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- S H A D O W I N G H A T E -
by Violation Entertainment
(NeoAxis Engine) (120317)
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Futuristic FPS (multiplayer focus with simple singleplayer for NeoAxis) tactical shooter with a focus on quality fine-detail gameplay and advanced controls for both player movements and weapons. Highly customisable with extended weapon library, weapon upgrades, character abilities and custom player faction, class, skin and colour themes.
In the future the rich minorities are at war with the poor majorities and the borders are as thin and volatile as the wealth gaps are huge, and both sides will stop at nothing to change the world forever. Politics has taken to the streets with guns and explosives. Although the multibillion corporations are few in actual human resources, they have the financial and production power to make use of robotics and cybernetic enhancement abilities.
The MetroPD law enforcement agents have sided with conglomerate security forces and the military to tackle the problem of Xodi tribes, organised crime syndicates, rogue technological institutes and other defectors in the city. The main battleground is the metropolis and its key research, industrial and administrative strongholds.
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Innovations orientate around an evolved system of gameplay movements and attack tactics for the player to master, at the same time as punishing players for pushing themselves to these limits. This is tied directly to the abilities system and its energy meter, and the player physics within the game world itself. Abilities drain energy and this can be dangerous when several abilities are combined as once the energy is drained it will have more of a consequence on the player's health. Invulnerability with low energy will end a player's life very quickly if not deactivated in time. Similarly with advanced movement tactics in the game world, a player may run too fast with the rapid-movement ability and strike a perpendicular surface to be knocked over and fall to the ground, unable to shoot or move for a few seconds as well as sustaining damage. A step or some low piping can cause any player moving faster than walking speed to fall to the ground hard and lose control. Some other abilities such as the visual ones have side-effects that will actually hinder the player's visual clarity if overused.
On top of all this, the game's nature will be very precarious concerning the dynamic environment and its traps and hazards, speeding vehicles and crushing machines. The game will also feature certain randomisation implementations including multiple random animations for shooting and reloading, which keeps weapons and the management of them more unpredictable. Some weapons rely on energy and thus can be disrupted with electromagnetic attacks and explode in the player's hands, along with defective, damaged and sensitive weapons and explosives the player is carrying causing a sudden death. Some weapons need to be charged before firing a powerful shot yet can heat when overcharged and explode the player, along with short timers for grenades and mines that every so often have a faulty short fuse. Explosions can trigger a chain-reaction with other nearby players carrying sensitive or defective weapons or explosives, as well as explosive hazards already present in the environment. A player with a high ability-energy level already has a certain amount of this explosive sensitivity and a sudden electromagnetic attack can instantly drain down through to the health quickly enough to frag the player. Finally, the very use of the energy system will have timely and random side-effects to all players including sudden health fluctuations, visual disturbances and even hallucinations, all random. These randomisations and their multiple animations will be carried on into other areas of the game as it evolves, such as audio and AI.
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CONCEPTS:-
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- (Tactics and Detriments):
see original doc - evolved player movements and tactics, tripping/slipping/physics-damage, energy and health effects, weapons weight (slow movement with heavy weapons), damage and volatility. The relationship between health and stamina, with advanced tactics being impossible if both are low and typically always depleting stamina. Players move slowly, aim poorly and, at extremely low health, are forced in holster mode...
- (Damage ratios):
manages the way damage is dealt and received between players, projectiles, forces and the environment, and the difference between not only types of player deaths (head shot or frag) but also explosive forces upon one another and the environment. A player with rapid movement ability hitting a bullet or other type of projectile from the opposite direction should sustain more damage. Not just with vertical falls but also with horizontal impacts. This relates to locational damage to players and splash damage for explosions.
- (Randomisation and multiple animation lists):
to be discussed - random weapon animation and behaviour for lists of multiple animations including firing, reloading and cycling, also for things like standing from prone, crouch and fall, mantling, ladders and other interactions. This same method will also be used extensively for sound effects...
- (Dynamic player profiles (Skills System):
manages different player aspects such as meter percentage maximums for health, armour, energy and stamina. It also increases and balances gameplay aspects like movement speed, jump height and default accuracy. All of these skills values are dynamic and can be influenced real-time by other factors in the game, mostly by singleplayer objectives but it can also have long-term multiplayer applications.
