The following is a list of features of an hypotetical
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Disclaimer:
The following is a list of features of an hypotetical “Alien versus Predator” game for Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance. It is in now way linked to the actual product (if any) or any company associate with the developpement of such a product. It is merely a mental picture of what the “perfect” AvP game would be like on Game Boy Advance….
At least in my mind :p
(PS: many of what is written here is actually a pasting of ideas first posted in the “AvPnews.com” forums. Also, many of the Ideas you will see here were originally intended to be part of an Hypothetical AvP3 for PC.)
BASIC CONCEPT:
Since it’s launch, the Game Boy Advance has been a very prosper system. Indeed, it has surprised everyone with it’s unique 2-D processing abilites and even 3D (!) abilities. A first for a portable system. Not so long ago, the rumors of an “Alien versus Predator” game headed to the GBA began circulating amongst the fan community of both franchises. Immediately, fan-speculation followed (this is an extention of which).
So far the main AvP games have been 3D FPS (first person shooter) a genre which is poses some problem with the GBA processing capacity. Of course, many will argue that games like “Doom”, have been succesfully ported to the little wonder system, but let’s not get carried away here; AvP, if ported on GBA in that form, would require many many times the hardware capacity that DOOM ever required. In order to climb walls, have many vision modes, and integrate the sounds from the movies we know and love, great sacrifices would have to be made, be it in graphics or gameplay. But perhaps ther is another way to get AvP on Game Boy Advance, and perhaps the resulting game would be an entirely different creation rather than a simple port.
I for one, would like to see an entirely different approach to the franchise: A 2d side-scroller. remember ALIEN 3 for the SNES? I think it should be like that. As the marine that would basically be the name of the game: You are alone (or maybe not ! GBA link up anyone?) and must contain the alien infestation.
As the alien, you have access to a much larger range of surfaces since you can climb on walls and cellings (so you can get into air ducks and underground tunnels). You can speed your way through, or capture humans and build a lair.
The pred should obviously have a great mobility factor (super jump, limited climbing with his claws) and the true action begins when you get into close combat, where you could have great control over your combat moves and send those marines flying (a la first marine to get killed in pred2).
There shouldnt be any levels, but rather a segmented map like Super Metroid. And a complex combat system, both for close combat and ranged combat (meaning a plethora of moves, like throwing your combat knife or shooting your plasma caster while hitting with the spear). You should be able to choose what missions you would do in this huge big map and obviously you will have to choose wisely because what you choose will affect the games devellopement (like if you choose to go n stop the alien outbreak, the preds will get it clear to infiltrate the base). And maybe there should be an experience system making you an officer, a better hunter, or a more adapted alien warrior.
MODES OF PLAY and EXPERIENCE SYSTEM
Those are the different modes of play you could have access to in AVP Advance.
Single player
Basically you choose one specie and play through the various missions... all culminating to one big story (as in AvP2) but all in one big segmented map. As a marine you can interact with civilians to learn what''s going on, but as the other races you only get snippets of texts from people who dont notice you ( since voices would be pretty far off for a GBA game, itd be nice to have the text shrinking as you get farther away, the alien could hear for a great distance, and maybe the pred could intercept transmissions and translate them with its o-so-cool in mask sound analyser). There''s lots of exploring and trying to find your way into/out of certain rooms, so a good level design wouldnt hurt. Besides, since there is only one map, it should have aerias only reachable by certain species (ie: marines have security clearance, aliens can climb anywhere, while only the pred can find the pred ship and fly onto new areas). Weapons and items should be well hidden and rewarding to find. Watch your ammo through because there are lots of expendables, and you’ll have to find supplies quickly!
Versus mode (multiplayer)
Think Metal Marines. You get into either a closed arena or a small fragment of the sp map and you duke it out with your friends. There could be some variants like capture/save the colonists or trophy hunt (where the pred must bring trophies back to their trophy wall in order to gain points)
Cooperative (multiplayer)
This is fairly similar to the sp campaign except there are multiple players, all with the same specie, helping each other out. The stages arent any bigger but there are more missions, more ennemies, and quite a few traps to get your team separated. In order to give importance to individual players... maybe there should be classes (or maybe you could "grow" your character into a class with the exp. System).
Deadliest of species (multiplayer)
Same as above, except the players choose different species. They can now interact with NPCs from their own species while trying to foil the other players and accomplishing their missions. Sorta like "VS meets SP".
Experience
Each species gains experience through accomplishing the mission objectives it is given. Primary Objectives give you a huge amount of experience (about 200) while Secondary Objectives give you a little less (about 100). There are some Secondary Objectives that stay active no matter what your mission is. For marine this is “rescue colonists, and get them to a safe spot”, for predator “collect trophies and get them back to the trophy wall”, and for alien “ capture hosts and bring them to the hive”. Experience given may vary according to the difficulty of the task. Also, destroying the opposition always give you a little experience. Not much, maybe 5 to 25 experience points per kill. This may vary according to your efficiency (If you lose too many health points or spend too much ammo, you won’t be awarded as much exp.) and the difficulty of the kill (using auto-tracking weapons won’t give you as much exp. This is especially true for the predator). killing bosses count as being mission objectives.
