top of page

Outline & Research

Google Doc Link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yqwCOSDiRUDfkgtOjtwcuax7uENIc2MkX9mYqxozH88/edit?usp=sharing

 

Outline & Research

Title

 

Dead Skin

 

Genre

 

Third-Person Linear Role-Playing Action Adventure

Single Player

 

About

 

Dead Skin is about the thrill of being a mechanized human being that lives on the edge of a futuristic society. You are in possession of a core chip that is vital to an unknown organization and are being hunted. The information inside of the core chip remains inside your memory and is locked away.

The goal of the game revolves around securing your safety, learning about the core chip’s importance, and finding the black arm parts dealer, X, who can remove the core chip’s information. You are on your own to resolve this new lifestyle that was forced upon you.

The player will encounter action, thrills, suspense, and immersion throughout their gaming experience. Players must make their way throughout the game, skillfully outwitting their opponents and using their abilities to their fullest to be successful in any encounter. If they suffer from injuries or death, the character becomes less human and more robotic. This will adjust the overall story and ending of the game.

 

Player Capability

 

  • Walking

  • Running

  • Jumping

  • Fighting

  • Hiding

  • Upgrading augmentations

  • Saving

  • Insuring augmentations

  • Using Special Abilities

  • Recovering Augmentations

  • Interacting with non-playable characters

*(Refer to Gameplay Section)

 

Platform

 

Digital Copy (Downloaded and Sold through Steam or GOG)

PC (Personal Computer), Mac, Linux

 

Rating

 

For the audience of 13 years of age or older.

Rated ‘T’ for Teen

 

Box Art Concept

Box Art Concept by: Earl Wade

 

Features

 

Story Features & Inspiration

 

The story for the video game will include the following elements:

 

  • The world is ran by an organization that acts behind the scenes.

  • The main character winds up getting mixed up in a black market deal.

  • Being chased, the main character tried to turn to the black market dealer responsible, only to be left in the lurch.

  • The main character resolves to track him down, no matter how many body swaps it takes to get his life back to normal.

  • The ending is based on the Hero’s remaining humanity and the actions that lead up to that point.

 

The story will take place in the future where technology reigns and the player gets wrapped up in something much bigger than he is. Similar games that incorporate this trope:

  • Deus Ex

  • Metal Gear Solid 2

 

His actions change the world around him in profound ways. Similar games with this trope:

  • Dishonored

  • Heavy Rain

 

Whether the player decides to fight, run, or create chaos will decide how the world around them reacts to the player’s actions, whether they know about it or not. Similar game that uses this trope:

  • Watch Dogs

 

Story Description

 

In the future, technology has advanced far beyond our own. People are having limbs and organs upgraded through implants. Implants enhance a person’s speed, stamina and strength well above the average human. The game that inspired the tone of this story is Deus Ex (IGN, 2010)(In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the main character, Adam Jensen is brought back to life with the help of technological implants. These implants, much like in our game, give the main character special abilities that the normal person can’t obtain). Robots have taken up many various jobs in the workforce, leaving many lower class citizens without jobs and the ability to get modifications, while the rich enjoy a life of luxury. The poor eventually turn to the black market and the sale of their own body parts to get by. The strife that is caused by all of this leads to many factions being created ‘warring’ over the abundance of materials and labor, all the while, a mysterious group controls the flow of information and the economy from the shadows, like in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (Decoy .Octupus, 2012).Like the Patriots, in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the mysterious group is in the background developing and controlling the city’s well-being.

 

The story follows a character that was living in the rich districts, but was backstabbed by a coworker and was forced to take up a job in the black market, where he stumbled across a chip that he should never have picked up. X, the one who was developing the chip, had slipped

up and the only prototype, along with it’s design, ends up in the player’s hands. X went into hiding out of fear of his employers, while the hero struggles with new found abilities that were granted to him by the chip. The chip lets him hack into cameras and small robots in the area, but doing so alerted an organization to his presence. His abilities are reminiscent of the phone found in Watch_Dogs (Gamespot, 2010). There are manipulations of hacking terminals and being able to conveniently disable enemy traps like there is in the game Watch_Dogs. Trying to fix the mistake, X sets up the meeting as referenced in the True Skin video, where the player goes to it, and X is nowhere to be found. In a last ditch effort to escape, the hero uses a mental insurance institution to escape and get a new body for himself. But as fate would have it, the data that was in the chip, is still with him, making him a constant target.

 

This sets the hero on a game of cat and mouse with X, all the while, evading or fighting the various factions that want his power. Over the course of the game, the player can obtain more augmentations and eventually boost his power over the world around him. What he does with that power will determine what faction he joins, or if he destroys them and frees the populace from the iron grip of the technology that is keeping them enslaved to their ‘masters’. He also must struggle with his own humanity as more of himself is being replaced with tech. The prototype, acting as a double edged sword, becomes more deeply rooted in him as he continues to use it.

