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Prey 2 by Arkane - not cancelled after all?

Metro

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Hope it's better than Dishonored.
 

MicoSelva

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While playing the first Prey I could not lose the impression that the game was recycled from some kind of an abandoned Duke Nukem Forever prototype. The alien aesthetics and general feel were very DN3D-like, and since the game was actually outsourced to Human Head from 3D Realms, it would make a certain amount of sense.

I was actually rather curious to see what Human Head would do for a sequel. Pity, we will never see the result of their efforts.
 

Metro

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Yeah, I've said it before... probably in this thread... but I'll never understand the fixation with Prey. It's a half-assed hodgepodge psuedo-mod.
 

DalekFlay

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Prey is a standard PC style shooter in an age where most shooters were being turned into Halo or Gears of War, which is one thing it had going for it. It's kind of the last game of that Quake/Doom/Duke style, from a publisher at least. Also the intro is awesome.
 

CreamyBlood

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I actually have to agree with Dalek here. Doom 3 was fairly mediocre when it came out, same with Prey but compared to any of the modern shooters released since then they're both masterpieces. They truly don't make 'em like they used to and were indeed the last of their kind.
 

CreamyBlood

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seriously dudes? Prey 1 had a lot of interesting elements: portals, dynamic gravity shit, spirit world. It's not a masterpiece, but it had plenty of cool shit

"seriously dudes",

Yeah. Like I said, it was mediocre when it came out. Now it's a fucking masterpiece of shooter fun. Name a game that you think is better for pure hammered shooting glory and prove me wrong. I'll go play it. I hope you understand that we're talking about Doom 3 here and Prey so the bar isn't that high.
 

Wirdschowerdn

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http://pastebin.com/f9irtSnU

Allegedly leaked internal concept documents.

Prey 2 – Early visual exploration

High level notes from Raph
• Spiritual successor to System Shock 2
• Characters / Plot can be all new
• Variety in the level layouts is important • Avoid hallway-room-hallway play. • Verticality • Multiple paths through the environment • Areas should serve a function

High level notes from Raph
• Visually compelling / inviting AAA look right at the start.
• Avoid movie clichés - Alien’s slimy metal genitalia look and Blade Runner ‘s neon city at night.
• New visual approach to spaceship interiors / that’s still accessible to players.
• Avoid hard “M” rated gore - It’s more about psychological terror.

Setting - Era / Cultural Imprint / Player Identity

Questions to answer as we dive into prepro and the story develops
Degree of shape and proportion stylization – Stylized <-> Photoreal
Rendering approach – Painterly <-> Photoreal
Lighting / Post FX – Match the vibe / story beats / enhance gameplay.
Graphic Design treatment – Menus / HUDs / In Game signage / Marketing
Play to the strengths of the engine we ultimately wind up on

Personal approach –
I like to start with a game moment or story vignette and build out from there – even if the story is likely to go through a lot of iteration before it’s locked in.
Images on the following slides are from various artists as point of discussion ONLY
Original work would be created / commissioned during the prepro phase

