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[praxisto]

 Praxis is a 2D, story-driven "metalroidvania" (a term that I believe I am the first to coin, referring to a metroidvania-like stealth game). I was inspired to experiment with this kind of mash-up after noting the similarity in structure between the original Metal Gear, in which many of the items both add to the gameplay and act as keys, and Metroid. By synthesizing ideas from the few existing 2D stealth games (like Mark of the Ninja, TURBOGUN's Master Spy, and Yahtzee's Trilby), both early and modern metroidvanias (Metroid, Zelda II, Axiom Verge, and Elliott's Quest) and even modern systems-based games (Metal Gear Solid V, Breath of the Wild), I've ended up with a game design I've found compelling enough to put some work into. It is being developed with Unity, and I hope to one day release it on Steam and maybe some consoles if I can get admitted to a dev program. I am creating all of the assets, music, and code myself. At this point I have done a ton of coding, game design, and asset creation, now starting to focus more intently on level design.


As a metroid-like, the core gameplay is that of a 2D platformer. The player can jump, crouch, climb ladders, etc. In addition to these basic abilities, the player augments their abilities overtime via collecting items in their inventory. These are classified into Weapons, Grenades, Items, and Abilities. Weapons are, generally speaking, guns that shoot projectiles of some sort (and have consumable ammunition), while grenades are tactical items that affect a large area (explosions, chaff, sleeping gas, etc.). Items must be equipped to use their unique gameplay mechanic (like an item that allows you to hack computer terminals), while abilities augment the default move set (like the Teflon Suit, which allows you to perform a slide maneuver whenever you wish). I will go into more detail about the item lineup in a future post.

As a stealth game, Praxis utilizes many of the standard systems we associate with that genre, and some non-standard systems. Enemies have a "vision cone" (which is not visible until that ability has been obtained), patrol their routes, investigate noises (like gunfire), and pursue the player when the alert system has been activated. You can see the last place you were visible to the enemy (the yellow striped outline), or any noises that you made that have caught the attention of enemies (blue circle). See examples in the images below:



You can also hide in various receptacles in order to not be found. Here, the player is hiding in a dumpster:

In addition to these noise and vision systems, there is also an odor system. An early example of this in action is the dog enemy, who normally patrols but can smell the player when they enter a certain range. The dog will then investigate. If they find the player, they will bark and bite. Though they can't set off the alert system, their bark will interact with the noise system, and will attract other enemies.



Another tradition in stealth games is surveillance cameras. Surveillance cameras set off the alert system, but they do not attack you directly (at least not in their initial iteration). You can also hack them at terminals, seeing the rooms that they surveill and potentially shutting them down remotely (with the appropriate inventory item).



Yet another stealth trope is darkness and illumination affecting the perception of the player by the enemy (TLDR; visibility). Praxis' utilizes a binary visibility system, though this is only relevant in certain rooms and locations. A good deal of the game takes place in fully illuminated areas, but some areas are dark, with light flowing in through windows or being emitted by lamps and fixtures. It is binary in the sense that you are either visible or you're not, and this is easily communicated by the fact that you are covered in darkness or visible on screen inside the light source.

Here you can see the player engulfed in darkness, then shooting a flare gun. Flares emit light to help you see, but will also make you more visible to enemies. They also emit flame, so they will damage you if you get too close.

You can also shoot out lights with lethal projectiles (such as the standard pistol, shown here).

Later in the game, a night vision item allows you to navigate the darkness with ease (however, there may be enemies that possess night vision as well).

There are also some "chemistry" (to borrow a term from the BOTW team) type systems that impact gameplay. Right now, these include air, fire, and electricity.

Air - The facilities in the game all have ventilation shafts. If the ventilation system is activated, it will intake gases and disburse them through the facility. This could be used to strategically disburse smoke (which can be used to affect player visibility), sleeping gas, toxic gas, etc. Later in the game, you get a wingsuit item that also allows you to take advantage of fans and drafts for better navigability.


Turning on the ventilation system, you can see sleeping gas being disbursed through a facility.
Fire - Certain items can catch fire if they are exposed to a fire source. This causes more fire, which catches other things on fire, etc. This can be used to damage enemies and open pathways, but can also be used against you, as enemies could set hiding places on fire, or ignite flammable gas, etc.

