Desert Blood - Game Design Document

Game Design Document for:

Dying of heat in the desert is bad. Being eaten by sand monsters is worse.

All work Copyright ©2010-2011 Vancouver Film School

Written by Clinton Ma

Version # 1.30

Last Update: Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Copyright (C) 2010-2011 Vancouver Film School – All rights reserved

Clinton Ma Page 2 2/9/2011 Desert Blood

Table of Contents

DESIGN HISTORY __________________________________________________________________ 4

GAME OVERVIEW _________________________________________________________________ 6

HIGH CONCEPT ____________________________________________________________________ 6 PHILOSOPHY _______________________________________________________________________ 6 COMMON QUESTIONS _______________________________________________________________ 8

FEATURE SET _____________________________________________________________________ 10

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS ______________________________________________________________ 10 FEATURE DETAILS _________________________________________________________________ 12

GAMEPLAY DETAILS ______________________________________________________________ 44

MOVEMENT & NAVIGATION __________________________________________________________ 44 COMBAT SYSTEM __________________________________________________________________ 46 USABLE ITEMS ____________________________________________________________________ 48

GAME MODES ____________________________________________________________________ 49

SINGLE PLAYER GAME ______________________________________________________________ 49

GAMEPLAY WALKTHROUGH ______________________________________________________ 52

WALKTHROUGH & CINEMATIC DESCRIPTIONS __________________________________________ 52

CAMERA _________________________________________________________________________ 61

HEADS UP DISPLAY (HUD) _________________________________________________________ 62 DEFAULT CAMERA VIEW ____________________________________________________________ 62 AIMING THROUGH GUN SIGHTS VIEW ________________________________________________ 63 MELEE ATTACKS VIEW _____________________________________________________________ 63 LOOKING AT ONE'S SELF ___________________________________________________________ 64 PLAYER DEATH VIEW _______________________________________________________________ 64 CINEMATIC VIEW __________________________________________________________________ 65

GAME CHARACTERS ______________________________________________________________ 66

ENEMIES & OBSTACLES ___________________________________________________________ 69

THE GAME WORLD _______________________________________________________________ 76

THE WORLD LAYOUT _______________________________________________________________ 78 THE PHYSICAL WORLD _____________________________________________________________ 79

USER INTERFACE - CONTROLS ____________________________________________________ 82

MUSICAL SCORES & SOUND EFFECTS ______________________________________________ 83

EXTRA MISCELLANEOUS STUFF ___________________________________________________ 84

APPENDICES ______________________________________________________________________ 85

OVERVIEW _______________________________________________________________________ 85 FAQ APPENDIX ___________________________________________________________________ 85 GAME INTERFACE – MENUS APPENDIX ________________________________________________ 86 GAME INTERFACE – WIREFRAMES APPENDIX ___________________________________________ 87 HUD/ON SCREEN DISPLAYS APPENDIX _______________________________________________ 92 OBJECTS APPENDIX ________________________________________________________________ 94 STORY APPENDIX __________________________________________________________________ 94 COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS APPENDIX ___________________________________________________ 96



“RESOURCE/RESEARCH” APPENDIX ___________________________________________________ 98



Design History

Version 1.00 Initial pass at design. Establish High Concept, Feature Highlights and Game Overview. Concept Document feature #7 (VII. Keep your Tribe Alive and Motivated) has cut from the design document.

Version 1.10 Received peer and instructor feedback on Version 1.00. Updates:

1. Added Game World - Overview & map 2. Added details to Game Camera section 3. Added controller diagram to Game Movement

To-Do:

1. Add flow diagrams to Feature Details & reduce text clutter 2. Reformat Wireframes to better fit layouts and callouts on a single page 3. Adjust stats table for Direct Damage Weapons - split into 2 tables to fit 4. Condense the Feature Highlights descriptions 5. Reorganize Gameplay Details section - remove redundancies 6. Complete Enemies & Obstacles section 7. Complete Game World section 8. Complete 1st draft of Game Walkthrough section

Version 1.20 Received second round of peer feedback. Updates:

1. Added flow diagrams to Feature Details 2. Condensed Feature Highlights 3. Completed Enemies & Obstacles descriptions 4. Completed Game World section 5. Completed Game Walkthrough

To-Do:

1. Finish World Details



2. Add legend to world layout image 3. Fill out Appendices 4. Add NPC images & Enemy 5. Add all interface wireframes 6. Add Beat Chart 7. Complete Weapon Details 8. Add weapon crosshairs & bullet spread data 9. Add Enemy attacks probabilities & details

Version 1.30 Final formatting and polish before submission to the Design Head. Updates:

1. Minor revisions throughout entire document. 2. Added “User Interface Appendix”. 3. Added “Game Object Properties Appendix”. 4. Fill out FAQ Appendix

To-Do:

1. Proofread and spell check 2. Remove all feedback comments 3. Finalize formatting: spacing and line breaks



Game Overview

High Concept

Live by the Heat. Die by the Flesh.

"Me against my brother, my brothers and I against my cousins, then my cousins and I against strangers" -- widely quoted Bedouin saying In this first-person shooter, the player is Amid Jezhar, the leader of a tribe of futuristic desert nomads embarking on a personal journey when they are attacked by a rival bedouin tribe. Once locked in mortal combat, the two parties soon realize there is a greater danger lurking beneath the sands. An ancient race of vampire-like monstrosities has awoken and they hunger for human flesh. Now Amid's tribe and their sworn enemies must work together if they are to survive their treacherous trek across the desert. Their destination: a sacred pilgrimage spot where Amid is to return a sacred family heirloom. Players use a blend of traditional and hi-tech ranged and melee weaponry to combat the sand vampires, including glaives, grenade launchers, crossbows, sand torpedoes and spear rifles. Players can also harvest vampire corpses (by cutting out their black hearts) and fashion special ammo types to improve their chances of survival.

Philosophy

Building Excitement, Terror and Tension in a FPS With Desert Blood I am bringing over some of the conventions of Survival Horror games to the First-Person Shooter. In traditional FPS games, the player is typically well-armed and empowered and I'm trying to limit that sense of power in the context of horror. I want to make the player feel vulnerable, tense and terrified yet still provide those moments of high action and catharsis that you would find in the best first-person shooters.

Vampires Like They've Never Been Seen Before The overall design and game mechanics flowed naturally out of my desire to portray vampires in a new light and to use a setting less familiar to video game players. The idea of returning vampires to their more savage and vile states, revising them as feral monsters instead of romantic creatures of the night, seemed like a good place to start. The desert setting also provided a license to explore a different type of protagonist than we're used to: your typically square-jawed soldier or vampire hunter has been replaced by a nomad tribe leader of Arabic descent.

It's Not (Always) About the Head Shot With the mandate to instill vulnerability and tension within the player comes the goal of giving them all the tools they need to defeat their vampire foes without making it too easy. Methods used to dispatch normal, human enemies do not apply here and that philosophy is best shown with Desert Blood's two key combat features:



Weapon Pairings and Catch, Then Kill. (Refer to I. Weapon Variety & Tandem Weapon Effects and II. Catch, Then Kill)



Common Questions

What is Desert Blood? Desert Blood is a first-person shooter & survival horror game set in a post-apocalyptic Arabian Desert roughly 55 years in the future. Using melee, ranged and specialized weapons, the player must learn and perfect "catch, then kill" techniques against the monstrous, sand-dwelling vampires.

What do I Control/ Who Am I? You are Amid Jezhar, leader of a nomadic tribe based in the Arabian Desert. You lead your tribe and a rag-tag group of rival tribesmen and mercenaries through the desert on your quest to reach your father's burial tomb. During combat you can issue simple orders to two of your traveling companions who will be controlled by AI.

The Premise & Story? The player takes on the role of a nomadic tribe leader who is on a journey to bring his family heirloom to his father's burial place when his party is attacked by re-awoken sand vampires. The player joins forces with a rival tribe and a fracture band of mercenaries to fend off the vampires while continuing on the journey towards the burial site.

How many characters do I control? As the player, you have direct control over ONE character, Amid Jezhar. In most levels you will also be able to issue tactical orders to 2 of your teammates. Who these teammates are will change with the development of the plot and the current stage or level.

Where does the game take place? Desert Blood takes place in the Arabian Desert in the year 2065. Much of the world is in environmental decline but the bedouin tribes of the Middle East have been largely unaffected. The nomads still largely adhere to a traditional lifestyle but have incorporated advanced technology when needed.

What are the Goals/Objectives of the game? Short Term Goals -

Battle blood-hungry vampires using a variety of weapons at your disposal. Weapons may incapacitate targets or do direct damage.

Avoid taking damage from the sand vampires. Destroy the vampires and emerge victorious in every combat encounter you have against the

creatures. Manage your ammo effectively. Keep your teammates alive. Harvest fallen vampires by cutting out their hearts to use as materials for creating special ammo types.

Medium Term Goals –

Navigate the desert in a linear series of campaign scenarios. There are 5 scenarios. Each scenario consists of 3 - 5 smaller levels designed around a certain theme, whether it be surviving

an ambush attack by vampires, navigating a forgotten tomb or finding shelter from a giant sand storm.



Each level has its own unique set of objectives that need to be completed before the player can progress to the next level and advance the story.

Long Term Goals - Traverse the desert to reunite your family’s sacred heirloom with your father’s burial site located deep

within an ancient tomb. Learn the fate of your long-lost father. Destroy the sand vampires once and for all. Destroy Vol'suth, the most powerful vampire

The Main Focus Your main focus is to reach your father’s sacred burial place while surviving the rigors of the Arabian Desert and the sand vampires. You will kill many vampires, gain more weapons and items to kill them more effectively the farther you progress in the game. Weapons can be picked up from defeated human enemies or found in specific locations in each level.

What’s Different About Desert Blood Desert Blood is about capturing the tension and suspense of traditional survival horror games while maintaining the tight controls and action-oriented focus of a first-person shooter. This is empowered, action-horror much like in the vein of classic movies such as Aliens, Predator, From Dusk Till Dawn and Tremors. You will rarely feel helpless with an arsenal at your disposal and a small group of comrade-in-arms to command, however the danger posed by your enemies must be elevated that much more to compensate. The game also presents a fresh, unique spin on a universally known monster such as the vampire. A different kind of monster means new, innovative weapons and techniques for killing them with!



Feature Set

Feature Highlights

I. Weapon Variety & Tandem Weapon Effects You have access to a host of melee and ranged weapons in the course of playing Desert Blood. Fighting sand vampires is a bit different from fighting humans, since you cannot simply shoot a vampire to death. Certain weapon pairings are more effective in eliminating a vampire target and with the limitation of only being able to carry two weapons at a time, you’ll want to make wise tactical choices when arming yourself for each scenario

II. Catch, Then Kill As suggested above, blasting away at a vampire is a sure way to waste ammunition and easy way to get yourself eaten. You need to use your brains, as well as the right tools for the job. While there are different enemy types that require different strategies, a common formula for survival involves first stunning or incapacitating a vampire before going in for the kill.

III. Special Ammo Types Improve your odds against the sand vampires by switching out conventional bullets for some of these:

Vampire blood-coated ammo Bullets & spears coated in vampire heart fluid Silver and gold plated bullets and stakes Quality wood for fashioning spears and stakes

IV. Survive as a Team or Die as a Team You’ll traverse the deserts with your tribe, your former enemies and later, a band of mercenaries, all of them controlled by very competent artificial intelligence. You’ll always have 2 teammates to give direct tactical orders to:

Attack - teammate uses Direct Damage attacks on the designated target Incapacitate - teammate tries to stun or incapacitate the designated target Help Me Out - teammate will attempt to heal you when you are bleeding out Defend - teammate adopts a defensive posture (will always stay close to the player)

V. Enhanced Melee Maneuvers You can’t match the physical strength or speed of a sand vampire, but you can even the odds by weakening them with your traps and direct damage weapons. When sufficiently weakened, you can pin down your target with your boot, long enough to deliver the killing blow. Conversely, when a vampire has pounced on you, save your life by sacrificing your weapon: jam your gun into their gaping, hungry mouths before kicking them off!



VI. A Brutal Landscape Beyond the Sand In the desert, you’ll need to contend with merciless Mother Nature as well as the vicious sand vampires. Sand storms will slow down your pace and reduce visibility, with the largest storm requiring you to find alternate paths through ancient tombs and crypts below the surface. Back above ground, you’ll also visit mercenary encampments, military compounds, bedouin villages, ancient temples, supply outposts and a breathtaking oasis... so it’s not just an endless expanse of sand dunes and valleys! VII. Nail-Biting Vehicle Action Sequences You gain access to 3 different vehicles during your quest but not even these modern conveyance tools offer you respite from the vampire horde. Drive a battle-ready dune buggy on a tense solo mission before manning the turret of a modified passenger truck in a hectic escape sequence. Finally, ride into battle against the monsters with your Sand Panther, a mechanized four-legged beast capable of running at blazing speeds. VIII. Uncompromising Gore & Terror A full skeletal modeling and physics system helps to portray the vampire menace with alarming brutality. These are the savage, feral breed of vampires in the vein of From Dusk Till Dawn and the subterranean creatures of The Descent. Expect blood, dismemberment and shocking death animations, both scripted within cut scenes and during real-time game play sequences. Desert Blood is a shooter intended for mature audiences and is definitely not for the squeamish.



