Map 1 - Construction
This map will consist of 3-4 storeys in the building. The layout is focused on wide open building storeys where the basic load baring walls have been mostly fleshed out, the windows have not been put in, and scaffolding still remains in certain areas between levels. We will also place some cranes lifting cargo from the bottom level to the top level. The top level won't have all of it's walls in place, so more experienced players can easily jump to the floor from the cargo.
The scaffolding on the outside of the building will provide a save more stealthy option between floors 2 and 3 of the building, whereas the incomplete emergency stairs will provide access between the ground floor lobby and floor 1. These two options of floor transport will be placed at opposite ends of the 'exposed' open floor plans and require the player to move rather than just camp. In addition to these two routes the crane will be a makeshift shortcut from the bottom directly to the top, but highly exposed to all floors inbetween.
Map 2 - Completed
The outline of this map will be more sleek and 'contemporary'. It will be filled with mini mazes (yet amazingly organised) office cubicles. The ground floor will be a more open lobby area, with a desk centered neatly towards the front entrance. Surrounding the complex there will be a neat uniform garden. The building will also be fitted with finished emergency stairs on one side and an elevator on the opposite.
The office cubicle walls will provide cover to crouching players, but be short enough to allow players to see over it when they're standing upright. The ground floor lobby will be a more open conflict area where players will most likely 'bump' into each other in a more crowded multiplayer situation. Emergency stairs will then have a similar purpose as last time providng a stealthy but lengthy means to progress from floor to floor. The elevator will automatically shift from floor to floor stopping every floor up and down. It is the player's strategic advantage to keep track of when it is going up and down, and it will be a faster means between floors, but 'ding' on every level to announce it arrival, which will draw attention.
Map 3 - Dilapadated
After years of struggle the once sleek and new building in map 2 will be crumbling under it's age. This will immobilise the elevator, create breaks in the stairs and produce holes in floors. The garden will be overgrown and slowly climbing the building, possibly the only thing still holding it together.
The elevator shaft will create a one-way shortcut from top to the first floor, with a slight health penalty upon impact. Originally, the broken elevator will restat the bottom of the shaft on the lobby floor. If time constraints allow we will endeavour to change the broken elevator to a 'counterweight' idea where it will be broken at the top, and players need only jump on it for it to drop a level. The doors will be stuck open providing a hiding hole of sorts on certain floors. The broken stairs will provide a means of floor progression both up and down floors for more experienced players who are confident enough to jump between chunks of stairs. Holes between floors will not be placed directly under each other, but be randomly scattered. Some floors will also have fallen planks which can act as walkways to go up to the next floor. This will enable a more stable way for more inexperienced players. Piles of rubble and left behind furniture will add as cover as well as creeping foliage.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Game Mechanics
[Game Name] will place the player in a first person perspective. The game rules are a free for all 'not it' situation. One player will have a weapon of dominance (a gun with a charge restraint to keep it balanced) whilst all other participants will be weilding only a basic melee weapon.
The gun-wielding character is free to hunt down and kill these melee players for points. The objective of the melee players is to use strategy and knowledge of the map to get close enough to the gunner to kill them. The melee players aren't desiginated as a clearcut official 'team' but may see fit to work together to take down the gunner.
However, whichever melee player delivers the final blow to the gunner then respawns as the gunner, and the deceased gunner is then respawned as a melee player. This creates a situation where the player must choose to attack alone with small odds of winning, but a garunteed gunner position if successful or use a team strategy and sacrifice their chances of getting the gunner position just to hinder the current gunner's point progression.
This will also aid in balancing the game as the more points the gunner gets the more likely the melee players are to team up. Melee players do not get points for killing each other. The player will recieve a bonus point for killing the current gunner, and an additional point for every kill they get as gunner thereafter.
The gun-wielding character is free to hunt down and kill these melee players for points. The objective of the melee players is to use strategy and knowledge of the map to get close enough to the gunner to kill them. The melee players aren't desiginated as a clearcut official 'team' but may see fit to work together to take down the gunner.
However, whichever melee player delivers the final blow to the gunner then respawns as the gunner, and the deceased gunner is then respawned as a melee player. This creates a situation where the player must choose to attack alone with small odds of winning, but a garunteed gunner position if successful or use a team strategy and sacrifice their chances of getting the gunner position just to hinder the current gunner's point progression.
This will also aid in balancing the game as the more points the gunner gets the more likely the melee players are to team up. Melee players do not get points for killing each other. The player will recieve a bonus point for killing the current gunner, and an additional point for every kill they get as gunner thereafter.
Art Style
We're still a bit bitsy on the style, but what we had in mind was closer to UT3 default styles so we can still use some of their textures. We're still going for a simplistic but exaggerated style (like warhammer space marine armor) we're not aiming for photoreaslism.
It's still very vague, the more concept art we can pump out the sooner we can look through it all and pick one so we need diversity!
:D Have fun drawing!
It's still very vague, the more concept art we can pump out the sooner we can look through it all and pick one so we need diversity!
:D Have fun drawing!
What we need for the Design Doc submission
Okay people! I'm going to attempt to tackle the Design Document tonight, so that we have a fighting chance come submission (5pm Friday, August 6th) and will be able to work on the presentation for Monday (and no, we can't use the same thing if you where wondering people!).
