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Justin Pappas
Sci-Fi Action/RPG
“Nascency Shell”
© jpappas 4/2/08
-Priorities are in parenthesis. (A = Highest, C = Lowest)
Concept: (A)
The Nascency Shell is a giant cocoon nearly fifty stories high that has lain dormant since its appearance three years previous to the events in this level. Top biologists have been assigned to the Nascency Shell to study it and learn what they can about it, seeing as it and the parasites that live on it are the first biological life forms to appear beyond Earth since humanity began exploring the stars nearly six hundred years previous. The Shell is almost completely obscured by the miles of scaffolding that cover it, enabling scientists to study it up close and at varied altitudes. Specimens are collected from the Shell, and then brought back to the tower lab, a building that stands adjacent to the Shell, where data can be analyzed. The parasites that spawn from the skin of the Shell are hostile and aggressive, but not difficult to control if they are “cleaned” once monthly.
Character: (B)
The player, being a renowned explorer of uncharted worlds, has given up their active lifestyle, having lost a loved one on an ill-fated expedition. They have taken up residence near the Nascency Shell as a “cleaner”, monthly exterminating the parasites that infest the surface of the Shell.
Gameplay and Event Summary:
1. Arrival (B)
2. Tremors (A)
3. Stage One Hatch (A)
4. Descent via the Tower Lab (B)
5. Final Stage of Hatch (B)
6. Boss (A)
- The player and their crew pull up in front of the Nascency Shell in an ATV and get out. As they retrieve their equipment (see equipment list) from the back of the vehicle, a tether ladder is shot from a mounted tether gun up onto the tenth story of the scaffolding surrounding the shell.
~Introduces the ATV to the player and showcases the tether gun, while foreshadowing its use.
(B)
- The team leader explains that this month’s cleaning is early because of an increase in parasite activity. The team splits up: half climb the tether ladder to the higher levels, while the player and their team climb onto the scaffolding from the first story.
~ This places the player’s friends in a dangerous position (high up) and sets them up to be in need of assistance later.
(B)
- Once on the scaffolding, the player is taunted by their teammates. They sarcastically explain the controls to him and explain how his equipment works. The player has the chance to try out physical controls while navigating the lower levels of the scaffolding. They practice combat control while fighting off solitary parasites. (See creatures list)
~ This serves as a training section for the player and establishes the gameplay style.
~ Here, the overload functionality of the Bolt Pin Projector (the player’s primary weapon) is explained, while its use is foreshadowed. (See equipment list)
(B)
- There is an earthquake. Scaffolding from above collapses as the entire Nascency Shell rumbles. Some members of the other team, including the team leader, tumble from the scaffolding to their deaths. One team member is stranded on an isolated piece of scaffolding while another hangs from a piece of deteriorating scaffolding. They cry out for help.
~ This establishes the player’s immediate goal, while thrusting them into gameplay and forcing them to immediately use the knowledge they have gained from training.
(A)
- The parasites have gained a new confidence and attack now in groups of two or three.
~ This raises the urgency of the situation and not only forces the player to use what they have learned, but lightly challenges that knowledge.
(B)
-The player must make their way up to the other team members and rescue them, fighting off parasites and dodging pieces of falling scaffolding as tremors continue to shake the Nascency Shell.
~ This concrete objective is also the player’s reward. The team members, once rescued assist the player in fending off the parasites.
(C)
- There is a deafening crack as the bottom half of the Nascency Shell splits open and sheds the lower scaffolding like a dog shakes off water. Large spindly legs emerge from the slits in the shell and begin to thrash about. The cracks grow up the sides of the shell, stripping the scaffolding as they climb closer and closer to the player’s position. (Think of a Disney cartoon, where Mickey is ice skating and the crack in the ice is chasing after him)
~ This raises the urgency further and traps the player in the disaster zone, forcing them to deal with it immediately.
~The player must now climb up and climb quickly to avoid destruction, more harshly challenging their handle on the physical game controls.
(The animation and effects here should invoke the same sensation that a violent storm or tornado would invoke.) <- C
(A)
- The parasites congregate, sweeping across the shell in huge swarms. The parasites attack the player in waves of approximately ten at a time.
