1.Prey: A Talon Brave Game

1.1Introduction

This document will be yet another one of our “dynamic” documents that will live, evolve and grow during the gestation of the first Prey game. The design of Prey: A Talon Brave Game grows from the creativity of the entire development team. This is not a game designed by a single individual, but rather it is a game sculpted from the collective focus of the entire team.

This document is intended for our eyes only. Its primary purpose is to serve as a guiding light in our work to develop Prey—it is neither immutable nor unabridged. This document will favor succinctness as opposed to verbosity—it is merely a common touch point for all of us to turn when we need to review the common vision of the game or the specific areas which we are attempting to instantiate.

1.2Other important design references

Note: the electronic documents listed below can be found within Prey’s Source Safe database. Books can be found in Paul’s Prey library shelves.

1.3Overview

The tone and feel of Prey is that of a serious, frightening science fiction game. We want the player to feel on-edge at all times, in both single play and multiplay play. We also want to make the player feel as if he has been swallowed up in a fast moving, intense and dangerous story.

More than anything else, Prey will be a visceral game—threatening the player at every turn, creating a frightening mood by architectural design, ambient sound and dynamic game content.

1.4Technology Overview

1.4.1Hardware requirements

• 3D Accelerator card (see “3D card specs.doc” in Source Safe under Primary Docs\ Tech Specs for a more complete overview of the 3D cards we will try to support)

• 166 MHz Pentium

• 32 MB RAM

• Quad-speed CD-ROM

• Win95 compatible sound card

1.4.2General overview

• Portal Technology engine

• Level-based

• 30-40 frames per second on above system

• 2000-3000 faces allowed per room

• Realistic physics

• Robust collision system

• Room and/or level based gravity and viscosity (assume same orientation)

• Limited particle system

• Single skin, single LOD characters with approx. 800 faces per entity

• Interpolated, bone-based animation system

• Sub-animations

• Solid entity/actor system

• Dynamic architectural entities (limited)

• 16 bit radiosity and ray-traced lighting

• 16 bit texture art with 9 levels of mip-mapping

• Alpha-channeled textures

• Animated textures

• Alpha-channeled animated sprites

• Gouraud shaded dynamic lights

• Limited dynamic entity shadows

• Multiple light maps per face

• Dynamic portals (limited)

• Limited environment/game meta scripting

• AI and behavior scripting

• Limited cinematic system

• “Whole game” scripting

• Game dynamics will be implemented via multiple DLL files

• 8-16 player, client/server net play via DirectPlay

• Redbook audio (recorded at 22-bit to allow for DVD high-definition distribution)

• Digital audio system (22kHz)

• Player UI control system

• “Stabilized” camera system

• Robust suite of content creation tools

• Solid installation system (via Install Shield)

1.5Estimated schedule

1.6Backstory

1.6.1Talon Brave

Talon was not raised in a “traditional” Indian culture, but when he was a young teen, his father took him to see his ailing great grandfather, a “peyote shaman” who was on his death-bed. Talon had a mystical experience of connection with old man, but he was unable to find any type of resolution or explanation for the encounter. Not long after, Talon was involved in a fight that tested his faith and broke it—he has been a skeptic of tribal tradition since that day.

Currently, Talon lives reluctantly at a reservation, repairing school buses at the tribal motor pool. He was forced to return to the reservation as the only way to pay for medical care for his ailing mother. Since returning to the reservation, he has lost both his mother and Rachel, the only women he ever deeply loved. He spends increasing amounts of his time in a “converted” WWII ammo bunker (they used to have them all over the place, especially on reservations, just in case of invasion) under his shack—like his own personal cave, dark and moody. On his days off, he goes out on the reservation for overnight camping, taking with him an old bolt-action rifle and Colt revolver (found in the old, and mostly empty, ammo cave).

1.6.2The Trocara

1.6.2.1Backstory overview

The Trocara move through the galaxy in their giant “Dyson sphere-like” ship—three species and the “Keepers.” They have peppered the worlds of the galaxy with “seed” worlds, upon which to try out their genetic experiments which have proved most worthy in their combat arenas. The three species wager back and forth to see which worlds and at what times they can “modify” the “seeding”—at times, the Keepers, who are the ultimate judges, can rule that a seed world is “out of play” and it free to evolve on its own. Nearly all life in the galaxy is a result of the Trocara and their heinous cross-species games.

Earth has been a seed world for several billion years—the first “seeding” was from the saurian species (the Kahnchia), and they controlled the planet for many hundreds of millions of years, until a “reseeding” was won in a wager, and the Keepers did not step in—the humanoid race (the Hataan), then, seeded the world several million years ago, but the world was just won in another wager to be seeded by the third race upon the dawning of the new epoch (the year 2000).

1.6.2.2Alien Races

1.6.2.2.1The Keepers

The Keepers are timeless, bodiless protoplasmic intellects who must interact with their physical world via prosthetic devices. While they are still seen as the “judges” by the other species in matters of seed world competitions, they are otherwise seen as vermin by the Trocara. The Trocara, though, has no idea of the real power of the Keepers as “puppet masters of the galaxy.” The Keepers are fueled by an intense jealousy of the Trocara species, due to their vibrant genetic activity—in this sense, the Keepers are neuter—left only to tend and never to create on their own.

