Pac-Man: World's End GDD

Possession: GDD – Chapter 2: Game-play

32Gameplay

32.1Design Objectives

42.2Gameplay Philosophy

52.2.1.Strategy

62.2.2.Tactics

82.2.3.Emergent Gameplay

82.2.4.Difficulty

92.3Character Overview

92.3.1.The Enslaver

102.3.2.Devastating Attacks & Agile Movement

102.3.3.Enslaver Progression

112.4Zombies

112.4.1.Zombie Types/Mutations

12Type 1: Shambler (Base Class)

12Type 2: Runner (Mutate Level I)

13Type 3: Bloater (Mutate Level II)

14Type 4: Shredder (Mutate Level III)

14Type 5: Monster (Mutate Level IV)

152.5Enemies

16Civilians

16Civilian Paramedics

16Fire Crew

16Media

16Standard Police

17Riot Squad

17SWAT

18Survivors

18National Guard

18Military

19Omega Troops

202.6Supporting Characters

202.6.1.The Voice

202.6.2.The Media Reports

212.7Single Player Gameplay

212.7.1.Overview

222.7.2.Game Progression

232.7.3.Storyline

23The Beginning

23The Middle

23The End

242.8Tools/ Obstacles/ Consequences/ Rewards Lists

242.8.1.Tools

24The Enslaver

25Zombies

27Weapons

28Stimuli

28Tactical Tools

29Mission Specific Tools

302.8.2.Obstacles

30Terrain Obstacles

31Enemies

32Stimulus Obstacles

322.8.3.Consequences

332.8.4.Rewards

352.9Multiplayer Gameplay

352.9.1.Overview

35Game Types

35Player vs. Ai (Cooperative)

36Rules

36Mechanisms

372.9.2.Online Experience

382.10Single Player Gameplay Example

382.10.1.Key to Diagrams

382.10.2.Gameplay Example Scenario

392.10.3.Walkthrough

442.10.4.Alternative Approaches

2 Gameplay

2.1 Design Objectives

The design objectives for Possession include:

· To design the future of squad-based game-play for next generation console platforms, where the player begins by commanding four and ends commanding hundreds.

· To create a game that imbues the player with a sensation of empowerment through the main character, their actions and the game’s response to their actions.

· To create a controlled, yet non-linear game in which true emergent mechanics exist, that create excitement and observed variation, enabling re-playability.

· To design a large, open-plan city in which the player can create havoc, destruction and chaos.

· The city will react realistically and fairly to the player’s actions – signposting global gameplay elements that will allow the player to make a conscious decision about how to defeat the opposition on a global scale.

· To create enemies that are varied and interesting, that possess strengths and weaknesses, which the player can take advantage of, using the mechanics at their disposal.

· To design an exciting and engaging multiplayer experience that promotes continued online play and the building of online communities.

· To create a game narrative that is compelling, produces strong emotional hooks and premise, yet is not overly ambitious or long. The story must complement the action without overburdening the player with tiresome dialogue.

2.2 Gameplay Philosophy

The overarching principle behind the Possession concept is one of player empowerment. The player will have an unprecedented array of potential approaches to any given situation, creating an immense virtual toolbox of techniques for players to put into practice. Which of these tools the player chooses to employ will depend on a wide variety of factors, ranging through tactical considerations and often coming down to simple player preference.

In this way the game will provide each player with a means of bringing the overall experience closer to the style of play that they specifically enjoy, whilst remaining challenging and varied enough to retain their interest. In contrast with the prescriptive “puzzle = solution” approach that other, more linear titles take, the range of options available to the player in Possession will allow the player themselves to dictate what their preferred solution is to each barrier within the game.

In this way the gameplay experience will closely mirror each user’s preferred style of experience. If a player enjoys all-out action, they will be able to take the Enslaver directly into the thick of the fighting, battling on the front line alongside their zombie horde, breaking bones and taking names in an exciting series of large scale battles across the city; taking the fight to the enemy, up close and personal.

More tactically minded players will be able to sit back and carefully consider where and when to deploy resources, isolating and overpowering weak sections of the enemy’s defences, creating mismatched fights and then pressing home their advantage as they marshal their troops according to carefully hatched battle plans.

Players who enjoy varied gameplay situations (those who constantly look for new experiences), will want to make use of the possession mechanic and take control of a varied range of zombies as each battle progresses. They will be able to move their influence here and there across the battlefield; influencing individual battles until piece-by-piece they engineer the tide of war to flow their way.

This time they might take command of a small group of Shredders, scuttling along the sides of buildings to outflank the opposition’s snipers. Perhaps instead a Shambler with a rocket launcher is the best tool for removing those troublesome snipers, opening the way for the player to take the Enslaver into combat, hunting and killing the enemy commander and routing his forces. Whichever approach the player chooses to employ, success and failure will always hinge directly upon their actions. It is the skill with which an approach is executed that will make the difference, rather than discovering the pre-determined path to victory in each battle or simply choosing the obvious best strategy.

The sense of empowerment is further enhanced by the tremendous capabilities of the main character. As well as having a massive horde of the undead to command as he sees fit, the Enslaver will be one of the most powerful fighting units in the game, able to hold his own against entire enemy squads single-handedly. The Enslaver is a God-like figure to his zombie armies, and the player will be able to feel that sense of power throughout Possession.

As well as the sense of empowerment on a local scale, Possession will also allow the player to feel that their actions have an impact on a game-wide scale. The player will be able to make choices and then see the impact of those choices not just in their immediate area, but also throughout the game-world. As well as adding an extra level of strategic thinking, this will further amplify the player’s sense of power, as they see their actions make a profound and meaningful difference throughout the rest of the game.

Such an approach will create a unique gameplay experience as players start to consider their actions not just in terms of short-term goals, but also in terms of what it will do to the bigger picture of the city overall.

This degree of response is further emphasised by the enemy morale and emotional state systems. These allow players to both witness and make use of psychological factors such as fear on the battlefield, breaking their enemy’s willpower before administering the final coup de grace. Players will be able to manipulate these factors in a variety of ways. They could try luring their enemies into overconfidence and tempting them into an ambush before revealing the true strength of their horde. Alternatively they may prefer to overwhelm a strong enemy position early by sending multiple threats at once. Spreading panic through the opposing ranks, breaking down unit cohesion and encouraging mistakes will ultimately give their zombies the edge.

2.2.1. Strategy

Possession’s unique sense of scale, with player actions taking place within a broader picture of the city as a whole, provides a vital element of true strategy to the experience. The player will be able to plot and scheme to their heart’s content and their actions will produce logical and predictable consequences. This means that they will be able to create their own personal plan of attack with which to destroy the city.

By skilfully targeting and eliminating specific structures within the city, the player can start to dismantle the infrastructure and the civil authorities’ response services, immediately seeing the realistic consequences of these actions.

Players who want to make use of the element of surprise will therefore be able to attack police stations, army barracks and other enemy strongholds sooner rather than later, hopefully catching the enemies within unaware. Other players may prefer to target less defended areas rich in civilians first. Stocking up on zombie units ensures that when the time does come to confront the city’s defences, they are as strong as possible.

Other players may take a mixed approach, altering their overall strategy on the fly as a result of good information gathering, preparing the ground for their large scale attacks with a series of smaller skirmishes; eliminating the fire department and power lines first, for example.

This ‘Cause and Effect’ mechanism will operate throughout the game, providing a strong sense of progression as the city slowly descends into chaos - all directly arising from the player’s in-game decisions and actions.

Naturally, the city cannot be attacked and destroyed without it attempting to defend itself, and it has its own strategies and counter-measures that it will employ to this end.

Through the Enemy Response Level (ERL) system, the player will find that every victory comes at a cost. For every target they successfully overwhelm, the others will have had more time to prepare for the horde’s arrival. This will be reflected by an increase in enemy numbers, defences, firepower and equipment levels. Players can expect to experience a much higher level of resistance from opponents who have been given time to really dig themselves in and prepare a full perimeter of defences.

As well as the improvement in static defences, players will find the city taking an increasingly pro-active approach to self-preservation at higher ERL levels. SWAT teams begin to attack the player’s current position with increasing frequency, and secondary barricades are erected along major routes in an effort to further slow the Enslaver’s progress through the city. Further into the game the player can expect to see vigilante Survivor gangs running raids against his horde, trying to whittle down their numbers and generally making life even tougher for the Enslaver. These responses are always triggered by player action, furthering the impression of a genuinely responsive game world. They also provide a further layer of strategy that must be integrated into the player’s well-laid plans.

2.2.2. Tactics

Whilst a clear strategy can assist the player’s efforts to take over the entire city, each battle along the way will require shrewd tactical deployment of resources if the player hopes to prevail. Fortunately, the player has a wide range of tactical elements at their disposal, and an unparalleled range of potential tactics to employ in each confrontation. Perhaps the most important tactical consideration a player must make is the enemy’s mental state. The enemies in Possession will respond realistically to the terrifying situation they find themselves in.

