My game

[Klasnikov]

Doing Games Design at uni they've got me to, yes you've guessed it, design a game!

I've got an interface made to hold all the data and I'm working on an intro for it (very time consuming) but if anyone's interested here's the writing part of it.

Story

Introduction

Since the discovery of inter-stellar travel mankind has been obsessed with colonization. The unification of all countries on planet Earth meant a significant increase in combined resources, allowing humans to travel great distances and populate several distant planets.

While the unification of Earth caused the end of many wars it started several others. Disputes between colonies and newly discovered resources were frequent, requiring the people of Earth to form their own unified military. While its militaristic nature was clear its official presence was that of a peace keeping organization known as the United Confederation of Planets. Several planets joined the organization to benefit from its protection, but they also had to submit to its own rules and law enforcement.

Within a few decades of its formation, the UCP controlled most of the known galaxy. While this control came as a comfort to most of its citizens, many felt oppressed by such a regime and formed rebellious terrorist groups. Most of these groups were swiftly eliminated by the surprisingly large UCP military force, but not all were destroyed. Some remained underground, preferring to cause political turmoil on several planets resulting in civil wars and sometimes the destruction of entire colonies.

While these wars were a problem, the UCP always came out victorious due to its overwhelming size and advanced technology. Its presence became so vast that it was forced to create its own government, installing a President and a Senate of Counsellors who had the job of organizing the UCP and controlling its huge empire.


18/12/2365 — Senate of the United Confederation of Planets

“Impossible.” Counsellor Chapman said, clenching his hands together with interlocking fingers. “Statistically impossible.”

“I think you’ll find it’s not.” Said a voice from the other side of the long Counsellor table. “In fact, this research states quite the opposite.” Professor Jack Conrade stood up and paced over to the head of the table. He passed several Counsellors on the way but none looked up at him. Only the man at the head of the table, the President of the United Planets, made eye contact.

“Planet Birkenau. Class three atmosphere, roughly half the size of the Earth. Once inhabited by colonists, it has everything a community needs.” Conrade said pointing at a satellite picture of the planet in question, displayed on a 100 inch flat plasma screen mounted into the wall.

“The planet is not in question, Conrade. It’s the amount of resources we would have to dedicate to such a… project.” It was Counsellor Sath’s turn to voice an opinion.

“I think you’ll find they’re within reason, Counsellor. We can re-use old military stations to orbit the planet, the crews needed to maintain them are minimal. We predict a mere force of 1000 crew members will be needed to safeguard the entire planet.”

Several of the council members began whispering to each other, and Conrade felt he was finally getting through to them. Even the President seemed amused.

“Gentlemen, crime is at an all-time high.” Conrade continued. “With the end of the Republic Wars several terrorist cells have arisen and our current jail system cannot cope. Project Birkenau can fix this with a minimal cost in resources. Think about it, by sending criminals to this planet we no longer need to feed or clothe them and more importantly maintain costly detention centres to keep them in. It’s the perfect solution to a complicated problem.”

“Your idea is sound, Professor Conrade.” The President finally spoke. “But the moral implications could be devastating. How are we to decide who is sent to this prison? More importantly, what about the public upheaval? The simple fact is we would be setting prisoners free, which is simply not acceptable.”

“Mister President,” Conrade started, “Project Birkenau would be a complete secret. As far as the public is concerned the prisoners sent to this planet have been executed. As for letting the prisoners free…” He typed in a quick code on a nearby keyboard and brought up a screen full of graphs and statistics. “Our research has been very decisive. By placing a couple of hundred thousand in-mates on a planet consisting of psychopaths, serial killers and rapists...let's just say the civilization that develops will be somewhat brutal at best. Perhaps Un-Civilization would be a better term.”

Total silence filled the Senate room. Conrade’s proposal was unchallenged.

“I’m curious,” the President said finally, “you said earlier that the planet used to be inhabited by colonists. What happened to them?”

Conrade grinned.

“That, Sir, is another reason why the convict’s life expectancy is phenomenally low.”

-----

04/08/2604 — Agency of Federal Investigations

To: Director of Human Resources and Mission Management
From: Director of the Agency of Federal Investigations

Eyes only report - Class 6 Security clearance required

Subject: CLASSIFIED
Current Status: CLASSIFIED

Background report: Several missions undertaken on Detention Centre Birkenau considered failures after several agents reported MIA.