Leveling up
For every 1000 Exp. Points you get, you level up. Each time you gain a level, you simply gain one point you can assign to any of your stats (see the Stats and modifying stats sections in each SPECIES thread). Growing stats is more important for preds and aliens because that’s how they get their weapons. The highest score you can reach with each stat is 30. You can’t upgrade your stat anymore than that. If you ever get all of your stats to 30, you still gain experience but can no longer boost your stats (it can then be used as a comparative point score).
CONTROLS
" The limited controls of the gba allow for few options; multiple vision modes and alternate fires would obviously be hard to implicate. here is what I think the control scheme should be.
+ Directional button
Obviously to move and look around. The control is similar to "Contra" with your gun aiming in whatever directinon your pressing. Eight directions in all.
· Pressing down will get you crouched (slighlty after youve looked down with your gun).
· You can climb ladders by pressing up or down while standing on them. You enter doors by pressing up.
· If you start firing, your character keeps the same angle while shooting (release the trigger if you want to change directions).
· In close combat, the direction you are pressing while pressing the attack button (B button) decide of what kind of blow you do (and where it hits). You can also keep the B button down and start pressing directions to get a different set of combos (which can then be matched to the other combos to create various attack moves... nothing "kung-fu"... but efficient attack moves nonetheless).
· The running speed for each character (normal for marine, fast for pred, fastest for alien) but it can be affected by your characters health, experience, and carrying load.
· As a pred, with your claw equipped, you can try to climb on some walls by running or jumping into them and pressing upwards.
· As the alien, you can always climb walls and ceilling simply by running or jumping into them. Pressing the opposite direction to the wall will get you off it, pressing the jump button will make you leap from it. you dont attack with your claws while on the wall, only bite and tail when you press the attack button (you can still grab however).
A button : Jump
Every 2d side-scroller needs a good jumping button, especially them vertical Metroid like ones. The jump button simply makes you leap of the surface you are on.
· Jumping distance is proportional to speed so the faster the run the longer the jump.
· Preds and aliens that jump while they are crouching jump higher.
· Marines that press the jump button while crouched will "dodge and roll" (meaning they will roll on the floor to avoid ennemy attacks)
B button: attack with primary weapon
If you have a weapon selected in the menu (see "Start button") you will attack with it. Use the B button in conjunction with the dirctionnal + button to perform combos and firing patterns.
· If equipped with a close combat weapon (or if an alien :p )keeping the B button pressed while no direction is pressed will make your character stand still in a defensive position. This defensive position will make your character attempt to block and dodge attacks from ennemies in front of him (watch your back!). Pressing the + pad while in this position will enable you to do some counter-attacks (example: alien tail strike, predator spins lance, marine dodge and stab) .
R button: Item button
Uses the item/secondary weapon currently equipped (see Start Button). Items can be anything that needs to be "used" in order to work (Keycard, Medipack, Resin). Secondary weapons can be either weapons that dont require the use of hands (pred shoulder cannon, alien second jaw) or thrown weapons (hand grenades, disk, acid spit) or
· The marine can also equip/use a primary weapons secondary function (good ol M41-A grenade laucher, change ammo)as an item.
· The pred can assign an additional close combat weapon to the item button in order to use it in pair with his primary weapon (ex: wristblades while the spear is in hand, meaning more nasty combos :) )
L Button: use button
Allows you to interact with the environement, operate terminals, open doors, pick up and carry stuff.
· Holding the L button pressed will make your character run. Be wary though that strong attacks made on your character while he is running will pin him down to the ground for a sec.
· When runing, the marine''s aim will become erratic (his gun will be pointing up and down all the way).
· The marine can get into some vehicles (like the power-loader) by pressing this button.
· The pred collects the skull of his fallen victims by pressing the use button.
· As the alien, pressing the use button while within correct range of an ennemy will allow you to capture it. You have to hold the button down in order to keep your victim in your grasp, however this will not make you run (it will slow you down).
Start Button: Menu button
pauses the game and brings up a circular menu (hopefully with a specific design for each specie) that you can select from by using the directional pad and pressing into the direction of any of the 8 menus (A to confirm, B to cancel).
· Primary weapons menu (right): allows you to equip a primary weapon.
· Inventory (upper-right): See what stuff you are carrying, discard stuff and activate items that have permanent or long duration effects (such as motion trackers, shoulder lamps and cloaking device).
· Item/secondary weapon menu (up) : allows you to select an item or a secondary weapon to assign to the R button.
· Map menu (upper-left): See the map of what you have already explored, or have gotten from blueprints (obviously it also shows you where you are)
· Character profile (left) : Name, level, stats, specialty and the likes, go to this menu to spend you experience points.
· Game options (lower-left): Brightness, Music volume, appearance of the menu, that kind of stuff
· Missions menu (down): See what missions you have been given, which are complete, which you can still do, and which have been cancelled.
· Save and load game (lower-right): duh! :)
note: In multiplayer, the game is only paused if all players press start.
Select button: Quick Item button
Allows you to skip to the next item without going to the menu.
· The pred that presses this button while holding the L Button automatically turns on his cloaking device.
· A marine that presses this button while holding the L button changes clip for his gun.
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