Modern War Battles

Casey J. Cox

Table of Contents (remember to right-click and UPDATE TABLE when finished editing)
Design History.............................................................................................. 1 Vision Statement.......................................................................................... 2 Logline.......................................................................................................... 2 Synopsis....................................................................................................... 2 Game Description......................................................................................... 3 Objectives.................................................................................................... 4 Gameplay Description..................................................................................5 Tutorial......................................................................................................... 7 Character Selection...................................................................................... 8 Conflict/Argument......................................................................................... 8 Challenge/Procedures................................................................................... 9 Outcomes..................................................................................................... 9 Game World.................................................................................................. 9 Characters.................................................................................................. 11 PCs............................................................................................................. 11 NPCs........................................................................................................... 12 Story........................................................................................................... 13 Dissoi Logoi................................................................................................ 14 Composition............................................................................................... 14

Introduction
Design History
This game was designed as part of a project for my English 460 class. I am an English Major in my Junior year at USC, and an avid gamer. As a gamer, I find myself frequently confronted by examples of sexism, racism and the glorification of violence. While these are not occurrences found in every video game, they often come up in one of the most popular genres, that of the shooter. While they are not the sole perpetrators of these issues, the Call of Duty and Gears of War franchises are two of the most popular, which is why this game was styled in their image.

Vision Statement
Logline Modern War Battles is a turn-based RPG that parodies stereotypes found in popular video games by portraying extreme examples of them for the purpose of satire. Synopsis This is a single-player game in the style of Final Fantasy.

You, as the player, take control of a hypermacho, steroid-fueled caricature of the soldier archetypes found in above-mentioned games. Through the course of the game, you travel across a generic shooter universe, composed mostly of gray and brown rubble, amassing a party of similar characters in an effort to take down the Big Bad Evil Russian/Chinese/Arabic Guy Who Is Actually An Alien (BBERCAGWIAAA for short). I'm trying to point out the inherent ridiculousness of such characters by taking them to their logical extreme. This game will be marketed to gamers dissatisfied with the current state of video gaming, and take pleasure in seeing these stereotypes parodied. Considering the content of the game, such as the likelihood of violence and swearing, I would limit the game to players above the age of 15.

Game Description
The setting of the game, called Asskickanopolis, is a land where the war never ends and the residents never sleep. All who live here know nothing but warfare, and living until the morrow is never certain. Your character, Manly Protagonist, starts life as a simple, but happy bullet farmer, but when the rampaging BBERCAGWIAAA destroys his mailbox with an errant tank blast, he seeks revenge. As he travels the land he encounters a variety of other inhabitants of this violent world who have all been wronged in similar, petty ways. Together they face the forces of Generic Darkness that pervades the land. The game is designed as a top-down RPG, in a similar vein to Final Fantasy and a turn-based battle system. Graphics will take the form of 16-bit sprites for characters and enemies, with prerendered backgrounds and landscapes. Within towns, called Holds, characters can interact with villagers, perform tasks and level up, gaining experience and better equipment along the way.

Travel between the Holds would take place on Rocketbikes or aerial Hovertanks, with the constant possibility of a random encounter in every dangerous area. There would be several major bosses in the game, with the BBERCAGWIAAA being the final boss. Sound will be made in midi format, with the exception of speech which, while rare, is a part of the game's cutscenes. Actual mechanics in the game will include an inventory system with equippable items found after fights with enemies, as quest rewards or in random chests throughout world. Combat is turn-based like Final Fantasy, with chracters unlocking more complex and powerful moves as they attain higher levels. The story of the game is presented by a narrator, or through text found in-game.

Formal Elements
Objectives
Immediate Objectives 1. Achieve goals by completing quests at the behest of citizens. 2. Gain experience and treasure from fighting bad guys. 3. Defeat powerful opponents to gain fame. Long-Term Objectives

1. Defeat BBERCAGWIAAA and get revenge for minor grievances. 2. Defeat 12 lesser Bosses. There are several lesser objectives determined by the party's personal stories and quests. An example of these might look like: Dan the Pacifist Don't hurt or kill anyone. Ever. Protect and heal friends. Try to be the voice of reason. There are also temporary objectives that can only be completed during quests. Quest: Free the Unicron Locate mighty and majestic Unicron Free from Goblin hordes. Make sure the Unicron isn't killed.