 

Eventually, the hero will confront ‘X’ face to face and the sum of his actions will determine his fate. Based on the player’s level of humanity later in the game, he’ll either rejoin high society and become an immortal mindless robot, he’ll have a realization that this control could help steer the course of humanity and he takes over the system, or die a human to protect what is remaining of his humanity. The players actions can cause the story to go through many different routes, culminating in many similar endings, or drastically different ones. Games with a similar concept being their plots and endings is Dishonored (Mythomantic, 2012) and Heavy Rain (SpottinGames, 2012). Much like in heavy rain, the diverging story-lines will create suspense as the path of the hero is not obviously laid out before the player. This will make in-game decisions that much more meaningful, seeing as the player doesn’t know what decisions will directly affect the progression of the story.

 

Art

 

The type of artwork that the video game will be showcasing is:

  • Future

  • Dark Themed

  • Neon Light

  • Polarized Themed Areas

  • Urban Decay

Similar video games that incorporate these art styles are:

    • Future

 

  • Mirror’s Edge

  • Star Wars: The Old Republic

 

    • Dark Themed

 

  • Prey 2

  • Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

 

    • Neon Light

 

  • Tron Evolution

  • Remember Me

 

    • Polarized Themed Areas

 

  • Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

  • Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny

 

    • Urban Decay

 

  • Grand Theft Auto V

  • Star Wars: 1313

 

 

Art Description

 

The video game Dead Skin will immerse the player in a futuristic utopia that centralizes the concept of technology and surrealism. Players will be traveling around a large open ended city for the majority of the game. While in the city, players will be able to experience a high end of life as well as a low end of life throughout the gameplay. The majority of the game will feature the low end of the city’s slum life and captivate the urban atmospheres of a surreal environment. There will be four main art styles used to portray the game and one major theme. The four art styles consist of future, dark theme, neon lights, and urban decay artwork. The overall theme of the game will showcase a polarized area theme in which the population and city are separated by economic status. All of these elements of art will captivate and intrigue gamers to want an experience that takes them into a surreal environment covered with excitement.

 

Each of the art styles will represent the setting of Dead Skin. The future art style depicts the time period and world setting that the game takes place. This future setting expands the modern world that currently exists today and develops a new age of technology. The technology is advanced, vibrant, and eye-popping where screens of computers are colored holograms that pedestrians use to do their remedial and daily tasks. Star Wars: The Old Republic features similar scope of viewing life from the future (Lucca, 2012). Future art styles were selected to intrigue the audience of adults and hopefully draw on the imagination.

 

The dark themed art style represents the story tone of the game. In order to match the story, the dark theme showcases the reality of the main character’s story. The background of the main character is a person who is on the run from a hostile organization. The city slums and urban areas are his domain and typical ventures. Which can be related to the urban decay art style in which sets the city scape and majority of the game to the base gameplay experience. A close reference to the dark themed and urban decay art styles comes from Prey 2, which shows the relative feel of the game (Chever, 2013). The urban areas are cluttered with debris, waste, and trash. However, the buildings highlight the future art style with the advanced technology and lighting.

 

Much like the future art style, neon lighting will be a display aspect of the game. Advertisements, moving vehicles, several lighting scenarios, and in-game hud features will be the main use of this art style. Tron Evolution definitely used this concept well with the design and feel of the surreal city with an intriguing bright blue science fiction neon lighting (MahaloVideoGames, 2010). Neon lighting is eye-catching, interesting, and can be used for many different reasons. One of the reasons would be the use of injury when the character takes damage. The screen for the player will become a light neon red indicating an injury on the border of the screen. Although only a small portion of this art style will be used during the majority of the game, the neon lighting will be exploited when possible.

 

The last aspect of the art is the polarized area theme of Dead Skin and what playable experience will be for the player. There will be times where the game shifts to a new perspective and turn the city into a clean and upbeat place. This will break the player away from the ugly urban life of the city to a more pristine and orderly environment full of wonder and elusive features. The video game Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny definitely has elements of this throughout the gameplay because the player goes between the human world and the demon world (RaSan69, 2011, 2:55 – 5:05). The reason this element is added is to diversify the art elements and use them effectively. Taking the player away from the dark theme art style and slums helps relieve the tension build up and stress to calm the player down and enjoy the sights.

 

With each of the different art styles combined into one game, they can be cohesively tied together to create a wondrous and exciting title. The player will experience the highlight of the future with the background of a dark themed city filled with neon lighting and polarized areas. The areas will range from slum and urban decay, to scenic futuristic city life. No matter what the player is doing, they will be enticed in a relatively new yet old world.

 

Gameplay Features & Inspiration

 

The type of gameplay that this game will consist of can be summed up as the following features:

  • Stealth-Action oriented

  • Free – from 3rd-person movement system

  • Meaningful Death Mechanics

  • Humanity (currency based save system)

  • Basic Augmentations (basic attacks)

  • Rare Augmentations (special Attacks)

 

Similar video games that incorporate these Game-Play styles are:

    • Stealth-Action oriented Gameplay

 

  • Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

  • Uncharted 4

 

    • Free – form 3rd-person movement mechanics

 

  • The Witcher 3

  • Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

 

    • Meaningful Death Mechanics

 

  • Dark Souls 1-3

  • BloodBorne

 

    • Humanity (currency-based Save System)

 

  • Resident Evil (Ink Ribbon required to save)

 

    • Basic Augmentations(Basic Attacks)

 

  • Deus Ex: Human Revolution

  • Far Cry 3 (tatau system)

 

  • Rare Augmentations(Special Abilities and ranged hacking)

    • Deus Ex: Human Revolution

    • Watch_Dogs

 

Gameplay Description

 

Dead Skin will feature Dark stealth-action oriented gameplay. With a character who’s on the run and out of time, it’s important to create mechanics and gameplay that reflect the desperate and dire circumstances under which our game takes place.