Feature Details

I. Weapon Variety & Tandem Weapon Effects All weapons are divided broadly into ranged and melee weapons but each is sub-divided more meaningfully into the categories of Direct Damage, Area of Effect and Stun. Direct Damage - Overview Direct Damage (DD) weapons do just that: deplete a target'`s Hit Point total when it makes contact. To improve combat balance, DD weapons will also have a small chance to Stun their targets. DD weapons are governed by the following attributes:

Range - melee, short, medium & long Accuracy – chance to hit target at set distances Scoping/Sights – is there a scope or iron sights view? Reload Time – the time it takes to load a new clip of ammo Rate of Fire – the number of rounds fired per second Ammo Capacity – the number of rounds per clip & the number of clips that can be carried Spike Damage - initial damage inflicted based on a direct hit Aggravated Damage – damage sustained by the target over time Guiding/Lock-On Mechanisms – manual aim or lock-on aim or electronic guidance systems Kill Potential - true/false: either a weapon is capable of killing an enemy or merely to damage and

slow down an enemy Special Ammo – does the weapon support special ammo types? Chance to Stun - probability per projectile or melee strike to Stun the target

Direct Damage Weapon Stats Melee Name Accuracy Scoping Reload

Time Fire Rate Ammo

Capac. Spike Damage

Aggravated Damage

Guidance Kill Potential

Special Ammo

Kukri Knives

High N/A N/A 2 attacks/sec.

N/A 8 per hit None Manual Yes Yes

Scimitar High N/A N/A 1 attack/sec.

N/A 22 None Manual Yes Yes

Stakes High N/A N/A 1.5 attacks/sec.

N/A 9 per hit None Manual Yes No

Spear High N/A N/A 1 attack/1.5 sec.

N/A 26 None Manual Yes Yes



Ranged Name Range Accuracy Scoping Reload

Time Fire Rate Ammo

Capac. Spike Damage

Aggravated Damage


Special Ammo

Glaive 100m 80% N/A N/A Avg. 1 attacks/ 3 sec.

1 18 None Manual No Yes

Pistol 250m 90% None 1.2 sec. 2 rounds/sec.

12 rounds per clip

22 None Manual No Yes

Machine Pistols

300m 65% None 1.7 sec. 14 rounds/sec.

25 rounds per clip

20 None Manual No Yes

Assault Rifle

500m 75% Red Dot 2 sec. 12 rounds/sec.

35 rounds per clip

26 None Manual Yes Yes

Crossbow 600m 85% 2x 2.4 sec. 1 bolt/1.5 sec.

12 bolts 40 None Manual Yes Yes

Shotgun 30m 60% Ghost ring

2.7 sec. 1 round/sec.

8 rounds per clip


Stake Rifle

300m 80% 2x 2.6 sec. 1 stake/2 sec.

4 stakes 60 None Manual Yes Yes

Sniper Rifle

800m 95% Telescopic 4x

3 sec. 1 round/3.2 sec.

5 rounds per clip


* All Direct Damage weapon stats should be stored as exposed variables Chance to Stun To balance the difficulty and ease the learning curve of using weapon combos, each DD weapon has a small chance to stun on their own without the use of Stun Weapons. The probability is calculated for each attack (i.e., each swipe of dual-wielded kukri knives) or each projectile that strikes the target (bullet, bolt, stake, shotgun pellet, etc.). Name % Chance to Stun Stun Strength Stun Duration (sec.)

Kukri Knives 14 Low 1.2

Scimitar 10 Medium 2

Stakes 9 Medium 2.2

Spear 9 Medium 2

Glaive 16 Medium 3

Pistol 12 Low 1.2

Machine Pistols 10 Low 1

Assault Rifle 8 Medium 2

Crossbow 6 High 3

Shotgun 5.5 High 3.3

Stake Rifle 5 High 3.5

Sniper Rifle 4.5 High 4

* All Chance to Stun stats should be stored as exposed variables



Direct Damage Weapons Crosshairs & Bullet Spread (Ranged) These samples show the bullet spread on DD weapons based on their maximum range. Automatic weapon spread is based on a 3-second burst of fire. Semi-automatic weapon spread is based on a successive 5 pulls of the trigger. Shotgun is based on a single shot of buck.

Stun Stun weapons inflict slight damage on contact but the main purpose is to temporarily incapacitate or ensnare the target. A DD weapon will inflict much more damage to a target after it has been successfully stunned. In many cases, a stunned target will be vulnerable to a critical blow -- such as a stake shot directly into the heart – that kills it instantly. Stun weapons are governed by the following attributes:

Range - melee, short, medium & long Accuracy – chance to hit target at set distances Scoping/Sights – is there a scope or iron sights view? Guiding/Lock-On Mechanisms – manual aim or lock-on aim or electronic guidance systems Reload Time – the time it takes to load a new clip of ammo Rate of Fire – the number of rounds fired per second Ammo Capacity – the number of rounds per clip & the number of clips that can be carried



Stun Strength – determines the class or grade of enemy the weapon is effective against Stun Duration – how long the target is stunned for (in seconds) Spike Damage – initial damage inflicted based on a direct hit (much lower than DD weapons) Special Ammo – does the weapon support special ammo types?

Stun Weapon Stats Name Range Accuracy Scoping Reload

Time Fire Rate Ammo Stun

Strength Stun Duration

Spike Damage

Guidance Special Ammo

Net Launcher

400m 85% None 2 sec. 1 net/1.5 sec.

12 nets total inventory

Medium 4 sec. 2 None Yes

Taser Rifle

150m 75% Red Dot 1.7 sec. 1 bolt/sec. 8 bolts per clip

Low - Medium

3.2 sec. 4 Low No

Caltrop Gun

60m 60% 2x 2 sec. 1 caltrop/sec.

30 total inventory

Low 2 sec. 2 None Yes

Bear Trap

2m Variable None N/A N/A 5 traps total inventory

High 5.5 sec. 6 None No

* All Stun Weapon stats should be stored as exposed variables Stun weapons cannot kill any vampire enemies, even when a target's Hit Points has been reduced to zero or below. Stun Weapons Crosshairs

There is no visible crosshair for the Net Launcher & Bear Trap weapons. Area of Effect This is a catch-all categorization that includes any weapon that effects an area of the game beyond a single target. These are the power and "big boom" weapons of Desert Blood. This would include grenades, mines and other explosive ordnance. Area of Effect (AoE) weapons can possess characteristics of both DD and Stun weapons. AoE weapons are governed by the following attributes:

Range - Short, medium & long. Accuracy – Chance to hit target at set distances. Blast Radius - Upon contact, the radius area of the weapon's damage effect. Reload Time – The time it takes to load a new clip of ammo. Rate of Fire – The number of rounds fired per second.



Reload Time (if applicable) – tThe time it takes to load a new clip of ammo. Ammo Capacity – The number of rounds per clip & the number of clips that can be carried. Guiding/Lock-On Mechanisms – Manual aim or lock-on aim or electronic guidance systems. Spike Damage - Initial damage inflicted based on a direct hit. Aggravated Damage - Damage over time. Kill Potential - true/false: Either a weapon is capable of killing an enemy or it serves as a suppression

fire tool. Stun Strength – The higher the strength, the stronger the enemy that is stunned. Stun Duration – How long the target is stunned for (in seconds). Special Ammo - Compatible.

Area of Effect Weapon Stats Name Range Accuracy Blast

Radius Reload Time

Fire Rate Ammo Spike Damage

Aggravated Damage

Grenade Launcher

400m 70% 8m 4 sec. 3 rounds/sec. 6 rounds per mag 55 None

Mine Layer 5m Variable 10m 4.5 sec. 1 mine/2 sec. 8 mines total inventory 85 None

Sand Spike 80m 80% 20m 5 sec. 5 shots/6 sec. 10 spikes total inventory 150 5/sec. for 4 seconds

Flamer 12m 65% 3m 4.2 sec. 2 gas units/sec.

20 gas units per tank 45 8/sec. for 6 seconds

Guided Missile 800m 90% 20m 5.5 sec. 1 missile/7 sec.

2 missiles total inventory 200 None

Grenade 10 -20m

Variable 12m N/A 1 toss/3 sec. 5 grenades (all types) total inventory

40 None

Stun Grenade 10 -20m

Variable 15m N/A 1 toss/3sec. 5 grenades (all types) total inventory

High Stun None

AoE Weapon Stats continued... Name Guidance Kill Potential Special Ammo Stun Strength Stun Duration

Grenade Launcher None Yes No Low - Medium 2 sec.

Mine Layer None Yes No Medium 3 sec.

Sand Spike Auto-targeting Yes No High 4.5 sec.

Flamer None No Yes Medium 3 sec.

Guided Missile Hybrid auto-targeting Yes No High 5 sec.

Grenade None No No Low 2 sec.

Stun Grenade None No No Medium 3 sec.

* Grenade range based on a 45-degree angle throw * All Stun Weapon stats should be stored as exposed variables These basic weapon interactions between damage, area of effect and stun allow the player to discover effective combinations of their own. A fast-moving vampire can be slowed down in a variety of ways, whether it be tangled by a net or crippled in the legs by a well-placed double-shotgun blast. This opens up the vampire to be more effectively damaged by a slower but more precise weapon such as the crossbow repeater. A stronger breed of vampire can be "softened up" by a flame thrower and subsequent attacks by more standard weapons will receive a damage bonus.



Area of Effect Weapons Crosshairs There is no bullet spread for AoE weapons due to the nature of the projectiles and damage delivered.

Usable Items Usable items appear in the environment and typically explode when they are fired upon. Name Blast Radius Spike Damage Aggravated Damage Kill Potential

Gas Can 20m 75 12 HP/sec.(3 seconds) Yes

Fuel Tank 40m 100 14 HP/sec (5 seconds) Yes

Gas cans and fuel tanks are not affected by melee weapons. Damage - Spike damage numbers based on a target proximity beginning at 2 meters. Any target caught within 2 meters of a Gas Can or Fuel Tank explosion suffers Damage x 2. This will kill most targets outright, including the player. Friendly Fire - Allies can be harmed by exploding Gas Cans and Fuel Tanks. Please refer to III. Special Ammo Types for a table outlining the specific details on how special ammo can alter the effects of Direct Damage, Stun and Area of Effect weapons.



II. Catch, Then Kill Example #1: A vampire lunges at you. You first fire your net launcher to ensnare the beast, buying yourself time to equip your spear gun and fire a pinpoint shot to the vampire’s heart for an instant kill. Example #2: You and your tribe are surrounded by a mob of vampires who are burrowing around you beneath the sand. You plant your Sand Spike into the ground, which launches a series of torpedoes underground. These kill some of the vampires and flushes out the others. You throw a stun grenade on the exposed fiends, allowing you the time to close in with your silver sword for a quick decapitation.

The "Catch, Then Kill" combat system flows directly from the tandem weapon effects. This system dictates that a vampire enemy can be destroyed outright with DD weapons but it is far from the most efficient method as it takes additional time and ammunition. While DD weapons inflict damage and deplete hit points, these hit points regenerate over time, so a vampire that has been peppered with rifle fire only will very rapidly heal itself to full health.



Catch, Then Kill Flowchart

A DD weapon will inflict much more damage to a target after it has been successfully stunned. Sustained attack on a target after it has been stunned and its Hit Points reduced to zero will kill it once an additional 50 points of damage has been inflicted. In many cases, a stunned target will be vulnerable to a critical blow -- such as a stake shot directly into the heart – that kills it instantly. See V. Enhanced Melee Maneuvers for more on this. Non-vampire enemies can be dispatched normally by inflicting enough direct damage to deplete their hit points to 0 or less.



The following table summarizes the general strategies required to defeat the different types of enemies in Desert Blood:

Enemy Type Method Stun First with... Kill with...

Thrall (Enemies & Obstacles)

Direct Damage N/A Any DD or AoE weapon

Djinn (Enemies & Obstacles)

Stun, then DD Any Stun or AoE weapon

Any DD weapon and most AoE weapons

Fastback (Enemies & Obstacles)

Stun, then DD Any Stun or AoE weapon

Any DD weapon and most AoE weapons

Troll (Enemies & Obstacles)

Large Stun, then DD AoE weapons or Stun weapons equipped with special ammo

Specific DD weapons



III. Special Ammo Types Several weapons - particularly Direct Damage weapons - can be loaded with various ammunition types. These different ammo types can be found at various points in the single-player campaign or they can be crafted by the player provided they have found the necessary materials. These ammo crafting materials are either found as a pick-up or harvested from fallen enemies. Harvesting

A menu overlay will appear after the player presses B button to harvest:

When equipped, special ammo confers one or more of the following bonuses:

Increased (Spike) damage power. Stun or crippling effects. Confer Kill Potential to a weapon otherwise incapable of such an effect. Add Aggravated damage.

Crafting Special Ammo The player can equip special ammo to their currently selected weapon by pressing any one of the directions on the controller's Directional Pad. Before special ammo can be applied and used it must first be crafted by the



player. Ammo types can be crafted and custom mapped to specific directional pad buttons by pressing the Back button.