Flammable gas being ignited by a flare, and spreading to a nearby crate, which also catches on fire.
Electricity - The game has a concept of "power", where electrical devices such as computers and lights must be powered by electricity to be used. There is an electricity source that is affected by things like switches or generators, and this electricity is distributed by both inivisible and visible conduit systems (which is really just a system of overlapping colliders). You can disrupt electricity access by severing a connection, but can also inadvertently expose yourself to raw electricity that is conducted by items in contact with the electrical source. You may also need to complete circuits to enable systems to be used.

Shooting an electrical cable connected to a utility pole, falls down to a metal box that conducts. Then the player is electrocuted by the metal box.

There are other gameplay elements, but I will go into more detail in future devlogs.

Plot
The year is 2017 and after years of a slow decline, the United States government has fallen into the hands of corporate oligarchs. In order to help reign in the pillaging of the nation's natural resources and the exploitation of its people, several corporate watchdog NGOs have adopted the strategy and tactics of industrial espionage.

You are ALTHUSSER, a member of PRAXIS, a highly regarded (and simultaneously much-despised) NGO focusing on environmental and labor abuses. You have been tasked with infiltrating MELLIFERA PLANTATION, a large industrial complex located on a small US protectorate in the Caribbean sea, and gathering evidence of their crimes. Led via radio by your commander, MOTHER, your mission will lead you to decommissioned laboratories, repurposed factories, local villages and much more as you uncover the truth about what is really going on within the heart of BROOD BOX ISLAND.

This is a story about corporate greed, student debt, and structural oppression.

Some story related, in-engine scenes:






Characters
Althusser

The player character. A college graduate. A sneaky guy. Inner-strength augmented by outer-strength, or is it the other way around?
"Well, this situation seems entirely ridiculous."

Mother

Founder, along with FATHER (not pictured), of the non-governmental organization PRAXIS. Provides guidance to Althusser as he infiltrates the island, keeping in contact via various radio terminals spread across the landscape. Concerned about the apparent disappearance of Father on the island.
"I just think they're neat!"

The Flying Dutchman

Mysterious and mystical, rumoured to be the leader of the Situationists (though they maintain they have no leaders). Wears a mask to obscure his face, but otherwise dresses like a member of Dexy's Midnight Runners.
"It means this company is legally a person. But what if we carried that idea even further?"

Bonedriver

Horribly disfigured under circumstances he wishes not to discuss, Bonedriver is a Situationist who still maintains some level of autonomy. Often shows up in strange places to craft helpful items for the player, but to what benefit of his?
"No gods, no masters, no problem."

Anaheim Steamroller

A former Mossad agent turned Situationist. Stoic, hardy, and strong, he will not be taken down easily. Well-read, and formally educated.
"We often confuse the things we want for the things we need."

Joy DeVigne

A highly-skilled operative, it is unclear whether she is a Situationist or works directly for Vice President Vohrich. Can cloak herself for short periods of time.
"That's not what you think it is."

Winterpol

A cyborg member of the Situationists. His experimental artificial blood is extremely thermosensitive, so he must seek refuge in extreme environments. Remembers little of his pre-cyborg existence, but can be inexplicably triggered by sensory data.
"Sensors indicate a 90% chance of infiltration via this unguarded ingress."

CryptoJoe

An entity who lives his life on the blockchain, protecting his cryptocurrency cache against egregious incursions.
"This is zero-knowledge proof that you're after my crypto, brah."

Romeo Void

A heartbreaker from the mainland inexplicably stuck on the island. Is he friend or foe? Loves his motorcycle.
"Sometimes I just have to get on my hog and ride until I forget."

David Hilbert

A physics PhD turned enterprise software code monkey, toiling away in the former flavorings lab of Opi-Cola for an unknown party. Helpful to Althusser, resentful to his unseen employer.
"Trust me. It makes entirely too much sense if you understand the underlying technology."

Pierre Ubu

A previously successful contractor native to the island. Out of work since Mellifera has insourced all of their contracting work on the island.
"CAN WE BUILD IT? Yes, probably, if you provide funding and the materials."

