Wreck-uisition: Private UIs

UI STYLE GUIDE

COMBAT UI

This is the layout of the combat UI:

1. Health Meter
2. Health EKG
3. Player Hacks/Abilities
4. Ammo/Charge Bar
5. Time

HEALTH (1, 2)

The health display is located in the upper left and lower right corners. There are two parts to the display, an integer number percentage, and an EKG graph.

The integer numbers correspond to the health percentage the player has remaining. These numbers are rendered in Black against the light grey background of the EKG.

The two EKGs are found in circles nestled in the upper left-hand and lower right-hand sides of the screen. The negative space between the rounded edge of the circle and the corner of the screen is added to the circle: this is where the health percentage numerals will go.

The EKG component will be located in the middle of the circle, with the numeric health display towards the corner of the screen. The background of the EKG is light grey, while the line is black. The waves on the graph will move more rapidly with higher peaks and lower troughs as the player decreases health. This requires some programming and animation. The cadence of the beeps is critical in its recognition as an EKG.

When the player is low on health, the black line of the EKG will turn red as the tempo increases and there’s the stereotypical EKG beep.

The EKG animation can be easily made by taking still frames and having Unity repeat these. This would require 3 or 4 different EKG graphs with varying wavelengths. These would all be colored black, except the largest wavelength, which would be red.

HACKS (3)

Each player will have access to several ‘hacks,’ non-weapon or armor equipment with mechanics that effect round play. These are displayed underneath the health module and the edge that defines the inner part of the health meter (the part closest to the center of the screen) will curve to include more space below it for a small icon and title. These assets are justified to the vertical edges of the screen (right and left). There is a possibility that a player may end up with a load-out that utilizes two hacks. In that case, the hacks are stacked vertically underneath the health GUI.

AMMO/CHARGE (4)

Ranged weapons require an ammo counter displaying available ammunition. Melee weapons will utilize this same space with a meter tracking the charge of an attack. This counter is located next to the health display, justified against the horizontal edge of the screen (either top or bottom). The background for the ammunition count is transparent, with black icons representing each round available. When the player has a melee weapon equipped, the asset then is used as a charge meter, showing how long before a player’s charged attack is available.

TIME (5)

While the matches have a specific time limit, only at the last thirty seconds will the time be shown. This will occur in the middle of the screen.

COLORS

The color Gold will signify the light/day side (Foteezi), while the Scotathi dark/night side is Mauve. The two halves of the multiplayer split screen will have a ‘glowing’ effect, as if it were being back-lit with each of the colors.

GOLD

RGB: (236, 211, 60)

Hex: #ecd33c

MAUVE

RGB: (176, 100, 126)

Hex: #b0647e

RED

RGB: (153, 0, 0)

Hex: #990000

BLACK

RGB: (255, 255, 255)

Hex: #

LIGHT GREY

RGB: (161, 161, 161)

Hex: #a1a1a1

DARK GREY

RGB: (81, 81, 81)

Hex: #515151

FONT

The font for all text purposes is Red Moon Rising (link).

Wreck-uistion: Decoy Ahoy

Players equipping the William Tell Armor will have the Decoy Ability. The idea began as a hunting decoy, that would run along a path, then take cover and fire at the enemy (although no damage would be done to the enemy by the Decoy). The player could hopefully use this opportunity to sneak up behind an enemy distracted by the Decoy. An addition mechanic was then added: while the Decoy is active, the player will be able to switch back and forth between the Player and the Player Decoy.

Load-Out Out-Louder: 1.5

Perhaps I should be speaking in more concrete terms, i.e. the MVP customization numbers.

Two players ( J, K )
Armor choice ( A1, A2, A3 )
Weapon choice ( W1, W2, W3 )
Terrain choice ( T1, T2 )

J( A3, W2, T1 )
K( W1, T1, A2 )

I keep thinking about this video I watched about having to race in track lane eight.

I guess I'm not sure what I'm trying to instill with these mechanics. I suppose the game is to be fair, and round-to-round terrain and load-out customization is emphasized.

Players are constantly changing, trying to get better equipment, or looking for more appropriate equipment, or taking things from one another, or desperation, or boredom.

Let's try to envision the game loop. From CoD and 1v1 fighters, my instinct is that player preferences would come first. You choose your favorite weapon, and then background is an afterthought as it has no bearing on other mechanics. But Wreck-it Ball, I gather, is more artful than just grab your sidearm and ten paces. And the first question of battle is in terrain- where we fight is how we fight. So, in theory, we start with players trading terrain manipulations in one of three biome levels before getting player preferences on armor, weapon, and terrain. Then we have a semi-random distribution of resources and the fight begins.

Should you be able to switch equipment during the fight? I know one comes after.

Load-Out Out-Loud: 1

Each player has four equipment slots: Armor, Power, Melee Weapon, Ranged Weapon.
Each player selects one of three possible choices in each of the four categories.
Player's choices are mutually exclusive.