~ This presents an obstacle to the player’s success, and more harshly challenges the player’s handle on the combat controls. This also blows the level of excitement through the roof, providing a mini climax to the outdoor section of the map at the halfway point.
(This could be achieved with low tech by making the swarm itself an animation that swoops close to the player but goes behind something, like the lip of the scaffolding, where the animation is destroyed and the A.I. begins to spawn in droves up, over, and around the player.)
(B)
- The player is trapped at the top of the shell and has nowhere to go but into the tower lab, in hopes that they can make their way down from there. As they enter the tower, the shell splits all the way to the top and all kinds of strange and groping limbs burst forth from its many openings.
~ This herds the player into the tower lab.
(A)
- The tower labs are cramped and poorly lit as the electricity flickers on and off, affected by the events outside. Here the player is attacked by intelligent and powerful parasites.
~ The action here is slower-paced yet suspenseful, providing a break from the previous flurry.
~ Here the player’s mastery of the controls is not only challenged, but they are also forced to use their knowledge in ways that their training did not prepare them for in a setting they are not used to.
(B)
- The player uncovers secret documents revealing the existence of other Nascency Shells. Most of the other Nascency Shells have been hoisted into space and positioned strategically over human colonies on planets that the investors would like to control.
~ This provides a “carrot” for the player, giving them motivation to escape and reveal the evil plans of the investors.
~ This also sets the stage and moves the story forward for the following levels in the game.
(C)
~ This presents the player with a challenging “player vs. environment” section and prepares them for the next event.
(B)
~ This brings the player to the ground without making them climb all the way down through the labs. This also raises the level of excitement back to the same level that it was at during the end of part 3 in preparation for the climax.
(B)
- The player emerges from the rubble to be confronted with a wretched and horrific beast of cyclopean proportions. The creature roars, spraying mucus from its slimy blow hole all over the player as parasites swarm over its skin. Parasites of all three types jump down from the creature and attack the player in droves.
~ This presents the player with a challenge that appears impossible to overcome, so that they will rise against all odds and meet this challenge, making them feel skilled and powerful.
(B)
- The player must find and get on top of the ATV. Once there, the player must fire the tether gun at the creature and climb up onto it. The player must climb to the creature’s blow hole, overpower their bolt pin projector, throw it in, then jump off of the creature, just in time to turn and watch its head explode. (Please see equipment section for “overpower” details)
~ This is the victorious conclusion, providing a final challenge for the player different from anything they have encountered so far in the level.
(A)
Enemies
Parasite Phase One (image from: blogs.redding.com/.../archives/2007/10/)
These are the smallest of the three parasite types. These are a little larger than a human head. Phase Ones move very slowly on the ground, but jump at startling speeds towards their enemies. They attack with -20% hp damage, depending on where they hit. These are seen in parts 1, 2, 3, and 6. States: “Idle feed” they wander aimlessly; “Combat” they jump at their enemies and strafe in circles.
(C)
Parasite Phase Two (image from: www.fishingfury.com/2006/06/ )
These parasites are about the size of a sea lion. They move very quickly, sliding across the ground like missiles. They have two attacks. One tactic is to ram into their opponent, and knock them to the ground, they then slide over them, slicing them with their razor sharp feet in a -45% hp attack. They also stop in front of their opponents, bend backwards into a ball, and spray poisonous acid in a spreading burst, like a shotgun attack. The damage of this attack depends on proximity, but can be up to a -75% hp attack if taken at point blank. This spray attack also temporarily blurs the eye sight of the victim. These are seen in parts 3 and 6. States: “Dormant swarm” they swarm with other Phase Twos, randomly pathing over the environment; “Hunt” they move in a beeline towards their enemies; “Flee” when they reach 5% hp they turn and run.
