Project FRAG - Pilot

Devlog #3: 15-12-2023

Overview:

In our latest Project FRAG devlog, major decisions were made in our December 10th team meeting. Two game ideas were pitched and voted on, with Aniket Krish Das and Ashwin Ravikumar's collaborative idea winning the majority vote. The chosen concept was to make a True First Person Extraction shooter set in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world.

The chosen concept places equal emphasis on a compelling linear storyline and robust mechanics. Our goal is to provide players with an illusion of choice, creating an open-world feel with a touch of soulslike gameplay. Imagine navigating a world where advanced technology clashes with the remnants of a society grappling with its downfall. Picture neon-lit megacities contrasting against the grit of a dystopian landscape. Project FRAG promises an immersive experience that seamlessly weaves together a gripping narrative with dynamic gameplay elements. Stay tuned for more updates as we bring this vision to life in Project FRAG.

What’s New :

Core Mechanics :

The core mechanics write-up outlines the key gameplay elements that align with the design pillars of espionage, intrigue, and dynamic gameplay in Project FRAG. These mechanics collectively contribute to a rich and engaging gaming experience that immerses players in covert operations and horror intrigue.

Combat Mechanics :

Initially, a basic reliable sidearm is provided to the player at the start of the game with which the player can wield moderate damage, accuracy, and an intermediate fire rate. This gun serves as the foundation for the modular system of gun mechanics allowing the player to customize their firearm as they progress.

Modular combat system :

Instead of players acquiring modifiers which are visual changes to the gun, we’ve tweaked the system a bit so that the player now gets horror-mod themed items such as cursed artifacts, Haunted components, and sigils to enhance their pistol’s stats and modify the weapon. Each mod will alter a specific aspect of the gun’s performance (Fire rate, Magazine Size, Recoil, Reload Speed, and other stats).

Instead of visual changes to the gun’s model, we’ve decided to add a new visual effect to the gun’s model creating a distinct and eerie appearance to the gun using VFX and SFX effects. The effects could include a few effects like glow, spectral wisps, and subtle distortions and reflect the theme that the modifier is inclined to.

Weapon Feedback :

Distinct firing shots and SFX effects will play a massive part in distinguishing the mod and its functionality in terms of what it does and what its functionality is. Audio cues will also be used to indicate to the player when the magazine runs out of bullets or for certain cues where the gun is overheating, ramping fire rates, etc. Other audio cues would include headshot indicators, crit markers, and weak points of enemies.

The feedback regarding the recoil will also be impacted by modifiers that affect the recoil pattern/control of the gun and the fire rate for it.

Sanity Mechanic :

We’ve also decided on adding a sanity mechanic into the game thus adding a sense of depth from the player’s point of view creating a gameplay challenge and also adding a psychological aspect of insanity into the game. In our game, it would be used to indicate the mental stability of the character.

The sanity of the character would be influenced by in-game events such as enemy attacks, looking at certain enemies for too long, mental strain repeated incorrect attempts during puzzles, etc.

The player can also in turn gain sanity by methods such as consuming consumables, entering and resting in Safe rooms, listening to music through an MP3 player that the character will be carrying around (which would also have a battery mechanic), and clearing rooms(rooms followed by Arena rooms or after eliminating enemies in a horde). The only representation of sanity will be the meter on the HUD indicating what level the player is currently on. There will also be certain indicators and occlusions during the gameplay to indicate how low the player is on sanity.

Enemies and Artificial Intelligence Systems :

In our ominous carnival-themed game, enemies are meticulously designed with distinct behaviors. There will be several fodder enemies with different unique abilities that cause the players to approach the combat during every moment of the game strategically. Some of the abilities include phasing through physical objects and disorienting players via shape-shifting. There will be many different bosses as well that the player will come across and have to fight. They will have a deep backstory and challenging combat, which will be balanced to be fun. There will be several elite enemies with special abilities.

Throughout the game, enemies scale in difficulty and adapt to player strategies. Environmental threats, such as cursed carnival rides with animated attacks and lurking shadows that intensify the horror experience, add complexity. Dynamic enemy phases in boss encounters challenge players to adapt their tactics. In contrast, enemies keenly respond to sound and visual cues, creating a heightened need for stealth and strategic movement. The overall design emphasizes a rich variety of enemy behaviors, boss mechanics, and environmental dynamics to provide players with a compelling and engaging experience.

Consumables:

In our haunted amusement park adventure, consumables are intricately woven into the narrative, offering temporary relief and strategic advantages with distinct horror-themed visuals. Health kits restore health with a ghostly glow, sanity snacks provide relief with a calming aura, and speed elixirs enhance movement speed, leaving spectral trails. Placed strategically and dropped by enemies, consumables encourage exploration and reward combat engagement. Players face limited inventory decisions, expandable through upgrades, and can use consumables in real-time with immersive visual effects. Lore fragments attached to consumables deepen the narrative, and their emergency usage allows recovery or strategic retreats. With randomized placements for replayability, consumables serve as rewards from bosses, each with unique dynamic effects influencing subsequent challenges, creating a cohesive and engaging gameplay experience.

What’s Next :

Up next, we plan on starting work in full force. Work has already started on designing the model for the main character, the weapon, the level design, and the block out for the level. The team is parallelly also working on the narrative end of things, deciding on the lore and finalizing that as well. All updates as to where we’ve gotten and what the changes are will be updated in the following devlog.

Closing Thoughts :

If you've read this far, we appreciate you joining in on the fun! We'll be thrilled to share further progress through the devlogs that we'll be posting continuously. Your support means everything to us! We'd also be glad if you have ideas for our game. You can leave them in the comments! Stay tuned for future devlogs where we will be discussing the base mechanics for the game, exploring the basic pipeline, and much much more!

Pookie Bear Studios