THQ's Homefront 2/Player Abilities - Design Notes

Document Status: Green [Implementation reference notes]
== Core Abilities ==
== Player Movement (Standing) ==
Both with and without weapon
* Priority: 1
* Description: First-person weapon and camera motion when still, running and sprinting
* Notes / Reference: 
** The camera should have a very subtle roll left to right while player is still and without weapon (to be evaluated), with the motion becoming more exaggerated as player speed increases (both with and without weapon)
** Camera could angle slightly while strafing, currently it doesn't (see Dishonored)
** Weapon movement should be more "natural" than currently, with more play to accompany physical movement
** Sprint weapon motion should be less military and more "human" in nature. Perhaps two-handed weapons could be held downwards and angled like BF3, and one-handed pistols could be held upwards like BF3 or COD
** Do we want to tweak the FOV when sprinting to convey the speed change?
** Real First Person Shooter
** Far Cry 3
* Code Required? YES
** Potentially an FOV change when sprinting if not already possible
** Potential blurring around the edges of the screen may also help sell the action
== Prone Traversal Set ==
* Priority: 1
* Description: Camera and weapon / hand animations for prone movement
* Notes / Reference: 
** Requires visible hands so player understands the stance change, and hands to move along the floor as the player moves
** Camera should 'rock' from side-to-side while moving, and camera needs to be decoupled from the hands so if the player looks upwards (while not iron sighting), the hands don't move with it
** Camera look-up / down angle needs to be limited
** Camera while turning needs to work in sync with the turn animations
* Code Required? YES
** Decoupling hands from camera, restricting look up / look down angle (if not already possible via xmls)
== Stand to Crouch Transition ==
and vice-versa
* Priority: 1
* Description: Camera and weapon movement to signpost the player changing stance from stand to crouch (and vice versa)
* Notes / Reference: 
** Camera should twitch / 'rock' as the player changes stance from stand to crouch (it shouldn't be the straight, artificial motion it is currently)
** Weapon should move / twitch into the crouch pose position to help signpost the movement (to give the illusion of a more fluid, natural motion)
* Code Required? NO
== Vaulting ==
Onto and Over
* Priority: 1
* Description: The tilt / look down on the camera should be removed in favour of a tilt / roll. Object height is between 0.875m and 1.25m
* Notes / Reference: 
** The players' focus shouldn't be taken off where they're going. Camera motion should roll / tilt to signpost the weight of the vaulting animation instead
** The camera needs to be decoupled from the animation so the player still has some control over their look direction
* Code Required? YES
** Giving the player some camera control during the animation
== Crouch to Prone Transition ==
and vice-versa
* Priority: 2
* Description: Camera and weapon movement to signpost the player changing stance from crouch to prone (and vice versa)
* Notes / Reference: 
** Camera should twitch / 'rock' as the player changes stance, with the hands and weapon repositioning to blend into the appropriate stance pose
** Goal is to give a the illusion of a more fluid, natural motion
* Code Required? NO
== Player Movement (Crouched) ==
Both with and without weapon
* Priority: 2
* Description: First-person weapon and camera motion when crouched and moving
* Notes / Reference: 
** Weapon could change position on-screen to be higher (potentially signposting that the player is crouched), or could be angled differently in the players hands. Would need visualisation (Steve to look at mock-up using weapon XML's to see if it works)
** Player speed should be slightly reduced
**Camera motion should exhibit the same subtle motions as the standard player motions
**Dishonored
*Code Required? NO
== Guerrilla Toolkit Anims ==
* Priority: 4
* Description: Player can equip and use all Guerrilla Toolkit items. Requires review once all are in-game to establish what / if further animation work is required
* Notes / Reference: 
**Are we lighting and throwing pipe bombs? Can we plant IED's on objects and detonate them through the phone? Can we throw distraction devices and again activate them through the phone?
* Code Required? NO
== Takedown - Rear Stealth Attack ==
+ Variant
* Priority: 4
* Description: Player chokes an enemy silently from behind, and lowers the body to the floor (preserving a stealth state). Variant has the player slit the throat of the enemy, again lowering the body to the ground
* Notes / Reference: 
**Far Cry 3
*Code Required? NO
== Stand to Prone Transition ==
and vice-versa
* Priority: 4
*Description: Camera and weapon movement to signpost the player changing stance from stand to prone (and vice versa)
* Notes / Reference: 
**Smooth transition straight from a stand pose to prone. Take the movement nature from the interim transitions and blends it into a single, fluid anim
*Code Required? NO
== Jump ==
* Priority: 4
*Description: Weapon and camera motion when the player is jumping
* Notes / Reference: 
**Weapon should have more play on-screen than currently
**Camera and weapon should jolt on landing to convey weight
*Code Required? NO
== Pickup and Throw ==
* Priority: 4
*Description: 1 and 2 handed action for small and larger objectives accordingly. 1-handed action should still allow the player to carry and fire a weapon (note: this is a feature to be looked at post Gate 3)
* Notes / Reference: 
