In Ink, the player will directly control Josiah, while the other characters in the party following him on screen. Instead of having the party follow directly behind him, they'll wonder around the general area hanging back, exploring, scouting ahead, and the like. While doing so, they'll frequently comment on what they see and engage in short conversations with Josiah and each other.
The camera will follow Josiah from behind and slightly overhead but can be manually adjusted by the player.

Designer's Comments (4/21/2010)
As it says in the section title, this is the very basics. I'll get into more details such as conversations with NPCs, finding treasures, the mini-map, the writing menu mentioned in the controls, and more in the sub-sequent sections.
I already talked about the camera positioning in the section on Ink's graphical style. Suffice it to say, it's the standard system used by most current RPGs and it works very well so I see no real reason to change it. If you want to read a bit more about my thoughts on the camera, you can do so in the aforementioned section.
As for the way the party members act and converse while exploring, it's pretty much the same as Final Fantasy XIII. While the idea of having the part members following after the lead character during exploration has been around for a while (though isn't always done due to various technical issues), having them run around and explore a little on their own (instead of following directly behind the leader) and talk amongst themselves (without starting a cut-scene or having the player having to manually trigger the conversation) is something I saw for the first time in FFXIII. I thought that it both added to the realism and helped further develop the characters' personalities and hope more RPGs adopt a similar style in the future, which is why I'm doing so in Ink. Good game design isn't just about creating good original ideas, after all. It's also about picking out some of the best elements from other games and working them into your own. Of course, sometimes this leads to what was a neat element getting horribly overdone (like bullet time and cell-shaded graphics) or overly blatant rip-offs, but for simple system improvements like this, it's stupid to use an inferior method if you know there's something better out there.

When close to signs, chests, and various other objects the X button can be used to interact with them (read signs, open chests, open doors, examine things more closely, etc). When the player nears an object that can be interacted with, a sound effect will play and a notice will display in the bottom left corner of the screen indicating the action that can be preformed.
When near a NPCs, the player can greet them with the X button. Depending on the NPC, they may respond briefly, start a conversation or event, open a shopping interface, ignore the player entirely, or the like. Some NPCs will automatically greet the player when he draws near. In this case, the X button is used to respond to the greeting.

Designer's Comments (4/26/2010):
This is another one of those things that could almost be taken for granted, but really should be included in the design doc anyway. Interacting with objects is pretty straight forward. Well, regular interactions anyway (the other type will be explained in a later section). The only thing of note is that there's an on-screen confirmation when the player nears and object that can be interacted with. While that type of thing was never heard of in older RPGs, it's become fairly common these days. On the one hand, it removes the ability to hide something cool in plain sight. On the other hand, it keeps players from having to run around examining every single box, pot, crate, and the like in hope of finding a hidden item.
Interacting with NPCs is pretty straight forward and standard too. The most notable difference is that some characters will attempt to start conversations with the player instead of waiting to be spoken too and others will ignore the player no matter what. The reasoning? A combination of combining some trends from newer RPGs (like Final Fantasy XIII, where all NPCs start speaking automatically when you get close) and a nod towards realism. If you walk around a town in real life, most people won't talk to you unless you start a conversation but others will great you and try to start a conversation and some will do their best to ignore you even if you try to talk to them. Also, being able to actually here what your characters say to start conversations with others (instead of just hearing the response to your presumed greeting) will add another touch of realism that many games lack.

With the exception of enemies that are hiding in an ambush of some sort, enemy groups are on screen and can be seen by the player during regular exploration. All enemies in the group can be seen. Depending on the specific enemy group, they may stay in one place, randomly roam around a certain area, or patrol a fixed route. Enemies have a vision range. If they see or hear the player party, they may (depending on the enemy type and specific group) chase the party, try to avoid the party, or ignore the party entirely. Battles start once the lead party member (usually Josiah) comes into contact with an enemy. If this happens before the enemy spots the party, the player party gets the first strike in battle (a sneak attack). Similarly, if the enemy touches the party leader outside of his vision range, the enemy group gets the first strike.