 

Making Death Matter

 

Dead Skin attempts to handle death a little differently from other games. With a player that can upload their memory and retrieve a new body at the moment of death, it’s important to properly balance the elements of life and death, seeing as it’s an inherent story element as opposed to only a punishment for the player. One game that does this absolutely brilliantly is Dark Souls. Dark Souls’ way of handling death is what makes the game so popular among masochistic gamers everywhere. (Originals, 2014). The “Souls” franchise handle on death makes the player’s death not only feel necessary, but also deserved. You rarely die because of anything other than your own mistake. This makes death very punishing, but Great punishments can lead to great rewards.

 

Humanity

 

Humanity is a number based stat that will affect how “human” the player is. As the player is killed and brought back to life over and over again, they will start to lose the part of their mind that makes them human. Upon losing large amounts of humanity. The animations of the character will become more stiff and artificial (The UI graphics will also change upon this transformation). This is done in order to communicate the current level of humanity to the player without directly stating so. Within the world of Dead Skin exists an extreme prejudice towards “naturals.” With a high ‘humanity’ level, certain characters in the world might not want to interact with you based upon this stat. This is very similar to in-fiction racism that can be found in games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Vagabond, 2013). In a society that respects technology over humanity, is it even worth saving your own?

 

Credits

 

Credits will be acquired throughout the game. These Credits will be used for a few different things in the game. From upgrading augmentations, to insuring and saving memories, this currency will be the backbone of the players survival. This can be most easily related to Resident Evil’s use of ‘Ink Ribbons’ in their classic save system (Fan, 2013). These credits will come from a few different places.

  1. Credit Drops

Upon defeating an enemy in combat, the player will be rewarded with a small amount of credits that will be “dropped” from the defeated enemy.

 

     2) Credit Stash

To encourage exploration, credit stashes will be hidden around the environment. This is done to encourage the player to explore, as well as reward curious players who look in every nook and cranny.

 

Saving

 

The first crucial part of this “Making Death Matter” system is the saving/memory insurance mechanic. Because the player can die and be “reborn”, they will want to insure their memories regularly (i.e. Save). This will ensure that the player will retain skills and base augmentations upon rebirth. The saving system is intricately tied into the humanity system.  Not only does saving cost credits, but when saving memories, there is also a slight chance that part of your memories might be corrupted upon upload. Your memories will never be fully uploaded mind you, however, things can be done in order to ensure a higher memory-sync. This harkens back to Resident Evil’s Classic Save system, in which saving the game was not always guaranteed. (Fan, 2013)

 

There are two ways to insure your memories in Dead Skin:

 

  1. Hard-Line Upload

When saving at an actual save station, the player’s memories will have a higher chance of being uploaded properly. This is due to the use of a hard-line connection to the memory-banks. This type of memory upload will result in less of the player’s “humanity” being lost.

 

     2) Wireless Sync

In a tense combat experience or a situation where the player fears for their life, they will be able to perform a quick-but-rough wireless memory-sync. This type of memory upload will result in most of your base augmentations and skills being saved, however, it will result in far more of the “useless” memories pertaining to your humanity being lost.

 

Augmentations

 

The most crucial part of our “Making Death Matter” system is the player augmentations. Augmentations are physical upgrades that the player makes to their body. This is done in two ways: The player can either pay Credits to upgrade certain parts of their body, or they can be found in certain parts of levels as a rare pickup.This is quite similar to the way in whichDeus Ex: Human Revolution handled physical augmentations (Real_Timski_SA, 2013). The Augmentations in Deus Ex helped make the player’s abilities feel natural, as the player would literally upgrade their body parts to obtain new abilities.  Augmentations are not always carried over when you die. However there are a couple of ways to ensure that you don’t lose specific augmentations. At every memory insurance station (i.e. save station) the player will have the option to insure certain augmentations at a cost. This will ensure that these specific augmentations will be attached to your new body upon death. If the player is feeling lucky then they can try and retrieve their augmentations from their dead body (wherever it is located). This mechanic brings up some interesting dynamics with the augmentations themselves. Augmentations will be divided into two basic classes:

 

1) Common Augments

Common augments are the types of upgrades that most every civilian has access to. These parts are very common in the slums and don’t fetch very much credits on the black-market.  Due to their low-value, people will be reluctant to steal such augments off of your dead body. This means that base augmentations will remain on your dead body, regardless of time, However, this is not always the case.