Long ago, a handful Keepers were selected by the “One Who Makes” to “keep” the Milky Way galaxy—they were given the “first seed” of genetic material, the initial core of the Trocaran ship, and sent off to begin their work. As they waited for systems to accrete from the gaseous nebula, the worked with the seed to create a general genetic soup—from this soup, they were able to distill four distinct strains, destined for intelligent evolution.

Once enough seed worlds had become viable, the seed was spread, and over the millennia, it gave rise to the four species. One species, however, developed into intelligence too rapidly, and was “culled from the seeding.” The remaining three species were taken in by the Keepers to become the Trocara—there they evolved, discovered, warred and eventually created the system of “gaming” that manages the thousands of seed worlds throughout the galaxy.

1.6.2.2.2Hataan (humanoid)

The humanoids are looked down upon by the other members of the Trocara as inferiors. There is madness in the humanoid species, and it manifests itself in their elaborate rituals, their incestuality and their cannibalism. They are, however, the most technically proficient of the three species. The humanoid’s madness manifests itself most clearly in their genetic “contestants” they rear for competition with the other species.

The Hataan live in an almost steam-punk world, full of manufacturing machinery that is at once advanced and backwards.

1.6.2.2.3Kahnchia (saurian)

The saurians are the most powerful and intelligent of the three species. Rippling with muscular power, they are a raw, regal, sadistic and ancient species. While they are carnivores, they are not cannibals, and hold themselves high above the humanoids in this respect. The saurians are also the most bold and ingenious of the three species when it comes to genetic hybridization.

The Kahnchia are the most regal of the Trocara, bound by tradition and ritual—their culture is reminiscent of Roman, Greek and Mayan cultures. The are the main “warmongers” of the Trocara.

1.6.2.2.4Cabalite (insectoid)

The insectoid species is the most varied and ordered of the Trocara. Some members of their elaborate caste system are independent thinkers, while other operative via a “hive mind.” The insectoids are not bound by gravitational vectors, as all other species are. They “farm” their food in the form of a certain genetic strain of larva.

The Cabalite are by far the most “alien” of the Trocaran species—they are also industrious builders.

1.7Game systems

1.7.1Player movement system

Note: the movement parameters below are for the default surface types at the default gravity. Different surface frictions or gravity vectors will effects these values.

1.7.2Damage system

Each entity will have a flag to tell whether it is invulnerable, basically destroyable or dynamically destroyable. Objects like a crate, cash register or gas pump are basically destroyable—they simply blow up. Enemies and other player characters are dynamically destroyable—the damage system is more refined and the results of damage taken will be more dynamic.

All destroyable entities will have a health value—once this value dips to zero or below, the entity is considered killed.

Entities take damage in from collision with other objects in the world. These objects can by environmental, such as a wall, a floor (from a fall), another entity, etc. In this case, there is no target check, but damage is applied generally, based upon force. If a dynamic entity (like Talon in multiplayer) is hit with weapon damage (a projectile, a shock wave, a bomb explosion, etc.), then the receiving entity will check the hit location.

A dynamic entity is broken up into various hit location areas (heard, torso, arm, etc.). Each hit location has a “damage threshold” value as well as a damage modifier value.

First, the damage modifier is applied to the weapon damage to determine to total damage received from the hit (as an example, an arm hit will lessen the total damage, while a head hit will amplify the damage).

After the damage has been modified, the entity is checked to see if there is any relevant armor at the current hit location—if there is, then it will absorb damage (and lose effectiveness, of course) first, before the entity does.

If the damage done by the weapon (after modification) at a certain area exceeds the threshold value, then a test (random, percentage based) is done to see if a critical hit has been achieved. If a critical hit is determined, then a critical hit is processed (if there is more than one critical hit possible for an area, then a critical hit is chosen randomly).

Note: damage is not applied to individual areas of an entity—individual areas are only used to determine a damage modifier, possible armor and possible critical hits.

Important note: in single play mode, Talon does not receive critical hit tests or damage modifiers—the only location test is done to see if certain armor is effected.

1.7.3Physics sytsem

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

1.7.4Trigger system

• Tap switches as in Quake

• Switches you can shoot, as in Quake

• “real” switches that you can reach out and move (as in Tomb Raider and Unreal)

• “combination lock” like dials and/or knobs

• real, physical slider controls

• motion sensor switches

• sound-sensitive switches

• a floor switch which responds to weight

• computer-like terminals which allow greater interactivity, plus used as a tool to deliver messages to a player (see above)

• Triggers that respond to internal signals, such as another entity completing an animation cycle, another trigger going off, etc.

1.8Dynamic content

1.8.1Weapons

Note: the complete weapon specs will be found in the individual weapon design documents.

• Tracking the projectile or energy beam accurately down the barrel of the weapon (as it bobs and moves during a run, for example) will make shooting far more realistic.

• You can set certain weapons to overload (like ST phasers), so that they become like time bombs (you can suicide attack or drop it)

• You can shoot at a gun, and it will take damage—enough damage, and it becomes useless. If a gun suffers a critical hit, it can either jam, blow up or be knocked from the player’s grip.

• When you fire a rapid-fire gun, have it creep up on the player, forcing them to adjust their aim.