Through careful management of their opponents’ emotional status, players will be able to gain the upper hand even when heavily outnumbered and outgunned. Players may choose to use their most frightening units as shock troops, charging them into combat early in order to induce panic and terror into the enemy lines, leaving the second wave of zombies with the relatively simple task of mopping up the disjointed remnants of a once-powerful force.

Players who prefer to play sneakily may well succeed with an opposite approach, concealing the true extent of their horde, and luring the enemy into a counter-attack against what they perceive to be a minor force. Once the enemy have abandoned the protection of their barricades and over-extended themselves, the ambush can be sprung to devastating effect.

In order to make use of these psychological techniques, the player will have a wide variety of tools to employ in each battle. Through this range of weaponry the player will discover that there are many possible approaches to even relatively simple situations. The player is free to select whichever approach they feel is most appropriate to their current resources, their preferred playing style and, of course, the precise nature of the situation that confronts them.

The first key weapon in the player’s tactical arsenal is the Enslaver himself. A physically imposing presence, the Enslaver is more than capable of overcoming many lesser units in combat. In addition, the Enslaver is a terrifying opponent, capable of breaking limbs with a single blow and dispatching his enemies with ruthless precision. The very presence of the Enslaver will be enough to break the resolve of weaker enemy units.

Naturally, the main body of the horde will also be a vital element of the player’s tactics. The Shamblers and Runners, although lacking the specialisation found in the later zombie units, remain a formidable element on the battlefield throughout the game. Whilst individually they may appear quite weak and easily dispatched, in large numbers they will be amongst the most deadly of the Enslaver’s weapons. The potential fear that such a mob can induce should not be under-estimated by the player, as the psychological impact of watching hundreds of corpses advance steadily and unrelentingly will be immediate and obvious.

An additional level of tactical thinking uses the ability of Shamblers to retain the weapons they had whilst human. A Shambler with a rocket launcher could well make all the difference if used in the right place and at the right time. And even a simple pistol provides a method of eliminating a specific target from range, a capability that is otherwise in short supply for the player. This also means that the players will be encouraged to think tactically about what weapons and equipment their enemies have. Players may even specifically seek out confrontations with certain kinds of enemy in an effort to gain as many zombies with that equipment as possible.

An even more devastating psychological option lies in the Bloaters. Whilst they are the least effective unit under the player’s command in terms of melee combat, their ability to explode on demand makes them ideal shock troops, capable of creating instant large scale panic with a well timed detonation.

If the grotesque sight and sound of these walking bombs exploding doesn’t give the player their desired edge, the infectious gas cloud that they leave behind allows the player to infect large numbers of unprotected individuals. This will often provide the player with a new group of zombies who are already behind enemy lines.

The Shredders introduce further specialisation into the zombie horde. Lacking the resilience of other zombie types, the player must be careful to keep these creatures out of the line of fire if they hope to make good use of them. However, their exceptional mobility, ability to scale sheer surfaces and remarkable speed when attacking all combine to make Shredders one of the most tactically useful units in the Enslaver’s arsenal. Ideal ambushers, a small team of Shredders can make short work of large groups of enemies if hidden properly. Alternatively, the player can use them as flanking units, taking advantage of their wall-climbing abilities to get behind the enemy lines and wreak havoc.

For players who favour the most aggressive approach to tactical thinking, the Monster is perhaps the most useful unit in the Enslaver’s horde. Ten feet tall and awesomely strong, the Monster is best used as a front line troop, slamming into enemy barricades and sending bodies flying in all directions. Alternatively, the player may prefer to keep the Monster back and use it from range, hurling Bloaters at the enemy like oversized hand grenades, or smashing cars into the enemy like giant projectiles.

2.2.3. Emergent Gameplay

Possession will offer the player many valid routes to success and this is vital to the player’s sense of empowerment. In order to ensure that players can revel in this freedom and never feel that a logical solution to a problem has been unfairly prevented by the game, Possession will derive most of its core gameplay elements from universal rules. It will not use pre-scripted or predetermined outcomes to player actions, instead creating emergent gameplay situations in which the player’s choices always feel like their own, rather than finding the one correct option as laid down by the designer.

These emergent rules can be further broken down into ‘Physical’ and ‘Emotional’ rules. Possession makes use of a complex real-time physics system, creating a believable physical world in which objects will respond to game events in a realistic, unscripted fashion. This can lead to both surprising solutions and unexpected complications for the player. Likewise, the AI systems within Possession will realistically track the psychological states of each enemy, altering their behaviours as they become frightened or over-confident. The player can take advantage of these factors in creating their own solutions to the various obstacles that stand in their way.

For example, any flammable object in the game will begin to burn if it is brought into prolonged contact with fire. Naturally flammable objects include the player’s own zombies and enemies, as well as the more obvious wooden barricades, cars and so forth. The next rule is that if an object burns for long enough it can be destroyed. The final example rule is that proximity to a fire will cause enemies to become afraid.

A substantial number of gameplay elements can arise from these few simple rules. A player may encourage a fire to spread, using it to destroy wooden barricades and removing the opposing force’s defences. Alternatively, players may decide that they are willing to sacrifice a number of zombies in order to break a particularly resilient group of enemies, and so may set them alight before charging them, ablaze, towards the enemy.

Since the zombies are carrying fire with them, they will each raise enemy fear levels around them. This may be the final straw that sends their opponents over the edge, triggering an infectious panic throughout the enemy ranks.

Alternatively, a ‘player controlled’ shambler’s misjudged rocket could cause a nearby car to ignite, forcing a temporary retreat to avoid the inevitable fireball when the car finally explodes. In the same situation another player may be fortunate enough to have a Monster nearby, so they can use the Monster to slam the car into the air, using it as a makeshift bomb.

2.2.4. Difficulty

As a result of Possession’s non-linear game structure and use of emergent mechanics, additional systems need to be introduced in order to maintain a steadily increasing difficulty curve. As the player is free to choose the order in which they attempt the objectives in each district, it becomes impossible to be certain of the resources available to a player at any given moment. To ensure that Possession provides the player with a challenge that matches their current capabilities without overwhelming them, key objectives will be balanced for the player’s initial resources for the current district.

As each objective is completed, the accompanying rise in ERL will have the effect of raising all remaining objectives to a new difficulty level, thus matching the Enslaver’s newly increased resource levels. The entrance to each new district will create a natural bottleneck, ensuring that a minimum level of progression has been met before allowing the player to move on. This will create a new base level of ability that all new objectives can be balanced toward. The combined effect of these bottlenecks and the ERL system will ensure that the player is consistently challenged without ever finding themselves completely overpowered by enemies.

2.3 Character Overview

2.3.1. The Enslaver

The Enslaver is the protagonist of the single-player game, a preternaturally strong and agile character with the ability to raise, command and mutate the dead.

He begins the game as a normal human being, the commander of an eco-activist cell breaking into a secret lab facility of The Prometheus Corporation.

Captured by Prometheus during that break-in, he is taken prisoner, experimented upon and becomes the test subject for ‘The Enslaver Project’.

The Enslaver, whilst beginning with noble human intentions, emerges as a primal and rage-filled creature of vengeance. His motivation, reasoning and moral judgement become progressively more twisted as the game progresses.

2.3.2. Devastating Attacks & Agile Movement

The Enslaver has access to a wide range of combat attack moves that, combined with his incredible strength, can be used to both fight enemies and defend against multiple opponents. In addition to incredible ferocity in combat, the Enslaver is extremely agile, able to leap or drop huge distances. He moves at speed through the environment, gracefully avoiding objects that would impede a normal human.

New combat moves will be awarded and agility enhanced with each Genetic Upgrade collected by the Enslaver. He gains different and more damaging attacks and greater strength, in addition to being able to jump much higher or longer distances.

2.3.3. Enslaver Progression

The Enslaver will pass through three stages of transformation as he finds and collects three Genetic Upgrades hidden within the single-player game. The Genetic Upgrades are found within Prometheus lab facilities that are scattered throughout the city districts. When one is activated, the Enslaver will automatically mutate to the next stage. The player will not be able to progress forward to game completion unless they have collected each Genetic Upgrade.

Enslaver Stage I: The Enslaver’s base stage at game start. The player possesses the Mutate I command (Mutate into Runner).

Enslaver Stage II: When the player has found a second Genetic Upgrade, the Enslaver will undergo the second Stage transformation. There will be distinct physical changes to the character’s appearance and the Enslaver’s health & Mutation Gauge energy totals will increase. In addition, the Enslaver’s animation routines will change, helping to maintain player interest. Finally, the player will gain the Mutate II command (Mutate into Bloater).