Gameplay Description
Movement There are several different methods and means of locomotion in Asskickanopolis, ranging from the most basic walking, to flying a mighty Sand Dragon up to the flying pyramid fortress of the BBERCAGWIAAA. Walking base land speed. Differs depending on area. When walking through Holds and in dungeons/caves, perspective is from a fixed three-quarters overhead view, similar to the Pokemon series of games.

Walking speed changes based on the SPEED rating of the character designated leader of the party. While walking in Holds and in the overworld only the leader character will appear on screen as the controllable sprite. There is no jumping mechanic. Most movement in the game will take place walking. This is confined to the four cardinal directions and four intermediate

directions. Players are given free movement of the characters, meaning they can walk at angles. Running availability based on possession of Ability: Roady Run by leader PC or Item: Wheely Shoes. Twice as fast as walking, but adds the chance to run into NPCs, and can also lead to many unnecessary battles. Extra random encounters can be avoided by using an Item: Repellant. Using vehicles Any land-based craft, most often Rocketbike or Hovertank, is only available in the overworld and must be parked before entering any town or dungeon. While riding you are free from normal encounters, but can be attacked by Mutants With Motorcycles if riding said Rocketbike or a Monster Tank Battalion if using a Hovertank. During Rocketbike encounters, combat changes from the normal, turn-based style to a form of combat similar to Spy Hunter: It is from a top-down perspective, and players can punch, kick, shoot or boost away from approaching enemies. When attacked by rival tanks the gameplay shifts to a Gradius-like side perspectives, as players move up and down, shoot enemies and avoid obstacles: Only when truly flying are players free of combat when moving in the overworld. Flying has the benefit of being faster and combat-free, but it can only take you between major cities, usually costs money, and removes the possibility of running into random encounters with enemies, loot or quest givers. Combat Combat (except in above examples of differences) is always turn-based from a side perspective, with the party always arranged on the left side of the screen and enemies on the right. It can only occur when traversing the overworld, when moving in dungeons, and occasionally in a non-combat area if quest situation dictates. Combat is based on the random encounter system, with enemies randomly selected from a pool within the range of the PCs' current levels. After defeating an opponent, a victory tune is played and experience and money are awarded. Items too, but that will be covered in Inventory. Combat is turn-based; the party with the highest average speed goes first, in order from fastest to slowest. PCs and enemies have lifebars that drain as they are attacked, the amount of life determined by their HEALTH rating. Some characters are spell casters and have a mana bar. Health can be recovered by resting in an Inn or Camp, being healed by a spell, or given a healing item. Mana can be recovered by resting, being given an item or finding a Mana Fountain in the wilderness. All characters have special abilities unique to them. An example: with his thick armor and thicker skull, Manly Protagonist has two special moves Rocket Jump, which blasts him into the air, landing atop his

enemies, and Headbutt, a close-range attack that stuns enemies for a round or two. As they level up they gain more abilities, and can improve on their already-existing ones. Special abilities eat up RAGE, a meter only possessed by Fighters that is the equivalent of the Spellcaster's mana bar. The RAGE meter can only be filled by being hurt, or yelling hateful things at the enemy, demoralizing them. The RAGE meter decreases out of combat. Dialogue This isn't Mass Effect, so the dialogue isn't the most complex thing in the world. It all takes the form of scrolling text boxes. Occasionally there will be options that the player can choose. This can change depending on who is in the party; certain options only appear for certain characters. The dialogue system may not be incredibly complex, but can have a powerful influence on the plot of the game. For instance, a boss fight could be avoided by talking your way out of it. Inventory There is a simply inventory system in Modern War Battles. Items can be taken from the inventory and equipped by players capable of using them. There are only a few item slots, such as Armor, Helmet, Charm, Weapon and Quick-Use Item.

