TIM BENITEZ

 

1. The Game

   Versus Bot is a 3D multiplayer 3rd person shooter where six players work together to try and defeat one single player in an arena. The six players are human space warriors that are up against an all powerful super robot that plans to eliminate the human race from existence. The game will be very fast paced as the warriors are able to run very quickly and jump very high. The arenas have multiple floors with many obstacles and paths for the players to take cover behind and shoot from, and/or find an ideal way to trap the robot warrior. The more floors that are in the arena, the shorter the length and width of the arena. To better understand how each match will feel to the player, here's an explanation about what the players can do.

   The human players are able to perform some natural activities, such as walking, running, and jumping. In addition to being able to run and jump, the human players will have a button for a short rocket boost to dodge enemy fire. This rocket boost is a horizontal movement, but can also be used as a second jump. Of course because this is a shooter, shooting well have a significant part in this game. There will be weapon pods for the human warriors to obtain and use against the enemy robot. These weapons consist of pistols, automatic weapons, grenades, land mines, and sniper rifles. All land mines can also be disabled and taken by the robot if the player is careful not to step on it. The human players can do likewise to the robot player's land mines.

   The robot player has all of the same functions as the human player. The robot is not any larger than any of the humans, but the same size. The robot also moves at the same speed as the humans. The robot will have a red glowing aura around it to distinguish it from the human players. To even out the gross outnumbered alliance the robot player is facing, the robot will be armed with a shield to deploy at will. This shield will be a sphere that encapsulates the robot. The robot player is not able to shoot when the shield is up. The shield also has a meter that depletes while in use. Fire power will also increase the depletion of the shield meter, depending on the caliber of the weapon fired upon it. The shield will rejuvenate when the player is not using the robots shield. However, if the shield is depleted completely, the player has to wait for the shield meter to completely recharge before using the shield again.

   All players will be able to see a map of the arena, but the robot player is the only one that can see the locations of all the human players. The human players will not be able to see the robot on the map. The human players will not even be able to see the other human players on their map. All players will be able to see is their own location on the map. The shield and map aids that the robot player sees will balance out the outnumbering forces the robot player has to face. If there are not enough physical players, the game will make AI human players to keep the match a 1 vs 6 match.

   There will be two modes for play as well. Bot Survival will be a timed match where the robot player is trying to survive. If the robot survives the time limit, he wins, if he is shot he loses. In this mode the robot will have a life meter as well. When the robot is successfully shot, it will re-spawn in another location on the arena map with the amount of life taken away from the shot. The amount of life taken away depends on the strength of the attack. The robot is defeated when all the life is gone. Humans will re-spawn each time they are shot as well and they have infinite lives. In Human Extinction mode, that life meter is gone and all are defeated after one shot. That's right, there are no re-spawns in this mode. The robots shield meter is also less than in Bot Survival mode. If the robot kills all the humans, then it wins. If it is killed, it loses.

 

1. Tone, Mood

   The tone and mood will be a lighthearted fun theme despite the dark and scary idea of a hostile robot uprising. There will be comical phrases said by the characters when they are defeated or grab ammunition or weapons so that the game will not be taken too seriously. And while shooting can be seen as violent, players will not be killed but will flash and reappear at another location. It's as if the shot makes them beam somewhere else. There will be not blood, chainsaws, or anything of that nature. This arena shoot can be thought of like a laser tag match.

   In addition to the comical phrases that will be said by the characters the character models will also look comical. They will be human figures with exaggerated features such as a huge chin, but will minimize the suggestive themes so that characters don't appear too sensual. The mood will have the player thinking they are playing a Saturday Morning Cartoon.

The reason for this is so that Versus Bot can be enjoyed by more of a broader age range. The thought of a robot uprising can be a fun theme for a younger audience to play. That is also why this game will launch on the Nintendo 3DS as young gamers can get together and play this game locally.

   Another reason for the light hearted humor, and low violence feedback is that there are too many games like that already. Especially shooter games. Sure there are many gamers that may like to play games that incorporate real world weapons, and you need a realistic and violent tone for that, but there needs to be more shooting games that can be playful.

 

1. Audio and Visuals

   The audio and visuals will be the aspect that demonstrates the mood and tone of the game. The goal is to keep the audio clean so that there are not any vulgar messages for younger players to pick up on. First off, here's what the audio will be like. There will be music in every arena. These will be fun tunes that people can either hum too and enjoy as they play. The music will have a sort of space age, electronic sound to them. Some music will even sound like chip tunes. Sound affects will be electric circuitry from the environment, laser beam noises, as well as explosions from the explosive weapons.

As stated, the players will say some comical phrases when they obtain equipment and art defeated.

   Visually the game will show off a futuristic scifi/space age kind of look. The human models will have space armor on and jet packs to help them jump and boost. The robot will be a smooth looking human like robot. It will not have a human face or too much similar anatomy, but more just like a standard body with a head, arms, and legs. Meaning, it'll have a body like a human but will still distinctly look like a robot. The robot does not need a jet pack to jump high. Each player is able to choose from a number of human characters they would like to play as. There will be a few selections for the robot look as well.

   The arenas will be places like a space ship to inside a futuristic building. Simple shapes will usually make up the geometry of the arenas. For example a long hallway will be in the shape of an octagon. There should not be too many crazy complex shaped objects so the game can run at a fast rate. The same can be said for the character models.

   And about the weapons. These will appear as laser pistols and futuristic scifi rifles. There will be no metal bullets in any of these guns. There will only be plasma and laser shots fired from them. The explosives will still have an explosive look. However, some explosives may have a electrical magnetic kind of look when discharged.

 

1. Scoring, Progress, Feedback

   All complete matches will consist of multiple rounds. Three being the minimum amount of rounds to play. The players can decide on how many rounds they want to have in their game before they start. If they are playing Bot Survival, they can also choose how long the rounds will be. The longer the round, the larger the Bot's life gauge will be as well. At the end of a match, the player who has the most kills (which will actually be called tags in the game to keep that wider age range) will have won the match. But there is a catch to this. Only the Robot is able to score the kill points.

   So all the players want to get there hands on trying to be the robot so that they can score points. The roll of the robot will be switched each round if the robot is defeated. If the player that is playing the robot is not defeated, then that same player gets to be the robot for the next round. The only way a player can earn his chance to be the robot for the next round is if they land the final shot to defeat the robot.

   All human warriors are also able to kill each other in a match, but they will not receive any points for those kills. It will just make the shot human warrior re-spawn (in Bot Survival) or be eliminated (Human Extinction). So what is happening is that the human players are working together to bring the robot player down and are also competing for the top spot so that they can get the chance to earn points. They just have to be careful or they will not get the chance to get that top spot.

   So that all players have an equal chance at getting a chance at playing the robot for the first round, there will be a preliminary match where all seven players are humans who hunt each other down in a small arena. The last one standing is the robot for the first round.