The game pauses when the Ammo Crafting Menu is activated. In the above example, the player has selected Fuel. They highlight the crafting material of their choice with the Left Thumb Stick then press the A button to confirm their choice. Each press of the A button adds one additional unit of crafting material to be converted into special ammo. All compatible weapons will appear in the slots of the second column. Again the player highlights their choice using the thumb stick and presses the A button to confirm. A final confirmation will appear, at which point the player presses the A button again to confirm the ammo crafting. A final confirmation will be displayed, informing the player how many rounds of ammunition have been upgraded to the improved ammo type. The player can also press the B button to move back one step in the crafting process. Press the Back button to exit the Ammo Crafting Menu and return to the game. Below are the crafting materials available in the game, the associated weapons they are made for, levels in the game they are encountered, amount found and the unit-to-ammunition ratio yield from crafting:



Crafting Materials Stats Material Harvested or

Found Act & Level Found

Quantity Applicable Weapons

Unit-to-Ammo Ratio

Vampire Heart Fluid

Harvested Most levels featuring vampire enemies

1 unit per harvest

Stakes, Spears, Knives, Scimitars

1:1

Gold Found 2-1, 2-3, 3-3, 5-1, 5-2

12 units per encounter

Pistols, Sniper 1:4

Silver Found 1-3, 2-1, 2-3, 3-3, 3-4, 5-2


Pistols, Sniper 1:6

Vampire Blood Harvested Most levels featuring vampire enemies

4 units per harvest

Stakes, Spears, Knives, Scimitars

1:8

Metal Wire Found 2-2, 2-3, 3-5, 4-1, 5-1


Net Launcher 2:1

Explosives Found 3-1, 3-3, 4-4, 5-1 5 units per

encounter Crossbow

1:1

Fuel Found 2-3, 3-3, 3-5, 4-4 10 units per

encounter Crossbow, Flamer

1:1

Quality Stake Wood

Found 1-3, 2-1, 2-3, 3-3, 4-1


Stake Rifle 1:2

Special Ammo - Equip Flowchart



The following table outlines the bonus effects conferred by the different types of special ammo. Special Ammo Bonus Effects Material Spike Damage Aggravated Damage Stun Special Bonuses

Vampire Heart Fluid Stakes & Spears

+ 25-30 None + 2 seconds Adds Kill Potential to weapon

Golden Bullets + 50 None + 2.5 seconds Pierces up to 3 targets & Adds Kill Potential to weapon

Silver Bullets + 40 None + 1 second Adds Kill Potential to weapon

Vampire Blood + 15 + 2/sec. for 5 seconds + 1.5 seconds Adds Kill Potential to weapon

Wire None + 4/sec. for 5 seconds + 5 seconds Ensnared target can be tasered for 30 damage

Explosive Bolts + 50 None + 4 seconds Easier to register hit to enemy`s head or heart

Fuel soaked Bolts + 20 + 6/sec. for 6 seconds + 3 seconds Adds Aggravated Damage & Stun

Quality Stake Wood + 70 None + 2 seconds Combine with heart fluid or blood for extreme damage



IV. Survive as a Team or Die as a Team Types of NPCs You encounter 3 types of friendly NPCs in this game:

Fodder: Fodder NPCs have no bearing on the player's performance during the game. Similar to extras filmed for a movie, fodder characters are purely there for window dressing and their fate is determined entirely by the level scripting and story scripting. The actual number of Fodder NPCs is indeterminate and will ebb and flow depending on the needs of the current level.

Key Characters: These NPCs are not part of your traveling team of nomads or mercenaries but rather special characters whom you will encounter as part of the main story and campaign. The wise hermit, Khalid, is one example of a key character. You have no direct control over these NPCs.

Teammates: These are your AI-controlled companions that will also take orders issued to them from your Teammate Command Menu (activated by holding down the Left Trigger). In any given level or mission you will either have 2 companions, 1 companion or no companions to give orders to. Teammates can be killed, leading to a fail state requiring the player to restart from the most recent checkpoint. Teammates will call out to the player for help if they are downed by an enemy, at which point the player is expected to come to the Teammate's aid within a 5 - 10 second window. This should be an exposed variable. If the player takes too long to rescue the Teammate, they will die. Reviving Teammates is done simply by getting within range (1 meter or less) and pressing the "X" button. An on-screen prompt will also appear when the player is within range of a Teammate that requires reviving. This process takes 5 seconds -- make the animation speed for this an exposed variable. The player cannot be interrupted during a Teammate revival and is invulnerable to damage. The teammates characters in Desert Blood are: - Bahij Muhammed: Amid’s brother-in-law. - Brock Volkmann: Mistrustful leader of the mercenaries. - Rhasha al-Moudin: Leader of a rival nomadic tribe. - Lana Crosby: Love interest & second-in-command of the mercenary band. - Jenkins: Eccentric wanderer and master mechanic.

By default, all Teammates operate in Auto Mode. This dictates a general behaviour pattern for the AI which puts it in a moderately aggressive posture:

Attack the closest enemy within range. Attempt to kill the nearest stunned or downed enemy. Retreat when down to 25% health. Use Direct Damage weapons exclusively. Pursue a fleeing enemy target. Give the player an appropriate weapon if they are lacking one (Example: give the player a Stun

weapon if they have just lost a Stun weapon) Teammate Command Orders & Menu



There are 5 types of commands that you can issue to your Teammates:

Attack - Teammate uses Direct Damage attacks on the designated target. Stun - Teammate tries to stun or incapacitate the designated target. Help Me Out - Teammate will attempt to heal you when you are bleeding out. Defend - Teammate adopts a defensive posture (will always stay close to the player). Form on Me - All teammates converge on the player's current position. This is the only command that

affects both Teammates at once. The Teammate Command menu overlay is activated by holding down the Left-Trigger on the controller. While the Teammate Command menu is active, the game speed will slow to 50% of normal speed. This affects the in-game progress of time, so everything from entity movement, projectile speeds and explosions will be slowed down to half speed. This is done to minimize stress on the player as they issue their orders to teammates.



A visual representation of the Teammate Command Menu as it is seen in-game:

Each of these commands dictates a specific set of instructions to your Teammates: Attack When an attack order is given to a Teammate, he will attack the target nearest to your aiming reticule when the command was issued. He will respond with a verbal confirmation before stopping his current action, moving in range of the target and opening fire with a Direct Damage weapon. He will attack until the target is dead, downed or until he himself has suffered enough damage (25% of total health) that he needs to retreat. Teammate will refuse an Attack order (verbally & functionally) if his/her health is 25% or below total health. Stun As with Attack, except that your Teammate will switch to a Stun weapon (if not already selected) and attempt to incapacitate the target. Once the target has been successfully stunned, the Teammate will give a verbal confirmation before returning to Auto Mode. This will be the player's cue to locate the stunned enemy so that they can finish it off. There is a 15% chance that your Teammate will take the initiative to attempt a kill after they have successfully stunned an enemy. Help Me Out This command only registers if you have taken enough damage to be Downed. The Teammate will stop what they are doing and take the shortest path to your current location. Upon their arrival, the Teammate will initiate the Revival Process. The Revival Process takes 5 seconds to complete and cannot be interrupted.



After revival, the player will be given a replacement weapon if they had previously dropped or sacrificed a weapon. This is a default weapon depending on the category of weapon that is missing:

Direct Damage: Assault Rifle replacement Stun Weapon: Net Launcher replacement

The player regains 40% of their total Hit Points after being revived. Defend A Defend order will cause a Teammate to move within 10 meters of your position and attempt to always stay within that range. They will continue to attack enemy targets only when they cross over into the range of their currently equipped weapon. They will not pursue targets beyond the 10 meter defensive perimeter formed around your location. Form on Me This command is always issued to both of your AI Teammates. It is a quick way to call them back to your position before issuing them further orders. Teammates will continue firing on enemies within their range en route to your location. They will not focus fire on any one target. Once both Teammates have formed on your position, they will adopt Defend behaviour for 5 seconds before returning to Auto Mode. Teammate Weapon Loadout All Teammates come fully equipped with their own weapons and equipment. They never run out of ammunition except in case of Special Weapons such as grenades.



V. Enhanced Melee Maneuvers You can perform a context-sensitive melee attack by pressing the "B" button. The type of attack and its effectiveness is determined by the situation in which it is used.

Melee Attacks Summary Type of Melee Offense or Defense Enemy State Enemies Affected Special Notes

Gun Butt Both Alive & in range Most effective on human enemies

This stuns human & Thrall enemies for1.5 seconds upon contact

Kick Roll / Foot Pin Offense Stunned or Downed All except Bosses and Feeders

Executing this move prolongs the target’s stun state by 1 - 2 seconds

Deflect Grab Defense Alive & in range All Shows up as a QTE when game played on Easy difficulty

Last-Ditch Defense Defense Has grabbed player & about to deliver killing blow

All Vampires & Feeders

QTE button call outs are only shown on Easy and Normal difficulty

Gun Butt This is the default melee action when you press the B button. It is nearly identical to the kind of “keep away” melee pushes seen in games like Left 4 Dead. It is best used on human targets and Thralls. It is ineffective on all other vampire enemies, including the stationary Feeder. Gun butting a human or Thrall will push them back 2 meters and stun them for up to 2 seconds.



Example:

Exposed Variables: Stun stagger Distance, Stun Duration, Effective Range (meters) Kick Roll / Foot Pin If an applicable enemy has been stunned AND they are lying face-down on the ground, the player may execute a KR/FP. When initiated, the camera and game objects lock into a brief canned animated sequence that shows the player character pinning the target down with his left foot or delivering a swift kick that rolls the target over on the ground before pinning them down with his left foot. This move is of mostly superficial value when used on human targets. The real value of the KR/FP is when it is used on a stunned vampire that has been taken off its feet. The player wants to either separate the vampire’s head or destroy its heart and the best way to get a clean shot at both areas is to execute a KR/FP

If an enemy target is not killed during a KR/FP move sequence, they will get back to their feet once the stun effects have expired. Example:



OR

Exposed Variables: Stun Duration, Effective Range (meters), Speed of Animation (frames/sec.) Deflect Grab Any humanoid enemy has the ability to lunge at the player and grab them. Each type of enemy has its own animation that telegraphs when they are going in for a grab. There is a small window of time (0.5 – 1 second) between the telegraph and grab contact when the player can deflect the grab attempt. On the Easy difficulty the game will display a QTE-style button prompt that will assist the player on the exact time to press the B button. This prompt should appear centered and closer to the bottom of the screen. Multiple button presses are possible during this deflection window but only 1 button press will be registered. When an enemy successfully grabs a player, they can immediately follow up with a melee attack. Once grabbed, the player must rapidly press the B button to break free of the enemy’s hold. Deflecting or breaking a hold will stagger both the enemy and player 1 meter away from each other.



Example:

Exposed Variables: Deflection Window Length (seconds), Stagger Distance (meters), Button Press Rate (for breaking free of a grab) Last-Ditch Defense Once a vampire has grabbed the player, they may attempt a killing blow, usually rearing up to deliver a bite to the player’s face or neck. The Feeder will have its own tell-tale animation to telegraph to the player when they are going to try a killing blow, as will each type of vampire enemy. The last –ditch defense melee is intended to counter this attack by doing something drastic, like jamming the player’s currently equipped weapon into the vampire’s open mouth. As with the grab deflections, there is a small window of time to properly execute a LDD counter-melee. There should be a visual QTE button call out on both Easy and Normal difficulty because the consequence of failing a LDD is the player’s death. To make it more challenging, the QTE window for executing a LDD does NOT support button-mashing. The player must learn to recognize the enemy animations and/or the QTE prompts and learn to time their single B button press to pull of the LDD. There will be sufficient training in the tutorial and early levels of the game to acclimate the player to this style of play. Since the player sacrifices their equipped weapon by jamming it into the enemy’s mouth, they will be short 1 weapon after they have performed a LDD and broken free from the enemy’s grasp. Note: A LDD is only possible if the player is armed with a suitable weapon, which is any weapon that requires two hands to hold. If an unarmed player is grabbed, they are helpless to block any killing blows.



Example:

Exposed Variables: LDD Window Length (seconds), Animation Speed (frames/sec.), Probability of Enemy performing a Killing Blow

VI. A Brutal Landscape Beyond the Sand The desert setting provides the game with specific obstacles outside of combat with enemies:

Movement in Sand Sandstorms

Movement in Sand Player and enemy walk and run speeds are affected when traversing sand environments. Movement speed is reduced by 5 – 10%. Default Player and enemy movement speeds are listed in the Enemies & Obstacles (Section Enemies & Obstacles ) of this document. Sand Movement - Exposed Variables:



Movement Speed Modifier when on sand (meters/sec.) Sandstorms The player will face two sandstorms in the course of Desert Blood’s campaign. The first is planned to appear in Act 4 and the second storm is planned for later in the act. Act 4 Sandstorm This encounter is broken up into two parts:

1. The player must traverse a level during a sandstorm. They have reduced movement and visibility. During this level the player will battle vampires and attempt to find their way in the confusion of the storm. For specific beat and walkthrough details, please refer to the Act Four gameplay walkthrough.Gameplay Walkthrough

2. The sandstorm picks up to a dangerous intensity level. This provides a scripted turn of events that leads the player into a cave for refuge. The cave is actually a gateway into an ancient tomb comprised of intricate tunnels and chambers. For specific beat and walkthrough details, please refer to the Act Four gameplay walkthroughGameplay Walkthrough .