1.8.1.1Bludgeoning weapons

• Wrench

• Crowbar

• Steel pipe

1.8.1.2Talon’s Colt Peacemaker longbarrel

1.8.1.2.1Visual Description

Talon’s mundane Earth weapon is a long-barreled version of the 1880s Colt Peacemaker revolver (see the Arms and Armor Eyewitness book for a detailed photo). This is a six shot revolver with a rotating barrel. The metal is old and patinaed. Talon will hold it in his right hand.

1.8.1.2.2Behavior

Talon will hold the revolver in his right hand, utilizing the standard single-handed arm animations for fire mode 1. Fire mode 1 is the normal trigger pull mode.

Fire mode 2 is the fast fire mode—Talon quickly slams the hammer of the gun with his left hand.

The gun holds 6 shots. The gun will reload automatically after the 6th shot is fired.

There is a slight delay before a projectile hits the target, but there is no projectile which is rendered.

1.8.1.3Humanoid Vampire Spear

1.8.1.3.1Visual Description

It looks like a long cyberpunkish spear. Build mostly out of old metal bits, it has a housing up near the tip that hints at its electronic nature. The bottom end has a standard, but worn down metal point. On the “business” end is a sharp, viscous looking long-point. This is manufactured out of some unknown alloy and it gives off an ominous blue glow.

1.8.1.3.2Behavior

When the weapon is held, it is held with the tip to the left and up. After it is fired in fire mode 2, it is held with the tip pointing straight ahead (in firing position), until it is fired again in fire mode 1.

It has two attack modes—melee and vampire.

In melee mode, this weapon can be used to slash in close quarters. It has two different types of melee attacks. If the fire button is tapped quickly, then the weapon is pulled back and rapidly stabbed forward, almost like a pike maneuver. If the fire button is held down, then the weapon is slashed from left to right. If the fire button is continuously held, then the slash maneuver will loop on the right side and slash towards the left, creating an almost figure 8 splashing circle.

In vampire mode (fire mode 2), the weapon fires out its tip—this tip is connected, via and energy strand, back to the spear. When it strikes a foe, it will begin draining life, which can be seen as red moving back along the cool blue energy field. The speed of this drain is based upon the distance of the target (closer is faster). The player fires again to release the weapon. Once draining begins, health will drain from the target and feed into Talon. Remember, if the target is in multiplayer or a humanoid, health will be clean. If the target is saurian, then it may give health or it may damage Talon (allergic reaction). Against an insectoid, this weapon will damage Talon.

If a foe dies at the end of a vampire attack, the weapon tip automatically retracts. If the player’s health reaches 150% of its “full health” value, then the weapon will also disengage.

In addition to the vampire attack, this weapon can be used in two other ways—the energy filament can cause damage, so that traps and trip wires can be set by the player.

Also, it works somewhat like the Quake grappling hook, allowing the player to swing and access other areas. Fire once to set the tip and again to retract it, pulling the player along with it. If the tip is set into a powerup, then it can be brought back to the player.

Important note: we may just want to have the grappling hook be able to hook into organic entities. That makes level and puzzle design much better. Talon could hook a flying insect and ride it until the poisonous life force got back to him. Perhaps we can enable full grappling abilities via a cheat?

1.8.1.4Humanoid multi-blaster

1.8.1.4.1Visual Description

The multi-blaster is the basic Humanoid weapon. It has remained essentially unchanged for thousands of years, but several variations have evolved. The basic blaster core has been modified to allow the addition of a modular stock (holding an additional battery), and a barrel extension. In addition, there is a detachable sighting scope that can provide metrics information.

The blaster core is a worn, angular single-handed blaster with no barrel to speak of. The stock is somewhat flimsy, but it has room for an additional battery. The barrel extension is large, in comparison to the gun. The sight is small and angular and rests on the upper left side of the blaster core (the sight can be used with or without the barrel extension).

The core battery contains a visual drainage display, and the core itself has a low battery illumination light.

1.8.1.4.2Behavior

The blaster has two fire modes: an energy “pulse” and a standard immediate optical laser. The energy pulse does normal damage and possesses some kinetic punch. The laser is a heat mode—it does damage to opponents after a time, but it can also do heat damage to locks, ignite flammable objects, etc.

When the weapon is the blaster core only, it is nearly silent in pulse mode and totally silent in optical laser mode. When the stock and barrel extensions are added, the damage increases, but the bolts (and even the laser beam) produce more sound, alerting those entities around the shot.

Also, to use the weapon with the extensions, an extra battery must also be used (a single battery will work, but the drain will be much faster).

The scope is a standard optical scope—when used, the entire screen becomes magnified and superimposed with “distance metrics” which displays the distance to target, target speed, direction, etc.. In order to calculate get the distance information, the user must first fire the optical laser for an instant (this should not alert the target).

The scope and extensions will become inventory objects when picked up. Using that object will install it on the blaster core (obviously, nothing will happen if the player doesn’t have the blaster core). Using that object again will remove it from the blaster core.

1.8.2Talon’s mystical powers

???

1.8.3Defensive inventory items

1.8.4Offensive inventory items

1.8.5Special inventory items

1.8.6Ammunition

Note: the design specs for the game’s ammunition can be found in the Ammo Entity Types document.

1.8.6.1Colt peacemaker shells

1.8.6.2Standard humanoid lead acid batteries

1.8.7Powerups

• Instead of health powerups, we can have health stations—you must go to a health station to gain additional health. In addition, in multiplay, we can have a health droid that you can summon (it can’t be destroyed)—it will give you a shot that will provide a partial health boost.

