Surviving the Most Dangerous Game
Disclaimer
This is only a partially fleshed-out basic game concept. This is not meant to be viewed or taken as a fully formed blueprint for the game described. I understand that gave dev would need much more efforts in the minute details. This is not that…
Intro
A hunting sim, with human game that’s controlled by a player. Calling, baiting, tracking, and killing- all the typical hunting sim features -except with human prey.
What the gameplay would look like- Hunter’s perspective
Fleshing out the concept a bit
So, this is simply a hunting sim where the prey is a human player. The game would be slow-paced, keeping true to the sim aspect, and would have fairly high tension — The Prey being extremely vulnerable / running for their life, and the Hunter trying to track and kill the Prey before they escape/time runs out.
What distinguishes this game from other typical FPSs is the slow pace and that the Prey doesn’t have weapons/gear to begin with.
A quick and easy ‘storyline’ could be something like- The Hunter(s) pay to go on these hunting trips, and part of that fee is given to the Prey. If the Prey escapes, they keep the cash (as a reward). If the Hunter(s) kill the Prey, they take back the cash.
Goals
The primary goal for the Prey is to stay alive for the duration of the hunt (1 or 2 day/night cycles), reach one of several ‘escape routes’, or (if they can manage it) kill the Hunter(s).
The Prey earns XP for every minute on the loose (or some system), with the possibility of having some other way to earn XP in game (killing/trapping Hunters, stealing gear, etc…) The longer the Prey stays in the match, the more opportunity to earn XP they have -at the risk of being killed.
Escaping would reward the player with a healthy cash reward, which they would use as a Hunter.
The Hunter(s) primary goal is to hunt and kill the Prey. They would be rewarded with cash for successfully killing Prey. The cash would be used to purchase more/better weapons and gear, and possible perks.
XP and Upgrades
Hunter gear upgrades-
- Weapon upgrades
- Drones
- Vehicles
- Various camos
- Stamina increase (TBD)
- Silent walking (TBD)
- Etc…
The Prey would earn XP, and unlock various perks and abilities via an automatic progression unlock system. [Exp- at 100xp unlock “Mud camo”, 500xp unlock “Craft Spear”, etc…]
Prey perks/abilities-
- Mud camo
- Make ghillie suit
- Craft spear/flint knife
- Climb tree/cliff/etc…
- Sprint/endurance increase
- Hold breath/underwater hide (reed straw)
- Various traps/snares
- Tree ambush?
- Stamina increase (TBD)
- Silent walking (TBD)
Prey avatars and progression would be persistent, while Hunter avatars and purchases would be subject to perma-death / reset on death. This would act to help keep Hunters from becoming too OP.
Final Thoughts
The matches may have a single Hunter and multiple Prey or multiple Hunters and a single Prey, or be 1v1… All variation will work well enough.
This game would even work with human Hunter(s) and bots as Prey, or bot Hunter(s) and Prey players.
I feel this isn’t a big stretch, in terms of viable game ideas. Just something a little bit different.
Other Thoughts
-The play area/map would need distinct landmarks, and the Prey would need to be shown a map of some sort so that they know where the ‘escape routes’ are.
-Prey killing Hunter(s) would reward the Prey with the Hunter(s) gear, and probably a XP/cash reward. Cash collected, but only rewarded if Prey survives.
-Hunters could earn XP towards things like tracking skill/weapon mastery/etc…
-The game could possibly have ‘seasons’, which the start of would reset stats. (possibly only reset Hunter(s) purchased gear)
-MTX for perma weapons/gear for Hunters (rental system ala War rock?)
-The game would need some sort of timer/Clock. Could be illustrated by day/night cycles. Example- “Prey must survive or escape within 2 cycles”
Originally published at http://terabullone.wordpress.com on November 2, 2020.