These items can be changed at will by the player, but only when out of combat. Items can be found, stolen or bought, or given as rewards for quests. Most have different statistics, attributes or effects. Items can be sold, exchanged, given to a quest NPC or thrown away at the discretion of the player, the only exception being quest items which may be necessary to advance the plot or even finish the game. Tutorial The tutorial in the game consists of the first level, Manly Protagonist is shown through notes and wooden signs the basics of movement, combat, dialogue and inventory management. There will be a few popup reminders and hints during the early missions, but the majority of the game is tutorial-free. After leaving the first world, his abandoned

homestead at the edge of Vehicle Mission Highway, Manly must travel to the first Hold, teaching the player about movement in the overworld as well as the random battle system. The player will encounter the minimum number of enemies necessary to level up, and will then be taught what happens when that occurs. The final large fight before reaching the first Hold will involve the player being assisted by another PC, which will teach them how combat works with a party. Character Selection There is no character creation system in this game, as all possible, playable characters have predetermined appearances. All equippable items are stat-based changes, not changes to physical appearance, with the only exception being a change of weapon, which shows up on the sprite and alters the animations for movement and combat. While PCs cannot be customized, there are enough of them that they can be shifted in and out of the party as necessity dictates, the only constant character must be Manly Protagonist. Conflict/Argument The conflict of the game is the protagonists struggling against the forces of evil, trying to seek vengeance against their greatest foe. Though that is their main objective, along the way the characters must deal with their personal problems, as well as finding a place for themselves. Even though they exist as stereotypes (the buxom warrior woman, the Conan-esque berserker), they do not necessarily want to conform to what society expects of them. Their ongoing fight against the BBERCAGWIAAA leads them to fight against many different foes, such as hired mercenaries, Nazi zombies, wildlife, and a powerful alien menace.

They are initially a ragtag group of survivors, all with differing views on the world, but must come together as a cohesive unit. Finally, they are fighting their own internal struggles, trying to become more than what

is expected of them, transcend stereotypes and find inner peace in a violent and inhospitable world. Challenge/Procedures The greatest challenge the heroes must overcome is fighting against the hordes of evil without falling in battle or being overwhelmed by their emotional baggage. This is meant to 1. be fun and engaging for the player and 2. demonstrate the shortcomings of these negative stereotypes. When the relationships between people within the party become too strained, or they are confronted by their personal flaws, the manner in which the character reacts determines whether they move past those trials, or succumbs, abandoning the party and their goal. In Donald Norman's essay Three Teapots he explores the behavioral aspect of design. He states that an effective product must be a pleasurable experience to play. The pleasure in this game comes from the challenge of combat and the shared happiness between character and player when a positive resolution is reached. Outcomes Though this is a classic tale of good versus evil, the traditional perfect ending is not a guarantee, nor is it even the most likely resolution to the conflict. Depending on the choices of the player, a character's story or even life could end before reaching resolution, leaving unanswered questions and sorrow in their wake. Because there is no point or score system, there isn't so much a win/lose scenario as there is completing the story, whatever way that may be. Thanks to branching dialogue trees, and the cheap, easy nature of text-based communication, there are nigh-endless endgame possibilities. Some examples: they could beat the Evil only to have the collapse in command lead to a power struggle among surviving forces, or a hole that a new, more powerful baddie could fill. They may be defeated, but forced to fight for said evil against their allies and friends. They could become disillusioned, and give up on their quest. Because there are so many endgame possibilities, there will be a dedicated forum for discussion of the game, its stories, quests, potential endings, as well as the sharing of strategies and general camaraderie among players. United by their experiences in the game.

Dramatic Elements
Game World
The world of Asskickopolis is a place of many climates and environments, from raging oceans, to endless plains, to ruined cityscapes, to bustling metropolises. The only common theme is violence; it is a harsh world, and life is a struggle for survival. The

constant competition for food and resources have shaped this world flora and fauna into hostile beasts, usually of colossal size and strength. Most plants are similar to those in our world, but some are carnivorous, massive, ambulatory or even sentient. This has shaped the people of this world in a similar fashion. Men have to fit in with the typical male power fantasy to survive massive muscles, scars and a love of violence the norm. Women are necessary for survival, and are often kept in isolated safety, considered unable to survive on their own and entirely dependent on their male tribesmen. The few women who do fight fall into an Amazonian warrior stereotype tall, strong and incredibly defensive of their strength and usefulness. If you've ever read the Gor novels you get the idea.

