Game Concept that I wrote...

[Weasel]

This is a game concept that I would personally love to see - though it'll probably never get made, and I made plenty of omissions in terms of how the game actually plays out (outside of the RPG elements, really). So without further ado...here it is.

UNNAMED SCI-FI ADVENTURE/RPG
by WildWeasel - July 10th?, 2005, 3:00 am

The SLC "Camera Eye," a scout vessel for the Solar Liberty Coalition, is
preparing to return home after a five-year mission into the Arcturus area to
scan for life. Their gate jump goes awry, and they find themselves thousands
of light years away. Unable to contact their home planet, and with very little
in the way of provisions, they have to figure out what happened and how to get
back home.

The player takes control of the PRS-8, a Personal Robotics System unit owned
by the ship's chief engineer. It is a self-aware sentient robot with a robust
artificial intelligence, halftrack-based locomotion, two fully-jointed claw
arms, high resolution camera system, head-mounted weapons hardpoint, and USB-5
expandable ports. [Control is handled similarly to a shooting game - the control
stick (or arrow keys - depending on what platform this is for) controls all
motions. Pushing forward engages the robot's wheels. Pushing backward
disengages them and puts on the brakes, or if the robot stands still, moves
him in reverse. Tilting the stick left or right turns the robot - you can turn
faster if you're not currently moving. The other stick (or mouse) controls the
viewpoint.]

The PRS-8 is a very expandable robot. Its main firmware can be upgraded for
maximum software and hardware compatibility as well as new features and
improvements to old features. For example:
* The first firmware upgrade enables the robot to analyze images and compare
them to an internal database, allowing it to identify objects around the ship
(this is upgraded several times later on, allowing it to identify severely
damaged objects, and piece together forensic reconstructions based on trace
evidence). [Works similarly to Metroid Prime's scan visor]
* The second upgrade comes when the chief determines that the current maximum
wheel speed is far too low, and it would still be safe to double it without
damaging the robot [faster movement and a self-charging Dash engine]
* Others...

On the software front, there are things that can be installed into the robot's
flash memory (which can be expanded later on with different memory sticks).
Such software allows for text-to-speech narration (communication with crew
members), digital image post-processing and contrast control (night vision),
and visual motion tracking (targeting system).

Hardware is the last thing that can be expanded without aid from an outside
source (ie. the chief). The PRS-8 bears two USB 5.0 ports, which draw from an
auxiliary battery pack and provide many unique functions that neither firmware
or software can do. Included in this is the head-mounted weapons hardpoint,
where the robot may easily switch out individual weapons (though it may not
carry them for a while). Among the extra hardware is:
* A digital lock analyzer and code breaker (hack keypads and door codes).
* A tactical flashlight (for things that night-vision can't see).
* A shield generator.
* A memory keychain (to store more software).
* A hub (to allow for more hardware - at the expense of 20% more power usage
and 1 whole tech level on the hardware).

List of Firmware Upgrades
0.5 - PRS-8's prototype firmware. Basic functions, such as movement and camera
control, are enabled. Does not yet have internal memory, and must rely on USB
memory sticks to store software. [Training missions only]
1.0RC1 - Basic support for most of PRS-8's functions, with internal memory.
[Due to a bug with this version, USB does not work yet]
1.0 - Basic support for all of PRS-8's apparatus and internal
functions. [Fixes bug with USB ports]
1.1 - Enables database search on localhost (identify objects that are already
in your library - limited)
1.11 - Patch release, adds last-minute entries to object database.
1.5 - Enables wireless Ethernet access for ship's database. Allows easy access
to crew data, object information, and other things.
1.6RC1 - Beta test version, removes speed governor on halftrack.
1.6F - Re-enables speed governor, set at maximum safe level (65% higher than
previous).
1.75b1 - Direct memory access allows for hardware-based image gain control
(night vision with smoother update rate). May be error-prone in certain
environments (PRS-8 is stunned if area is too bright).
1.75b2 - Fixes stunning problem and adds adjustable gain control.

List of Software Programs
* Gainer v1 - software-based image gain control. Night vision, updates and
resamples at high quality at ~4 frames-per-second. (64 KB)
* Gainer v2 - Upgrades framerate to 8 fps, allows for image zooming (very
blurry). (128 KB)
* System Analysis - Determines power usage of various onboard systems, and
allows user to delete software programs [takes time]. (16 KB)
* HeurisWorks v1 - Adds additional comments to scan data, allowing PRS-8 to
heuristically analyze new situations that have not been programmed into
firmware. (128 KB)

List of USB Hardware
* Tactical Lighting - A simple flashlight. (1 EnergyUnitPerSecond)
* AimPoint - A targeting laser. (1 EUPS, range 100m)
* Pick-apart - A sophisticated mechanical lockpick. (4 EUPS)
* Codebook - Wireless transmitter allows for remote access of door keypads
from as far as 10m. (10 EUPS) When combined with Firmware 1.5, can be used to
search old ship's database files for door codes (slower, 25 EUPS).
* Stunpulse PDW - Personal Defense Weapon. Temporarily disables weaker
electrical threats. (5 EU per shot)
* Stunpulse Mark II - Completely disables electrical threats, and temporarily
stuns organic threats for up to three seconds (depending on charge level, 5
to 50 EU per shot).