Kal

The leader of the island labor movement protesting Mellifera's stranglehold on the island. She could be the key to getting behind the plantation's walls.
"Work your entire life doing inconsequential things to survive, being treated like garbage along the way? No one should be subjected to that."

Echo (The Bunnyman)

A social outcast native to the island who befriends and aids Althusser during his journey. Clad in a bunny suit that has clearly suffered the abuse of the other islanders, he has no permanent home, but is clearly resourceful.
"i Am NeItHeR bEaSt NoR mAn. I aM mOrE tHaN bEaSt AnD mOrE tHaN mAn."

Vice President Vohrich

VP of Operations for Apis Industries, a holding company suspected of operating Mellifera as a front-company to hide their human rights and environmental abuses. If Althusser can obtain proof of his presence on the island, his mission will be more than worthwhile.
"Every dollar of debt your kind takes on is one more day my people stay in power."


More to come in future updates regarding music, gameplay, assets, etc.

Thanks!

[praxisto]

Praxis & Theme vs. Form in Metroidvanias

Praxis began as a beat'em-up with the mechanic of trying to earn enough money to pay the salaries of the thugs constantly attacking you and hire them away from their employer, the idea being that the underlying motivation of these enemies is most likely financial and not ideological (they are not bad people, just workers employed by bad people to do bad things). Although I would still like to make that game someday (and there are elements of that game that remain in Praxis that I have yet to reveal), Praxis ultimately became something quite different. As it evolved into first a platformer and then a metroidvania, then a stealth-metroidvania (still trying my best to make "metalroidvania" happen), the themes remained largely unchanged while the form had been significantly altered. In my research, I've noticed that a lot of metroidvanias seem to conflate theme and form. What do I mean by this? Simply that most metroidvanias either take place in some sort of cave system (Cave Story, Hollow Knight, Axiom Verge, Environmental Station Alpha) or a castle (Forsaken Castle, Dead Cells, Faxanadu). This makes sense, of course, considering that this adheres to the examples set by the progenitors of the genre (caves from Metroid and castles from 'vania). And these settings are very much conducive to being able to make interconnected 2D spaces without the limitations of the real world. You can have floating platforms in a sci-fi cave or non-sensical parapets in a medieval horror castle, and not be taken aback. The genre (and arguably the medium) has constantly reinforced the irrelevance of implausibility in level design since its inception.

The stealth genre, in contrast, is rooted in realism, however tenuous. Even looking back to the original Metal Gear (and further back to proto-stealth games like Castle Wolfenstein and 005) we see the use of more realistic weaponry (barring the bipedal tanks) and settings like military facilities, jungles, and offices. When you're playing any Metal Gear game, you're not likely to encounter a platform inexplicably floating in mid-air or a cooked chicken inside of a stone block. To muddy the waters even further, there are very few platform stealth games.

Praxis arrived at the metroidvania form with the theme already in place, with the theme being informed and reinforced by this secondary genre of stealth. In one sense, this will hopefully make for a less trope-heavy metroidvania game, but needing to synthesize the realism of the theme with a genre where interesting, varied level design is paramount to a pleasurable experience will be difficult. 2D platforming and realism do not mix well, historically.

For example, look at this level design from Rush'n Attack:


In the attempt to replicate an arctic army base, we end up with a very flat, bland, horizontal space.

Verticality is extremely important to the metroidvania genre. It serves both a functional and affective purpose: vertical spaces act as backbones for level branching and circling back, while also breaking up the emotional monotony of flat spaces. One of the original Metroid maps, for example:

Even later metroidvania's are highly dependent on this arrangement, like this map from Hollow Knight:


Verticality is harder to achieve in realistic level designs. Your setting has to have inherent and believable height. If you enter a one-story building in the middle of the jungle and are suddenly climbing 10 stories up an elevator shaft (which for some reason has platforms in it), you might become confused. There are very few skyscrapers in the jungles of the world (although, checkout this thread on Skyscraper City http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1542038). Down an elevator shaft is a different story, but you are again entering the realm of caves and castles in the basements and sub-basements of the world, and this is arguably a crutch of the genre.

So how to overcome the limitations of a realist theme in a fantastical genre?

Careful choice of milieu and venue, an idea I will explore in a further post, as well as introducing extra-dimensionality through the use of doors and other mobility mechanics.