Act 4 Sandstorm - Sand Panther The player gains access to a Sand Panther in Scenario 5 and uses the robotic mount to get through the last sandstorm encounter of the game. This will be a chase sequence followed by a combat sequence For specific beat and walkthrough details, please refer to the Act Four gameplay walkthroughGameplay Walkthrough . Sandstorm Exposed Variables:

Overall View Distance (meters) Field of View Blur Distance (meters) Movement Speed Modifier when on sand (meters/sec.)

Locations There are specific play environments beyond the endless expanse of desert:

Nomad Tribe Village - Starting Position

Camel Slaughter Area

Mercenary Compound

Mercenary Encampment (smaller)

Ruined Military Base

Desert Cave System



Ancient Burial Tomb

Tomb - Inner Sanctum - End Game

VII. Uncompromising Gore & Terror The player’s own death will often be accompanied by a gory animated sequence, as will the death of many NPCs during the in-engine cut scenes and the pre-rendered cinematics. This is done to enhance the danger and threat of the vampire creatures as well as to provide a visceral thrill to the player. Animated Death Sequences Death of NPCs – In-Game Death animations will look slightly different depending on what type of NPC is dying and the type of enemy that did the killing. They will all fall into one of the following broad categories:

Decapitation: Fast Decapitation: Slow Arm torn off Leg torn off Torso skewered: from the front Torso skewered: from behind Skull bitten Throat torn out Body ripped in half Drops dead Bleeds out

NPC death animations during real-time play will be randomized. For the sake of performance, many Fodder NPCs will be seen simply dropping dead or bleeding out on the ground. The probability of seeing a more elaborate NPC death animation increases the closer the player is to an NPC when they die:

Probability of Detailed NPC Death

Exposed Variables: Probability of the player witnessing a simple NPC death animation at set distances Death of NPCs – Pre-rendered Cinematics

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

25 m

eters …

15m ‐19m

5m ‐9m

Simple Death Animation



Deaths portrayed during the cinematics in between levels and scenarios will also be gruesome. I will use the Media Bible and the Walkthrough & Cinematic Descriptions section to work with the art team to determine the best artistic direction of these scenes. The Player’s Death in First-Person View When the player dies from simply reaching 0 Hit Points, their character simply falls to the ground and the first-person camera will accurately reflect the new viewing angle (e.g., a low angle shot from the ground, looking up at the sky). A visual reference for this can be found in the Player Death View section. There are other situations when dying results in a more elaborate animation sequence:

Being grabbed and melee attacked by a vampire Being hit by a Killing Blow Being killed while bleeding out Being hit by a Boss Special Attack

The types of player death animations are almost as varied as the ones for NPCs:

Decapitation: Fast Decapitation: Slow Arm torn off Leg torn off Torso skewered: from the front Torso skewered: from behind Skull bitten Throat torn out Body ripped in half

Unlike NPC deaths, the probability of seeing a particular player death animation depends greatly on the player’s performance, the difficulty setting and the enemy types encountered. Exposed Variables: Death animation speed, enemy attack patterns Vampire Corpse Harvesting Harvesting vampire corpses for special ammo crafting materials is an important feature of the game. After almost every battle, the player will have the opportunity to harvest the bodies of the vampires they have slain. There are 2 types of harvesting animations:

1. Cutting out a vampire’s heart 2. Draining their blood

The state of the vampire’s corpse determines what harvesting options are available to the player. If the vampire has been decapitated, then the player has a choice of draining the blood or cutting out the heart. (An overlay menu will appear to present this choice to the player). If the vampire’s heart has been destroyed, then obviously the only option is to drain their blood.



Further details about the user interface and the mechanics of harvesting and special ammo crafting can be found in III. Special Ammo Types.

VIII. Nail-Biting Vehicle Action Sequences There are 3 controllable vehicles in Desert Blood:

1. Dune Buggy 2. Armoured Truck (gun turret) 3. Sand Panther (robotic mount)

Dune Buggy The dune buggy is introduced in Scenario 3 when the player is tasked with driving the buggy through a vampire-infested tract of desert in order to reach and activate a beacon.

The buggy has a few properties that can be edited by way of exposed variables:

Acceleration (meters/sec.) Top Speed (meters/sec.) Turn Radius Center of Gravity Weight (kg) # of collisions possible before it wrecks or Hit Points Suspension/Shocks

The standard controller map is altered slightly to accommodate the dune buggy sequence. Dune Buggy Controller Layout



Note: there is no need for the player to manually enter or exit the buggy When the buggy is at a full stop, the Left Trigger will engage reverse acceleration. Pressing Right Trigger decelerates reverse motion. The feel of driving the dune buggy should be geared towards providing a level of “arcade realism” with a focus on responsive control over an accurate driving simulation. Combat and Buggy Damage There is no combat during this sequence in the way of firing weapons or avoiding direct damage from vampire attacks. The buggy does not have armaments. Instead the player is expected to avoid collisions with both enemies and natural obstacles such as rocks, trees and buildings. Collision damage is determined by two key factors: WHAT the buggy is colliding with and the SPEED at which it collides. The following table will break down the damage numbers based on the objects involved and the general speed at which the collision takes place. Object / Enemy Slow Speed Medium Speed Top Speed Destroyable by

Buggy Collision?

Thrall No Damage No Damage No Damage Yes

Djinn No Damage No Damage No Damage Yes

Troll No Damage 35 45 Yes

Medium Rock No Damage 20 30 No

Large Rock 10 35 45 No

Trees 10 30 40 No

Structures 15 40 60 No

The above damage table is based on the dune buggy having a Hit Point total of 100. These numbers are also based on play balancing on the Normal (default) difficulty setting.



Armoured Truck Gun Turret This sequence takes place during Scenario 4. It does not feature any driving controls, rather it is a fixed turret shooting sequence where the player must fend off a marauding pack of Fastback vampires while an AI Teammates drives the truck through the desert. Fastbacks are one of the more animalistic breed of vampires, loping about on all four limbs and they are also the fastest moving enemies in the game, hence their name. They are outlined in greater detail in the Vampires section of this document. Here are some brief stats on them: Enemy Type Hit Points Movement

Speed Attack Range Attack Power Attack Rate Special

Abilities

Fastback 350 16m/sec. Melee - Short 15 2x /sec. 20-meter

lunge attack The controls during the turret sequence are greatly simplified. Turret Controller Layout

Gun Turret Sequence - Success & Failure The sequence is played like an endurance run. It lasts for 8 minutes and ends when the truck reaches the “finish line” or if the player fails. There will be checkpoints every 2 minutes (4 in total) to save the player's progress.



Failure is caused by:

Player loses all Hit Points Player receives a Killing Blow Truck loses all Hit Points

Object Hit Points Defensive

Bonus

Player 100 0

Turret 100 +20 armour

Truck 400 +40 armour

Note that the turret serves as a layer of armour for the player, effectively doubling the number of Hit Points the player has during this sequence. Turret Properties Name Range Accuracy Scoping Reload

Time Fire Rate

Ammo Spike Damage

Aggravated Damage


Special Ammo

Fixed Gun Turret

1500m Medium N/A N/A 500rpm Unlimited 4HP/round None Manual Yes No

The turret has unlimited ammunition and does not need to be reloaded. The player will still be limited by how often they can fire because the turret is prone to over-heating. Overheating occurs after roughly 6 seconds of non-stop firing. To cool down the gun the player must let off the trigger for 0.5 seconds to stop the heating, then wait another 3 seconds for the gun to completely cool down. During the cool down process, the player can resume firing the gun and it will begin heating up again from the most recent point in the cool down phase. The heat status of the gun turret will be clearly indicated on the player’s HUD, along with the player’s health and the truck’s health.



Visual representation of turret sequence 1

Scripted Actions and Killing Blows If a Fastback manages to reach the truck, there is a probability randomized between the range of 15% and 25% they will clamber up to the turret nest and begin attacking the player directly. When this happens it is similar to a Grab attack when on foot. A set animation will play that shows the Fastback directly in the player’s camera view. The player will be unable to shoot and they will be called upon to complete a timed button press sequence in order to push the Fastback off the truck or in some cases avoid a Killing Blow. There will be a button prompt displayed on the screen to assist the player with their timing (on all difficulty levels except for Deadly). Button-mashing will ruin the timing and fail the QTE. Failing the QTE will result in damage to the player at 30 Hit Points (regular 15 points damage x 2). Once this damage is done, the Fastback will be automatically "shaken off" the player. Sand Panther The Sand Panther sequence occurs in Act Four and it is the last vehicle-style sequence in the game. It is a prototype model created by Jenkins, the brilliant mechanic introduced in the same act. The dune buggy sequence was about driving. The truck turret sequence was about shooting. The Sand Panther sequence melds elements of driving and shooting. Concept image for the Sand Panther:



Sand Panther Statistics Name Hit Points Max. Movement

Speed Attack Range Attack Power Attack Rate Special

Abilities

Sand Panther 200 40m/sec. N/A N/A N/A --

Sand Panther Controller Layout The control scheme when riding the panther is very similar to the default controller layout.



Play Mechanics The sand panther is not a combat vehicle but it does provide an extra layer of protection for the player. When taking damage from enemies, the player splits the damage evenly with the sand panther. The player cannot use melee attacks while riding the sand panther. (If the player begins this sequence without a ranged weapon, they will be equipped with an Assault Rifle for this sequence only. Any melee weapon will be temporarily hidden and disabled). The B button is used to dismount the panther. If it is still moving, the panther will rapidly decelerate to a stop before the player is allowed to dismount. To mount the sand panther, the player simply comes within 1 meter distance of the panther, faces it and holds the X button. There will be an onscreen button prompt once the player is within mounting range. It takes 1 second to mount or dismount the panther, during which time the player is temporarily invulnerable to damage. While riding the panther, the player is vulnerable to damage but grabs and killing blows cannot be performed on the player. Once dismounted and on foot, the player is vulnerable to all regular and special attacks. If the sand panther’s Hit Points reach 0 during this sequence, it is destroyed. The game ends and the player must restart from their last checkpoint. Weapon Usage The player may use almost any weapon while riding the Sand Panther with some notable exceptions:

Sand Spike Mine Layer



Guided Missile Flamer

For the Sand Panther sequence’s detailed level layout, please refer to the Gameplay Walkthrough gameplay walkthrough section.



Gameplay Details

Movement & Navigation

Movement Controls Walking Moving Amid is done with the Left Thumbstick and should take advantage of the analog nature of the thumbstick design on both console platforms. A small movement of the stick will result in a slow walk whereas pushing the stick all the way in a direction will result in a steady trot. Sprinting To sprint, the player clicks in the Left Thumbstick while still maintaining forward movement of any speed. The spring is engaged so long as the thumbstick is held forward. Sprinting will disengage under 3 conditions:

1. The left thumbstick is returned to neutral position 2. The player-character runs out of Stamina 3. The player-character is hit by an enemy attack

The player cannot attack while sprinting. There will be no feedback onscreen if the player presses the Right-Trigger, B button, or Right Bumper buttons. Sprinting Stamina The player can spring for as long as they have stamina. Sprinting depletes stamina but stamina can be regained by not sprinting for a short period of time:



Jumping Press the "A" button to jump. The player can jump while in motion in any direction or from a standing start. This is not a game about jumping over many obstacles so the jump height is capped to a realistic level. Type of Jump Height

(meters) Distance (meters)

Air Time (sec.) Expose Variable

Standing Start 0.75 0 1.6 Yes

Walking/Sprinting 1.1 2.4 1.9 Yes

Control Diagram

Head Movement & Aiming Player head movements are linked to the aim direction of their equipped weapon or targeting reticule as is the standard for a first-person shooter. Please refer to Combat System for more details on aiming.

Crouching & Misc. The player does not initiate crouching in Desert Blood. The combat mechanics and level design do not necessitate a manual crouch. In cases when the level design requires the player to move into a cramped space, the game will automatically move them into and out of a crouched stance.



Combat System

Shooting & Attacking To attack with their currently equipped weapon, the player presses the Right-Trigger button.

Attack (Right-Trigger) This can be pressed once or held down for automatic-firing weapons. Melee weapons such as kukri knives can be equipped as primary weapons and attacks with these types of weapons is also done by pressing the Right-Trigger. Switch Weapon / Pick-Up Weapon (Y button) Pressing Y will switch between the 2 primary weapons the player can carry at any one time. Typically they will be carrying one Direct Damage and one Stun weapon and switch between the two during a combat encounter. In addition to showing an animation of the weapons being swapped, there will also be a HUD indicator to reflect the change in weapons. Weapon Switching Speeds: Switch to Single-Handed Weapons = 1.25 seconds Switch to Two-Handed Weapons = 2 seconds The player can pick up a weapon from the ground and swap it with their currently held weapon by standing within 0.5 meters of the grounded weapon and holding the Y button. A visual prompt will appear on the HUD to alert the player of when they are in proper range to pick up a weapon from the ground.