Here's what we need (Most of this is on the "Guidelines.pdf" under "Lecture 1" on the Blackboard)
EVERYONE
DONE
AMY
BELINDA
JOE
NICK
ALEX
Design Document
We need to know also that everyone agrees on the idea and it would be awesome if anyone wants to help me out (possibly writing up some of the sections in an articulate way, or finding references, whatever!).
Here's what we need (Most of this is on the "Guidelines.pdf" under "Lecture 1" on the Blackboard)
EVERYONE
DONE
AMY
BELINDA
JOE
NICK
ALEX
Design Document
- Table of Contents - Self-explanatory
- Introduction/Overview - The overview describes the purpose of the document at hand
and tries to depict the game design in a concise fashion. No more than a single page should convey the feeling of the game (and of the document) - Game Mechanics - We describe the gameplay style, the type (1st/3rd person? Deathmatch? etc.), the interaction between players/the world/NPCs, the controls
- Artificial Intelligence - [Joe I was hoping you could cover this if you don't mind! Not sure if we really have any though] What kind of AIs we need in our game? Are there different AIs (NPCs)? What actions are allowed for every AI? Are there special features in some specific AIs?
- Game Elements - Where we describe all elements relevant to our game. Weapons/power ups, Objects/doors/switches/jumps as well as any NPC actions or skills
- Game Progression - Describes what happens to the player in our
game. Better explained on a per-level basis. What are the challenges offered to players? What are the main events? - References - Any relevant materiel/resources
- Table of Contents - Again...self-explanatory
- Introduction/Overview - Introduce document as well as art style, etc.
- Art Style - What kind of art style are you going to use? (Cartoon, Photo realistic, Based on some specific movie/comic/fiction) What are your artistic references? Sketches, renderings and/or storyboards should be included.
- Storyboards - Mock-up sketches to show the intended style/gameplay of the game
- Technical Guidelines - Technical limitations (time, polygon budget, tools, etc.)
- References - Again any relevant materials
We need to know also that everyone agrees on the idea and it would be awesome if anyone wants to help me out (possibly writing up some of the sections in an articulate way, or finding references, whatever!).
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Theme
Office building set in three seperate stages of it's 'life cycle' (which will make three seperate deathmatch stages). These will effectively be:
1. Construction : Moving girders/platforms, scaffolding on the outside of the building for covert level changes, half completed buildings with 'exposed' regions to the moving platforms, ground/gritty bottom level with very little cover.
Characters: Builders (uniform compromised with ww1 style armour with a futuristic twist)
2. Completed : Sleek, modern design with various mazes of office cubicles high enough to cover you in a crouch but also allow you to pop your head over the top, elevators moving up and down, garden on ground level to hide in (possibly parking lot).
Characters: Architects (suits, with possibly briefcases, wielding something like a T-square)
3. Dilapidated : Worn, holes in floor, trap floors that fall, empty elevator shifts which allow fast moving between levels but may incur health penalties, breaks in cubicle walls.
Characters: Standard UT3 characters (already possess post-apocalyptic feel)
Have a read over it and I can edit this post (I think) as we change it.
1. Construction : Moving girders/platforms, scaffolding on the outside of the building for covert level changes, half completed buildings with 'exposed' regions to the moving platforms, ground/gritty bottom level with very little cover.
Characters: Builders (uniform compromised with ww1 style armour with a futuristic twist)
2. Completed : Sleek, modern design with various mazes of office cubicles high enough to cover you in a crouch but also allow you to pop your head over the top, elevators moving up and down, garden on ground level to hide in (possibly parking lot).
Characters: Architects (suits, with possibly briefcases, wielding something like a T-square)
3. Dilapidated : Worn, holes in floor, trap floors that fall, empty elevator shifts which allow fast moving between levels but may incur health penalties, breaks in cubicle walls.
Characters: Standard UT3 characters (already possess post-apocalyptic feel)
Have a read over it and I can edit this post (I think) as we change it.
Monday, August 2, 2010
My Style Concept
So as instructed by the overmind I have gone home and worked on a brief style concept for "Janitor Wars", this is the style I think the game should be done in.
The only problem is that the shade and light will change direction as objects move because they are painted onto the model. Maybe just a general colouring is required and we just use contentional game shading.
- Alex
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Brainstorming pt.2
OK guys, so after our little "brainstorming" session earlier today we've come up with the idea of some sort of Janitor/Maintenance Wars. This is what I've gathered about the concept from our discussion:
- The gameplay style is time-based, and will have a strong emphasis on the "door" system (a means of gaining access to different pathways, vantage points and areas)
- The game will involve shifting obstacles/platforms
- Will most likely be set in indoor locations (Hotel, Hospital, Office building, University, Shopping center, etc.) but one level must have an outdoor area/greenhouse due to the brief
- The combat is to be strategical, as the only weapon that can inflict physically harm is the wrench/melee weapon and the player must utilize a variety of maintenance based"weapons" to overcome the enemy (some of these weapons may blind/hinder speed or footing, etc.)
- There could be a variety of characters such as Janitors, Mechanics, Gardeners, Maids, etc.
- The game's "style" is to be similar to that of Team Fortress 2. Using bright color and simplified shapes/textures.
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