Current report:

Loss of resources considered unacceptable by Senate. Immediate termination of project Birkenau and all its subjects currently under consideration. No further assassination attempts or rescue missions are to be attempted on this planet, immediate evacuation of undercover agents to be assessed.

Agents under the status of MIA are to be considered expendable.

15/09/2604 — Present day

Almost 300 years after planet Birkenau was turned into a prison planet an unusually orderly civilization has taken form. Abandoned on an un-hospitable planet the prisoners found the only way to survive was to work together, re-building destroyed cities from a previous civilization and installing their own laws. However their violent nature persisted resulting in heavy crime and the formation of several gangs and terrorist groups. A rag-tag police force was created but it quickly became corrupt and unable to cope with increasing crime levels.

-----

The heat hit me first. Out of the burning escape pod I crawled for my life, dragging lifeless limbs across the dirt. I felt the jagged rocks cut into me further, the unbearable odour of sweat and blood filling my mouth. I don’t know how long I crawled for, but the explosion blessed me with unconsciousness.

The smell of burning flesh awoke me; I was being cooked alive under the tormenting heat of the desert, unable to feel my legs. I lay stuck to the floor by my own blood, wondering if I should surrender and embrace death. I drifted into unconsciousness once more, the sound of distant voices approaching me.

My second awakening was more pleasant, but no less painful. Lying flat on a twisted bed, a figure looked over me with some interest. “You’re alive. Whether this is a good thing or not, time will tell.” These words are the ones I live by.


That fateful day was over a year ago, and it’s all I can remember of my past life. Everything prior to the crash is a distant blur, I feel as if my memories have been taken from me. I’m told the planet we’re on is called Birkenau, named after an ancient prison camp. Everyone here is a convict, or a descendant of one. I live in the city of Tohima, one of the more violent and gang-infested of the planet. Am I a criminal like the scum I have to live with? In a world without trust I have to find my past, no matter what I have to do. No matter who I have to kill.



Introduction

The Legend of Gunstar is set several hundreds of years in the future on an abandoned prison planet, known only as Birkenau. It is a 3rd person multi-genre game, with an optional 1st person view. It combines the classic attributes of first person shoot-em-ups with role play gaming, as well as introducing stealth aspects. It offers the player unlimited freedom to roam the cities and lands of Birkenau as well as promoting a detailed and intriguing story line.


Basic Game Concept Overview

What is the nature of the gameplay? What is the player’s role?

The player’s role is to develop their character as they progress through the storyline. The Gameplay focuses on allowing the player complete freedom throughout the whole game, meaning that it is the player rather than the game developer that produces the gaming experience. Whilst this is the ideal, the game also follows a strong plot line which will help guide and possibly influence the player to make certain decisions.

What is the victory condition for the game if any?

Since the player has freedom to do whatever they want in the game, there is no standing victory condition. However if the player wishes to finish the game, they can go through whichever missions they want and follow their own unique story in the game, ultimately arriving to a conclusion. While this is true the conclusion of a story line does not necessarily result in the end of the game, rather the player has the choice to carry on playing if they choose.

What is the game’s setting?

The game is set several hundred years in the future, on a planet once used as a prison. The story is set several further years after the prison planet was started, when the prisoners have developed their own society using whatever they could find to build cities, vehicles and weapons. This has resulted in a violent world to live in where the inhabitants lack certain modern technologies, but have managed to reproduce some others. Items such as guns and cars have become extremely valuable.

What is the player’s interaction model?

The player takes control of a model that they themselves produce at the start of the game. They can alter the models aesthetic properties as well as their physical statistics, i.e. deciding such attributes as strength, intelligence, speed ect.

The player can choose between 3 distinct avatars at the start, each with their own special traits and mysterious pasts. However they awaken on the planet next to their destroyed escape pod, unsure about their past lives prior to the accident.

What is the game's primary perspective?

The primary perspective is in the 3rd person, with a camera following closely behind the character. A 1st person view is also available.

What is the general structure of the game?