Approach 1 - Origin
The player awakes in a high tech apartment - Bankok 2072 (A month before the events in System Shock 1)
He believes he is a hit man, he’s kept company by a young robotic girl that he developed the AI for. (Danielle S?)
Sci fi cityscape is visible through the window. This section is very contained with vistas handled through matte paintings.
His apartment is dingy but his gear is cutting edge.
Its revealed he’s been reliving the same day over and over – the loop is broken and he awakes in a high tech medical lab. Danielle runs off – the player gets up and attempts to follow her.
Look is clinical but familiar / grounded. Lots of physics Interactions at the start.
He makes his way out of the lab and discovers that he’s Inside an advanced industrial complex of some type.
Straights with diagonal edge cut approach. Key color pops to help distinguish areas. Plus large shape changes, landmark props. Layout variation is key, along with Vertical gameplay spaces. Distinct areas Would all have an identifiable purposes
He comes across high tech labs where experiments attempting to reverse engineer extremely advanced technology have gone horribly wrong.
Lighting and sound are critical to set the mood. Semi flooded sections might be interesting – Tech gone bad moments provide lots of interesting Visual FX moments.
The player recovers hybrid technology weapons, then stealthstheir way past security sentries, while fighting Off military robots and experiments gone wrong.
Robots with a military edge – believable vs. needlessly clunky. Experiments would be more dialed in and recognizable as human or once human. Monkeys injected with alien DNA could be fun.
The player chases Danielle deeper into the complex – she seems obsessed with finding something that’s calling out to her.
the player has to care if she’s running off. We’d need a really strong design / performance here.
As he goes further into the complex he realizes it’s been built On top of a massive alien ship that crash landed some time ago
On board the ship – it’s a different style altogether – the technology is a combination of alien metal and transparent materials - it has a fluid / organic design style to it in contrast to the harsh angles of the complex surrounding it.
The player comes across a huge domed alien habitat – complete with alien flora and fauna. There’s a bank of lights that create an indoor time of day cycle.
The player makes his way through the guts of the ship – eventually reaching The control center. The player discovers Danielle plugged into the alien mainframe. She’s has become exponentially more powerful and is able to act as a mouthpiece for the alien intelligence.
Danielle communicates the Alien ship’s demands that the player retrieve tech imbedded in the experiments gone wrong (sub-bosses). The player takes a new route back out of the alien ship, through the human labs fighting / stealthing along the way.
Danielle also starts instructing you on how to royally fuck over the aliens. You decide which missions to do. You recover new weapons and fight different enemies based on your choices.
Game wraps with the aliens leaving or with their ship blowing up… depending on which course you follow. Either way Danielle survives as a fledgling super AI that’s been deeply damaged by her contact with the Aliens.

Approach 2 – RetroFuture
The scene opens on a man running through the streets of an abandoned city. The city itself is a 50’s retro / but with a layer of sci fi worked over the top.
He looks around desperately, then pulls out a retro high tech device...
Behind him, men dressed in black with blurred faces begin fading in like phantoms and begin to chase him.
He dives into a shop reminiscent of Hopper’s “Nighthawks at the Diner”
Using his device he’s able to hack into building itself - causing a section to open up – revealing Alien ship architecture underneath.
He hacks an alien sentry robot to fend off the phantoms and makes his escape.
The city area is a blend of Art Nouveau / 50’s era NYC / with a subtle Sci-Fi overlay
The player makes his way back and forth through the Alien ship and the urban façade habitat.
Movie inspiration
Dark City Brazil Hearts in Atlantis Metropolis Matrix

Approach 3 – Raph / Ricardo story doc
Scene opens on the players bedroom overlooking a futuristic city scape It’s an urban mix of sleek / architectural elements with a lived in feel.
Emissive overlay HUD graphics Appear in scene
Post processed color timing
There are some odd elements – like the refrigerator doors are on backwards / slight compression errors that appear in the scene that are subtle but noticeable.
The player is working independently for a branch of the government – he’s sent to extract information about potential existence of Aliens via an advanced PDA.
Clothing has subtle sci/fi elements – unusual specular properties / contact lenses that glow when seen at the right angle, emissive cuff links, etc.
Incoming transmission - Alex Dran
The player receives a mysterious transmission from someone calling herself Danielle Sho – She tells him that everything isn’t as it seems.
Building graphics are keyed to the player – Daniell Sho hacks these and provides you With alternate information regarding the Mission and that your handlers can’t be trusted.
The player is taken by car through the city and is delivered to the parking garage of the building he needs to infiltrate.
HUD elements with relevant information appears in scene
Intel from Danielle Sho would Appear in a different font/color Style offering alternative options
It’s revealed that the player is actually part of an experiment – and that everything he’s Done has been set up on an elaborate stage
Further exploration reveals that he’s actually on board a human spaceship.
Thankfully a friendly female AI is helping you figure it out…
It’s revealed that the collectors are a group of human scientists that have captured and Experimented on both alien and humans.
Alex Dran is actually a collector And attempts to convince the player that he’s being brainwashed by Danielle Sho
Robots
Eco Bots – Create/repair the environment Guardian Bots – Patrol / security
Cleaner Bots – Patrol / securityScience Bots – DNA collection / experiments
Approach 4 – The Island
The Crytek engine is particularly strong on water, vegetation and outdoor terrain.
The player arrives on a tropical island and discovers that a bunker leads to a high tech military compound deep underground.
The player discovers that military scientists have attempted to create an AI based on technology recovered from a crashed alien ship.
… and it’s still there.
Questions?


