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CORPORATE ASCENT
Game Lit. and Culture Game Design Document

Team Harbinger
Alexander Murphy Robert Schwyzer Sean Lambdin Scott Polhemus Tyler Cecchini

CORPORATE ASCENT
Table of Contents
Table of Contents....................................................................................................... 2 I. Game Overview and Technology.............................................................................6 Razor Statement......................................................................................................7 Focus Statement..................................................................................................... 7 Technology.............................................................................................................. 7 II. Game Mechanics.................................................................................................... 9 Gameplay Modes.....................................................................................................9 Upgrade System......................................................................................................9 Suspicion System.................................................................................................... 9 Controls.................................................................................................................10 Xbox 360 Controls..............................................................................................10 Keyboard & Mouse Controls...............................................................................11 Notes on Control Schemes.................................................................................11 III. Artificial Intelligence............................................................................................12 Enemy AI............................................................................................................... 12 Story AI .................................................................................................................12 Pathfinding AI........................................................................................................13 Damage/combat....................................................................................................13 IV. Game Elements................................................................................................... 15 Level Design.......................................................................................................... 15 Game Characters...................................................................................................17 HUD....................................................................................................................... 19 Weapons................................................................................................................ 20 Music & Sound Effects...........................................................................................23 V. Storytelling / Game Progression...........................................................................25 Game Load and Main Menu...................................................................................25 2

3 Start a New Game..............................................................................................25 Continue a Game................................................................................................25 Load a Game...................................................................................................... 25 Options...............................................................................................................26 Extras................................................................................................................. 26 Exit.....................................................................................................................26 Game History.........................................................................................................27 The Past............................................................................................................. 27 Second Civil War................................................................................................ 28 Corpocracys Global Effect.................................................................................28 The Current Situation............................................................................................29 The Contest........................................................................................................ 29 Opening................................................................................................................. 31 The Cutscene.....................................................................................................31 Waking Up..........................................................................................................32 Choosing a Side..................................................................................................33 The Tram...............................................................................................................34 Seed of Doubt.................................................................................................... 35 Entering the Coliseum...........................................................................................36 Match 1: Death Race.............................................................................................37 Objectives.......................................................................................................... 38 Weaponry and Equipment Availability................................................................38 Static Emplacements..........................................................................................38 Time to Chill..........................................................................................................38 Match 2: Deathmatch............................................................................................40 Objectives.......................................................................................................... 41 New Weaponry and Equipment Availability........................................................41 Static Emplacements..........................................................................................41 No Rest for the Bloody...........................................................................................41 Match 3: Death Race 2..........................................................................................42 Objectives.......................................................................................................... 43 New Weaponry and Equipment Availability........................................................43 Static Emplacements..........................................................................................43 3

4 Get Some Rest.......................................................................................................43 An Unscheduled Awakening..................................................................................43 Match 4: Deathmatch 2.........................................................................................44 GambUlt Variant.................................................................................................45 Evoltex Variant...................................................................................................46 Owners Gala.........................................................................................................47 Freedom to Move About........................................................................................48 Match 5: Train Escort.............................................................................................49 Objectives.......................................................................................................... 50 New Weaponry and Equipment Availability........................................................50 Static Emplacements..........................................................................................50 Match 6: Hack Attack............................................................................................51 Objectives.......................................................................................................... 51 New Weaponry and Equipment Availability........................................................51 Static Emplacements..........................................................................................52 Match 7: Train Raid...............................................................................................52 GambUlt Variant.................................................................................................52 Evoltex Variant...................................................................................................53 Match 8: Secure the Prototypes............................................................................53 Objectives.......................................................................................................... 55 New Weaponry and Equipment Availability........................................................55 Static Emplacements..........................................................................................55 Keeping the Prototype........................................................................................56 A Major Opportunity..............................................................................................56 Match 9: King of the Mountain...............................................................................57 Objectives.......................................................................................................... 58 New Weapons and Equipment Availabiliy..........................................................58 Static Emplacements..........................................................................................58 Match 10: Assault..................................................................................................58 GambUlt Variant.................................................................................................58 Evoltex Variant...................................................................................................59 Match 11: Defense................................................................................................60 GambUlt Variant.................................................................................................60 4

5 Evoltex Variant...................................................................................................60 Big Things..............................................................................................................61 Match 12: War.......................................................................................................62 GambUlt Variant.................................................................................................62 Evoltex Variant...................................................................................................63 GambUlt End......................................................................................................... 64 If Cyborgs Left Untouched..................................................................................64 If Cyborgs Partially Sabotaged...........................................................................68 If Cyborgs Completely Sabotaged......................................................................70 Evoltex End...........................................................................................................70 Storytelling Goal for Player Ending Decisions........................................................70 Characters.............................................................................................................71 Environment.......................................................................................................... 73 Narrative Technique..............................................................................................74 Visual Storytelling Method.....................................................................................74 VI. Prototyping and Playtesting.................................................................................76 Prototype Map.......................................................................................................76 Playtesting Feedback............................................................................................76 VII. Business Considerations.....................................................................................79 Competition Analysis.............................................................................................79 The Mass Effect Trilogy......................................................................................79 The Bioshock Series...........................................................................................80 Unreal Tournament 3.........................................................................................81 Feasibility Analysis................................................................................................82 Our Company..................................................................................................... 82 Our Product........................................................................................................ 83 Industry..............................................................................................................83 Market Strategy..................................................................................................84 Operations..........................................................................................................85 Development......................................................................................................86 Projected Sales......................................................................................................87 VIII. Appendices........................................................................................................ 89

I. Game Overview and Technology

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Razor Statement
Corporate Ascent is a fast-paced, first-person shooter with RPG elements, where the player has a constant, tangible influence over the game world and the outcome of the story.

Focus Statement
Two companies, GambUlt (specializing in weapons tech) and Evoltex (specializing in genetic engineering), are vying for a top military contract from the iUSA. The player controls a skilled mercenary recruited by one of the companies to demonstrate the effectiveness of its particular weapons line in a series of escalating arena-style FPS matches where players put their lives on the line. Between missions, the player can also explore the outer areas of Heaven, the extravagant gladiator arena skyscraper where the upper echelons of society have gathered to trade secrets and cheer on their team. The player's interactions with these characters and the secrets he/she uncovers empower to player to have a direct impact on gameplay and story outcomes.

Technology
We plan to develop the game for all current-generation platforms, including Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. The game will be built using Unreal Engine 3. UE3 was selected because it is a popular engine that has been used in many highly successful 3D action games. Development tools such as the Unreal Development Kit are readily available, allowing us to begin development at a very low initial cost. The engine is also highly optimized to run at a fluid frame rate across all platforms. In particular, using Unreal allows us to take full advantage of the

highest-end PC hardware available (via technologies such as PhysX and DirectX 11) while also scaling back to run on consoles and lower-end PCs.

II. Game Mechanics

Gameplay Modes
Gameplay is divided into two main types: first-person shooter missions and non-combat exploration of surrounding areas. In missions, players must complete objectives such as destroying the opposing team or reaching a certain point on the map before the opponents. Players have the option to progress directly from one mission to the next, or explore surrounding areas to interact with NPCs, gather clues about the story, and make decisions that will affect the outcome of the game. NPCs retain a memory of past interactions with the player. If the player has earned a characters trust in the past, that person may be more likely to share useful information in the future.

Upgrade System
After each mission, the player will earn Prestige Points based on their performance. These points can be exchanged for access to special upgrades such as improved weapons or special physical abilities. The available upgrades vary based on which company the player has chosen to align with.

Suspicion System
When the player is caught sneaking around in areas he/she should not be or when the player tips-off company personnel or other officials through poor dialogue choices, the player will raise an NPCs suspicion meter. This numeric rating describes how suspicious an NPC is of

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the player. When NPCs are more suspicious of the player, they step-up security and keep a closer eye on the player at all times, and also tend to be tighter with their lips in conversation. Suspicion can be and often is raised across the board for all of a companys NPCs or all tournament officials or etc as raising one NPCs suspicion can automatically trigger the raising of an entire groups suspicion. If the player raises a groups suspicion too high, the player can cause a group to take action against the player. This can include actions that result in the players death or discharge, actions that effectively end the players game and force him/her to restart from a checkpoint or save.

Controls
Xbox 360 Controls

Image 2A - Xbox_Controls

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Keyboard & Mouse Controls

Function Move Aim Fire Activate Ability Melee Attack Jump Crouch Dodge Action Reload Switch Weapons Pause Select Dialogue Default PC Control W, A, S, D keys Move Mouse or Up, Down, Left, Right Left Mouse Button Right Mouse Button Middle Mouse Button Space Left Control Left Shift E R 1-0, or Scroll Wheel Esc Mouse Image 2B - PC/Mac Controls

Notes on Control Schemes

The following actions are only available during combat missions: Fire Weapon, Activate Ability, Dodge, Reload, Melee Attack, Jump, and Switch Weapons. Holding the Activate Ability button will enable abilities such as faster movement or an alternate firing mode for certain weapons. Players use the directional pad to select dialogue only when prompted in conversations outside of combat.

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III. Artificial Intelligence

This game will feature two main types of AI, an AI that will take part in the many challenges of the game, and an AI that will converse with the player as they try to collect information in the espionage missions.

Enemy AI
During each combat, the opponent AI will run through a number of scenarios that depend on the players level, difficulty setting, and actions during the combat, and select the action that will give the player the best challenge. The actions available for the AI will differ based on the challenge the player is currently attempting to achieve, for instance, in the Death Race, the AI may choose to pick up a speed boosting item rather than a combat item if the player is too far behind in the race. The player will have to adapt to the opponents AI in order to survive and pass each challenge, allowing for a challenge that will continue to grow as the player levels up and gains more skills. Each mission will contain its own enemy AIs with each of these pre-scripted abilities that are tailored to each challenge, making the enemy AI a different challenge in each level. This will allow the game to avoid becoming repetitive by giving the player new AI to challenge them at each level and at each mission.

Story AI
The second type of AI will consist mostly of pre-scripted discussions that the player can have with each AI. The player will be given conversation options, and depending on their conversation choices and the game state, will gain new conversation options that will allow them
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to ultimately learn new knowledge and possibly new skills. Each person in the game that the player talks to will respond to different types of conversation and persuasion. Certain characters will respond well to positive stimulations such as flattery or kind words while others will respond better to negative stimulations like threats or bribes. The conversations will be laid out, following set paths with multiple ways to reach a path. There is a risk though, because if the player makes the wrong conversation decisions, the person they are talking with may refuse to give them the information they need. Therefore, the player needs to be able to read the AI they are dealing with in order to make sure that they do not lose out on something that may be crucial to them. This style of AI forces the player to think carefully as they interact with the people they meet in the game, as they have to study each character they find in order to make sure they make the correct decisions, adding considerable depth and difficulty to the game.