The player starts off with basic attributes and equipment. They have the choice to do whatever they wish to increase said attributes and possessions, including the accomplishment of missions which provide rewards. To increase attributes the players must use them frequently, i.e. to increase strength they must lift heavy objects or divulge in melee combat frequently. Depending on which missions are finished the story progresses opening new opportunities to the player, including world travel and the acquisition of larger possessions (vehicles, property).

Is the game competitive, co-op, team-based or single player? Multiplayer?

Each person’s character model is a unique item which can be transported from the single player game to a multiplayer server, where they can socialise and trade items with other players around the world. They also have the option to enter a different world, a specially designed multiplayer planet where the players can team up and form their own gangs, to either fight against AI or other player gangs. In this world each gang owns a certain property within a city, designated their HQ, which can be attacked or infiltrated by enemy players.

What is the summary of the Plot?

The main character awakes to find him/herself on a hostile prison planet. With no one to trust they must struggle to stay alive, doing whatever they can to try and ultimately escape the planet or remain there to thrive as a new gang leader or mercenary.

Does the game fall into an existing genre?

It’s a mix of existing genres. Similar to GTA: Vice City in style it also combines aspects of Role Playing and Stealth games, with online opportunities .

Why would anyone want to play this game?

Too many games these days don’t allow the player enough freedom. This game will, and also provides a strong storyline to follow. It also promises to be what every game should be but few actually are: plain and simple fun. It won’t be overly complicated allowing the player to dive straight into the action, but at the same time it won’t be too shallow to leave the player disappointed and craving more. Most importantly it has something for everyone, from the casual to the most hardcore of gamers.

[Klasnikov]

F.A.Q



Game physics

Is The Legend of Gunstar realistic or mostly fantasy based?

Both. The story and characters are mostly fantasy based, but the physics of the world are very real. For example hitting someone with a sword won’t make them flinch and then carry on hitting you: once a character starts bleeding or takes major damage their attributes drop drastically. While this is true for the enemies it is possible for the player to receive a number of wounds before dieing, but their attributes will still drop until the avatar is healed. For example if the player has a large two-handed sword and they hit an enemy from behind, no matter how strong the enemy is he or she will die straight away. However if the enemy’s agility is high enough they may turn around fast enough to block the attack.

How does the real time work?

The world the player lives in has a continuous clock. Every real time hour corresponds to twelve in-game hours, which comes into play when the player must reach certain deadlines or needs to sneak around in the dark. The player can stay awake for up to 48 hours before they start gradually losing strength, the only way to prevent this is by sleeping for at least 5 hours in a friendly area. To do this a player must approach a friendly house and choose to sleep for a certain amount of hours; 5 hours will allow them to continue without rest for a further 48 hours while 10 will allow them 52 hours of freedom.

How does the fighting system work?

There are two main fighting systems, one 1st person and one 3rd person.

The 3rd person system is the primary one and is used for melee combat. With a melee weapon equipped the player must be within striking distance of a target, and then press the attack button. This will swing the weapon and damage the enemy, unless they block. Holding down the attack button and facing the enemy will continue the attack, with different swings and blocking manoeuvres being used automatically. The player may attack multiple targets if they are all in front of him or her. The outcome is decided by the player’s strength and agility, as well as their opponent’s and number of opponents. More opponents mean a much smaller chance of dodging or blocking their attacks. The player has the option to move around whilst fighting, so they can face multiple enemies and avoid being surrounded.

The 1st person system is adopted when using bows or guns. The crosshair will shake slightly to represent realistic aiming. To reduce the amount of shaking a higher archery attribute is needed. All characters have specific hit points, so an arrow to the head, neck or heart will kill instantly. A hit to the legs will slow the character down, while a hit to the arms will impede their use of weapons. If both arms are hit the character is incapable of using weapons, likewise if both legs are hit the character will be unable to run.

