Zepper

By: Nathanial Strickland Remember; no matter how desperate the situation seems, time spent thinking clearly is never time wasted. ~ Max Brooks ~

Razor Statement: Halo Forge meets StarHawk meets Call of Duty Goal: Zepper is a PC FPS Survival/Horror game that will be played in a first person view. This game is not about running around killing waves of the undead but rather planning, and building a strategy for ones own zombie survival. Zeppers premise is based on the fact that we as humans have all thought about or asked what we would do in the event of a zombie attack. In Zepper you will create, conduct, and live what you the survivor thinks are the best plans for survival. Tone: Zepper is intended to be dark, foreboding, and filled with anxiety and attrition. At certain times Zepper should feel like a nightmare come true. It should consist primarily of zombie lore, imagery that promotes decay, struggle, and chaos. The world is in chaos and it is up to you to plan your survival. Zepper should feel chaotic, strategic, foreboding, and undertaking. Game Mechanics: The main goal of Zepper is to allow you the survivor the ability to construct, fortify, and attempt to survive a zombie apocalypse the way they want to by constructing or fortifying prebuilt structures, using the Fabricator tool, Desperation and Fortify mechanics which allows for real time fortification upgrades and construction on the fly. FPS General Features: Zepper will be played like most First Person Shooters. Survivors will have common stats, including health, stamina, ammunition, and a User Interface similar to that of Call of Duty. Survivors will be able to equip varying types of weapons ranging from melee, to firearms that are on the level. The main Distinction that Zepper has from the traditional FPS horror survival genre is that Zepper gives the player the ability to construct, fortify, and hone their zombie survival skills through the use of the level editor, desperation, and fortifying mechanics. Fabricator: The Fabricator is in fact a level editor similar to that of the Forge in Halo. Using the Fabricator, survivors can access prefabricated environments and structures and can then choose to remodel, or even create their own fortifications. The environments within each level will consist primarily of seasonal and geographic locations that are prevalent and common to zombie fiction. These include arid regions, countrysides, mountains, cities, and coastal communities that will also

reflect seasonal changes i.e. summer, winter, spring. Each environment will be populated with corresponding structures. Once the survivor has decided their environment, prefabricated structures will begin to populate the environment and the survivor may now freely transform and create survivable landscapes and structures using the Fabrication tool. Example: You want to test your survival skills in a prefabricated mountainous environment during the winter. You select them accordingly. The environment is then loaded with hilly landscapes, cabins, trees, and streams (essentially a mountain contents). From there you choose to build a concrete wall around the cabin where you plan on making your stand. OR You want to build your own mountain retreat. You select the environment and season, but you chose to select empty build and only nature objects ( i.e. trees bushes streams etc.) are then populated thus allowing for more supplies to be spent on one structure. o Rationing: When fabricating a contingency plan, survivors must account for the total number of supplies and the cost of each addition, or fortification made to their bunkers. Each environment has a set amount of supplies available to be used and if the environment was prefabricated the supply total will be lower than if you had started with a clean slate. Example: Environment Mountain/Winter Mountain/Winter Prefab Yes No Supply Allowed 2000 2000 Supply Taken 1800 0 Supply Remaining 200 2000

o Remodeling: If your contingency plan does not match the prefabricated domicile then the only thing you can do is remodel a structure to better suit your needs. Survivors can select structural objects such as walls, fences, doors, and even the terrain itself and manipulate, and or delete them from the bunker. This should be done in the prepping phase. Prepping Phase Before the outbreak occurs when the Zeppers can better plan out their remodelings.

Most if not all remodeling should be accomplished here, however survivors can access the Fabricator mid outbreak and conduct remodels as the game progresses. This is not advised but may be required if your defenses fail during an attack. Example: Your Southern wall has collapsed after the last wave of zombies and there is nothing protecting your cabins back entrance from the undead horde, so you must quickly navigate and build another wall before the next attack.

o Constructing: If your contingency plan does not match any of the prefabricated domiciles then the only thing you can do is construct your own bunker from scratch. Survivors will pick their environments as usual and will then be presented

with a prefabbed natural environment where he or she can then proceed to use their supplies and scour the Fabricator object library for the appropriate building materials needed to construct their perfect defense, and then use the fabricator tools to piece there plan together. Example: You want to recreate Hershels Farm from the Walking Dead TV series. So you decide to pick an empty summer countryside environment and then proceed to layout and build your very own apocalyptic farm house. Fortification: Fortification is in fact the game mechanic where survivors can take their current structures and upgrade them to a higher more durable quality, or conduct needed repairs. This mechanic will be used during actual gameplay rather than in the Fabricator because the fabricator allows for higher class fortifications to be constructed for more supplies, whereas in chaos (gameplay) fortifications take fewer supplies at a cost of poorer defenses. To use Fortification the survivor must target an upgradeable/repairable object, after doing so the survivor will be prompted with the choices of upgrade or repair and each of their respective supply costs. Example: You currently have 3 sections of wooden fencing in the front of your bunker that is becoming less effective as the zombie hordes increase in size. You decided to upgrade to a chain link fence. You select each section of your fence and use 25 building materials to upgrade them. The new fence increases in strength, and if the fence was damaged prior to being upgraded, it is now at its new full strength. Desperation:

Desperation is used during the actual undead siege to make on the run fortifications due to being overrun. Here players can interact with seemingly useless props and objects to construct a quick fortification that will slow down or in turn save their lives. In most zombie fictions there is a point where groups and individuals will become overrun by the undead. When this happens Desperation is the only thing that survivors can turn to. Example: Your front door in your farm house has just been taken down, there are zombies clawing at all of the windows, you decide to go upstairs but what is to stop the undead from following you up there. You see an armoire sitting at the top of the stairs you then walk up and push it down the steps to slow the zombies chasing you. Then you run to the study and place several bookshelves against the doorway as you try to figure out what to do next. It should be noted that in desperate situations, props are not the only viable choices. In the previous example the survivor could have decided to destroy the stair case to prohibit the zombies from reaching him, but in doing so the player could have been stranded or unable to get back up safety. Scavenging:

Scavenging is the way in which survivors gather additional food/water, building materials, and ammunition. Scavenging within Zepper is done in between and

during the zombie sieges. Survivors will need to venture outside of their safe havens to find additional supplies to heal themselves or construct/reinforce their defenses in order to survive longer. Example: After the last assault you are injured and have used up a fair portion of your ammunition on the relentless undead mob. If you are to survive another attack you must venture out into the Land of the Dead to gather supplies from other settlements, markets, and hardware stores before more the of the walkers come back to finish the job. Additionally when scavenging the players can come across different weapons, and uncover treasure troves of supplies that may turn the tide in their survival. World of the Dead (Environment): The world of Zepper should in fact follow most real world rules in addition to being dynamically changing, fully destructible, deformable, and movable. Simply put, in the real world fire will burn things to ash, smashing windows, doors, stairs, and fences, will cause sounds and debris to fall. Furniture, vehicles and other in game objects should also be able to be moved and used in desperate situations, by containing properties such as weight and strength in regards to fortification. As with most Zombie lore the world will be in utter ruins and chaos. The environment and any and all additional structures on the map should in fact relay this tone and imagery. Examples: Molotov Cocktails should be able to reduce the undead and any flammable structures and or objects to cinder. The environment and its object should be able to be destroyed. The landscape should be carvable(able to deform) for survivors to create and implement escape tunnels, and trenches alike. All objects within the world should carry common properties of mass, movable, durability (strength). An example would be a sofa. It has a mass, can be moved and is to some degree a durable construction for desperate fortifications. Group Survival: Zepper is not just about surviving on your own but allowing you to band together with other survivors. If the zombie apocalypse happens it is highly unlikely anyone would survive long by themselves. Group Survival is where up to five

fellow Zeppers come to hone their surviving skills, and ultimately formulate the best contingency plan if the dead ever rise. The five Zeppers will choose from a list of predetermined levels, or they will appoint a leader and will fight on a Zepper made map. If the Zeppers can organize and coordinate well they will truly be ready for the Zombie Apocalypse, if not then they surely will become the next undead feast. Technical Details: When creating Zepper artists, designers, and programmers should use the following in regards to afore mentioned features and mechanics. For this prototype we will base the level on the cult classic movie Night of the Living Dead where a farmhouse in the countryside becomes a place of refuge for the several survivors. Fabricator Mechanics: Getting to the Fabricator:

Once the player starts the game they should be prompted with the following 2 choices. 1. Survive Survive is where the prefabricated levels, environments, and layouts reside. Players will choose this and then select what type of landscape they want to survive in. Once that is done the game loads and populates one of several randomly generated levels that have been pre built. From there the player has entered the fabricator with that environments designated amount of supplies. 2. Build and Survive Here the player will choose a landscape but this time all manmade structures will be left out and only natural scenery (trees, shrubs, rocks etc.) will be placed on the map. Once the map has loaded the player will be within the fabricator and now have the full amount of supplies to use at their will.