Enslaver Stage III: When the player has found a third Genetic Upgrade, the Enslaver will undergo the third Stage transformation. There will be definite physical changes that represent increased health and abilities, and a further increase to the Mutation Gauge. New animation routines will be introduced so that the visual interest is maintained. In addition, the Mutate III command will have been unlocked (Mutate into Shredder).

Enslaver Stage IV: When the player has found the final Genetic Upgrade, the Enslaver will undergo the fourth Stage transformation. Further physical changes visually match up with increased heath and abilities. The Mutate IV command (Mutate into Monster) will unlock and the Enslaver will be able to command and mutate a huge horde.

2.4 Zombies

Zombies are the Enslaver’s weapons and ammunition type. They are essential to achieving goals and objectives. The Enslaver has the ability to infect any dead body simply by killing them, which will then join his zombie horde. Further, if there are any spaces available in the horde, any opponent killed by most zombie types will automatically rise from the dead as a Shambler and join the player’s army.

2.4.1. Zombie Types/Mutations

The Enslaver has both the ability to command zombie units, and mutate zombies in the horde into more dangerous or tactically advantageous zombie types. The Enslaver has a limited amount of ‘Mutation Energy’ that can be spent on mutating zombie units. The amount of Mutation Energy spent depends on the number of zombies mutated, and the zombie type they are transformed into. Zombie types that are higher up the mutation scale take greater energy to create than those that are lower on the mutation scale. When the Enslaver runs out of Mutation Energy, no further zombies can be mutated until the gauge regains enough energy units.

Whenever a zombie unit is killed, a small portion of the energy expended on it will return to the Mutation Gauge. Each time the player collects a Genetic Upgrade, the maximum energy level of the Mutation Gauge increases, allowing the Enslaver to mutate more zombies, or mutate zombies to higher levels.

There are five zombie types:

· Shambler

· Runner

· Bloater

· Shredder

Monster

Type 1: Shambler (Base Class)

These are the iconic Zombies, typical of those seen in the films of George Romero. Clumsy and slow, with little remaining intellect other than very base instincts, they only have one real interest…food. In their dead state they revert to little more than awkwardly motorised pieces of meat, whose sole motivation seems to be the consumption of warm, human flesh.

The commands of the Enslaver are best served when pointing the Shambler in the direction of their next meal. Whilst slow, clumsy and weak attackers, they are dangerous in large numbers and aggressively determined when in sight of food. Their main advantage is that it requires a headshot or removal of the head from the body in order to destroy a Shambler.

Further, Shamblers that originate from armed opponents will retain their weapons. They will attempt to use the weapons they are armed with when attacking, but such attacks will be relatively inaccurate and clumsy. The player may also possess Shamblers to manually fire their carried weapon from a first person viewpoint.

Type 2: Runner (Mutate Level I)

This is the modern man’s Zombie, and the first mutation step beyond the Shambler. Whilst not possessing any real intellect over that of the Shambler, they nonetheless have faster, more athletic mobility and animalistic attack co-ordination. In comparison to Shamblers, Runners are extremely aggressive and their rabid instinct is to kill first and feed second.

As opposed to the slow movement of the Shamblers, Runners move at a full sprint and can clamber over objects in order to get to their prey. Whilst very, very fast and agile, their main disadvantage is that a runner can be destroyed if enough damage is inflicted to ANY part of their body. This weakness balances them out when compared to Shamblers.

Unlike Shamblers, Runners are not capable of using weapons of any kind. An armed Shambler who is mutated into a Runner will drop the carried weapon as soon as the mutation process is complete. This further balances out the differences between the two base zombie types, and therefore requires the player to make a best judgement about which to use and when.

Type 3: Bloater (Mutate Level II)

The second mutate stage introduces the Bloater. As a corpse decomposes it releases gasses, which become trapped in the body. This causes the body to bloat to distended proportions. Whilst this may occur gradually during normal decomposition, the Mutate II command causes an instant bloat as the zombie unit fills to capacity with gasses. This zombie unit is slow to move, but deliberate in action. In addition to their grapple and bite attacks, they have one main special ability – they can explode!

When a Bloater reaches the position the player ordered it to attack, it will explode, spreading the infected gasses in a radius about it. This gas will infect any opponent within range who is not wearing breathing apparatus such as a gas mask.

Bloaters have fatty tissue all over their bodies, which affords them some degree of protection against attack, but once they suffer enough damage they will explode, initiating the gas attack.

Bloaters are tough but make poor combatants. Other than exploding and releasing the infection carried within them their attacks are relatively clumsy mauling and bashing attacks.

While their main role is to deliver an infectious explosion to the right place, not to fight enemies, It should be noted that the gas given off by an exploding bloater is inflammable. While an ordinary Bloater exploding will do a small amount of damage to anything inside its small blast area, if a Bloater is on fire will explode to a far more devastating effect.

Type 4: Shredder (Mutate Level III)

Mutating Zombie units into the third stage will transform them into Shredders. This mutation re-organises the dead flesh, constructing something altogether different, reconfiguring the zombie into a form that is much more suitable for hunting and killing efficiently. Further, the Shredder has the ability to adhere to sheer surfaces regardless of angle. Barriers therefore become much less effective defences against the Shredder class.

Although hard to target given their incredible speed, Shredders do not possess any kind of armour and if squarely hit can be taken down fairly quickly.

Shredders possess a unique type of vision that makes them capable of distinguishing between live and dead targets. Furthermore, their vision will show which enemy types pose threats that are greater than others. Shredders can be ordered to lurk on walls and ceilings, which will cause them to deliberately hide within the terrain. In this fashion, the Shredder can be used to ambush opponents.

Type 5: Monster (Mutate Level IV)

The ultimate in zombie mutations, the Monster, is a mass of fused and mutated dead flesh, built for a single purpose: destruction on a massive scale. Standing around 10 feet tall and rippling with dead musculature, the Monster can toss around heavy objects such as cars (or even tanks) without any real problem.

The Monster is incredibly destroy, with melee and low-end small arms attacks having relatively little impact. High-end automatic and heavy weapons fire will be needed to destroy a Monster. The main disadvantage of the Monster is that it is unable to infect the enemies that it kills and is incapable of thinking of anything beyond causing simple destruction, death and chaos.

2.5 Enemies

Enemies will attempt to resist the zombie attacks, in addition to some who will actively hunt and kill the Enslaver. The majority of opponents have grounding in real-life, and even the fictional ones such as the Corporate Omega Troops will be believable. This places the otherworldly emphasis squarely on the Enslaver and his zombies, whereas the opponents will both ‘ground’ the gritty, contemporary setting and provide enemies that ordinarily would be player classes in standard survival horror games.

Civilians

Civilians are basically a mobile crop for the Enslaver to herd, harvest and infect, in order to increase and re-supply fallen zombie units. Though Civilians may be lightly armed, they will be relatively ineffective shots, and pose only slight danger.

Whilst the civilians will be easier to reach and target in the early stages of the game, they will later be placed into specific areas of military protection. For example: behind rigid defences and covered by experienced and dangerous opponents, making them tougher to reach and infect. The civilian class of enemy will include a large variety of different types representing the population of Restoration City, young or old, fat or thin, rich and poor.

Civilians are the most basic form of enemy within the game, comprising exclusively normal ‘everyday’ people. Whilst civilians will not differ greatly in terms of their behaviour, visually they will be quite diverse, representing a wide-ranging cross-section of society. Civilians will rarely, if ever, attack and will almost always flee at the first sign of any threat. This type of behaviour will essentially make them cannon fodder for the Enslaver. They will also be relatively unorganised (by comparison to other enemy types) and will easily succumb to fear and terror – the speed of which typifies their apparent disorganisation.

Civilian Paramedics

Civilian paramedics appear in pairs (or sets of pairs) from an ambulance or helicopter. These medics are unarmed and preferentially treat civilian casualties.

Fire Crew

The primary aim of the fire crew is to put out any fires, to prevent further casualties or devastation to the city and its buildings. Fire crew are able to use water from hoses fire engine hoses and fire hydrants to tackle most fires and CO2 gas for tackling electrical and petrol fires.

As a secondary behaviour, members of a fire crew will attempt to retrieve any trapped civilians or military units so that they can be set on their feet or treated by paramedics.

Members of the fire crew have an advantage over many other units in that they will often wear gas masks. This enables them to rescue people from smoke-filled buildings and also makes them immune to the Bloater gas attack.

Media

Journalists and press-reporters appear in groups. They loiter in ally ways and follow the Enslaver from a distance along with camera equipment and microphones. They are less easily afraid than civilians, always eager to get the best possible shot of the action and interview group leaders.

Standard Police

The Police are likely to be the first serious enemies that the Enslaver will face. They are armed with pistols and carry shotguns in their cars, but are unused to combat and are easily overwhelmed by the Enslaver and his horde when in small numbers.

