EXANIMATE
BEFORE YOU READ
Many games these days have a lack of depth, in fact many games are going away from campaign modes and focusing solely on multiplayer environments. While I do have many amazing multiplayer concepts in mind, I am focusing on the story. I want it to be fun, exciting, thrilling, and to keep people engaged in every moment of the gameplay. I don't want it to be sad, and lonely, I want it to be fast and action-packed and full of new information about the world and where the character is headed. I hope that you enjoy the concept, and would love absolutely any and all criticisms. Thanks much!
Summary
Exanimate is a futuristic, action-packed, open-world zombie shooter set in an opposite dimension of Earth, where-in it is encoded in human DNA to re-animate after death. With the option to run up and over all land-based obstacles with your bio-mech armor, and the ability to switch between first and third person camera modes; you are left with an immersive, futuristic, all-out-warfare style of gameplay based on destruction and containment rather than survival.
Most if not all zombie games are currently based on survival; saving rations, finding weapons, unending hordes of zombies, fortifying defences, etc... What Exanimate is about is not surviving, but flourishing, in a world where zombies are not a new threat, but instead have been a part of the growth of civilization since the dawn of time.
In-Depth
Your name is Connor Mortera, you are a black male raised in the Capitol State called Moriphan in the utopian society of Malezh.
You are in one of the thousands of multiple dimensions of the first universe (Our Universe, me and you sitting here right now), your planet named Toran. For thousands of years the vast peoples of Toran have worked to build Malezh, a vast global network of futuristic cities built upon unity, strength, and flourishment. The main capitol state of Malezh is Moriphan, followed by 6 more capitol states known as Maza, Balon, Teira, Phanema, Fortua, and Lamenum.
Connor Mortera is the primary leader of the first-division of animated-containment specialists known as Ex-Anima, the first division of three-thousand, specifically designated to collect the dead from their locations before re-animation, and relocate them to the re-animate containment points known as Extraction Facilities.
Ex-Anima
Ex-Anima are government appointed squadrons of individuals specifically trained for extractions of the undead. This organization has worked with the public by installing RFID components on the necks of people during birth. This RFID component simply keeps track of GPS location, as well as heart rate and activity. Without this RFID component, the organization would not be able to keep track of those who have died and re-animated, meaning without it chaos would ensue.
Because of the re-animation provoking DNA node, all humans re-animate after death; with the brain being mostly dead, only primary functions based on survival are left after death. With primal instict being all that is left, the undead are aggressive, fast, and feed when hungry. What this allows for is your typical infection-based zombie, with a non-traditional approach. A zombie kills a civilian, and because of their DNA they are re-animated.
You, Connor Mortera, have been the leader of the first containment squadron since your completion of training in 1984. Keep in mind that even in 1984, the environment has been futuristic, and well-maintained by various means. You are the most highly-regarded general in all of Toran, having created various self-defense methods for general safety.
>open-world zombie shooter
Nah
Extraction Facilities
There is a containment facility in each major city, as well as micro-containment in the smaller areas surrounding each city. These containment facilites are areas where the Containment Squadrons will bring the undead for consolidation, extraction, organization, and then incineration. Now as far as extraction, there is a more complex story surrounding humans in this alternate universe. After re-animation, there is a chemical produced in the pineal gland which can be extracted with a syringe to prolong human life and expedite the healing process. These extraction zones extract the chemical known as "Sour Syrup" and distribute it to all cities across the globe. Once it hits its main distribution points in each city, it is then re-packaged and sent to everyone directly, including hospitals, labs, and those individuals who request it. Each family has chosen whether or not they would like the sour syrup from their fallen loved ones.
