hoaXcape duet (FPS Combat Prototype)

My Game Pitch

A first-person, sci-fi, action-adventure where you play from the perspectives of two adventurers who are self-proclaimed hoaxes trapped in a mysterious facility together. They must combine their skills to escape while also internally struggling to break free from imposter syndrome

Ubisoft Mentorship Details

  • Hosted by Paris & Annecy studios
  • Whole mentorship program taking place from February 2021 to May 2021
  • Pitch game centered around theme of "I want to break free"
  • Design and develop a prototype for that game
  • LinkedIn Video Overview post

Prototype Goals

  • Use the combat system as an implicit storytelling tool
  • Prototype the core set of player combat abilities for one of the two playable characters
  • Combat abilities with 3 distinct progression stages that match narrative and player character's emotions
  • Fast-paced, destructive, and satisfying combat mechanics that appeals to players of varying skill levels

Constraints

  • 2 weeks to research & create initial design pitch Powerpoint presentation
  • 5 weeks to prototype & create presentation video to showcase proof-of-concept
  • 1 Person to develop prototype (me)
Jump to Process
Jump to Key Solutions
Jump to Takeaways

Process

1. Research & Brainstorm

  • Gather different sources of inspiration that elicit the target emotions from other media
  • Brainstorm various actions and potential abilities that elicit target emotions

2. Design & Prototype

  • Design abilities and balance against existing abilities to fit within game world's context
  • Rapidly prototype those abilities

3. Feedback

  • Send updates and progress videos/gifs to mentor for feedback
  • Repeat 1-3 based off feedback to improve next iteration

Pre-Prototype Process
 

What I did to help guide my design choices before implementing playable prototype

Understanding the Target Audience to Develop Core Design Goals
 

  1. Decided on target audience to help form player experience & gameplay goals

  2. Using UX design principles, developed Proto-Persona based off target audience assumptions

  3. Found Quantic Foundry player segments using Proto-Persona to better inform design decisions

  4. Using player segments, developed list of user stories to help define target player experience

  5. Decided on core design goals based on user stories

Researching Combat Design to Gain Better Insight
 
  • Played and studied combat of other games that satisfy my combat goals for prototype such as Doom Eternal, Astral Chain, Titanfall 2, Batman Arkham Asylum, God of War (2018), NieR: Automata, BioShock Infinite
  • Researched various online resources about combat design such as articles, Twitter threads, GDC talks, YouTube videos, etc.
Gathering Sources of Inspiration to Help Brainstorming
 

Key Solutions

Below breaks down my design decisions and thought process behind each of the 3 combat stages

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 1: Lonely, Anxious, Shielded
 

They lack self-confidence and are afraid to freely express their true combat capabilities. So design a set of combat abilities that conveys character feeling lonely, anxious, and shielded

Stage 1 Combat Design Solutions

Player Movement
  • To convey anxiety and lack of self-confidence, player has relatively slower run speed and cannot wall jump
Solo Combat Abilities
  • To make player feel anxious, sole weapon available is simple handgun

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  • To convey feeling of being within inner shell, player has ice shield ability that protects player from enemies
    • While activated, deafens SFX of enemy attacks to reinforce shielded feeling

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  • To further reinforce feeling restricted, player can quick melee nearby enemies

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Comrade Combo Abilities
  • To reinforce loneliness, the two characters fight alone from each other

Results

This set of limited combat abilities tells how constrained and anxious the player character feels. Although the shield protects the character, it ultimately can make the player feel very lonely. This ties back to my main goal to use the combat as an implicit storytelling tool that matches the current narrative.

Stage 2: Comradely, Resolute, Vulnerable
 

They start to open up to each other after discovering they share similar internal struggles and gain a little more confidence. So design a set of combat abilities that conveys character feeling comradely, resolute, and vulnerable.

Stage 2 Combat Design Solutions

Player Movement
  • To convey growing sense of self-confidence, player has faster movement speed and can wall jump

    •  

  • To reinforce self-confidence and vulnerability, player can get slightly delayed self-knockback in air when using grenade launcher
    • can be used to get extra height boost in air to reinforce growing confidence
    • can also be used to push player away from enemy to reinforce feeling of vulnerability

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Solo Combat Abilities
  • To convey vulnerability, player can now use grenade launcher that takes some time to charge to full power

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  • To convey feeling vulnerable and resolute, player can use ice blocks ability.
    • While charging, can make the player feel vulnerable
    • Once released, can make the player feel resolute as it knocks enemies back and deals some damage

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  • To reinforce feeling resolute and encourage wall jump use, player can aerial drop from certain heights onto enemies to knock them up

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Comrade Combo Abilities
  • To reinforce growing feeling of camaraderie, player can quickly grapple onto comrade character to help dodge attacks when pointing the crosshair at them

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  • To further reinforce camaraderie, player can also get launched into air by comrade for a combo attack

    •  

Results

This set of combat abilities really helps to convey the growing bond between the characters and their increased self-confidence. The addition of more abilities that can be stacked offers a layer of depth to the combat that more advanced players can utilize. Further accomplishing my design goals, this stage both helps to convey the character's emotions and can appeal to players of varying skill levels.

Stage 3: Free, Cathartic, Relieved
 

The two characters develop a strong dual synergy and can now finally express their full combat abilities. So design a powerful set of combat abilities that conveys character feeling free, cathartic, and relieved

Stage 3 Combat Design Solutions

Player Movement
  • To convey freedom, player has fastest movement speed compared to Stage 1+2

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  • To reinforce full self-confidence, player has instant self knockback from shotgun

    •  

  • To reinforce freedom, water bubble ability weakens gravity force on player
    • like the song, player character is defying gravity

    •  

Solo Combat Abilities
  • To make player feel catharsis, can now use the shotgun that has instant and strong feedback when shot
    • Added subtle camera shake on shoot to add more weight

    •  

  • To reinforce freedom, player can use chargeable water bubble ability that causes damage to all enemies within radius
    • It automatically bursts at max radius to help convey that character's power is uncontained and free
    • Charging SFX that gets progressively louder to reinforce extent of power
    • Large, explosive water VFX on release to make ability feel more powerful

    •  

Comrade Combo Abilities
  • To convey stronger dual synergy, player can now get pulled by comrade without having to point crosshair at comrade

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  • To reinforce their strong bond, comrade can be summoned to fight directly alongside player for double the firepower
    • Comrade can shoot simultaneously with player character to reinforce their synergy

    •  

Results

The full set of combat abilities in this stage shows a distinct growth from Stage 1+2. It conveys how free and relieved the character feels while also adding an additional layer of depth to the combat. This stage has combat mechanics that implcitly tells the story, matches the character's emotions, and offers powerful combat mechanics that can appeal to players of varying skill levels.

 

Takeaways

  • Gained experience in working towards tight milestone deadlines through independent work
  • Gained valuable experience in working off mentor's feedback to really push my design further to better achieve my gameplay goals
  • Great practice in identifying and prioritizing the most critical elements to implement given work time constraints
  • Developed a deeper understanding of combat design and feel through research, trial & error, and mentor feedback

My Submissions

Click to Download Playable Build
Go to Google Drive Folder Containing Pitch Documents