J. Portnow's Game Design Challenge: FPS Gun

[dreamshade]

I don't care about the mechanics - the words "portable trebuchet" makes me smile~

[TimEdwards]

I don't care about the mechanics - the words "portable trebuchet" makes me smile~

Hahaha, thanks, when I first thought of the idea I was like... hmm, perhaps some sort of springloaded crazy launcher that uses your own arm strength to fire the beast. My original idea was a mechanism that went up your arm, was hinged at the elbow and had super springs for release. You had to bend your arm to strengthen the blow, and a full release from the shoulder could almost break your arm... but blow down doors!

...just reskinned shotguns, rocket launchers, and chain guns...

I did use those as quick descriptions of what they'd be like. Perhaps my Tesla Chain is indeed just a chain gun. But I suppose I was hoping it'd be different enough with the Rods to stand aside a bit.

Maybe if it arc'd to other rods and created a "net" of some sorts...

I think I meant that when I mentioned saving ammo, but I ran through these in what little freetime I've had this week (Mario Kart/GTA Launch anyone?) But in the special description I planted "...if rods are fired accuracy can chain between rods to conserve ammo." So you and I are definitely on the same page when it comes to what I was thinking, I just didn't write it plain as day I guess! That is the whole point of the rods! If you shoot 10 rods, and 7 stick in enemies and 3 anywhere else... the idea is the electricity would arc between all the rods present and that is per lightning bolt! Really nice for mass stunning or vaporizing. If they dance, we still get the T rating right?

...games get a bad enough rap as it is without the encouragement of killing "good" people.

Alright, you definitely caught me there. I didn't even think about that... I was more trying to decide, "How do I kill things without blood, gore or looking lame?" I kind of imagined you hitting someone with this, and them disappearing, but a ghostly version floating off into the air.

As for the trebuchet, I stand by my design. The different kinds of bullets would be needed for all your portable sieging needs, or man thwacking needs.

As for people worrying about their submissions being similar, as I've said in previous posts, who cares? If you win with a similar design, it proves that you've got something I didn't. It's a dog eat dog world out there and even if I didn't win, it'd be nice to see something similar out there!

Oh yeah, by the way... it's nice to see all these critiques... but where's everyone else's entries? HMM?

Looking forward to seeing some awesome designs since now people know what not to do, hahaha!

Sincerely,
Tim Edwards

(Oh yeah, and thanks for the critiques!)

[dreamshade]

Say, when we send the e-mails out, do we need to title them "Design Challenge" exactly, or can/should we title them "Design Challenge - FPS Gun" or the like. I'm not sure if the separate e-mails would blend together with the ones from the previous week, but I wouldn't want to upset his e-mail filter, either.

Oh yeah, by the way... it's nice to see all these critiques... but where's everyone else's entries? HMM?

Been thinking! Here you go.



Okay, so we're going for something that isn't a machinegun. What can we do to alter the effects of a gun? Well, most guns strike a single target straight in front of the person firing, with perhaps an explosive effect at the point of impact. Perhaps what we need is a gun with a different area of effect from the usual. If we're going for a teen rating, I'm assuming a Halo-like set of armored targets that don't bleed easily.


Transmitter Dartgun

Type - single fire
Damage - dart: 20 (moderate), explosion: 35 (moderately large)
Clip Size - 15
Bullet Type - Single Shot
Bullet Speed - very fast
Accuracy - Straight
Area of Effect - first hit: none, second hit: 5 ft. radius cylinder
Rate of Fire - 1bps
Trajectory - Straight Line
Reload - 3s

Transmitter Dartguns were once sold as part of a complete home security package for businesses worried about burgarly and hostile takeover by small arms. The TmDg is a long, thin-barreled gun resembling a futuristic Manchester rifle. The gun fires "darts" at a slow pace, which appear as light, shimmering slivers when fired. The darts themselves are shaped to penetrate ballistic armor, much like a crossbow bolt.

Upon impact, these darts emit a single simple radio transmission connected to the building's main security system. 0.5 seconds after the dart strikes a target, the point on the floor below the point where the dart struck - either a point under the target that was struck, a point under the wall, or on the ground itself - will be struck by the security system's microwave defense system, emitting an instant-duration vertical cylinder shooting from the point in the floor. Because the system requires a short charge time, a victim who is struck by the darts can avoid the microwave effect if he keeps moving after being struck. A canny gunman can use the needles to directly injure a target or to lay traps ahead of the opponent by firing transmitter darts into the floor.

(Alternately, the needles strike their targets, but the microwave explosions do not occur until the player hits the right mouse button to signal the system, with a 0.5 second delay.)



