Peekaboo
Responsible for: Game Design, Level Design, Prototyping, 3D asset creation, Sound FX
Free online multiplayer game for web.
Game Design
Self proclaimed first ever "stalker shooter".
Shooting:
The longer you keep an enemy in focus, the more points you get.
White bar: 1 point
Yellow bar: 5 points
Green bar: 10 points
This creates a completely new take on first person shooting, because it's not about shooting first, it's actually about shooting last. It creates a constant risk-reward system, having the player always asking themselves the questions:
- Does the other player see me as well?
- When bumping into another player, who started focusing first, me or them? Should I try and hide or shoot I try and shoot first?
- Can I keep focusing to fill up my points bar or is someone else is going to steal my kill if do?
The focus bar also fills up faster if you are closer to your target. Creating initiative for players to try and sneak up to people for a quicker 10 points.
Sneaking:
The player can become invisible besides for the camera they're holding. (so basically they can become a lot smaller). In most games you can become smaller in height by crouching, but in this game you also become a lot slimmer. Making it possible to hide behind thin objects like tree's that you normally couldn't.
The bar drains when sneaking and fills up when not sneaking. Making it a resource that is best spend at the right time.
Movement:
Trying to create the opposite of a twitch reflex shooter. In this game movement is more calculated and deliberate. Therefore the players don't jump up and down with high speed, but can evenly float up and down.
Information provided:
To help players deduct where other players are there are 3 visual elements:
- If a player gets shot, their ghost flies up in the sky for other players to see
- If a player gets shot, the night sky lights up for a brief moment
- If a player gets shot, their camera is dropped on the floor. Leaving markers where the shooting occured.
- Walking into bushes makes sound for all players to hear
Scorebar:
To track how you are doing and who is in the lead we created a points bar with a finish line. You can see all you need without having to press tab for a scoreboard.
Level Design
Size:
Level is made and balanced to be played by 4 players. Making it possible to spot players from far but with enough cover to not get sniped. Getting sniped in Peekaboo is very different from standard shooters anyway because you need to keep someone in focus for a while.
Hiding spots:
The level has objects that are too small to hide behind in ghost form but a good size to hide behind in sneak form.
One recurring element like this is a bush that the player can be fully invisible in, until their sneak bar runs out of course.
Verticality:
To open up the playing field and create more hiding spots and tension, there are many ways to scale up to a higher place.