Pathfinding AI
The games AI will use scripted pathfinding programs to determine the best course of action to take in each mission. For instance, during the Death Race, the enemy AI will use the paths and power-ups that will allow it to finish the race first. Each missions enemies will have pathfinding script tailored specifically for the needs of each mission, allowing for the most challenging AI possible.

Damage/combat
The games main combat will be a first person shooter, with the player shooting at enemy AI. The player will have shields that can protect him/her from damage and can be regenerated after time if destroyed, but the player will be unable to heal right away unless he/she has certain
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upgrades. Between arena missions, the player can gain new skills to help him/her battle the enemy AI. The games AI will follow scripted combat and damage commands that match for the style of combat of the mission. During the Death Race, for example, the enemy AI will focus on quick attacks to try and incapacitate the player so that the enemy AI can focus on winning the race. During head-on combat, the enemy AI will alternate between quick attacks with minimal damage, that may slow the player down, to heavier attacks to finish the player off. The player will have to learn and figure out how to cope with each different enemys AI in each challenge and combat arena, and learn how to deal with their combat strategies and the damage they deal out.

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IV. Game Elements

Level Design
For a majority of the game, the player will find him/herself competing in a corporate building named Heaven. Despite its formal, business-like structure, the building operates as a coliseum for fights between members of Evoltex and GambUlt. To create the exterior look of Heaven, Tyler used Vectorworks to create both a ground plan view of the building, and a rough mock-up of what the building will look like within the game. The ground plan shows the different sections of Heaven and areas where the spectators watch from. At the very center of the structure is the arena, where all of the fights take place. The area where the audience watches is actually a separate structure that circles around the building. This structure moves up and down the building, depending on which level the players fight takes place on. The audience area is then separated into three different areas. The first is the top level is reserved for the owners and higher-up officials of both Evoltex and GambUlt. Here, the officials enjoy drinks, food, and other first-class luxuries while they watch their employees fight for their company. On this same level are two lounge areas. This is where the player is allowed to rest in between arena matches. These areas also allow the player to interact with NPCs and to gather clues about their own company and the enemy, should they choose to. The lounge areas are separated from the headquarter lounges of Evoltex and GambUlt. On the lower level is normal audience seating. This area is much less lavish than the other areas and is set-up to be similar to arena seating.

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Image 4A - Corporate Ascent Building - GPImage 4B - Corporate Ascent Building Front View The front view shows the texture of the seating area and the arena. The arena is the center, dark structure. This is the main building that the player will experience all of his or her matches in. Encompassing this building is the seating area. The seating area is connected to two metal pillars, which allow the seating area to rise and fall to allow the audience a better view of the matches. From the prototype that was created for our early playtesting, Tyler also created a 3D version of the level in Vectorworks. The game level follows the same structure as the 2D version. Each team starts at the end of a bridge and is initially not allowed to view or shoot at each other. The players must then make their way through the maze, which is made up of walls that are 3 feet and 5 feet tall. These walls create both cover and obstacles for the players as they move through the level. As the player progresses along the bridge, there are some openings in the walls that allow the player to engage enemies in ranged combat, if he/she chooses. Once the player makes his/her way through the initial maze, he/she has a choice to make. Does he/she take
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the stairs to a higher level, with less obstacles but no cover from enemy fire, or does the the player stay on the lower level, which is a less direct route to the finish but provides more cover from the enemy? It is the players decision, but whichever way he/she chooses, he/she must reach the yellow platform before the enemies. The level has lights surrounding the edges of the structure. While this creates a path for the player to follow, these lights do not provide enough light for the entire level. This then causes some areas to have heavy shadows over them, which creates a stronger sense of fear and the need to survive in the player.

Image 4C - GP with Lights

Image 4D - Isometrics with Lights

Game Characters
Throughout Corporate Ascent, the player will be able to choose which NPCs he/she wants to interact with. However, unlike many games, the player does not have to interact with
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NPCs outside of cutscenes and levels. If players choose to interact with NPCs, they will provide the player with information on the history of the Second Civil War, the history of the development of the corporations, and many interesting secrets about Evoltex and GambUlt. Depending on which NPCs the player interacted with during the game, the ending of the game can be altered (note that this still generally requires further player action, but these conversations give players the opportunity to find out about and execute those actions). Different endings will reveal new information to the player about the corporations and what they have planned for the future. Throughout the game, the player is required to interact with at least four NPCs. They are Victor Greene, the head of security for Evoltex, Thad Manning, the head of GambUlts team for the competition, and Tom Reynolds or Ashley Treks, your teammate for levels (depending on which corporation you work for). Other characters, such as Rachel Bright and Ishmael Habul, the leading scientists of the corporations (one for Evoltex and one for GambUlt), and Daniel Prada and James Cole, the security officers (one for Evoltex and one for GambUlt), and the Mysterious Figure, do not need to be talked to. However, if the player chooses to do so, they will gain access to information and side-missions that are not a part of the main gameplay. Below are rough sketches of what the player would look like, both the female and male options. The player will have two outfits throughout the game. One will be for the times when he/she is out of the arena. The player will be portrayed as an employee in a suit during this time. When the player enters the arena, his/her clothes will change into combat gear. The sketch shown below is only the basic, first level outfit that the player will begin with. As he/she obtains upgrades, his/her outfits will change accordingly.

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Image 4E - Female-Arena

Image 4F - Female-Out of Arena

Image 4G - Male-Arena

Image 4H - Male-Out of Arena

HUD
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Image 4I - HUD

Within the arena, the player will be provided a HUD to show him/her important information. In the bottom right of the screen, there is an image of the gun or weapon that the player is currently using. In the bottom left corner, is a semi-opaque map of the level. On the map, the player can see his/her location, which is represented as a green dot. He/she will also see the enemies within the level, who will be portrayed as red dots. The player will be able to zoom in and out of the map in order to examine certain areas in more detail and get a clearer shot. Along the top of the screen is the players health bar (located in the center), the players ammunition and the next weapon available to him/her (located on the left), and the levels title (located on the right). Crosshairs will always be present in the middle of the screen to show where the player is currently aiming his/her gun.

Weapons
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A unique feature of Corporate Ascent is the availability of asymmetric weapon sets. Depending on which corporation the player chooses to work for, different weapons, upgrades, and skill sets will be available to him/her. If the player chooses to work for GambUlt, whose main focus is armor and weapons, the player will have access to stronger weapons and armor than players who choose to work for Evoltex. For Evoltex players, they will have access to upgrades that enhance their bodys natural abilities, such as speed, armor, etc. They are able to undergo procedures to have weapons and armor surgically attached to their bodies. No matter which corporation the player chooses, he or she will have access to a set of basic weapons. The player will have access to weapons ranging from pistols to battle rifles to sniper rifles to assault rifles to heavy machineguns to rocket launchers; each side will have their own, unique take on these. However, only GambUlt employees will have access to the beefiest, highest-damage weapons. However, in order to counter the firepower of the weapons, the GambUlt players will be slower and will be able to carry less with them into arena fights. Listed below are some of the weapons and upgrades that GambUlt employees will be able to unlock. Nanohealbots: These little robots will help to repair a players armor and health periodically over a set amount of time. Arm Stabilizers: Equipment that the player can equip to help reduce the recoil from weapons. Bipod: Available to equip on many weapons. Player trades mobility for extremely high accuracy and low recoil. Third Eye: This attachment to the players shoulder or glasses will create a rearview mirror, allowing the player to watch for movement behind them.

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Target Tracker: This allows the player to target an enemy. It can either be an enemy that he/she is engaging in combat, or it can be an enemy that he/she would like to spy on and track the movements of for a while. Railgun: This gun looks like a tuning fork. It runs electricity up and down the two tracks of the gun, building up an electrical charge. How long the player charges the gun will determine how big and fast the electric discharge is. Bayonet Whip: This guns has two settings that it can be used with. The first setting is that it can shoot out a long, thick cord of aircraft cable that can cut through multiple enemies at one time. The second setting is that the gun will shoot out the same cable, but this time, it will expand and lose its flexibility. In this setting, the whip can now act as a sword. Boosters: Different sizes of rockets that can be attached to the players back. These rockets provide a little boost that will propel you forward, backward, or side-to-side. How far you move with the booster depends on which upgrade of the booster you have access to. Listed below are some of the weapons and upgrades that Evoltex employees will be able to unlock. Accelerated Healing: This upgrade enhances the players natural immune systems, which accelerates and enhances the bodys natural healing abilities. Arm Sinews: The player will undergo surgery to have extra sinews and tendons implanted into their arm. This will help to make the players arms stronger, which will reduce the amount of recoil from weapons.

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Third Eye: Much like GambUlts Third Eye, this upgrade will allow the player to see movement behind them. However, this Third Eye will be an implant into the base of the players neck. Target Tracker: This allows the player to target an enemy. It can either be an enemy that they are engaging in combat, or it can be an enemy that they would like to spy on and track the movements of for a while. Bayonet Whip: This weapon has two settings that it can be used with. The first setting is that it can shoot out a long, thick vine that can cut through multiple enemies at one time. The second setting is that the gun will shoot out the same vine, but this time, it will expand. In this setting, the whip can now act as a sword as the vines sides are bladed. Toxic Bile: This upgrade implants poison sacs into the players throat. The player is then able to shoot this poison out of their mouth at an enemy. This will cause the enemy to be poisoned and they will suffer damage periodically until the toxins drain from the enemys system. Defensive Vines: These small vines are attached to the players shoulder. If an enemy comes too close to the player, the vines will shoot out and deal a little bit of damage. Glide Wings: These wings will be attached to the players back. These wings will allow the player to extend the length of their jump, whether it is forward, backward, or side-toside movement. How far they can travel is dependent on how large their wings are. Upgrades for the weapons and items will be available at the end of each level. Which upgrades the player can choose will depend on his/her company, previous upgrade decisions, and his/her performance within the level.

Music & Sound Effects

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For our game, we would like to bring in the internationally acclaimed video game composer Yoko Shimomura. Yoko Shimomura has created the music for several video game series, including the Kingdom Hearts, Street Fighter II, and the Mario & Luigi Series. Although her music is mainly used for fantasy games, all of her scores have an epic quality about them. Her music also plays with the ideas of mood. With her music, Yoko Shimomura is able to create a mood for a scene that can elicit extreme responses in the player that they continue to talk about long after the gameplay is over. Because of these qualities, we believe that her music will fit with our game, which requires strong, moving, and epic music to support the storyline. For the prototype, we used Yoko Shimomuras Fate of the Unknown from Kingdom Hearts, as our background music. Many of the players reacted well to this music and even commented on it. A sample of this song has been included in the Appendix section, along with Mechanical Rhythm from Xenoblade Chronicles and Arise Within You - Battle Theme from Parasite Eve OST. We would like the music for our game to sound similar to her earlier styles, but with a new flare that will be discussed when we sign her on.

