Dark Runner Concept

Dark Runner (Working Title)

Synopsis

In a dark future where the world is scarred by an unending war, society survives by living in giant hive like tower complexes guarded by the military. Whilst some are allowed to leave and explore/forage the area around them, most grow up knowing nothing more than the tower they are born, work and die in. These "returners" who have proven themselves skilled enough to survive the wilderness outside are given freedom to roam, but lately many haven't being coming home.

As a young Returner, you will explore both the hive and eventually the world around it using a combination of free running and stealth to avoid the "not so friendly" military guards and discover  the underlying conspiracy about the Hives, and the truth as to why Returners aren't coming home.

Game Details

Dark Runner is a 3rd person action game, similar to a combination of Dead Rising's Overtime Mode combined with Assassin's Creed's Free Running with stealth elements thrown in.

The player will have a huge tower complex to explore, and although the lower levels will be inhabited and free running will not be allowed within these areas, the majority of the complex will be empty and free to explore. Death will be common place, quicksaving and autosaves will be frequent as the game rewards exploration and death is just a temporary set back costing the player nothing more than the time needed to reload. The free running skill will increase over time as it is used. The more you climb, the better you'll get at climbing, the more you jump, the further you will be able to jump. Hunger will also play a part in this as how hungry you are will affect how capable you are. Keeping your character well fed is key to being able to explore the hive and uncover the truth.

As the player's abilities improve and begin to stand out, the player becomes a "Returner" (An individual deemed worthy and capable enough to explore the outside world by the military guards – But expected to return before nightfall) and is allowed to leave the hive to explore, they will discover a conspiracy, leading to an attempt being made on their own life by the military. Then classified a “Leaver” by the military and so outcast from the society within the hive, the player will then be forced to make more use of the uninhabited areas of the hive in order to stay hidden from the military. Through exploration the player will eventually find evidence of the truth, that the war which the military claimis to be still on going and uses an an excuse to force everyone to live in the Hives under their command, actually ended long ago and all across the country, Hives are used as a cheap labour force whilst the ruling few live rich, normal and work free lives. Eventually the player will find proof of this and have the choice of leading the Hive's inhabitants in a revolution and a bid for freedom, or to ignore what they have learned in return for a place in the rich controlling society.

Game Environment/Setting

The lower levels of the hive, the inhabited areas will be brightly lit, clinical and similar to a large shopping centre/mall with living areas, it will be fairly crowded as the entire population is crammed into the lower levels of the 2 interconnected tower structures. The Military will guard each of the stairwells to the higher levels and in particular heavily guard the bridge connecting the 2 towers where the majority of their operations take place. The living areas in particular will be cramped and overcrowded, with inhabitants having a “sleep where you can find an empty bed” situation.

The higher  levels of the hive will have a more forgotten industrial look, with many beams and walkways, these areas will be almost empty and an ideal place for the character to practice/improve their skills whilst also avoiding the military who become increasing hostile as their skill improves and they discover more about the conspiracy.

The outside world will be limited to slight glances, although the hive towers are built within a city and the player will be free to explore the nearby area, most of the city is powerless and overgrown meaning that other than foraging for food and exploring, there won't be much need to go outside of the Hive.

Game Mechanics

As mentioned previously, the game will use a free running/climbing mechanic extensively with the player having almost free roam of the upper levels of the hive building. As the player is mostly unarmed (and will have to leave any weapons behind whenever they want to re-enter the living areas of the hive), stealth will be preferable to direct combat with guards as they will clearly outnumber and outmatch you. Hunger will also play a part in the game with the player using energy during his exploration and requiring food to replenish this energy in order to perform at his/her best.

The game will feature exploration heavily with many secrets and helpful items hidden in areas of the complex. In order to reach these, the player will have to improve their skills over time by using them and exploring deeper and higher through the Hive complex. The player will also receive bonus experience for reach certain areas, the roof for example will be the most difficult area to reach from within the interior of the building but will offer high risk rewards for players who do so. Equally once the player is almost killed by the military and is forced to go on the run as a “Leaver”, their only access to the outside world will be through climbing and using of exits and walkways on the outside of the building accessed from higher sections of the hive.

These exits will be covered by military snipers so the majority of the exploration should initially be done at night until the player is familiar enough with the layout to avoid detection as the guards will be able to kill the player very easily.

Weapons will occasionally be available but ammo will be scarce and guards will be replaced. By knocking out guards through non-lethal methods, the player can “borrow” their security clearance for a limited time allowing easier navigation of the complex. By killing a guard, the player will raise awareness of themselves and using their security clearance will result in the alarm being raised. For this reason, stealth and non-lethal combat is preferred.

Sleep is the final main mechanic, sleeping allows less serious injuries to heal (recovering health) and also for time to pass. A lockdown period can be skipped by either waiting out the time period or sleeping in either your base or the living area of the hive. The player will awake shortly after the lockdown has ended in both cases.