(A)
Parasite Phase Three
( image from: www.uos.harvard.edu/ehs/pest_earwig.shtml )
These are the size of a human being. They are the strongest and most cunning of the parasites. These parasites can crawl flat along the ground, walls, or ceiling, or they can stand up straight when not moving. They attack via a -30% hp melee attack, or fire projectile barbs in quick succession from their legs for a -15% hp attack on each hit. They are seen in parts 4, 5, and 6. States: “Lie in wait” they wait in shadows for the player to pass and strike when they are near; “Dormant” Phase Three idly paths around their assigned area; “Alert” when the player moves into the Phase Three’s agro radius it goes into alert and switches to one of the other active states; “Full force” when three Phase Threes are together, two come forward for a melee attack while one stays behind for a projectile attack; “Sniff” if the Phase Three is in an alerted state and the player moves out of their sight, they go on a patrol, searching for the player, returning to an alerted state upon discovering them.
(B)
Equipment
Bolt Pin Projector (B.P.P.) (A)
The BPP is the player’s primary weapon; it has two firing modes and presents a deadly risk if overpowered.
MODE 1: This mode does not require the BPP to be powered up. The player can shoot metal pins out of the BPP, and all they need to do is shoot one pin into each of the enemies in front of them, and then pull the secondary trigger. Pulling the secondary trigger sends a bolt of fatal electricity to each of the pre-placed pins.
(B)
MODE 2: This mode requires the BPP to be powered up. The player can power up the BPP by holding down the trigger. When powered, the pins in the BPP become electrified, and the BPP can fire them like bullets from a machine gun.
(A)
OVERPOWER: Powering the BPP is easy and very useful. When nearing the very dangerous state of “overpower”, the BPP lets out a low tone beep and a green light flashes in warning. When the BPP hits the point of no return, the warning light flashes red and the beeping sound is quicker and high pitched. The red light means the player has 15 seconds to drop the BPP and run away, before it explodes in a flash of electromagnetic energy that could sink a blue whale. The player is instructed to avoid overpowering their BPP at all costs at the beginning of the level.
(A)
(The art and animation for the BPP should communicate an industrial sense of very heavy instability, like a jackhammer that runs on thunderbolts.)
Net Thrower (N.T.) (C)
The NT works well in close quarters. It shoots a net soaked in a poison harmful to the parasites. The net expands as it gets farther from the barrel, like a shotgun burst. If a parasite is close to the barrel and takes on the net at full force, they go down pretty quickly. The specimens can then be collected for study.
Gas Bombs (B)
These tubular grenades release a cloud of gas that renders the parasites unconscious. Once unconscious, the parasites can be easily dispatched by hand or boot. If the player stands for too long in the gas cloud, they will become dizzy and could potentially fall from the scaffolding. It is wise to wait for the gas cloud to clear.
(When thrown, the Gas Bomb spins and the gas slowly spills out forming a green spiral of smoke in its trail)
Boss A.I. Behavior
1. When the player first emerges from the rubble, the creature needs to trigger a ROAR aimed directly at the player; if the player moves the creature needs to follow it with its head as it roars. (C)
2. After the roar, parasites need to spawn off of the creature. (B)
3. The creature needs to be aware of the player’s position as it tries to smash it with its many thrashing limbs. (A)
4. The boss has a sweep attack that the player needs to jump over that the boss initiates randomly, but only after carrying out three other attacks. (B)
5. If the player is not figuring out that they need to use the tether gun, the creature needs to knock them with their tentacle in such a way so that the player lands near the ATV. This can be set on a simple five minute timer. (C)
6. The blowhole needs to be indicated as a target, so whenever the player hits it with a bolt, the creature needs to react with a painful scream, but then trigger a “shake off” animation to show that it is not hurt. (B)
7. After striking the player, the creature should roar, spitting mucus from its blowhole. (C)
8. When the blowhole has been tethered, the boss should increase its attack frequency, cutting the delay time between attacks by 50%. If the player falls from the tether, the boss should attack them immediately. (B)
9. When the blowhole is tethered, the boss should shake its head in an attempt to loosen the tether. (C)
10. Once the BPP is overpowered and inside the blowhole, all attacks cease. The player must jump down from the creature as it claws at its blowhole in an attempt to remove the BPP. (B)
11. The creature’s defeat animation initiates10 seconds after the BPP has been thrown into its blowhole. The central core of the creature expands, and then implodes. The legs fall to the ground, presenting a final challenge to the player. The legs must project shadows on the ground that grow as they get closer to it, so the player knows where NOT to stand. The creature is dead.
The dust sprites settle…