1.8.8Environmental interactivity

• Bullet holes in walls!

• Blood smears/splatters on wall as a result of a heinous kill

1.8.9Vehicles

• Speeder Bike-esque personal transports (very fast-plus leads to deathmatch races, and excuses for huge levels, etc.)

• Shuttles: Talon can use a shuttle to leave the station (he’ll actually see the whole Trocaran station out the view-port) to get to other areas, but we should also have him get involved in some shuttle combat of some sort or another.

1.8.10Entities

• Add blood and gore textures to a player as damage gets more extensive.

• Targeting different parts of the body, as in Goldeneye, should offer different damage levels

• When a key part of the body is hit with significant enough damage, let’s do a “critical hit test”—a random test to see if a critical hit was achieved—if it was, then let’s blow off that part of the body (which means death if it’s the head)

• You can mutilate a killed entity body (single or multiplay).

• After a few seconds, a dead entity will start to decay in some fashion—soon, it will vanish completely, leaving some sort of sprite mark on the ground (blood, blast mark, etc.)

• OR, let’s have a multiplayer body droid—invulnerable, it comes and gobbles up dead bodies. If a camper is still too long, it will think it’s a dead body as well and attempt to gobble it up. Players can attach mines to it, ride it, hide behind it, etc.

1.8.11AI concepts

The primary goal of the “beastie AI” within Prey is to provide the player with adversaries who are both challenging and who help to support and enhance the fiction and environmental experience of the game. Put more succinctly, the beasties in Prey should scare the crap out of the player, hunt him like a dog and cause the player to fight like the warrior he longs to be.

Another important goal of the AI is to present the player with opponents who exhibit unique personalities and behaviors, and who do not always act predictably. One of our primary goals is to create a game that is never “safe” for the player—he must always be guessing, unsure of exactly what is around every corner (even, and especially, if he’s been around that corner before), unsure how the enemies will react…

One possible approach to AI is to break it into two different classes: style and plan. The style is basically an AI entity’s personality—how it attacks, etc. The “plan” is independent of the entity—it is essentially a behavior script that can be assigned by the mapper. One entity might have a plan to get behind the player, or run away, or run and tell other where the player is, etc.

• Beasties can be seen “doing things” rather the just standing around

• Some beasties can use multiple weapons

• Each specific instance of a beastie can posses unique traits (such as aggressiveness, speed, skill, randomness, etc.)

• Beasties are somewhat unpredictable

• Beasties can group up into temporary “packs”

• Beasties can hunt the player

• Beasties can sneak up on the player

• Beasties can run from the player

• Beasties can evade the player’s attacks

• Some beasties can use the environment to their tactical advantage

• Beasties can hide

• Beasties can ambush the player

• Beasties can aid the player (not attack the player, but attack some things that the player attacks)

• Beasties can navigate intelligently through a level (up stairs, jump across gaps, etc.)

• Some beasties can use switches, etc.

• Some beasties can have arms, legs or head blown off

1.8.11.1AI States (overview)

Note: these are only possible states, not nailed down as of yet

1.8.11.2General Behaviors (overview)

Note: these are only possible behaviors, not nailed down as of yet

1.8.12Bestiary

Note: the design specifications for the game’s entities can be found in the individual entity design documents.

1.8.12.1Talon Brave

1.8.12.1.1Description

Talon is an Apache Indian--26 years old. His is wry but slightly muscular. Talon will be represented by two models, one for episode 1 and one for episodes 2-6.

Episode 1 Talon:

Long hair in a braid; denim jacket with white T-shirt; cotton pants (denim, khaki or olive?); a few grease stains of pants; tan lace up work boots, under pants leg; necklace outside of shirt with Talon’s medallion, leather belt with silver buckle.

Episode 2-6 Talon:

Long hair in a braid; feather hanging down one side of head, near ear; denim jacket is ripped into a vest; no T-shirt (bare chest); cotton pants (denim, khaki or olive?); a few grease stains of pants; tan lace up work boots, tucked into pants; necklace with Talon’s medallion, leather belt with silver buckle; serpentine tattoo on chest.

Personality traits:

Powers: intelligent, “hidden” mystical powers, athletic, mechanical/electrical skill, tenacious

Disadvantages: fights against his innate powers, low self confidence, “hard” attitude, cynical

1.8.12.1.2Behavior overview

Since Talon is the primary player-character, his behaviors will be determined by the player in real time.

1.8.12.2Humanoid primaries (2)

• Noble: primary intelligent humanoid—heavily costumed, insane, unstable

• Guard: your basic guard/grunt, only more intelligent—uses machinery, tech, etc.