There are some elements that hint this world was shaped in such a way by a past cataclysm. Though rare, artifacts and past technologies are occasionally uncovered and often command incredible wealth or power. The dead culture was by no means a paradise or a eutopia. Traces remain of the sexist billboards advertising products like technological amusements designed for women in the kitchen, or a tire brand that are praised for keeping a woman driver on the road, implying that no other brand could perform such a miracle. Magazine articles objectify women, and music exploited the culture of minorities for profit. If you could say one positive thing about the epoch that lead to the world in its current state, it acted as a great equalizer among the varied peoples of the planet, although some racism and assumptions based on a person's race still exist. The idea of this world is to be similar enough to ours to be identifiable or similar, but taken to the absolute extreme. Every fault of modern society amplified, then almost wiped away by a nameless apocalypse. Similar to the Fallout series of games, the ties to reality make an otherwise alien society plausible to the player, and will hopefully convince them to reflect on the shortcomings of our society.

The art style is dirty, and usually dead-looking, but there are some farflung places that can be beautiful. The world looks like a mash of Fallout, Conan the Barbarian, the Old West; pretty much every stereotypical location to inspire acts of manly courage.

Characters
PCs The PCs are the heart and soul of Modern War Battles. It is their internal conflicts and realizations about themselves that bring about the message of the game. Some of them are stereotypes, most conform to tropes of their genre, but they are not just cardboard cutouts, each one is a complex character. Even though they are on the same team they can all have very different motivations for following Manly Protagonist on this quest or for seeking revenge on the BBERCAGWIAAA. Manly Protagonist Main character, follows the example of game characters like Marcus Fenix from Gears of War and Duke Nukem. Is a massive, brawny farmer-turned-fighter, overconfident and brash. Can be a vulgar man, a womanizer, and sometimes takes his need to fight too far, seriously harming people he doesn't intend to. Special Moves: Rocket Jump, Headbutt. Secret Backstory: Acts the way he does due to an inability to express his feelings or emotions. Suffers from abandonment issues do to a negligent father, from whom he inherited his treatment of women. The mailbox destroyed by the BBERCAGWIAAA seems insignificant, but he reveals that it was built by him and his father, in one of the few times they were able to connect. After he disappeared, it was Manly's only remaining shred of his father. Dan (aka Ball-less Dan) Dan is a pacifist from a clan of powerful warriors. An outsider in his own home, the young healer was cast out of his society when he refused to take part in their violent manhood rites. Though he cannot fight, he does have latent magic abilities, which he uses to augment his skill with healing and curing others' ailments and wounds. Joins the party after Manly is almost killed by injuries sustained fighting a group of bandits. Manly and a few other PCs began calling him Ball-less Dan due to his unwillingness to help them fight their enemies. Special Moves: Bandaid, Summon First-Aid Kit. Upper Level Special Move: Summon Sexy Nurse instantly heals party with scantily-clad female nurse. Motivation: Traumatized from the loss of a close family member at a young age, Dan refuses to harm another living being. Still wants to prove himself as a real man, but doesn't want to have to conform to the image expected of

him. Annoyed by partymates' taunting, but never responds in kind. Only goes with Manly and the party to protect them and do good along the way. Amazon Princess #3,086 (initially called Princess by Manly, later simply referred to as Eighty-Six). Youngest in a long line of Amazonian warrior women, Eighty-Six isn't content with most women's role in the wild society. Constantly fights others in the group for dominance, tries to prove herself through feats of strength. Special Moves: Cleavage cuts enemy in half with sword, Flash stun enemies by flashing her breasts. Motives: Wants to be treated like a human being, rather than just a woman. The fact that even her name makes her a cookie-cutter stereotype, is searching for her identity. Disgusted by the fact that all armor for women boils down to chainmail bikinis, wants to make more suitable coverings but doesn't have the skill to craft armor. If you help her realize her abilities, she eventually becomes the group armorer, creating and improving gear for free. Follows the group because the BBERCAGWIAAA and his forces destroyed her home village and she wants revenge, but is also compelled be her desire to compete with the pompous Manly.

