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Oni2:Slaves of War/Design: Difference between revisions
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Bits and pieces of design. | Bits and pieces of design. | ||
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'''Show, don't tell''' | '''Show, don't tell''' — Story isn’t meant to just be told during cutscenes. Put the story into the world in bits and pieces: consoles, posters….<br /> | ||
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'''Independent world''' | '''Independent world''' — Stuff happens without being driven by you. Even bystanders have their own lives and personalities.<br /> | ||
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Experiment with '''emergence''' | Experiment with '''emergence''' — Play with different rule sets that can lead to unexpected results; let the system express itself.<br /> | ||
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'''Possible key features''': | '''Possible key features''': | ||
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There should be times when the player is '''impressed by scale'''. What emotions can we evoke with scale? Awe, at the size of a level. Loneliness, at the emptiness of a space. Fear, at the number of enemies. Imagine a line of enemies, giving off a light of some kind, winding their way down a hill towards the player. Imagine hordes of enemies rushing over a hilltop at you (we don’t have to be able to draw hundreds of enemies; we can use simple box models as stand-ins for distant ones).<br /> | There should be times when the player is '''impressed by scale'''. What emotions can we evoke with scale? Awe, at the size of a level. Loneliness, at the emptiness of a space. Fear, at the number of enemies. Imagine a line of enemies, giving off a light of some kind, winding their way down a hill towards the player. Imagine hordes of enemies rushing over a hilltop at you (we don’t have to be able to draw hundreds of enemies; we can use simple box models as stand-ins for distant ones).<br /> | ||
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'''Allow exploration''' | '''Allow exploration''' — Don't want world to feel linear, even if it is. See [http://furiousfanboys.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/BITmX.jpg this famous pic] about FPS level design -- we want to avoid that feeling.<br /> | ||
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Create a feeling of '''anticipation''' in players to get to the next level. This can be done through making a plot that they want to advance, as well as by providing thumbnails for future levels. These thumbnails would be large, vivid and carefully composed. They could be a fading slideshow of different parts of the level, or even a short, seamlessly looping movie with ambient sounds from the level.<br /> | Create a feeling of '''anticipation''' in players to get to the next level. This can be done through making a plot that they want to advance, as well as by providing thumbnails for future levels. These thumbnails would be large, vivid and carefully composed. They could be a fading slideshow of different parts of the level, or even a short, seamlessly looping movie with ambient sounds from the level.<br /> | ||
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The '''training level''' can start with the ABCs from Oni, perhaps even the same level, and if the player plays it, she hears Mai reminiscing about Shinatama. But she can also skip straight to later “lessons”; these lessons can be taken in-between any mission. If there is a voice guiding Mai and instructing the player how to throw, it would be a great moment if they tell the player that you cannot throw someone who is facing you unless you knock them off-balance first, and then the player is instructed to try it, just to see that it’s not possible. Mai then successfully throws the person, surprising the voice in your ear. She’s strong enough to do this, but the average character class used in MP cannot (see “throw spamming” notes below). Shapeshifter should be allowed in VR training. The premise can be that Mai can see through the eyes of her opponents to better understand how they fight. A message can be displayed at the bottom of the screen saying “Shapeshifter enabled. Press F6 to cycle back, F8 to cycle forward, and F7 to return to Mai.” Later on, we only have to say “Shapeshifter enabled" to remind the player that they can do this.<br /> | The '''training level''' can start with the ABCs from Oni, perhaps even the same level, and if the player plays it, she hears Mai reminiscing about Shinatama. But she can also skip straight to later “lessons”; these lessons can be taken in-between any mission. If there is a voice guiding Mai and instructing the player how to throw, it would be a great moment if they tell the player that you cannot throw someone who is facing you unless you knock them off-balance first, and then the player is instructed to try it, just to see that it’s not possible. Mai then successfully throws the person, surprising the voice in your ear. She’s strong enough to do this, but the average character class used in MP cannot (see “throw spamming” notes below). Shapeshifter should be allowed in VR training. The premise can be that Mai can see through the eyes of her opponents to better understand how they fight. A message can be displayed at the bottom of the screen saying “Shapeshifter enabled. Press F6 to cycle back, F8 to cycle forward, and F7 to return to Mai.” Later on, we only have to say “Shapeshifter enabled" to remind the player that they can do this.<br /> | ||