Disruption Pistol

Type - handgun
Damage - bullet: 9 (low), extensions: 4 (low)
Clip Size - 40
Bullet Type - pistol caliber
Bullet Speed - very fast
Accuracy - Straight
Area of Effect - first hit: none, second hit: 8-ft. wide cone
Rate of Fire - 5bps
Trajectory - Straight Line
Reload - 4s

Handguns generally have little effect on modern armor, but the need for a light sidearm persists. The disruption pistol thus attacks the electrical and magnetic systems that hold the nuts and bolts of modern armor together. When a bullet of the DisPis strikes a target, it explodes, a very small purple explosion that emits an electromagnetic pulse, "harming" the target by interrupting the patterns in his armor systems. Too much of the EMP effect can even cause overload and system meltdown - and indirectly death to the target.

The bonus effect of the EMP pulse is that it not only disrupts the target's systems but also redirects it. When the target's armor is struck by the DisPis's weapon, it "flashes" an area from the target which spreads in an 8-foot cone behind it ("behind" being the opposite side that was struck by the pistol), which damages any other armored targets in the cone for about half of the damage of the pistol itself.


Burst-Propulsion Cannon

Type - cannon
Damage - : explosive: 45 at center (high), rear flame: 30 (moderate)
Clip Size - 10
Bullet Type - pistol caliber
Bullet Speed - fast
Accuracy - accurate
Area of Effect - explosive: 10-ft radius explosion, rear flame: 10-ft long narrow cone
Rate of Fire - 0.5bps
Trajectory - Low Arc, 15-ft range when fired even to ground
Reload - 6s

The BPC was designed for heavily armored soldiers who focus on solo activity in high threat areas to be able to cover their own backs without always looking behind themselves. The main artillery of the BPC is a small, tightly packed round bomb which detonates on impact with a target or obstacle. The shape of the BPC resembles a bazooka, though it is supported by a shoulder sling and held under the right arm for support.

The rear end of the BPC is left open deliberately to facilitate the over-packed powder delivery system. The weapon is fired by igniting an explosive shell near the rear of the weapon, forcing pressure into the main loader at the front (both front and back clips need to be reloaded when the clip is empty.) The excessive strength of the propulsion shell produces an intense white flame directed in a long burst behind the weapon's controller, making it dangerous to attempt to sneak up on the assailant.




Hydrogen Magnet

Type - laser
Damage - : 15 (decreases over distance, increases over time)
Clip Size - 10
Bullet Type - laser
Bullet Speed - very fast
Accuracy - straight
Area of Effect - none
Rate of Fire - 2.5bps
Trajectory - straight, 20-ft. range
Reload - 6s

Once designed as a scientist's toy, the combat powers of the Hydrogen Magnet were discovered by a team of bounty hunters (who just happened to be protecting an experimental lab at the time). While difficult to maneuver as a crowd control device, the weapon turned out to be useful against single well-armored or elite targets, as the fire produced by the weapon does not produce a trail from the assailant and makes the fire difficult to track.

The Hydromag is not truly a gun - it is a long cylinder with a crystal embedded in the far end. When the weapon is "fired," it activates an electrochemical reaction which draws hydrogen plasma from the air in front of it 20 feet away and draws it toward the caster. The effect is a sort of reverse laser - viewing the assailant from the side, a person would see a laser being fired in mid-air and being directed back toward the person holding the Hydromag.

The effect produced by the Hydromag decreases over distance - it does maximum damage at the "tip" of the fire and does very little to a target standing right next to the assailant. However, if the firing button is held down, the reaction is intensified, and successive strikes of the weapon do cumulatively additional damage.



Attached Image: black square - weapon wielder, red square - target, blue lines - area of effect

[EvilLlama]

Some ideas I'm not using, so feel free to be inspired

Cupid's Shotgun
Damage: 0
Clip Size: 10
Bullet type: Cupid's Pellets
Bullet speed: 200 mps
Accuracy: 3 MOA (minute of arc, thanks to wikipedia)
Area of effect: anywhere on enemy
Rate of fire: 2 bps
Bullet Trajectory: straight

Enemies hit by the Cupid's Shotgun receive no damage, but instead they instantly fall in love with the player and follow him/her/it around. When the player is later attacked by hostile fire, enemies under the spell of the Cupid's Shotgun will sacrifice themselves for their beloved, throwing themselves in front of the fire to shield the player while taking the damage for themselves.

