FALLING ANGEL

FORMAL ELEMENTS: PLAYER The player controls a single character in the game world. This character is an employee of a rescue/salvage company which operates exclusively in the air and in orbit. The player is presented with a variety of situations and environments, which combine with a variety of mission types and objectives to produce a very large possibility space (think randomness and replayability).

FORMAL ELEMENTS: OBJECTIVES Several basic types of objective: Capture objects Interact with objects directly Maneuver objects (either into specific positions, formations, or to collide and destroy them) End your fall within a specific region Interact with other divers (AI controlled foes, multiplayer opponents, co-op partners) in order to help or hinder Demonstrate proficiency in a specific skill (Pure Challenge Mode)

FORMAL ELEMENTS: PROCEDURES There are two basic systems the player chooses for each mission: Movement – used by the player to position the character Fin-Stabilized: depends on air resistance; unusual movement scheme (roll to the side, dive faster, expand to slow, spin in place) Jet-Propelled: jets are constant, player provides thrust power per jet. Lots of inertia, ala Asteroids; clearer axes of movement, but easy to lose control (or regain it after a collision) Grapples: relies on the physics of other objects to move; moving also produces a corresponding movement in the target object. Doubles as a Collection system

FORMAL ELEMENTS: PROCEDURES There are two basic systems the player chooses for each mission: Capture – used by the player to affect other objects Tag: the character attaches an RFID tag to the object. Tag can either label as capture or destroy. Tags are fired from a gun; thus, they take time to reach the target. If they collide with another object in the meantime, they tag that object instead. Laser: the character paints an object with a laser. An automated drone approaches any object which is being painted at a fairly constant rate. The drone captures or destroys any object it collides with while the object is painted. Some time will be used keeping the drone from taking too much damage from unpainted objects. Net: the character fires a net (or capture field), which captures every object it collides with until it reaches capacity, then deploys a parachute to remove it from play. Hands: the character can manually interact with an object by matching velocity and position within safe bounds.

FORMAL ELEMENTS: RULES Objects are technically falling, but the real measurement is relative speed. Objects move downward at a rate determined by planetary gravity, atmosphere thickness, and wind resistance (for downward-facing silhouette). Objects which collide affect each other’s velocity and spin. Depending on individual object hardness or resistances, damage may result from this change.

FORMAL ELEMENTS: OPTIONAL RULES Some objects may have stabilizer elements, which tend to orient the object in a limited set of angles over time. Objects without stabilizer elements tend to be affected by spin. Objects feature a lee – a pocket of stable air opposite its downward-facing silhouette. Wind resistance doesn’t apply in a lee. Objects feature a wash (especially compressed or turbulent air) bordering its lee. A wash is difficult for other objects to penetrate. Particle systems generally operate in a wash or a lee.

FORMAL ELEMENTS: RESOURCES Other objects are both resources and obstacles, depending on situation. Character features a health status; health follows standard shooter rules (recovers if left alone) Capture systems may feature ammo or cost-per-shot (tags, nets, laser battery) Character has a global money budget to upgrade equipment or replenish consumables. Successful mission objectives increase budget; undue damage or failed objectives decrease it.

FORMAL ELEMENTS: CONFLICT The primary conflict (outside of the risk of failed objectives) is avoidance. Character colliding with falling objects Fragile objectives colliding with objects Destroyable objectives not colliding with objects Avoiding dangerous environment (gas clouds, pressure zones, buildings) Avoiding or moving quickly through targeting zones

FORMAL ELEMENTS: BOUNDARIES Primary boundary is altitude, which equates to time when falling speed is calculated. Playing field may be practically limited – i.e., moving too far laterally will take you out of range of the action, and you’ll waste time moving back into range. Playing field may be mathematically limited – i.e., moving so far from other game objects that relative coordinates outscale the engine’s capacity to store them. Object falling speed is limited by object silhouette (including player) – i.e., terminal velocity.

FORMAL ELEMENTS: OUTCOME Each mission features a set of objectives; objectives are passable or failable individually. The game doesn’t feature a master plot, but success or failure in each mission effects non-mission state and variables.