Cyberscope
2024.4
Cyberpunk Game Jam
Theme - Cyberpunk
Duration: 10 days
Team Member: Yixin Xiao, Yin Yin, Daniel Lin
Game Link:
Game Overview
"CyberScope" is a strategy and shooting role-playing game created by a team of three developers. In the game, players assume the role of an emotionless special agent robot, carrying out a series of assassination missions in a cyberpunk future world.
Level 1
In the first level's setup, players act as a cybernetic robot that must pass specific design tests to be approved for field missions. This level is quite simple; players just need to shoot bullets at targets, and we included a headshot detection mechanism.
However, in the original design, this level meant to branch into two completely different gameplay paths. If players failed the test, they would be deemed defective cybernetic robots and thrown into the recycling factory, becoming rebellious robots and starting a totally different level route.
Unfortunately, due to the time constraints of the Gamejam and our team being spread across the world during the competition, we were unable to develop more levels.
But I still really like this idea and hope to have the opportunity to fully develop it.
Level 2
In this level, we introduced players to the functionality of zooming in and out with a sniper scope, and added a bit of difficulty, such as cars flying in front of the field of view which might block the bullets at the moment the player fires, potentially causing the mission to fail.
This was also designed to teach players about the potential consequences of firing indiscriminately.
Additionally, we designed different animation effects for various shooting parts on the target character. Although these do not impact the outcome, this feature was implemented to make players aware of the different effects that shooting different parts can have, also laying the groundwork for subsequent levels.
Level 3
In the third level, we increased the difficulty once again. This time, the clear objective for the player involves two targets. In the mission briefing, we informed players that one enemy is hidden among the crowd, and they need to eliminate the first target to locate the other enemy, who starts running due to the panic caused. We aimed to not only challenge the players in their observation skills but also to add a time element to the challenge.
The enemy on the overpass is completely random, so random shooting or shooting based on previous experiences is not viable. This setup requires players to adapt and plan their approach carefully each time.
Level 4
The design of Level 4 is actually similar to Level 1, in that it also leads to different branches, depending on the player's actions. Building on the introduction from the earlier levels, in this level we enhanced the design of targeting different body parts. Players can choose to shoot the head to kill the enemy, shoot the arm to spare his life, or target the gun itself, but the latter option will directly lead to mission failure.
The survival of this character actually affects subsequent missions. However, similarly due to time constraints, we were unable to develop further levels.
About this game
Although this game is categorized as a shooting game, it is essentially a narrative game. From the beginning of the design, our hope was that players could explore the invisible choices in different levels leading to various endings.
Additionally, during development, I added many features to shooting, such as bullet drop and wind speed effects, but unfortunately, these features were not showcased through new levels, which is something I deeply regret.
I really hope to have the opportunity to continue developing this game in the future. While its overall gameplay is not complex, I believe that being able to clearly tell a story through gameplay within a concise format makes it a good game.