Examples of fights:

1) The player is a Soldier with high strength and a large two-handed sword. He approaches a gang of 3 thugs who are opposing him. He runs up to the closest member and holds down the attack button, which makes his character swing the sword at the enemy. The thug happens to have poor agility and is unable to block the attack, so he goes down in a single blow. This damages the moral of the other thugs who reluctantly take out their weapons and face the player. The player keeps them both in his or her sight, trying to avoid being surrounded. The player then approaches one of the thugs and presses the attack button again. This time the thug has high agility and is able to block, so before the third thug can hit the player, the player runs backwards. The player then attacks the third thug who is unable to block and dies. The last remaining thugs attacks the player, and the player faces the threat and again presses the attack button. The player’s agility and strength are high enough to block the thug’s weak attack, and by continuing to hold the attack button and facing the enemy a sword fight begins. After a few seconds the thug is unable to block one of the player’s attacks and dies.

2) The player is a Soldier with high agility and two small swords in each hand. He is attacked by a group of 3 thugs. By holding the attack button and facing the first attacker he manages to block just in time, but has to back away before the other 2 thugs attack him from the side. By facing all enemies and blocking each of their attacks the player is able to keep them at bay, and occasionally get a few hits in himself. Eventually all 3 thugs die or run away wounded.

3) The player is an OutLaw, hidden in the shadow of a tree with 3 thugs in sight. The player takes out her bow and aims at one of the thugs. Since her archery attribute is high the crosshair hardly shakes which gives her good aim, and allows her to hit one of the thugs in the throat. The remaining two take out their weapons and look around, but the player has enough time to reload another arrow and fire at them. Unfortunately one of the thugs had a high agility level and was able to dodge it, and see where the arrow came from. The player puts away her bow and unsheathes her dual knifes coated in poison, and sprints at the thugs. He speed is high enough to leap past the first thug leaving a small cut on his arm, which is enough for the poison to make him faint and later die. She then engages the last thug by holding down attack and facing him, but the thug manages to hit her arm. She loses the use of one knife and her strength and agility fall drastically, but she is still able to wound the thug who dies from the poison. By later healing herself the OutLaw gradually recovers the lost attributes.

4) The player is a Gifted with several strong powers. She sees a gang of 3 thugs before they see her, and she uses her mind control on one of them by moving her crosshair over him and selecting the particular power. The thug has a weak mind and the player gains temporary control of him, so they take out his weapon and attack one of the thugs. The thug dies instantly because of the surprise attack, but the player then loses control and reverts back to controlling the Gifted. The two thugs realise what happened and charge the player, who uses telekinesis to pick up one of the thugs and hurl him into a wall. The third thug continues to charge the player, who summons a fireball and launches it at him. He burns to the ground and the player walks away without ever engaging them in hand to hand combat.

Can the player die?

If a player’s strength reaches 0 he or she faints. This can happen during battle, or after a battle if serious wounds aren’t tended to fast enough. If the character is bleeding then they will gradually lose strength until it reaches 0. If the player faints on the streets of a city they will awaken in a hospital, but all the items they were carrying will have been stolen. If the player faints after fighting with a gang member they will either awaken in a hospital or the gang’s prison/dungeon, from which escape is necessary. If the player faints in a friendly area they either awake in a hospital or in a friendly house, in which case their items won’t have been stolen.

If the player faints and is captured by the same gang several times, or if the wounds received in a battle were too severe (a huge two handed sword to the head, for instance) the player will die. When this happens the game ends and must be re-started from the last save point. The player can only save at certain areas in the game, at the start there is only one area but as the player buys more property he or she can save there.

How do players heal?

Medical packs can be carried which can stop bleeding and stitch large wounds, but to fully regain lost attributes the player must reach a hospital or friendly house. Once there they can rest to regain health, but lose a certain amount of hours (possibly days) depending on how badly they were hurt. Medical packs may not always be sufficient enough to stop attributes being lost, so haste is needed to reach a safe area. For example a large wound to an arm may be temporarily stitched up by a medical pack, but strength will be lost at a slow rate until it either reaches 0 or the player reaches a safe zone and rests.

Can you escape from a prison?

Yes, various opportunities present themselves. By hiding from the view of passing guards the player can force them to open the cell to investigate (if they are weak minded), then attack them with their bare hands or any instruments they find. Alternatively a Gifted may be able to take control of a guard and force them to open to cell. There are other ways to get out also, depending on which prison the player finds themselves in and which attributes they have.

After escaping from the cell the player is still required to leave the actual building they are being held in, but the equipment that was stolen from them may be kept close by to their cell, making escape easier.

