Sports Collector Commando

In an age of games where it seems each game tries to be more horrifying and violent than the last, is it possible to make a fun game without the bloodclouds, headshots, and flying body parts? That, at least, was the goal of creating "Sports Collector Commando". Create a shooter that focuses more on strategy and fun, than headshots.

Weapons

The first challenge, would be to design weapons that still deal a believable amount of damage without severing arms or legs. I wanted all the weapons to be centered around sports and sports collecting. What was developed were weapons like the "Six Shooter" a large six shooter gun that fires 100 mph fastballs, and an exploding football launcher that is affixed to a set of football shoulder pads called "the Long Bomb". Weapons like these kept the game sport centered and still a shooter, and hopfully brought a little originality to the game.

Villains and Monsters

Next, you can't have a shooter without having things to shoot at. I still strongly believe in the good guy and the bad guy, it just seems these days players are being placed in the role of the bad guy more frequently than the hero.

Finding monsters bad guys with a sports theme didn't take much of a leap, almost every sport has them, and you'll find them in virtually every league..."The Devils". The team name was generic enough that it would believably fit into the story and specific enough to mean one thing...pure evil.

So we've got the weapons and we've got the villains but what else was there to make the game unique?

The Strategy

To add a bit of strategy to the everyday "shooter" environment I created a kind of reward effect system. After completing each level the player would be awarded a prize card based on his performance in the level. This card, designed like a sports trading card, would be added to his collection album.

Each prize card affects the game in a different way. One card may speed up the players movement, or grant unlimited ammo in a specific weapon, or even increase the players jump height. At the beginning of each level the player is allowed to choose one card to 'attach' to his character for the remainder of the level, or until he dies.

Depending on what cards the player has won (based on previous performance), and which card he chooses to attach to his character the player would be able to access secret areas and possibly perform better throughout the level. This element also increased the replay value since players can go back and replay any level they have already completed to try to find more secrets or win better rewards.

Only the Bottom of the First Inning

Well that's a little bit about the game. It's still in development and has a ways to go before it's finished but you can click on the screenshot above for an early look at development.