Malezh
Malezh is a very highly contained society, built thousands of feet above the surface. Using matter-manipulative technology, they have been able to create megastructures with absolutely no man-power. Hundreds of inter-connected cities, all absolutely beautiful with various futuristic architecture and layouts. Each city is a triangular area with a main point in the middle, and three outerlying locations known as sub-cities. The middle point is for business, recreation, etc, while the outerlying areas are for housing. In this society there are hardly any reasons for vehicular transport, as almost all transport is done through portals. Each sub-city has a hub with a portal to the main city, and and each main city has a portal used to connect it to other main cities; allowing for a very fluid means of transport between cities. Although there is not much transportation necessary, there are quite a few menial crafts used for transportation on the highways.
>open-world zombie shooter
No, fuck off.
Story
In this utopian and futuristic world, the government has used many resources for understanding the human re-animation process, as well as many other scientific endeavors. One group of scientists from Phanema have been looking into inter-dimensional travel, and have discovered a way to peer into our dimension. Having made this amazing discovery, due to the No-Classification Laws of Toran, they published the news immediately with a live-feed of our Earth. Hundreds of thousands of people could look at our world from their digital displays, and see the massive beauty that it has to offer. Many see people sky-diving, base jumping, scuba-diving, going to various religious events. They also see the evils of the world, and the destruction, the killing. Although our world has many evils, many of the higher up agents for the government see this world, and how different it is, and how they have been prevented from having a life as we do; so they form a coup to begin a change in the way of life of Toran. The coup known as "Definitive", has devised a plan to place individuals at each of the Containment Facilities, and release the contained re-animated out into the cities. Chaos ensues, and as the structure of the society begins to quickly collapse, Definitive rises to power. Having already created a safe-point between the Utopia and the Forbidden Zone (Earths Surface), they patiently await the destruction of society. Your job is to establish a safe-point, get your and your squads families to safety, and begin finding out more information about the coup leaders as well as the Dimensional Rift project.
Gameplay
Think of this as a cross between Prototype, Deus Ex, and Star Wars: Battlefront. You are able to seamlessly switch between first and third-person, freely run, jump, and teleport to all accessible locations, and easily mow down hordes of the undead. Your character has two grapple guns that can be used to easily get yourself to the tops of buildings, or using your bio-mech suit you can freely run up to the top. Your two grapple guns can be shot in two opposite directions, then be connected to suspend yourself between to areas like a spider web. Imagine shooting a grapple between two buildings, then mowing down zombies from a location inaccessible to them. Your boots use grav-lock technology, meaning you can step anywhere that a surface is detected. You can walk on ceilings, walls, architecture, pretty much anything, and your boots will lock their gravity in association with your belt to provide stability.
Weaponry
There are many types of weapons in this game, from your traditional blasters, to melee weapons. Some of the more off-kilter weapons include a laser whip which can be opened and used to slice up hordes of zombies within a 30 foot radias. Your grapple gun can also be shot into the ground beneath a horde of zombies, then you can run around all of the zombies trapping them within the rope of your grapple, then retract yourself to the grapple cutting all of the zombies in half. The weaponry in this game is meant to be fast-paced and effective. Your character won't go down easy.
You clearly haven't put thought into the actual gameplay, why don't you just write a novel about these zombies
>open-world zombie shooter
For what purpose?
>>321705536
>>321705713
Thank you very much for your mature and unbiased criticisms! :)
>>321705827
I apologize I hadn't gotten done posting, I should have put a notification that it was a partitioned post
>>321705817
>Think of this as a cross between Prototype, Deus Ex, and Star Wars: Battlefront
This is not how games are designed.
What shit bait.
This amount of effort isn't worth a handful of replies calling you a retard.
>>321705231
>open-world zombie shooter
For the love of god, please no.
>>321705924
It's an open world zombie shooter where you can hang from the ceiling. What makes this game more fun than other zombie shooters
>>321705865
To be able to immerse yourself in a futuristic environment and use your advanced means of travel (i.e teleportation, speed free-running, etc..) to not survive, but absolutely destroy the dangerous environmental factors around you.
One element being you can grapple destructible buildings to the ground, then pull them down on top of a horde of zombies for bonus points.