What can be used as a weapon?

Pretty much anything. Shards of glass can be used as blades, so if the player has a high enough stealth attribute they can sneak up behind an enemy and slit their throat. This is done automatically if the player is holding a small sharp instrument, is facing the target’s back and is close enough. Also any chairs or blunt instruments can be used as clubs, but a table leg my not last long in a sword fight.

Game Concept and FAQ

Game options

How are items stored?

The player has a limited inventory space on his or her person, meaning they can only carry a certain amount with them. If they own a house they can store items there, or deposit money in a bank.

What can be bought?

Many houses can be bought, as well as NPC guards to protect them. These houses have an area of influence depending on their size and how many you own. This zone is a friendly area, and if you faint within it there is a high chance you will recover in the nearest house with hardly any possessions lost. You can also hire NPCs to follow you around who act as body guards.

There are 3 different types of NPCs you can buy, and they will follow you everywhere unless you order them to stay at a house or set them free. You can only have up to 3 NPCs at any time. The NPCs are:

Helper – a cheap NPC that carries a light weapon and is fairly poor in combat, but can carry items for you.

Guard – a more expensive NPC that has similar attributes to a soldier.

Rogue – The most expensive NPC. They never follow right behind you, rather stay in the shadows or rooftops, or pretend to be a bystander. They will cover you as best they can, for example if a gang tries to attack you they will fire arrows at them from a well-hidden place. They have similar attributes to an OutLaw.

How do missions work?

Missions are mostly in contract form, i.e. you receive a job to do and a date to accomplish it by. Missions include assassination, infiltrating other gang Head Quarters, stealing valuable items, the elimination of entire gangs, starting wars between gangs and several others. If a contract is not completed by the deadline the player will lose the reward, and depending on who gave them the contract may find themselves the target of assassination attempts.

Do I have to do the missions?

Only if you want to proceed through the storyline. It is possible to roam the first locations with complete freedom and increase your skills through menial tasks (mugging people or robbing houses) but choosing to accomplish the wide variety of missions will open up even more opportunities.

Can you steal from anyone?

Yes, you can also sneak into most houses and steal items from there. To mug someone you simply hold up a weapon and aim it at them, depending on how strong minded they are they will either try to run, attack you or simply give you whatever money they have. Due to the roughness of Birkenau chances are passers by won’t blink twice at your mugging attempt, but there may be a strong minded person that sees it who comes to help your victim.


Attributes and Gifts

What are the differences between the 3 characters?

Each character starts with set attributes which determine how the user will play the game.

The Soldier has the highest strength and agility, but as the game progresses the player must choose to concentrate on one of these or have an average of both. For example the prolonged use of large, heavy melee weapons will increase strength, whilst the use of smaller and more nimble ones increases agility (and proficiency in said items). Higher strength means more damage with larger weapons, whilst agility means faster hits with less damaging weapons.

The OutLaw has the highest stealth and speed. When hidden in shadows they become almost invisible, and their use of archery is un-matched. They also have the ability to poison blades making the smallest cut lethal.

The Gifted is the only character capable of using Gifts. While this seems like a huge advantage they start off very physically weak and with relatively poor powers. However as they develop these powers they become the most feared character in the game, capable of summing thunderbolts and controlling people’s minds.

How do attributes increase in power?

The continued use of any attribute will increase it over time. For example if the OutLaw uses poison often it will gradually become more and more deadly as their experience rises.

The same principle works with the Gifts; continued use of each Gift will eventually lead to it rising in level, offering more powerful spells. It also increases the Gifted’s Aura level, which determines how long certain spells last.

What are the attributes?

Strength – determines how damaging melee attacks are. High strength means heavier weapons can be used and their damage increases. Increase Strength by using heavy melee weapons frequently (two handed swords, maces ect).

Agility – determines how fast melee attacks are and reduces chance of being hit. If the player has a high enough agility he or she will automatically dodge and most melee attacks. Increase agility by using small melee weapons frequently (knives, dual small swords ect). The use of larger weapons also increases agility, but not as much as smaller ones might.

Speed – determines how fast the player moves. Increase Speed by running often.

