Restless Souls/Wishlist
Oni 2 game
Engine
If we had a real option to create an Oni 2 with modern engine I would root for Unreal Engine 4.
It works on PC and Macs and it is free for non-commercial projects.
There's a big community, documentation and tutorials.
It supports weapon and h2h combat. Of course Oni's unique fighting style would have be re-written. But everything else should be supported by the engine. Particle, trigger volumes, wide environments, details characters. What else could you wish for?
Features
Besides new levels, characters and story... How about new gameplay elements? Since the Daodan is an core element of the story it would be shame not to make use of it.
Primary Daodan traits
- Healing (stopping a heavy bleeding and recovery speed)
- Power (stronger attacks, throwing or using heavy objects and enemies as weapons (e.g. using a skriker as Nunchaku with maxed out power))
- Speed (faster attacks, running, reflexes (dodging, counters))
- Adapting (mutation speed (biological computing by means of "Oni cluster" cells))
- Mechanical resistance (adaptions to pressure and kinetic damage (e.g. graphene enhanced cells))
- Physical resistance (VDG, plasma, phase stream projectors (electric isolation))
- Chemical resistance (acid, poison (lead bullets, mercury bow bullets))
- Biological resistance (screamer cells, infections by untreated wounds)
- Thermal resistance (extreme heat - fire, extreme coldness)
- Nuclear resistance (depleted uranium ammunition and surviving contaminated areas)
Basically you can "tank up" against weapons and don't need to worry about ammo.
To keep balance you could add more dangerous weapons as the game progresses.
Secondary Daodan traits
The Daodan is not almighty. It has certain weaknesses you should watch out for.
- Your Daodan abilities depend on Daodan biomass which means you can either unlock new abilities or enhance existing ones. And there's a limit to your abilities, because your cell count is limited.
- There should be one or two "ultimates" in Imago stage that depend on your evolution.
- Your number of Daodan cells depend on taken damage and recovery that happen in the last level.
- But too much damage can cause too high growth rates (temporary sudden pain and fever resulting in moments of reduced vision, shooting accuracy, "getting blocked" rate) or it simply kills you because you exceeded the maximal healing capacity of the daodan.
- Sytropin can help you in lowering growth rates. Be aware of increasing drug resistance as the game progresses.
- Reverting an existing mutation takes more "work" than establishing a new one. Basically your course of action is directed evolution.
Improved movement set and h2h
- prone mode
- sneaking at walls and through vent channels
- throw foes over obstacles (e.g. wall jump connectable to a flying knee)
- extend h2h with Parkour elements
- use pickable objects as weapons (either throwable or usable as a club)
- ledge grab (not a must-have)
- swimming (not a must-have)
Miscellaneous
- controllable drones, robots, mechs, vehicles
- dynamic lighting, wearable lights (flash lights) for dark environments
- temperature affects characters (not a must-have)
- emotions affects characters (not a must-have, rage enhances Daodan powers to a limited degree)