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V. Storytelling / Game Progression

This section of the design document walks through the plot and progression of Corporate Ascent from start to finish, explaining user experience at each step.

Game Load and Main Menu

After the player launches the game, short, skippable videos will be shown as necessary to credit software and/or hardware technology, the development team, the producer, etc... After these complete, the player will be presented with the main menu. This menu will provide the player the option to start a new game, continue a game, load a game, change options, review unlocked game materials (encyclopedic data, cutscenes, etc...), and exit the game. The main menu will present these buttons overlaid on a background that displays promotional videos for the weapons and biotech companies.

Start a New Game

When the player selects Start a New Game from the main menu, he/she is presented with the option to choose a difficulty level. After selecting that, the player is prompted to choose between a male or female character. With that, the game can begin.

Continue a Game
When the player selects Continue a Game from the main menu, the most recent (according to logged system time) auto, quick, or regular save is loaded.

Load a Game
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When the player selects Load a Game from the main menu, a listing of saved games is presented to the player and the player is able to select a game to load or delete. The player can also elect to go back to the main menu.

Options
The specifics here will vary from platform to platform, but when the player selects Options from the main menu, at least four buttons will appear- gameplay, controls, audio, display. These serve as the four main categories of options. What is contained in each is platform-specific.

Extras
When the player selects Extras from the main menu, a new menu will pop-up. This menu will allow the player to open an encyclopedia that provides details on weapons, equipment, etc... encountered and on offer up to the point the player is currently at in his/her most advanced singleplayer save. Players are also able to view any unlocked cinematics through another option on the Extras menu. Finally, players will be able to leaf through backstory materials- the kinds of background storyline that isnt integral to the experience but that the players character might know or might easily be able to find through news reports, digital books, online databases, the future internet, etc... Besides offering interested players a method to get deeper into the games universe, it can also help players who are attempting to uncover what the corporations are up to.

Exit
When the player selects Exit from the main menu, the player is prompted as to whether or not he/she actually wants to quit the game, and if the player selects that he/she does then the
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game exits to the operating system. If the player selects that he/she does not want to exit, the player is returned to the main menu.

Game History
The rich history that leads up to the events of Corporate Ascent can be accessed by the player through voluntary dialogue interaction with NPCs, environmental objects in the game (computers, propaganda, etc.), and saboteur side missions. Some of the history will be revealed through the main storyline and interactions, but the emphasis is on giving the player the option to largely ignore the background and depth of the story if he/she would like and wants to focus on core gameplay.

The Past
The U.S. was collapsing from the inside due largely to a failing economy. One U.S. business, called Ascentech, continued to progress against the odds and turned into a massive international success. Eventually, Ascentech became so powerful and the U.S. government and economy became so weak and desperate, that Ascentech began financing government programs and providing loans. The U.S. eventually owed Ascentech an insurmountable debt as the company took advantage of the governments dependency on it (allowing it to do business with little to no regulation) and grew at an even more rapid pace. Ascentech became enmeshed with the government to the point that the line between the two was blurred. Both parties involved improved greatly due to this mutually symbiotic relationship. The United States rose back to prominence with the company's help, and Ascentech eventually gained control of so much of the government that it wound up essentially running it. The idea that the government could be run better as a calculating business slowly embedded
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itself in the populus of the country. The definition of Corpocracy was refitted to describe this method of government. Those who believed strongly in Corpocracy identified themselves as Corpocrats. The Corpocrat political party quickly began to outnumber even the Republican and Democrat parties.

Second Civil War

There was a large group of people in the U.S. who were still strongly opposed to the radical change in government. They believed that it was important to maintain the original form of government that the U.S. had used for hundreds of years. This group referred to themselves as The Founders. At first, The Founders only protested against the Corprocats. But when the U.S. government finally proposed an amendment to the Constitution that would give Ascentech control over all three branches of government, the protests became violent. The Founders started an all-out war in 2109 against the Corpocrats. It was a bloody civil war that lasted until the year 2112. The Corpocrats, utilizing their superior technology and funding, (provided by Ascentech) eventually won out against The Founders. The war has since been referred to as the Second Civil War.

Corpocracys Global Effect

Seeing the success that the U.S. had with the process of Corpocracy, other struggling countries began to follow the method as well, fusing with mega corporations. At the point in history when Corporate Ascent takes place, the majority of the worlds most powerful countries are run by mega corporations. The list of countries that underwent this change or are undergoing the change includes Japan, China, India, Germany, and many others.

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The Current Situation

It is the year 2130. The types of government that existed previously - Democracy, Dictatorship, Communism - have all been replaced by a more efficient and calculating system. Mega-corporations have grown so powerful and influential that they have usurped the role of government and are now sovereign rulers of their own countries. The idea of a corporation being its own entity is still a prominent philosophy and now every citizen is considered an employee. Free enterprise has become the global norm and mantra. The CEOs of these mega corporations are now equivalent to the previous presidents, dictators, prime ministers, etc. What was once the United States of America is now the Incorporated United States of America (iUSA). The U.S. was at the head of the movement from traditional government to corporation-controlled territories. The pursuit of profit has taken priority over morality and citizen rights. Human testing and experimentation is legal in the iUSA. Countless companies are competing to be on top in a world of business. Research and development has become paramount to success and consequently, science and technology have both entered a renaissance period. The iUSA promotes the (supposed) success of its country via propaganda that the player will encounter throughout the game.

The Contest
The CEO of the Incorporated United States of America (who has not been seen by the public in decades) has decided that the corporation needs a new primary weapons contractor. This is a fantastic opportunity for competing tech companies. It would provide the chosen company with near-limitless funding and authority.

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There are two clear front-runners for the job. One company, named Evoltex, is focused on biotechnology and the other company, named GambUlt, is focused on weapons technology. The government cannot make a clear decision on which company to pick. The iUSA decides to host a tournament, codenamed The Contest. The two companies will fight in The Contest to prove which tech set is superior and deserves the contract. The tournament will consist of multiple stages including death matches and races between the two teams that will showcase their respective techs. Gladiator-style arena combat has become popular in this time period. Even though players in these gladiator arenas consistently die, it remains legal because the system rakes in profits for the government and independent companies that own shares of the market. The gladiator battles have been integrated into the culture of the iUSA in order to pacify the people and distract them from the inhumane way that they themselves are being treated by their own government. The rich and ultra-rich will pay immense amounts of money to go to these arenas and will also spend money betting on the winners of the battles. The lower echelons of society will hungrily watch these battles on futuristic TV sets and may be fortunate enough to attend a handful of games. These facts about the gladiator arenas can be uncovered by the player through interaction with Charles Vanderbilt, one of the NPCs in the game and the owner of the arena the player will play in. The Contest will be a tournament that occurs in the most impressive of all of these gladiator arenas: Heaven. The two companies have been told that the tournament takes place in Heaven and what it is generally about, but will not be told much beyond that until the tournament begins.

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The most important factor of The Contest is that once the player enters and the tournament starts, no one gets to leave the building. The player will interact with the ultra-rich that attend the tournament, the iUSA higher-ups, their team, the opposing team, their attendants, and many others in the discussion rooms that exist outside the main combat levels. These outer areas of the building will also be where the two teams headquarters are and where the sabotage side missions take place.

Opening
Once the player starts a new game, an opening, out-of-game cutscene is played and the player is confronted with a choice between two companies.

The Cutscene
The cutscene begins with an overhead view of a destroyed city shrouded in smoke and flames. The camera slowly zooms in past most of the smoke, revealing the destroyed city in further detail, until a child can be seen holding a teddy bear on a war-torn street (this child is male if the player picked male and female if the player picked female). There are bodies and mangled cars everywhere. On one side of the road corresponding to the child there are bodies dressed in normal clothing and there is a tattered American flag. On the other side there are people dressed in military-style gear and there is an intact flag with the title iUS in red with a blue background (iUS stands for incorporated United States). The camera continues to move closer in until the player can only see the closed eyes of the child. A voice can be heard in the distance saying, Hey! Theres a kid here! The child then opens his (or her) eyes quickly.

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The cutscene is short and to the point, minimizing the time spent in jarring third-person perspective.

Waking Up
After the cutscene, the camera shifts to first-person, fading in from black. The initial view is comprised of two metal panes that are pushed together to form a wall. Heavy breathing can be heard by the player, which quickly fades away. It is dark but there is a small LED light in the shape of an animated alarm clock that is ringing, with the digital time displayed beneath it. Both are located on the right side metal pane. The time is in military hours and it displays 07:00. Writing appears on the screen saying, Press the [action] button to turn off your alarm. The player clicks the aforementioned button and the alarm stops and the two metal panes slide open, revealing a room. The player rises up out of the chamber he/she was in which turns out to be a sealed-in bed. The room will be mostly made of refined, clean-looking metal and plastic. The player can now walk and look around freely. There is a knock on the door of the apartment. The player- at his/her leisure- controls the character and walks him/her over to the door which the character opens (upon pressing the action button). A mysterious man is at the door. He is wearing a large trench coat that covers most of his body. He says Hello, my name is Anor, in a deep voice and explains that he is head of security for the biotech company. He goes on to say that they received word from the iUS that a tournament would be held in a few days where the two companies would compete and that they needed combatants to compete. He then mentions that he knows that the player is a renowned mercenary and says that he sent the player information about the tournament and his role via the players personal PDA to look at later. He also mentions that the biotech company will be
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competing against the weapons tech company, which he also points out is committed to pushing humanity ever deeper down an unnatural path that will forever sever humanity from its rich, strong, natural biological roots and that traditional technology has been responsible for eons of bloodshed, death, poverty, and degradation of the human condition- biotechnology is the only true way forward. Of course, the player will be compensated handsomely for joining the biotechnology team for the tournament to showcase the superiority of biotechnology. He then says his goodbye and begins to exit. As he turns to leave, another man appears who looks like a high ranking military official. The new man is visible behind Anor in the hallway outside the apartment. Anor stops and both Anor and the new arrival stare at each other and twist into positions, poised to fight. They say hello to one another by name in growling, menacing voices, but then slowly return to normal as Anor walks away. The military man walks up to the doorway and introduces himself to the player as Pellon, the head of the weapons tech security team. He then apologizes for the scene that just happened. He goes through a similar speech to Anors and rips into the biotechnology company for creating uncontrollable freaks of nature. He asks the player to represent the weapons tech company and he leaves the player the info on the players PDA. Pellon finishes with a story about an atrocity that the biotech company committed where they took a small town and performed horrible experiments on them and then Pellon leaves as well.