These are not the only characters, but they are the three main PCs and the first three party members. Eventually they are joined on their quest by others. Other characters are similar in some ways, but also unique individuals. All follow the same formula of being an example of a tropeish stereotype with a subversive difference, or a person that doesn't fit the mold expected of them, but desires to fit in. NPCs There are a variety of groups and factions of NPCs, some allies, most enemies. The majority of societies in this world are engaged in combat with either each other or their environment. The Holds are the most organized settlements, but not the only one. There are wandering bands of nomads and barbarians, some of which advanced enough, and friendly enough to trade with. Most are human, but there are some that were changed by the nameless epoch that reshaped the world, such as trolls, orcs and dwarves. Imagine a strange blend of clothing styles, organic or metal in construction. Everyone, with the exception of Dan, are visibly armed.

Most villagers are moderately generic, with some, such as important NPCs and quest givers being unique looking. Some NPCs should have music specific to them, so they are identifiable in any scene they are in. There are many enemy NPCs, most of which are human, but there are some of the other, newer races among their ranks. Raiders, marauders and cannibals are commonplace. A rather large minority of mutated human beings are infamous for their psychotic behavior and need for violence. Some, like Dan's clan, hold deep respect for their strength and ferocity, worshiping them like avatars of their gods and leaving offerings for them. Most cannot be interacted with, but some can, if only to deliver an evil cackle or monologue. Speaking of monologues, the bosses, incredibly strong enemies, are more than happy to fill their roles as the bad guy. They are often erudite, insane or power-hungry, commanding their minions with displays of violence. They are often brought down due to their flaws with one exception: the BBERCAGWIAAA. He is a unique character in this world. He doesn't act like the stereotypical evil villain, more like a morally ambiguous adventurer-turned-emperor. He is incredibly genresavvy, often times exploiting tropes of the RPG and FPS genres to trap the heroes or avoid defeat. Looks strikingly normal compared to his black armor and spike-clad subordinates. Has no theme music to represent his unique tendencies. Will be a constant threat to the characters, and will run into them several times during their travels, almost always escaping unscathed.

Story
The premise of Modern War Battles is that you control a group of heroes trying to rid the world of a great evil, while fighting against the limitations of their society and dealing with their individual conflicts.

The final goal of the game is to defeat said evil, but along the way players will be encouraged to help his party deal with their problems. They start out of humble beginnings, but as they adventure, helping other people and each other, they improve their skills enough to take on the BBERCAGWIAAA. The fact that several outcomes and endings are shaped by the dialogue choices of the player, the story could be said to be shaped by the gameplay.

Reflection
Dissoi Logoi
This game could have the opposite of the intended effect, glorifying the negative aspects of modern videogames it is trying to parody. But hopefully the way the characters of the game are changed in positive ways by moving away from the tropes and behavior they represent, coupled with the bad endings created by making terrible choices would convince them otherwise. An alternate reaction to the game would be seeing it as a critique of society rather than the videogame tropes it seeks to parody. This is not the intended effect, but it is still a welcome reaction. After all, videogames are a part of art, and a reflection of the culture they are made in. The negative influences of society have caused game developers to make games in this way.

Composition
Game design is a very new form of expression and media, and presents challenges unique to it. The videogame is a combination of all other art forms that tries to unify these disparate elements to form a cohesive whole. They cannot be created without knowledge of advanced computer technologies, and are amazingly complex when compared to similar forms of expression, such as music or the written word. The videogame is the ultimate form of multimodal composition, made unique due to its complete reliance on audience participation. Not only does this advance the plot being conveyed, this interactivity can lead the story in completely different directions. Videogames offer their audience an opportunity to direct the action of a story through participation. The benefits are obvious: with the audience being such an active motivator in plot, more complex stories can be told, individual elements can be explored more fully than in film or television, where audience participation stops at observance. The main drawbacks of videogames as a form of composition are all related to the age of the medium. They are a ridiculously new technology, only advancing beyond the toyish Pong and simple narratives such as Donkey Kong in the last few decades. The concept of videogames being used to tell complex, mature stories is a relatively

recent idea. They are often relegated to children's toys, which repudiate their potential as a viable medium for serious art or a real message.