**Pending...
*Code Required? YES
**Linking old C1 / C2 system up with new HF2 anims.
**Note code work for Gate 3 has already been completed by Gary
== Lower Priority ==
== Peek ==
*Priority: 3
*Description: Player puts their hand on a wall / object and peeks over (if a waist high object, or left / right (if a tall object). Camera leans to signpost the peek
* Notes / Reference: 
**AI are unable to see the player while they're peeking unless by the side, or behind, them
*Code Required? YES
== Climb Through ==
*Priority: 3
*Description: Player puts their hand on the side of a hole in a broken fence and then crouches through it
* Notes / Reference: 
**Used in the Samaritan and Intro vignettes
*Code Required? YES
**Context-sensitive trigger state
== Melee (Standard) ==
*Priority: 4
*Description: Standard melee attack when not standing near an enemy. Use would be to destroy objects (including wire mesh fences)
* Notes / Reference: 
**Knife motion should be quick
**Camera should tilt to reinforce the weight of the attack
*Code Required? NO
== Takedown - Rear Combat Attack ==
+ Variant
*Priority: 4
*Description: Quick, loud takedown manoeuvre. Used when the AI are aware of the player. One variant could be some head strikes with the butt of the players' gun. Another could be a neck stab followed by pushing the enemy to the floor
* Notes / Reference: 
**Pending...
*Code Required? NO
== Takedown - Front Stealth Attack ==
*Priority: 4
*Description: Stealth (silent) takedown from the front. Variants could include a knife to the throat or a choke hold with the player's forearm. Enemy body must be lowered to the ground afterwards to preserve stealth state
* Notes / Reference: 
**Pending...
*Code Required? NO
== Takedown - Front Combat Attack ==
*Priority: 4
*Description: Quick, non-silent takedown for when the AI are aware of the player. Variants could include a headbutt and a weapon butt to the face
* Notes / Reference: 
**Pending...
*Code Required? NO
== Takedown - Environmental ==
Tall and waist-high object
*Priority: 4
*Description: The player character uses the environment to take down an enemy. Works when enemies are either near tall vertical objects (such as walls), or waist-high horizontal surfaces (such as a table)
* Notes / Reference: 
**Animation could see the player smashing the enemy head off the surface?
*Code Required? YES
**Context-sensitive check for AI being in a suitable location when action is triggered
== Sprint to Prone Transition ==
*Priority: 4
*Description: Quick transition from sprinting to a prone position
* Notes / Reference: 
**Should feel more weighty and urgent than the standard drop to prone.  Potentially looking more like the player has just dropped to the ground with speed (so less controlled, including more of a 'thud' when hitting the floor)
**This shouldn't be a 'Dive' as in COD: Black Ops.
*Code Required? NO
**Assuming we can already set that transition through mannequin?
== Scavenge Item Collection ==
*Priority: 5
*Description: Various depending on the props the scavengable items are housed in
* Notes / Reference: 
**Animation could be just on the in-game props in the world and not the player's hands (so the player walks up to a cupboard and presses 'X' and the cupboard opens)
**Opening draws and safes in Bioshock
*Code Required? YES
**To hook in to the Scavenging system
== Crouch Cover ==
*Priority: 5
*Description: When crouched behind a wall the player can iron sight (and shoot at enemies) over that wall
* Notes / Reference: 
**Working already but could potentially be expanding to show the player's left hand on the object they're crouched behind
*Code Required? YES
== Climb Ability ==
Onto and Over
*Priority: 5
*Description: The player can climb up and onto / over 1.5m - 2m tall objects
* Notes / Reference: 
**Working already but with essentially Crysis animations
**Additionally further work with the camera to convey the weight of the action is needed
*Code Required? NO
== Ledge Drop Down ==
*Priority: 6
*Description: The player drops down from a ledge to a lower level
* Notes / Reference: 
**Resident Evil 6
*Code Required? NO
**Context-sensitive location trigger boxes
== Combat Slide ==
Sprint to Crouch Transition
*Priority: 6
*Description: If pressing the crouch button while sprinting the player will drop into a crouch position while carrying a little forward motion. Used for essentially darting up behind cover for a more natural transition
* Notes / Reference: 
**A variant of the sprint to prone transition
*Code Required? NO
**Assuming we can already set that transition through mannequin?
== Takedown - From Above ==
*Priority: 6
*Description: The player can drop down onto an enemy and perform a takedown for an instant kill
* Notes / Reference: 
**Requires evaluation to see how useful this ability would be within our environments
**Dishonored
*Code Required? YES