RandomNumber( x, 1, 100 )
    if( x = 1 )
        //player gets no selections
    else if( x => 2 && x =< 50 )
        //player gets one selection
        RandomNumber( w, 1, 4 )
            if( w = 1 )
                //player gets their selection of armor
            else if( w = 2 )
                //player gets their selection of power
            else if( w = 3 )
                //player gets their selection of melee
            else if( w = 4 )
                //player gets their selection of ranged

    else if( x => 51 && x =< 89 )
        //player gets two selections
        RandomNumber( q, 1, 6 )
            if( q = 1 )
                //player gets armor and power selections
            else if( q = 2 )
                //player gets armor and melee selections
            else if( q = 3 )
                //player gets armor and ranged selections

            else if( q = 4 )
                //player gets power and melee selections

            else if( q = 5 )
                //player gets power and ranged selections

            else if( q = 6 )
                //player gets melee and ranged selections

    else if( x => 90 && x =< 99 )
        //player gets three selections
        RandomNumber( r, 1, 4 )
            if( r = 1 )
                //player gets armor, power, and melee selections
            else if( r = 2 )
                //player gets armor, power, and ranged selections
            else if( r = 3 )
                //player gets armor, melee, and ranged selections

            else if( r = 4 )
                //player gets power, melee, and ranged selections

    else if( x = 100 )




        //player gets all four selections

I've wrote that with the favor of getting one or two choices awarded, but the situation still remains that one player could get all their choices and the other could get none. The issue, of course, arises when players know the choices of the other player or there is communication between players. The distribution might be random, but in emotional moments, this could be the straw the camel rage quits over.

For Magpies like me, an achievement would be enough to stymie immediate unpleasantness, and a David over Goliath achievement might even keep me invested in the outcome of the match. However, I've got a hunch that our target audience is more competitive and values victory over tchotchkes.

The most obvious solution would be to apply the first random-number, how many of the player's choices do they receive, to both players. Frankly, this feels insipid, like there could have been fun here. This is more of a gut-feeling, but hear me out.

Information Inspiration

SCREEN CHEAT
So here's the rub, everyone is invisible except to themselves in their corners, and everyone is watching everyone. I've got this feeling that there's a key proprioception of player-machine-environment/group in this game that cannot be expressed through video or metaphor, and having not played, I will not be privy to it. What should be addressed, though, is the recontextualization of screen space and GUI. Where we once struggled not to peek, we are now straining with too much to watch.

With the shift of weight of Ownership within the game, balances must be found. With no player models or animations, the architecture is the main character. Each area is detailed and brightly colored with uniquely shaped and reflected features: complex, yet simple enough to be understood when viewed in periphery. Weapons are distinctive and simple- no counters, no ammo, just a paint job, a silhouette, and a trajectory(/projectile).

ARCHEBLADE
This is probably most what I imagine Wreck will be like. It's a 3D PvP arena fighter with two germane points. Jason had mentioned that the combat system is based on the two mouse buttons, but by each having their own rhythm, there are more than merely two attacks mapped to the mouse. Having not played I can only speculate, but I believe this is integral to the fun of the game, and makes it more 'Devil May Cry' and less 'Cookie Clicker'. The tactile, cerebral-motor feelings of playing a game matter, and indiscriminate clicking is only satisfying ephemerally.

  

Also, the environments. And I suppose I'm speaking in two senses: one, of the layout and design of the arenas, which are littered with obstacles, but more importantly, are never rectilinear. And two is Codebrush's deft use of color. Tints & shades, saturations, grayscales, alphas; every color has intent. In addition to the player's health gui, health is represented as intensity of saturation, and the player's avatar will grey with each hit. With no health, the screen becomes black & white. The feature is a satisfier, to be sure, but I'm quite delighted with it. 

FRACTURE
It's a shooter, but with some very interesting terrain-manipulation mechanics. There's a gun which the player can use to manually pick a point on the ground, and either increase or decrease the height of the terrain. Additionally, there's a terrain grenade, which grows a pillar of earth where it lands. As the video shows, this can be used for combat, exploration, and problem-solving.

There's also a grenade which kind of creates a black hole, pulling enemies and environmental features into a whirling gyre, and then explodes.

No One Expects the Reck-quisition.

Let's take a look at our new project:

Wreak-uisition*

*Title-pending. This is a sci-fi 3rd-person multiplayer arena-fighter-brawler-shooter type joint. Each match is unique with ever-changing terrain and semi-customizable load-outs. Furthermore, we're hoping to pique the player's nostalgia for local multi-player, and using innovative mechanics and design, make the genre's Achilles shared-screen-space its strongest point. 

My first thought is whether the pun-title is good for the game. It immediately sets the tone as jocular, which may not be a good thing. What it does do well is establish the point of the game, the arena fighter-ness of it, 'wreak'. But in my estimation, the story is going to become more of an entity, and then the title needs to allude to Sci-Fi, and frankly, I don't feel like a pun works well there. Like, Wreak-nologic. Or...I can't think of any more.

How about Wreak-quiem. 

Meta Gear Wreaks.

Wreak Tech Resolver.

No, those are stupid.