Designer's Comments (4/28/2010):
This was already covered briefly in the battle section but I figured it would be best to add a bit more depth to it in the exploration section. Overall, this is similar to the way a lot of newer RPGs handle things. Many RPGs still use random battles (where enemies are invisible until encountered) or only show one enemy instead of the entire group on screen before the battle starts. But newer games systems have no trouble showing large amounts of characters on the screen at once so there's no need for the old shortcuts (though it should be noted that level designers have to take care to give all the enemies room to walk around). In addition, showing everyone on screen gives the player a better idea of what to expect from any given battle. Since I'm going for more strategic and challenging battles in Ink than most RPGs, the bit of extra information can really help players decide which battles to fight and which to try and avoid.
If you've been paying close attention to Ink, you may have noticed that I removed an old idea where the player could actually attack during exploration to score extra damage on the enemies the moment the battle starts. The reason for its removal is that I decided that there was no need for both a first attack and a sneak attack, since they serve a similar function. In the end, I decided that the sneak attack worked better for Ink (in terms of controls, battle system, and general context) so it stayed and attacking in the field was dropped. As this demonstrates, game design tends to be an iterative process. Just because something sounds good at first, doesn't mean it'll sound good later when more of the game has been planned out. And at times seemingly good ideas will fall flat once you actually try them in game and end up being removed or replaced by something better. Games always change during development, generally for the better. So designer's can't be afraid to rethink and even throw out old ideas. On that note though, a good designer also needs to know when to stop changing things. If the design is always in flux, it's difficult to finish the game and the end result is usually a buggy mess due to the constant revisions. So designers need to both embrace change and know when to call it quits.

When shopping, a standard RPG style shopping menu system is used. When an item is highlight, the item's description and the player's current stock of that item is displayed. If the highlighted item is a piece of equipment, the effect it will have when equipped to various party members will also be displayed. Players can purchase multiple copies of items at once, provided they have enough money. When the player buys a piece of equipment, they'll be given the option to automatically equip it. If they choose to do so, they'll be given the option to automatically sell the old piece of equipment.

Designer's Comments (5/3/2010):
Yeah, nothing too special here. The standard RPG store interface hasn't changed all that much over the years. Sure there's been some other versions (for example, walking around the store, picking up what you want, and taking it to the counter), but nothing has really managed to match the convenience and simplicity of the simple menu system, especially a menu that shows stat changes from equipment. The ability to automatically equip a purchased piece of equipment and sell the old piece isn't all that common, but I've seen it in a couple RPGs before and have found it to be very convenient. Though, for the people who just hate to sell anything, I may stick an option to turn the whole thing off in the menu.
You may also notice that I don't really describe what the menu looks like. Depending on the team size, the design for GUI items like menus and stat displays might be done by a designer, concept artist, or a dedicated user interface artist. Either way, there's no need to put a detailed write-up of the appearance here in the design doc. Instead, a mock up image (or possibly a set of images) should be placed either here or in the art bible.

Ink will use a standard save point system. Save points will be placed throughout the game, when standing on one the player will be able to save the game. There were be no limit on the number of save slots (other than the free disk space on the console). Save points will take the form of chair, desk, fallen log, or other objects (based on the location) where Josiah can sit and write. All save points will be bathed in a golden orange light to make them easily recognizable. When using a save point Josiah will get a "flash of inspiration" and stop for a moment to write.