Landscapes:

Players can choose from the following landscapes to start their survival experience. 1. Desert An arid place devoid of life and food, a hard place to survive if you dont know what you are doing. This would be populated with abandoned gas stations, cactuses, debris and rocks. 2. Countryside The classic down south farming country filled with trees, pastures, barns, lakes, ponds, farm houses, and small family owned shops. 3. Mountains - Hilly and densely forested areas that are primarily populated with dense vegetation, rocks, caves, small cabins, and camping sites. 4. Cities These are the densely populated steel and concrete jungles. They are comprised of apartment buildings, high rises, parking garages, big commercial retail and grocery stores. This environment will contain the most zombies initially. 5. Suburbs - These are the quant 1950s housing developments where everyone knows each other and hundreds if not thousands of people are surrounded by others. This is primarily populated with close 1 to 2 story dwellings, and public parks. For the purposes of creating the Farmhouse from the Night of the Living Dead we will choose the Countryside setting. Each landscape will offer different amounts of starting supplies. Below is a listing of tentative values.

Land Scape Desert Countryside

Starting Supplies 750 1250

Mountains Cities Suburbs Using the Fabricator:

1000 1500 900

The fabricator can be used at any time before or during gameplay. However each presents its own pros and cons. o Before Gameplay The time where you are remodeling and constructing your contingency structures and plans before the Zombie hordes come. This is the safest way to conduct building, but also the more expensive due to the limited danger placed on the player. Example: A chain link fence cost 35 building materials o During Gameplay As the name suggests the Fabricator can be used during combat, but at a much greater risk due to the fact that your character is left helpless.

Example: Similar to Call of Duty where you can drive a drone but can still be killed if discovered by an enemy. Fabricator UI:

As stated before the UI of the Fabricator should resemble that of the Halo 4 Forge Editor, but considering this is a PC game side panel listing all of the objects within the library that can and should be used for speedy selection. Overall it should look and feel like a meld of the editors shown beside.

Fabricator Controls: Camera Movement:

Selection and Additional Camera Movement:

Fabricator Tools:

Within the Fabricator there are several tools to make selection, placement, and rapid building. Namely these are the Locking feature, Snap/Magnetize Feature, and Duplicate Feature, Terrain. o Locking This Feature allows for players to select and place an object within the environment, and once the player is satisfied with its positions they can then lock it thus preventing it from moving around when placing another object on, within or next to it.

o Snap This feature does exactly what it suggests. It snaps the Object to another object. Objects such as walls and fences will have snapping joints built within them. When two object are meeting and the snapping tool is activated the snapping joints will meet to provide a steady and secure connection. Thus making it easy for house, and building, and defensive creations. o Duplicate This feature allows the player to select an in game object and duplicate so that it can be repositioned with ease. This is very useful for fast wall, and fence creations. Rather than dragging out section by section you can just duplicate the desired piece. o Terrain This feature allows Figure 1: Tool Hot Keys the players to raise/lower and cut through terrain to make even better fortifications, escape routes, or immersive environments to match their contingency plans. Fabricator Uses: The Fabricator is used in two main ways, firstly through the remodeling of prefabricated levels, and secondly through complete construction of new structures, and level layouts. Remodeling Remodeling as mentioned before is the method which a player takes a prebuilt level and modifies it to fit his or her own survival needs. Example: The player loads up the countryside prefab level and is displeased with the layout of the farmhouse. They want a bigger living room, and two layers of fencing. They must confer with their supply total but can remove superfluous materials that are deemed unimportant to raise their supply levels and search the catalog for the right materials, to use and then place and snap them together. Constructing Constructing is where the players themselves choose a landscape and then build all of the manmade structures within it. This mode

allows for greater player detail and supply customization and distribution, but will take considerably more time to prepare. To make the farmhouse I more accurate to the film I would suggest constructing it from scratch using the Fabrication objects and tools Fabricator Objects and Costs:

The Fabricator will be filled with many different kinds of buildable and environment based objects below is a table that will list a tentative outline of what these items are, there supply cost before and during gameplay and their tentative durabilitys. Name Wooden Door Steel Door Wooden Fence Chain Link Fence Concrete Wall Boarded Windows Barred Windows Stair Case Barbed Wire Fortification Mechanics: Fortification occurs during live during gameplay. It consists of two options, repair and upgrade. Each of which will cost a specific number of supplies depending on damage it has ensued or what the next logical progression is for the upgrade. Fortification Options: Cost Before 30 75 45 55 75 25 75 60 45 Durability 100 250 100 175 250 75 125 75 100

Repair As the name suggests Repair allows the survivors to select currently damaged objects such as fences, walls, and windows and spend supply to restore them to their full durability. Example: Your chain link fence took a beating from the last zombie siege and needs to be fixed beofr the next wave otherwise a the zombie flood gate will be opened.

