November design meetings

November 3, 1997

On the way back from lunch, Scott Miller and Paul talked about a player’s characteristics, specifically in a multiplayer game. It would be great if the player could create a "character" for a multiplayer game that would be a species, a skin variation, and a budget of "points" to add to the various capabilities to create a unique character.

Some possibilities are: speed, "sixth sense," weapon accuracy, stealth, etc.

In addition, we could have a "mundane" and a magical game—the magical game would allow player to take on the role of Talon and be able to spend points setting up their mystical powers (sort of like the force powers in Jedi Knight). We may even give players a power bonus if they are limited to melee-only weapons.

We just need to make sure that the various abilities actually mean something in the game.

November 6, 1997

A review of some conversations between John and Paul concerning water:

How do we do water in Prey? As we thought about before, the surface of water is a portal—what is under water is a complete room with the movement, gravity and viscosity properties that make it water. If you are part way in the water, then you take on water properties.

We can use an extrusion as a cutting plane to sever geometry into above and below water rooms.

How do we do the surface? We could do it as an animated texture on the surface of the portal. Another possibility, to get some dynamism to the surface, is to have the surface of water be an animated mesh object with a translucent texture (animated or not) applied to it. It rests just above the water portal plane and undulated to give a really nice effect.

How do we do rising (or lowering) water? In both the above water and below water room, we have their geometry extend beyond the current water portal. When the water rises or lowers, we transform the portal in both rooms, and the effect will be the same as the water rising or lowering.

November 14, 1997

A few important excerpts from Martin’s letter:

I think one thing that needs to be changed in 3d shooters is the value of a life.

It is most important that a game is never frustrating.

Here is my idea:

I think this problem could be solved with different skill levels.

easy = you can save at any time, you can activate every cheat. you can only

explore about 70% of every level. some monsters and features are missing.

Monsters are every time at the same place when you start playing. (no bad

surprises :) Different ending, last episode is missing totally.

normal = you can still save at any time, you can activate only a few cheats.

you can explore about 90%

of the level and you have more, tougher and smarter monsters. Last episode

included, but not the real end. ( for example the boss can escape with his

spaceship, before you can fight him.)

This is the normal skill for the average player.

hard = game can only be saved* after finishing a level. No cheats are

available. You can explore 100% of every level. You have all the features of

the game and you will get the real ending.

*saving : game can only be saved after finishing a level doesn't mean that

your progress is gone when for example you have to stop playing while you are

in the middle of a level. You can actually save at any time, go out for

dinner and load the game again, but if you die, the whole level must be

started from scratch. In other words, you can save whenever you want, but if

you die, you don't have no more access to this save. You must start the level

from scratch.

nightmare = basically same as hard, but harder :)

mega nightmare = the champions league! only for a few totally diehard gamers

out there. You have to beat the whole game with only one live. This should

include a few nice surprises but be always fair and never frustrating.

Believe me. This one is pure adrenaline ;) Just imagine your heartbeat

in level 19 with only 10% health left and knowing three heavy dudes are

waiting for you around the next corner.

The harder levels cannot be chosen from the beginning on. They must be

unlocked, by beating the lower skills. This avoids a frustrating experience

for players that want to start from a higher skill right in the beginning and

it also gives a good replay value.

The few people who did beat the game on mega nightmare should get a huge

reward and should be honored.

just a few examples. Players officially earn the title of "Grand Master of

Prey" from 3DRealms and their name will be posted on a list of all-time-heroes

that can be found on 3DRealms website. There is something like a medal

available from 3DRealms that you can only get if you can prove that you have

beaten the game on highest skill. Just imagine the guys running around at one

of those big lanpartys wearing proudly these medals or special t-shirts etc.

The possibilities are endless.

November 18, 1997

We could have a "training" level, much like the introductory level in Lara’s house in Tomb Raider. This training level can take place in a canyon outside of the reservation—it begins with a 3^rd person pan around and zoom into Talon’s head. Through voice-overs from Talon, we can learn a little back story—like why he’s here—what his "spin" on life it, etc. Then, Talon (the player) can explore the canyon, run, jump, climb, pick up and through and object, etc. He can have his Colt Peacekeeper and he can shoot some cans—we could even have him hunt and kill a coyote. When he leaves the canyon, we get a voiceover of him saying something like "gotta get back to the garage to finish some work"—that gets him back for the real start of the game.

Loyal will have animated texture swatches—actually just additional swatches that will serve as animation frames. A MultiPrey tribe can then create their own team model, animation and skin (or just reskin Talon). Then, they can have something like 8 "frames" of faces—these would be the faces of each tribe member—in the game, the choose their face. Too cool!

Jumping off of martin’s idea above, what about having only certain "save points" or save stations in the game—could be at the end of each level, or maybe there are more. BUT, the player can "capture" his game at anytime. This is a save game that is a "one time use"—if the player has to quit for dinner or something, he can capture the game, then restore his play when he wants to—once he restores, he can’t ever go back to that capture point—it’s gone once reloaded.

We had a design meeting with Martin over the phone. Here are some of the key points:

Scott’s example from Duke: you’re using a shotgun on a foe, you’re close in, and the next shot will kill him. When you fire, instead if firing, Duke will kill the foe with the butt of his gun.

Scott’s example of evoking emotion: You talk with one of the other Indians, will say Bob, when you are on the Trocaran shuttle—he goes off to do something for you. Once you are on the Trocaran mothership, you run into him again, he’s in a cell and you talk about getting him out. Later, you come to a place where you can look through a window into an operating room—he’s screaming as he is being dissected. He sees you and screams for your help, but you can’t do anything.

Scott’s idea of level of difficulty: you chose a level to begin at—at certain points, the level ratchets up higher, such that you will always play the last half or 2/3 of the game at "hard" difficulty level.

Martin’s idea: each character that you can play in Deathmatch (including user-created characters) has a "victory dance" animation—this animation is shown after a deathmatch game for the winner on all the players’ PCs. Great for gloating, etc.

Another great point: let’s make sure to have "over the top" environments that just defy description. Very disturbing stuff. When juxtaposed against the standard environment, it should be a great experience.

Let’s have a room—like a cell. You’re trapped in it, and you hear sounds—only one light in the room, the walls are made up of a strange metallic substance. Then, the walls begin to fade away (we change their alpha), revealing beasts out in a larger arena (great for one of the arena levels)—finally the walls disappear absolutely, and you must face the creatures.

Let’s have a distortion on water textures like the distortion when Mario jumps into a painting like in Mario 64. When Talon jumps in or tosses something in the water.

November 20, 1997

What if, during the course of the game, the Earth (specifically humans) is being wiped out. Let’s say that the Keepers have three large gas tubes on the Trocaran ship, one on each tower. The poison gas in these tubes is engineered specifically to eliminate humans. In fact, one of the reasons the Keepers grabbed some humans was to synthesis the latest version of this toxin. Talon must discover this in the early parts of the game. He then may or may not stop the tubes from deploying. If he does, then he saves more and more humans—if he doesn’t, he learns, during the game, that humans are being killed on Earth—the end of the game, while it doesn’t alter plot wise, varies depending on how well Talon diffuses these gas ships.

November 21, 1997

Particle explosions done as actors in Max—they are flat shaded polys with an alpha value that can then be transformed or scaled in the game. Speed increase because no calculation is involved.

Things like running water out of a tube and water ripples can also be done as animated actors.