbox

Career Verified

Hello. I am a game designer with 8 years of professional experience.

I am currently working as a game designer at a major Korean game company.


I have experience with an Unreal Engine 5-based project, from development and global launch through live service,

I have handled a wide range of game planning tasks across PC, mobile, and console platforms!


I am currently working as a game design instructor at Game Canvas.

I work alongside aspiring game planners on their portfolios and job preparation,

I create practical game design courses that beginners can follow, using the same methods actually used in the industry.


[Game Design Career]

(Current) 3N game company

(Former) PC & Console Action

[Course - Game Canvas]

1. Special Lecture on Game Planning

2. Portfolio and Game Design Document Feedback

3. Game Design Job Placement and Interview Mentoring

More

Curriculum

All

11 lectures ∙ (1hr 46min)

Course Materials:

Lecture resources
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