1.8.12.3Saurian primaries (2)

• Rathaan: large, hulking, intelligent biped saurians with thick tails

• Thinkers: small, fidgety, fast saurians, like anorexic velociraptors with large heads—primary tech users and knowledge class of the saurians

1.8.12.4Insectoid primaries (3)

• Leaders: tall, almost spider-like insectoid with articulated arms and large eyes—highly intelligent

• Echorid: like a ghostly preying mantis, almost always traveling in groups—one of the group is the intelligent one and isn’t as ghostly—the others are actually bio-animated exoskeletons of the intelligent one—they follow and mimic its actions, both in sound and in attacks

1.8.12.5Keepers (2)

• Standard Keeper: your basic brain in a box

• Uber Keeper: a more complex Keeper with advanced prosthetics—this is the type of Keeper that communicates with Talon

1.8.12.6Humanoid alternates (4)

• Torso: a grossly enlarged humanoid with only a head, torso and arms—drags itself along on floor, then raises up on arms to attack

• Cannibal: a bloody, disgusting humanoid which lives to eat other humanoids (or anything, for that matter)—or perhaps this creature is best done as a bloody-thirsty female vampire/cannibal type (scantily clothed and jacked out with weapons)?

• Shambling mess: a shambling, protoplasmic pile of goo that vaguely resembles a humanoid in shape

1.8.12.6.1Vampire clanswomen

1.8.12.7Saurian alternates (4)

• Saurapod: a gigantic dinosaur-like creature—picture a brontosaurus with a longer neck and sharp teeth

• Snake: imagine a fast anaconda with cybernetic weaponry

1.8.12.7.1Ofarian Guard

1.8.12.7.1.1Description

The Ofarian guard is a 4 foot tall saurian alternate that has proved to be very durable due to its stocky shape and its impressive combat capabilities.

The creature is covered in reptilian skin and sports two chameleon–like eyes which enable it to look in multiple directions at once. It has a bony protrusion atop its head. The arms are over-long and very muscular and the legs are short and squat with two primary frontal toes.

T
he creature holds a large weapon in its right hand that transforms between and energized axe and a shield unit. The creature also wears a blaster gauntlet on its left hand.

1.8.12.7.1.2Behavior overview

• The Ofarian guard is not a very intelligent alternate, but it has intelligence enough to take care of itself—to eat processed food, use a weapon, dress itself, etc. They are usually given standing orders and often, an Ofarian guard will live out its entire adult life executing those orders over and over again. They cannot travel long distances, so they often live very near the areas that they guard or support.

• As far as society is concerned, the saurian primaries generally keep breeding areas and barracks for these guards—the breeding areas are for the females and the young. As a general rule, the saurians wish a ratio of six males to each female. They attempt to guide the fertility of pregnant females, but with only partial accuracy—females born above the allotment are simply killed at birth. Young live with the females for roughly four terrestrial years, before being taken into an adult guard post as an apprentice—it takes an additional year of learning by watching for an apprentice to be raised to the full guard level. Occasionally, the saurian primaries pick top guards to return for a time to the female barracks for stud service before returning to their standing duty.

• This creature will turn and flee if it is alone, but in packs of two or three (called Ofarian Clusters), it will attack.

• These creatures attack in Clusters. One guard sets himself up as the
  “target” attempting to garner the attention of their prey. He stays at long range and fires from behind his shield. The other one or two guards will attempt to disappear into the shadows and flank the prey, then charge in with a melee attack. If they successfully engage the prey, then the target may run up and initiate a melee attack as well.

• In neutral state (when the guard is simply walking around), the weapon will be in its long state, but the energy blade will be dormant. If fired upon, the weapon will transform itself into a shield. The guard will hide behind the shield and fire with the energy weapon. For a melee attack, the guard’s weapon will transform into a unique laser battle axe, which he will swing at his foes—if there’s a hit, it does a helluva lot of damage. As a surprise attack, after it swings the axe down, it can fire its wrist weapon.

1.8.12.7.2Saurian Quad

1.8.12.7.2.1Description

The saurian quad is a very primitive alternate that has easily stood the test of time, due to its durability and robust functionality. The easiest was to describe this creature is to consider a triceratops mating with a tiger—the behavior is very much feline in nature but the look and toughness is very saurian.

The bones at the back and the top of the limbs protrude from the flesh. The creature has bony indentations where “traditional” eyes should be. It has one small eye at the front on its bony plate, above the mouth. The claws are fierce. The head is very bony, like that of a triceratops, and it serves as the creature’s best defense. The tip of the tail is bony as well.

1.8.12.7.2.2Behavior overview

As mentioned above, this is a very feline acting creature. It has the movements and mannerisms of a hungry tiger: slinky, fluid, fast, agile and flexible.

When idle, this creature will remain fairly still—occasionally it will clean its front paws. If there are several creatures together, they will occasionally snap and claw at each other in play.

Generally, this creature likes to travel in groups of three. When threatened, it will attack like a trident—one goes left, another right and the third charges front and center. When these beasts have spotted prey, the hunt it relentlessly, never give ground and are oblivious to threat.

The only exception to this is when these creatures are attacked alone—they will then adopt a defensive position when they are first hit, retreating and then assuming a defensive crouch, keeping their head pointed towards the enemy, and wait until a suitable moment to strike.

The very often attempt to jump over their prey and then spring up from behind, attempting to knock them to the ground. Once they have their prey on the ground, they will leap on top and slash with their claws and snap with their jaws.

If they are too close to their prey (within 15 feet), they will simply attempt to utilize their standard bite attack.

At times, if their prey is too agile and they can’t get enough close strikes in, the creatures will resort to their tail shock wave. If there are other quads in the immediate area, they will jump as the shockwave goes by.

After several seconds of attack, if the prey is not immobilized, they will gain some distance first and then begin their attack behaviors anew.