Select Grenades & Special Weapons (Left Bumper) Pressing Left Bumper will toggle between all the grenades and special weapons the player has in their inventory. There will be a visual indicator on the HUD to show which grenade/special weapon is currently active. Throw Grenade / Use Special Weapon (Right Bumper) Throw distance on grenades is based on angle only; the length of time that the bumper button is held has not affect on the force of the throw. The grenade will simply release immediately once the bumper has been pressed. Aim (Right Thumb Stick) The Right Thumb Stick moves the camera view and also aims player's currently selected weapon. An aiming reticule is displayed in the center of the screen for all weapons.

Melee Melee attacks are contextual and performed by pressing the B button. All melee attacks are valid within 1 meter range of the target. Note that primary melee weapon attacks (kukri knives, spears, etc.) are performed by pressing the Right Trigger button. These are considered to be normal primary weapon attacks. Full details on melee attacks can be found in the V. Enhanced Melee Maneuvers section of this document.

Health System Desert Blood uses a hybrid regenerating health system similar to the one found in Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. The player's health bar is divided into 4 segments. Each of these segments is capable of self-regenerating Hit Points unless it has been completely depleted of Hit Points:

Each segment represents 25 points of health for a total of 100 Hit Points. Each segment of the health bar regenerates Hit Points at different rates. The player must not take any damage for a certain amount of time before regeneration initiates. This is known as Cooldown. Below is a table showing cooldown and regeneration rates for each health bar segment:



Health Bar - Cooldown & Regeneration Rates

Segment Cooldown (sec.) Regeneration Rate (sec.)

1 4 4

2 3.5 2

3 2.5 1.8

4 2.0 1.5

Armour Certain enemies have Armour that is also measured in the same way as Hit Points. Unlike hit points, armour does not regenerate. Armour must be fully depleted on an enemy before the hit points can be depleted.

Stun Different weapons will have differing stun effects, particularly the specialized Stun weapons. For specific numbers on weapon stun effects, please consult I. Weapon Variety & Tandem Weapon Effects.

Usable Items Ammunition (including Special Ammo) pick-ups are acquired automatically when a player walks over them. Any other items are acquired by getting in range (0.5 meter) and holding the Y button. There are game objects that can be destroyed to create damaging explosions. Two such object types are Gas Cans and Fuel Tanks. They are discussed in greater detail in the I. Weapon Variety & Tandem Weapon Effects.



Game Modes

Overview Desert Blood is a single-player only game. The campaign is made up of 5 acts with 3 to 5 levels in each act. There are no other modes of play.

Single Player Game

Achievements and Trophies Desert Blood supports Xbox Live Achievements and Playstation 3 Trophies. Xbox Live Achievement List Name Gamerscore Points Description

The Long Road Ahead 10 Begin your Quest to Find your Father

Grudge Match 15 Defeat Rhasha in a Duel

Gain Your Footing 10 Complete the Tutorial

You Are the Prey 20 Survive Your First Vampire Attack

The Great Beatdown 10 Damage 50% of Vol'suth's Health on your First Meeting

I'm Not Yoda 10 Meet Khalid

Renewed Motivation 20 Complete Act Two

The Mercs are Jerks 5 Meet Brock and his Mercs

There's Sand in my Roadkill 10 Run Over 10 Sand Vampires with Buggy

Roadkill with Style 15 Sideswipe 10 Sand Vampires with Buggy

Buggy Barbarian 20 Complete the Dune Buggy Sequence

Troll Bashing 20 Defeat the Troll & Save the Mercs

Master Blaster 10 Kill 20 Fastbacks with the Truck Turret

Rear Guard Perfection 30 Complete Turret Sequence without taking any Damage

Get Them Off Our Tail 20 Complete the Turret Sequence

It's EnThralling Isn't It? 30 Defeat 50 Thralls While Defending the Merc Compound

Master Tactician 30 Defend the Compound without ever losing a Weapon or Running Out of Ammo

That's Thrall, Folks! 20 Complete Act Three

Not Brock Lesnar 20 Defeat Brock Volkmann in a Fist Fight



Sandstorm Blues 20 Survive the Sandstorm Ambush

Boys and their Toys 10 Meet Jenkins

Fire and Forget 20 Kill 5 Vampires with 1 Sand Spike shot

Shelter from the Sand 50 Complete Act Four

Sins of the Father 30 Discover your Father's Remains

Tomb Raider 25 Find the Hidden Ammo Cache within the Tomb

Well Done! 20 Blast 10 Vampires into the Well

Revenge for the Fallen 80 Defeat Vol'suth

Flawless Revenge 50 Defeat Vol'suth without having to Reload from a Checkpoint

Lana Hangs On 20 Save Lana from the Well

Old Rivalries 50 Defeat Rhasha the Vampire

Bahij's Time 100 Finish the Game on Any Difficulty

A Hard Time Well Spent 50 Finish the Game on Hard Difficulty

Hardcore Vampire Hunter 50 Finish the Game on Deadly Difficulty

Playstation 3 Trophies List Name Trophy Type Description

The Long Road Ahead Bronze Begin your Quest to Find your Father

Grudge Match Silver Defeat Rhasha in a Duel

Gain Your Footing Bronze Complete the Tutorial

You Are the Prey Bronze Survive Your First Vampire Attack

The Great Beatdown Gold Damage 50% of Vol'suth's Health on your First Meeting

I'm Not Yoda Bronze Meet Khalid

Renewed Motivation Bronze Complete Act Two

The Mercs are Jerks Bronze Meet Brock and his Mercs

There's Sand in my Roadkill Silver Run Over 10 Sand Vampires with Buggy

Roadkill with Style Gold Sideswipe 10 Sand Vampires with Buggy

Buggy Barbarian Silver Complete the Dune Buggy Sequence

Troll Bashing Silver Defeat the Troll & Save the Mercs

Master Blaster Silver Kill 30 Fastbacks with the Truck Turret

Rear Guard Perfection Gold Complete Turret Sequence without taking any Damage

Get Them Off Our Tail Bronze Complete the Turret Sequence

It's EnThralling Isn't It? Silver Defeat 50 Thralls While Defending the Merc Compound

Master Tactician Gold Defend the Compound without ever losing a Weapon or Running Out of Ammo

That's Thrall, Folks! Bronze Complete Act Three



Not Brock Lesnar Silver Defeat Brock Volkmann in a Fist Fight

Sandstorm Blues Silver Survive the Sandstorm Ambush

Boys and their Toys Bronze Meet Jenkins

Fire and Forget Silver Kill 5 Vampires with 1 Sand Spike shot

Shelter from the Sand Silver Complete Act Four

Sins of the Father Silver Discover your Father's Remains

Tomb Raider Gold Find the Hidden Ammo Cache within the Tomb

Well Done! Silver Blast 10 Vampires into the Well

Revenge for the Fallen Gold Defeat Vol'suth

Flawless Revenge Gold Defeat Vol'suth without having to Reload from a Checkpoint

Lana Hangs On Silver Save Lana from the Well

Old Rivalries Gold Defeat Rhasha the Vampire

Bahij's Time Gold Finish the Game on Any Difficulty

A Hard Time Well Spent Gold Finish the Game on Hard Difficulty

Hardcore Vampire Hunter Gold Finish the Game on Deadly Difficulty

Amid Jezhar, Vampire Slayer Platinum Collect All Trophies in the Game

Saving and Loading The player's progress is saved automatically as they progress through the game. Checkpoints are placed throughout each level. The pacing of all checkpoints can be found in the descriptions and level layouts of the Beat Chart. There will be 1 save slot per player account (i.e., Xbox Live Gamertag). Every time a player beings a New Game from the Main Menu, they will overwrite any existing save game data. A menu prompt to warn the player of any save game overwrites will be displayed with two options: Continue or Cancel.



Gameplay Walkthrough

Walkthrough & Cinematic Descriptions

Act One Introduction & Tutorial - Meet Amid Jezhar and his Tribe

CINEMATIC: Short credit sequence. Introduce the nomads, including Amid Jezhar, Bahij and Amid's mother. The nomads have traveled a fair distance and have settled into their temporary village settlement. We are also introduced to Amid's wife, Kahlea and their young daughter.

Checkpoint Amid Jezhar explores his tribe's village Amid speaks to his wife & daughter Amid speaks to Bahij Amid speaks to his mother Amid's mother reveals the Amulet to him Short tutorial sequence Checkpoint

The Quest - Amid Tasked with Seeking out his Father / Amulet

Amid initially refuses to answer the call to adventure Mother convinces Amid to go Amid accepts the quest to seek out his long-lost father. Amid announces his quest to the tribe Amid gathers up a traveling group, including Bahij CINEMATIC: Amid and his party set off on their journey Checkpoint

First Act Turning Point Part 1 - Dead Camels & Rival Tribe

CINEMATIC: Amid and his tribe come upon a disturbing scene after the first day of their journey. They find a string of severely mutilated camels. It was not caused by a man and the savagery of the attacks is not recognizable by any other living creature. The nomads are troubled by this and the more superstitious of the tribe suggest turning back. Amid silences their fear and urges everyone to press onward.

Checkpoint CINEMATIC: Amid is confronted by rival tribe and their leader, Rhasha al-Moudin. Rhasha has heard

about Amid's quest and rushed out here to intercept him. He claims the Amulet left to Amid by his father was stolen. It is actually a family heirloom belonging to Rhasha's tribe. Amid spits into the sand. He will not simply turn over the Amulet to his sworn enemy. Rhasha proposes a "gentleman's challenge": defeat him in hand-to-hand combat and they can continue on their quest in peace.



Checkpoint Amid duels Rhasha al-Moudin with knives and spears Short tutorial sequence during the duel Amid wins the duel The tribes engage in battle Checkpoint

First Act Turning Point Part 2 - Vampires Attack!

CINEMATIC: The Sand Vampires attack. This is a high impact introduction to the vampires. The nomads are taken completely by surprise. A couple nomads from each of the rival tribes is gruesomely killed by the vampires. A couple are dragged beneath the sand and re-emerge in pieces while the others are torn apart on the surface.

Checkpoint The 2 tribes are attacked by a group of 5 vampires Amid and his tribe mates defeat the vampires after taking a few casualties Short tutorial sequence during combat Checkpoint

Act Two The Refusal - Amid Goes Back Home to Warn Them

The rival tribes decide to band together & put aside differences Amid is desperate to warn his family and tribe about the vampires Tribe mates continue onward while Amid and Bahij hurry back home CINEMATIC: Amid returns to the tribe's village to find it in ruins and everyone dead. He rushes to the

body of his wife and cries in anguish. Checkpoint

The Beatdown - First (Unsuccessful) Encounter with Vol'suth

The culprit is a large, powerful vampire, Vol'suth. He is the main villain. Vol'suth first seen tearing apart and eating one of Amid's tribesman. Amid & Bahij attack Vol'suth but are beaten badly Both Amid & Bahij too exhausted and injured to fight any more. They prepare to die. Checkpoint

Meet the Mentor - Khalid Saves Amid

Khalid - the mentor - saves Amid & Bahij from Vol'suth Khalid attacks Vol'suth with a hi-tech crossbow loaded with explosive bolts Vol'suth flees into the desert Checkpoint Khalid introduces himself and provides healing to Amid & Bahij Khalid recognizes something special about Amid's Amulet. Tells him to hang on to it. Khalid teaches Amid some techniques on handling the vampires



Short tutorial sequence Checkpoint

Crossing the Threshold - Amid Thirsts for Revenge, Leaves to Rejoin Tribe mates

Amid and Bahij take a couple days to fully heal Amid asks Khalid to join them on their quest but he declines... he is a wanderer and loner Amid's motivation to complete his quest is renewed... it's personal now. Amid & Bahij set off to rejoin their tribe Checkpoint

Act Three The Mercenary Compound - Rejoin Tribe and Meet Brock Volkmann

Amid & Bahij track their tribe mates by heading to the nearest oasis They find the other nomads at a heavily fortified mercenary compound The nomads seeking entrance into the compound to resupply The mercs, lead by Brock Volkmann, have just been attacked by vampires and are not willing to help Checkpoint

Amid's Solo Mission to Find 2nd Camp - Dune Buggy Sequence

Brock strikes a deal with Amid Mercs have lost contact with their second camp & want to find out what happened to them. Too

cowardly to risk their own men to find out. If Amid drives Brock's battered dune buggy to the 2nd camp & bring back any news and/or survivors,

Brock will offer shelter and aid to the nomads. Amid doesn't like the arrangement but agrees to the deal Checkpoint CINEMATIC: The mercs brings out the dune buggy for Amid & get it started for him. Amid bids a

solemn farewell to Bahij and his tribe mates, straps in and rides off in the direction of the 2nd mercenary camp.

Checkpoint Dune Buggy Sequence: Amid takes Brock's directions and drives out 5 kilometers to find the 2nd

camp. Amid encounters some Sand Vampires along the way but either outruns them or runs them over in the

buggy. Checkpoint

Battle the Troll - Meet Lana Crosby and Mercenary Team B

CINEMATIC: Amid finds the second mercenary camp under attack by vampires and a vampire troll. After getting the buggy to full speed, Amid ejects and crashes the buggy into the Troll. Amid regains his footing and joins the battle.