At the beginning of the game police are seen only ocaasionally. They are on their own or in pairs, patrolling around the factories and streets of District 1and going about their normal business. They should be shocked by the sight of the zombies, trying to shoot them down with their pistols until fear completely overwhelms them.

A little later in the game, when the ERL has risen, police will appear in groups rather than singly. This will give them slightly more confidence and make them harder to defeat.

Riot Squad

The riot squad are specialist police who are used to dealing with chaos and large crowds of people. They carry riot shields as well as the usual pistols, but do not use shotguns as these require two hands to use. Gas masks are also provided as part of standard equipment although the squad will not usually be spawned wearing them.

These police are disciplined and work best in groups. They will protect areas and block player access by forming dense lines across the streets. If their numbers are reduced, the riot police may withdraw in an orderly manner and search for other groups to join.

SWAT

Whereas the standard and riot police are protectors, the SWAT team are there to seek out the threat and attack in an aggressive and organised way. SWAT team members carry rifles (including assault rifles and sniper rifles) as well as pistols and shotguns. By the time the SWAT arrive on the scene, the player will have been identified as a threat and some priority will go towards attacking the Enslaver himself (though they will not hunt the player down as the Omega Troops do).

The SWAT team will appear with definite objectives in mind, such as:

· Dominate the area: Clear out a specific area and gain positional superiority.

· Cut down the zombie hoard: Kill as many zombies as possible, perhaps concentrating on a particular type.

· Take out player: This should not have anywhere near the same priority as for the Omega Troops which appear much later in the game.

Every SWAT team member carries a radio from which they are able to summon immediate backup. New recruits soon arrive by helicopter and yet more will be called out unless the player takes out every unit in the team.

Survivors

The Survivors are one of the most interesting enemies to be found in Possession, due to their individuality and unconventional methods of attack. These are the people who “saw it coming” and prepared themselves with whatever weapons or tools they could get hold of. Survivors may appear singly or in groups; they may be young or old and come from any walk of life. What they have in common is that they are prepared to fight the player with everything they’ve got - even if that is no more than a baseball bat and a prayer book!

Survivor weapons will be as varied and interesting as the Survivor themselves and will include baseball bats, pipes, chairs, golf clubs, severed limbs, clubs, knives, axes and chainsaws as well as home made bombs such as Molotov cocktails.

Survivors are people that have taken the law into their own hands. They will not corporate with the authorities if they think they know better and will use their own methods to try to bring down the zombie horde, including rigging city buildings with traps and setting up their own bases on street corners. Areas vacated by Survivors are still filled with traps.

These opponents will comprise of Civilian units to begin with, but later in the game may also include ex emergency services personnel and National Guard who have all banded together in an effort to survive the Enslaver’s onslaught.

Many Survivors are paranoid and will actively fight other groups (particularly civilians and other Survivors) if not under direct threat from the player.

National Guard

National Guard will be the first serious military force that the Enslaver encounters. The National Guard will have set up a shelter and defensive perimeter around the Hospital in the Downtown District, in an effort to protect the city’s civilians.

These opponents will carry the first heavy arms against the player and will require careful attacks or the use of tactics to take them down without suffering large zombie casualties. “Always Ready, Always There” – the National Guard are civilians who have been trained as soldiers and who are recruited in to help out in domestic emergencies. Being less used to combat than the U.S. army, they are not as disciplined and more easily scared.

National Guard soldiers will always appear in large numbers, but groups will be reasonably easy to split up and disperse. They use loose versions of tactics used by the army (though not as proficiently or with as much discipline) and their objectives usually consist of guarding an area and protecting crowds of civilians that have been placed in “safe” locations.

Military

The U.S. Army will establish a field base in and around the city park within the Corporate District. These are regular military - well trained, disciplined, team spirited and used to heavy combat - and will prove to be heavily armed and tough opponents. The military are in place specifically to prevent the Enslaver’s horde from taking over the upper city, and will actively commit aggressive attacks to achieve this end. They are less interested in the civilian population and will target the Enslaver and zombie units before protecting the people of the city.

Military leaders are capable of systematically assessing situations as they arise and planning the best way to achieve their objective. They are able to use a wide range of tactics including flanking the enemy, pepper-potting, stealth and ambush attacks. The military are equally good at attack and defence and will have particular objectives to fulfil such as clearing out an area or guarding an important strategic location.

A few of these units will be military paramedics. These soldiers can be identified by the player because they wear a cross on their sleeve. The military paramedics are armed and can fire weapons as well as any other soldier but they preferentially heal other military units rather than fight.

Omega Troops

The Omega Troops (Prometheus Corporation) are the toughest enemy that the player has to face and should be ruthless and persistent in their attacks. These units usually appear in small numbers but are extremely powerful. Fast, heavily armed and very capable in small unit tactics, they will prove to be a significant threat. Further, they play a very special role in the final segment of the game.

They are introduced solely to target and hunt down the Enslaver himself and have the ability to track him through the city. As such the Enslaver must continually watch out for these groups as they attempt to close in about his position.

Whereas in previous Districts the Enslaver was the hunter, with these units in close pursuit he becomes the hunted.

The Omega Troops were once normal soldiers but have been experimented upon by the corporation. This has given them special abilities such as 360-degree night vision, super-human strength and perfect team communication.

They also carry special weapons that have been specifically designed by the corporation to destroy all zombies and, of course, the Enslaver himself. A single Omega Troop can cut through the zombies like butter and should be a formidable, one-on-one opponent, hunting down the player and pursuing them with little or no rest bite.

2.6 Supporting Characters

2.6.1. The Voice

‘The Voice’ first appears during the opening level of the game, when the player is the leader of an eco-activist squad, penetrating a Prometheus lab facility. The Voice is the invisible leader of the eco-activist organisation who relays the tasks to the unit via radio from a distant, dark and unidentified control room.

Later, after the Enslaver has awoken and begun to make his escape attempt from the lab facility The Voice returns to aid him in his quest for vengeance. Apparently managing to hack into the biomechanical hardware that Prometheus has placed into the Enslaver’s body, The Voice aids the Enslaver by pointing out key targets and objectives or providing critical information, such as the effect his actions have had on other areas of the city.

The Voice provides a credible link between the player and the game without having to rely on presenting a consistent voice for the Enslaver, where talking to himself may seem odd and disjointed. The Voice becomes an excellent mechanic for providing the Enslaver with objective and mechanics related information in addition to providing a much needed narrative factor.

Ultimately, however, The Voice is all a part of the larger experiment conducted by The Prometheus Corporation and is in fact the controller who is observing and perhaps even controlling the Enslaver during the experiment. The viewpoint that we have of the Enslaver is actually the viewpoint of The Voice, with the HUD being the on-screen information that the controller is looking at on his monitor.

2.6.2. The Media Reports

It is important as a part of the overall reward to the player that they see valid reactions to their actions within the city. When sections of the city (that relate to either primary or secondary objectives) have been overwhelmed or destroyed, a news bulletin will report the event and the subsequent state of the city.

As they continue to report each progressive act of devastation the newscasters’ attitudes will deteriorate progressively. At the start of the game they are 100% professional, whereas towards the end they are unnerved and obviously panicked, with the news studio descending into chaos. Eventually the broadcast will finish altogether, to be replaced with an automated advice message.

2.7 Single Player Gameplay

2.7.1. Overview

The Enslaver, himself once human, is the result of a twisted experiment by the unscrupulous Prometheus Corporation. Having escaped from the lab in which he was created, The Enslaver sets about laying waste to the Corporation-owned city, building an army of the dead from the inhabitants…and marching them through the streets toward the Prometheus HQ.

A preternaturally strong and agile character, The Enslaver may raise, command and mutate a huge horde of zombies. In controlling The Enslaver, players choose for themselves how best to use their powers and the zombie horde, either commanding directly from the front lines or from a distance. Both options are valid and each carries their own different risks and rewards. The Enslaver can survey the battlefield remotely by using the Angry Cam, though its range is limited with a fog of war. From the Angry Cam, the player may not only gain a tactical overview but can also possess any single zombie, using their unique vision, special abilities and attacks as he wishes.

Arrayed against The Enslaver are all the forces that the civil authorities can muster – police, riot police, SWAT, National Guard and the might of the US Army. In addition the civilians themselves will form bands of hardened Survivors, willing to fight with whatever arms they can scavenge. Finally the Corporation itself will send their own deadly Omega Troops, specifically trained to target and hunt the Enslaver down.

The city will react to the threat of The Enslaver according to his actions. Every act of death and destruction committed by both directly by him or one of his zombies is remembered and applied to an increasing scale – the Enemy Response Level (ERL). As the ERL climbs, the enemy numbers, aggression, rollout, distribution and armament will increase accordingly, intensifying the enemy threat as The Enslaver and his zombies push forward.