Choosing a Side
Left with both sides of the story and two offers, the player is able to freely roam around his/her appartment. Likewise, the player is freely able to browse his/her PDA to review information on the companies. This includes accessing the internet to view news videos, leafing through PDF-style corporate brochures, watching a promotional video supplied by each
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company, etc... Note that care is to be taken here to ensure that the player does not NEED to read all or even any of this information to Once the player has decided what company he/she wants to join, he/she will use the PDA to e-mail the appropriate representative (its a highlighted application and the e-mails are precomposed- the player just needs to choose which to send). After selecting a company, the player is prompted to go back to sleep.

The Tram
The player comes to as he/she steps through the doorway of a tram car. The player retains full, first-person control inside the tram and is able to move between a series of cars and look outside windows at the cityscape. The player is even able to take a seat should he/she wish to. The tram is populated with mercenaries and security personnel from the company chosen by the player. In some of the forward compartments (blocked-off to the player by security), higher-ranking company personnel are also present. The player is able to speak with or respond to anyone he/she wishes to in the areas of the tram accessible to the player. These conversations will mostly consist of the player trading stories with and trying to discover more about the company- and the opposing company- from talking to the other mercenaries, but the player may also run into old acquaintances and can talk about those past experiences... from the top of his/her head (the player is a battle-hardened mercenary- not many people are going to question the cover story that the player has had maybe one too many concussions to really remember exactly what happened before). The player will also be free to make small talk- sports, weather, etc... It may serve no functional purpose, but its atmospheric value is undeniable.
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Seed of Doubt
At some point during the tram trip, a figure in recruitment uniform with a headgear of some kind pulled low to conceal the majority of the figures key facial features will briskly walk by the player, brushing against the player in the process. A minute after leaving the players sight, a beeping sound will emit from the player. The player will be able to look down and discover a communication device tucked away in one of the players pockets. The player will have the option of answering the device, tossing it away, or reporting it to security. Tossing the device away without reporting it will leave open the possibility for the figure to attempt to contact the player later, while reporting the device will cause the figure to cease attempting to contact the player. Choosing to answer the device though will put the player in contact with the shadowy figure. The figure will tell the player that the company he/she has chosen to work for is not as pristine as the company makes itself out to be. Furthermore, helping the company secure the contract will result in a global travesty. The figure will identify itself as a researcher for the company who has inside knowledge of what the company is preparing to unveil. The figure will admit its guilt in aiding the research project, while simultaneously reaffirming that the figure is trying to make-up for its prior lapse. The figure expresses that it needs someone- and it feels the player to be best qualified- to help find a way to prevent the project from being successfully deployed and unveiled in the tournament. The player is free to toss out the device or turn in the device at any time in the conversation, and the player is also free to converse back with the figure and to keep the device to continue communicating with the figure throughout. The player is also free to listen but not respond. Tossing out the device or turning in the device will have the same effects after the
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figure has begun to speak as such actions would have before the figure began speaking. Responding to the figure will make the figure more responsive and more eager to contact the player in the future and to unveil more information. After a set time, the tram will stop as it arrives at its destination and all doors on one side will open.

Entering the Coliseum

When the doors open, the company personnel will all exit the tram onto a sunny walkway that leads into the companys side of the ring. Flanking the path on each side are veritable legions of company security personnel holding back crowds of people trying to get a good look at the mercenaries and reporters covering the story. The player is free to not walk at his/her own pace, although will be goaded by the crowd and security alike if the player remains too long in the tram or outside the coliseum. If the player tries to walk into the crowd, a security guard will push the player back onto the path. Once inside the coliseum, the player is directed to follow a security guard to his/her room. The player is instructed to get to the companys training facility in five minutes and is free to roam around the dorm, mess, and training areas of the companys part of the ring. Mercenary and security NPCs populate these areas and the player is free to speak with them, exchanging introductory dialogue. These are NPCs that will be persistent in these areas throughout and they will hold persistent opinions of the player. If the player listened to the shadowy figure from the tram, he/she will be able to ask the NPCs questions to try and decipher the NPCs attitudes towards the company and to try and uncover more information about what is going on.
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Once the player arrives at the training facility, the companys coach comments derisively on the players tardiness if the player took more than five minutes to arrive, then puts the player through a few exercises to see where the player is at. In reality these are intended to help familiarize the player with the feel of combat movement in Corporate Ascent. After mastering movement, the coach takes the player to the firing range where the player is able to test out the various weapons that are immediately available without having to actually invest any prestige points into the weapons yet so that the player can make an informed decision about what he/she actually wants. After running through a few exercises at the firing range, the coach opens-up equipment selection to the player and encourages the player to try out equipment on the obstacle course much as the player tried weapons on the firing range. The player is encouraged to come back and do either of these any time, with the available weapons and equipment widening with each completed arena battle. The coach then briefs the player on the first battle (providing instructions, a map, dossiers for team members, etc... to the players PDA as well) and instructs the player to head to the arsenal (which is right next to the training area) in order to spend his/her starting prestige on weapons and equipment for the first mission. Once the player has gotten what he/she wants from the arsenal, the player is directed to the staging area for the arena entrance.

Match 1: Death Race

The first arena level is a death race. It is tailored to keep teams mostly on opposite sides and to mix long-range potshots with obstacle course maneuvering. This mix allows players to put their primary focus on getting the controls and movement feel down without having to concern themselves too much with combat initially due to the low percentage chance long-range potshots
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inherently have to hit. However, the arena stays true to the game in offering the opportunity for those potshots and in fact even closer combat near the end so that players can seek to complete the objective in multiple ways.

Objectives
Be the first team (two members per team) to get a member in the finish circle OR kill all members of the opposing team

Weaponry and Equipment Availability

Pistols Melee Armor (GambUlt) Speed (Evoltex)

Static Emplacements
None

Time to Chill
There is only one major outcome to the arena battle- the players team must win. That said, the players ally can die, the player can piss-off his/her ally by friendly firing the ally without killing the ally, neither of the opposing team members can die, both can die, one can die, etc... All the mercenaries are persistent, so if they die in the arena then they die and wont appear anywhere ever again. Likewise though, if they live then they will harbor persistent opinions about the player that impact their willingness to talk to the player.
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Once the player wins, he/she will be directed to exit the arena and to return to his/her companys mercenary section. The players coach will meet the player on exit from the arena and will discuss the battle, congratulating the player and providing tips for the next battle. The coach will then encourage the player to return to his/her room to rest before the next match. The player can do this, but the player also has free roam of the same area as before. The player can talk to the same mercenaries and other NPCs as previous (minus the ally from the arena battle if he/she was killed) and the new conversations will revolve mostly around the mercenaries feeling good about having won their battles. However, one mercenary will complain about having lost his chance to go in the ring that day due to some other, closed, company-only event going on. His match will conveniently be scheduled for ~2 minutes from when the player talks to him. Should the player wish, he/she can follow-up on the lead and run back to the staging area, where guards will keep the player from getting too close, but the player will be able to see human-sized crates being carted into the arena. When the player decides to go back to his/her room, if the player accepted help from the mysterious voice on the tram, the corridor en route to there will have one, slight alteration. Whereas before all vents and accesses were sealed, the grill on one vent will be noticeably askew. The player can walk up to this vent, press the action key, open it completely, and crawl through. The vent leads nowhere as other grills and future-fans block the players progress, but hidden just a little into where the player can access is a tiny envelope. Inside is a storage device with financial documents that the player can peruse on his/her PDA. The documents will show

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the companys expenses for the last few years. In the last couple of years, a number of expenses are highlighted. Once the player returns to his/her room, if the player uncovered the financial documents and retained the communication device to the mysterious figure, the player will receive a call from the mysterious figure. The mysterious figure will inform the player that he knows the player picked-up the documents. The mysterious figure will further explain that the highlighted expenses in those documents are for the companys secret project. The figure will instruct the player to hold onto the documents as they will prove useful later, and with that the figure terminates the call. At this point, the player will be prompted to sleep before the next match- the player can choose to sleep now, or traipse around the complex more first.

Match 2: Deathmatch
After the player wakes-up, he/she receives a message on his/her PDA from his/her coach to suit-up for the next match that begins in just a few minutes. The player can do any of the usual before match activities- talk to NPCs in the area, test new equipment, fire at the range, etc... NPCs will have new but terse dialogue that focuses on the upcoming matches for the day. No new details will be unveiled about the secret project. To begin, the player finalizes his/her weaponry selections and heads to the staging area. This second arena battle pits the player and three mercenary teammates (including either Tom Reynolds or Ashley Treks from the tram depending on your company; note that both will be in this match, its just a matter of what side youre on, so you will be tasked with killing the one whose company isnt yours) against four enemy mercenaries. The arena itself is hexagonal
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and relatively open, with little cover and little height change excepting two ramps in the center that face each other as if to form a bridge, but neither connects to the other, encouraging any bridge crosser to jump from one ramp to the other at the end of the ramp. The sparse cover and single, prominent obstacle keeps the arena focused on ranged combat, allowing the player to acclimate him/herself to the fast-paced, dodge-reliant nature of Corporate Ascents arena combat. This is one of the most straightforward missions in the game, and it is intended to be.

Objectives
Kill all opposing mercenaries

New Weaponry and Equipment Availability

Battle Rifles Additional Pistols (including semi-automatics/borderline SMGs for GambUlt) Strafe Booster (GambUlt) High Jump (Evoltex)

Static Emplacements
None

No Rest for the Bloody

Once the players team finishes slaying their opponents, the announcer will declare that the other company wants revenge and that wish is going to be granted. The players coach rushes out quickly with weapons and grenade analogs, allowing the player to complete the new weapon
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acquisition process on the previous battleground, accelerating the process of transferring the player to the next stage. Once the player selects his/her new weaponry, the player is beckoned to hop on a flat platform lowered from the stage above with just a chain. The player and remaining mercenaries from the players team from the previous battle mount the platform, and it is then raised to the next arena.

Match 3: Death Race 2

The death race format is purposely reused so soon as this particular race combines the elements emphasized by the previous two arenas. It provides a stepping stone by calling on the player to combine those two experiences in an environment with familiar objectives. Special to this mission are the level of interest the enemy mercenaries exert towards the players previous match (enemies will insult and curse the player for killing their friends if the player killed two or more; for each enemy killed in the previous round by the player, the enemies will focus their attention more on killing the player and less on winning the race), the potential unfairness of the match-up (there will be four enemies regardless of whether all three of the players mercenary allies survived the last mission to this mission or not), and the slight lock-in of weapon and equipment choices. The race itself is over double the length of the first race, with hurdles and low cover providing the primary lane formations, thus allowing for constant combat between participants. There is also rubble and debris strewn around, making navigation of the obstacle course tougher. Automated turrets populate the map at key points, indiscriminately targeting mercenaries on both

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teams (the turrets prioritize the first mercenary to walk within acquisition range, allowing a slight rubber-banding effect on the race).