Originally Posted by Document2

Code name: PROJECT DANIELLE
Platforms: Orbis (PS4), Durango (Xbox3), PC Game Mode: Single Player Ship Date: Q3 2016
1st person Immersive SimAction / RPG
PROJECT DANIELLE
• The king of Immersive Sim RPGs
• One of the most anticipated cult sequels
• You have to escape a space station where things have gone bad
Spiritual successor to System Shock 2
Story
Insert new story here
Key Highlights
• 1st person shooter + RPG hybrid
• Deep systems with original complementary properties that encourage player creativity
• 10-20 hours per play through
• Highly re-playable due to built in variability in the design and support for multiple play styles • Randomized pick ups, objectives, gating setups.
SS2 base layer for reference
• Security cameras / Light stealth • Hacking • Crates • Security computers • Vending machines • Doors • Mutants / robots / turrets • Audio Logs of dead crew that reveal the past through arguments, research logs, etc… • Research / chemical ingredients • Resurrect Chambers • Upgrade consoles • No dialog / faceless / voiceless gender neutral hero
• RPG • Cyber modules to upgrade player • Nanites to buy shit from vending machines • Psionic powers • Guns • Ammos • Food • Comlinks from shodan • Expected missions: • Go find a log of some guy to know the code to open a door • Batteries to recharge and plug in • Find the access card to X
Our version
• Our own flavor of all of the above • Real missions where your actions are connected to the plot, not just traverse space • A truly 3D interconnected space, Visually stimulating and that offers variety • More systems in every types of systems • Powers that are not only attacks • player movement • Gadgets • Physics • Monsters • Simulation • AI • Plant grow • Ecology…
We don’t know yet which feature will stand out
Melee • Heavy Wrench • Fire Axe • Guns are very limited in ammo
Ranged • Guns and lasers • Guided Blades (crafted by player)
Psionic Powers • Pacify / Control Enemies • Pull / throw physics • Invert gravity in an area
Combat is physical
To be updated
• Self-replicating liquids that duplicates themselves every time they feed. Kill them fast or face a swarm.
• Mimics that shape shift into objects, other monsters, or the player.
• Acid breathing aliens that corrode the environment when dying, spitting, or bleeding (cool way to open doors)
• Deranged Security and Repair bots native to the ship.
Unique Aliens with Imaginative Powers
Survival aspect
• Survival aspect • Food is rare • you can be poisoned • you need to sleep • Maybe you can fall sick • radiation has leaked in some areas…
• Crafting / scavenging • Extracting a component from a monster • Make an armor from a the skin of a tough specie • Make weapons • Grow your food • Cure to poison
Compose your own play style • Growing your character should be a system if we can pull it off • Hacker • Fighter • Stealth • Psionic
Upgrade Stats, acquire psionic powers, genetically mutate and acquire properties from other aliens by sampling their DNA. • Stick to walls • Chameleon • Work on your immunities
Tailor your Character
More cool shit
• Story Choices / consequences • Variability / replay ability • Out of game experience • social / achievement / tablet • Asynchronous log sharing
The game should be hard!
• Better for tension • We’ll still have modes for Anthony and Harvey
And…
• Monkeys!
 

retardation

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Mar 23, 2013
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"Spiritual successor to System Shock 2"
"Avoid hallway-room-hallway play"

Developers today really are clueless :D
 

Crooked Bee

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Arkane seems to be looking for an engine programmer who's "passionate about FPS and RPG games" (in before "role-playing game games"):

http://jobs.zenimax.com/requisitions/view/652

That would hint at an FPS/RPG, but the job is for Arkane Lyon, which is iirc supposed to be working on Dishonored 2. I would, however, expect at least a mention of stealth games for a Dishonored-related position.
 
Last edited:

Siel

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