           

2) Rare augments

Rare augments will be handled much differently than common augments. Rare augments, unlike common ones, will be worth excessive amounts of credits on the black-market. Due to this value, these augments will be looted from the                                                                                   player’s dead body. The more rare an augment is, the less time you have to retrieve it from your corpse. This timer will start upon player rebirth, this is done to ensure that there is a chance that the player can recover rare augments without needing credits for augmentation insurance. This is a slight twist on the classic “souls” mechanic from the Dark Souls series. (Originals, 2014)

 

Combat and Stealth

 

Combat will be facilitated through the use of augments to obtain common and rare abilities. These abilities will be useful in either confronting or sneaking past enemies. The recently released Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain had a great system that reflects what we’re trying to do here. Only common abilities will be absolutely necessary for game progression, as those are the only augments that the player is guaranteed to have with each new life. Rare augments will give the player an “edge” so to speak. None of the abilities acquired through rare augments will be necessary for the player to solve puzzles or complete objectives.

 

1) Common augment ability example:

Common augments will allow player access to the vital upgrades necessary to complete the game. Some of these might be something stealth-oriented, such as the ability to “see what cameras see.” This would give the player a way to safely scout areas before putting themselves into harm’s way. These types of abilities would be given to the player, and would not be taken away upon death, as previously mentioned.

 

2) Rare Augment ability example:

Rare augments, as previously stated, won’t always be recoverable. This means that the abilities that these augments grant you must not be crucial to the progression of the game, as the player might lose them upon death.  Such abilities may be faster combat speed, stronger basic attacks, etc. These would be stat buffs or other non-necessary improvements like making the character less easy to spot in stealth situations.  

 

Mechanics Features & Inspiration

 

The basic mechanics used in the video game are as follows:

 

  • Time

    • Saving

    • Augmentation Retrieval

    • Attack Cooldown

  • Navigation

    • Basic movement

Running

Walking

Jumping

  • Sneaking

  • Combat

    • Basic combat

Punch

Slash

Stab

  • Suicide

  • Saving Point

  • Field

  • Player Augmentations

  • Puzzles

  • Difficulty levels

 

Similar video games with properties of these mechanics are:

    • Time

 

  • The Legend of Zelda- Majora’s Mask

  • Star Wars the Old Republic (attacks cooldown)

 

    • Navigation

 

  • Star Wars the Old Republic (Stealth)

  • City Of Heroes (Basic Movement)

 

    • Combat

 

  • Skyforge

 

    • Saving Point

 

  • Resident Evil

 

    • Field

      • World of Warcraft

    • Player Augmentations

 

  • Deus Ex

  • Watch_Dogs

 

    • Puzzles

 

  • Grand Theft Auto 5

 

    • Difficulty Levels

 

  • Metal Gear Solid

 

Mechanics Description

 

Overview:

This game will be played out in a real-time environment. The player movement  and actions will be similar to Metal Gear solid, Where not every area is safe, and the player has to always be on guard.

 

Time:

There will be an internal timer running throughout gameplay. This is going to be used for a few things:

  1. Saving: there will be a bonus added onto your humanity score according to how much time went between saves. For example, skipping one savepoint and saving at the next would add 1-2 humanity points for not saving.

(ZoominGames, 2015)

    1. Augmentation Retrieval: When/If you die, All of the players augmentations will start their individual timers. Common augments will generally take longer to disappear than Rare ones. when/If the timer reaches 0 and the player has not retrieved them, They are considered to be scavenged by someone else and are lost to the player. (NeoSlayer93, 2010)

 

  • Attack Cooldown: When a player uses an attack, The attack will go into a cooldown mode. The time needed before the attack is ready to use again will depend on which attack is used. (Rosenberg, 2011)

 

 

Navigation:

There will be general ways to navigate. (The movement of the character will be utilizing the WASD keys to move.While holding down the right mouse key. The player will be able to move the camera and see everywhere around him.)(OSWguild, 2013)

 

    1. Walking and running: this will be the most common method of movement for the player The base walking speed would be roughly 5 mph, while the basic running speed would be walking speed times four.( and this can be further modified through the augmentation system.)(OSWguild, 2013)

 

  • Jumping: Pressing the “Space Bar” will allow the player to jump.This will allow the player to jump over objects to reach other areas. The maximum base jump height would be half of the player height.( this can be further modified through use of the augmentation system.)(OSWguild, 2013)

 

  1. Sneaking: pressing the “Q” key will enable the player to sneak. (This will have limited uses, seeing as your augmentations are able to be “sensed”, and will most likely be used after a restart, attempting to retrieve your augmentations) The base speed for sneaking would be 80% of the run speed, and would be able to be further modified through the augmentation system. (The Home of Randomers, 2012)Much like the movement in Star Wars The old Republic, How the movement while in stealth mode would be slower than the base speed of running.

 

Combat:

          The player will be confronted by enemies throughout the game, Using the WASD keys to move, and by using the mouse to click on the action bar to execute attacks. All attacks after being used will enter a cooldown before they can be used again. This is according to the attack.

  1. Attack: There will be a few ways to attack the enemy:

 

  • Punch: A basic attack that causes 8 damage. This attack is executed immediately and is ready to be used again in  1.5 seconds.