Objectives
Be the first team (up to four members per team) to get a member in the finish circle OR kill all members of the opposing team

New Weaponry and Equipment Availability

Alternate Battle Rifles SMGs Grenades

Static Emplacements
2x Heavy Machine Gun Turrets

Get Some Rest

After finishing the race, the player will be released back into his/her companys area of the facility. On the way out, the players coach instructs the player to get some rest before his/her next match. The player is free to roam around and talk to NPCs. The NPCs will discuss the days matches and the animosity shown by the other companys teams in them. The player can go to his/her room and sleep at any time.

An Unscheduled Awakening

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As long as the player has not turned the mysterious figures device in to an authority, a loud clang will ring off the players door at an odd hour of the morning. The clang will awaken the player, who will be prompted to investigate. A storage device rests on the floor just outside the door which the player can pick-up and insert into his/her PDA. The device includes a map of ventilation shafts and other back areas of the facility on the players companys side. The player can follow-up on this information and search these back areas now, when most of the NPCs will be asleep, or the player can him/herself go back to sleep. If the player chooses to go sneaking around, he/she will be able to uncover documents that partially describe the secret project and equipment necessary for the secret project (equipment that doesnt definitively give the project away though). The player will softly be prevented from accessing operative areas by strong, activated, visible security that will trigger if the player tries to get by, resulting in the player getting caught and discharged (a lose state).

Match 4: Deathmatch 2
The player is woken-up by a call to the players PDA from the coach. The coach informs the player to hurry-up and get to staging for another match, simultaneously providing the briefing to the players PDA. Once again, the player is free to roam en route. This time though, if the player discovered anything by investigating, the player can drop hints about the discoveries in conversations. NPCs will either respond favorably to these hints and offer additional information or aid, or will shutdown the line of conversation. Some NPCs may even report the player to authority figures in the company who will have the players movements observed more carefully, making it harder for
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the player to sneak around in off-limits areas. Players will need to gauge the demeanor and reactions of NPCs closely when discussing sensitive matters with them. Once the player gets to staging, the coach explains that due to the tough day the other team had the previous day, todays deathmatch is going to be fought on terrain created by that companys technology.

GambUlt Variant
The arena is a dense jungle, with dense trees and other foliage keeping visibility minimal. Large roots stick out of the ground, forcing players to hurdle over them. Grassy knolls provide height changes. Finally, vine trap plants exist throughout, and will snag participants feet, holding them in place until players can use their melee weapon to cut the vine off; these are single-use and will target players of either team indiscriminately. Combat-wise, the key is a low visibility but fluid environment. Movement through the jungle can be quite brisk, but dangerous with dangers lurking around every bend. SMGs and shotguns have clear advantages here for ranged weapon options, while melee becomes more viable than it ever has before. Objectives Kill all opposing mercenaries (six versus six battle) New Weaponry and Equipment Availability Shotguns Infrared Vision Riot Shield

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Static Emplacements 8x Vine Trap Plants

Evoltex Variant
The arena is a shifting mechanical conundrum. Sheets of metal are raised, lowered, moved, and constantly reconfigured to create an ever-shifting maze. Visibility and firing distances are short as the metal sheets form shifting walls almost everywhere. Players will need to rely on twitch close-combat skills to survive and adapt to the changing environment. The arena also possesses four sentry bots that move on treads and wield dual miniguns (the miniguns take time to spin-up and are quite loud, giving players good warning of the bots presence). The bots have their own AI and will target players on either team. Players can choose to destroy the bots, or leave them alone in the hope theyll be of some help. Objectives Kill all opposing mercenaries (six versus six battle) New Weaponry and Equipment Availability Shotgun analogs Melee Carapace Armor Enhanced Legs Static Emplacements 4x Sentry Bots

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Owners Gala
After the battle, the players coach will instruct him/her to rest in preparation for a diplomatic gala. As usual, the player can dally en route in order to talk to NPCs, but the real conversations will come at the gala when the player awakes. The player will be woken by knocks on the door. The player will be prompted to open the door. Two guards will be standing at the door, ready to escort the player to the gala. The gala is located in the dining club of the observer area of the coliseum complex. Its an area where the wealthy patrons intermingle with higher-ups from the company and the coliseums owner regularly, but which is typically off limits to mercenaries. As the player walks in, he/she will be announced and greeted according to his/her performance in the combat missions so far. This will also impact the players interaction with the various NPCs, as the players combat distinctions will deem him/her a person of importance or not to many NPCs. The purpose of this gala though will be for the mercenaries to meet and greet with the observers, making nice and promoting their companies. The observers include more than the typical wealthy patrons as iUS military brass and high-ranking officials are also present, evaluating the potential contractors. The player will be encouraged by his/her coach to talk to a variety of individuals at the gala. Not doing so will arouse suspicion in the player. Doing so may also arouse suspicion depending on what the player talks about, but in general the player can learn much from talking to the various NPCs. In particular, the coliseums owner can offer a wealth of backstory on the facility and general rise of bloodsport.

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The player will also get a proper chance to talk to NPCs from the other company. This is an excellent time for the player to probe about possible secret projects for the other company. Its also an excellent time to scout the area. Deciphering the layout of center areas of the ring will prove hugely helpful to any snooping attempts that try to cross the border into the other companys territory. Of additional interest are the players interactions with high-standing company officials on both sides. In conversation, these NPCs are high risk as raising the suspicions of the opposing company officials will have them instruct their mercenaries to target the player, specifically, more in matches and increase security, while raising the suspicion of the players company officials will cause them to increase security with a special emphasis on keeping an eye on the player. However, if the player can get the high-level officials talking, they will have a tendency to come across as very confident and will even boast of their companies truly advancing what it means to be human. As well, these officials carry security override devices. One official from the players side will be the lazy sort that drops the device and doesnt look for it immediately. If the player is observant and picks-up on this, the player can scoop-up the device and gain access to a variety of restricted areas in their part of the coliseum. The player needs to be careful not to be spotted while retrieving this though, as it will take smart dialogue selection to not get discharged, and either way suspicion will be raised against the player. Eventually the gala will end, the coach will tell the player that his/her match schedule will now be updated on his/her PDA as updates become available, and the player will be herded back to his/her room by the same two guards.

Freedom to Move About

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When the player gets back to his/her room, if he/she is in good standing with the mysterious figure, he/she will receive a call from the figure on the device. The figure will inform the player that final testing on the secret project is ramping-up, and the figure fears the project will be ready to deploy soon. Meanwhile, security has tightened-up massively, making it tough for the figure to get anything out. However, if the player has not aroused too much suspicion upon him/herself, the figure will arrange to have an experimental cloaking device hidden in the obstacle course at the training center for the player to retrieve and use while snooping (the figure advises that using it in combat would compromise its secrecy and would reveal the player to be getting outside help). The figure will also discuss the players sleep schedule with him/her. More specifically, the figure will highlight that the player can now determine when to sleep and when to awake. The figure states that this will allow the player to manage his/her time to search for clues and sabotage methods while others are asleep and so on. The figure does encourage the player to show-up to matches in a timely manner though to avoid drawing suspicion (note that the players coach will call the players PDA close to match times to provide reminders). With that, the figure will encourage the player to go skulking around now and will terminate the call. The player can go sneak around, taking advantage of temporary guard reassignments to access areas in the center and even opposing sides of the ring, jacking into computer terminals, finding loose storage sticks, discovering equipment relevant to the secret projects, etc... The player can alternately sleep as he/she chooses.

Match 5: Train Escort

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This scenario gives the players team an open-backed, indestructible train with two defensive platforms on top to escort from a start line to a finish line in a given time limit. The train has a lever on its open back that toggles between stop and go. The lever can be pulled by members of either team. The arena itself features a winding track that runs from start to finish that the train moves along on. The rest of the terrain is a mix of metal ramps, platforms, low wall, bridges, etc...Weapons of all types are effective at both being able to shell and defend the train as there is sufficient variance in terrain and height that players can maneuver to take advantage of any weapon.

Objectives
Get train to finish before five minutes expire OR kill all members of the opposing team (six versus six)

New Weaponry and Equipment Availability

SAWs Nanohealbots (GambUlt) Arm Stabilizers (GambUlt) Regenerative Carapace Armor (Evoltex; upgrade to Carapace Armor) Accelerated Healing (Evoltex) Arm Sinew (Evoltex) Mines

Static Emplacements
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None

Match 6: Hack Attack

The player continues normal operation after the previous arena battle, being able to investigate leads on secret weapons, talk to NPCs, sleep, purchase equipment, use the firing range, etc... until the next arena event. This arena contains high walls that form a circular maze in the outer portions, with a large inner circle with little pieces of hurdle-height cover and a central structure. The central structure has a staircase on one side and a computer terminal on the other. At the top of the structure is a dual-barreled minigun turret that players from either team can take control of to command the inner circle area. The goal is to get to the computer terminal and upload an icebreaker program. The program takes a set amount of time to complete, and can be reversed by a member of the other team inserting their teams icebreaker program. Each change in icebreaker program resets the amount of time it takes to hack the terminal.

Objectives
Hack computer terminal (icebreaker takes 40 seconds) OR kill all members of the opposing team (five versus five)

New Weaponry and Equipment Availability

Sniper Rifles Jetpack (GambUlt) Booster (GambUlt)
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Spore Cloud (Evoltex) Defensive Vines (Evoltex) Third Eye (Evoltex)

Static Emplacements
1x Double-barreled Minigun Turret

Match 7: Train Raid

The player continues normal operation leading into this match. The Train Raid is the reverse of the Train Escort- the players team attacks rather than defends.

