Serial Killer Roguelike - I need your opinion.

[Davaris]

You have to make this! You will get much fame on the Internets.

The triggering potential would be epic.

If I wanted to play a serial killer game I'd just play GTA.

GTA doesn't really have mechanics for playing a serial killer.

You are correct. Mass murder is what I should have said.

http://www.britannica.com/topic/serial-murder
"Serial murder, also called serial killing, the unlawful homicide of at least two people, carried out in a series over a period of time. Although this definition was established in the United States, it has been largely accepted in Europe and elsewhere, but the crime is not formally recognized in any legal code, including that of the United States. Serial murder is distinguished from mass murder, in which several victims are murdered at the same time and place."

 

[DavidBVal]

Do it if YOU would play it, fuck everyone else.

World is big enough to hold enough people similar to you in tastes, so some people will play it if it doesn't suck.

 

[laclongquan]

About clue generation.

Silent Storm engine has some sort of clue generation to make sure each campaign vary a bit from the last.

There is static clue, ie objects, and dynamic clues, ie person. You find static clue you have some facts in your hand. You have dynamic clues you can combine it with person "interrogating them about that fact" to get another clue, drive toward a conclusion.

Both type is distributed across missions map, halfway randomized. Some map has some condition to close off due to time limit, or mission limit, and can cut you off from that branch. Critical clue, end game, can be spread across three maps and they can all be turned off.

So to be inspired by it.

you commit a crime, the game engine generate a few clues and persons, spread across area map.

Static clues are generally behind police's storage, or autopsy technicians. It can be pretty hard to tamper with it unless you plan for stealth missions to break and enter police station, and even then it's damn hard.

Dynamic clues, ie witness and expert can be reached and eliminated, and each kill in turn creating more clues of both type.

So in order to erase trace of 1st kill, you are getting involved in several more murders and having police after your ass for them.

About investigation:

Each mission map is a dynamic area with one police station which generate two detectives per cycle. These detectives will move around map to meet NPCs. If they meet a dynamic clue person, with a static clue in their station, they get a conclusion of some sort, and this can lead to you as suspect.
If this dynamic lead to a static clue in ANOTHER map/station, this detective will move across maps to get to that station to put their hand on that static clue. In that case, the latter station will issue warrant for you for the crime they got their clues for.
This mean you can delay detection, but in the end you will get caught the more map the clues are spread. High score will be how long until you get caught x how many crimes you create x how heavy you have to serve time in prison.

 

[Robert Jarzebina]

Thanks for your opinions!

Right now I am more thinking about making "Fallout Roguelike" something that would be blend of Fallout 1+2, Wasteland, Stalker and The Road.
Huge procedurally generated world, with traveling just as in Fallout 1&2 - big map divided in locations. That would be mostly scavenging and surviving sandbox game, different every time you play it.

 

[lightbane]

If I wanted to play a serial killer game I'd just play GTA.

GTA doesn't really have mechanics for playing a serial killer.

You are correct. Mass murder is what I should have said.

http://www.britannica.com/topic/serial-murder
"Serial murder, also called serial killing, the unlawful homicide of at least two people, carried out in a series over a period of time. Although this definition was established in the United States, it has been largely accepted in Europe and elsewhere, but the crime is not formally recognized in any legal code, including that of the United States. Serial murder is distinguished from mass murder, in which several victims are murdered at the same time and place."

Even then, it's not like GTA's main characters are saints. Torture and cruelty is not beyond them:


And then there's Manhunt, of course:



I wonder what would happen if Rockstar released (or tried to) a new sequel these days. The following butthurt would be glorious.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Thanks for your opinions!

Right now I am more thinking about making "Fallout Roguelike" something that would be blend of Fallout 1+2, Wasteland, Stalker and The Road.
Huge procedurally generated world, with traveling just as in Fallout 1&2 - big map divided in locations. That would be mostly scavenging and surviving sandbox game, different every time you play it.

Systems based on reality plz?

 

[Mastermind]

Thanks for your opinions!