Checkpoint Amid fights the Troll with the help of Mercenary Team B and their leader, Lana Crosby



Amid defeats the Troll CINEMATIC: Amid explains why he has come to find the mercenaries. Lana tells them Amid their

communications equipment has been working fine, revealing Brock's treachery to abandon Mercenary Team B to the vampire hordes. Amid stresses his need to return to his comrades and Lana decides to join him on his journey back to the mercenary compound. They both have a score to settle with Brock. The group gathers their equipment and pack into 2 of their remaining vehicles, two gigantic deuce and a half trucks.

Checkpoint Reunite the Mercs - Truck Gun Turret Sequence

Amid and the mercenaries begin their journey back to the compound and their convoy is immediately set upon by a large pack of hyena-like vampires known as Fastbacks. Each truck is equipped with a defensive gun turret, each manned by a mercenary.

Amid and the other mercenaries begin firing on the Fastbacks with their guns The gunner on Amid and Lana's truck is soon overwhelmed and killed. Amid takes control of the turret

and we begin the Gun Turret Sequence Checkpoint Amid guns down dozens of Fastbacks as they make their escape through the desert. The mercenaries suffer some casualties but they manage to fend off the Fastbacks and arrive back at

Brock's compound. Checkpoint

Reunite the Mercs - Amid and Lana's Confrontation with Brock

CINEMATIC: The deuce and a half convoy arrives at the compound to find the nomads being harassed at gunpoint by Brock's mercs sheltered in the compound. They have laid down their guns and are kneeling on the ground. It looks like Brock means to rob them, kill them or both. One of Brock's mercs standing guard sees the convoy and raises his gun to fire before his head is taken off by a sniper from one of the trucks. Rather than stopping to ask questions, Lana drives her truck straight through one of the compound's electrified fences. There is a tense stand-off as Brock and his mercs prepare to battle the new arrivals. The convoy has both their turrets trained on Brock and they are also ready to fight. Lana accuses Brock of being a coward and abandoning them. Brock justifies the decision for the greater good and their mission. Amid checks on his fellow tribe mates before he also accuses Brock of sending him on a suicide mission and breaking his word. Just when you think bedlam will break out between the nomads and the two merc factions, a guard on one of the lookout posts shouts down a warning: a large mass of figures has risen from the sand not a kilometer away from the compound and they are closing in fast.

Checkpoint Defend the Compound - Thrall Assault Set Piece!

The mercenary compound is about to be attacked by a horde of Thralls, former humans that have been turned into blood-thirsty, mindless slaves by their vampire-inflicted wounds.



CINEMATIC: The mercs grudgingly put aside their grievances in order to hastily prepare for the impending assault. Amid and his nomads also opt to fight against a common enemy. Preparations are made for battle!

Checkpoint Amid battles the Thrall horde alongside his nomad and mercenary companions Amid can issue orders to his Teammates, Bahij and Lana. Lana is in trouble when she falls off her sniper perch and Amid must rescue her. Amid is later surprised by two Djinn vampires who are leading the Thrall attack It is Lana's time to return the favour and bring Amid to safety: she hits both vampires with crossbow

bolts, buying Amid the time to scramble up to safety. Checkpoint CINEMATIC: Brock and Rhasha al-Moudin are shown to be cowards during the Thrall assault. They

are capable fighters but are more than willing to sacrifice their comrades if it means saving their own bacon. The last Thrall is eventually annihilated. The nomads and mercs regroup. The compound is in shambles after the attack and is barely useable as a defensive position anymore. All vehicles are destroyed now. Amid and his tribe press on with their quest. Rhasha's tribe has suffered heavy casualties up to this point and see no other option but to tag along. Brock and the rest of the mercs learn more of Amid's quest and decide to follow as well, thinking there may be great treasures to be found. Lana delivers a long-overdue right hook to Brock's face as thanks for abandoning them earlier. She almost shoots him but is stopped by Amid. Amid is happy to have Lana join his cause but is not so thrilled to have Rhasha, Brock and the other mercs tagging along. Nonetheless, he is not in any position to stop the hangers-on to his party.

Checkpoint

Act Four Merc In-Fighting Part 1

CINEMATIC: The mercs and nomads begin their foot journey across the desert together. Tensions are still high and the powder keg eventually explodes, leading to a melee battle between Brock and Amid

Checkpoint Amid battles Brock in hand-to-hand combat Amid emerges victorious and spares Brock's life The victory is short-lived as a large sandstorm kicks up on the horizon. Checkpoint

Sandstorm Trek

The nomads and mercs begin traveling with great difficulty through the sandstorm. To make matters worse, they are attacked by a large pack of Djinn vampires

Sandstorm Vampire Ambush Near the Ruined Military Base



Hero and his party retreat to a ruined military base where they make their last stand The mercs and nomads begin dropping like flies Amid, Lana and Bahij band together and fight the vampires in the limited visibility as best they can. The initial wave of vampires is defeated but the heroes are crest fallen when they see a second group

of vampires looming in the distance The first line of vampires suddenly explodes in a shower of gore... a new combatant has entered the

arena to save the mercs and nomads from certain destruction. Checkpoint

Meet Jenkins - Brings the Weapons & Toys to Even the Odds

CINEMATIC: Introduction to Jenkins, ex-mercenary, professional wanderer and master mechanic. He serves as the player's second mentor. Jenkins has been using the abandoned base as a supply storage. He rides in on a mechanized mount called a Sand Panther and a whole lot of new weapons. Jenkin's arrival boosts everyone's morale and they renew their battle efforts.

Checkpoint Amid gains new weapons: the Sand Spike, Guided Missile and Grenade Launcher Amid has a chance to use any of the new weapons against the vampires CINEMATIC: Karma catches up to Rhasha. He is taken down by a couple Fastbacks and dragged off

into the desert screaming. Checkpoint Amid and his group defeat the vampires. A handful of Fastbacks flee the scene. CINEMATIC: Lana's foot get caught on some rope, which is then hitched onto one of the fleeing

Fastbacks. Lana is dragged off into the desert. Amid leaps onto the Sand Panther and chases after her.

Checkpoint Amid's final vehicle action sequence. He rides the Sand Panther in pursuit of the Fastbacks. He must

kill or disable the vampires while avoiding harm to Lana Amid finally catches up to the final Fastback that is dragging Lana. CINEMATIC: Lana shows her bravery and resourcefulness by dispatching the final Fastback herself.

Amid offers his hand and hoists Lana onto the Sand Panther before they ride back to rejoin the group. Checkpoint

Sandstorm Picks Up - Flee Vampires & Find Shelter

Amid, the nomads and the mercs minus Rhasha al-Moudin continue on their journey through the sandstorm

Jenkins is still with them but he's been injured and is being carried by two nomads The sandstorm picks up to dangerous levels The group sees a another pack of Djinn vampires on their tail and they start moving faster They are impeded by the sandstorm and are about to make their last stand when Lana spots what

looks to be a cave opening in the distance. The group makes a run for the cave. Checkpoint Jenkins knows he is dead weight and volunteers to hold off the vampires as the rest make their escape

into the cave. CINEMATIC: Jenkins unfurls a portable gun turret and makes his last stand against the vampires with

the help of one of Amid's tribe mates. As they are about to be overwhelmed, Jenkins detonates his



turret and creates an explosion that takes out all the vampires and partially collapses the cave entrance.

Checkpoint

Act Five Escape the Sandstorm - Enter the Secret Cave CINEMATIC: Amid and the group delve into the cave and discover it to be much bigger than it initially seemed. The cave actually breaks off into a network of man-made tunnels and soon leads them into a small chamber that appears to be part of a large tomb. Brock and his mercs, hungry for treasure, immediately break off from the group, stealing a couple of the best weapons on their way out.

Checkpoint Enter the Tomb - Explore & Battle the Vampires Underground

Amid and the rest of the team venture deeper into the ancient tomb. They battle more vampires here, including new variants called Feeders CINEMATIC: We cut to Brock and his merry band of mercs getting in over their heads. They are

slaughtering vampires left and right on their mission to find tomb treasures when they come upon a vampire that is far too powerful for all of them (it's the end boss, Vol'suth). Brock and friends are killed gruesomely.

Checkpoint Finding the Father - Amid Finds his Father's Remains & Clues

Amid stumbles into a deep cavern where he finds evidence of a old camp/excavation site It's here Amid finds the remains of his late father and his belongings Father's notes, letters and another Amulet that matches the one Amid has The Amulet's are actually containers that can be opened, each revealing a small vial of mysterious

liquid inside. CINEMATIC: Amid sees his father in a new light. Father knew about the vampires and seemed to be

on a mission to annihilate them before he died. Amid ponders the use of the Amulets. Seems linked to the vampires in some way

Checkpoint The Well

Amid discovers a well in the heart of the ancient tomb It seems bottomless and anguished screams come out from the depths of the well Vampires also come out of the well! Is this the source of the vampires? Amid and friends battle more of the vampires that come out of the well CINEMATIC: In the same area, Vol'suth reveals himself again for the first time since Act One. Checkpoint

Battle Vol'suth! - Climax

Amid, Bahij, Lana and what's left of the mercs battles Vol'suth in a climactic battle



Amid is seriously injured during the fight but presses on Vol'suth speaks to Amid in a foreign language and starts to target Amid exclusively Amid is on the ropes now and is about to be finished off by Vol'suth Checkpoint Lana and Bahij team up to pull off a surprising comeback Amid also gets a second wind and delivers the finishing blow CINEMATIC: Vol'suth utters the name of Amid's father before crumpling to the ground, dead. Checkpoint

Battle Rhasha al-Moudin - He Comes back as a Vampire

Amid is barely hanging on but the fight isn't over yet CINEMATIC: All seems find after Vol'suth's death until one of the nomads is viciously killed by none

other than Rhasha al-Moudin. Rhasha survived being dragged away by the vampires but has suffered wounds that turned him into a vampire himself. He is not a mindless Thrall, however, and is as powerful as a Djinn vampire. He still carries his grudge against Amid and is mad with his new-found vampiric strength. Rhasha begins to close in for the kill.

Checkpoint Amid, Bahij and Lana battle the vampire, Rhasha. Amid is on his last leg. Lana is also seriously wounded by Rhasha Lana is pushed to the mouth of the well and is left hanging on for dear life Amid lunges in to save Lana from falling Rhasha takes this opportunity to attack the vulnerable Amid and Lana CINEMATIC: Bahij turns up the heroics. He uses the stake rifle to seriously wound Rhasha. As he is

stunned, Bahij takes a vial from one of the Amulets and crushes it in Rhasha's open mouth. The liquid inside the vial begins eating away at the vampire at an alarming rate. While Rhasha is in his death throes, Amid finishes saving Lana from the well then kicks Rhasha down screaming into the well. Rhasha has been defeated.

Checkpoint

Resolution

CINEMATIC: Both Amid and Lana are mortally wounded. The vampires attacks have subsided but the threat is still out there. Amid is at peace after learning that his father was on a noble mission to destroy the vampires rather than an irresponsible adventurer who neglected his tribe. Amid bestows his Amulet to Bahij and asks him to look for any survivors from their tribe. He also tasks Bahij with continuing his father's legacy by hunting down the remaining vampires and finding a way to destroy them once and for all. Bahij accepts Amid's request. Amid and Lana can no longer move and they soon die together. Bahij says his final farewell & pays his respects before leaving the well chamber. The final shot: Bahij emerges from the cave entrance, wearing the Amulet around his neck and carrying an arsenal of salvaged weaponry. The sandstorm has passed but awaiting Bahij is a small group of Djinn vampires. Bahij is not afraid. With a steely gaze, he pulls a stake rifle from his back and confidently cocks the barrel. Cut to black & end credits.

Credits

Play the end game credits



Return to the main menu after the credits are complete. Unlock the Deadly difficulty setting

Beat Chart

Beat Chart for Acts 1 - 5

Hours of Gameplay Desert Blood is expected to take 8 hours to complete on the Normal difficulty setting.

Victory Conditions The player wins the game by completing Act Five of the single-player campaign.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Intensity Level

Intensity Level



Camera

Overview Desert Blood follows the conventions of most first-person shooters. The attributes of the camera view is as follows:

You view the game world through the eyes of a single player-character with the exception of pre-rendered cinematics or in-engine cut scenes.

Equipped weapons are partially visible in the player-character's hands. In resting/default state, weapon models are shown at a slight angle as if held by a right-handed person

Varying degrees of camera bob when the character walks in any direction More pronounced camera bob or shake when the character sprints Player-character's body model can be seen (see: Halo). For example, you can see Amid Jezhar's torso

and feet by tilting the camera view all the way down. Any scope-equipped weapon allows for a zoomed in view of the game world. This simulates peering

down a gun's iron sights or magnifying scope. Camera view auto-tracks in special situations, such as when certain melee attacks are performed When killed by a vampire, the camera will stay fixed in the first-person perspective and show the grisly

results of your death A sampling of the camera views can be seen in the concept image below. From left to right: Melee Attack View, Default Camera View (holding gun) and Aiming Through Gun Sights view.



Heads Up Display (HUD) The basic HUD layout and overlays. Please note the "QTE Notifications" are contextual and only appear on the screen for a limited time. The "Teammate Commands" overlay is not shown by default and is activated by holding down the Left-Trigger button.