  • Stab: A stabbing attack in a cone shape in front of the player that causes 15 damage. This attack is executed immediately and is ready to be used again in 2 seconds.

  • Slash: A slashing attack in a radius of 4 ft. that causes 18 damage. This attack takes .5 seconds to set-up and is ready to be used in 2.5 seconds.

 

Other Attacks: There will be some Rare augmentations that will also grant attacks. There are other abilities waiting to be discovered.

 

Suicide:This would be a last resort attack. This attack would set off an explosion that would kill the player character, doing 120 AoE damage in an 8 yard radius, Gravely injuring or killing everything in the radius. This would make it easier to retrieve augments. This move would be tied to an augmentation. (Bouchard, 2009)The inspiration behind this came from Revenge of the Shinobi, Where the player could turn into a human explosive, causing damage to the enemy.

 

Health:

Both the player character and the enemies will have a health system that allows you to damage and kill them. The base health for the player is 100 health. This will be broken up into 5 sections of 20 health each. Regeneration of health over time is possible due to having augmentations, But once you go past one block and into another, you can not recover the lost block of health (DrRandle, 2010).

 

Saving the Game:

Being that this game would be played out in a real-time environment, There would be some bonuses according to where you decided to save your game.

 

Save points: Saving the game at a designated save point would be the safest way,and the most economical way to save. The initial save would cost 50 credits, with a very small humanity cost. Each additional save, when inside of a dedicated Safe Space would cost the initial fee + 5% per save. The cost of insuring your augmentations upon “Rebirth” would be the cost to save +40%.

 

          Field: You will also be able to save your game on the fly. This would be at a much higher cost, and at a greater risk to lose some of your humanity. This would cost twice the amount of a save point save, with a +/- 5% humanity loss per save.

 

Player augmentations:

There are going to be two types of augmentations available in the game. Common Augmentations and Rare Augmentations. The augmentations the player has equipped at the time of their “death”, will go into a countdown mode, Common augmentations will have a longer timer than rare augmentations. (ColloseusX, 2011).

 

           Common augmentations: These would be found anywhere, these would be the augmentations that would take the longest to disappear upon death, and attempting to retrieve your augmentations.

 

           Rare augmentations: Rare augmentations would be found or earned. They would not be needed to complete the game, but would make the game somewhat easier for the player. These Would be the first ones to be “Scavenged” and would disappear quicker These could either be randomly spawned after a puzzle is completed, or granted after X amount of enemies are defeated.

 

Puzzles:

There will be puzzles spread out in the level. These upon completion would reward credits or rare Augmentations. (The Eye Of The Supervisor, 2014)

 

Difficulties:

there will be three(3) difficulty levels to play though. With each one having restrictions that the previous difficulty didn’t have: (reggiefive0, 2013)

 

Easy: While playing on the easy setting, the enemy and player health set at 100. There will be credits spread throughout the level for the player to find, and drop from enemies defeated.

Medium: Playing on the medium difficulty setting player health will remain at 100. Enemy health levels will be increased by 50% of the base. there will be a decrease of credits found while exploring 25%, and an increase of the credits dropped by the enemy by 15%.

Hard: Playing on the hardest difficulty setting the enemy health will be increased by 100% of the base, while player health will be decreased from 5 blocks of 20 (100), to 4 blocks of 20(80). There will be a decrease in credits found by exploring by 30% , The credits dropped from enemies that are defeated would remain the same as in normal.

 

Audio Features & Inspiration

 

The following sounds and music will be featured in the video game are as follows:

  • Combat

    • Unsheath

    • Attack

    • Attack 2

    • Automatic

    • Suppressor

 

  • Environment Music

    • URBAN JUNGLE

    • Dark Techno City

    • Digital Daze

    • Future Business

  • UI SFX

    • Synth Chime Notification

    • Objective Synth Chime

 

Audio Description

  • Stealth

    • When incorporating stealth, sound becomes your best friend and your worst enemy. Being able to hear where the enemies are before ever being able to see them allows the player to map out a plan to combat the area or sneak through the area without alerting the enemies around you, such as Deus Ex (IGN, 2015). The type of weapon that the character uses will also greatly affect how well the character will sneak through a level. Of course, if a player is using an automatic weapon and running through guns blazing, the enemies will know where the player is and attack. A prime example of this mechanic would be found in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (metalgearsolid, 2015). If the player decides to take a more subtle approach and utilize a silenced weapon or a blade, sneaking will be easier and more effective.

  • Combat

    • Sound during combat is one of the deciding factors in how a game’s combat mechanics “feels”. Referencing games such as Call of Duty: Advance Warfare (ScereBro PSNU, 2014), the game provides a wide variety of weapons to the player and the sounds of each one is very unique and provides a different feel for each one.   When you’re firing a gun or slashing with a blade, if the sound does not match the intensity of the weapon, the whole experience is thrown off and the player does not have draw enjoyment from the experience. We will have a variety of weapons to choose from, ranging from the normal ballistic weapons to the more futuristic, all accompanied with their own unique sounds and feels, such as what can be found in Doom (Joan Lein, 2015).