1.8.12.8Insectoid alternates (4)

• Wasp: flying, web spinning, stinging bad-ass

• Scorpian: a tall, fast scorpion-like beast with a fast tail and multiple attacks

• Larva: imagine large, dangerous maggots with mandibles and venomous spit—they shift colors when the “mature”—their color indicates what other alternate they will morph into—though one color variation (the food larvae) will simply become a large (and dangerous) acid explosion when it matures fully

• Drone: like a giant ant, but faster and can use weapons

1.8.12.9Humans (4)

• Plain walker: other spirits who are trapped on the Torcaran ship—hard to tell if they’re benevolent or malevolent

• Female 1&2: your basic naked and semi-naked earthly captives

• Male: male earthly captive

1.8.12.9.1Great grandfather: Talon’s spirit guide

Talon’s great grandfather serves an almost “Obi-wan” role in Prey.

Talon’s great grandfather had been a mystic, deep into the art of peyoteism, and clashing weekly against the Christian missionaries sent to rid the reservations of this “pagan and ungodly ritual” (during the Depression years).

When Talon was 13 years old, his parents took him to a reservation in New Mexico to see his great grandfather, who was dying. Talon had never met his great grandfather before, but there was a strange familiarity in the old man’s gaze, almost as if he had met him many lifetimes ago. His great grandfather could not speak, but he placed his hand on Talon’s shoulder and it felt as if an energy was entering into him. At that moment, his great grandfather died.

Talon meets the old man in the guise of a spirit walker on the Trocaran space ship. He is old, wise, steeped in mystical knowledge, and he understands that his destiny is inescapably tired to Talon’s—he must guide him, encourage him and teach him how to open up to his own mystical energies. Only then can Talon succeed in his quest.

1.8.12.9.2Mary Thunder

Gender: female

Age: 22-25

Most important trait: rational

Character overview:

Mary is an Apache who grew up on the small reservation in eastern Arizona. She attended ASU and majored in education and received her K-12 certification. Currently, she teaches 4-7^th grade at the reservation school. She is dark, attractive and very intelligent. She is a very level-headed and rational person who tends to offer advice, even when it’s not needed. While she is truly very wise, her wisdom is very limited due to her limited life experience. She avoids new situations because she feels like she is losing here control.

She has just recently spent time with the brooding Talon Brave. She likes him very much and she secretly hopes that it blossoms into much more. Talon possesses those traits which she does not have, and it’s very appealing to her.

1.8.12.10Special (5)

• Familiar: a different incarnation of the great grandfather, either a hawk or crow, that Talon can summon and then send out to explore an area.

• Soul stealer: a warped and demented plain-walker spirit who feeds, like a vampire, off the souls of the living

• Hegemon: giant, obese and disgusting humanoid ruler

• Hive Queen: like a huge, swollen queen ant who spawns drones left and right

• Rex: giant, raptor-like saurian with a gigantic, predatory mouth and a lethal spiked tail

Grand Keeper: the master of all Keepers

Essentially, he is God—father and caretaker of our genetic stock, the single being who can damn or save all of Earth—it’d be cool if we could work into the game that our human concept of God actually derived from notions and ideas “planted” by the Grand Keeper thousands of years ago. Also called the Staleene Keeper.

Gender: female

Age: timeless

Most important trait: cold confidence

Character overview:

The Keepers are timeless, bodiless protoplasmic intellects who must interact with their physical world via prosthetic devices. While they are still seen as the “judges” by the other species in matters of seed world competitions, they are otherwise seen as vermin by the Trocara. The Trocara, though, has no idea of the real power of the Keepers as “puppet masters of the galaxy.” The Keepers are fueled by an intense jealousy of the Trocara species, due to their vibrant genetic activity—in this sense, the Keepers are neuter—left only to tend and never to create on their own.

The Staleene Keeper is the master of all things genetic in the galaxy. She has been alive for millennia. To the three Trocaran species, she is just another Keeper—he prothesis is older and the tone of her sounds is higher, but she is now different. They do not know that she is the master puppeteer—that almost every action they take falls into her master plan. There is nothing that she does not control.

The Staleene Keeper’s jealousy is absolute—she despises any being that can reproduce, and she is simultaneously intrigued and appalled by mating rituals and activities. More than anything, she wishes she could procreate, but she will never admit that she feels that way, or that the feeling is a prime motivator for her actions.

1.9The Game

1.9.1General concepts

1.9.1.1General Menus

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1.9.1.2Player control

The player, while in the midst of the game, can “do” the following things with Talon:

• “mouselook”

• walk/run toggle

• activate temporary sprint

• move forward

• move backwards

• turn left/right

• side-step left/right

• jump

• crouch (can walk, turn and sidestep while crouched)

• jump up and hang on ledge (can then shuffle left right, let go or pull up)

• fire weapon

• manipulate/change weapon function

• change weapon

• select inventory item as “hot”

• use “hot” inventory item

• pick up item, weapon, etc.

• drop item, weapon, etc.

• interact (activate) something in the world (like a switch, etc.)