Whilst primarily an action game, the player can reduce the increasing threat of the Enemy Response Level by carefully choosing the order in which The Enslaver and his force target various groups of enemies and opponents. Target one group or location first and the forces at another may have built stronger and better-armed defences by the time you reach them. However by destroying an enemy arms supply, vehicle depot or command-centre first, the player can ensure that enemies will be deprived of that resource. Direct media and radio feed information, combined with a dynamic in-game map, support from The Voice and careful exploration will reveal the potential targets and routes for the player so that they can determine the best tactical approach.

Successful outcomes of engagements with the enemy will, in the end, be determined by how the player chooses to approach each situation. How well they learn to use the strengths and weaknesses of the Enslaver and his zombie mutations is the key – will they use the hard-to-kill but slow Shamblers? The fast but vulnerable Runners? The wide spread infection capabilities of the Bloaters? The wall-hugging ambush abilities of the Shredders? Or the sheer brute strength of the Monster? Does the player use sheer force of numbers to overwhelm the opposition…or do they experiment with the best combinations of zombie mutations to bring them down? Or can they find the occasional hidden solution…the route to taking down their enemy with the fewest losses possible?

2.7.2. Game Progression

The player’s overriding objective for the single player game is to tactically progress through each of the city’s three districts, with the aim of reaching and destroying The Corporation’s power-base. This ‘Corporate HQ’ lies at the very heart of the city’s civic centre. Each of the three city districts (Suburbia, Downtown & Corporate) is a self-contained island, forming part of the larger whole.

In order to progress from one district to the next, the player must use a particular zombie mutation in order to pass barricades that exist on each bridge connecting the two districts. In order to use these zombie mutations the player must first find and unlock a series of Genetic Upgrades. Once collected these allow the player to mutate members of the zombie horde into the appropriate type.

The Genetic Upgrades are housed within well-defended Corporation lab facilities, one in the Suburbia District and two within the Downtown District. To defeat the facility defences and penetrate each lab the player will have to explore a number of completion routes that will result in the lab defences falling and entry to each facility being made available. How this is achieved will depend upon how well the player uses the zombies under their command, their mutations and the Enslaver’s own abilities. In addition, by discovering and then manipulating physics and mechanic-related elements of the city they may make their task easier.

As the player explores each District, secondary tasks will become evident – some that relate to a direct threat to their progress and others that are non-critical side-objectives. Some of these secondary tasks relate to finding, evaluating and then destroying components of the civil authorities as they mount defences and attacks against the Enslaver and his zombie horde. By removing elements of these threats the player will be able to remove the hazard that they pose, preventing these forces from increasing the difficulty level too far. As with the Corporation lab facilities, multiple routes can be discovered and emergent tactics used in order to overwhelm the opposition.

When entering the Corporate District, the rules of the game will change to take a more aggressive stance with both civil and corporate forces actively targeting and hunting the Enslaver himself in order to prevent him from progressing forward. Ultimately the Corporate District will become a maze-like battleground as the player attempts to negotiate the trap-filled area in order to reach and destroy the Prometheus Corporation HQ.

2.7.3. Storyline

The storyline is broken into 3 main sections:

The Beginning

The story begins as a group of five eco-activists break into a lab facility of The Prometheus Corporation. The activists discover evidence that Prometheus is conducting experiments on human corpses for their own mysterious ends. However, before they can take this information to the media, the team fall into a trap and are rendered unconscious.

The leader of the group (known as Alpha), the player’s character, is subjected to horrific experimentation and awakens as ‘The Enslaver’. Breaking his bonds he quickly learns of his ability to infect and create Zombies, proceeding to use this ability to overwhelm the facility. The Enslaver exits the lab with a small horde of zombies, and heads into the city with the aim of breaching the Prometheus Corporate HQ and taking his revenge on them.

The Middle

Progressing into the city, the Enslaver begins to attack the population, building his zombie army, and targeting the Corporation facilities. The authorities respond in kind, using the police, SWAT, National Guard and US Army to attack the Enslaver and his army of the dead. As the Enslaver’s horde destroys each district, we see the collapse of society within the city through both the environmental destruction and city media, whose broadcasts steadily deteriorate until they breakdown altogether.

The End

The Enslaver completes the final District and reaches the heart of the Prometheus HQ. We see him suddenly being shut down with a single code command. The camera draws back so that the last frame of gameplay (including the HUD) appears to be an image on a corporation computer, operated by a Prometheus scientist. Corporate men in hazard suits place the Enslaver into an armoured government military container, whilst the sinister looking Prometheus scientist looks on, making notes on a clipboard.

We thus discover that in actuality, the Enslaver is a genetically engineered military puppet…a new devastating weapon. Was the player controlling the Enslaver at all, or were they in fact playing the scientist and remotely controlling the Enslaver? The Corporation are actually engaged in a horrifying military experiment. The test site is the city, and the population…the test subjects. Ultimately the player will come to learn that the Enslaver is not the possessor, but the possession.

Note: This is the most likely game ending that a player will uncover on his first playthrough. However, two alternative game endings can be unlocked, depending upon how the player has played the game – whether they attempted to spare the civilian population or harvested the entire city…or whether they favoured frontal assault and explosive action over stealth & flanking tactics and the discovery of easier routes for defeating the enemy.

2.8 Tools/ Obstacles/ Consequences/ Rewards Lists

These four lists show the the basic primitives from which game scenarios can be rapidly created.

· Tools – The game elements that the player can directly or indirectly control

· Obstacles - The building blocks used in creating the scenario that form a challenge to the player.

· Consequences – The outcome of the player’s actions on the game world

· Rewards – The benefit and feedback given to the player for completion of a scenario

Each scenario will consist of a Reward (which is the player’s objective), and the Obstacles in the player’s way. They get past these Obstacles through the use of any Tools at their disposal. Sometimes, use of a certain tool can trigger a Consequence, which could be positive or negative from the player’s point of view.

These building blocks will be used to create hundreds of outlines for non-code-specific Scenarios that can be fleshed out using the assets from each zone of the game.

2.8.1. Tools

“Tools” refers to anything that a player can access to help them in any Scenario. Many of these are unavailable at the start of the game, so as a player progresses, their Toolset increases, and their options widen.

As often as possible, the player may choose which of their resources they want to use to solve a particular problem. However, in order to make interesting situations, Scenarios must be designed that preclude the use of certain Tools and force the player to think of alternate solutions.

The Enslaver

This section lists the abilities of the Enslaver himself, including the orders that the player can give to their horde.

· Movement:

· Walk

· Run

· Climb

· Jump (Enslaver Stage 1)

· Jump (Enslaver Stage 2)

· Jump (Enslaver Stage 3)

· Jump (Enslaver Stage 4)

· Drop Large Distances

· Angry Cam

· Exploration

· Possession

· Can Reach Great Heights (useful for planning, and for seeing enemy deployment.)

· Attack – [List attacks as you come across them]

· Instant Kill Attacks

· Mutate Level 1

· Mutate Level 2

· Mutate Level 3

· Mutate Level 4

· Infect Rate – High (kills enemy and creates Shambler, so long as horde space permits the addition of new members)

· Fear Rating – Low-Medium to Very High (this is determined by player actions, so that the player can manipulate the Fear/Confidence levels of their enemies)

· Regenerate Health

· Command:

· Attack and Infect

· Attack but Don’t Infect

· Guard

· Mutate

· Alternate Command:

· Use/Fire Weapon (replaces Attack But Don’t Infect when using Shamblers with weapons)

· Attack (replaces Attack and Infect for Monsters, who can’t infect)

· Pick Up/Throw Object/Character (replaces Attack but Don’t Infect for Monsters – used to access Zombie Trebuchet feature)

· Alpha Alternate Command (used during pre-credits intro level, when controlling Alpha):

· Attack and Kill (replaces Attack but Don’t Infect)

· Attack and Incapacitate (replaces Attack and Infect – either knocks enemies out, or ties them up depending on situation)

· Perform Context-Sensitive Action (replaces Mutate)

Zombies

This section lists the abilities of each unit type (excluding those with weapons, which are handled separately.) It includes the use of these units through general commands and also through first person possession, if relevant.

