Sightless
A more immersive Skyrim set on a grim alien world.
Sightless is an action role-playing open world Game set on a dark, alien world where heroes go to die and villains rise from the fallen. Rather than mindlessly questing for some farmer’s heirlooms, dynamic systems will drive progression throughout the game focusing on main storylines and genuine character interaction. Tough decisions are coming and the use of optical hacking and high tech weaponry are the only things you can trust amongst such a corrupted populace. Who will be left breathing in the end?
Tone: Dark, grim, dismal, somber; this game should tug on player’s emotions as the dark sides of human nature are revealed. It is meant to feel as if the world is being ripped apart from the actions of its inhabitants.
Setting/Story
The world of Galorn was once a prosperous place, that of profit and civility. Those times have long since passed and what is left is nothing more than a shell. Twenty five years ago an asteroid hit the planet causing what is referred to as "The Fall". This asteroid reacted to the atmosphere and the result left inhabitants blind after extended exposure.
Five years after "The Fall", a corporation called Opdem came to re-invigorate the populace by gifting them ocular implants that would allow their eyes to adjust. Opdem remains on Galorn, inside the Capital, to exploit the minerals throughout the desolate planet. Crime syndicates plague Galorn, most of them working hand and hand with Opdem.
Some residents have rejected the influence of Opdem, opting to find their own methods of coping with the harsh atmosphere. Our players struggle begins within one such settlement. The player’s father managed to create similar technology to Opdem's ocular implants, but the capability of this technology is nowhere near its potential. This same father has since abandoned his settlement for reasons unknown as of yet.
Overview
The player's goal and identity within Sightless is ultimately up to the player to decide. The choice between complete decimation of all good that is left within Galorn is certainly an option but there are still avenues for a potential hero to arise. The game will implement gameplay systems similar to Fallout 3 or Skyrim but have a better, more fluid integration of close range combat and third person camera support. The player will use any technology they can scavenge to engage in heated firefights and close range brawls. The development of the player’s unique ocular abilities will not only drive gameplay, but story as well. Special functions of the player’s unique implant will be available as the game progresses. By hacking in to nearby implants, the player may look to be the most infamous bounty hunter around.
Dynamic questing systems will drive the story of Sightless. Actual recorded quest logging will be limited to very daunting, primary missions. The majority of questing will be done through reaction of atrocities that take place within the game. Through the use of a "Melding" mechanic, the player can take the form of differing parties during an event to indulge themselves in either spectrum of the potential mission. For instance, taking the form of a common thug during a city raid will keep your anonymity while allowing you achieve your dastardly goals.
Game Mechanics
Melding
As the player adapts for survival throughout the game, so does their tech. Melding allows the player to hack into nearby NPCs ocular devices and appear to be whoever they feel appropriate for any given situation. This subterfuge invites players to explore their options in regards to event paths within the game without seriously diminishing reputation towards the player. The harsh reality of various situations will leave them full of regret and in some cases have the player seriously question the integrity of their decisions.
When players approach an ongoing event they will be fed information regarding factions involved and prompted to intervene on the situation through any of their available identities if they would like. The player will gain reputation based on the morality of actions taken while using slotted identities along their adventure. The player’s ocular implant may only store 3 identities at a time for melding, each of which will gain reputation while active. Identities may be changed and reworked to fit specific situations but it takes some time to load up the new settings. It is possible to remain yourself through the entire game, but most will find it simpler to be someone they are not in tasteless situations.
Dynamic Questing
Sightless will focus on immersion through the realism of events happening in sequence and in real time. The games main storyline will develop through interactions with big shot factions throughout the game ultimately leading to a showdown with Opdem and the discovering of your fathers fate within the hierarchy of power. Other side missions will constantly be available in a dynamic fashion. Players will often stumble upon the makings of dreadful situations and must decide whether they will turn their head, stop the potential brutality, or join in on the fun. Once a mission begins the player must actively engage in the series of events currently occurring to gain rewards. There is no coming back to the same daunting task.