Also probably using some caves, I guess.

[praxisto]

The Items, Abilities, and Weapons of Praxis

The current gamut of inventory items

First box: current weapon, Second box: current explosive, Third box: current item

A defining feature of the metroidvania genre (at least as I have understood and internalized it as a fan) is the attainment of new abilities through the collection of items and weapons. These abilities usually have a feature that acts as a key (a means to access previously inaccessible areas) and also an offensive feature, either a more powerful projectile or new way of attacking. For example, Super Metroid has the missile and supermissile, which increase your attack power but also open certain color-coded doors.

However, Praxis is a stealth-game, and stealth is inherently defensive. Offensive play is heavily discouraged (though it is an option to a certain extent). This means items and abilities should favor and reinforce stealth gameplay, not merely be more powerful weapons, while still maintaining their "keyness".

With this in mind, I have introduced several items, many inspired by (but different in implementation from) the original Metal Gear.

Weapons
I currently have only three gun/projectile types programmed, but have plans for more. All weapons must be discovered in the world, and come with ammunition upon their discovery, but all further ammunition must be found or crafted. There is no "unlimited" default weapon as is common in metroidvanias, though I may introduce some melee weapons or abilities for knocking out guards.
Pistol

This is your run of the mill pistol. It's ammo is lethal, and its only recommended for use when necessary (taking out drones, cameras, lights, etc.).
Tranquilizer

Puts guards to sleep for a limited amount of time. This will most likely be the goto weapon for stealth purists.
Flare Gun

Shoots flare projectiles that light up and drop upon impact. Useful for navigating dark rooms or lighting fires. Will not damage enemies when fired, but the fire emanating from the lit flare will if enemies get to close (will hurt you as well).
Style of ammo pickups:

Also on the drawing board are a flamethrower and a remote controlled missile a la the nikita in MGS. Also maybe an electricity gun of some sort, but also maybe not.

Grenades & Other Explosives
I have five grenade/explosive types currently:
Standard Grenade

It goes boom. Lethal damage, can also destroy walls/floors/etc. exposing secret areas.
Chaff Grenade

Creates a small short term field in which radio-based electronics like cameras and drones will fail.
Sleeping Gas Grenade

Emits a cloud of sleeping gas which will tranquilize non-electronic enemies like dogs and guards. Will also tranquilize the player if walking through the cloud.
Land Mine

Deals lethal damage when approached by the player or the enemy. If the player placed the landmine, then it will be visible, but any enemy placed landmines require the mine detector to see.
Hot Dog

Emits a strong, pleasant odor attractive to canines and other animals.

Items
I have a lot of items already coded and ideas for more. These must be equipped in order to be used.
Power Drill

With the power drill, you can disassemble things, like ventilation covers, either for parts or for access.
Zip Harness

The zip harness allows you to speedily traverse downward where zip lines have been placed.
Bit Banger

Lets you hack camera terminals to disable surveillance, or hack doors to open up areas (maybe other things, too).
Wing Suit

The wing suit allows you to float somewhat when descending from jumps, but also ascend when jumping over an upward facing air-flow. Ths is a later game item.
Gas Mask

The gas mask allows you to move through gas without being affected. Useful for getting through gas-filled rooms, or gassing enemies without suffering personal harm.
Mine Detector

Allows you to see (and collect) enemy placed mines when equipped.
Camera

Take pictures of items or settings (necessary for completing your mission).
Lantern

See your current location in dark rooms. Useful when you don't yet have night vision, and don't want to set off flares.
Night Vision Goggles

See in dark spaces. Any light will completely overflow the sensors though, resulting in complete whiteness, so generally only equipped when in dark areas.
Binoculars

See what the landscape holds. This helps you plan your approach to an environment by being able to preview enemy positions and other features of a room/area. Will only work if your line of sight is not obstructed by terrain or an item.

Abilities
Abilities do not need to be equipped, they become a part of your default move set as you acquire them.
ExoGlove

Allows you to lift heavy items (such as tranquilized guards), and also traverse using overhead hanging bars.
Spiked Boots

Allows you to hook into vertical walls and perform wall jumps.
Teflon Suit

Allows you to slide along the ground, knocking over enemies, or into tight spaces like ventilation shafts.