In addition, here are some other player control facets:

• Limited inventory of weapons and/or active objects that a player can carry

• If a player runs forever, he should get tired and slow down

• You can walk, run or sprint. When you walk, your shots are more stable (they’re most stable when you’re standing still, of course), and your footsteps are silent. When you run, your shots are erratic and others can here your steps. You can sprint—sprinting will place the gun in a “can’t fire” position. You can sprint as long as you want, but after x amount of time, you begin losing health—the more you keep sprinting, the faster your health loss. If you die during sprinting, you’ll clutch your chest and tumble to the ground.

1.9.1.3Visual/aural interfaces

• Health meter

• Health status determined by changing frequency of heartbeat

• Ammo display on gun

• Low ammo alert

1.9.1.4Cinematics

• Cinematics will be handled through the game engine

• Cinematics will either be scripted by Allen or “performed” real-time by the whole team and recorded

• When a cinematic ends, we should be back in Talon’s view and return control to the player.

• The first time we do this (the opening of the game), we won’t indicate to the player what’s going on—he’ll just have to learn.

1.9.1.5Player customization

• The player can create levels by using Preditor

• The player can modify the behavioral parameters of placed entities within Preditor

• The player can create new 3D content to plug into existing entities by using Creditor

• The player can code new entities or game functionality by creating new game DLLs

1.9.2Multiplay concepts

The multiplay aspect of Prey will be simple (we’ll save the more complicated multiplay games for the “Prey Together” add-on pack). As of this moment, we will support simple mano-a-mano deathmatch or team deathmatch. There will be no provisions for allowing players to play the single play experience cooperatively.

• Let’s hear footsteps when a player runs (but we should be able to toggle this off so that is doesn’t get too crazy during large DM games)

• After you respawn, you get 3 seconds of invisibility (but you can’t pick anything up)

• When you get killed, there is a time penalty before respawn. 10 seconds for a regular frag, 15 for a suicide.

• If you get too encumbered, you get slower—this allows players to have a single, smaller weapon, but be able to outrun their opponents

• The player can freely toggle acknowledgement animations, such as some type of threatening gesture or a friendly move when you are acknowledging a co-op team member

• Let’s do some very basic texture animation on the faces of multiplayer characters, such as a standard look, a friendly acknowledgement look, a pain look, death as well as berserker rage

• A “sprint” mode that effectively puts the weapon in an “out of use” position, but allows for faster run speed

• Let’s make players limp when they take leg damage

• Let’s have armor that works in different ways, such as a helmet, bracers, cuirass, whole body energy shield, etc.

• We need to make sure that the player can play several different alter-egos in multiplayer. Perhaps several are human (Talon and female, for example), and the alien primaries—each should have unique abilities (and can utilize different weapons?)

• If a player gets nailed by a non-fatal critical hit, let them bleed—splats on the ground and continually draining health. Perhaps there can be a special “cauterize” med kit that stops the leaking

• In DM, a player can only carry 2 or 3 weapons. He can pick the ones he wants as he runs through a level, and to get a new one, he’ll drop one he already has. This can be very cool if the majority of our weapons are very balanced.

• Let players change their “colors” by allowing them to use their own jacket textures

• Let’s let players and tribes have “trophies,” such as kill necklaces—they would appear in certain status screens

• You can “target” a player and tap a key to bring up, floating above their head, their trophy image, name, kill count, and a colored icon to indicate their health (green, yellow, red).

1.9.2.1Multiplay only levels

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1.9.3The Single Play game

1.9.3.1Overview

The single play experience is the meat and potatoes of Prey. It is this aspect of the game, more than any other, which will sell the game to our players and to the critical press.

To deliver an exciting game, the story must be solid and exciting, Talon Brave must come across as a real and vibrant character, and the player must care. We want our players to want to experience the adventure as Talon—he must be compelling and convincing.

We must always remember to keep the pressure on, to keep the player always feeling like they are participating in a larger than life adventure, not simply moving through a seemingly endless series of levels.

1.9.3.2Features of the game

• Great grandfather

• Confidence meter

1.9.3.3Talon as an evolving character

1.9.3.4Episodes and plot

1 (shareware, set on Earth and Trocaran ship)

• Keepers and alternates land on Earth

• Talon evades aliens

• Talon gets aboard ship

• Talon is captured as the approach the mothership

2 (humanoid)

• Talon escapes from zoo

• Horrific discovery of Humanoid nature

• Spiritual awakening 1

3 (humanoid and Keeper)

• Talon meets a Keeper

• Talon attempts a rescue

• Alien industry

4 (Insectoid and Keeper)

• Keeper test

• Insectoid mission

5 (Saurian)

• Saurian mission

• Spiritual awakening 2

• Saurian arena challenge

6 (all)

• Gauntlet test

• endgame

1.9.3.5Episode 1 (shareware version)

1.9.3.5.1Levels

1.9.3.5.1.1Indian reservation (large)

When you start the level, something should happen/blowup (during/right after the cinematic) such as a moving Mack truck getting blasted by the aliens and exploding much like the boxes do in 007. This should begin to happen as soon as you take control of Talon and maybe it could keep moving toward you while its exploding and on fire and you have to move out of the way. When you move it could take out the alien that was pursuing you in the cinematic.

• slight mountain canyons which splits the level vertically

• tribal fire

• Quonset hut(s) with boxes, tires, shelves, and maybe a bi-plane or something cool in one of them.

• barbed-wire fences

• school bus garage

• bus parking lot/junk yard

• Talon's house w/bunker underneath

• Talon needs a Harley in his bunker

• Talon has to fix/get a school bus working and takes off in it until he comes to...