Other questing systems will be in place but you will never be actively a part of more than the current primary mission. NPCs will vocalize their needs if you talk with them but they will act as incidental quests. You will find items of value to most of these NPCs throughout the more important storylines and can use those items in whatever way you choose, be it to help locals or fend for yourself.
Reputation
Various crime syndicates and other major factions are the focus of story in Sightless. By building reputation using various identities it is possible to control or destroy all of these syndicates from the inside. The infiltration of these syndicates is necessary to discovering the truth of the Opdem Corporation and progressing your main storyline. The player will only be required to take action through one of the various good or evil factions within the game to begin their investigation of Opdem. Using one faction’s resources to deal with Opdem is a discouraging task, but is certainly possible with the right sacrifices.
You will be required to form bonds with the important players of each faction in order to use their resources. Bonds are bound to be formed and romance is inevitable in such dooming predicaments. The question is, which relationships are real and which are just business?
Combat
Combat is intended to be action packed and fluid by mixing the use of melee and long range weaponry complemented by a unique shielding system. The player may have two projectile weapons and one melee weapon equipped at any given time.
Shielding: Powerful external shielding will only be available while not actively firing projectile based weaponry. When a shot is fired your shield is effectively disengaged to prevent a shower of death caused by ricochet within the shield. Melee weapons and some non-lethal projectiles are able to bypass this effect. External shields will deploy after two seconds of cease fire and recharge at a fairly quick pace. The option to manually enable and disable shield will also be available for more skilled players.
Close Quarters: The effectiveness of external shielding brings melee to the forefront of deadly firefights. While it is possible to focus entirely on melee combat it is generally used to quickly dispatch enemies in cover you would like to overtake. Actively using Melee weapons will help maintain your external shields allowing for some grueling encounters to be dealt with up close and personal.
Long Range: Various styles of ranged weaponry will be available for hastening opponent’s departures from the world. Ranging from Sniper Rifles to Shotguns, all typical selections are available to use. Unique styles of ammunition will be used to add flavor to the guns such as shield piercing and conflagrating ammo. Guns will have a cyberpunk feel to them but keep the classic, immersive kick that modern weaponry has. The feeling of weight is very important to the design of Weapons.
Tech: The player will have many different technologies available for integration in combat. The advancement of their optical implant allowing stunning, blinding, and illusory abilities will be the focus of these technologies. Combat is further complemented with an array of mines, grenades, and other gadgets for mixing up how you choose to take out enemies.
Character Progression
Similar to other sandbox RPGs, character progression will drive the pace of this oppressive world. A linear leveling system will pace the gameplay and content will scale to fit the challenge. Difficulty will be tailored by the actions of enemies rather than simply scaling health and damage. Unique items, skills, and abilities will be what push you through deep holes rather than a statistical advantage.
Skills and abilities will be earned as you level up in a similar fashion to Skyrim Borderlands, and most modern MMORPGs. These progression paths will be broken up into Close Quarters, Long Range, and Tech abilities and will correspond to the respective combat styles. Both passive and active skills to enhance the player’s efficiency will be necessary for surviving the harsh world of Galorn.
Level Design
The focal points of the game will be centered on the capital and various settlements of Galorn. The capital will be a fairly robust city with some platforming elements to enable quick navigation. Standard traveling accommodations such as quick travel will be allowed for the sake of convenience to the player. Missions will engage based on the players proximity and will seemingly happen regardless of the players choice to partake or not. These missions types range from hostile takeover to escort and protection missions.
Levels should be developed with combat in mind. Any location within Sightless is open to a firefight and it should be expected. Placement of cover and supporting NPCs should be varied. The unique optical hacking abilities of the player should also be at the forefront of this design to allow clever usage. An example would be placing patrolling scouts that must be blinded of your presence to pass without triggering an alarm.
Market Viability
Sightless has enough new to fit right in with the massively successful genre of sci-fi action RPGs within the market right now. With the success of the Mass Effect and Fallout series, a new contender for RPG loving males between the ages of 18 and 34 is primed for success. The dark setting is enough to create engaging storylines that rip at the hearts of the potential audience creating opportunity for DLC and further games within the new IP. By combining the freedom of an open world with the engaging story of more linear design a much larger audience is available.