Gamespy has a new grudge match up featuring Doom versus Marathon. So for all those fans of the original Mac FPS that started the Bungie craze, please go and vote now!
]]>As I briefly outlined in a previous blog, the basic idea behind Fade will be an expanding variable engine. Without providing specifics on plot or setting the idea is to create a dynamic environment that is different every time you play. As asdfjkl pointed out to me Resident Evil: Outbreak will utilize a similar idea in its gameplay, although it is more basic due to its linearity.
Ideally Fade would be unique every time you start a new game. This would include level layouts to some degree, as well as item placement and character development. The concept here is to change the game every time you play by providing enough variables that the chances of ever having the same conditions are virtually impossible. Examples of this would be a random character appearance. More specifically your character would be unique every time. Want a male protagonist in his late 40's? You might just get it, or possibly even a teenage girl next time. The variable setting would make each game unique to the extreme. You may want to find a mirror in the game just to check out your new look every game.
Of course the possibilities are limited by the number variables included, but by using enough variations you would be able to maximize the differences allowed. Although it would be nice to have a randomly generated level, this may not work due to certain variables. Instead a random level order can be used to progress the game depending on what items/information has been found by your character. This means that certain levels may or may not be used in a given game. So provided that there are 12 total levels, you may only need to play through 8 in order to complete the provided story.
As for the story, it will be generated via the available items. A generic plot that I had constructed involved a person with amnesia trying to uncover their past. In this manner the items/information found would trigger memory sequences which provide clues towards your next goal. As the goal will be random the chain of events will play out differently each time. Also note that there may be possible paths to the end within a given game, so you can even have alternate endings in the same game. Whenever a memory segment is gained it would be shown via a snipet of a black and white cutscene. Once the memory is complete (all the segments are found) the full cutscene would be shown in color. This would then complete the given level.
]]>Ideally Fade would be unique every time you start a new game. This would include level layouts to some degree, as well as item placement and character development. The concept here is to change the game every time you play by providing enough variables that the chances of ever having the same conditions are virtually impossible. Examples of this would be a random character appearance. More specifically your character would be unique every time. Want a male protagonist in his late 40's? You might just get it, or possibly even a teenage girl next time. The variable setting would make each game unique to the extreme. You may want to find a mirror in the game just to check out your new look every game.
Of course the possibilities are limited by the number variables included, but by using enough variations you would be able to maximize the differences allowed. Although it would be nice to have a randomly generated level, this may not work due to certain variables. Instead a random level order can be used to progress the game depending on what items/information has been found by your character. This means that certain levels may or may not be used in a given game. So provided that there are 12 total levels, you may only need to play through 8 in order to complete the provided story.
As for the story, it will be generated via the available items. A generic plot that I had constructed involved a person with amnesia trying to uncover their past. In this manner the items/information found would trigger memory sequences which provide clues towards your next goal. As the goal will be random the chain of events will play out differently each time. Also note that there may be possible paths to the end within a given game, so you can even have alternate endings in the same game. Whenever a memory segment is gained it would be shown via a snipet of a black and white cutscene. Once the memory is complete (all the segments are found) the full cutscene would be shown in color. This would then complete the given level.
As for the level layout it would be ideal to allow the player to backtrack across areas that they have already explored. The trick here is to provide new areas without streamlining the player along these paths, think Grand Theft Auto. I'm still unsure about how to handle navigation hints, but I'm thinking that flashbacks may be a possible way to accomplish this task. An example is that you walk into or near a given area and trigger a memory segment that will clue you in to your next goal. A memory management system would be needed in order to keep track of the goals in order to prevent them from overlapping, but that is more a gameplay mechanic.
In the end, Fade would be an incredibly intricate and detailed game with almost limitless gaming possibilities. Sure this game would be insanely hard to script and code but hopefully we will see more games that utilize random variables in the future. With any luck Fable will be similar to this genre.
]]>With all the millions of games on the market how does a developer ever decide what to create next? Ideas must be a dime a dozen and good ones are even harder to come by, yet the gaming industry is bigger than ever. Does that mean that most developers value quantity over quality or are game simply replicating one another to the point of losing all true originality?
Well, I actually have two ideas for very different games and I am going to use this blog to outline the basic formats involved in creating them. Before I go into too much detail I want to provide a brief description of each idea.
The first idea is loosely based upon such movies as Brainscan, The Butterfly Effect and Total Recall, to name a few. The game itself is based upon learning the reality in which you exist. More specifically you must learn to adapt in an ever changing environment. Most games place items in key locations and enemies travel upon a set route. The basic concept here is to randomize or add expanding variables in order to create a unique gaming experience every time you play. This translates into having to play the game under different cicumstances each and every time you decide to play; and yes, due to the variables the difficulty would be almost impossible to determine.
