Game Concept: The Playmaker
The mark’s eyes flutter as the ever increasing red pool behind his head drips down the stairs. “Another day, another dollar”. Bishop has been in charge of the Tactical Operations team front-lining the U.S. Governments war on narcotics with the D.E.A for 16 years. For 17 years Bishop has worked as a Spy for the biggest crime syndicate in the world, the Mexican Loz Zetas Cartel. It’s Time for these two worlds to collide.
You will take on the role of Kane Bishop, as he fights his way through the tangled web of the narcotics trade in South America. You will have to provide strategic planning before and during missions, control a squadron of 8 highly trained elite soldiers in order to execute D.E.A. objectives, interrogate, barter, steal, cheat, lie and backstab your way to survival in a world where you are always the enemy. Whilst keeping the D.E.A. happy and off your back, you must provide tangible information to the Loz Zetas Cartel, sabotaging the D.E.A.’s efforts to bring the organisation down.
Game Mechanics based on concept:
Mission/Level Details and User Interface:
The Playmaker will be a 1st person shooter, with tactical control elements built into the game allowing the user to define certain checkpoints and individual goals for his squadron to act out in an assault. This means that during the mission briefing the player will have to be thinking of which routes to take and which tactical methods and equipment to utilize. On one hand the player must create a convincing strategy to con the D.E.A. into thinking they have a fool-proof plan for success. On the other hand the player must create some flaw in the plan, in order to take advantage of this flaw and sabotage the mission in order to save his own skin in fear of the Loz Zetas Cartel. Any in-accuracy will be punishable and will either see the player fulfilling forfeit-like missions in order to stay in grace with both the Cartel and the D.E.A. At times Bishop will have to make decisions that may risk his immunity in order to save his family, walking the thin blue line between imprisonment by the D.E.A. and torture and death in the hands of the Loz Zetas.
Before missions there will be a briefing given to the player personally by Bishops assistant Debbie. She will explain the objectives of the mission and the necessary information to plan a method of attack. Intelligence will sometimes be erroneous and it is up to the player to make judgements on what really may await the squadron. The briefing will be given orally and visually via live camera link back to the D.E.A. HQ or mobile intelligence unit. Debbie may be requested to repeat any information missed, and the main points and objectives will be itemised in order of importance visible to the player both at the beginning of the briefing and during the level. This constraint should hopefully ensure that players do not forget the specific tasks required to progress onto the next assault.
After the briefing the user will be given the opportunity to create waypoints for each of his team to pass through. This tool is called the “Play Book” and is often vital to the personal success of Bishop. This enables the player to know where the rest of his squadron are going to be at a certain time, giving him a chance to plan events before entering the hot zone. If the user does not elect to choose waypoints, less detailed automated waypoints will be used. These waypoints and procedure routes can alter during a fire fight and the user must remember that if any of the team are injured their positioning and effectiveness will be drastically affected. Bishop must always remember that the “Play Book” should never indicate any foul play. The “Play Book” is D.E.A. property and is visible to his commander in chief, Johan Kofk. If Kofk suspects sabotage has occurred on too many missions under Bishop’s control, he will be investigated by Internal Affairs and hung out to dry.
In-game Interface:
The Heads Up Display (HUD) is integral to any first person shooter game and so therefore will definitely be a feature in this game. It will as usual display the user health points, team member health status, personal armour points, crosshair, compass and ammo remaining. There are many existing styles of HUD, yet many of them fail to reach the correct balance between conveying information accurately and easily and creating a sense of immersion in the game. With an over-loaded HUD the player will have a constant reminder that they are playing a video game. One option is to try and integrate the HUD into the gaming environment. For example the ammo counter instead of being on a HUD visible only on the players screen, could be located on an LCD screen on the actual weapon. My main problem with this type of economising is that during chaotic game play these environment displays could become obstructed or too hard to pay attention to. In light of this I have decided to create a minimalistic HUD that expresses the information using different colours, warning levels and methods. Audio announcements can be made via the radio and this should not be forgotten as a great method of conveying information whilst in the thick of the action. This is a good way to give the user information which cannot be easily displayed visually. Supplementary to the three main HUD items, other indicators such as squad members life expectancy or health will be shown only when the readings change. This cuts out static information and will minimize the amount of data I have to convey via my HUD.
