OK Another concept that's been rattling around in my brain. In one sentence:
"Cyberpunk squad-based strategy"
Cyberpunk - A dystopian, near future, dominated by corporate greed, soulless cities and post-apochalypic wastelands.
Squad-based strategy - player controls a small group of "Agents" from an overhead isometric view
Kind of like Syndicate if you remember that. With so few "Agents" under the players control we have an opportunity to develop a bond between the player and his Agents, something that Syndicate never did . By introducing a few more RPG like stats and customizations we can make the agents feel more unique and personal.
I'm thinking of 4 classes of Agents:
Doc - Heals up the team in the field, gives a boost to Treatments and Cybernetics between missions
Sparks - Hack security systems and robots, repair equipment in the field and boost Cybernetics between missions.
Suits - Provides intel, handles interrogation and recruitment and does the driving or piloting as required. Helps out with agent recruitment between missions.
Tanks - Loaded out with muscle grafts, heavy armour and the big guns, tanks do all the heavy fighting.
Each class comes in 3 grades, dependant on youth/experience:
Rookie - Faster, more stamina, less knowledgeable and charismatic
Pro - Average between Rookie and Veteran
Veteran - More Knowledge and charismatic, but slower and less stamina
Each Agent would additional be kitted out with tools specific to their needs and cybernetic upgrades to make them both more and less than human.
Between missions there would be several screens allowing the player to customize and guide the development of his team:
Transfers - Recruit new agents and retire exiting ones
Therapies - Ethically dubious, black market medical treatments to heal or boost agents, unlocked by having a Clinic
Facilities - Certain missions may grant the player fund to lease facilities, like a Clinic for use by the team, each type of facility unlocks additional agent classes, equipment or techniques like Therapies.
Augmentation - Enables the player to purchase cybernetics for his agents, such as an armoured skeleton, bionic limbs and medical nanites. Unlocked by the clinic.
Kit - Where agents equipment is bought and sold. Lab, Factory and Warehouse facilities unlock a variety of potential purchases here, from mobiles phones, to miniguns and mechas.
I was watching my virtual machine shutting down the other night and the dialog box read "saving machine state" and it clicked that in a cyberpunk world that "Machine State" could have a very different meaning... City 01?