Upgrade The upgrade option allows for the player to select a current defensible game object and upgrade it to the next logical evolution of the object type. Example: You want to upgrade your boarded windows to barred windows for extra security and better durability.

Fortification Procedure: To perform on of the two options given the player must accomplish the following. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Pick an Object to interact with. Walk over to the object. Get within 2 feet of the object. Read the UI prompt (See Below UI Section) Make an option selection See new fortification upgrade or repair completed.

Things to Note: When objects are damaged and then upgraded the upgrade will refill the fortifications durability. Fortifications are completed in within 3-10 seconds depending on the level of the fortifications. Fortification UI:

When the players decide they need to upgrade and or repair their fortifications they will approach the fortification as directed and will be prompted in the center of their screen with the image to the right. Once the ye made their choice they will need to press the corresponding key. Fortification Progression:

Each object has a logical progression, meaning that a wooden fence will go to a chain link fence, to a concrete wall. The following table lists several object progressions and their costs.

Object Type Fencing/Walls

Object Name Wooden Fence Chain Link Fence Concrete Wall

Cost 35 45 60 20 65 20 50

Windows Doors

Boarded Windows Barred Windows Wooden Door Steel Door

Desperation Mechanics: Desperation is the mechanic that occurs during live gameplay and is usually the result of players having been overrun and do not have time build proper defenses. The player will have to use objects that were not intended for defense to help them escape the biting of the walking dead. Below is a tentative list of objects that could be used to create temporary fortifications. Note: These objects cannot be created while in the game they have to be placed before the game starts, and these objects are not the only way to create quick fortifications. Example Objects: Object Name Dining Table Sofa Book Case Armoire Cost 40 35 25 50 Durability 65 55 45 70

Desperation Procedures: 1. Acknowledge where you need to make a quick barricade 2. Run to the nearest object listed above 3. Get within 2 ft of the object. 4. Press the [B] key to grab onto the object 5. Move your character as you normal would with the object in tow to the desired location 6. Press the [B] Key again to secure the object and then run!

Desperation Under the Hood: The Desperation mechanic in my mind is quite simply to accomplish. Firstly you would assign mass, and snapping point positions to the objects. Then you would write a script that would show you moving the object at a certain speed based on its mass. Then when you find the point you want it at say a door you simply hit the b key again and it will attach itself to the nearest snapping point thus bracing the door and making it harder for zombies to push their way through due to the increased mass at the door.

Scavenging Mechanics: Scavenging in Zepper is the main mechanic in which the player ventures outside of their safe haven to find their needed supplies. These supplies include the following. Building Supplies The supplies you need to fabricate, and fortify your bunker. These include packages of concrete, 2X4s, fencing material. Food/Water The supplies you need to regenerate your health, and stamina. Ammunition Ensure you have round for your projectile based weapons. As the waves of zombies are put down supplies become more and more scarce leading you to have to venture further and further away. This may lead you to make a semi-permanent shelters along your way. Also each type of supply can and will usually be found in relevant locations Example: Food/ Water may be found in homes, grocery stores, and markets, but building supplies at these locations will most likely be scarce. Supply Sizes: The sizes of the supplies tentatively range from small, medium and large. A small is 15 units, a medium is 30 units, and a large is 45 units. The Undead Classification: If you could not tell this game is about zombies. When I say zombies this is how I and Zepper will attempt to define zombies.

1. They are move slow to medium speeds. 2. They are no stronger than there human selves. 3. Strength and speed are dependent on the level of decomposition they are at see table below for break down 4. They are drawn to noise and light 5. They are weak alone but string in numbers 6. They can be killed with 1 high powered shot or 2- 3 low powered shots to the head 7. They can be disabled with 5 shots. 8. They are flammable. Speed and total damage that will be done by the undead will be dependent on their level of decomposition. Level of Decomposition Damage/Speed Example: Level of Decomposition 1 2 3 Weapons: Weapons in Zepper come in two classifications, Melee and Projectile. Projectile based weapons require ammo, but allow for longer range acquisition. While melee weapons require the survivor to be up close and personal with the cannibals. Projectile Projectile weapons are of course weapons that shoot projectiles such as hand guns, rifles, crossbows, grenades, and Molotov Cocktails. These weapons allow the survivors to engage the undead from a distance thus Damage 110 75 50 Speed 3 2 1

keeping them away from the incoming horde. Although this keeps them away from danger, it does however draw more attention to the survivor thus drawing more zombies in with the loud gun shots(if player users crossbow nothing happens). Listed below are some of the more common projectile weapons, there noise signatures, and approximate damages. Projectile Weapons: Name of Weapon Colt 1911 AR 15 Crossbow .22 Rifle Molotov Cocktail Noise Signature 1 3 0 2 1 Approx Damage 80 120 75 70 17 DPS 15 secs (255)