Designer's Comments:
Nothing too special about saving. Save points are a pretty normal things in games, especially RPGs. While I could use a save anywhere system, I've never been overly fond of those. Aside from the reduced challenge that come from being able to save before every little thing, I've also noticed that save anywhere systems can actually cause people to lose more progress when they get game over. See, with save points, the player sees a save point and thinks that he should stop and save either since it's been a while or because the presence of a save point often indicates that a tough fight is coming up. When you can save anytime though, it's easy to forget about it entirely (especially if you're doing well) and then, if you run into some bad luck or a tough fight and get killed, losing quite a lot of progress. Not sure how many people are that way versus the number who save almost constantly, but it still can be a problem.
As for the save points themselves, having some sorta magical crystal, computer, or whatever scattered everywhere (even in the deepest dungeons and on other worlds in some games) is a bit odd from a logic and story perspective. Which is why I wanted to use a more natural approach for Ink. In addition, it fits the story nicely to have Josiah "save" by writing. Of course, it's very important that save points are easily recognizable, which can be difficult if they all look different. However, I think that having them all glow with the same color (especially if said glow is bright enough) should solve that problem.

When outside of battle, the player can push a button to open the writing menu. The writing menu contains a list of phrases Josiah can write to affect the world around him. He learns new phrases at specific points throughout the story. The phrases are divided into two types, ones that give a one-time advantages in the next battle (automatically gaining a first strike, getting a temporary power boost at the start of battle, etc) and ones that open up new areas (creating bridges, removing rubble, etc). While battle advantage type phrases can be used at any time, area effect can only be used in specific places (trying to use one in the wrong area will have no effect and use no ink).
Battle advantage phrases use regular ink (the same ink that's used in battle and character development, which is gotten from defeated monsters). Area effect phrases, however, use a special type of ink which can only be gained from certain story events and boss fights.

Designer's Comments (5/14/2010):
Since Josiah's writing has the ability to affect the world of Ink (sometimes subtly, sometimes drastically), it would be a shame to limit its use solely to battles. The writing menu adds two additional ways for Josiah to put his skills to use.
The first is to give the party certain advantages in the next battle. While these effects aren't overpowered, they can provide a significant advantage if used properly (much like the aerosols in Final Fantasy XIII). However, as the phrases use ink, the player needs to think carefully and decide if their effects are worth the cost or if that ink would be better off saved for character development or use in battle. This should add on yet another layer of strategy to ink use and make for an interesting change as opposed to just using consumable items for this type of thing.
When it comes to phrases that open new areas, however, a different type of ink is used. I do have a story based explanation for this (which I'll get into in the story section), but there's also some gameplay reasons. First and foremost, I don't want players to ever get stuck having to farm ink in order to open up an important new area. Limiting the amount of special ink available at any point in the game (since it can only be gained from certain specific events and battles and therefor can't be farmed) also allows the designers to exercise a better control of just how soon the player will be able to reach certain special areas. That, and the fact that all the phrases aren't available from the start, will give players and incentive to revisit previously explored areas later on to open up secret areas they originally couldn't access.
At the moment, I'm undecided as to how obvious to make areas where area changing phrases can be used and whether or not the game should point out exactly which phrase is necessary. On the one hand, if it's all obvious players won't ever get frustrated trying to find the right areas and the right phrases to use on them. On the other hand, I like the idea of having a lot of little hidden areas that players really need to search for and think about how to access. If given the option, I'd probably start out without anything in particular to call attention to those areas (aside for ones necessary for story progression, of course), see how much success play testers have in finding them, and then make them more obvious if necessary.

Note: The Stealth, Strength, and Protection phrases last for thirty seconds or until the player starts a battle or moves to a different area. Multiple phrases can be active at the same time. Once active, a glowing aura surrounds the party to show that the phrase is in effect. The power phrase has an aura as well, but it fades a moment after the phrase is used.

Title: Strength
Effect: The party starts the next battle with all offensive buffs already cast.
Phrase: "Determined to press on, the group found themselves filled with a sudden strength."
Aura: Red
Ink Cost:

Title: Protection
Effect: The party starts the next battle with all defensive buffs already cast.
Phrase: "Steeling themselves, the party prepared for battle."
Aura: Blue
Ink Cost:

Title: Stealth
Effect: Enemies can't see the party. If the player initiates a non-story battle, he'll get an automatic sneak attack.
Phrase: "They moved as silently as possible, determined not to be seen."
Aura: Translucent
Ink Cost:

Title: Power
Effect: Recharges one party member's moment of power.
Phrase: "Power flowed through <character name> infusing every part of <his/her> body."
Aura: Orange
Ink Cost:

Designer's Comments (5/21/2010):
If you've played Final Fantasy XIII, you've probably noticed the similarity to their aerosols. And yeah, that's where I got the idea. As I'd said before, good game design is a mixture of originality and knowing what elements to adapt from other games.
Anyway, the phrases themselves are pretty self explanatory. The title is what the player selects from the menu, the effect is what the phrase does (pretty straight forward), and the phrase is what Josiah actually writes (since text in Ink is done novel style), and the aura is the visible indication that a phrase has been used and/or is active. All that should be simple enough for anyone familiar with RPGs (or video games in general).
The ink cost is, naturally, how much ink is required for each phrase. You'll notice that, for the moment, I've left the ink cost blank. The reason being that ink is used for a variety of things in the game (these phrases, phrases in battle, character development, etc), so balancing the costs for all its different uses with the amount of ink gained from various enemies is going to be a very very important part of the game design. Because of that, I want to complete the design for a lot more of the ink related game elements before I start getting into the numbers. If I just start making up values as I go, chances are I'll just have to go back and change them all later. Of course, there's a good chance that, even if I wait and put a lot of thought into the numbers, I'll still have to go back and do a lot of tweaking after seeing how they work out during testing. But, as a rule of thumb, it's much quicker and easier to change things on paper during the design phase than in the code later on. So it's always better to put a lot of thought into things at the beginning, rather than just make them up and hope they work out later.
A couple other things I've been thinking about in relation to this section. First off, I've been thinking of giving Josiah multiple written phrases for each one, just for variety (players will likely get tired of reading the same phrases over and over). That kinda falls into the category of nice little touches to add if there's time to spare during development. I was also thinking about having weaker and stronger versions of each phrase, with Josiah "upgrading" them over time. I still might do it that way, but for now I'm thinking that I'll just make things more complex without all that much benefit. Finally, I've been toying with the idea of having the party's HP automatically restored after each battle, since I'm trying to make battles in ink strategically challenging instead of things boiling down to whether or not you bought enough healing items to make it through the current dungeon. I haven't decided yet but, if I go in that direction, the Health phrase will be unnecessary so it'll be removed.

These phrases are used to open up different areas in the game. Some are part of the story, others are optional. All of these phrases require special ink to use.

Note: When used in the wrong area, these phrases have no effect and do not consume Ink. Josiah says, "What am I thinking? That won't work..."
Note: The exact phrase Josiah writes will very depending on the specific area being opened up (the phrase wording is included in the list of areas that can be opened).

Title: Bridge
Effect: Creations bridges over rivers, chasms, etc.
Ink Cost:

Title: Unlock
Effect: Unlocks doors, gates, etc.
Ink Cost:

Title: Clear
Effect: Removes rocks, debris, etc.
Ink Cost:

Title: Reveal
Effect: Reveals hidden paths, objects, etc.
Ink Cost:

Designer's Comments (6/4/2010)
Josiah will need to use some of these phrases over the course of the story in order to help the party progress. In those cases, where and when to use them will be obvious. However, there will be lots of optional areas which can be revealed with these phrases as well. I'm still deciding how obvious (or hidden) to make these areas. At the moment, I'm thinking that there shouldn't be anything special pointing them out and that the players will need to look carefully and search them out. Though, if the testers had a lot of trouble finding them, I might change my mind there.
Instead of having a stock phrase for Josiah to write each time, I think it makes a lot more sense to have him write different things for each location these phrases are used. After all, if I was writing about a bridge over a small river, the same words wouldn't really work to describe a bridge over a large canyon.
As mentioned in a previous comment, in order to prevent the need for grinding and limit which secret areas the player can access at any given time, these phrases use a special type of Ink which can only be gotten in certain story battles. To keep it from being an obvious gimmick, I do have a story explanation for the "special ink", but that'll be discussed in a different part of the design doc.