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'''Difficulty should oscillate''' | '''Difficulty should oscillate''' — An enemy gets easier as the player's ability or Mai's power progresses, then you introduce harder enemies, then the player gradually gets better and those enemies become easier.... This allows the player to sometimes feel powerful and sometimes feel challenged.<br /> | ||
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Don’t forget that Oni made a point of putting Konoko in '''different outfits'''. It would be a glaring oversight not to do the same in Oni 2. Perhaps the costume changes can be more justifiable this time around. Maybe armor actually ''armors'' her this time around?<br /> | Don’t forget that Oni made a point of putting Konoko in '''different outfits'''. It would be a glaring oversight not to do the same in Oni 2. Perhaps the costume changes can be more justifiable this time around. Maybe armor actually ''armors'' her this time around?<br /> | ||
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'''Music''' can add a tremendous amount of mood to the setting, and speak some of the emotion for the characters. Introduce unique scores when they are most effective, such as boss fights.<br /> | '''Music''' can add a tremendous amount of mood to the setting, and speak some of the emotion for the characters. Introduce unique scores when they are most effective, such as boss fights.<br /> | ||
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''' | '''Expressive characters''' — VG characters that are supposed to look real simply don’t — the technology isn’t there yet — but realistic characters always look their worst when they’re in cutscenes, because (1) there are close-ups, and (2) they are supposed to be “acting”, and it brings out the uncanny valley. Let’s find a way to make characters expressive in a way that feels real even if it’s not realistic.<br /> | ||
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'''Motion''' should be our emphasis. Comic books are great for depicting framed poses and also detailed art. Live-action is great for depicting actors’ nuanced expressions. Third-person video games can’t do those things because they have to control fluidly (so poses are a hindrance) and they’re mostly shot from far away (no close-ups to show off detail or expressions). So rather than focus on rich textures and detailed characters, why not go for stylized, simple designs and focus on really smooth and interesting animations instead? One example would be to have differing styles of walking and running depending on whether the player is in attack mode, is alert, is relaxed, etc.<br /> | '''Motion''' should be our emphasis. Comic books are great for depicting framed poses and also detailed art. Live-action is great for depicting actors’ nuanced expressions. Third-person video games can’t do those things because they have to control fluidly (so poses are a hindrance) and they’re mostly shot from far away (no close-ups to show off detail or expressions). So rather than focus on rich textures and detailed characters, why not go for stylized, simple designs and focus on really smooth and interesting animations instead? One example would be to have differing styles of walking and running depending on whether the player is in attack mode, is alert, is relaxed, etc.<br /> | ||
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Getting to know your allies so you can choose them for missions requires having an '''off-mission space''' where you can freely interact with the NPCs, like in Deus Ex, but better. [https://i1.wp.com/metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/artwork_1404833897.jpg This picture] is a great reference for changing to a fixed POV that allows you to better see the NPCs while off-mission. It might be a good idea to give a player a reason to choose an ally that has to do with that character’s interests (they want to go on that mission for personal reasons, they need to get away from the base for a while to do a secret errand, etc.). That opens up the player’s ability to grow attached to the characters.<br /> | Getting to know your allies so you can choose them for missions requires having an '''off-mission space''' where you can freely interact with the NPCs, like in Deus Ex, but better. [https://i1.wp.com/metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/artwork_1404833897.jpg This picture] is a great reference for changing to a fixed POV that allows you to better see the NPCs while off-mission. It might be a good idea to give a player a reason to choose an ally that has to do with that character’s interests (they want to go on that mission for personal reasons, they need to get away from the base for a while to do a secret errand, etc.). That opens up the player’s ability to grow attached to the characters.<br /> | ||
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Taking along allies should make the mission easier, but could also come with a warning that the enemy is '''more likely to detect a group''' and respond accordingly, whereas going solo will allow stealth play. | Taking along allies should make the mission easier, but could also come with a warning that the enemy is '''more likely to detect a group''' and respond accordingly, whereas going solo will allow stealth play.<br /> | ||