Storyline

Player starts as a teenager and begins to learn how to climb/free run in a short tutorial with a older childhood friend. The pair are discovered and your friend allows you to escape by distracting the guards. The friend is then taken as part of the “Returner” initiative and the player is left slightly jealous. The story then skips forward, the player is then a young adult and the story recommences when your friend returns to the living area of the hive one night shaken, and starts to explain to you that he saw the military acting suspiciously before he is interrupted by guards and taken away, the friend never returns and the player initially begins the game by exploring and searching for his/her friend.

After getting caught after hours, the player too is deemed skilled enough to join the “Returner” initiative and is allowed free roam of the area around the complex provided they return by sundown each night. On his first “official” visit out of the Hive, the player is nearly killed by a sniper bullet fired from the lower roof of the military tower of the complex, this leads to an attempt by the military to kill the player and in doing so, kills a Leaver group who the player has met.  This forces the player to hide out until after sunset, leading to an announcement to the complex that he has been deemed a “Leaver” and should be reported if spotted, along with a reward for doing so. The player then finds and uses one of the exterior entrances to get back into the complex. The citizens of the hive are mostly passive and you're not reported by the citizens unless you make yourself very noticeable through actions such as attacking someone or attempting to freerun within the lower levels. The player must however must make an effort to avoid the guards who will recognise you.

Further using your newly improved skills, you begin to explore the rest of the towers and discover evidence that the military are hiding the truth that the war is long over as an excuse to keep society confined and controlled within the towers. After finally finding his way into the military tower, he finds proof and after being captured by the military leader, has the choice of joining them as part of the rich controlling society or escaping and  attempting to leads citizens of the hive into a bloody revolution against the military and ultimately try and find freedom as society begins to rebuild itself in the ruins of the city.

Key Items

Watch – Available from the start, allows the player to check in game time, set an alarm for certain events and keep track of guard patrol cycles.

Hooded clothing – Gained at the start of the game, the hood can be worn up to make you harder to detect at night/when exploring the higher levels of the hive or worn down when in the inhabitable areas. Wearing the hood up in this area will make you stand out more.

Micro Folding Binoculars – Given to you by your friend before he is taken, one of items you don't have to leave when returning to the living areas, the Binoculars allow you to see/watch what's going on in the military side of the complex and also spot snipers from a distance.

Food – Found by exploring the cityscape around the Hive or freely available in the living areas, food keeps your energy up so you can perform your free running skills at maximum capability. A small amount of food can be left/stored in the “base” you establish on the higher floors of the complex.

Returner ID – Given to the player when he is allowed out of the hive, it is later discarded when the player discovers it has a tracking device embedded within it and is allowing the military to hunt him.

Blunt Weapons – Pipes, Wrenches, etc, these make up the main weapon the players will have access to, used to knock out guards in order to avoid detection and gain access to their security clearance cards. Weapons must be left in your base before going into the living area or you will be captured (leading to game over).

Assault Rifles – Carried by guards on the lower levels, ammo is fairly easy to acquire but firing the weapon is loud and will trigger alarms and lockdown so should be used as a last resort. Ammo can be traded for food with the “Leaver” groups living in the cityscape.

Sniper Rifles – The only silenced weapon the player acquires, by knocking out snipers posted in higher areas of the complex, ammo is rare (although once again can be traded) but can be used to kill guards from a distance avoiding detection. These too must be left in your base or you will be captured when returning to the living area. Can also be used like the binoculars, with a better zoom.

Security Cards – Gained by knocking out or killing guards, security cards can be used to open doors/areas otherwise accessible without them. The card will lose usefulness once a guard wakes up or his body is discovered and the alarm is raised, this then leads to the building going to into lockdown for a period of time and guards actively searching for the player. Cards will have different levels of clearance depending on the guard and will open different areas.

Hacked Security Card – Gained late in the game by taking a working security card to one of the “Leavers” groups hiding out in the city before the alarm is raised and it becomes inactive, it will allow the player constant access to Clearance Level 1 areas as long as the player can avoid guards. Created during a mission in return for a large cache of food and supplies which the now desperate Leavers need after the attack on their community which the player played an unwitting part in.

Bandages/Med Kits – Used to recover health damage taken from falling during free running or non-lethal combat with guards. Health can also be recovered by sleeping in either the living area of the complex or in your base as long as you aren't seriously injured (sleeping when you are will result in you bleeding out and dying). Bandages/Med Kits can be stolen from the hospital area of the complex at night, attempting to do so during the day will get the player caught. These too can be stored in your base.

Key Locations

Citizen's Tower

First 9 Levels are living space and contain sleeping quarters, work quarters and hospital areas. Full of NPCs at all times. The only exit to the outside city area within these floors is from level 1 main doors which are guarded and therefore inaccessible to non-returner citizens by the military.

Floor 10 contains an external walkway with a fire exit/stairway leading to the city area, this is guarded by snipers.

Floor 25 houses the connecting tunnel to the other tower and is heavily guarded at all times.

Floors 10 – 26 are under construction and contain scaffolding and are routinely patrolled by guards but otherwise deserted.

Floors 27-30 are only patrolled when the building is in lockdown, these are the last of the levels accessible to the guards via the elevator system.

Floor 31 is where the player builds his base after climbing up through ceiling tiles on floor 30.