Shambler

· Movement – Shamble (a fast walking speed, as if constantly falling forwards)

· Attack – Grapple

· Attack – Bite (infection attack)

· Medium Health Points

· Hard to Kill – only headshots or severing of the head can kill them

· Can Wear Armour

· Can Use Weapons – though only the weapons they had when alive

· 1st Person Weapons – player can possess Shamblers and use their weapons in first person mode. This offers greater direction of where shots are aimed, though the physical degradation of the Shamblers means that the aim will not be perfectly steady

· Fear Rating – Low

· Intelligence – Low/Medium

· Infect Rate – Average

Runner

· Movement – Run (full pelt charge)

· Ignore Small Terrain Obstacles

· Attack – Grapple

· Attack – Bite (infection attack)

· Medium Health Points (can be killed by normal attacks, they don’t require headshots like Shamblers do)

· Can Wear Armour

· Fear Rating – Medium

· Intelligence - Medium

· Infect Rate – Average

Bloater

· Movement – Slow

· Attack – Punch/Bash

· Area Attacks:

· Explode Normal (releases gas and sends nearby characters flying, doing damage)

· Explode Large and Infect (when dropped from great heights they explode with a larger radius of blast damage and infection)

· Explode Large But Don’t Infect (when they die through Fire damage, the explosion is larger than normal, but the gas ignites, spreading like napalm, burning but not infecting)

· Gas (released during an Explode Normal or Explode Large And Infect event)

· Medium/High Health Points

· Very Weak Against Fire Stimulus

· Continuing Damage After Death (when exploded through Fire Stimulus, their remains acts as napalm)

· Stimulus – Gas can be carried by wind currents

· Fear Rating – Medium to High (Bloaters move slowly, so are less likely to induce immediate panic. However, as they swell up to explode, humans who see them get a greater Fear increase)

· Intelligence - Low

· Infect Rate – Fast, through gas

Shredder

· Movement – Fast Run

· Movement – Climb

· Ignore Small Obstacles

· Can Reach Great Heights (but only within Enslaver’s radius of effect)

· Attack – Slashes and Shreds

· Instant Kill Attack (from ambush)

· Ranged Attack (leaping grapple)

· Very Low Health

· Stealth – move quietly and can hide in shadows

· Fear Rating – High

· Intelligence – Very High (will intelligently approach enemies based on numbers of friends/foes and environment)

· Special Vision (during possession)

· Infect Rate – Slow

· Interact With Monster (several Shredders can attach themselves to a Monster, which offers them some protection as the Monster carries them into battle)

Monster

· Movement – Fast (through size and stride length)

· Attack – very strong attacks

· Instant Kill Attacks

· Ranged Attacks:

· Pick Up/Throw Object

· Pick Up/Throw Enemy

· Pick Up/Throw Shambler/Runner

· Pick Up/Throw Bloater

· Pick Up/Throw Shredder

· High Health

· Transporter (can carry multiple Shredders, shielding them with its body as it does)

· Fear Rating – Very High

· Berserk Capable (when near death, in close proximity to fire or when electrocuted, Monsters go berserk, attacking friend and foe alike)

· Intelligence – Low (child-like)

Activist Members (Introductory Level)

· Attack – Punch

· Ranged Attack – Tazer

· Incapacitate (neutralises enemies without killing them)

· Context Sensitive Actions, e.g. Unlock Doors (with keycards, codes, hacking consoles etc.)

Weapons

This section lists the abilities of any weapons that the player’s Shamblers can be equipped with, by infecting a human carrying the appropriate weapon.

NOTE: The Enslaver himself never uses weapons of any kind – his zombies are his ranged weapons and his hand-to-hand attacks are so powerful that he needs no mêlée weapons.

The efficacy of weapons used by the player’s troops is determined by the type of character the zombie was when it was human, or the player’s own skill during 1st person possession of the Shambler.

Melee Weapons

· Fists

· Improvised Weapon

· Pipe

· Baseball bat

· Golf club

· Severed Limb

· Chair

· Etc.

· Club

· Baton

· Knife

· Axe

· Tazer

· Chainsaw

· Sword

Ranged Weapons

· Pistol

· Machine Pistol

· Assault Rifle

· SMG

· Machine Gun

· Shotgun

· Sniper Rifle

· Water/Foam Cannon (vehicle)

· Cannon (vehicle)

· Flame Thrower

Area Effect Weapons

· Grenade

· Smoke Grenade

· Molotov Cocktail

· Mine

· Rocket Launcher

Stimuli

The player can manipulate events through the use of Stimuli, which affect objects, characters, fear and confidence levels, and the ERL.

The creation or spread of a Stimulus can be used as a Tool, but the cessation of a Stimulus is a Tool too – disabling the supply to an electric fence will open up a pathway for the player (see Consequences).

· Fire

· Heat

· Fuel (not really a Stimulus, but a Receptor. It is listed here since it is a Tool that the player can use)

· Electricity

· Poison

· Infection

· Radiation

· Energy Field

· Water

· CO2

· Acid

· Wind

Tactical Tools

This section refers to things that a player can do earlier in the game that affect their current situation, e.g. taking out a Police Station to lower the numbers of cops through the rest of a district.

· Clear Zone (completely empty a Zone of human life – allows more straightforward passage if the horde needs to return later)

· Destroy Tactical Building (reduces the enemy resources created by that building):

· Destroy HQ (reduces or stops deployment of unit types related to that HQ) e.g.

· Police Station

· Army Base

· National Guard Base

· Survivor Base

· Fire Station

· Hotel (Civilian “HQ”)

· Destroy Supplies (lowers the technology level of weapons held by appropriate unit types) e.g.

· Destroy National Guard Weapon Depot

· Destroy Army Armoury

· Destroy Police Weapons Locker

· Destroy Vehicle Support (lowers the reaction rate of units deployed to other areas by Tactical Building) e.g.

· Destroy Helipad

· Destroy Fuel Supply

· Destroy Hospital Garage Facilities

· Destroy Army Depot

· Destroy National Guard Garage

· Destroy Fire Station

· Disrupt Enemy Communications e.g.

· Destroy Communications Relay (reduces effectiveness on a local scale)

· Destroy Communications Centre (reduces effectiveness of all relevant unit types)

· Destroy Leader (reduces effectiveness of a unit, or units in area)

· Destroy Light Source (all enemies not equipped with night vision goggles are much less accurate with their weapons in the dark, and cannot see visual behaviour triggers)

· Distract Enemy e.g.

· Instance-based (through Shredder shrieks, or actions of Activist members during intro level, applies to enemies already deployed in the world)

· Location-based (through activities elsewhere, lower the spawnable resources available to a location; e.g. causing a disturbance at a strip mall attracts police backup, leaving the Police Station undermanned.)

· Manipulate ERL:

· Increase ERL

· Conserve ERL (i.e. trying hard to keep the ERL low to make a section easier)

· Circumvent ERL (by causing a disturbance to the local ERL, making people elsewhere think you’re nowhere near them, and then stealthily moving to an area where you aren’t expected, e.g. by a subway system)

· Remove ERL Threat (by removing a resource that an ERL specifically summons)

· Manipulate Enemy Emotions

· Increase Fear Level

· Increase Confidence Level

· Create Over-Confidence

· Break Object:

· To open a pathway (including creating bridges between rooftops etc.)

· To block pursuit

Mission Specific Tools

This section refers to Tools specifically set up for a single mission, and which are therefore not game-wide, generic concepts. These are triggered at certain points during a Scenario dependant on previous player actions, or through a context sensitive action performed by the player.

For Scenarios that aren’t crucial, story-driving missions, these Tools are kept to a minimum, unless they are designed to appear in more than one location, or to have a set of properties that can create different situations in different places.

The list below contains examples taken from the game level designs, but is not exhaustive. Please refer to the level designs for complete details.

· Hack Security Door (an Activist logs his laptop into a wall socket and runs his hacking algorhythm. It takes time to perform this action, during which the Activist is vulnerable and must be protected.)

· Activate Crane (the Enslaver uses a crane in the construction site to manoeuvre himself up onto the roof of the hospital.)

· Push Oil Tanker (the Enslaver and some nearby Shamblers push an abandoned oil truck, which gains momentum and explodes against the side of a building, causing huge explosive damage and opening a new path through the building.)

· Rip Up Fire Hydrant (the Enslaver wraps his arms around a Fire Hydrant and tears it out of the ground, discharging a column of water into the sky.) (The same Enslaver animation could be used when he rips up communication dishes at the District 3 Media Centre and Air Traffic Control Tower.)

· Increase Reactor Power (the Enslaver pulls at levers on a control board in the power station, increasing the reaction speed inside. A panel bursts loose, and radiation leaks out into the building, critically damaging any humans still alive in the area.)

· Disable Power Line (the Enslaver grabs a power cable, and tears it apart, switching off any connected machine or electrical hazard.)

· Cut Bridge Support (A Shredder, ordered to attack the support cables for the suspension bridge, hangs from the bridge pillar and slashes rapidly at the cable until it severs, whipping away at high speed. Cutting enough cables tips the bridge, destroying many enemy units.)

· Ground Helicopter (A Monster, ordered to attack a refuelling helicopter, grabs the chopper by its landing skids while it tries to escape. The Monster strains, and smashes the helicopter back onto the ground where it is overwhelmed and torn to pieces by nearby Shamblers.)