Semi Automatic Unicycle
Damage: 6
Clip Size: 300
Bullet type: 9mm
Bullet speed: 300 mps
Accuracy: wide dispersion cone
Area of effect: none
Rate of fire: 3 bps
Bullet Trajectory: straight

Although it has similar stats to the machine gun, the semi automatic unicycle has one major difference--it's a unicycle. The gun isn't fired by pulling a trigger, but instead gets fired while the player pedals the unicycle. Because of this, the player can only fire while moving.

[TimEdwards]

Say, when we send the e-mails out, do we need to title them "Design Challenge" exactly, or can/should we title them "Design Challenge - FPS Gun" or the like.

On the main page it says:

...with the subject line "Design Challenge: FPS Gun."

Hope that got your question!

I'll be back later when I have more time to critique some ideas! Nice to see people sharing again! Thanks!


Sincerely,
Tim Edwards

[toyoka]

Alright, here goes my idea:

P.A.D. (Portable Annihilation Device)

Damage: Depends on distance from targeted area;
0-5 feet - 150 damage
5-10 feet - 100 damage
10-15 feet - 75 damage
15-20 feet - 50 damage
20-25 feet - 25 damage

"Clip" size: 3 bullets per clip, 2 clips (total of 6 "bullets")
Bullet Type: Destructive/Radioactive
Bullet Speed: Depends on targeted distance, average of about 100 m/s
Accuracy: Outward from targeted area for a maximum of 25 feet from the center
Area of Effect: Targeted area (preferably ground)
Rate of Fire: 1 BPS
Trajectory: Arc - this can change depending on the altitude of the player's aim
Reload: 20 seconds (Recharge)

The "P.A.D." is designed to take out a group of enemies within a range from the player. It is most effective against infantry but may also serve as a crude explosive for those tough enemies and structures such as: armored vehicles, buildings, heavily fortified ground infantry and even water-bound targets if the player's accuracy is effective enough.

This weapon launches a radioactive gas known as Acetylene contained within a small can-shaped transparent glass container which is also encased in a secondary glass container filled with Formic Acid. The longer the weapon holds these cans, the more damage they do when released (2% more damage per minute increase after reloading for a maximum of 10% increase). Although rarely, the cans may become unstable and explode when fired, causing moderately high damage to the player and releasing radioactive gas within 5 feet of the player, effecting anyone (including the player) who is within distance. This effect lasts the player dies or medicates themselves.

The P.A.D. looks sort of like a home-made style rocket launcher mixed with scientific-looking parts broken off of several different weapons due to the encasement of the radioactive material. The approximate size of the "gun" is about half the size of a moderately grown human (average hight) so it is fired when the player is stationary or in a slow pace (preferably prone or otherwise). It will take a bit less than 1/4th of the screen when the player is in use of the weapon.

Well, i hope you liked it I may add some more if I have any brain cells left for imagination :P

[jshockley]

IVP5-SD (Ion Vibration Pistol ver.5 Silenced)

Intro: The IVP5-SD is the newest creation from “Shockley Industries.” This new rifle has been designed and created with the ambush in mind. The IVP5-SD fires a small pin that is attached to the next round in the magazine. The magic comes from the wire that connects these two pins which is a high density ionic wire. This wire can stretch to maximum of 20 meters, and is only activated upon the second firing. Now what does this little wire do you ask? The high density ionic wire vibrates the atoms of whatever comes into contact with the wire. The atomic level vibration causes the atoms to collide releasing energy in the form of bright light; any object that is subjected to this atomic vibration is immediately vaporized. To prevent confusion the magazine is fitted with only the two rounds required to set a “line.” For safety reasons and rules of engagement the wire loses charge after 15 minutes and if the second round is not fired within 10 second the line will fail to charge. The IVP5-SD is a single shot bolt action pistol to prevent accidental fire, and is equipped with a silencer to prevent alerting the enemy.

Specifications!
Type - Pistol
Damage – Instant death
Clip Size - 2
Bullet Type - Special*
Bullet Speed – 600 m/ s (average bullet speed 896 m/ s)
Accuracy – accurate up to 200 m
Area of Effect – Special**
Rate of Fire - Single
Trajectory – 1.5 MOA (Minutes of Arc)
Reload – 2s***

* - Two pins that are connected by a high density ionic wire
** - Area of effect is along the line of the tripwire which has a maximum length of 20 yards.
*** - The magazine uses the old fashioned “en bloc” magazine type to prevent mishandling of the magazine, as well as to allow for manual reloading.

[Exaggeration17A]

Originally Posted by toyoka

Alright, here goes my idea: P.A.D. (Portable Annihilation Device)

Once again, my delay in sharing my idea makes me look unoriginal!