The second idea is a much more realistic and traditional style of game. This game would be inspired by anime and manga and make use of humanoid characters that can pilot vehicles and mechs. Consider it a hybridization of Robotech/Gundam, Escaflowne and Outlaw Star. The fundamental aspect that would set this game apart from every other similar game out there would be the dynamics of the player/vehicle interaction. In brief the player has a very basic set of skills that can be augmented by personnal weaponry and kits (RPG skills with FPS gear). The vehicles are fixed in terms of properties but can handle any player regardless of skill. The Mechs conversely are very specific and actually involve their own skills in order to pilot. What this means is that a player must decide to focus on mech combat or overall skills in order to be successful. Each has it own restrictions and limits of course.
]]>Well, I actually have two ideas for very different games and I am going to use this blog to outline the basic formats involved in creating them. Before I go into too much detail I want to provide a brief description of each idea.
The first idea is loosely based upon such movies as Brainscan, The Butterfly Effect and Total Recall, to name a few. The game itself is based upon learning the reality in which you exist. More specifically you must learn to adapt in an ever changing environment. Most games place items in key locations and enemies travel upon a set route. The basic concept here is to randomize or add expanding variables in order to create a unique gaming experience every time you play. This translates into having to play the game under different cicumstances each and every time you decide to play; and yes, due to the variables the difficulty would be almost impossible to determine.
The second idea is a much more realistic and traditional style of game. This game would be inspired by anime and manga and make use of humanoid characters that can pilot vehicles and mechs. Consider it a hybridization of Robotech/Gundam, Escaflowne and Outlaw Star. The fundamental aspect that would set this game apart from every other similar game out there would be the dynamics of the player/vehicle interaction. In brief the player has a very basic set of skills that can be augmented by personnal weaponry and kits (RPG skills with FPS gear). The vehicles are fixed in terms of properties but can handle any player regardless of skill. The Mechs conversely are very specific and actually involve their own skills in order to pilot. What this means is that a player must decide to focus on mech combat or overall skills in order to be successful. Each has it own restrictions and limits of course.
For the sake of keeping the ideas clear I will use alpha names for each. The first idea with expanding variables will be referred to as Fade in all future blogs while the second idea will be named Cabal. I hope this short blog will provide a suitable basis for these game ideas as more specific information will be forthcoming.
]]>Well, if you haven't already read any of my previous blog entries then you should likely not care about this one either, but just in case you were interested you can read parts 01, 02, 03 and 04 at your leisure. That being said I will continue with part 05. The focus of this final installment will be possible plot connections to the Halo storyline.
Marathon, er.. Halo Connections:
Taking into account all of the possible unknowns regarding the Halo storyline I feel that the only true suitable scenario for a mod such as this would regard the time directly after the Covenant discover (or vice-versa possibly) humans along the outlying colonies. In this manner there would be less reliance upon Spartans and upper echelon Covenant soldiers.
So far my favorite scenario would entail a small interplanetary group of civil and military humans exploring a few of the outer worlds in search of more habitable environments. In their searching they come across a small moon (one of se7en?) orbiting above a gaseous planet. As they set out to explore the moon they uncover the remains of a civilization. Without the proper means to decipher or interpret what happened to the now abandoned settlement the group decides to gather what information and artifacts they can and take them back to their colony after completing their survey mission(s).
Back upon their ship, one of the crew accidently(?) activiates one of the artifacts, which begins to transmit a subspace signal to an unknown source. As the crew frantically attempts to shut down or at least determine what the signal is transmitting, they decide it would be best to return the artifact to the planet and report directly back to their colony. With little to no mishap the crew reports back to their colony and decides to continue with their survey mission after a short hiatus.
Continuing on Parts 01, 02 and 03, Part 04 will discuss the workings of the Covenant class structure and how it relates to the Human/Spartan Combat Model.
Covenant Class Structures:
Although creating a formal class structure would be nice, it is only possible to create classes within the guidelines provided by Halo's storyline and within the balance limits of a multiplayer match. What this means is that specific sub-races of the Covenant, such as Grunts may not be well suited for multiplayer matches (at least not within their current format). The result is that the number of classes used will be quite limited overall; mainly to the Jackal, Elite and Hunter.
The Jackal may be the most interesting multiplayer class in general provided that they meet a few key restrictions. First, they can never drop their shield; and second, they can only equip one-handed weapons (maybe even only the plasma pistol). The key strength of this class would be their shields. The Jackal shield is very resilient and is quite possibly more useful than the Spartan's energy shield due to the fact that it can resist all types of human ballistic weapons.