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The '''player needs to feel powerful''' when controlling Mai — more so than in the first game. Daodan overpower mode in particular needs to have a palpable degree of power to it. We may want to ramp up her strength over time, throwing enemies further back with final blows.<br /> | |||
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The player should '''feel connected to Mai''' — it’s problematic that the camera is always over Mai’s shoulder; you never see her face except in cutscenes. We should find a way to counteract this — maybe move the camera during special moves so we can see her face, or move the camera from over her shoulder to in front of her during cutscenes, then move it back (as opposed to cutting). It would be even better if somehow we can show her face during gameplay, but that seems impossible.<br /> | |||
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'''Systematize the abilities''' of characters who use the Chrysalis, etc. like shounen series systematize their "jutsu", "kido", "Devil Fruits", etc. Take time to reveal and extrapolate on these abilities in order to intrigue the fans, but also remember to plan ahead enough to insert certain techniques into the early game which will later be explained (e.g. look at how Naruto’s summoning technique, Shadow Clones, and Rasengan are later explained or built upon). We can also reveal that abilities that were previously ultimate-seeming actually lead to, or set up for, greater abilities (like ''Rurouni Kenshin''’s Kuzu Ryu Sen).<br /> | |||
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Leave some '''mystery''' — Resist the urge to spell everything out in the game.<br /> | |||
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'''Make callbacks''' to Oni, even if obscure ones — sneezing, for instance (perhaps during a scene with a cyber-connection being opened, to reference the Flatline bug).<br /> | |||
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Occasional '''moments of quiet''', especially when entering a new area, can be welcome. The point where you are going to enter a building, for instance, with the night wind blowing leaves through the parking lot; or a tower wreathed in fog with the sun shining from behind it, casting a diffuse shadow through the air around you. Those moments actually add life to the world because they feel like more than just invisible backgrounds for fight scenes.<br /> | |||
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'''Variety in combat''' is essential, both within fights and also throughout the game. Unlocking new moves over the course of the game doesn’t always make sense when your character is experienced from the start. We could introduce new Daodan abilities over the game, but that makes game replays annoying for the player who was used to having all the end-of-game abilities. We can either take the simple approach and offer a New Game Plus, or else we can give the player most of their abilities up front and try to create changing environments or sets of enemies over time that require different kinds of skills to be put into play. All this being said, new content over time is probably less important than just making sure that the basic mechanics are fun enough that the player still enjoys them after dozens of hours.<br /> | |||
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We should have some '''new moves''', of course; not just different punches, but new specials. If Oni’s signature move was the Lariat, what would Oni 2’s be? Maybe something [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYevDUyBW0Y like this] (that’s a crucifix head scissor-to-backbreaker combo, in case the link dies).<br /> | |||
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'''Special attacks''' can end with a cool flourish, unlike regular animations. But if the character misses with such an attack, or there are other enemies around, they shouldn’t do the flourish.<br /> | |||
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Alternately we could implement a '''stamina system''' where bigger moves are more tiring. This could also be used to prevent players from using annoying “runaround” tactics in MP. '''Throw spamming''' can be prevented by requiring an opponent to be worn down before throwing them (the equivalent in MMA of getting inside someone’s striking range to grapple with them), which could use the same stamina gauge.<br /> | |||
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Alternately, '''throw spamming''' can be prevented by simply requiring one or two '''stunning moves''' to be landed first. This is only realistic, as a person cannot be thrown when they’re standing still and are balanced. Back throws can still be allowed without a preliminary move.<br /> | |||
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Some characters knocked onto the ground may be able to '''defend against a ground attack''' by raising their arms to defend their torso. Others may be nimble enough to roll out of the way. Bigger characters just get the wind knocked out of them and remain vulnerable.<br /> | |||
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Remember to preserve Oni's '''fun interactions with civilians''' and the entertaining VOs they have.<br /> | |||
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The '''use of color''' should express emotions or some kind of ascending ranks. We should look to [[wp:Traditional_colors_of_Japan|Japan]] for our color sense.<br /> | |||
[[Category:Oni 2]] | [[Category:Oni 2]] | ||