1.9.3.5.1.2Trailer park/gas station (medium)

Talon should be distracted or something in a slight cinematic (like an alien jumping on the windshield, etc) and he crashes the bus into a water tower. The water tower then crashes over, spilling the water onto the ground (this can be done with an animated model) all in the cinematic. It can maybe even take some power lines with it <spark*spark> which fucks up the bus.

• water tower on a hill two paths that eventually link to...

• old (maybe dry) gas station

• trailer park

• main trailer park building

• small tv on a cooler thing

• ceiling fan, small fans

• dog house with a Rottweiler that gets ripped to shreds by a nasty alien

1.9.3.5.1.3Nike missile base exterior (small)

I was thinking of maybe having a military person driving a jeep and an alien attacks him and rips him apart and flings his body out of the jeep, leaving the jeep run free into some structure blowing it up. This explosion could provide Talon's way into the heavily secured structure. i was also maybe thinking of having it start to rain about now or something...? or maybe in the middle of the last level. It would give an excuse to show off cool effects and to lower the visibility or something.

1.9.3.5.1.4Nike silo interior/alien facility (large)

• You accidentally set off a missile...? It could blow you back, breaking glass and crap.

1.9.3.5.1.5Exterior area with ship (small)

1.9.3.5.1.6Ship (towards Trocaran mothership) (medium)

1.9.3.5.2Cinematics

1.9.3.5.2.1Opening 1

Tribal elders sit in a drumming circle around large fire—two attractive dancers move to the rhythm of the beat, sparks dance towards the starry sky—view pans back, in the shadows, leaning against the dented aluminum of the garage, is Talon. He takes a swig of a nearly empty bottle and throws it into the darkness. He lifts a filterless cigarette to his lips—the light illuminates his striking yet dark features—he takes in a deep hit and says as he exhales, “Spirit totems, my ass!” and flicks the butt into the darkness. The camera follows the butt as it lands in the dust with a spark—we hear Talon’s boots as he spins and walks away. With the cigarette fading out in the foreground, we see the tribal circle in the distance—a light dazzles to life in the sky, becoming almost a beacon which pours down to illuminate the circle. Then, with a sickening hiss, the bodies of the elders are yanked standing, like puppets on a string, and the flesh is burned from their bones.

1.9.3.5.2.2Opening 2

Talon is opening the door to his little shack when a gigantic explosion causes him to spin around, saying “what the fuck?” Flames of an odd, greenish nature rise above the silhouette of the garage—screams get louder and louder, and shapes and people running and all sort of commotion appear in the distance—something is running towards Talon. It’s a young woman, followed by several horrific creatures, already glistening in blood. She screams out in panic “Talon, run!” Talon calls out “Lisa!” just as two of the creatures leap upon her and rip her body apart in a geyser of blood. “Oh shit,” hisses Talon as he spins towards his shack, runs inside, throws over a table, tosses open a trap door and jumps down to the sound of splintering wood.

1.9.3.5.2.3End of shareware

Talon comes-to for a moment (blurred) as creatures (they look sort of like Grays) are leaning over him, splattered with blood--there is the sound of whirring machines and cutting flesh—he blacks out again, comes too again, blurry for a moment, and then clearer—the aliens aren’t there, but he turns his head, and there on a strange table are one of his severed legs and an arm—he blacks out again, end of shareware version. (cool!)

1.9.3.5.3Special features

1.9.3.6Episode 2

1.9.3.6.1Levels

• Keeper hub

• power facility

• genetic laboratories

• slave/cannibal/food quarters

1.9.3.6.2Cinematics

1.9.3.6.3Special features

1.9.3.7Episode 3

1.9.3.7.1Levels

• Keeper hub

1.9.3.7.2Cinematics

1.9.3.7.3Special features

1.9.3.8Episode 4

1.9.3.8.1Levels

• Keeper hub

• human (Earth) dissection and studying area (Earth prisoners are here)

• larva food caverns

• Queen’s chambers

1.9.3.8.2Cinematics

1.9.3.8.3Special features

1.9.3.9Episode 5

1.9.3.9.1Levels

• Keeper hub

• multi-species zoo

• large saurian habitat

• political center

• front line (attacks on humanoid-held Trocaran areas)

1.9.3.9.2Cinematics

1.9.3.9.3Special features

1.9.3.10Episode 6

1.9.3.10.1Levels

1.9.3.10.2Cinematics

1.9.3.10.2.1Endgame

Talon finally battles past the final boss/challenge, and is told by the Keepers that the Earth is now “out of the game” and saved—the last act of the Keepers is to let Talon into a transporter-type room. He sees before him two “transition portals,”—he is given the choice: return to Earth or venture off into the unknown (are there humans with him that he’s saved???). He flicks a cigarette butt through the Earth portal, says “Screw that pathetic rock,” and jumps through the other portal.

Final cinema: a portal opens in the sky on Earth, near the reservation, and out of it tumbles a cigarette butt which lands in the dust with a spark (visual echo of the opening cinematic).

1.9.3.10.3Special features

1.10Other ideas we might like to see in the game

• BOT play

• BOTs that can be like characters—the player can set up their behavioral attributes. These BOTs can learn as the player plays against them.