Right now I am more thinking about making "Fallout Roguelike" something that would be blend of Fallout 1+2, Wasteland, Stalker and The Road.
Huge procedurally generated world, with traveling just as in Fallout 1&2 - big map divided in locations. That would be mostly scavenging and surviving sandbox game, different every time you play it.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Regarding the idea, to be honest, it's a bit boring. Sure, serial killer, but we are talking about roguelike here. How deep will your simulation go? Will each character have sets of AI to govern their daily behavior? If yes, how much combination? How will police investigation simulation works? Unless you are shooting for the star with a ridiculous simulation the game would get boring pretty fast. Personally, if I want to play a game of serial killer I would want to be able to observe my victims, learning their habit, etc2. Lazy or randomized behavior would kill the game.

Thanks for your opinions!

Right now I am more thinking about making "Fallout Roguelike" something that would be blend of Fallout 1+2, Wasteland, Stalker and The Road.
Huge procedurally generated world, with traveling just as in Fallout 1&2 - big map divided in locations. That would be mostly scavenging and surviving sandbox game, different every time you play it.

Based on this, basically the map would work like Cataclysm DDA? But instead of zombie, normal people? I say the scope is too big. If you are aiming for complex simulation as I mentioned, this kind size will kill the game(literally, as in crash to desktop) because the game need to emulate all movement independence of player action. Cataclysm DDA has some sort of reality bubble in which only in it will the game simulate behavior. It's fine there because, hey zombies, without living things they most likely will just drool and sit. But people? If my target is working in Burger King thousand of tiles away, the game need to simulate "him" so that he will come back home at four, using certain routes etc2. And that's just one person. Try doing it for the whole city and bam, CTD.

And based on the poll, you are going to sell it yes? Commercially? Do yourself a favor, tone down the sadism and senseless murder and this game might go to Steam. My suggestion? Do it like Dexter or Hitman. Make it so that the target of killing is not random and instead based on some criteria. Modern assassin game would work much better and give some sort of goal instead of random murder. Maybe news about corrupt people for Dexter route or contract for Hitman route, or both.

 

[Robert Jarzebina]

Regarding the idea, to be honest, it's a bit boring. Sure, serial killer, but we are talking about roguelike here. How deep will your simulation go? Will each character have sets of AI to govern their daily behavior? If yes, how much combination? How will police investigation simulation works? Unless you are shooting for the star with a ridiculous simulation the game would get boring pretty fast. Personally, if I want to play a game of serial killer I would want to be able to observe my victims, learning their habit, etc2. Lazy or randomized behavior would kill the game.

I am planning to make more board game type of simulation, with huge abstraction of many elements. So no huge procedurally generated connected map as in Catalysm DDA.
The biggest inspiration for mechanics would be http://www.armouredcommander.com/ . I just love how everything works in it. Thanks to this walking would be very limited and gameplay would be very fast and intense.

And based on the poll, you are going to sell it yes? Commercially? Do yourself a favor, tone down the sadism and senseless murder and this game might go to Steam. My suggestion? Do it like Dexter or Hitman. Make it so that the target of killing is not random and instead based on some criteria. Modern assassin game would work much better and give some sort of goal instead of random murder. Maybe news about corrupt people for Dexter route or contract for Hitman route, or both.

I want to give players the total freedom aka an real RPG. If they want to play very sadistic characters, torturing people etc, its their choice. This would be uncommercial project. With this game I dont want to give a shit if I will offend some tards or if Steam will like it or not.


Right now I am busy with commercial project that I am making with someone, but then I will have more time to code this roguelike.

 

[Haba]

If you choose the roguelike approach, one way to make the game would be to have dynamically forming modus operandi. As you kill more people, you start to form an obsessive patterns that you have to follow in future murders as well. So in initial stages you have more freedom with the murders, but later you are limited by your obsessions. Obvious m.o. makes you also easier to profile for the cops.

So in a way the difficulty doesn't come from the killing itself, but from being able to fulfil your obsessive needs and still cover your tracks well enough to not get caught. And maybe in the endgame you'll also want to maintain your "fame" with the media as well, leading into more risky murders.

 

[Shatterbrain]

Each night after a crime, simulate the actions of the police. Also simulate at least one super-detective (think Will Graham) in great detail. That way it plays out like your own personal thriller movie. It could also provide a sweet alternate game mode where YOU play as the Will Graham.

 

[vean]

Serial killer doesn't seem like a great setup.

How about a parallel killer?

You enter a level and your objective is to kill X people in Y actions (burst firing, using a phone, setting a fire, locking/unlocking doors, etc).

It'd be a turn-based puzzle postal.

The character would be flimsy, so in a reversal to Hitman, you get bonus points for being identified and managing to get out alive.