When creating the barebones of the HUD one must remember that before designing such an important and ever present feature, one must look at the environment the HUD is going to be used within. The HUD will be more effective and more discreet if it resembles the in-game world. Opacity of the HUD can also be edited in the game options, this allows each user to set their viewing preferences.
The health indicator will be displayed by green symbols marking a percentage bar and a large green cross. If the health should fall under 75% these green items should turn Amber immediately to express a level of warning. If the health should sink under 50% both the large medic cross and the percentage bar should turn red, giving a higher indication of danger. This should help the player keep an eye on his health easily without being too distracted by the HUD to miss in-game objects and threats. In order for a HUD to be usable and effective it must display the information without obscuring the users vision to a detrimental degree. The health bar should also have a digital reading to allow accurate observation of increase/decrease. This information should be visible yet small enough to be part of an “integrated” HUD. Armour status will be displayed on the HUD by a small “power” bar. This will again change colour using the same colour scheme as for the health. On the side of the power bar should be a small digital reading in % for more accurate viewing. The health and armour information are located together in the bottom right hand corner of the HUD. For the ammunition another digital display should be accessible because for example in pistols, the amount of bullets remaining is a vital part of game play.
User/World/Objects/NPC/Player Character Interactions:
Instead of only providing the specific tools required for each mission, much equipment will be available in the beginning of the game, and further equipment and weapons more specifically will be added upon completion of certain achievements or tasks. Unlike many other games these new weapons can be achieved at different points of the game, which means that utilizing the correct weapons is more the users choice than something forced upon the user to give them the ability to complete a mission. For example there will be alternative methods to complete the same objective, allowing the user to use their own interpretation of what is required from the squadron during the assault. This means that if a player favours huge demolition as oppose to needle-like precision execution, the game can fulfil his destructive urges. Certain equipment will remain part of the player’s main repertoire. The pistol, the mirror, the throwing knife, the silenced colt M4A1 and Kevlar protective armour. These five articles are enough to complete any mission however other weapons and equipment will make much lighter work of a hard task. Amongst the mass of military equipment that can be unlocked during the game is the Milan anti personnel machine gun, the Arctic Warfare Police Magnum sniper rifle, the Claymore anti personnel mine, night-vision goggles and an adrenaline and morphine injection kit. These items are all fully loaded and stocked at the beginning of each mission due to the support and kindness of the D.E.A. However players can run out of ammo during missions and have to attempt to locate secondary ammo or another gun (from killed AI players).
Missions Objects and Concept Content:
Missions and objectives are widely varying, from heavily coordinated drugs raids involving a helicopter extractions, to covert assassinations of top drug barons. The settings of assaults and missions involve a cocaine factory in the jungle, a crack house in Miami, a nightclub in Medellin Columbia, a speedboat on the panama canal, a helicopter, a marijuana plantation near the Andes, a hospital, a court room and the D.E.A. Headquarters. I have chosen to use hugely altering settings to give the game a more immersive story, enabling to take on the role of Kane Bishop not only in the field, but in more everyday environments like the courtroom or a hospital whilst operating for Loz Zetas.
Training will be a regular part of game play in the single player mode, after each main chapter, training will be done along side your squadron and possible new recruits. Training will involve jumping which could encourage bunnyhopping, testing out new weapons on the firing range and in the “Killing House” resembling the SAS derived real life simulations of assaults. Equipment is viewable and information about weapons and equipment are be displayed at a central computer so that tips and background information is available to the user.
The first mission will bring Bishop to a point in his life where he is pulled from every direction, intelligence was leaked from the Cartel about a money train leaving Miami back to Mexico to the D.E.A. Unknown to Bishop but he coordinates an attack on the money train as it is in downtown Miami, catching two of the highest ranking Loz Zetas alive. The sting operation seizes a record $700 million. The D.E.A. couldn’t have caught a bigger fish and transfer the brothers to holding cells at headquarters. Bishop just made the biggest move of his career yet, but at the same time launched his life’s perfect equilibrium into chaos. Kane returns home to find his door kicked down, his children and wife missing, his house ransacked and his dog slaughtered. A note splattered in dark still wet blood reads “an eye for an eye”.
