2.0 Game Narrative
[GAME NAME] is set during the Siege of Sarajevo
(1992-1996) and stays as true and factually accurate to the events as
interactive media allows.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1992, tensions are high after
Bosnia and Herzegovina has declared independence from Yugoslavia. Serbs wish
create a new Bosnian-Serb state, Republika Srpska, claiming Bosnian territories
are theirs. Peace rallies are held in Sarajevo - the capital – before a Serb
gunman starts shooting protestors. Events spiral out of control; the Army of
Republika Srpska encircles the city 18,000 strong blocking all escape on May 2nd
1992. 1,000 lives are lost in the first month.
Martin Bell is a photo journalist who travels to Bosnia
to document the peaceful protests for the BBC. His focus is quickly shifted to
the conflict where he documents the atrocities and assists civilians, the
Bosnian forces, the UN and the NATO peacekeepers. The player follows Martin
through to November 1992.
Play resumes in February 1995, Jeremy Bowen – a NATO
peacekeeper - is drafted in a push to try and relieve Sarajevo of its
oppressors. Tailed by Martin Bell Jeremy Bowen is a squad leader of the NATO
peacekeepers. Commanding 5 squad members Jeremy must try and generate peace
whilst supressing the Serb forces. The player follows Jeremy through to the end
of 1995 when the siege ends.
4.0 Game Mechanics
4.1 Movement
The player controls a normal biped human character and
can move/pivot 360°. The character has two main movement speeds; walk and sprint –
however walking is pressure sensitive and will move at top speed when held.
Whilst sprinting the player loses the ability to shoot if a firearm is equipped
as this is designed as an evasive ability.
4.1.1 Jumping
Whilst standing the player is
able to jump. This can be used to evade an enemy or explosion, jump over an
obstacle or bridge a medium distance gap.
4.2.2 Stance
By default the player is
standing upright where they can walk, sprint and jump. They do also have the
option too crouch or go prone.
Crouching steadies the
players view, reducing swaying and recoil. It also reduces their profile making
them a smaller target and better for hiding behind objects. Movement speed is
impeded slightly, the player cannot sprint or jump whilst crouching –
attempting to do so will cause the character to stand.
Going prone (or lying down) provides
the steadiest position and is designed for hiding or crawling through tight
spaces. Movement is impeded greatly, the player cannot sprint or jump whilst
crouching – attempting to do so will cause the character to stand.
4.2 Combat
Inclusion of a combat system in [GAME NAME] comes with
the setting of the Siege of Sarajevo. And although players are encouraged to
remain moral many conflicts are inevitable.
4.2.1 Ranged Combat
The majority of modern warfare
is ranged combat whether it is gunfire, explosives, air support, vehicles or
ordnance.
4.2.2 Close Combat
The player will only have a
combat knife for close combat. Close combat is usually for desperate, frantic,
reactionary moments – for example a player goes to assist a wounded civilian
who turns out to be waiting for the opportunity to attack them, the player will
have to very quickly attack back.
4.3 Weaponry and Equipable Items
Players are able to equip primary items (cameras or guns
for example) and secondary items (grenades, phone for support or med-kits for
example). Secondary items and ammo can be stored in the player’s inventory primary
items cannot be stored and must be carried.
4.3.1 Primary Equipables
Primary equipables are items
that are carried by the character. Only two may be carried at any one time. If
a player tries to pick up a new primary item whilst already carrying two, then
the item equipped is dropped and replaced with the pickup.
4.3.2 Secondary Equipables
Secondary equipables are items
that can be stored in the character’s inventory. Up to eight may be carried at any
one time, but only one can be equipped at a time. If a player’s inventory is
full they are unable to pick-up anymore items.
4.3.3 Tertiary Equipables
Tertiary equipables include
items that do not take up any slot. Primary examples of this include
ammunition, maps, and binoculars. These are capped but do not affect gameplay
in any other way.
4.4 Camera
[GAME NAME] is played from a first person perspective.
4.5 Health
The health of the player indicates how close to death the
player is. Health is displayed visually to be as immersive as possible. When at
full health the player can see clearly, as health deteriorates vision becomes
blurry, colour drains from the picture and sound becomes muffled. The player’s
health regenerates after short period of time (as long as they do not sustain
any more damage).
4.6 Object Interaction
Players will often need to pick-up or interact with an
item, vehicle or person. Interactable objects include weapons, equipable items (detailed in 4.3), vehicles (detailed in 4.7), doors, characters and
collectibles. Interacting with the object will cause a reaction, this could be
4.7 Vehicles
Players will encounter vehicles throughout the game and
are often the key to mobility.
The characteristics of the vehicle vary between types,
for example a truck is mobile, lightly armoured, un-protected but can transport
several men; whereas a tank is slower, heavily armoured, well-armed, but can
only carry a few men.
4.7.1 Controls
Player controls differ
slightly when in a vehicle. The main changes being when in a driving seat the
triggers become the throttle [RT] and reverse [LT] and when in a support seat
the triggers will control a weapon if available.
4.7.2 Camera
When a character is driving a
vehicle the camera changes to third person but can be changed to a first person
view if desired [Y].
When the character is in a
support seat the game is still played in the first person – as this person does
not need to see the surroundings of the vehicle.
4.8 Consequence System
This system of AI tracks and reacts to your choices,
actions and conversations in and out of combat.
4.8.1 Team Feedback
Characters will give
unprompted feedback on your actions – indicating to the player that they are or
aren’t playing the game correctly.
4.8.2 Trust
All characters in the game can
be interacted with, however only those whom a bond of trust is formed with will
respect what you say. This bond can be formed in many different ways,
conversing with them, protecting them, giving them food or supplies, a simple
acknowledgement may even be enough.
The player has to trust
characters as well, bodies may be booby trapped or a wounded person may simply
be trying to lure you in. (Red Dead Redemption)
4.8.3 Character Legacy
In the first chapter of the
game the player assumes the role of a journalistic cameraman, then in the
second chapter the role changes to that of a NATO squad leader, but the
journalist that the player assumes in the first chapter is present, tailing the
NATO squad. At the end of the game – in the credits - the player is shown how
they have performed, giving them media representations of their actions. Using
the journalistic cameraman as a guise the game picks out the player’s actions,
weighing out the good from the bad. Each time the player commits an act of
moral integrity or ignorance the game takes an in-engine photo from the third
person. In this credit sequence the player will be portrayed as a peacemaker
and/or a tyrant.
4.9 Communication System
The player is required to communicate with the AI
throughout the game. This is controlled through voice commands on a headset, or
through a speech menu system similar to that of the Battlefield or Counter
Strike games. [GAME NAME] brings added depth to this mechanic however as this
interaction can initiated with any character in the game.
This ties in heavily with the Consequence System with the involvement of trust. For example, if a
player has not been acting humanely colleagues and civilians will not respect their
orders often resulting in an opposite reaction.