Its meant to be open, fun, and fast-paced; rather than some scared individual trying to survive.
what is this supposed to be, a concept of a game? let us know when you're near finishing and you can show gameplay footage
>>321706067
Simply a consolidation of relevant ideas, friend
>>321705817
>a cross between Prototype, Deus Ex, and Star Wars: Battlefront
All these games play totally differently, you will need to elaborate on how it actually works. It sounds like Dead Rising where you can be upside down
>>321705231
>open world zombie game
trashed
>>321706432
Yeah, I am posting the idea in its entirety to receive criticisms. Although it is looking like most people stop reading before even getting to the more interesting story-structure. Thanks anyways though guys, at least I know most of you are uninterested.
I will post to pictures to try and graphically convey the concept at hand.
>>321705817
>two grapple guns
Make it three
>>321706367
So it's Crysis with zombies? I don't know, and I'll never know.
Typically, a game designer will have a playable prototype or mock up to demonstrate the mechanical breadth of a concept, saving the "it's Game X, Y, and Z combined in the best possible ways" for a hype spiel to investors.
Unity exists. You have no excuse not to show more than tell.
"I want to be the ideas guy" -OP
"Idea guys" are the most hated thing in the industry.
>>321706643
I don't give a fuck about the story, anon. Why else would I spend hundreds of hours playing a grindan game like Elona+ or other games like it?
>>321706752
Kind of, to a sense. More like GTA in the open-world manner (why I mentioned prototype).
>>321706643
its just that a lot of people have good ideas, but the execution is where everyone falls off.make it online coop
>>321706643
>Although it is looking like most people stop reading before even getting to the more interesting story-structure
The story is irrelevant. How does the game play. It sounds like you just run around killing things
>>321706804
>>321706842
While I am giving information about the idea, I simply want to pitch a concept and receive criticism before getting into the 3D design and sound design that I intend to work on. Thank you though !
>>321705231
I couldn't read through the first paragraph OP, organize your shit so I don't have to take pains to reading it. You pitch a game like this as you are, you're never gonna get anyone interested in your shitty game.
>Toran, Maza, Balon, Teira, Phanema, Fortua, Lamenum
those are some fucking shit names.
>>321706951
I agree completely, this is definitely something that will need a lot of work. I have many multiplayer options in mind :)
>>321705231
>open-world zombie shooter
Just no, stop
>>321707062
Your idea is that there are zombies in a place. Then you posted like three messages about why the zombies are zombies. They're still just zombies
>>321707062
Fuck off, you're a 14 year old that thinks coming up with a setting and listing the plot is more important than specifying mechanics.
This thread is shit, you're shit and people shouldn't be replying seriously. Nobody likes an idea guy in videogames, and in videogames nobody pitches shit to the public without having something tangible. AGDG would tear you to pieces if you posted this crap there.
>>321707069
Thank you, I agree that the information is quite unnecessary but it ties in after you learn more information. Trying to portray an entire world rather than a specific scenario, than can be quite hard to accomplish in one sentence.
>>321705231
How's the adderall treating ya?
>>321707241
So co-op, horde mode, deathmatch, kill most zombies in x time
So you want to focus on the story of a "futuristic, action-packed, open-world zombie shooter"?
You know that most people that play zombie games are doing it to just mindlessly kill zombies, right?
>>321707267
What is everything but something that is somewhere doing something?
>>321707384
Don't write about the entire world jack-ass, what will this "game" do differently to others? What kind of game is it? At most this shit should be organized into dot-points so it's easy to digest.
also
>zombies
still just another fucking zombie game.
>>321707486
Exactly, why does it even matter. Your game idea is that you're in a place and you kill zombies. The character also sound really overpowered so it isn't even challenging to kill them
Here's a tip to designing games. When you're imagining things happening in the game don't imagine watching stuff like a movie imagine you're physically pressing keys on a keyboard or buttons on a controller to make what you're imagining happen.
If you've already thought about stuff like this then write up the controls scheme you think you would use to control all of the shit you're planning.