- (Disturbances):
viewport swaying, unsteady and slow movement (if carrying heavy weapon or object) and weapon inaccuracy are dynamically effected by factors such as how much health and energy a player has or if the focus ability is being used, and later this will be affected by the skills system for singleplayer campaigns.
- (Free-aiming and Targeting):
in free-aim mode the crosshair will move independently of the viewport but control the viewport at its extents, so if the player moves the mouse the crosshair will need to move to the side of the screen to adjust it. This mode is also used by sentry-gun turrets, some bots and vehicles, as well as the targeting mode for homing attacks.
- (Abilities and Energy):
abilities drain energy with a compound and magnification effect which then leaks down into the health to even greater consequences, depending on the type of ability, so a vision ability may drain energy quickly but not health, a pulse ability will drain energy slowly but health quickly, and invulnerability will drain energy quickly and health almost instantly.
- (Inventory management):
weapons and items that are collected fit into the limited inventory space using tiles, with large and heavy weapons and items occupying more tiles but which can also be discarded. Abilities are also displayed and activated on the inventory screen but are ordered and cannot be discarded, as well as ordered in the "ability slots" of the HUD, where as weapons and items must be "checked" into the "weapons/items slots" HUD element to be quick-selected.
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FEATURES:-
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(HUD elements):
- Inventory.
- Full map. (requires energy)
- Objectives screen.
- Menu and options, etc.
(HUD gauges):
- Health.
- Armour.
- Stamina.
- Energy.
- Radar/map/compass. (requires energy)
- Current weapon slot.
- Current ability slot.
- Weapon/item slots.
- Ability slots.
(items/pickups):
- Grapple. (start with? upgrade(distance?)
- Hack-tool. (hack keypad terminals and electronics) (start with? upgrade?) (requires energy)
- Healths. (start with)
- Armours.
- Energy pack.
- Lock-picks. (pick old-style doors and cabinets)
- Money.
- Keycards.
- Ability upgrades.
- Weapon upgrades.
- Jetpack. (requires energy)
- Deployable auto-turret. (requires energy)
(abilities):
- Illuminance. (cast light) (start with)
- Movement. (run quicker)
- Verticality. (jump higher but still sustain fall-damage (one time (waits for jump)))
- Invulnerability. (God-mode for about 2 seconds, very quick drain)
- Invisibility. (almost completely transparent for a few seconds(also removed from radar))
- Vision. (night/heat/x-ray)
- Focus. (weapons aim better, do more damage and reload/cycle animations quicker (one time))
- Pulse. (protective electromagnetic field, predetonate explosives and resist environmental hazard)
- Repel. (emit a force that cause nearby opponents to repel from the player)
- Heal. (trade energy for health.)
(projectiles/ammo):
- Bullet. (fast projectile)
- Missile. (slow projectile)
- Grenade. (physics plus throw-physics (first-person player animation plus hold-timer))
- Homing grenade. (timed explosives that chase targeted opponents)
- Homing missile. (target first via centering screen on closest opponent)
- Rail/lightning. (raytraced instant attacks)
- Mines. (able to place on any surface (sticky)) (timed/remote/proximity)/(explosive/flash/EMP)
(interactions):
- Health/Energy/ATM terminals.
- Terminal control. (and):-
- Camera control.
- Sentry-gun control.
- Turret control.
- Bot control.
- Vehicle control.
(forces):
- Physics. (physics-damage)
- Explosions.
- Electromagnetism.
- Local/area hazards. (radiation/fire/gas/liquids)
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ITEMS/PICKUPS:-
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- Type. (health/armour/weapon/mine/deployable/etc.)
- Inventory dimensions. (tilesXtiles)
- Weight. (affect player movement while armed)
- Restrictions. (affect player limitations while armed (can't jump or use advanced tactics))
- Meters. (affect which meter and how)
- Skills. (affect which skills and how)
- Unlocks.
- Ammo.
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CONTROLS:-
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Mouse - viewport. (or crosshair in free-aim mode)(cursor in UI)
WASD - movement.
