Haze/Asymmetric Conflict

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==Some Questions==
*What cool abilities do the rebels and troopers have?
*How will fighting as a rebel be different to fighting as a trooper?
==Presentation Overview==
*Trooper Abilities
*Rebel Abilities
*Rebel and Trooper Comparisons
*Conclusion
==Trooper Abilities==
*A quick reminder…
*What are the defining features of the Mantel troopers?
**Strength
**Toughness
**Excellent ballistics capabilities
**Massive resources
**Use of Nectar
*In addition to their Nectar abilities, troopers have a few other abilities derived from their defining features:
**Strength – Melee Blast attack
**Toughness – Resilience
**Ballistics – Integrated optics system
**Resources – Advanced Ammunition
*Note that all of these abilities are enhancements to existing abilities and do not require extra controls
===Melee Blast===
*Heavily-muscled and pumped with adrenaline, troopers melee attack with the force of an explosion
*Opponents are blasted into walls and to the floor, shattering armour and bone alike
*Mechanism:
**Player simply uses a melee attack on an opponent
**Note this melee attack is significantly slower than the rebel melee attack
===Resilience===
*Armour-plated and battle-hardened, troopers can absorb large amounts of damage
*Troopers have higher health levels than rebels, of which up to 25% can be regenerated
*Mechanism:
Nectronomicon.png
===Integrated Optics System===
*Aided by the very latest technology, troopers can digitally zoom in on a target, regardless of the weapon they are using
*Although not as good as a sniper rifle zoom, this can help troopers gain the upper hand in battle
*Mechanism:
**Player uses 'aim' on a gun that does not possess a zoom capability
**An extra zoom is added to their view automatically as the integrated optics take effect
===Advanced Ammunition===
*With the massive technological resources available to Mantel, troopers are never short of ammunition
*Mechanism:
**All Mantel weaponry has a large ammo capacity by default
**Also, by standing inside any Mantel vehicle for a short period of time, the player can restock all their ammunition
===Nectar Withdrawal Grenades===
*Nectar withdrawal grenades utilize a gaseous Nectar compound specifically formulated to recreate the effects of Nectar withdrawal
*Only affects people who do not already have Nectar in their bloodstream
*Used exclusively by Mantel next-gen special operatives
*Mechanism:
**Grenade is deployed and emits a cloud of Nectar gas
**Any characters who are not using Nectar (i.e. rebels) caught within the cloud are hit with the effects of Nectar withdrawal
**Symptoms: clouded vision, muffled sound, hallucinations
**Effects fade after a short period of disorientation
==Rebel Abilities==
*What are the defining features of the rebels?
**Improvisation
**Speed/Agility
**Intelligence
*Extra abilities derived from their defining features:
**Improvisation – Scavenging/Recovery
**Speed/Agility – Lightfoot movement
**Intelligence – Weapon stealing/vehicle hijacking/nectar administrator shot
===Scavenging===
*Rebel soldiers are masters of improvisation
*They can scavenge ammunition from dropped Mantel weapons
*Mechanism:
**Player finds dropped Mantel weapon
**Player holds 'reload' button whilst standing near the weapon
**The player's ammo for their current gun is replenished
===Recovery===
*With an in-depth knowledge of field medicine and a passion for their cause, rebels are able to shake off large amounts of damage mid-battle
*Owing to their lighter armour, rebels have less health than troopers
*However, they are able to regenerate up to 75% of it
*Mechanism:
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===Lightfoot Movement===
*Rebels are quicker and more agile than their trooper counterparts
*Mechanism:
**Improvements to most basic actions:
***Walk and run faster
***Reload faster
***Climb and vault faster
***Jump higher and further
**Extra capabilities added:
***Dive (running + crouch button)
***Dodge (strafing + jump button)
===Weapon Stealing===
*Using speed and cunning, rebels can turn an enemy's weapon back on them in the blink of an eye
*Mechanism:
**Player approaches an enemy from the front
**Player presses their 'weapon change' button (there is only a short window to be able to do this)
**Player drops their own gun
**They then disarm the enemy and grab the gun for themselves
**Enemy is left disarmed, player is left pointing the enemy gun back at them
===Vehicle Hijacking===
*Making use of their speed and cunning, rebels can hijack trooper vehicles
*Mechanism:
**Player moves to within a short distance of an occupied vehicle
**They press the 'get in vehicle' button
**Player hoists themselves up onto the side of the vehicle (exact position is vehicle-dependent)
**They then have a short period in which to kill the occupants or they will be thrown off
===Nectar Administrator Shot===
*A unique rebel ability that capitalises on the exposed Nectar administrator that all troopers carry on their backs to disable them
*Mechanism:
**A direct bullet hit to the administrator shatters the delivery mechanism and renders it inoperable
**The trooper is sent into an immediate state of Nectar withdrawal and goes mad, flailing their gun around and shooting wildly before collapsing and dying
**Behaviour is weapon-specific
**NB: The player is not susceptible to this behaviour, for the same reason they are not susceptible to headshots (i.e. it would be annoying)
==Rebel and Trooper Comparisons==
*We've laid out the different abilities of the two sides, but how do they compare?
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===Visual and Aural===
*There is a significant visual and aural difference between playing as a rebel and playing as a trooper
*This difference is because the player uses Nectar as a trooper, but stops using it as a rebel
*The visual and aural differences between these two states is discussed in the 'Nectar Gameplay' presentation
===Control 'Feel'===
* Rebels are faster and more agile
** NB: Values are approximate and subject to change based on final playtesting
 	Trooper 	Trooper	Rebel 	Rebel
 	Available?	Value 	Available?	Value
Run 	Yes 	75% 	Yes 	100%
Walk 	Yes 	75% 	Yes 	100%
Jump Height 	Yes 	75% 	Yes 	100%
Jump Distance	Yes 	75% 	Yes 	100%
Climb 	Yes 	75% 	Yes 	100%
Reload 	Yes 	75% 	Yes 	100%
Vault 	Yes 	75% 	Yes 	100%
Dive 	No 	N/A 	Yes 	100%
Dodge 	No 	N/A 	Yes 	100%
===Action vs. Tactics===
*Trooper gameplay favours direct action, rebel gameplay favours strategy
**But how do the abilities of each side back this up?
*On the next slide, the following definitions are used:
**Action: How much skill a given action takes to perform. The higher the skill required, the higher the 'action' requirement of that ability
**Tactics: How much pre-planning a given action requires. The more pre-planning required, the higher the 'tactics' requirement of that ability
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*Note:
**Trooper abilities are simple and require only light strategy, making them ideal match for the player's skills early in the game
*Rebel abilities are harder to perfrom and require more strategic thought, making them an ideal match for the player's skills later in the game
*Thus, the unique abilities of each side create an evolution of the player's skills as they progress through the game
===Balance===
*Note the subtle balance in abilities:
**Troopers have large ammo supplies, rebels can scavenge ammo from them
**Rebels can steal weapons directly from troopers but risk suffering a melee blast instead
**Troopers can absorb higher levels of damage than rebels, but rebels can regenerate more health
**Troopers have better equipment and vehicle support; however the rebels can both steal weapons and hijack vehicles
==Conclusions==
*Varied and unique abilities for each side – delivery of the 'asymmetric conflict' concept
*Unique abilities emphasize defining features of each side
*Clear evolution of player's skill set with game progression
*Broadening of tactical options with game progression
==References==
*rebel_and_trooper_gameplay_v1.odp (01/06/2006)