GambUlt Variant
The train tracks weave a winding path through a dense jungle. This jungle is alive, incorporating Vine Trap Plants, Prison Plants, Spore Pods, and Whipping Trees. The detailed, hostile terrain forces both attackers and defenders to carefully watch their steps as they frantically set-up to attack the train or defend it. Objectives Stop train from arriving at finish within eight minutes OR kill all members of the opposing team (eight versus eight) New Weaponry and Equipment Availability Flamethrower Target Tracker
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Static Emplacements 12x Vine Trap Plants 6x Prison Plants 5x Spore Pods 5x Whipping Trees

Evoltex Variant
The train tracks go straight through a series of suspended platforms. However, these platforms move and reconfigure randomly, in the process altering the path of the train tracks. This creates a relatively open but dynamic battlefield on which to try and assault a well-defended train. Furthermore, 360 Turrets rest on the underside of various platforms, and when such platforms flip they will expose the 360 Turrets. Objectives Stop train from arriving at finish within eight minutes OR kill all members of the opposing team (eight versus eight) New Weaponry and Equipment Availability Flamethrower Target Tracker Static Emplacements 10x 360 Turrets

Match 8: Secure the Prototypes

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The player continues normal operation leading into this match. As implied by the s at the end of Prototypes, this match type puts two prototype pieces of equipment in the arena. Each prototype is in its affiliated teams base. Bases are simply areas of the arena that leverage environment components components from their affiliated team and which also are arranged in a fortified manner. The Evoltex base features a jungle environment with numerous types of plant traps that work with its team members to help protect its prototype. The jungle grows tighter and denser and more hostile right up to a small clearing where the prototype is housed. The GambUlt base features a more metallic environment with shifting plates and walls and platforms that consistently favor defenders, but that nonetheless move around to create a shifting combat environment. The GambUlt base also features a Double-barreled Minigun Turret and two Sentry Bots- the former can be manned by anyone, while the latter provide roving protection for the GambUlt team. As a result of the GambUlt bases shifting environment, the exact location of the GambUlt prototype changes. The goal of the match is to retrieve the opposing teams prototype and bring it back to ones base- most specifically, the part of the base where the teams prototype is kept. If both prototypes are taken but not yet returned, one of them must be retrieved or an alternate victory condition must be sought. Note that prototype weapons can be picked-up by either side and used as normal weapons- it is perfectly possible for a team to pick-up their own prototype weapon and use it to assault the enemy team and to then bring both prototype weapons back at the same time. And yes, the enemys prototype weapon can be used as a normal weapon once it has been picked-up.

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The players coach informs the player before the match that there will be an extra-special reward for being the one to retrieve the enemys prototype.

Objectives
Retrieve opposing teams prototype weapon and return it to your teams prototype starting location while your prototype weapon is also there OR kill all members of the opposing team (seven versus seven)

New Weaponry and Equipment Availability

Rocket Launchers Railgun (GambUlt Prototype) Bayonet Whip (Evoltex Prototype) Smoke Grenades (GambUlt) Flashbang Grenades (GambUlt) Glide Wings (Evoltex) Toxic Bile (Evoltex)

Static Emplacements
2x Sentry Bots (GambUlt) 1x Double-barreled Minigun Turret (GambUlt) 8x Vine Trap Plants (Evoltex) 4x Prison Plants (Evoltex) 4x Whipping Trees (Evoltex) 2x Spore Clouds (Evoltex)
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Keeping the Prototype

If the match is decided by the enemy prototype being captured, if the player was the one to capture it, the coach will gift the player with the players companys prototype. If the match is decided by wiping-out the other team and the player killed more members of the other team than any of the players allies did, the player will also be gifted the companys prototype weapon.

A Major Opportunity
If the player has kept in contact with the mysterious figure, after the match and debriefing, the player will get a call from the figure. The player will need to be careful to let the device beep until the player finds a safe spot out of earshot of guards, mercenaries, etc... If the player picks-up in a public space, suspicion will immediately rise and the player will be warned by odd looks from those in earshot- the player will have the dialogue option to ask the figure for a chance to move, which will prompt the device to beep again until the player relocates and picks-up. The mysterious figure will exchange information with the player. If the player has discovered anything about the other companys secret project and chooses to share that information, the mysterious figure will be alarmed and will ask the player to keep a closer eye on that situation as well. Once the information exchange is complete, the mysterious figure will relate to the player that the secret weapons are being prepared for another field test in the arena. The figure has knowledge of where the staging area for this is and can get the player a bug to record audio and video, but the figure cannot him/herself get into the staging area without risking everything.

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If the player is in poor standing with the mysterious figure, this information can still be obtained from storage sticks, discussions with corporate brass (they will boast of a major test coming up for a big project), and good old-fashioned scouting. The bug can be obtained from friendly security officers, black market observer patrons. From successfully placing the bug, the player can finally, concretely see what the secret project is. The player can furthermore see how the secret weapons are prepared for combat, and this audio and video will include a multitude of hints as to how the player can sabotage the production lines, the weapons themselves, etc... From this point on, the players sabotage mission towards his/her own company is a matter of deciding whether he/she even wants to commit sabotage (GambUlt is developing cyborgs and Evoltex is developing clones- the player may view these as the future of humanity and thus may not wish to harm the technological progress), and if he/she does, how he/she wants to go about that and what he/she needs to execute that sabotage. And, of course, the execution of said sabotage. Sympathetic NPCs and the mysterious figure will aid as much as they can here. Furthermore, the mysterious figure will offer to take the players aggregate information to the The Founders rebel movement who will offer aid and media support to turn public favor against the companies.

Match 9: King of the Mountain

The arena is centered around a metal mountain with winding paths, tunnel pass-throughs, ladders, etc... allowing mercenaries to make their way up to the top. The top contains a peak with a double-barreled minigun turret and a suspended platform ring, almost like a running track,

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around the peak as well, with enough room between it and the peak that players can jump to it, but that the minigun has a good downward firing arc too. Teams win by holding the minigun turret and ring platform for twenty consecutive seconds. The match challenges mercenaries to overcome obstacles and use their equipment to get to the top while fending off their foes.

Objectives
Hold peak double-barreled minigun turret and ring platform for twenty consecutive seconds OR kill all members of the opposing team (five versus five)

New Weapons and Equipment Availabiliy

Grenade Launchers

Static Emplacements
1x Double-barreled Minigun Turret

Match 10: Assault

In assault, one team is attacking, looking to destroy the other teams valuable assets. The assaulting team has a set time to accomplish this.

GambUlt Variant

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GambUlt is assaulting a biofarm. Flamethrowers will be efficient for destroying this, and the player will be encouraged to equip one- although the players allies will equip flamethrowers just in case. The environment itself is a jungle fortress, using trees, foliage, traps, and more to make life tough for the assaulting GambUlt forces. Objectives Destroy Evoltex biofarm within ten minutes OR kill all members of the opposing team (eight versus eight) New Weaponry and Equipment Availability Static Emplacements 16x Vine Trap Plants (Evoltex) 10x Prison Plants (Evoltex) 8x Whipping Trees (Evoltex) 5x Spore Pods (Evoltex)

Evoltex Variant
Evoltex is assaulting a GambUlt fortress with shifting mechanical walls. There are three power cores in the GambUlt base that the Evoltex team needs to destroy. Each power core is attached to a portion of the fortresss defenses, and destroying it will disable the attached defenses. Objectives Destroy all three GambUlt power cores within ten minutes
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OR kill all members of the opposing team (eight versus eight) New Weaponry and Equipment Availability Static Emplacements 8x 360 Turrets (GambUlt) 6x Autoturrets (GambUlt)

Match 11: Defense

Defense just puts the player on the opposite side of an assault match. This particular match features the same arenas as Match 10. GambUlt players will switch to defending the GameUlt arena while Evoltex players will switch to defending the Evoltex arenas.

GambUlt Variant
Objectives Defend GambUlt power cores for ten minutes OR kill all members of the opposing team (eight versus eight) New Weaponry and Equipment Availability Static Emplacements 8x 360 Turrets (GambUlt) 6x Autoturrets (GambUlt)

Evoltex Variant

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Objectives Defend Evoltex biofarm for ten minutes OR kill all members of the opposing team (eight versus eight) New Weaponry and Equipment Availability Static Emplacements 16x Vine Trap Plants (Evoltex) 10x Prison Plants (Evoltex) 8x Whipping Trees (Evoltex) 5x Spore Pods (Evoltex)

Big Things
Everyone the player talks to will let loose that there are rumors of something big going down very soon. Its at this point the player solidifies his/her decision on what to do about the secret projects. If the player is in good standing with the mysterious figure, the mysterious figure will contact the the player to discuss the status of the players companys secret project and the options left to the player for dealing with that. Options include a terrorist attack to destroy the projects by The Founders (one of the benefits of this route is that The Founders will find and destroy both projects even if the player knows nothing about the other companys project), the player can partially destroy the companys capability to produce the cyborgs or clones (the player could already have been doing this and the longer and the more things the player does here, the fewer cyborgs/clones will be available later), the player can completely destroy the
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facilities, the player can rely on The Founders to propagate what the companies are doing to the world to hopefully take care of the problem, or the player can abstain from interfering with the projects. The player will have plenty of down time before the next match in order to bring his/her plans to fruition before the final sequence of events.

Match 12: War

This match fuses assault and defend, effectively placing both fortresses on the same arena. The fortress designs for GambUlt and Evoltex are reminiscent of their assault and defend mission styles, but different and retailored for this new arena. An open no-mans land with minimal cover separates the two fortresses.

GambUlt Variant
Objectives Destroy Evoltex biofarm Mission lost if all three GambUlt power cores destroyed New Weaponry and Equipment Availability Static Emplacements 10x Vine Trap Plants (Evoltex) 8x Prison Plants (Evoltex) 5x Whipping Trees (Evoltex) 3x Spore Pods (Evoltex)
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6x 360 Turrets (GambUlt) 3x Autoturrets (GambUlt)

Evoltex Variant
Evoltex is assaulting a GambUlt fortress with shifting mechanical walls. There are three power cores in the GambUlt base that the Evoltex team needs to destroy. Each power core is attached to a portion of the fortresss defenses, and destroying it will disable the attached defenses. Objectives Destroy all three GambUlt power cores Mission lost if Evoltex biofarm destroyed New Weaponry and Equipment Availability Static Emplacements 10x Vine Trap Plants (Evoltex) 8x Prison Plants (Evoltex) 5x Whipping Trees (Evoltex) 3x Spore Pods (Evoltex) 6x 360 Turrets (GambUlt) 3x Autoturrets (GambUlt) Note that losing is meaningless outside of determining dialogue directed at the player as long as the player survives.

