Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Kim Grice - Week 1 HW

- more under cut -

Greater Drake

The story is in a futuristic setting with advanced technology and science, although it is still fairly close to the world we live in today. Most of these inventions and discoveries have been used to cure deadly diseases and uplifted third world countries from their poor status, however there are some that are secretly used for personal gain. An international research company called Biogenesis Corporation presents itself as a group of wholesome scientists who are dedicated to making biological technology to preserve the environment and increase good health among the population. Their real objective is to experiment on both animals and people to find a way to alter the human race in beneficial and detrimental ways.

 Their longest-running and most important project, codenamed Project D18.15, focused on creating a perfect clone. This clone would look, act, and speak like a normal human, in addition to possessing inhuman capabilities, such as the ability to control static electricity, think and calculate faster than a supercomputer, heal wounds almost instantly, incredible strength, and would never age. Contrary to these phenomenal characteristics the clone is also supposed to lack emotion, opinions, and overall morals and personal beliefs—to act as a mindless puppet, in other words. After years of failed experiments, they created a clone that finally reached the level of superhuman abilities, but was missing one thing: he was not mindless. The 115th model of the project, Subject 4181-115, had his own personality. His creators couldn’t comprehend what had set him apart from his predecessors, causing them to keep him in captivity for years, where the clone was tortured and treated as subhuman as they tried to find out what went wrong.

 Later, three rebels who have experienced Biogenesis’s treachery break in to one their labs to find evidence that will expose the company for what it truly is. They are eventually caught and, in an attempt to escape their pursuers, accidentally free the clone. These three individuals— Ryker, a former police officer, Thalia, a computer engineering student gone master hacker, and Booker, a retired military veteran—find that the clone, who calls himself Drake Highland, is also against the company and wants to fight back against his creators for his own reasons. The four of them team up and are forced to face Biogenesis’s worst and most heinous creations as they try to expose the company.

Drake exhibits a devil-may-care attitude but is much more sentimental and philosophical under the surface. He constantly questioning his existence and worth, never missing an opportunity to deny that he is that he is practically a human being. His journey is meant to question what it means to be human and what sets humans apart from everything else in nature, weather it is truly natural or manmade. His growth doesn’t answer this question but does eventually teach him that no one’s origin could ever control the strength of their heart and the desires that drive them forward.

 Drake’s abilities are driven by the natural bioelectric current that courses through every living being and consist of the following (all names are his own): Steelskin is the act of increasing productivity of bioelectric current to build up temporary skin cells to reinforce their durability, giving the skin the potential to deflect bullets and apply pressure to sharp objects without receiving any cuts; Regen, like Steelskin, rebuilds skin cells at a rapid rate after a wound is received, healing it within seconds; Shock is channeling the bioelectric current into the hands, creating an abundance of static charges that spring from the body on command, which can short out electronics, destroy technology, and harm oppressors; Camouflage alters the way the skin reflects light1 in order to blend in with its surroundings; Field Fall charges up the bioelectric current to its maximum capacity and releases it from the body and onto a metal surface, creating a magnetic field strong enough to slow an object’s fall and help it land safely. On top of these are the previously mentioned superhuman physical and mental capacities.

 These abilities aren’t unstoppable as they will weaken Drake when they are used excessively in a short period of time. From a gameplay perspective, these powers would use up a portion of an energy bar depending on how they are used. For example, Steelskin and Camouflage gradually drain the bar when they are in use while Field Fall would use all of the energy available at the time. Regen will gradually heal Drake as long as the energy bar is above a certain level. No ability (excluding Field Fall) will drain the energy bar completely, but if it is exhausted Regen will no longer heal Drake until it refills. This will force the player to budget their energy in a way that will ensure their safety but also allow them to fight against their enemies and progress through stealth-based levels (where Camouflage and Shock would be useful). He is also able to use weapons, such as guns and melee attacks, like the other team members.

The other characters will have their own unique abilities and weapons. Ryker uses a variety of guns and small melee weapons, making her a formidable foe in close range combat. Thalia is a sharpshooter and can take out enemies from a distance. Outside of combat she can override security systems and steal information via her hacking skills. Booker, on top of being tall and brawny, specializes in heavy machinery, making him the muscle of the group.

 The player would be able to switch between characters as they advance or give directions to their teammates when they become available. This will encourage the player to communicate with each character through stealth missions as well as make them work as a team in boss fights. One chapter sees the team facing a large mutant. In this situation Thalia could override machinery or unlock weapons that could be used against it, or use her sniping skills to make critical hits. Booker can use weapons that Thalia unlocks or deal firepower that can stun the mutant. Ryker can fend off smaller enemies if they are nearby or deliver a more frontal assault. With her guns she could also deal damage at a safe distance when injured, making her one of the more versatile characters. Drake can interact with the mutant and the environment to inflict devastating blows, such as using Field Fall to jump from a high point onto the mutant’s back. From there he could fire guns into a weak point or hang on until he has enough energy to give it a Shock, temporarily disabling its ability to fight back and leaving it completely vulnerable.

For health, there would be a standard health bar for each character. Drake will rely solely on Regen to regain health (again reinforcing energy budgeting) while the other characters will use health packs. If a party member’s health empties then another member of the team must revive them, although the fallen member will be weaker once awakened. If they fall too many times they will eventually remain KO’d until the battle sequence ends.

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