Throughout the next chapters Bishop will negotiate with the Loz Zetas Cartel whilst fulfilling his duties as a D.E.A. agent. Whilst in missions Bishop will have to lead an assault against a varying opponent. Each Cartel member and mercenary are differently skilled, in classes. The higher ranking the member, the higher calibre the Advanced Artificial Intelligence is. Important game characters will wield custom weapons and have distinguishable outfits to recognise them. Bishop will have to navigate a way into a hostile situation in which there may be hostages, meaning him and his squadron will have to infiltrate and eliminate all cartel members before objectives can be completed. Entry points vary throughout the levels and on some levels there are multiple methods of entry, for example blowing all the doors with plastic c4 explosive, or abseiling in through the roof windows. The aim of the game is not only to complete the objectives but also to show flair and skill. This is because in Play Maker not only are you rewarded for successfully completing missions but your accuracy and other meritable efforts are specially collected and statistics are generated. For reaching certain notable levels (i.e above 99% accuracy, Headshot count, Hostage Rescue count, objects and buildings destroyed) awards will be given that fit the accomplishment. The six golden bullet awards are some of the most prestigious and once completed these merits will show on each users profile across the online gaming network. Further online statistics that include some of the details mentioned above are also important for developing more competitive gaming within the network.
Failure in single player missions will result in the torture or death of one or more of his two children and wife. If an objective is impossible to complete then Bishop will receive a finger or a toe from one of his loved ones. If Bishop is killed his family will be executed in an attempt to cut any connections. If Bishop is discovered by the D.E.A. his family will be killed immediately, the Loz Zetas will not tolerate acts of aggression or disobedience. Bishop will have to eliminate certain members of his own squadron to ensure the successful escape of the Loz Zetas brothers. Bishop will have to assassinate an informant testifying against the Cartel. Bishop will have the option to assassinate one of the brothers in order to re-take control from the Mexican cartel. Bishops objectives and missions will focus on the exchange of the brothers for his family and keeping his dark secret quiet from the ever concerned D.E.A. chiefs.
Further Game Mechanics:
Progress will be saved automatically after the completion of each mission, however players can return to a previously completed mission if they choose to create more than one playing “Profile”. This profile data will be stored as saved game data including user specific controls, sensitivity, audio, video and graphics settings, meaning that one user could even establish two profiles for their own use, one with increased gamma for play during the day to combat sunlight, and one for less to reduce glare at night.
I feel that most modern games have online elements, and that this capacity is almost as important as the single player storyline, so it is important that Mechanics of online or LAN server/client relationships are defined at this early stage in development. The following framework should be used. The game can only support a relatively small scale of players, 1-32. Multiplayer will use the Client/server network communications model (in which the server has knowledge about the game) This means that code will have to be written for both the server and the client. This also could bring about the necessity to produce a game that is cross-platform because the server deployment architecture may be one that runs on a UNIX system. This means that the server must be GUI-less independent .EXEs distributed on an online gaming network.
The main advantage of client/server games is the ability to simplify some aspects of the game programming because a single computer has access to all the game state. More importantly, a server computer typically has a high bandwidth network connection, a reliable and consistent network connection, and is itself running on a reliable computer system (the same assumptions cannot be made for client machines). Together with the centrally located game content, these properties of a server make it more accessible to perform operations in custom game code. The online game is enterable at any time. Because of the nature of the internet it often a bad idea to limit gamers to session orientated games because it requires some form of forward planning by all the players. Also having to wait longer than a couple of minutes would infuriate many players searching around trying to find a good server. Each game will only last a maximum of 30 minutes until the level changes. During this time the objective will be to eliminate as many enemies as possible in free for all mode, or to capture the enemies intelligence/munitions in Capture The Flag mode. The game will be persistent and eternal in that even if no players are on a game server, the game state will constantly update regardless.
Concept Art:
This can be seen on the following pages, I first created the objects comprising the HUD so that I could get a grasp of what the first person viewpoint would look like. The background screen was just found through an online resource, and was just to act as a typical environment. The crosshair colour schemes were used to try and identify which colour was most obvious yet unobtrusive. The compass view can be altered from the small compass, as is default when the user is moving throughout the game, to a larger more detailed compass view at the press of a button combination. The same is not possible with the health bar because I felt this function wasn’t necessary because my design of the health bar was such that it must be fully visible and obvious to the user at all times.
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