imadethisthing

I know what I want the pilot (the player) to deal with when they play Sandstorm (that’s the title for now).  Players must navigate the world while they navigate an intense and crowded dashboard.  Using the dashboard efficiently means executing the mission efficiently.  But while driving, players are either using one or both hands – so it’s their job to know when to ‘let go’ and modify the dash.

Once the pilot is dropped into play, they must start up the Sandstorm (an advanced manned quadrupedal-assult-vehicle).  The quicker the player can do this, the quicker he can get out of site and setup for the mission/go Rambo.

Setting up for play may mean sending out a few mortars at locations defined in you the mission brief accessible on the top of the two monitors, or going silent and surveying an important checkpoint, or pulling out all of your guns and going Rambo.

The dashboard is a set of tools for the player.  The player can use these tools as intelligently, creatively, or negligently as they want.  Peoples personalities will make for different play styles – And each form of play should be as legitimate as the next.

There should be more switches than the pilot knows what to do with.  Instead of a single button to perform an action, a sequence of buttons and switches must be pressed; each controlling some unknown subsystem of the action.  I think this will really sell the reality of the vehicle.  A fighter jet pilots pretty simply in a videogame – a joystick to steer, x to shoot, R1 to use a missile.  Jet’s don’t work like that in real life.  The pilot doesn’t have a DualShock in the cockpit, I don’t want to hand my pilots a DualShock either.

I’m starting to work with exactly what type of control will control what.  What type of switch, toggle, button affords what?  I’m still not too sure, but I’m needing to lock down more and more as the deadline draws near (two-ish months).  I’ll put up some interface design concepts and what I’m locking right now in a couple days.