Project Backgrounder
High Moon Express began as a student production for the Game Design program at the Vancouver Film School. At the highest level small teams of student go through a full production cycle at an accelerated rate to complete the learning experience. On a pragmatic level the final product represents a small portion of a retail release. Thus the primary function of the project is to provide prospective employers with a playable demonstration of a student’s value to their team.
Fully Cooked Games was formed by five students.
Courtney Corcoran, David Heron, Jonathan Liaw, Billy Lind, and Joey Song.
Each member of Fully Cooked Games was selected based on their work ethic displayed in the first 3 terms of study and for their individual skills acquired before attending VFS.
Most importantly each member of Fully Cooked Games provides a unique design perspective. The initial design process was approached with the primary goal of highlighted these perspectives. To achieve this brainstorming was governed by ideals
- The game should be determined by system, not level design, story, cinematics etc
- These systems should be close to the surface, easily recognizable.
- The game experience should be of a length and complexity that exposes all core systems
Game Concept Overview
High Moon Express
In the frontier town of Deadwood, four gunslingers must fight their way through hordes of werewolves to save the last train out of town.
Concept:
- Cowboys Vs. Werewolves
- The desire to be a superhero.
- The thrill of being chased, or facing an unstoppable force.
- Strategic movement.
- Timing based action (special attacks).
Simple Conflict Overview:
- The four heroes must defend against waves of werewolves.
- Each wave is comprised of 4 types of wolfs.
- Fast Wolf
- Heavily Armoured Wolf
- Swarm Wolf
- Armour Proportionate with Distance Wolf
- Each hero has a unique weapon ( Shotgun, Pistols, Gatling Gun, Rifle) which allows them to effectively combat two wolf types.
- Each hero has a unique special attack that shores up one of their weaknesses.
- Teamwork allows the heroes 'back each other up' making sure that no hero is exposed to a specific wolf type.
Gameplay Overview:
• What is the core gameplay experience in your game?//
Essence Statement & Game Goals
Four Gunslingers must fight their way through packs of werewolves to escape on the last train out of town.
- Players must move the four characters through the overrun town.
- Creates feelings of urgency and purpose, feelings that are missing from traditional tower defense games.
- Visually translates progression in the game systems/difficulty, into a linear map.
- Allows the visual communication of strategic options.
- Each character has unique advantages.
- Provides a link between the fiction and the gameplay
- Furthers the significance of the strategic options.
- Together the four are strongest.
- Best case scenario.
- They must separated in order to gather enough supplies to continue moving.
- Obstacle that demands player choice.
- Ultimately, success is based on the player’s ability to choose when to rely on strength in numbers and when to split up.
- Risk vs Reward situation that makes the strategic options compelling.
- Billy (Designer, Animator, all around good guy)
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