2.8.2. Obstacles

Obstacles are the things standing between a player and their Reward. Obviously, the two main Obstacles are enemies and the terrain. However, just making it difficult to physically reach an objective, or throwing hundreds of enemies at the player, will not make for interesting Scenarios. The better missions will involve more obscure Obstacles, that force a player to think their way past.

Terrain Obstacles

· Walls (includes walls of buildings, and various types of barricade)

· Indestructible, Non-Climbable Wall, e.g.

· Bulletproof, shatterproof glass

· Thick metal crate side

· Metallic surface

· Etc.

· Indestructible, Climbable Wall, e.g.

· Reinforced concrete

· Terrain banking

· Riverbank

· Many building walls throughout game

· Etc.

· Destructible, Non-Climbable Wall, e.g.

· Glass window

· Thin metal barricade

· Etc.

· Destructible, Climbable Wall, e.g.

· Chain link fence

· Concrete wall

· Wooden barricade

· Etc.

· Small Obstacle (stops Shamblers and Bloaters; may be thrown by Monsters; may not be attached to ground, so can be pushed around) , e.g.

· Saloon car

· Wooden crate

· Golf Cart

· Newspaper Dispenser

· Hospital Gurney

· Shopping Trolley

· Trash Can (may have Fire Stimulus)

· Communications Antenna

· Etc.

· Medium Obstacle (stops Shamblers, Runners, Bloaters) , e.g.

· Van

· SUV

· Ambulance

· Humvee

· Large wooden crate

· Dumpster

· Etc.

· Large Obstacle (stops all, unless it can be Climbed over or destroyed) , e.g.

· Delivery truck

· Train carriage

· Large Tank

· Helicopter

· APC

· Water Tank

· Etc.

· Pit/Chasm, e.g.

· Runoff Drain (as in Terminator 2 motorbike/truck chase)

· Haha (in ornamental gardens)

· In between rooftops of similar height

· Etc.

· River/Body of Water, e.g.

· Island Coast

· Off sides of bridges

· Stream in City Park

· Ornamental Lake

· Etc.

· Locked Door, e.g.

· Requires Hacking skills of Activist)

· Requires Hacking by The Voice

· Requires opening from other side

· Requires possession (player infects and then possesses a certain human character, such as a Corporation Scientist, whose handprint is needed to open a door. This doesn’t occur in places that the player must go, in case they kill the appropriate character – unless they can drag the body/limb from where it fell…)

· Etc.

· Raised Bridge (Enslaver or possessed character must use a switch to lower)

Enemies

Rather than listing every enemy in the game, this section refers more to enemy behaviour types, since these are the elements that we will use to piece Scenarios together. The exact enemy type is determined by whereabouts in the game the Scenario is used, so at this stage it is more important to list behavioural traits such as the ability to work together in formations, or to intelligently utilise Stimuli against the player.

This section doesn’t describe every type of NPC behaviour either, only those that could prove to be an Obstacle to the player. Running away in panic is a valid enemy behaviour, but not much of an Obstacle.

· Immune To Fear (Omega Troops/Survivors)

· Immune to Infection (Omega Troops, Corporation Scientists in later labs – a very important obstacle later in the game, since Infection is the only way for a player to increase their horde, i.e. gain ammunition)

· Immune To Gas (i.e. wears breathing apparatus)

· Immune To Poison

· Immune To Fire (e.g. Fire Crew)

· Hand-to-Hand Weapon – Unarmed Attacks

· Hand-to-Hand Weapon – Blunt

· Hand-to-Hand Weapon – Bladed (slashing/cutting damage)

· Hand-to-Hand Weapon – Sharp (stabbing damage)

· Ranged Weapon – Pistol

· Ranged Weapon– Rifle

· Ranged Weapon – Sniper Rifle

· Ranged Weapon - Antimaterial Rifle

· Ranged Weapon – Submachine Gun

· Ranged Weapon – Shotgun

· Ranged Weapon – Machine Gun

· Ranged Weapon – Grenade Launcher

· Ranged Weapon – Flamethrower

· Ranged Weapon – Thrown Object (inc. Grenades)

· Ranged Weapon – Unique (held by Survivors)

· Enemy Behaviour – Fall Back (intelligently fall back in formation, making destroying them very damaging to the player’s horde)

· Enemy Behaviour – Surround (confuses less intelligent zombies, makes player’s area attacks less effective)

· Enemy Behaviour – Repel (uses water hoses etc. to repel the horde)

· Enemy Behaviour – Summon Backup

· Enemy Behaviour – Inform Media/Superiors (increases overall ERL, which the player may want to avoid)

· Enemy Behaviour – Use Weapon Emplacements

· Enemy Behaviour – Target Enslaver

· Enemy Behaviour – Target Most Immediate Perceived Threat

· Enemy Behaviour – Use Headshots (against Shamblers)

· Enemy Behaviour – Protect Objective (so they can’t be drawn away from a strategic point etc.)

· Enemy Behaviour – Create Cover/Barricade

· Enemy Behaviour – Reduce Potential Player Resources (i.e. Omega Troops may choose to gun down civilians to prevent them from adding to the player’s horde.)

· Enemy Behaviour – Use Environmental Objects (e.g. targeting explosive gas canisters to create area damage)

· Enemy Behaviour – Summon Airstrike

· Mobile Vehicle – Civilian (can run zombies over, during attempted evacuation there could be lots of these)

· Mobile Vehicle – Police (deploy police in hot zones, not used offensively)

· Mobile Vehicle – Ambulance (try to rescue civilians, not used offensively)

· Mobile Vehicle – Military (deliberately aim for zombies, are armed)

· Mobile Vehicle – Fire Engine

· Aerial Vehicle – Helicopter (may airlift in reinforcements or launch air-strikes)

Stimulus Obstacles

Any Stimulus (see list above) can act as an Obstacle as well as a Tool – a player can use Fire against their enemies, but it is also a hazard to zombies.

2.8.3. Consequences

This section lists possible Consequences of using Tools – these can be positive or negative. Negative Consequences can be used to make certain approaches to a Scenario less desirable. For example:-

· Example Positive Consequence: A wall collapses, creating a new path for the player to explore.

· Example Negative Consequence: An overpass collapses, blocking a street and preventing the player from progressing down it.

The player is free to try any approach they choose, but some methods will be better than others, thanks to the balance of positive and negative Consequences.

NOTE: Consequences differ from Rewards in that Consequences are actual changes to the game world and systems that result from the player’s actions, whereas Rewards are physical and emotional benefits to the player’s on-going experience.

· Open Player Route (e.g. destroying a barricade allows the horde to progress)

· Close Player Route (destroying a raised highway can block the street below, forcing the player to go around; destroying an object might stop it being a stepping stone up to a higher area)

· Damage Player Resource – Human (e.g. chopping limbs off humans means they will be less effective as a zombie too)

· Destroy Player Resource - Human(e.g. a Monster cannot infect, so humans killed by Monsters can’t be recruited. Also, dead humans can’t be infected, so killing them with weapons or environmental damage destroys them as a potential resource)

· Destroy Player Resource – Weapon

· Destroy Player Resource – Stimulus

· Cause Damage – Self (e.g. shooting your zombies, causing an explosion)

· Cause Damage – Enemy

· Destroy Critical Enemy (e.g. killing a group’s leader, or killing a cop within sight of civilians)

· Destroy Critical Tactical Point

· Destroy Critical Tactical Building

· Disrupt Enemy Communications – Local

· Disrupt Enemy Communications – Zone

· Disrupt Enemy Communications - District

· Increase ERL - Local

· Increase ERL - Zone

· Increase ERL - District

· Increase Fear

· Decrease Fear

· Inspire Over-Confidence

· Inspire Hysteria

· Create Stimulus - Fire

· Create Stimulus - Heat

· Create Stimulus - Electricity

· Create Stimulus - Poison

· Create Stimulus - Radiation

· Create Stimulus - Energy Field

· Create Stimulus - Water

· Create Stimulus - CO2

· Create Stimulus - Acid

· Destroy Stimulus - Fire

· Destroy Stimulus - Heat

· Destroy Stimulus - Electricity

· Destroy Stimulus - Poison

· Destroy Stimulus - Radiation

· Destroy Stimulus - Energy Field

· Destroy Stimulus - Water

· Destroy Stimulus - CO2

· Destroy Stimulus – Acid

· Change Wind Currents

2.8.4. Rewards

Rewards are the things that a player is aiming for, and what they get when a Scenario is completed. Rewards should always be in proportion to the difficulty of achieving them.

The Rewards of Scenarios can be extremely varied, from simply opening up a new route, to finding a new Genetic Upgrade and therefore new zombie type, to unlocking multiplayer content and improving the player’s online profile.