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GambUlt End
If Cyborgs Left Untouched
The player, both teams coaches, and the remaining mercenaries will be brought to the next arena immediately following the match in the previous arena. The new arena will be tailored for a straight deathmatch and will be relatively open, with some elements of GambUlt theme. At the edges of the arena will be weapon swap stations where the player will be able to swap his/her weapons for any other weapons the player has unlocked. At the start of the match, the player will be able to access one of these stations and, in addition to switching weapons, will be able to purchase new weapons and equipment. The PA announcer will state that everyone is in for an unexpected treat as GambUlt is ready to unveil the future of soldiers, weaponry, and humanity. As many cyborgs will be lowered into the arena as are remaining mercenaries of both sides. The PA announcer will continue that this deathmatch will showcase the superiority of the cyborgs as they will crush even the most hardened, experienced, and victorious of mercenaries with the best of technology at their disposal. With this, the cyborgs will attack. The player gets and needs no briefing. This is a simple case of fight or die. If the player manages to defeat the cyborgs, then the next test will begin. If the player dies, the game ends with a dramatic sequence that replays the players last few living moments (using an actual in-game replay of the action with a slow-motion camera that cuts dramatically between the players killer, long-distance shots of the player, and the players face), and then a brief ending cinematic plays that describes GambUlt to have won the contract and that its cyborgs became military-norm and helped suppress The Founders secondary uprising against
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the iUS, resulting in not only a more solidly corporate state, but also a more totalitarian state, with the iUS reaching into citizens lives increasingly through their connection to the iUS as employees. It will even be implied that becoming a cyborg is necessary to retain work in the iUS and to not fall into complete poverty. The remaining non-cyborgs will be lifted into a new arena that is again rather open and that again has equipment swap stations around the edges; this area is minimalistically Evoltexthemed. The PA announcer declares that GambUlt hasnt been the only company working on evolving humanity. Evoltex has developed the capability to produce clones and today Evoltex will prove the combat viability of these clones. The premise is the same as the battle against the cyborgs, except for every remaining mercenary, there are three clones. Its a deathmatch to the end. If the player dies, the same thing happens as would have if the player died against the cyborgs. The only difference is that the ending cinematic will feature Evoltex winning the competition and Evoltexs clones becoming the military-standard. It will be implied that clones are cheaper, more effective labor and displace natural humans in the iUS, leading to prolonged poverty and civil unrest. If the player survives and is the only remaining mercenary, the player and GambUlt will be declared winners of the competition. An ending cinematic will show the victory celebration. It will also show GambUlts weaponry being used to put down a Founders-led rebellion and will reveal the status quo to be preserved. Cyborgs and clones will be put on the backburner as the players performance convinces GambUlt and Evoltex that the technologies are at a minimum immature in relation to experienced, talented humans.

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If the player survives and is not the only remaining mercenary, the player and mercenaries will be taken to one final level of the arena and the remaining GambUlt mercenaries will face-off against the remaining Evoltex mercenaries. If the player survives this, GambUlt will have won and the same basic ending cinematic will play as would have if the player were the only remaining mercenary in the previous arena. If not, an alternate cinematic will play where Evoltex is the victor. The theme will be the same and the content similar, but it will be Evoltex rather than GambUlt at the forefront and the player will be nowhere to be seen in the celebration. If the player contacted The Founders through the mysterious figure and provided them with materials to get the word out about either GambUlts or Evoltexs project (or both), then if the cyborgs and clones are defeated by mercenaries, the ending cinematic will override the default and after the victory celebration will depict a successful revolution staged by The Founders, as the mercenaries inspire confidence in the populace that they can stand-up to the mercenaries. If the player dies against either the cyborgs or clones, the respective ending cinematic will include an extra segment showcasing The Founders media campaign, but will show it to be useless as the cyborgs or clones victory in the competition crushes the populaces spirits. If the player contacted The Founders through the mysterious figure and encouraged a terrorist attack, the ending will dramatically alter if the player survives. If the player does not survive, the ending cinematic will replace the victory celebration with a surprise terrorist attack on the coliseum that fails. If the player survives, when GambUlt achieves victory The Founders will launch their attack. The player will have three options in this scenario:

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1. Attack GambUlt, Evoltex, and coliseum guards in order to help The Founders 2. Attack The Founders members in order to help GambUlt and the iUS 3. Forget about the conflict and just try to escape the coliseum With the exception of route three, going for these routes will inherently cause them to succeed. The only question is whether the player ends up a martyr or a hero. If the player goes for the first route and dies, the ending cinematic will show The Founders staging a victorious revolution with the player hailed as a martyr for the cause. If the player survives, the leader of The Founders attack and the mysterious figure will meet with the player and the player can talk to both and get more backstory and ending story about what will happen as a result of the game, and then the ending cinematic will show a successful revolution by The Founders. Depending on the players conversation with the mysterious figure and The Founders representative, the player will simply be looked upon as a hero that catalyzed the revolution or as a hero that catalyzed the revolution and that actively supported it by leading The Founders in subsequent battles. If the player turns against The Founders and dies, the player will be shown in the ending cinematic as a model employee that all members of the iUS populace should aspire to be. The cinematic will also include The Founders revolution being crushed. If the player survives, GambUlt representatives will meet with the player after the battle and will offer him/her the chance to help them refine their cyborgs by participating in the research and perhaps even becoming a cyborg him/herself. If the player accepts this, an accompanying ending cinematic will play. If not, the player will be sent on his/her way with his/her money and the ending cinematic will show the player fending off multiple assassination attempts before showing The Founders revolution being crushed.

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If the player attempts to escape the facility and fails, one of the two death endings will play depending on whether more Founders rebels or GambUlt/Evoltex/iUS members die, with the tiebreaker going to a victory for the iUS. If the players escape attempt succeeds, the same metrics are used to see which side wins, but the player will get a short sequence of the players character making it out of the city in which the coliseum rests along with the rest of the ending cinematic. Finally, in any scenarios where the iUS is victorious over The Founders, if the player ever reported the mysterious figure, the iUS will track down the mysterious figure and a news report in the ending cinematic will announce the mysterious figures death by execution as punishment for treason.

If Cyborgs Partially Sabotaged

The sequence of events is similar to that of cyborgs not being touched with the following exceptions. The difficulty of facing the cyborgs is adjusted based on what of the cyborgs was sabotaged. These adjustments can range from facing a reduced number of cyborgs to facing cyborgs with slower movement, unstable firing arms, etc... depending on the kinds and amount of sabotage the player inflicted. If the player is victorious over the cyborgs and clones, the competition will be halted and security personnel will storm into the arena and attempt to take the player and any remaining mercenaries into custody. The amount of suspicion the player has aroused will dictate how much attention the security personnel pay to the player specifically. Either way, their intent is to take everyone in for questioning as to how the cyborgs were sabotaged. The player will have the

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opportunity to press the action button to surrender or to fight back. Fighting back will turn the security personnel hostile and the player will need to escape the facility or die trying. Surrendering will result in the player being brought to an interrogation room; note that if the player sabotaged both the cyborgs and clones, both a GambUlt and Evoltex representative will be present; otherwise, only a representative from the afflicted company will be present. The player will be put to the test there to answer carefully. The player can give-up the mysterious figure, can give-up him/herself (note that this doesnt have to be and usually wont be intentional), or the player can smooth-talk his/her way out of the situation. Giving-up the mysterious figure here will produce the same modification to the ending cinematic that doing so at any other time would. If the player gives him/herself up or away, he/she will be executed. If the player had been in contact with The Founders to cooperate on a media campaign, this death will provide a martyr-style spark that will be reflected in the ending cinematic as The Founders staging a successful revolution as the players execution will spark the necessary outrage. If the player isnt in contact with The Founders for a media campaign, the players execution is silent and the iUS goes with the manufacturer less impacted by sabotage (tiebreaker goes to the players company) to successfully crush The Founders. If the player manages to slither out of punishment, then the iUS will be left in disarray as it doesnt commit to either weapons manufacturer because of the interruption to the competition and its shaky confidence in weapons manufacturers that cannot catch saboteurs. This creates an opening that The Founders exploit for a successful revolution. The player successfully escaping the facility produces the same result as wiggling out of punishment if the player had surrendered. And the player dying trying to exit the facility goes the same as the player getting caught in interrogation and sentenced to execution.

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If The Founders are set-up for a terrorist attack, they will execute it when the security guards attempt to take the mercenaries into custody. The attack will continue from that point as it otherwise would. The only difference is that the winning company is determined by which one was less impacted by sabotage (tiebreaker goes to the players company).

If Cyborgs Completely Sabotaged

If the player completely sabotages the cyborgs so that they cannot deploy, the mercenaries are still taken to that arena, but the PA announcer declares that technical difficulties will prevent the planned match from going forth. If the clones are also completely sabotaged, then security personnel will flood in now. Otherwise, the mercenaries will proceed as they would under partial sabotage.

Evoltex End
Follows the same patterns as GambUlt end. The only difference is that clones are deployed before cyborgs. Otherwise, all other parameters hold.

Storytelling Goal for Player Ending Decisions

Corporate Ascents story puts the player directly into the world of brutal bloodsport. From the outset, the player is facing the continual threat of death and is encouraged to impose it on others as well. The opening cinematic, backstory details revealed via PDA and conversation, tram ride (view of city outside windows), and opulence of civilian areas of the coliseum hammer home at the corruption and double standard employed by the iUS as it richly rewards and caters

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to the richest of the rich while leaving much of its populace poor despite wrapping an evertightening iron grip around them. Meanwhile, the iUS allows and encourages corporations to run unchecked. GambUlt and Evoltex personify this by pushing weapons technology to its limit and by altering what it means to be human through their cyborgs and clones and employing this altered human meaning for killing first and foremost. The player is put in a position where he/she can evaluate whats going on and try to make a difference. The player can decide whether or not he/she supports the iUS, whether or not he/she agrees with Evoltex or GambUlt, or even whether or not the player feels he/she SHOULD attempt to make any difference at all. Perhaps the greatest key to the entire story is that the player can ignore the story almost completely and just play the competition like a tournament. Only when the players company turns on him/her by deploying the ultimate weapon is such a player called upon to take a real interest, but even then the player can opt for a survivalist demeanor, like a traditional, hardened, badass mercenary that doesnt trust anyone and fends for him/herself and is only in the game for him/herself. Besides the obvious benefits of making this demeanor viable for players it suits, its availability increases the significance of other routes as the player is not forced into a hero role, so actually opting into one means something tangible.

Characters
Corporate Ascent is a game world laden with characters, both important and trivial. Since players are given the option to ignore everything outside of the main storyline if they would

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prefer to do so, many of the characters may never interact with the player. Below is a list of all the key characters integral to the main storyline and side missions: Playable Character: Referred to only by his/her last name by NPCs. Last name is Armstrong. Player can choose whether the character is male or female at start of game. Player will control the characters personality, story, and decisions throughout the game based on actions performed and interactions with NPCs. Main Story NPCs: Players Team Leader. Will be either Victor Greene (for Evoltex team) or Thad Manning (for GambUlt team). The team leader will give the player information about upcoming matches, train the player, and discuss other matters if prompted. Side Mission NPCs: The Mysterious Figure. A person who prefers to keep his/her identity secret from the player, communicating only through discrete, remote means. The player can discover that the mysterious figure works as an R&D higher up in the players company. Will tell the player about the secret project that his respective company is working on and will attempt to convince the player to betray his company and sabotage the project. Players Mercenary Teammates.