I came up with a radioactive weapon as well, but I decided that if you're going to give people nuclear explosives to play with, you might as well be as realistic as possible about it....

Atomic Handcannon

This weapon is essentially a pistol-sized grenade launcher that fires a small nuclear explosive in a low arc over distances up to 100 meters (when fired at a 45 degree angle over level terrain). The best visual reference for a similar weapon would be Earthworm Jim's blaster, minus the antenna thing.

It deals massive damage within a 3 meter radius, enough to instantly kill all but the toughest enemies in the game. At a 9 meter radius, the damage is still devastating but most mid-level enemies should be able to survive it. Within a 30 meter radius, minor damage occurs but not enough to kill anything but truly weak enemies.

Terrain and objects within the 30 meter circle of effect become permanently radioactive. Anyone who crosses the terrain takes continuous damage while there, and for a full minute after they leave the area. Radioactive health packs will no longer heal damage, they just cause the continuous damage effect, as do any other items picked up for as long as they are held in the player's inventory. Any enemies damaged by the initial blast can spread this radiation effect as well if they come within a meter's radius of the player.

This weapon also takes full advantage of destructible environments, leaving craters in natural surfaces and destroying artificial ones. This means that a hole, 6 meters in diameter can be created in the floor of an otherwise passable hallway if the weapon is used unwisely. Worse yet, the hull of a spacecraft could be breached with it if fired from the inside.

Since it is also a one-handed weapon, if the player is lucky enough to find a second Atomic Handcannon, they can fire two explosives at once and create a blast twice as large and twice as damaging as normal (radiation damage is doubled, but not duration).

[TimEdwards]

First it makes me happy to see some people using my layout! That in itself is more than a win in the competition! Also it's nice to see everyone sharing ideas, that's kind of how you find new and innovative ideas!

Alright, on to the critiques!!!

dreamshade

Transmitter Dartgun: This kind of weapon sounds like a gun that has the remote mine capability from Goldeneye 64. The 0.5s delay is only activated by the player though right? It sounds like you contridict yourself by saying it activates if after it hits a target and then right clicking. Although I now think a Remote Mine shooting sniper rifle would be just too cool for words...

Disruption Pistol: I do have to ask, it seems these two weapons have after effects. What was your reasoning with going with that? I'm just curious! Also, if someone has no armor, what then? Is it just a regular pistol? Also is the damage only EMP based? If we based it off Halo for example a Brute with armor gone would be immune? Not to get too in depth behind it! I like the idea but it would be that gun that gets brought out for the heavily armored close together enemies.

Burst-Propulsion Cannon: This one sounds like a definate rocket launcher with a back guard. I wouldn't say this one deviates too far from the actual description of a launcher as well!

Hydrogen Magnet: Gold! I definitely enjoy this idea!!! Yeah it might just be a laser in practice... but a completely different way to think about how to use the gun! Definitely my favorite of the ideas dreamshade! My only suggestion, you need to explain how they know 20 feet is that far away! Like some kind of aiming reticule or a hovering beacon of light or something! (oh mans this is actually making me able to elaborate more on these ideas to make awesome guns too bad I already submitted!)Great job though!


EvilLlama

Cupid's Shotgun: Interesting, I had thought about something that would turn people into mindless slaves for you... but I don't know why I didn't go with it. One question, how long does it last? (The reason I didn't go for it was because I kept imagining someone turning a mass amount of enemies into helpful NPCs. But if they just sacrifice themselves... solves that problem.)

Semi Automatic Unicycle: Strange idea, my concern doesn't lie within the practicality of it... but the execution of it in a game! Have you ever tried to ride a unicycle? It's near impossible, if you were to use it, I think a control scheme kind of similar to Katamari Damacy would be hilarious! Use the analog sticks both forward to advance and use shoulder buttons to nudge yourself left or right! Your description should definitely have focused on how to aim it! (Is it sad that I'm laughing to myself and loving the idea? My next game idea is going to involved clowns, I just know it...)

More Critiques to come!
Tim Edwards

(BTW these are just my opinions, nothing to do with the website or the challenge!)

[ronnoc10]

This is harder than I thought. I'd like to make something long the lines of that one gun from Painkiller, which has a bunch of different stages, and takes a lot of skills to use, but I'm coming up blank. Well, not really blank, but, with the ideas I've been having, I wish it was blank


Would a Volley gun, Ribauldequin, repeating crossbow, or Puckle gun-style weapon be too close too a machine gun?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volley_gun
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribauldequin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeating_crossbow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Puckle_gun.jpg