· The Primary reward is always for the player’s own actions – an immediate feeling of work well done when an objective is achieved. The player is free to choose their own approach, and therefore feels clever when their tactics succeed. This way, the clever player achieves the rewards they deserve!

· Complete the game! With multiple endings based on player morality throughout the game, this offers great replay value. This is secondary to rewards for the player’s actions; in-game rewards are crucial to drive the player towards completing the game and gaining the ultimate reward.

· Get 100% complete Zones and Districts to unlock extra modes. Complete all Districts 100% to unlock Power Enslaver Mode, in which a Stage IV Enslaver is available right from the start.

· Unlock Genetic Upgrades that grant:

· Enhanced Enslaver Powers

· Increased jump height and distance

· Stronger attack strength

· Greater resistance to damage

· Faster Health regeneration

· Greater Fear characteristic

· Increased Maximum Health

· Increased Maximum Mutation Energy

· Increased Zombie Influence Range

· Evolving Enslaver models

· Immediate visual reward

· New animations for attacks and Instant Kills

· New zombie types

· Grants major gameplay additions up the game with each new upgrade

· New individual zombie abilities

· New tactics through endless horde diversity

· New experiences through 1st person possession of new character type

· Story/Character Development Cutscenes alter based on the path towards the multiple endings that the player is following. At the end of the game, the player can view all of the cutscenes that occurred during the game in a movie sequence, telling their own story.

· Unlock Area (e.g. when moving from one district to another)

· Visual Reward – each Zone features unique buildings and architecture

· Visual Reward - each District has entirely different atmosphere and appearance than previous areas

· New Enemies – each District features brand new enemies, that look very different from one another, and use brand new behaviours and tactics to continuously offer entertaining challenges to the player

· New Gameplay – architectural design of each District offers new challenges related to horde control and deployment

· Non-Story/Character Development Cutscene (usually a short cutscene giving a visual Reward for the player’s efforts)

· View Media Event, showing the deterioration of the city as a result of the player’s own actions

· Unlock Multiplayer Elements (such as new parts for Weapons Workshop mode)

· Unlock Multiplayer Characters (any character killed or zombie created becomes available in Multiplayer Mode. This includes unique Survivor avatars that have distinct personalities, abilities and weapons.)

· Unlock Multiplayer Maps (unless Multiplayer reuses in-game areas.)

· Unlock Making-Of Content/Blooper Reels etc.

· Unlock Statistics: A huge list of statistics is constantly updated throughout the game – no. of civilians killed, no. of Omega Troops killed, no. of NPCs infected, no. of Runners/Bloaters etc. created, no. of cars destroyed, no. of tanks destroyed, time spent in Angry Cam mode, time spent possessing zombies, NPCs killed personally by Enslaver and so on. These statistics are used to give the player a final statistical evaluation and rank/rating.

2.9 Multiplayer Gameplay

2.9.1. Overview

Whereas the single-player game is the antithesis of the Survival Horror genre (you are the horror that they are trying to survive), Multiplayer is where true survival horror gameplay re-emerges. Various Multiplayer Game types are offered; some mimic those found in the current fps genera while others are entirely new and only found in Possession. Even Multiplayer Games mimicking the most popular game types will have an interesting twist, as the dead may rise! Reanimated and controlled by either the AI or currently dead player(s).

In one of the primary multiplayer games, one person assumes the role of the Enslaver while all other players take the role of Survivors. The Survivors must defend against and withstand the onslaught of the Enslaver’s zombie horde. Each side is balanced, with the Enslaver having a limited number of zombies, and the Survivors: limited ammunition, weaponry and essential supplies (All of which can be modified via the game setup menu).

The emphasis for the Enslaver will be on overwhelming the Survivors’ defences, whereas the Survivors themselves must lay down a defensive strategy that takes advantage of both the terrain and their limited resources. For the Survivors, the multiplayer game will generate high adrenaline tension, and for the Enslaver, the fun of seeing the Survivor players reacting against the directions of his zombie horde.

Dedicated multiplayer maps will be specifically created to accommodate and contain the action and will reflect the popular locations of the zombie genre, offering a variety of situations to keep the multiplayer scenarios fresh and varied. Segments of the single player map will also be available to increasing the number of game maps available to the player.

Game Types

Various pre-made game types will allow the player to get straight into the action.

Player vs. Player (Adversarial)

· Survivor vs. Enslaver: One player as the Enslaver battles against everyone, all other players take on the part of Survivors.

· Vanilla DM: An every-man-for-himself battle where zombies walk the earth and the player with the most kills wins.

· Survival DM: The same as vanilla DM but dead players are eliminated; also eliminated players can control zombies through the Aether.

· Zombie Tag: The same as Vanilla DM but he who survives the longest wins and all dead players become shredders.

· Revelation: One random player becomes infected and is indiscernible from their living counterparts. The zombie player wins by eliminating all of the human players.

· Monster Mash: Kill the Monster to become the Monster; points are only scored when you are the Monster, player with the most point’s wins.

· The Hunted: One player takes on the part of shredder and must reach an extraction point in order to win.

Player vs. Ai (Cooperative)

· Timed Survival: Players must work together to defend a location from stronger and stronger zombie attacks.

· Clearance: Players must work together to clear a level of zombies as quickly as possible.

· Escape: Players must battle through hordes of zombies to an extraction point.

· Apocalypse: Players must work together as zombies to clear a level of civilians as quickly as possible.

· Subversion: Players must work together as Civilians to locate a disk before the corporate Guards can take them out.

Rules

A basic set of rules will be in place for the majority of the different game types. The player will have the ability to modify many of these rules, allowing them to create a unique multiplayer experience catered specifically to them.

Some of these rules include:

· Infection – for when Survivalist player characters are infected by zombies. Infected players will die unless they can reach a serum. If a player dies they rise again as a zombie.

· Serum – cures infection preventing player death. Serum can also be used to kill zombies.

· Suicide – quitting players will show an ‘suicide’ animation.

· Aether - aether allows for dead players to still take part in the game.

· Possession – allows dead players to watch through the eyes of any player still in the game.

· Spirit Messaging – to allow for communication between ’dead’ players and those still alive.

Mechanisms

Multiplayer possession will also feature a set of mechanisms to increase and improve the player’s experience of Possessions Multiplayer game.

The Weapons Workshop

The weapons workshop will allow the player to build customized weapons for use in the multiplayer game.

Weapons will be built from multiple components such as:

· Stocks & Hilts

· Chambers

· Barrels

· Blades

· Scopes

· Ammunition

· Ammunition Wildcards

· Weapon Wildcards

Un-lockable characters

Characters collected in single player can be used as Avatars for the multiplayer game these characters will include:

· Civilians

· Paramedics

· Fire Crew

· Media

· Police

· Riot Squad

· SWAT

· Survivors (various)

· National Guard

· Military

· Scientists

· Corporate Guard

· Omega troops

Equipment System

Allows the player to select weapons and other equipment (E.g. gasmasks) before and during game.

· Character sheet – which acts as the player’s inventory

· Weapon selection – which allows the player to pillage dead bodies or pick up weapons in-game.

2.9.2. Online Experience

The online multiplayer experience is designed to invoke the feeling of terror usually found in games and films of the horror genre, but currently lacking from the multiplayer experience. Though the online Multiplayer game will be designed to instil a sensation of absolute terror as “the victim”, it will also be designed to give the player a feeling of absolute empowerment as “the aggressor”.

It is also designed to imitate and improve on some of the best and most popular FPS game types to date. This includes Death Match, Capture the Flag, & Tag but also expands on these types by adding Survival and Enslaver modes as well as an array of entirely new multiplayer cooperative games.

The online experience will give the player(s) a high level of freedom, with customizable game types, custom weapons, and custom avatars as well as support for “clans”, allowing the player to customize their friend’s list and keep track of who’s online.

· Play as “the Aggressor” or “The Victim”.

· Play online or via system link.

· Player vs. Player.

· Team vs. Team.

· Cooperative missions (Team vs. AI).

· Play from home, online against other players from around the world.

· Use the “Clans” system or its equivalent, to keep track of friends and create teams online.

· Use unlocked characters from single player game as Avatars in the multiplayer game.

· Build and use custom weapons in the multiplayer game.

· Modify the multiplayer game to create custom game types.

· Communicate online via headset.

2.10 Single Player Gameplay Example

In this example, we assume that the player has taken one of the Corporation Labs in District 2, unlocking the Mutate III command and, hence, the Shredder-class zombie. At this time, they therefore do not have access to the Monster-class zombie or Stage IV Enslaver abilities.

This section describes one player’s infiltration of the Police HQ in the Downtown District.

2.10.1. Key to Diagrams

NOTE: The symbols of zombies and NPCs show groups or relative numbers, not individual characters.

2.10.2. Gameplay Example Scenario

The Police HQ i