Default Camera View



Aiming Through Gun Sights View Some weapons will be equipped with iron sights, red dot sights or enhanced magnification scopes. The player can toggle on and look through these aiming sights by clicking the Right-Thumbstick. Telescopic sights do not "black out" in the periphery to allow the player to see more of their surroundings.

Iron Sight or Red Dot Sight Sniper/Long-range Scope

Melee Attacks View



Looking at One's Self

The player will be able to use the camera controls to look at their avatar's body. This is instrumental in showing the gruesome results of many of the player death animations.

Player Death View The player's camera is locked in the first-person when they die in the game. Each death animation will be done from this perspective. The player will see themselves being impaled on vampire claws or other objects. Other deaths will involve evisceration, dismemberment and decapitation.



Cinematic View

The cinematic view in Desert Blood is shown in 3rd-person. The player's character, Amid Jezhar, will be shown in all cinematics. In-engine cut scenes will remain in first-person perspective. There will be letterboxing for consoles connected to a standard definition (4:3 ratio) television.



Game Characters

Overview The human cast in Desert Blood is divided into the nomads and mercenaries. The nomads are of Arabic descent while the mercenaries come from a variety of backgrounds. Each of these groups also has a "mentor" character. There is the nomad survivalist, Khalid and the mechanic/hermit, Jenkins. The player-character, Amid, and the other NPCs are discussed in greater detail below.

The Main Character (The Player) The Protagonist

Name: Amid Jezhar Gender: Male Age: 27 Ethnicity: Arabic Role: new tribe leader, warrior Family Relations: father (Humam), mother (Alima), wife (Kahlea), daughter (Vasini) -- This is the hero of the game and is the default character under the player's direct control. Visual reference: Oded Fehr from Resident Evil: Extinction

NPC Characters

Rhasha al-Moudin

The leader of the rival tribe. He is a fine leader and warrior but is very deceitful. He covets Amid’s sacred family heirloom under the pretense that it was stolen from his tribe. He desires it for its value as a powerful, mystical artifact of legends.



Bahij Muhammed

Amid’s second-in-command and brother-in-law. He is young and impulsive and has trouble following orders. While he plays the second fiddle for the first half of the game, Bahij really comes into his own during the mid-point sequence (Thrall assault) and the climax. By the conclusion of Desert Blood, he is positioned as the hero of the next episode/sequel.

Khalid

A wise old desert hermit who our tribes meet during their treacherous journey. He is a master survivalist and is well-versed in the ways of combating the sand vampires. Khalid serves as Amid's (and Bahij's) first mentor early on in the game. Visual reference: Ben Kingsley from almost any of his movies.

Brock Volkmann

The mercenary leader. Cowardly, distrustful of others and self-serving. Visual reference: Dennis Hopper from Waterworld.

Lana Crosby

A mercenary in Brock's group. The "unofficial leader" of the mercs. Resourceful and brave. Some romantic chemistry between her and Amid. Visual reference: Milla Jovovich from Resident Evil: Extinction



Jenkins

A reclusive and brilliant mechanic/ex-mercenary who scavenges mercenary outposts in the wake of vampire attacks. He rescues Amid and his traveling band from certain destruction during the sandstorm sequence in Act Four. Visual reference: Steve Buscemi from almost any of his movies where he's not a villain.

Vol'suth

The strongest and apparently oldest of the sand vampires. He faces Amid in a climactic battle on the grounds of his father’s burial site. Visual reference: Tony Curran as Marcus in vampire form, from Underworld: Evolution.

Character Scale



Enemies & Obstacles

Overview Overview of who or what kinds of challenges, enemies or obstacles you might encounter as the player. Naturally this depends heavily on your game idea but generally games are about trying to kill something or getting past an obstacle.

Enemies: Basic Stats Enemy Type Hit Points Movement

Speed Attack Range Attack Power

(per hit) Attack Rate (per second)

Nomad 100 5m/sec. Weapon-based Weapon-based Weapon-

based

Mercenary 100 5m/sec. Weapon-based Weapon-based Weapon-

based

Djinn 300 9.8m/sec. Melee 30 1

Thrall 150 3.5m/sec. Melee 15 1

Viper 200 12m/sec. 8m 20 2

Fastback 240 16m/sec. Melee 25 2

Troll Boss 550 +100 armor 6m/sec. 2.5m 45 / 55 * 1

Feeder 600 0m/sec. 9m 50 1

Troll (standard) 500 + 50 armor 5.5m/sec. 2m 40 1

Vol'suth 1500 12m/sec. 2m 45 / 65 * 2

* Second damage numbers indicates a special attack that is unique to the boss character and is properly telegraphed so the player can avoid the attack and taking massive damage.

Humans Nomads

Most nomads are ally-type characters. They dress in desert robes and cloaks and wear sandals or simple shoes. Some character designs may sport salvaged body armour. The protagonist, Amid Jezhar and Bahij Muhammed sport a more distinctive look. They look more modern, wearing more combat armour while still retaining some traditional nomad garb such as the robe and cloak.



Preferred Attack Method: Automatic weapons Chance to Retreat When Hit Points Reach 25% [exposed variable]: 35% Mercenaries

The mercs from Brock Volkmann's camp look hard-bitten, dirty and slightly villainous. They resemble raiders from post-apocalyptic movies such as The Road Warrior. In contrast, the mercs allied with Lana Crosby are cleaner cut and look more formal in the way they are outfitted. They appear to be more like a well-oiled unit of special operations soldiers than a rag-tag group of mercs. Preferred Attack Method: Automatic weapons Chance to Retreat When Hit Points Reach 25% [exposed variable]: 20%

Vampires Behaviour Pattern - Overview Vampire enemies cycle between a series of attacks based on their type and current Hit Point level. Vampire Types All Attack Probability stats should be exposed variables. Djinn

This is the first type of sand vampire encountered in the game and the most prevalent throughout the 5-act campaign. The nomads know these vampires as “djinn” for their ability to disappear into the sand and quickly re-emerge elsewhere for a surprise attack. Djinn Attacks Probability Current Hit Point Level (%) % Chance - Standard Attack % Chance Lunge % Chance Grab Attack

100 - 80 75 10 15

79 - 50 60 20 20

49 - 1 40 25 35



Thrall

A vampire that has bitten into the brain of a man turns its hapless victim into a thrall, a near-mindless undead slave that knows only the taste of human flesh. They are more akin to the modern "running zombie" than your average vampire. They make up for their milder strength with their great numbers as they often attack as a horde. Thrall Attacks Probability Current Hit Point Level (%) % Chance - Standard Attack % Chance Lunge % Chance Grab Attack

100 - 80 90 5 5

79 - 50 80 10 10

49 - 1 20 50 30

Viper

Smaller, faster djinns that are experts at burrowing through the sand and performing ambush attacks from below. Some variations of vipers have two heads, with one head typically attached to a long, retractable neck and the mouth of a giant sucker fish (see Reapers from Blade 2). Vipers also have longer arms that gives them an extended attack range. Despite these advantages, Vipers have the lowest Hit Points of all vampire enemies in the game. Viper Attacks Probability Current Hit Point Level (%) % Chance - Standard Attack % Chance Lunge % Chance Grab Attack

100 - 80 80 0 20

79 - 50 80 0 20

49 - 1 60 35 5

Fastbacks

The sprinters of the vampire race. They resemble a cross between a hyena and a Djinn vampire. Fastbacks



are first encountered in the turret-vehicle sequence. They do not burrow in the sand for sneak attacks but they hunt in packs and are very persistent hunters. Their speed and enhanced lunge distance allow them to close the gap with their prey very quickly. Fastbacks Attacks Probability Current Hit Point Level (%) % Chance - Standard Attack % Chance Lunge % Chance Grab Attack

100 - 80 40 30 30

79 - 50 30 30 40

49 - 1 20 20 60

Troll

Larger than the largest Djinn, trolls are lumbering monsters all but impervious to the most powerful weapons and stun methods. Trolls vary in anatomical features although most can be expected to have either an extra head as with the Vipers or extra limbs extending from their backs. Trolls do not typically create Thralls as their great mouths are capable of devouring a man in only two or three bites. Trolls have a layer of armour that must be destroyed before any of their Hit Point can be depleted. Troll Attacks Probability Current Hit Point Level (%) % Chance - Standard Attack % Chance Smash % Chance Grab Attack

100 - 80 90 0 10

79 - 50 80 10 10

49 - 1 75 25 0

The Troll's Smash attack is a special attack capable of the following:

Impact radius of 5 meters Knocks player, vampires and NPCs to the ground for 2 seconds. Regular damage x 1.5



Feeder

Largely immobile and limited to the dark, musty interiors of the desert tombs, the Feeders ensnare their prey with long, powerful tentacles before bringing them in to their voluminous mouths for devouring. It is not clear whether these things are related to the sand vampires, but they are nonetheless a dangerous foe. Fire-based attacks should make quick work of them. Feeder Attacks Probability Current Hit Point Level (%) % Chance - Standard Attack % Chance Block % Chance Grab Attack

100 - 80 40 10 50

79 - 50 30 10 60

49 - 1 30 50 20

The Feeder's Block attack is not an attack at all. It is a defensive move with these attributes:

Lasts 3 - 5 seconds Provides 60% damage reduction to Feeder Fire and Explosive attacks still do +15% bonus damage

Vol’suth

The closest thing to a leader the sand vampires have. He is the oldest, most powerful vampire. Larger than a Djinn but smaller than a Troll, Vol’suth has amazing strength and agility and will take all of the player’s skill and wits to defeat. Vol'suth has a layer of armour that must be destroyed before any of their Hit Point can be depleted. Vol'suth Attacks Probability Current Hit Point Level (%) % Chance - Standard Attack % Chance Swoop % Chance Grab Attack

100 - 80 50 15 35

79 - 50 50 25 25

49 - 1 30 60 10

Vol'suth's Swoop attack is a special attack capable of the following:



Vol'suth flies into the air & does 1 rotation around the boss arena Swoops down to attack player If caught, the player will be picked up into the air and dropped back to the ground for 30 damage If player is within 2 meters of a Teammate, they will both be picked up by the Swoop

Obstacles Sandstorms

True to desert form, the player will be faced with a giant sandstorm in Act Four. Tomb Traps



Tomb traps are all found in Act Five of the game. They include: spike traps, crushing traps and wall blades. Any contact made with these traps by the player results in instant death. Rocks

Desert rocks will be scattered throughout the levels at the discretion of the level designers and the demands of the story. They play the most important role in the Dune Buggy vehicle sequence since colliding with rocks will damage the player's vehicle, possibly leading to eventual destruction and death. Fortifications & Walls

The mercenary compound that is encountered in Act Three is built from a variety of objects that will impede or limit the player's movement. These will include electric fences, walls, doors and gates.



The Game World

Overview Desert Blood is set in the year 2065 and is situated entirely in the Arabian Desert. The game presents a future where the Earth is beginning a rapid decline into ecological ruin yet the deserts have remained largely unchanged. The future setting assists with the rationalization of high-tech/fantasy weaponry and taking certain liberties with traditional bedouin culture. The theme of environmental decline also ties in with a possible origin story behind the sand vampires. They are products of the dying planet and scientific tampering.

The Arabian Desert - Year 2065

Under these circumstances, there is license to portray the Arabian Desert as a much harsher environment than it actually is in reality.



Sand Terrain The sandy terrain of the Arabian Desert slows down the movement speed of all land-based entities by 4%. This means that anytime the player or an enemy moves from walking on sand to rock or an interior space, their movement speed will increase since the penalty has been removed. All movement stats in this document are based on non-sand terrain.



The World Layout

Overview The game world is comprised of outdoor desert levels, semi-interior areas such as the mercenary compound and underground areas like the cave tunnels and ancient tombs.

Sample Layout - Act Three - Defend the Compound: Thrall Assault

Other World Layouts < To be Completed Post-Graduation>



The Physical World

Overview Desert Blood takes place in a near-future post-apocalyptic vision of the Arabian Desert. The world is in rapid ecological decline but the effects are largely implied through exposition offered in cinematics and dialog between characters. The world that the player is concerned with is a barren, dangerous world of sand and limited resources. The following further describes the key components of the game's physical world.

Key Locations Act I Nomad Tribe Village - Starting Position Act II Camel Slaughter Area Act III Mercenary Compound Mercenary Encampment (smaller) Act IV Ruined Military Base Act V Desert Cave System Ancient Burial Tomb Tomb - Inner Sanctum - End Game

Travel Transition between major areas is handled by way of the cinematic cut-scenes and an appropriate cut to the next point of player-controlled action. Travel from the start point of a level to the end point is typically handled by the player walking, sprinting or a combination of the two. There are 3 major vehicle sections (Dune Buggy, Deuce and a Half Gun Turret & Sand Panther) and they serve as the only exceptions to the on-foot travel found in most of the game.



Scale Each act is broken up into smaller levels that vary in size from 50 to 100 meters in length. Without having to circumvent obstacles and engage in combat, the player would take 20 - 30 seconds to traverse one level from end to end.