  • Environment Music

    • Though the music generally goes unnoticed when during combat or when a player is intensely focused on their set objective. It does bring the player into the world the game is trying to present. A great example of what we are going for is the Mass Effect franchise (Jamie/Thegmsproviders, 2012). The music and sound effects deeply enrich the experience the player is having, and every note and tone the player hears enriches the experience more and more.

  • UI SFX

    • The sound effects attached to the UI is also incredibly important in keeping the player up to date on how they are progressing or if they have obtained new information or items. The sounds effects we have will easily blend with the environment so that it will alert the player to progress without drawing them out of the game such as the UI found in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (ParaxZero, 2015)

 

User Interface Features & Inspiration

 

The user Interfaces for this video game are as follows:

  • Minimap

  • Health System

  • Action Bar

  • Augmentation Menu

  • Enemy Health Bar

 

The types of games using similar user interfaces of the video game are as follows:

    • Minimap

 

  • World Of Warcraft

  • Aion

  • Star Wars: The Old Republic

 

    • Health System

 

  • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

  • Into the Dark: Ultimate Trash Edition

 

    • Action Bar

 

  • Metroid Prime: Trilogy

  • KingsRoad

 

    • Augmentation Menu

 

  • Hellgate London

  • Real Steel World Robot Boxing

 

    • Enemy Health Bar

 

  • Dark Cloud

  • Destiny

 

 

User Interface Description

 

Minimap:

The minimap feature is a way the player can track their current location. The center white dot will be the player’s position. On the outside of the minimap there will be the direction North, East, South, and West to help guide the player. Enemies will be shown on the map in the form of red dots this will show how the minimap will utilize the enemy tracking system (Compass, 2013). Neutral npcs will be shown as yellow dots. Once the player dies a green arrow will guide the player back to their last body. Once the player enters within range of the area the green arrow will be removed and a light blue line will show the perimeter of where the body remains. The reasoning behind this style of minimap is that it is a great way to show the area the player is in. We want to guide the player, but we want the player to explore as they go.

 

Health System:

The player does not have a traditional health bar. When the player starts receiving damage the screen will flash red. As the damage continues the red on the screen will continue to take up more of the screen (DrRandle, 2010). The edges of the minimap and the shape of the action bar will change from a sleek style to a more computerized style as the damage increases. Once the player is at critical mass and close to death WARNING will flash at the top notifying the player. If the player has an augmentation to heal, the red on the screen will shrink until removed. This style of a health system will give the player a sense of urgency. They will either fight harder to overcome the enemy, or they will flee.

 

Action Bar:

The action bar will be small and located on the right side of the screen. The player can select which abilities are available based off of what augmentations they have. There will be three slots and key bindings set for only common abilities, and two slots set for rare abilities.  shows the best example of how the player will interact with the action keys (Metroid Prime Yellow, n.d.). The  reasoning for this style of action bar is to keep the screen clear, and simple. By only having a few buttons the player dwell deeper into an enriching gaming experience and not have to search for certain attacks.

 

Augmentation Menu:

The player can access the Augmentation Menu showing them what they currently have equipped. Any item already purchased can be swapped out, as well as any abilities can be set on the action bar. Once the player reaches a save point, they have the option to sell, buy, or upgrade any augmentations available  (Real Steel World Rob, 2015). This set up for the menu is the simplest way to for the player to be able to access the Augmentations. By only being able to purchase them at a save point, it forces the player to think more about what ability they may want in the levels to come.

 

Enemy Health Bar:

The enemy has no health bar until the player deals initial damage. Once the player has damaged the enemy the health bar will appear above the enemies head. As the player deals damage the red health bar will go down until the enemy is defeated. The best example for this is from Destiny (Wood, 2015). This set up for the enemy’s health is to keep the screen clear and for the player to easily distinguish which enemy is near death.

 

 

 

Examples of Art

 

Examples of Artwork:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mirror’s Edge Art & Pictures. (n.d.). Retrieved June 03, 2016, from http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-13/me-wall-run.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mirror’s Edge Art & Pictures. (n.d.). Retrieved June 03, 2016, from http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-13/me-overlook.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Art & Pictures. (n.d.). Retrieved June 03, 2016, from http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-18/reorc-incinerator.html 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

Remember Me Art & Pictures. (n.d.). Retrieved June 03, 2016, from http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-22/rm-civilian-area.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Star Wars 1313 Art & Pictures. (n.d.). Retrieved June 03, 2016, from http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-22/sw1313-street-corner.html

Video Visual Examples:

 

 

  • Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

 

 

  • Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny

 

 

  • Tron Evolution

 

 

  • Prey 2

 

 

  • Grand Theft Auto V

 

 

Examples of UI

 

Minimap:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SWTOR Galactic Starfighter new player guide. (2013). Retrieved June 5, 2016, from URL http://dulfy.net/2013/11/15/swtor-galactic-starfighter-new-player-guide/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compass. (2013). Retrieved June 5, 2016 from URL

http://aion.wikia.com/wiki/Compass

 

Health System:

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Into The Dark. (2012). Retrieve on June 5, 2016 from URL http://www.indiedb.com/games/into-the-dark/news/into-the-dark-damage-system-finally-100-finnished  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DrRandle. (2010). Retrieved on  June 5, 2016 from URL

http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/drrandle/blog/a-discussion-on-the-proper-display-of-health-in-vi/38161/

 

Action Bar:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Metroid Prime Yellow. (n.d.). Retrieved on June 5, 2016 from URL

http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/File:Metroid_Prime_Yellow_Exo.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fahey, M. (2014). Retrieved on June 5, 2016 from URL

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2013/03/kingsroad-is-the-closest-you-can-come-to-playing-diablo-on-facebook/

 

Augmentation Menu:

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

The Way of The Paladin. (2011). Retrieved on June 5, 2016 from URL

http://vimes.silvermoonguard.de/2011/07/hellgate-global-vimes-level-15-guardian/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Real Steel World Rob. (2015). Retrieved on June 5, 2016 from URL

http://realsteel.9game.com/info/news-83113.html

 

Enemy Health Bar:

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

Jamesman. (n.d.) Retrieved on June 5, 2016 from URL

http://lparchive.org/Dark-Cloud/Update%203/

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wood, C. (2015). Retrieved on June 5, 2016 from URL

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2015/09/17/destiny-the-taken-king-enemies-guide-taking-on-the-taken/#/slide/4

 

Examples of Audio

 

(shnur_, 2016)

(Kreasticon62, 2015)

(Kreasticon62, 2015)

(pgi, 2013)

(GoodSoundForYou, 2011)

 

http://soundimage.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Dark-Techno-City.mp3 (Matyas, 2014)

    • Digital Daze –

http://soundimage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Digitally-Dazed.mp3

(Matyas, 2014)

    • Future Business –

http://soundimage.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Future-Business.mp3

(Matyas, 2014)

 

              (Matyas, 2014)

             (Matyas, 2014)

 

 

References

 

Articles:

 

Differences in difficulty levels in Metal Gear Solid (1998). (2013, November 23). Retrieved June 03, 2016, from http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/differences-in-difficulty-levels-in-metal-gear-solid-1998.453545807/

 

Fan, M. B. (2013, April 27). The Genius of ‘Resident Evil’s’ Classic Save System. Retrieved June 4, 2016, From http://www.megabearsfan.net/post/2013/04/27/The-genius-of-Resident-Evil-classic-save-system.aspx

Metal Gear Solid. (1998, September 3). Retrieved June 03, 2016, from http://www.giantbomb.com/metal-gear-solid/3030-16140/

 

Originals. (2014, March 23). Trial by Bonfire: Why dying in Dark Souls 2 is worse than ever before. Retrieved June 4, 2016, from http://www.gamezone.com/originals/trial-by-bonfire-why-dying-in-dark-souls-2-is-worse-than-ever-before

 

Revenge of Shinobi, The – Sega Genesis – Manual – gamesdbase. (1989). Retrieved June 3, 2016, from http://gamesdbase.com/Media/SYSTEM/Sega_Genesis/manual/Formated/Revenge_of_Shinobi,_The_-_1991_-_Sega.pdf top of page 11 of manual

 

Star Wars: The old Republic Beginner Guide: Everything you need to know to get started-G4tv- (December 16, 2011) Retrieved June 5, 2016 from http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/719232/star-wars-the-old-republic-beginner-guide-everything-you-need-to-know-to-get-started-in-swtor/

 

Transhumanism in Games: How Deus Ex Explores Human Augmentation. (2015, January 28). Retrieved June 03, 2016, from http://www.beardstownnewspapers.com/transhumanism-games-how-deus-ex-explores-human-augmentation

 

Pictures:

 

Compass. (2013). Retrieved June 5, 2016 from URL

http://aion.wikia.com/wiki/Compass

 

Creative Uncut – Video Game Art & Pictures. (n.d.). Retrieved June 02, 2016, from http://www.creativeuncut.com/

 

DrRandle. (2010). Retrieved on  June 5, 2016 from URL

http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/drrandle/blog/a-discussion-on-the-proper-display-of-health-in-vi/38161/

 

Fahey, M. (2014). Retrieved on June 5, 2016 from URL

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2013/03/kingsroad-is-the-closest-you-can-come-to-playing-diablo-on-facebook/

 

The Way of The Paladin. (2011). Retrieved on June 5, 2016 from URL

http://vimes.silvermoonguard.de/2011/07/hellgate-global-vimes-level-15-guardian/

 

Into The Dark. (2012). Retrieve on June 5, 2016 from URL http://www.indiedb.com/games/into-the-dark/news/into-the-dark-damage-system-finally-100-finnished  

 

Jamesman. (n.d.) Retrieved on June 5, 2016 from URL

http://lparchive.org/Dark-Cloud/Update%203/

 

Metroid Prime Yellow. (n.d.). Retrieved on June 5, 2016 from URL

http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/File:Metroid_Prime_Yellow_Exo.jpg

 

Real Steel World Rob. (2015). Retrieved on June 5, 2016 from URL

http://realsteel.9game.com/info/news-83113.html

 