Another key feature to the Jackal would be the block feature. Whenever the Jackal uses the crouch funtion they hold up their shield allowing them to become defensive in nature. While in this position they can still overcharge their pistols but cannot fire them until they stand upright. As always, an overcharged plasma pistol shot will render their shield ineffective for a time so this would be a major weakness to this class.
The Elite would likely be the most similar class to the Spartan. Ideally this class would be broken down into three smaller classes: Elites, Gold Elites and Cloaked Elites. If possible it would be nice to seperate each Elite subclass as its own class provided that they have enough differences.
Hopefully you have read my notes on the Human/Spartan Combat Model (H/SCM) previously blogged(?) in Parts 01 and 02, if not you might get a little bit lost when reading this entry. Regardless, my topic for this blog will be possible gameplay scenarios and their implementation.
Gameplay Scenarios:
The first and most obvious would be Human/Spartan teams engaged against other Human/Spartan teams. Weapon and vehicle sets could be restricted as required. So basically we have a basic yet diversified blend of players all fighting to be the few lucky Spartans, right? Maybe. The trick here is to allow each server to run with its own server restrictions. That way you could restrict access to the Spartan players in any number of ways. The most obvious being first-come, first-serve based upon the total number of players each team can support (server max / 2). Secondary means may include a max number of Spartans per team or even 1 Spartan per every X human counterparts. You might even see a few human-only servers up and running.
Which brings us to the next possible setup: human versus human. Sure it would be nice to have a few Spartan buddies to take hits for you while attacking the enemy base, but if people are going to fight over it, why not forbid the use of Spartans altogether. Besides, if you want all Spartan combat, play Halo and not this mod!
Human versus human combat would be what this mod is designed to exploit. Imagine a team of 10 human soldiers, all with various and diversified skill levels simultaneously switching roles on a continual basis in order to compensate for or assist their fellow teammates. Neat huh? (If it works.) The prime motivator would be powering up your player's proficiencies and gaining as many or very high skill levels as quickly as possible. The secondary motivator would be to actually play as a team. Sounds somewhat backwards, right? So how do you encourage teamplay above and beyond everything else? If there was a simple answer to this then clans would never exist.
Hopefully you have read Part 01 of the Human/Spartan Combat Model (H/SCM), if not please read up. The topic of this next blog will be how gameplay will be affected via this free-form class structure.
Proficiency Based Gameplay:
Ultimately the goal of this mod is to provide players a chance to jump into combat with little to no previous experience of Halo and end up with a character customized to meet their own strengths. Weapons, vehicles, maps and gametypes will all have their own balancing factors. The bonuses that players get from these items only helps to improve their own individual characteristics when using them. What this translates to is that if a player does not use a given weapon/vehicle, expect a player that does to be much better when using it.
Unlike most Role-Playing Games (RPGs) these skills will build up rather quickly. Considering that most matches last 20-30 minutes, you would expect players to gain a proficient level when using a single weapon after a very limited time. This is not to say that higher levels would be easy to attain, but only that shorter periods of time are needed to gain the most basic upgrades.
Example: A player begins the game with a pistol and proceeds to gain a few quick kills. If the requirement for the first pistol proficiency upgrade was 5 kills using that weapon, a player could easily attain it at a rather quick pace. Note that only the killing shot must be from the pistol, so feel free to use any other weapon to weaken your opponent first. After reaching 5 kills the player goes from skill 0 (zero) to skill 1 with the pistol and a bonus, such as an extra clip of ammunition is added to the pistol every time the player picks one up. Keep in mind that these bonuses are quite arbitrary at this point and only the general concept is important.
As a player's proficiency increases with a given item, it would be easier for them to gain that next skill level when using that item. Of course, the curve for attaining the top levels will be much harder than the more basic ones, so the rewards or benefits will be much better as well.
]]>Proficiency Based Gameplay:
Ultimately the goal of this mod is to provide players a chance to jump into combat with little to no previous experience of Halo and end up with a character customized to meet their own strengths. Weapons, vehicles, maps and gametypes will all have their own balancing factors. The bonuses that players get from these items only helps to improve their own individual characteristics when using them. What this translates to is that if a player does not use a given weapon/vehicle, expect a player that does to be much better when using it.
Unlike most Role-Playing Games (RPGs) these skills will build up rather quickly. Considering that most matches last 20-30 minutes, you would expect players to gain a proficient level when using a single weapon after a very limited time. This is not to say that higher levels would be easy to attain, but only that shorter periods of time are needed to gain the most basic upgrades.
Example: A player begins the game with a pistol and proceeds to gain a few quick kills. If the requirement for the first pistol proficiency upgrade was 5 kills using that weapon, a player could easily attain it at a rather quick pace. Note that only the killing shot must be from the pistol, so feel free to use any other weapon to weaken your opponent first. After reaching 5 kills the player goes from skill 0 (zero) to skill 1 with the pistol and a bonus, such as an extra clip of ammunition is added to the pistol every time the player picks one up. Keep in mind that these bonuses are quite arbitrary at this point and only the general concept is important.
As a player's proficiency increases with a given item, it would be easier for them to gain that next skill level when using that item. Of course, the curve for attaining the top levels will be much harder than the more basic ones, so the rewards or benefits will be much better as well.
Also note that a skill penalty would be implemented for dying. This penalty would be minor in the long run, but would also encourage players to diversify their skill base more. Such a penalty would likely reduce a player's highest and/or most recently attained level by 1. That way if a player insists upon sniping the entire match, they must also consider that by dying a few quick times without gaining the next level they have gone from level 3 sniping back to a base of zero. If, however, the player diversifies his proficiences and not only snipes, but also jumps in the back of a warthog to support his teammates, he would only lose his most recent skill increase. In this case it would be skill 1 for a gunner (mentioned in Part 01). Yes, it needs tweaking, but the idea is to gently force players into various roles without having fights over who snipes and who drives the ghost every time. Possibly for once the jack-of-all-trades player might soon be the strongest.
As specific player skill levels are defined you could possibly end up with overlays for general items. Skill basics for using ballistic weaponry, for example, at level 1. That way a player could easily use any ballistic weapon (e.g. pistol, assault rifle, shotgun, sniper rifle or needler) to gain the most basic skill level. Specialization of a specific weapon would then continue beyond level 1 until a max skill level is reached. The goal is to make players gain the most from the least amount of effort at low levels, but force them into specific specialties at the higher ones.
Until the skill levels for the various proficiencies are determined this is more of a general concept to understand. Note also that there is no carry-over for skills between games. Stats and rankings at the end of each match would be recorded/displayed, but players all start at level 0 when they begin the next match. This also means that the Spartan players would likely only be the strongest for the first few minutes of each match as their Human counterparts would soon gain various proficiencies to compensate for their lack of a shield.
More information coming soon in Part 03.
]]>After posting a few of my personal viewpoints in a recent thread, I have finally decided to catalogue my ideas for public opinion. These ideas will be formed from an ongoing series of blogs that will be refined and broken down into simple sequences of information. Refining and extrapolating of individual ideas will occur on a regular basis, but hopefully I can maintain a focussed and informative dialog from my ramblings.
Overview:
The basic idea is to create a realistic combat modification (mod) that places human soldiers fighting alongside Spartan class models. The difference here is that human soldiers lack shields and would likely be more vulnerable to death. Likewise they would also be faster than your normal Spartan. Spartans act exactly like the Master Chief, but are limited to say 1 per every 4 players on the Human/Spartan side (possible server-side setting).
As I would prefer to avoid class-based structuring I think it would be necessary to incorporate a skill based system in the game. This would work by encouraging players to assume roles and then gain improvements based upon their performance within that role.
An example would be a basic class sniper. Imagine a player that picks up a sniper rifle and then proceeds to gain kills with his new rifle. As the player gains kills using his sniper rifle, he also improves his reload time and decreases his body movement while scoped-in.
Instead of limiting the player to the class of sniper, the system works to encourage players to work together and support one another. This is not to say that upon dying you lose your abilities, so a player could and should take multiple roles upon themselves throughtout a battle in order to improve their own skills.
Pilots/drivers could allow their vehicles to take more damage before being destroyed based upon the distance they travel in them. Gunners gain more accuracy from their weapons while hitting targets from a vehicle. The structuring is somewhat free-form in this regard. If medkits could be equipped you could even add a field medic role into the mix, etc. There could even be smaller bonuses for players such as increased speed or stamina (if running is possible) for traveling a given distance on foot.
GameSpy just posted a lengthy and informative preview of Star Wars: Battlefront, which is scheduled for (simultaneous?) release on the PC, PS2 & Xbox systems. All in all the game looks like a possible winner, but given LucasArts' history of gaming it could possibly flop as well.
Overall I think the game reminds me of an updated Myth and the conquest style gameplay is very similar to a tournament that was held long, long ago, in a galaxy... (kudos to anyone who can come up with the name of the tournament). Anyways, check out the preview and with any luck we can get some Mythers together once a week or so for some fun 16/32 (Xbox/PC) player Galactic Conquest games (once it is finally released, of course).
]]>Overall I think the game reminds me of an updated Myth and the conquest style gameplay is very similar to a tournament that was held long, long ago, in a galaxy... (kudos to anyone who can come up with the name of the tournament). Anyways, check out the preview and with any luck we can get some Mythers together once a week or so for some fun 16/32 (Xbox/PC) player Galactic Conquest games (once it is finally released, of course).
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