Objects The number of objects that the player can interact with is limited since the game is focused on combat and survival. The desert setting also precludes the necessity for natural scenery prop dressing. There are rocks to be found during the Dune Buggy and Sand Panther vehicles sequences. There are also objects appropriate to mercenary bases such as weapon racks, canisters, parked vehicles, sandbags, electric fences and gates. In the ancient tombs, additional objects should be created to match the mood of that environment. These would include tomb relics, shattered artifacts, random debris, bones and skeletal remains. See the Objects Appendix for a list of all the objects found in the world.

Weather The weather in the game will be tightly controlled and will reflect what most people expect of a harsh desert environment. The desert in the game is arid and there will be no rain at all. In Act Four there will be a giant sandstorm that the player encounters in 2 stages. In the first phase, the storm will simply be a movement and visibility impediment. After the vampire ambush, the sandstorm will increase in size and intensity to the point where the player is forced to take shelter. They will be appropriately funneled to take shelter in the Cave, which then leads into the Ancient Tomb for Act Five.

Time Time will be compressed in this game. Each 1 minute of real-time game play is equivalent to 15 minutes of in-game time.



Vehicles Overview There are 3 interactive vehicle sequences in the game: the Dune Buggy, the Deuce and a Half and the Sand Panther. They are discussed in greater detail in the section, VIII. Nail-Biting Vehicle Action Sequences.



User Interface - Controls



Musical Scores & Sound Effects

Overview The audio design behind Desert Blood should evoke a Middle-Eastern flavour tinged with a pervasive feeling of dread and foreboding. Combining subtle, horror-inspired sound effects with an effective musical score will be key to achieving this atmosphere.

Sound Design Take a shot at what you are going to do for sound design at this early stage. Hey, good to let your reader know what you are thinking.

SFX Sound effect design will combine raw weapon reports and other modern combat sounds with mood-building sounds typical of many action-horror motion pictures. Many sounds will need to be exaggerated to enhance the impact and severity of the violence on-screen. Post-production techniques should also be applied to make weapons like the assault rifles sound more futuristic. Foley work may be required to produce original sounds for further editing.

Voice-Over Proposed Cast (Main Characters) Oded Fehr................... Amid Jezhar Freida Pinto................. Vasini Dev Patel .................... Bahij Olivia Wilde.................. Lana Crosby Ben Kingsley................ Khalid Steve Buscemi... ......... Jenkins Arnold Vosloo............... Rhasha al-Moudin Gary Oldman................ Brock Volkmann Andy Serkis.................. Vol'suth

Musical Score The musical score should draw influences from traditional Arabic music, science-fiction and horror-action movies and blend these disparate pieces into a cohesive whole. The work done by Underworld for the movies Sunshine and 28 Days Later could be used as a starting point by the composer/producer.



Extra Miscellaneous Stuff

Overview There are some follow-up features and episodes that I am considering for future releases as DLC or stand-alone expansion packs.

Bahij's Story: With Amid and the rest of his tribe dead, Bahij must still escape the ancient vampire catacombs back to the surface. The player guides Bahij back through the tombs to the desert, battling vampires and the remnants of Brock's mercenary group along the way. Since he is alone, this will be a challenging, high-intensity DLC pack intended for experienced players.

The Horde: In this multi-player DLC pack, up to 4 players take on the role of mercenaries in Lana Crosby's camp as they attempt to fend off a massive vampire attack for as long as possible. The best times and kill streaks will be posted to an online leaderboard. This downloadable package could also include a new weapons, such as the devastating Scythe melee weapon and Enhanced Spear Rifle.

PC Version: If Desert Blood succeeds as a console game there is the possibility of developing a PC port. The ammo crafting and teammate control interfaces can be enhanced to take advantage of the mouse and keyboard-centric design of the PC platform.



Appendices

Overview A list of data and assets can be found in the Appendices. Of note are samples of the game interface flow diagrams, wireframes, preliminary objects list and more.

FAQ Appendix What is the target platform for Desert Blood? Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. A PC version could also be done in the future. How many players are supported? Desert Blood is a single-player only game. What is the genre? First-person shooter & survival horror.



Game Interface – Menus Appendix

Screen Flow Diagram - Front End Menu System

The Front End Menu System flow diagram is also available as a separate document.



Game Interface – Wireframes Appendix

Main Menu

1. Game logo 2. Main image - randomly cycles between 6 pictures 3. Main menu options - Continue Game option greyed out until player begins a new game and reaches

their first checkpoint 4. Rollover text - when each option is highlighted with the selection cursor, it triggers a matching text

description next to it



New Game Screen

1. Game logo 2. Desert artwork 3. Screen label 4. New game options - Deadly difficulty is greyed out and unavailable until the player completes

the game once

Continue Game Screen

1. Game logo 2. Loading text & graphics animations 3. Randomly generated quote or game play tip



Options Menu

1. Game logo 2. Looping, randomly selected in-game cut scenes 3. Options title 4. Section heading 5. Option slider 6. Click to enter Edit Controls screen 7. Click to reset options to factory settings 8. Click to return to Main Menu



Edit Controls Menu

1. Game logo 2. Edit controls title 3. Control presets section heading 4. Controller presets diagrams and selectable options 5. Reset to defaults option 6. Back to main menu option



Extras Menu

1. Game logo 2. In-game cinematics and concept art slide show 3. Scrolling game credits

Exit Game

1. Game logo 2. Quit to main menu prompt 3. Yes and no options



HUD/On Screen Displays Appendix

Default HUD Display 1

Ammo Crafting Overlay 1



Special Ammo Equip Flow Diagram 1

Harvest Ammo Materials Flow Diagram 1



Objects Appendix

Object Description

Weapon Rack

Canister

Parked Truck

Sandbag

Electric Fence

Gate

Door

Relic

Artifact

Debris

Bones

Skeletal Remains

Small Rock

Medium Rock

Large Rock

< To be Completed Post-Graduation>

Story Appendix Vision: Two rival nomadic tribes must work together during a pilgrimage across the desert when they are attacked by ancient sand vampires. Amid’s Problem or Need: He is on a pilgrimage across the desert to return a mysterious family heirloom to his father’s burial place. Amid's father was a wanderer and an adventurer and not much of a part of Amid's life as he was growing up. Before embarking on his final journey, he left an amulet with Amid's mother to pass on to his son when the time came. Amid has now more than come of age and he feels obligated to honour his father's final wish. But this journey is made deadly by the presence of vicious, vampire-like monsters lurking in the sands. Three Complications:

1. Amid must battle the elements in addition to the monsters 2. The vampires are plentiful and are seemingly impervious to normal weapons. 3. Amid must trust strangers and also tame his own savage nature to survive the journey across the

desert

One-Sentence Premise: This story is about Amid Jezhar, the leader of a nomadic tribe who is on a family pilgrimage across the desert



when he and his tribe are hunted by ancient sand vampires. How will we care about (identify with) Amid?

Amid is noble and brave but not necessarily a natural leader: loyal to the cause but stubborn and willing to reach his goals whatever the cost

Amid’s quest is personal and sentimental: family duty, loyalty and devotion to the tribe Amid faces the unknown: his enemies are monsters who have no apparent weaknesses Amid and his companions are far from help and must rely on each other to survive Man vs. nature; Man vs. Beast

Sub-Plots:

Fear of Rhasha al-Moudin betraying Amid’s tribe Bahij’s insistence on turning back and abandoning the pilgrimage Sand vampires have an ulterior motivation for attacking the tribes There is a deeper significance to Amid’s family heirloom Will Amid and Lana "hook up"? What are the mercs' motivation for tagging along for the pilgrimage? What is Amid’s plan after he has completed his pilgrimage? How does he get home?

Ending (Spoilers): Amid and his tribe reach the ancient tombs after suffering many casualties. Amid discovers his father was in fact a vampire hunter who was working with American scientists on a solution to the vampire plague. He slays the leader of the sand vampires and defeats his arch-nemesis, Rhasha al-Moudin, before succumbing to his own wounds. Bahij takes on the quest of bringing Amid’s amulet back home to Amid’s wife, Kahlea. And so the story continues...



Competitive Analysis Appendix Desert Blood's place in the First-Person Shooter genre puts it in competition with some of the most critically-acclaimed games of the last few years. Rather than compete directly with the popular trend of military-based war shooters, Desert Blood combines the best game play aspects of the Survival Horror genre with some unique approaches to first-person action.

Competitor Their Features Desert Blood’s Comparative

Features

The Desert Blood Advantage

F.E.A.R. 3

http://www.whatisfear.com/

+High‐production live action

cinematics directed by John

Carpenter

+Point Man's "Bullet‐time"

power

+Paxton Fettel can possess

enemy soldiers

+Dramatic melee attacks:

jump kicks & slide tackles

+Climb into mechanized

power suits to battle soldiers

& robots

+Two‐player online & couch

co‐op.

+ Gorgeous pre‐rendered

cinematics

+Tense real‐time combat

+ Give orders to intelligent AI

companions

+Rifle butt & pin down

stunned enemies with your

boot before executing them

+Drive armoured dune

buggies & ride robot panther

+Single‐player campaign

While two‐player co‐op is a

popular feature, it has a

potential to lessen the horror

& suspense of Desert Blood.

The game addresses this

dichotomy by pitting a single

player against the vampires

with the aid of AI‐controlled

companions.

Desert Blood also strikes the

right balance of providing

powerful weapons to the

player while still retaining the

menace and threat of danger

necessary in a horror

experience. F.E.A.R.’s bullet‐

time and power suits are

almost too empowering &

are at odds with the horror

atmosphere of the game.

Singularity

http://www.singularity‐

game.com/

+Two online multiplayer

modes

+Time Manipulation Device

(TMD): unique time abilities

like Deadlock, aging, and

gravity gun

+9 weapon types

+Unique weapons: time‐

distorting sniper rifle, guided

grenade launcher & seeker

explosive bullets

+Time manipulation puzzles

+Upgradeable weapons &

TMD abilities

+ Single‐player campaign

+”Catch, then Kill” game

player promotes unique

weapon interactions

+28 weapon types (including

grenades & special weapons)

+Unique weapons: sand spike

(shoots torpedoes), net

launcher, spear rifle

+Non‐combat challenges

involving natural elements,

such as surviving a sand

storm

+Customize weapons with

scopes or upgrades & equip

Desert Blood dispenses with

time manipulation tricks to

present a clearer story & a

more logical flow to the

levels.

It is also a faster paced game.

Where Singularity focuses on

mood & exploration, Desert

Blood drives the player

forward with the threat of

constant danger & escalating

complications.

The wide variety of weapons

in addition to teammate AI

lends strategic depth to the

combat without giving the

player too much power over

the enemies. The lack of



special ammo types crafted

from vampire corpse material

"TMD‐style" weapons works

to Desert Blood's advantage.

Left 4 Dead 2

http://www.l4d.com/

+ 4‐player co‐op; 2‐player

local co‐op

+8‐player versus modes

+4 playable characters

(cosmetic)

+31 weapon types, including

sidearms and grenades

+3 weapon upgrades

+4 special usable items,

including propane tank

+up to 3 AI teammates, no

player control

+Director AI adjusts pace &

difficulty of game based on

player performance

+ Single‐player campaign

+Adjustable difficulty to

encourage replayability

+1 main protagonist & a cast

of richly drawn supporting

characters

+28 weapon types (including

grenades & special weapons)

+7 customizable ammo types

+3 usable items: gas can, fuel

tank and modified bear trap

+2 AI teammates: player can

issue 5 types of commands

+Tightly scripted level design

for maximum suspense &

play balance

Desert Blood and Left 4 Dead

2 share similar design goals

and tone but use different

methods to achieve their

results.

Desert Blood reduces the

random elements inherent in

multiplayer or co‐op games

by presenting tightly scripted

levels and more elaborate

plotting & character

development. The absence

of an unpredictable

“Director” AI further

reinforces this design

philosophy.

Scaling difficulty levels

challenge the player by

limiting their resources

(ammo, weapon pick‐ups)

instead of overwhelming

them with "uber" enemies or

using cheap tactics.



“Resource/Research” Appendix Websites:

Bedouin Facts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedouin

Vampire mythology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire

Movies:

30 Days of Night - http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/30daysofnight/ Blade 2 - http://www.newline.com/properties/blade2.html From Dusk Till Dawn - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116367/ Tremors - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100814/ Predators - http://www.predators-movie.com/ John Carpenter’s Vampires - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120877/ Resident Evil: Extinction - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432021/ Dawn of the Dead (2003 remake) - http://www.dawnofthedeadmovie.net/ The Descent - http://www.thedescentfilm.com/

Games:

Dead Space - http://www.ea.com/games/dead-space Singularity - http://www.singularity-game.com/ BioShock - http://www.2kgames.com/bioshock/ Jericho - http://www.codemasters.com/jericho/index.php?territory=EnglishUSA Resident Evil 5 - http://www.residentevil.com/agegate.php Condemned series - http://www.sega.com/games/condemned-2-bloodshot/ Fallout 3 - http://fallout.bethsoft.com/index.html F.E.A.R. 2 - http://www.whatisfear.com/#/en/ Zeno Clash - http://www.zenoclash.com/

Books:

Vampire Earth series, by E.E. Knight - http://www.vampjac.com/vampireearth/ Cell, by Stephen King - http://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/cell.html

Date post:	02-Apr-2015
Category:	Documents
Upload:	clinton-ma
View:	346 times
Download:	7 times

Desert Blood - Game Design Document

Documents