Plan for Bil Simser
by Bil Simser · 05/10/2004 (3:54 pm) · 5 comments
Wow, it's been quite a while since I posted a .plan file here and I've been out of touch with Torque. However I am back and full of ideas, plans and taking steps to execute them.
I've been struggling with an idea for a game for sometime now (I've been writing tools for so long it's time to actually write a commercial game). I think I figured out my concept with a game I call "Risen".
It's a zombie game and works in three modes. Single Player, Co-op, and Multiplayer. They all work pretty much the same, just scaled up based on the number of people in the game.
The game takes place in a world where the dead have taken over. Typical zombie action as they roam aimlessly looking for brains to eat. Each part of the cityscape (and countryside) is divided up into zones (several city blocks, not sure what the engine can handle yet, using Torque so size shouldn't be a problem). Within that zone there are three types of entities.
Pedestrians:
These are NPCs that run around doing daily stuff, but mostly running from zombies (depending on the level of zombie infestation in that area)
Zombies:
The villians (or heroes depending on how you look at it) of the game. They run around looking for brains to eat and growing stronger.
Players:
Your mission. Kill or be killed.
The Game:
Zombies wander around eating pedestrians (and players). Each time a zombie munches down on a ped, it grows in strength. Zombies also do some flocking so if they see another zombie they'll wander together for awhile, forming a zombie mob which will attack in groups. When a zombie eats someone, they infect their victims and they in turn become the walking undead.
The players goal is to erradicate all the zombies on a level to move to the next block. Players themselves can be attacked and will become zombified. Here's where the game gets interesting where the player now plays as a zombie. Rather than having the goal of blowing away the undead, the player now must hunt out peds (and other players) to eat in order to survive. The level ends when all zombies are erradicated or all players become zombies (whichever comes first). There are scores for both (zombies and player/zombies including how many ped/players were turned, brains eaten, etc.).
Players have weapons but generally have to find them within the game (and utilizing a broomstick or leg of a chair works, but not very effective). There are various archetypes that players can pick from. These include soldiers, scientists, jocks, reporters, etc. each with their own advantages/disadvantages.
Zombies only come in zombie flavour and have no weapons to speak of. They do gain abilities (like being able to spit/vomit zombie goo on players) as they grow in strength. Each time they go munching they also grow in endurance, stamina, etc. so dropping a zombie that's consumed the football team will be quite a feat and probably require multiple players working together.
Feel free to label me a crackpot, rank me as a genuius or pay me gobs of cash to build this idea for you.
I've been struggling with an idea for a game for sometime now (I've been writing tools for so long it's time to actually write a commercial game). I think I figured out my concept with a game I call "Risen".
It's a zombie game and works in three modes. Single Player, Co-op, and Multiplayer. They all work pretty much the same, just scaled up based on the number of people in the game.
The game takes place in a world where the dead have taken over. Typical zombie action as they roam aimlessly looking for brains to eat. Each part of the cityscape (and countryside) is divided up into zones (several city blocks, not sure what the engine can handle yet, using Torque so size shouldn't be a problem). Within that zone there are three types of entities.
Pedestrians:
These are NPCs that run around doing daily stuff, but mostly running from zombies (depending on the level of zombie infestation in that area)
Zombies:
The villians (or heroes depending on how you look at it) of the game. They run around looking for brains to eat and growing stronger.
Players:
Your mission. Kill or be killed.
The Game:
Zombies wander around eating pedestrians (and players). Each time a zombie munches down on a ped, it grows in strength. Zombies also do some flocking so if they see another zombie they'll wander together for awhile, forming a zombie mob which will attack in groups. When a zombie eats someone, they infect their victims and they in turn become the walking undead.
The players goal is to erradicate all the zombies on a level to move to the next block. Players themselves can be attacked and will become zombified. Here's where the game gets interesting where the player now plays as a zombie. Rather than having the goal of blowing away the undead, the player now must hunt out peds (and other players) to eat in order to survive. The level ends when all zombies are erradicated or all players become zombies (whichever comes first). There are scores for both (zombies and player/zombies including how many ped/players were turned, brains eaten, etc.).
Players have weapons but generally have to find them within the game (and utilizing a broomstick or leg of a chair works, but not very effective). There are various archetypes that players can pick from. These include soldiers, scientists, jocks, reporters, etc. each with their own advantages/disadvantages.
Zombies only come in zombie flavour and have no weapons to speak of. They do gain abilities (like being able to spit/vomit zombie goo on players) as they grow in strength. Each time they go munching they also grow in endurance, stamina, etc. so dropping a zombie that's consumed the football team will be quite a feat and probably require multiple players working together.
Feel free to label me a crackpot, rank me as a genuius or pay me gobs of cash to build this idea for you.
About the author
#2
05/10/2004 (6:49 pm)
My favorite part of Night of the Living Dead is the b&w stills of meat hooks and piles of bodies at the end. Something about the thought of dragging around dead people with meat hooks is just so, well, appealing. 
#3
05/10/2004 (8:22 pm)
not to mention the classic ending.... (the loner, dnt want to spoil it for opthers)
#4
Oh, it's all for my pet project (shameless, I know... sorry).
05/11/2004 (4:40 am)
Romero's or not, this is a great game idea. We can, in the future, exchange some zombie resources, and most of all, the experience implementing urban spaces in Torque. I'm trying a kind of Quake level approach, rather than just place individual buildings on the terrain. An interior will be an entire block or street, properly sealed by portals. Oh, it's all for my pet project (shameless, I know... sorry).
#5
its written on the assumption that zombies are real. it discusses the cause of the disease and how to hunt/hide from/run from zombies, how to zombie-proof your house, and other such stuff. its a REALLY good read because it always maintains a serious tone, even though it is essentially just a big joke. entertaining to say the least.
06/01/2004 (8:50 pm)
Bil, you should check out the book "The Complete Zombie Survival Guide". I bought it and instantly wanted to make a zombie game.its written on the assumption that zombies are real. it discusses the cause of the disease and how to hunt/hide from/run from zombies, how to zombie-proof your house, and other such stuff. its a REALLY good read because it always maintains a serious tone, even though it is essentially just a big joke. entertaining to say the least.
Torque Owner Nicolas Quijano