Haze/Asymmetric Conflict

## 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:

### 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:

### Lightfoot Movement

* Rebels are **quicker** and **more agile** than their trooper counterparts
		- 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?

### 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

### 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

1/4
* 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)