Floor 40 contains a abandoned walkway between the 2 towers which is only guarded by snipers during daytime (unless the Hive is under lockdown or high alert)

Floor 50 is the roof of the main tower and is watched by snipers from the military tower at all times.


Military Tower

Contains 60 floors although the roof and bottom 20 floors can only be reached via elevator with clearance level 4 (which the player never receives during the course of the game.)

Floors 1 – 20 are not available to the player via any means.

Floors 26 – 30 are the main floors of operation containing the barracks and living quarters of the military (this area is noticeably cleaner and better equipped than the citizen's Tower).

Floor 25 is a checkpoint which cannot be passed by the player

Floors 31-40 are the offices/command centre of the military

Floor 41-50 are the armoury and medical centres

Floor 51-60 are seemingly unused other than guard areas and sniper nests

Surrounding City

Small(ish) area around the Hive Towers, mostly barricaded. A few shops, restaurants which can be explored to find food. A few buildings will contain Leavers who can trade food for ammo and other items.

A supermarket will be initially accessible, containing a group of Leavers who will offer to trade useful items with the player in return for food (which is hard for them to obtain). This area will be damaged when the military attacks the group using the player's Returner ID to track and locate them. This will then make it unavailable to the player as it becomes guarded, in addition most Leavers within the city will become more hostile to the player (blaming him for the attack) and will no longer trade (outside of key, story scripted events).

Guards will patrol the streets around the towers after sunset.

Character Profiles

Player Character – Referred to as Citizen 412 by Military. A young male protagonist who was born into the Hive community but later orphaned when his parents died. He is befriended by Marcus Walker who becomes like a brother as they grow up together.

Marcus Walker – The player characters main friend and closest ally, they develop and train their free running skills together (with Marcus leading the player in the tutorial) before he is enlisted as one of the initial Returners. He observes suspicious behaviour by the military leading him to be taken by a guard. He never returns leaving his fate unknown to the player (although it is heavily hinted by the military leader that Marcus betrayed the player and left him behind, taking the choice to join the free society.)

Colonel S. Trent – The leader of the military guards within the player's hive (Hive J01-2), he is rarely seen in person although makes infrequent broadcasts and acts as the main antagonist during the later part of the game (in particular when the player is captured). He is responsible for the attempt on the player's life and later tries to get the player to ally with the military telling him that “There will always be a place for guys like us, war or no war.. we do what we need to do to survive, you've proved that. Join us and you'll never have to work to survive again”.
Captain F. Jenkins – One of the Colonel's lackey's, he is seen beginning to torture the player after he is captured before he is interrupted by the the Colonel.

Guard 417 – An unnamed guard who takes the initial shot during the assassination and deliberately misses. It is also hinted that this may be Marcus Walker as the commanding officer is heard saying “Dammit Walker you missed him...” before control is returned to the player.

Adam Smith – A young Leaver who the player first meets after escaping the sniper attempt. Adam leads him to the supermarket community as a safe place to hide although he gets into trouble with the members of the Leaver community there.

Hunter Samuels – A Leaver who escaped the Hive together with his younger sister Daniella, he is very hostile to the player as he believes the player's presence is a danger to his sister and the community as a whole.

Daniella “Danni” Samuels – A young leaver who escaped with her older brother, she took a bullet in the shoulder during their escape which her brother feels responsible for, as a result he is fiercely protective of her. She is naïve and seemingly unaware of how desperate the leaver's situation is. She has a friendly demeanour and offers to share some of her food with the player even after it becomes obvious that food is scarce.

Charlie Cooper – The leaver community's self appointed medic, a kind hearted young woman who was a nurse within the Hive, she left the Hive after witnessing guards beat a group of Hive workers in her care. Given her young age and seeming lack of physical prowess, the player is left wondering how she managed to escape from the Hive on her own although information obtained from conversations with other members of the Leaver group suggests that she may have drugged a injured guards and slipped out during using his stolen Security Card. Despite her young age, she is seen as the mother of the group, especially to the younger Leavers and has almost as much authority as the leader.

Peter Winters – The leader of the Leaver group within the supermarket, Peter is one of the oldest members of the group and claims to be “the first person to leave that damned tower and the whole reason they call us Leavers in the first place”, he appears unconcerned by the player's presence and is more concerned with trying to keep the community safe and fed. He is only member of the supermarket community who continues to trade with the player after the attack on the supermarket.

Conversations with other members of the community reveal that he once went back to the Hive to try and rescue his wife who died during the second escape attempt. This appears to have scarred Peter slightly who very rarely leaves the supermarket and initially calls the player a fool for wanting to return to the Hive although quickly thaws out once the player returns with food. He can be considered one of the player's most trusted allies once Marcus is out of the picture.

Frank Carter – Another of the early leavers, Frank was a friend of Peter's and acts as his second in command. He escaped at the same time as Peter tried to rescue his wife. Frank feels slightly responsible for Peter's wife dying. Conversation with him (after the player has earned his trust) reveals that Frank potentially might have stopped her being killed by killing a guard instead of knocking him out during the escape. A fact that he worries Peter knows and may hold a grudge for.