LMB - shoot. (/UI interact) (hold to charge) (drop held physics object)
RMB - jump. (/UI out) (throw held physics object)
MMB - interact. (/UI interact) (pick up capable physics object)
MWU - cycle weapon slot. (MMB to choose)
MWD - cycle ability slot. (MMB to choose)
SPC - alt.shoot. (/UI out) (drop held physics object)
R - reload. (drop held physics object)
ALT - toggle selected ability.
SHFT - walk.
CAPS - sprint. (drain stamina)
CTRL - cycle aim mode.
F - zoom-in.
V - zoom-out. (also deactivates all abilities)
C - crouch.
X - prone. (also deactivates all abilities)
Z - holster/arm. (also deactivates all abilities (to holster))
Q - lean left.
E - lean right.
T - toggle views.
TAB - inventory (quick).
F1 - inventory (paused).
~ - toggle HUD.
1-0 - hotkeys?
B - gesture yes.
N - gesture no.
H - gesture direction/action.
J - gesture halt.
K - suicide.
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GAME MODES:-
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(short-term):
- (SP) Target practice.
- (SP) Bot infestation.
- (MP) Deathmatch (/Team).
- (MP) CTF.
(long-term):
- (SP) Stealth race.
- (SP) Traps & Objectives.
- (MP) King of the Hill.
- (MP) Hostages.
- (MP) Hold the briefcase.
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ART TASKS:-
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(short-term):
- 1 MP map.
- 2 players. (rigs(skeletons)/animations)
- 2 weapons. (rigs(skeletons)/animations)
(long-term):
- player characters. (police/security/military & thugs/tribes/defectors)
- weapons. (mines/pistol/shotgun/machinegun/chaingun/rocket-launcher/grenade-launcher/lightning/railgun/pulse)
- maps. (MP)(scraper/plaza/shed/warehouse/streets/hood/sewer)
- items. (weapons/ammo/backback/health/armor/abilities)
- HUD.
- GUI.
- bits...
- everything...
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CODING TASKS:-
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(short-term):
- walk/run. (SHIFT)
- crouch. (C)
- prone. (X) (jump or shift to get out of prone)
- holster. (move faster/pick-up & throw physics/push(punch) physics)
- fall damage. (lose more health the higher you fall from (quicker fall speed))
- trip. (fall on slope/run over steps) (player will lose control and be hurt)
- bounce. (player physics will bounce off walls while jumping)
- aim. (zoom control and centered weapon)
- free aim. (crosshair moves independently and scrolls the screen at the edge)
(long-term):
- lean left/right. (Q/E)
- high jump. (C+RMB) (if crouch before jump, jump will be higher)
- double jump. (RMB+RMB) (if RMB while falling, jump again (only effective at beginning of fall))
- crouch jump. (RMB+C) (if crouch while jump, can "leap" through smaller areas)
- jump control. (player can "double-WASD" to jolt in the air while jumping)
- evade. (double-WASD) (hop quickly in that direction (horizontal jump))
- slick surface. (this material slips the player/decrease movement ability).
- forces. (explosions can knock the player (ragdoll?) without necessarily killing them)
- energy meter. (for "abilities")(if this is less than 10%, begin to drain health)
- stamina meter. (with sprint action)
- inventory system. (collect and discard/items occupy different tiles)
- quick weapon-select and quick ability-select. (MWU cycle weapons / MWD cycle abilities)
- all HUD elements fade out and disappear when unused for a few seconds.
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DISCUSSION:-
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(concepts):
- (RPG?) dynamic player profiles (skills system) - meter maximums, accuracy averages, speed averages, jump-height, animation speeds, etc..
- advanced movement and action tactics.
- edit and order the task lists.
- conflicts and combinations. (holding physics/ingame GUI interactions/etc.)
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(short-term):
- randomisation and multiple-animation/sound lists.
- animating the viewport. (letting an animated mesh normal actually handle viewport movements)
- inventory system.
- damage-ratios and frags.
- player model customisations (profiles).
(long-term):
- AI and bots (basic). (patrolling and alert modes, and going in and out of these modes, and how and why)
- conversation system (advanced) and
- objectives system (advanced).
- overworld system.
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TESTING:-
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- can heavy/fast physics object hurt the player? (crushing boulders, speeding vehicles)
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