List of Major Hardware Upgrades
* Super Treads - Improved traction control, turning in place, magnetic treads
[allows movement in zero-gravity, and crawling on ceilings]
* Zoom Camera - Allows PRS-8 to see over distances at 10x zoom, with no
blurring of image.
* Sparkster - Attaches to the PRS-8's weapons hardpoint. This phaser works
best against organic threats, dealing little damage to electrical threats.
Self-charging battery has a capacity of 50 uncharged shots (5 fully-charged)
and does not draw from PRS-8's main power supply. Upgradeable on occasion by
the chief - initial weapon does minimal damage, while upgrades enable faster
fire, faster charging, more damage, and higher battery capacity.
* EMP Mines - Hardwired to PRS-8's hind-end. Drops a single mine below the
unit that can be set to detonate either from a 5-second timer, proximity, or
(with upgrade) remote control.

The Debug Terminal
The debug terminal is an upgrade to all areas of the PRS-8. The package comes with a complete replacement for the PRS-8's operating system (with equal functionality to the previous version), a motherboard upgrade that adds an additional weapons hardpoint (enabling "dual wield"), and most of all, an extra retractable "debug cable" that the PRS-8 can use to perform diagnostics on specific parts of the ship (as well as several types of machines).

To debug an object, the PRS-8 extends its cable to plug it into the object's USB port. Its vision (the game screen) is replaced with a screen full of C-like code, with a 180-degree picture-in-picture shot of what's behind it (though it lags approximately 0.5 seconds behind what's actually happening - so if an enemy appears to be about to shoot you, it might already be shooting).

The code represented on the screen can be modified to a certain extent - the Debug Terminal detects errors in the code and highlights the lines where such errors appear. Using the up and down keys will tab between the highlighted lines (as those are usually the only ones that need to be touched) - though on occasion the cursor will tab to a line that isn't highlighted and doesn't seem to have anything to do with the previous code. These lines may be the key to opening secret areas on the ship (to uncover confidential USB gadgets and such).

You may freely modify any interactive lines of code - and I will cite an example of what a sample puzzle would look like:
EVENT 01 (OnButtonPressed)
{
if ButtonPressed == 1, DoorUnlock("CrweQ",104);
}

In this puzzle, the PRS-8 is debugging the locking mechanism from inside Crew Quarters Room #104. To solve the puzzle, one has to correct the misspelled location identifier ("CrweQ" should be corrected to "CrewQ") to be able to unlock the door.

Simply using the glitched device will provide hints as to what's going wrong with the code. For example, attempting to press the Unlock button on the aforementioned lock mechanism would generate an error on the screen that would read something like this:
Error 33 - Invalid location identifier in Line 3: "CrweQ"

[YourAverageJoe]

That is pure awesome! Although the plot has been done a few times (Star Trek: Voyager, Vandread, Macross, among others) it's really amazing what thought you put into the PRS-8's upgrades system! I'd really like to see this turn into a game, and I'd most definetely play it if it'd be well executed!

[johnh]

Design critique:
It is an interesting idea that many people would probably say isn't marketable. In particular, getting most players to actually learn a computer language in order to play a game will probably not work if it were done exactly like traditional development.

Instead, what I would suggest is, not to dumb down the programming puzzles, but to present them in a way that doesn't *look* like programming. Maybe instead of editing code in an editor, do the programming aspects with flowcharts and symbolic instruction icons. I'm not going to say that anything that asks the player to memorize function names and learn a new syntax will not work, because the truth is almost anything can be made into a workable game, but the learning curve would have to be handled with considerable care.

Consider me interested in this concept however, especially if the programming elements have a minimum level of flexibility. If you're not already familiar with it, I'd suggest taking a look at Rocky's Boots (http://www.warrenrobinett.com/rockysboots/), probably the first computer game ever to itself contain an aspect of programming. (It's probably worthy of its own HG101 article, in fact.)

[Weasel]

Johnh: Thank you for the critique. I didn't really think the programming part through very much, I admit, but you have enlightened me - perhaps the flowcharts could work.

This would probably be really handy advice if I were actually making the game - as it stands now, though, I couldn't program my way out of a paper sack (nor could I define the existence of said paper sack).