Melee Melee weapons require the closest range, however you do not have to reload them and they make little to no noise at all, which allows survivors to sneak around undetected and look for additional supplies. Listed below is some of the more common melee weapons that have and should be used during a zombie crisis. Melee Weapons: Name of Weapon Hunting Knife Machete Katana Axe Crow Bar Environment: Zepper is primarily comprised of outdoor environments in varying landscapes. in all the environment of Zepper should in most ways be similar to that of zombie fiction and lore. There should obvious evidence of chaos, attrition and murder, complete and utter destruction of structured government. Environment Feel: Players and designers should feel encompassed and affected by the environments. When a player is conducting a mission on in ravaged city the environment should in fact read Noise Signature 0 0 0 0 0 Approx Damage 55 65 90 85 75

and make the player feel as if this place has gone through hell, like wise with sprawling countrysides. The environment of this world is meant to be dynamic and created by the player. Environment Interactions: As mentioned Zombies are flammable and if they are then the world itself should be able to be set on fire if it has not already been set ablaze. By allowing flammable and other destructible objects the players themselves have to be careful with how they use Molotov cocktails, and axes, because in the end they could end up damaging their own defenses. Environment Properties: Flammable: This property allows the environment and assets within the environment to be caught on fire, take damage, and eventually turn into ash. Destructible: This property allows the immediate destruction and breaking of environment assets such as walls, windows, doors, fences etc. Deformable: This property allows the player to actually alter the terrain to fit their contingency plans. This ill mostly be handled within the Fabrication tool Movable: This property allows for movement of all in game objects, from tables, sofas, to even abandoned vehicles for use in quick defensive barricades. Essentially all environment objects should have the ability to be destructible, and flammable. Once these properties are given to environment objects, simple animations and destruction events can then be tied to the affected objects. Combat: Combat within Zepper is comprised of primarily First-person Shooter Mechanics and controls. [W],[A],[S],[D] move the character forward, left, back, and right. While the mouse is the targeting and primary camera rotation tool device. To attack a Zombie the player only has to line the zombie up with the reticule and depending on the range of the weapon they are wielding click the left mouse button. Sprinting: TO sprint in Zepper the only needs to double tap the [W] key. Aiming: The right mouse button allows the player to look down the sights of their projectile weapon to increase the accuracy. Weapon Cycling: The mouse wheel allows for the player to switch between his weapons.

Note: Player can only have two weapons on them + Molotov cocktails. These two weapons can be any combination of melee or projectile based weapons. Reload: To reload your projectile based weapon all you have to do is press the [R] key. Health: Players health will be set at 500 HP. This will allow for several hits to lower and the players health yet still keep it interesting. This number as well as any damaging number being presented are of course tentative and would be tweaked as the game is tested. As the player becomes damaged he or she must eat food/water to replenish their HP Stamina: Stamina as in all other Fist person shooters the ability for ones character to sprint for a certain period of time, and or swing a melee weapon. This will do gown as attacks and sprints occur and will regenerate slowly overtime. If you are low on stamina and need to fight off zombies, make a quick escape then you will eed to consume some food/water supplies. Solo/Group Survival: Primary goal here is to last the longest and dare I say live through a zombie apocalypse. This will not be an easy task. As mention earlier in the Undead section, these zombies will not get harder to kill, however there will be much more of them with each progressing round. Environment/Landscape: In zombie lore and in Hollywood depictions the facts we know are that there are more zombies in more heavily populated areas like cities, and suburbs, while zombies in the desert and mountain regions are much scarcer in the beginnings of the zombie apocalypse. Knowing this when someone selects a city level over a countryside level they will receive a greater number of zombies and supplies in the initial waves of the game. Wave Progression: The number of zombies present on each wave varies between the ranges set in the table below. For levels who have higher populations such as cities they will tend to lean on the upper bound of Zombies.

Wave Level 1-5 5-10 10+ Scoring:

Number of Zombies 20 - 35 35 - 55 55 - 75

When a player or his group fail to survive combat a survival score is then tallied and presented to them. This score is calculated by the following formula. Player_score = time_alive + (num_Kill/2) + (remaining_supply/3) Each variable present will also be represented on its own to give the players an idea of what they were good at, rationing, or fighting and see where they could improve.