>>321707395
>>321707396
Yeah, thats why its open world. There are hundreds of zombies around you, and you can creatively kill them in many different ways and kill them from one at a time, to hundreds at a time.
And as far as one of the multiplayer modes here are few of them.
Infection Mode:
In this humans vs zombies warfare mode, humans need to complete a set amount of objective while fending off the attacking zombies. Humans can level up their weapons, while the zombies can level up their abilities. It will be very balanced in the sense that the zombies can upgrade their jumping, running, and projectile killing methods. One of the humans will have a vial containing 5 revives, and every time a human isn't revived in time they will zombify and begin to play on the opposite team. If the humans complete all of the objectives before being killed off, they win. If the zombies successfully infect all of the humans, they win.
Warfare Mode is essentially what you are saying as "Kill most zombies within a set amount of time" You are given unlimited rounds, and every weapon in the game, although the weapons are powerful, the most damaging kill counts will come from using environmental factors to your advantage. I.E dropping buildings on zombies, grapple kills, etc...
>>321708085
Sounds almost like Left4Dead, pretty much.
>>321707698
It isn't really supposed to be much of a challenge, you are simply there to explore, find the coup and exterminate them, and prevent the zombies from going through the dimensional door-way to our realm.
>>321708271
I'd be lying if I didn't say that this had similarities to other games. :)
>>321708085
>A: I want to make a good story about killing zombies
>B: People just want to simply kill zombies though
>A: That's why it's open world
??????????????????????????
>>321706939
The games you're mentioning only work because they're a package deal.
If you say "X system from Y game combined with Z system from W game", all I can imagine is two orphaned concepts jammed together for the sake of cherry-picking some subjective highlights.
You know how movies don't work when they're "all the good parts"?
The same goes for video games, mechanically speaking.
What you're trying to do is use static objects (other games) to describe a dynamic system (your unfinished game), but that kind of thing is better tested and iterated than written down because what you're describing WILL CHANGE. You need to show proof that it all works together, both to convince yourself and the people you're selling it to.
You only need to write this stuff down when you need a plan of implementation, and that means you've already pitched the idea and have finances, aka: you already know what the game is supposed to do, it's just a matter of making it.
But from what I've read, you don't know what this game is supposed to do.
Make prototypes. Use assets from existing games to suspend disbelief (flat shaded boxes, pills, and spheres are for insane people), and implement those systems that you like from other games. Iterate those prototypes until the design gels, because the first one will suck.
That's all I can say: make the thing, then sell it to yourself.
>>321708419
this game sounds uninteresting and "borrows" too much from pre-existing games. I don't give a fuck about the story, that is irrelevant. If it plays like another game, like L4D for example, then you're just slapping on a shitty story to a stolen game.
>>321708514
Thanks much man, that's the kind of criticism that I'm looking for.
>>321708301
How is that fun. You're basically saying that killing the zombies is just an excuse to watch the story
>>321705231
>open-world zombie shooter
kek this might be a record for fastest I've lost interest in a video game idea
why don't you just make a visual novel OP, that sounds more your speed.
>>321705231
>GUYS IVE GOT A GENIUS VIDEO GAME IDEA NO ONES EVER DONE THIS
>ITS AN OPEN WORLD ZOMBIE SHOOTER
>BUT
>ITS NOT A SURVIVAL GAME! IM A REAL FUCKIN GENIUS RIGHT?!?
come up with something original fuckwit
>>321708776
It's just another spin on "show, don't tell", but for your own sake.
The sucky part about being where you are right now is that you have a lot of practice ahead of you.
Most game designers start with pen, paper and cardstock for their first few prototypes and just build video games around those, but real-time simulations are extremely difficult to design without falling back on stereotypes that lock you into a genre and stifle your design's flexibility and maintainability.
Not to mention that you won't be able to balance it when you're done, because you're throwing together a bunch of stuff that you haven't tried analyzing or designing yourself yet.
Prototype, prototype, prototype.