Stealth – determines how hidden the player is in shadows and how silently they move. Increase stealth by hiding in shadows and killing enemies silently (attacks from behind or arrow hits in the head, throat or heart).

Archery – determines how much the crosshair moves whilst using a bow. The higher the Archery skill is the less the crosshair shakes, and the further the bow flies. Increase archery by killing lots of enemies with arrows.

Gift Aura – determines the length of certain Gifts. Increase Gift Aura by using Gifts frequently.

Are there any draw backs to using Gifts?

Yes. Using them in public areas will frighten people and cause them to run away or even attack you. Also some Gifts (such as Mind Control) can only be used on one character at a time, so you can’t put several people to sleep or control multiple people.

Can I choose to increase any stats I want?

Yes, apart from Gift Aura if you’re not a Gifted. However there are attribute blocks for each character, so for example the soldier cannot increase his stealth attribute as far as the OutLaw could.

The following charts demonstrate the Beginning Stat, which is what each characters starts with, and the Highest Stat, which is the level that each character can get each attribute to. 100 is the highest possible level to reach, after which the attribute is at its best.

Statistic chart:

Soldier
Beginning Stat Highest Stat
Strength 10 100
Agility 10 100
Speed 5 75
Stealth 5 50
Archery 5 50
Gift Aura 0 0

OutLaw
Beginning Stat Highest Stat
Strength 5 50
Agility 5 50
Speed 10 100
Stealth 10 100
Archery 10 100
Gift Aura 0 0

Gifted
Beginning Stat Highest Stat
Strength 5 25
Agility 5 25
Speed 5 75
Stealth 5 50
Archery 5 50
Gift Aura 10 100

Do attributes ever go down?

Yes. To avoid characters being maxed out in all possible stats and to add a sense of realism each attribute must be maintained frequently for it to stay high. For example if a player manages to reach 100 in strength but then reverts to using small weapons for a prolonged period of time, his or her strength will gradually drop but their agility will rise. While this seems like a large set back attributes take a lot longer to fall than they do to rise, so it might take you an hour to increase your strength by 5 points but it would take several hours to lose them.

How fast do attributes rise?

Attributes become harder to increase as they get higher. So for example going from strength 10 to 20 is much easier than getting from 20 to 25. Reaching 100 in any attribute is hard work, but pays off!

Will my character change in appearance?

Yes. As your strength increases your muscles get larger. Also wounds will be shown, so if the player receives a hit to the leg a cut will be shown and the player’s movements become slower. Bandages used from medical packs are also shown so other characters (AI and human in multiplayer) can see when and where you are weak.



When it's all done I'll post a link to all the work I've been doing this year, if anyone wants more info about the work or course i'm doing just ask

[Detomah]

I want to see more of that little teaser you gave me a while back.

This sounds very well thought out and sounds like it would have a great storyline, look forward to hearing more about it.

[teflon]

that sounds mad, i thought u would just make stuff like tetris or something

[Tesl]

lol, sounds awesome Stevo Keep us up to date with how it progresses

[Apollz]

jesus stevo, that sounds really good! so are you actually going to make it or just designing it?

[Sabretooth]

Sounds extremely good

Im also doing that type of course at Caerleon Uni ( starting Sept 2005 ), this course focus's mainly on the graphical and animation side though, with just the basics in game programming :magnify:


So i might have to be copying it :lipsrseal

[Kerry]

So when will we be able to pirate it?

[DeathKitten]

whens beta?

[Sean]

wow...seriously..wow!

[Schamie]

OMG that looks rather complex... Are you giving us TF people free beta?

[Kroll]

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

looking forward to some intense brotherly beta testing

if there's anything at all i can help with you know the number lol

good luck

[Stevey666]

Hwah! Nice game stevo

[Wish]

wow, a lot of thought gone into that.

[Seth]

Sounds sweet!

[Mankind]

Nice work Stevo man. I've given up on game design tbh, I just want money. lol.

[Trigger]

sounds really cool

[Klasnikov]

Sadly we just design them, this won't see actual programming unless someone who knows their stuff decides to do it themselves, or if i make it big in the games industry and get to design my own game in 3 years!

Det that other game is on hold for 2 weeks lol, got 3 deadlines to meet and none are looking pretty. But after that i've got many many months free :cool: