Echoed Symphony (using this from now on) Prologue

Wrote up the Prologue for the game today:

The dark, moonless night sky holds its power over the city. It covers up every nook and cranny that escapes the hard industrial lights adorning the walkways with its cold, black nothingness.Rain falls in this darkness, as it always has; a reminder to the city's inhabitants that there is no hope for them. There is only work that will bestow them with credits, so they can feed and clothe their family and survive another day.

The society here is run on the principle that you are merely a slave to the system. To be able to work, you must enlist for an Interconnectivity Persona code, or IP, which entitles you to a slot in their system and a personalized hub to connect to the mainframe. Those who do are provided with lavish accommodations and are automatically assigned a job. Those who don’t are part of the Underground: a collective of many different walks of life that are either soon to convert to the business-side of society or are working out a way to level the playing field by taking down or hacking the system.

No one has hacked it yet, but there’s talk of technology that can. Everyone who has temporarily hacked into the system’s mainframe has been cut off within seconds, tracked down within an hour, and were never heard from again. Faint whispers and murmurs speak of a hacker able to crack the code and reclaim control over the world. It just so happens that these prophecies are about to come true.

Revised Design Document

Updated it today to reflect new changes:

E.code Symphon.exe

Bryan J. Taylor

High Concept
A third-person musical shooter. You are a hacker inside a computer system, using a VRV (virtual representation virus) to implant yourself into the OS and combat an AI that is trying to regulate data flow on the internet. Codenamed a "conductor", you use music to overload servers and shut down anti-virus executables, and ultimately their host programs.

Features

• Music is your ammunition, and instruments are your guns. Defeat enemies to amplify your music, overload the sector and shut it down!
  

• No health? No problem! In E.code Symphon.exe, you can not die. If you are hit, the volume of your musical infection dampens, but as you defeat enemies, the volume gets stronger, preparing you to overload each sector's gate and proceed to the next area.
  
• Each host produces one song (you will need to construct a new song to overload the signal of each host, as the mainframe will block your previous signature from access), and each sector contains one instrument from that song.
  
• The quicker you unlock the next area, the higher your score.
  
• You can level up your character's weapons as the game progresses as you will have more power over the connection.
• When you arrive through the final gate, there will be a guardian for you to battle. You will use tactical fire against the guardian's weak point to destroy the guardian and shut down the system!
  

Player Motivation
The player battles against an AI and it's forces that is trying to restrict data flow and enforce censorship on the internet.

Genre
Artistic TPS

Target Customer
Anyone that enjoys music and wants to play a somewhat casual shooter.

Competition
None are similar to this game that would directly conflict with the sale of this game or the other.

Unique Selling Points

• Dynamic musical shooter, compose a symphony of virtual destruction!

• Hacker-themed storyline, cool tech-based graphical style
  

• Cover system
  

• Intricate and challenging boss battles

Target Hardware
Windows PC

Design Goals
Awesome: Every moment in the game should offer an opportunity to pull back from the game and appreciate the musical gameplay.

Musical: Give the player the feeling that they are overcoming an uphill battle. Ensure that they are given the opportunity to play the game differently each time.

Fusion: The combination of light, color, and music will envelop the player in a controlled synaesthesia experience.

Back. Work commences.

I met up with IrishMobster (the other teammate of mine on this project), and we decided out of all the game ideas I had that we are going to work on this one.

We were looking for a game engine to work with, and we finally settled on the Unity Engine. It's only $199 for the indie license, and seems VERY versatile, so should it be able to tackle the complex nature of this game without breaking a sweat.

During our informal meeting yesterday, we also redefined some of our original concepts for the game and how it will "work":

• Each level contains one song
• Each section is based on one instrument
• As you kill enemies, the volume rises till maxed, and the barrier that keeps you from the next section dissipates.
• As you get hit, the volume dampens, making it a constant battle.
  
• As you defeat each sector, the power shuts off or dampens
  
• Proceed until you unlock all instruments (defeat all sectors)
• You can defeat enemies with weapons and melee attacks, any means possible.
• Possibly, as you progress, you get access to new, better weapons.
• As you continue, you can unlock new abilities
  
• "Tech", who is your information source on the outside world, is the narrator for the active tutorial

Sector Shut down

Unfortunately, the production of this game is on hold till next quarter (which I will be taking off) of college. Another reason is because I am working on a retail game right now, called Dominoze. I will post again here when production commences again.

Until then, here's some concept art for a boss design:

New address, same site

Just letting you know I signed up for a domain name today.

http://ecodesymphonexe.com is the domain for now until the DNS gets updated.

We haven't done much to the game lately, but will be working on it again soon. Life never ceases to complicate things.

Once we get more to the game done, I will put up a formal site. Until then, I will just update on here.

Cya,
Bryan

UPDATE: http://www.ecodesymphonexe.com now works. Bookmarks away!

New logo

We have a new logo thanks to a friend named "Humphrey."
Thanks Humphrey!

Planning is now complete for the game, and we are now starting to develop it. I will post minimal updates from here on out, but will post concept art and renders, and I still am going to keep my promise on delivering a prototype of how the music system in the game works.

Sign up for our RSS feed or bookmark us!
I'll try to post as soon as possible.

Thanks,
Bryan

Chains - This ain't your grandpappy's combo system

Yes, yes, I know I need to get the physical representation of the combo system into the hands of those of you who just don't "get it" so you can try out what we are doing with the music in the game. In the meantime, all I have is words, so I guess we'll all have to deal with that.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I chose the term chains because of obvious reasons, but also because you are binding your code to your enemies.

The following is how the system will work:

• Stratus "activates" himself in an area, triggering the AV (Anti-virus) squadron
• Instead of alarms, the beat will begin to rumble the environment in waves, the movement will be based on the central beat that plays (changes each level).
• Stratus will now be able to choose his weapon, but he will only be able to play one instrument at a time. The player can change this on the fly by switching the weapon, but will only allow one instrument per chain, to avoid discord. We want you to make music, not some stupid "bash on the piano" sounding beat. There may be a way for us to incorporate switching weapons between combos with a notifier of sorts, but that is to be discussed at a later date.
• Stratus will be able to shoot at any of the key points of the enemies at this time; he can choose to lock on, or just look "down the scope" and pop off unassisted shots.
• If the player doesn't follow the chain by continually shooting lighted segments of the enemies, and shoots an unlighted portion of the body, the chain will break and the "combo" will reset.
• When you fire off a shot, it will ping as it sinks into the enemy to signify that you hit a correct section, and will play a sequence of sequential notes with each successful hit that represent the sequence in which you are playing. You don't actually get to hear the whole segment until the enemy is defeated, and the music will then play during the correct segment of the "beat" (think Lumines, where the bar passes over the playing field and activates your blocks you've combined as it reaches them). This may somewhat pause gameplay to ensure correct beatmapping of the song.
• When you defeat enough enemies to fill up your energy meter, you will shut down the sector (the lights will go off, but the next area will still be lit up) and you can proceed to the next one.

That's all I got. I told my friend Chris who is going to help me with the game that I would get this system figured out, so here it is.

Let me know what you all think!
-Bryan

Musical Arsenal

I've been thinking about the weapons in the game, and I've been having a tough time solidifying my concept for them. I want to make them a combination of the musical instrument and an actual type of gun, but still keep the originality of both. This game is going to take a lot of studying for me since I know nearly nothing about guns, just how to pull the trigger.

I feel that there is going to be some liberty given to the environment so that 'Stratus' doesn't have to play each note out on his instrument to fire, and I will make it so that each weapon just fires out the music "capsules" as bullets, and when those hit the targets, the music is what is released when they are erased.

I'm sure I'll eventually figure it out, it's just something I've been thinking about. I haven't had a chance to work on the city mock-up yet, and I want to make some kind of flash demo or something so you guys can see what I am trying to accomplish with the combo system.

Till next time,
Bryan

So much time and so little to do. Wait...

Well, unfortunately, my break from classes is over and I will have to decrease my pace of delivered posts. This means the typical time I would have been working on making another informative post for my blog will now be utilized in completing homework for my classes the day that they are due.

I don't want to be a TOTAL loser and omit any progress related to the game, so I will say that I'm about 80% sure that we will be using the Source engine to deliver at least a prototype of the game, if not using it throughout the entire creation process. I've seen what talented individuals are able to do with the engine, and some of my favorite games of all time were created using the developmental tools that would be at our disposal. I've been told that it's difficult to use, but honestly, I think anything is better than building an engine from the ground up.

I am going to see if I can find some time to do a mock up of how I visualize the first city looking in 3ds max, but I make no promises.

Until next time,
Bryan

Putting a face to a name

Meet "Stratus". Stratus was a character I made when I was in Modeling I at ITT Tampa, for my final project. The project was actually to just .. model something (most people were modeling anything from a city block to a chessboard and pieces). I decided to do a little more than that since I was already familiar with 3ds max, and Stratus was born.

He hasn't been used in any of my projects since his original conception, and I think it may just be time to put him to good use. I think with some revision, he would be a perfect candidate for the lead character in E.code Symphon.exe. He's already got a sort of avatar-looking way about him, and I want to utilize some form of visual humor, and having someone commiting such a trivial deed dressed up as an anime character would surely accomplish that.

I think he'll look good with a pair of Heads Up Display glasses/shades and I'm more than likely going to change the design of his clothes. Other than that, the character is rarely going to be seen, except for during cutscenes; so the actual design isn't THAT important, but it's nice to have some personality to the disembodied hands that you are controlling.

Any suggestions? Comments are welcome!
- Bryan

Controls and other 8-letter words.

Controls are an obviously important aspect of any game. If you have controls that are difficult to use, then your game is uncomfortable and might as well be unplayable. I've been thinking about the options for the game, and I feel that borrowing a little from a similar game in the genre, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, would make sense in this case. In "MP3:C", you are able to lock on to targets, and then freely aim your reticle elsewhere, whether it be at different segments of the body of the enemy you are locked on to, or another enemy near them. It won't be identical to this, persay, but it should work quite similar. This would allow for easy targeting of the enemies and their cohorts, but wouldn't necessarily offer cheap kills for you since you have to hit certain targets in order to activate combos and actually defeat the enemies, not to mention that it would allow you to essentially target multiple at a time quickly without realigning yourself each time.

Since your character has the ability to manipulate the space around him, double-jumping would not be an issue, and I want to allow him to run up walls, but I don't know how that would translate into 3d. The reason he can't just all out manipulate everything around him is the fact that if the sector shuts down with him inside, it will nullify him, and manipulating the code too much would cause a sector to collapse. I also want to implement a cover system, but I can't really visualize a possible solution to that without jeopardizing the flow of the gameplay, so it most likely won't be included.

Another topic of discussion for today is the health system. I really like what some recent game titles have done so you can't die in a game. There is obviously still challenge in being able to complete the game because you start over at a nearby checkpoint, but with a game that depends on flow of gameplay/music, a variation of that concept would be required. I want to make the game casual so you don't have to worry about being defeated over and over again when you are trying to just enjoy the experience (it IS an art game, after all), and so I propose that there should be a system that works similar to today's arena laser tag. When your energy drops to a certain point, you are unable to fire for a set period of time. This will offer reward for not being hit, and ensure that you don't just run straight up to the enemies and try to pick them off (the combo system will also assist in this). Bosses will be set up the same way, but might have some variation to the fact that you might have to restart the boss over again or something.

I'm always open to suggestions, so leave a comment. Also, sign up for our RSS feed, I try to post daily updates!

Till next time,
Bryan

Do you want to make more music? Sure, we all do.

Music creation is the nature of this game that I am going to create, first and foremost. I want to ensure that anyone can pick up the game, successfully performing combos and creating a symphony, just as any 'core gamer would. When it comes to music, I have a bunch of ideas, but I believe ultimately that each "hit" that you perform in a combo will activate a string of notes, and each successful hit after that will continue the chain, until you have completed the combo or you stop shooting the highlighted spots on the enemy(ies). These sequences will be nothing more than translating the simple data of the sequence into music through the engine. The hard part is making the engine sync the music, but that might be solved by a looped time segment or have a background process running that tells the game when the bullets will fly into the targets.

What this post is really about is the music creation process. When I say that, I am not actually referring to the in-game song creation, but am actually referring to the system I wish to implement that creates a song for you out of what you composed during the stage/level/area. If done correctly, it will take the shots you made, take the corresponding sound files, and compile it with the beat in the background, making an mp3 for you for each level, which you should be able to choose where you want to save (if you care to). I also want to create a community site for the game that gives you the ability to not only post your reaction to the game/levels, but your crafted mp3's as well that come from your gameplay.

I want to ultimately have the ability to replay gameplay, such as the "demos" that are used in the Unreal series. Each level will auto-record all the statistics of the gameplay, and will allow for playback through a feature accessed from the main menu. You will be given the option of whether you want to save your gameplay or not after each level; the file size of the gameplay will be minimalistic, unlike a recorded video, and will allow for camera manipulation so you can use that for machinima or to craft music videos or whatnot.

I want the game to feel like an experience, something you can't find anywhere else. It should be an escape to a place that can only be accessed from within the game, that allows passive personalization, to where you end up with goodies (the songs) when you are done playing. Replay value would be substantial; since every time you play, you could be creating a new song. I want to offer the game at a reasonable price, because I feel that if the game is worth playing, word of mouth will more than pay the difference from the cheaper sale.

That's it for me.
Happy April Fool's Day Everyone!
Bryan

"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams"

I've currently been discussing other things with team members and friends about the game, but it's about the storyline and not something I can put up here, without fear of it ruining the game for anyone wishing to play it. So, instead of me posting about that, I am going to be talking about the game's enemies.

Since you are a virus in the game, it only makes sense that your opposition would be some form of combatant against viruses, or an "anti-virus" as I've said more times than I care to have. Mithos and I were discussing this and we figured that since we as humans use reference to illicit memories, then it would only be appropriate for everything in our future computer systems to have reference to real-world application. This also works in the situation of viruses, where physicians/doctors assist in curing our viruses as humans, it would only make sense for them to be the ones to stop viruses in the virtual world. Norton Antivirus' stethoscope is a good example of this implication that such a program solves your ailments, just like a doctor would. Now I know its weird to think you would face doctors, but they can just be agents sent by the main AI, just as doctors are given authority by the governs of law to practice.

It makes sense to a degree to have authority fighting you, but ultimately, what do cops know about curing diseases? They would get infected just as easily as the residents they are trying to protect. I think there is a great deal of things I could do to expand upon this idea, but I think it fits perfectly within the realm of my game's concept. Also, I think it would be quite comical to have ambulances pulling up with doctors pouring out of them for you to fight. I'm sure its not politically correct, but we all hate paying our doctors obscene amounts of money for minimal service anyways, right?

Life in a Digital City

I have decided to go with a more realistic approach to the graphical style. I obviously can change this at any point, but every time I visualize the game in my head, it appears the same way to me, partially from the suggestions of my friend Erin. I see a cityscape with one main road running through, huge skyscrapers, crowded sidewalks; basically a populated city.

I was originally thinking of using arenas and a gate system (like an actual door) sorta like (if you have played it) the scene in Metal Gear Solid 4 where you are fighting Screaming Mantis in the tech center. The areas would flow down towards the center of the arena, where the guardian would be. I decided against this, mainly because it's too.. plain. Sure it provides a solution to the problem, but it's not really a creative one that would be memorable. So, the city idea was born.

The way the environment would work is that the "Conductor" is actually a resident in the virtual world, similar to an MMO, like Second Life (even though I loathe SL) or There. He utilizes his avatar to appear like a normal user in the computer system/network, and all along is plotting to take it down. The anti-v agents blend in with the crowd of the city, but the hacker has built a widget for his avatar than allows him to see their code. Battles would break out in the crowds themselves and take place in different locations (just like in real life, we have different cities, so would our systems), and you would be confined to a sector of the city before you could access the next.

The Guardians will actually be towards the outskirts of the town, or in front/on top of a base building. Your character can modify the space around him, so running up walls of buildings and such is not a problem. Just as a virus can manipulate your computer system, so too can a Conductor. When you defeat the Guardian, it will give you access to a new city, of which I have not figured out the method of transportation.

That's pretty much all I got so far. I'll update more as I come up with it. I feel this would be the best way to represent the game, but I'm always open to suggestions.

The design of the game, or in short, Game Design

I am still trying to figure out what kind of style I want to utilize in the creation of this game. Since your character has a "Virtual Representation Virus", he's going to be somewhat formed as he would be in real life, if maybe for his own preference in the aesthetics of it, but the game is going to be in the future, and currently Operating Systems are confined to binary code and have no physical representation.

I was thinking that the OS' in the future would be reliant on a physical space representation, utilizing holographs where all the data is represented by a visual form. This would make more sense to why Anti-virii applications are represented by soldiers/human forms. How cool would it be if everything in your computer was like a small city, such as the 90's cartoon ReBoot. The way technology is going right now, it's only a matter of time before we all have personal heads up display, whether it is built into our glasses, contacts, or is an implant (which is least likely, considering the controversy of biomodification without 'need'), I feel it will eventually happen.

A lot of what I am going to need to accomplish with this game is immersing the player in a virtual world. Now, what comes to mind when you say the word "virtual"? Is it a land akin to the endless polygonal halls of Tron or is it an avatar? I think everyone will soon adopt a virtual representation of themselves as a cross-platform avatar. If our world as a whole is so dependent on what we look like, why not alter it? Who says we can't look like we want to look in a virtual world? Online interaction is primarily a facade anyways, we don't talk the same, we don't act the same, we are able to personify our inner thoughts without instant repremand. Why not take a virtual representation to a new level then?

Back to the primary question at hand, the art style. I'm really torn from whether I want to design the game around polygonal/vector shapes and stick to the look of the aforementioned Tron, making it somewhat similar to Rez, or whether it should look like a real city, just have a bunch of binary floating around and make it similar to what the Matrix tried to portray. Either way, the technical aspect will be shown, but it's a matter of will a bystander be able to tell what's going on, will the player feel like they are experiencing life inside of a computer?

If you guys want, let me know what you think. Maybe I'm thinking too much into this, but I sorta have to decide on a visual style before I can make the visuals.

E.Code Symphon.exe

Here is the Game Design Document for the game. Let me know what you think!

E.code Symphon.exe

Bryan J. Taylor

High Concept

A first-person musical shooter. You are a hacker inside a computer system, using a VRV (virtual representation virus) to implant yourself into the OS and combat an AI that is trying to regulate data flow on the internet. Codenamed a "conductor", you use music to overload servers and shut down anti-virus executables, and ultimately their host programs.

Features

• Music is your weapon, and instruments are your guns, choose between strings, piano, and guitar.
• Combos control the chaos! Segments of your enemies will light up to show you paths for combos, then you can fire shots at multiple enemies at once and activate a sequence of music!
• When you are done setting up your combo, the bullets will fly out of your gun and slow down when they get near your enemies, and then will slam into them in sync with the background beat.
  
• The more combos you land within a specific time, the higher your score.
• As you defeat enemies, you'll fill your health and your energy meter. Once your energy meter is filled, you can use the collected energy to overload the gate to the next area.
• Once you activate the gate, all the music you've conducted so far will echo back to you and will store in your database.
• When you arrive through the final gate, there will be a guardian for you to battle. You will use a combination of tactic against the guardian's weak point and the symphony you've already conducted to destroy the guardian and shut down the sector!
  

Player Motivation

The player battles against an AI and it's forces that is trying to restrict data flow and enforce censorship on the internet. (subject to change)

Genre

Artistic FPS

Target Customer

Anyone that enjoys music and wants to play a somewhat casual shooter.

Competition

None are similar to this game that would directly conflict with the sale of this game or the other.

Unique Selling Points

• Dynamic musical shooter, compose a symphony of virtual destruction!

• Hacker-themed storyline, cool tech-based graphical style
  

• Cover system
  

• Intricate and challenging boss battles

Target Hardware

Windows PC, Playstation Network, or Xbox Live Arcade

Design Goals

Awesome: Every moment in the game should offer an opportunity to pull back from the game and appreciate the musical gameplay.

Musical: Give the player the feeling that they are conducting a masterpiece while playing the game. Ensure that they are given the opportunity to play the game differently each time.

Fusion: The combination of light, color, and music will envelop the player in a controlled synaesthesia experience.

Welcome to the site!

This is our blog for the independently developed musical first person shooter, E.code Symphon.exe.

I will update it with progress as the game progresses. We are shooting to have a beta developed by next year, hopefully in time for the IGF or PAX.

Contact me if you think you may be able to assist in the production of this game (especially coders).

Thanks,
Bryan