SWTOR Galactic Starfighter new player guide. (2013). Retrieved June 5, 2016, from URL http://dulfy.net/2013/11/15/swtor-galactic-starfighter-new-player-guide/

 

Wood, C. (2015). Retrieved on June 5, 2016 from URL

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2015/09/17/destiny-the-taken-king-enemies-guide-taking-on-the-taken/#/slide/4

 

Audio:

 

GoodSoundForYou (December 21, 2011). Freesound.org, Retrieved June 3, 2016

http://www.freesound.org/people/GoodSoundForYou/sounds/138583/

 

Kreasticon62. (October 1, 2015) Freesound.org, Retrieved June 03, 2016 from

http://www.freesound.org/people/Kreastricon62/sounds/323525/

 

Matyas, Eric. (February, 2014). Soundimage.org, Retrieved June 03, 2016 from http://soundimage.org/

 

Pgi (December 31,2013). Freesound.org, Retrieved June 03, 2016 from

http://www.freesound.org/people/pgi/sounds/212600/

 

Shnur_. (February 18, 2016). Freesound.org, Retrieved June 03, 2016 from http://www.freesound.org/people/shnur_/sounds/337027/

 

Videos:

 

Decoy .Octopus Artificial Intelligence Dystopia – Metal Gear Solid 2. (2012, March 26). Retrieved June 03, 2016 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iC9xpDSXyI

 

GameSpot. (2013, August 13). Watch Dogs – Hacking the City. Retrieved June 03, 2016 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-532RWgUQs

 

IGN. (2010, December 10). Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Cinematic Trailer. Retrieved June 03, 2016 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq5KWLqUewc

 

Mythomantic. (2012, October 9). Dishonored – Choice Changes the World. Retrieved June 03, 2016 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0PARXNIP2k

 

SpottinGames. (2012, July 19). Heavy Rain – All Endings HD. Retrieved June 03, 2016 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zh78iopqXA

 

Cheever, N.  (2013, January 31). Prey 2’s Demo mashed. Retrieved June 02, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPkHZfjK5z4

 

GhostEastwood. (2013, September 19). GTA V Grove Street Shootout.  Retrieved June 02, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_yQLiV9_yo

 

Globezors. (2013, September 03).  MMO Movement | How to Move Effectively in WoW and Other MMO’s.Retrieved June 03, 2016, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4t7VMySWWY 0:31-8:52

 

IGN. (2014, January 30). Dark Souls 2 Combat Preview. Retrieved on June 04, 2016, From

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNlPl6Cfe7c

 

IGN. (2015, August 07). Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Action / Stealth Gameplay Demo – IGN Live: Gamescom 2015. Retrieved June 07, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyvl-dp4kjE

 

Jamie/Thegmsproviders. (2012, March 17). Mass effect 1,2,3 theme music [TGM]. Retrieved June 07, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pw2yEp96vw

 

KONAMI Videos. (June 20, 2014). MGSV: THE PHANTOM PAIN – E3 2014 GAMEPLAY DEMO (PEGI). Retrieved on June 04, 2016, From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggpBtOnq_AA

Lein, Joan. (2015, October 1). Doom (2016) – Weapons Montage. Retrieved June 07, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwUXlb8jSP8

 

Lucca, J.  (2012, April 13). Star Wars: The Old Republic – Classes e Gameplay. Retrieved June 02, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7b4eSZ3gcc

 

MahaloVideoGames. (2010, December 09). Tron Evolution Walkthrough – Chapter 1 – Reboot – Part 1  Retrieved June 02, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKk-BXzosUg

 

Metalgearsolid. (2015, July 1).  MGSV: TPP – Freedom of Infiltration Gameplay Demo. Retrieved June 07, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqu0nRb0puM

 

ParaxZero. (2015, July 22). Metroid Prime 2: Dark/Light/Annihilator Bomb Scans. Retrieved June 7, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcyogsHbSMo

 

RaSan69. (2011, June 02). Onimusha 2 – Samurai’s Destiny walkthrough part 2.  Retrieved June 02, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v28dmD_rlks

 

RaSan69.  (2011, June 04). Onimusha 2 – Samurai’s Destiny walkthrough part 5. Retrieved June 02, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9llqhPGleTA

 

TheRealSonicFan. (2015, January 09). The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3DS) – Part 6 – Master Sword. Retrieved June 02, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYl1w2SnCEQ

 

TheRealSonicFan. (2015, January 21). The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3DS) – Part 7 – Epona. Retrieved June 03, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJOdcI1Y8kA

 

Real_Timski_SA. (2011, September 08). LP: Deus Ex Human Revolution – Augmentation Guide. Retrieved June 04, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGgVqgt7frA

 

ScereBro PSNU. (2014, November 03). CoD Advanced Warfare – All Weapons/Grenades/Attachments/Shields (Firing Range Showcase) HD. Retrieved June 07, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO3YiUr_jNw

 

TheIndeterminate Vagabond.(2013, August 28). Nationalism and Racism in Skyrim. Retrieved June 04, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJXbZ-cNUVA

Richard
Kelton
Dalm
  • facebook-square

Success! Message received.

© 2018. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page