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There will be some mercenary teammates that the player can interact with throughout the game. The first one the player is introduced to is either Tom Reynolds or Ashley Treks during the tram scene at the beginning of the game. The other mercenaries opinion of the player will vary based on conversations that are had with them and the players performance in the main matches. These mercenaries will actually play in the matches and if they die in a match then they disappear from the game world afterwards and can no longer be talked to outside of battle. The mercenaries can give the player important information towards the saboteur side missions throughout the game.

Environment
Corporate Ascent takes place in a futuristic, dystopian environment. Most of what the player will see is man made and comprised of metals and plastics. The main color scheme will be made up of whites, blues, and other sterile colors. The lighting in the game will begin bright and clear but will get progressively darker as the tournament progresses, the stakes get higher, and the building the tournament is being hosted in takes damage. There will always appear to be something hidden going on and this will be achieved through the use of many locked doors, security personnel, hints dropped from characters, and other devices. Although the start of the game will take place in the main characters futuristic apartment and in a tram, most of the game will take place in the building where the tournament is held. This building is a colossal, multi-level coliseum named Heaven. Once the players character enters heaven, he doesnt leave until the game ends.

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Heaven is comprised of arenas, stacked one on top of another, that are surrounded by an outer, multi-purpose area. Each arena layout is different and will be one of the main combat levels for the game as the player works his way to the top level. The outer are split into thirds. The two furthermost areas are the two teams bases. This is where the teams will sleep, eat, and prep for battle. The area in-between these two areas is a sort of safe zone for both sides where the teams and non-participants can mingle. It will be comprised of lounges, dining areas, etc. There will be many hidden areas throughout heaven for the player to explore during saboteur side missions.

Narrative Technique
Aside from the intro. cutscene of the game, most of the narrative will be told through gameplay and voluntary interaction with NPCs and the environment. The emphasis is on letting the player have a large amount of control over the story of Corporate Ascent and how much of it he is exposed to. The players PDA will be an important narrative tool, storing much of the data that the player encounters throughout the game so that the player can peruse it at his leisure. Interacting with computers, monuments, NPCs, and other objects will reveal the past of the game world and more of the current situation to the player.

Visual Storytelling Method

The sterile, futuristic display of the environment will be used to convey the idea that mankind has progressed a great deal from our modern times to the point it is at in Corporate Ascent. The game world (in the iUSA at least) is a dystopia that attempts to cloak itself as a utopia. This can be seen when the player discovers files about atrocities committed by the iUSA,
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Evoltex, and GamBult on computers in the game, among many other subtle clues. Also, as the tournament progresses farther and farther, more of the horrifying details of the world the game takes place in will be revealed to the player including the ultimate weapons that the player may have to face at the end of the game. This is reflected through a darkening of the lighting in the game and the destruction the tournament wreaks on the coliseum.

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VI. Prototyping and Playtesting

Prototype Map
The goal of our prototype was to simulate a specific mission type that a player might encounter in the game. We used the concept of a Death Race mission because it offers the opportunity for clear choices that the player can make as to how to complete the mission. The map was designed specifically to create these types of situations. Due to the limitations of Game Maker, the level was designed to be as simple as possible while still communicating the necessary gameplay and thematic elements. Each feature of the map is meant to offer the player a choice of how to proceed. The split walls in the beginning allow the player to immediately confront the opponents or proceed as quickly as possible towards the finish. The open area in the middle of the map is another potential point of confrontation. Scott Polhemus, the artist for the 2D level design, also included two bridges on either side that act as a shortcut, but could be potentially hazardous. We needed a goal point that would trigger a victory scenario, so an armed turret was placed at the end of the level which players can use to eliminate the enemy.

Playtesting Feedback
Sean Lambdin and Alexander Murphy then worked to create the 2D level in Gamemaker. As a team, we all met at the library to play the level, to look for potential bugs, and to determine what would need to be changed for the next version of the game. We also invited several of our friends to play the game through the social media network, Facebook. We created a survey for everyone to fill out. We asked them the following questions:
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Was the prototype fun? Was the prototype challenging for you? Do you feel that your play style affected the outcome of the level? Does this make you want to play the full, first-person version of this gameplay? Do you have any comments or suggestions for improvements? Did you notice any glitches in the prototype? From our prototype testing as a group, we noticed several bugs in the level design. Players were allowed to travel a few pixels into inaccessible areas, making it hard for the players to understand which areas were accessible to them and which ones were not. For example, Scott discovered that there was a part of the bridge that could not be traversed, even though it was supposed to be an accessible area, while Rob found that players could run into walls and areas that were supposed to be air. We also found that players were able to shoot at their enemies through one of the walls. As a group, we also decided that the prototype was too simple. Enemies were not strong enough or fast enough to create a challenge for the player. From this, Alexander suggested that they require a 2 shot minimum to be destroyed and Sean suggested that they also be given more speed. In total, 12 people tested our prototype and provided us feedback. Of those who played, 10 were male and 2 were female. Their ages ranged from 20-22, which falls within our main target age range of 13 and up. From their surveys, we found that they all seemed to have the same comments about the game. While most of them found the gameplay to be fun, they all felt limited by the environment and annoyed that the enemies did not provide more of a challenge. Also, in the first prototype, the player could only fire to their left side. This upset several players, and many of them said that they had a hard time imagining the level in a FPS perspective. Many

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of them also wanted more diagonal, organic movement, instead of movement that only allowed them to move forward, backward, left and right. From our playtesting and the feedback from our playtesters, we were able to create an updated version of the prototype. In this version, we decided to focus more on the actual gameplay mechanics. For example, players were allowed to choose which team they wanted to be a member of (similar to what they would do at the beginning of the game). The player was then allowed to choose an upgrade item that would help them in the Death Race. The type of upgrades that the players could choose from were determined by their choice of which team they would like to be on. We also focused on improving the graphics and smoothing out the bugs within the level so that the player would understand their parameters better. Finally, we added diagonal movement and more controlled shooting. From our feedback from the second prototype, we feel that we made a great amount of improvement. Our players felt that the game had improved significantly and that the gameplay was much more challenging, and therefore, more fun. They also greatly appreciated and enjoyed the chance to choose their team and the upgrade they would like to use. We are still working to collect more data from our playtesters on Prototype 2.

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VII. Business Considerations

Competition Analysis
The Mass Effect Trilogy
The Mass Effect trilogy of games were developed by the Canadian game production company Bioware. All three installments of the trilogy have received critical acclaim. After the release of Mass Effect, EA Games bought Bioware and then Mass Effect 2 and 3 were produced as a partnership between EA and Bioware. The Mass Effect series are sci-fi, action, role-play video games. The games have been released for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Windows PC. Critics praised the immersive universe of the games, the players impact on the game world, and the sheer scope and immersiveness of the canon universe. The player plays as Commander Shepard. The game emphasizes strongly on detailed player creation and the player can choose what sex Shephard will be, as well as many of the aesthetic features of the character. Dialogue interaction in the game with NPCs is largely controlled by the player, allowing the player to choose what Shephard says from a series of choices for each interaction. The player has a 3rd person perspective in game. Corporate Ascent and the Mass Effect series both place a heavy emphasis on the players impact on the game world. Mass Effect employs branching dialogue interactions, control over the outcome of the game, and an RPG-style upgrade system, which are also elements of Corporate Ascent. Because of these similarities and the success of the Mass Effect series, Mass Effect will be our number one competitor in the market. However, Corporate Ascent will have a first person perspective gameplay setup, a very different, yet immersive story, an interesting saboteur side mission lineup, and a wider array of special upgrades for players (beyond
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weapons). There will also be a large gap in time between the release of the final Mass Effect game (which has already happened) and the release of Corporate Ascent. These differences will distinguish Corporate Ascent from Mass Effect,while enhancing the games likelihood of being a blockbuster. The ending of Mass Effect 3 upset a large group of gamers because it did not integrate the decisions of the past three games into the way it played out to the extent that players felt it should. Despite the overwhelmingly positive reviews the final installment in the franchise received, the ending still heavily blemished the trilogy's fantastic history of interactive, player controlled outcomes. The ending was considered to be such an error in fact, that Bioware is currently undergoing a remake of the ending more suited to what gamers had wanted. This sort of mistake is something that we at Team Harbinger will be careful to not mimic in our own game. Since Corporate Ascent will have an outcome that is largely dictated by the decisions the player chose to make or not make throughout the game, we will ensure that the ending is everything the player wants: dynamic, immersive, and very dependent on the players previous in-game decisions.

The Bioshock Series

Bioshock is a survival horror first-person-shooter video game that was developed by 2K Boston. 2K Marin later produced the sequel, Bioshock 2. Both games are available on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Windows PC, and have been critically acclaimed successes. 2K Marin is currently producing a new game in the Bioshock series called Bioshock Infinite. The new installment in the series is slated to be released at some point in 2012.

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Bioshock and Bioshock 2 both take place in the underwater city Rapture, which has an incredibly rich history. Gamers and critics alike have praised the game for its complex, immersive story, unique art style, and first-person-shooter gameplay. The upcoming Bioshock Infinite will be a more current competitive force than the first two installments in the Bioshock series and the Mass Effect games, since it will be a more recent game when Corporate Ascent is released. Both Bioshock Infinite and Corporate Ascent will rely on an immersive story, fast-paced, FPS gameplay, and an RPG style upgrade system. Fortunately, Corporate Ascents story is interesting and very different from Bioshock Infinites storyline. The branching dialogue conversations with NPCs and sabotage side missions also help create a distinct divide between the games and may give Corporate Ascent a competitive edge. Corporate Ascents core gameplay of nimble FPS arena combat is also quite distinct from Bioshocks more lumbering FPS mechanics.

Unreal Tournament 3
Unreal Tournament 3 sports similar core, second-to-second gameplay to Corporate Ascent when considering the arena FPS component. The level structure of both is roughly linear and follows a tight, integrated, arena setting for each mission while breaking into story considerations between missions. Key differences though include a lack of respawners in Corporate Ascent and vastly increased story content and story significance (although players of Corporate Ascent can ignore story and focus on the arena FPS components to get an experience closer to that of Unreal Tournament 3. Unreal Tournament 3 demonstrated Unreal Engine 3s capability to successfully provide good-looking graphics at crisp framerates for a twitch FPS game. Unreal Tournament 3 was less successful in its singleplayer mode, but Corporate Ascent seeks to avoid this by tailoring its level
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designs exclusively for singleplayer and likewise tweaking the AI and objectives to be more enjoyable and suitable for it as well.

Feasibility Analysis
Our Company
Our development team name is Team Harbinger. We are a new company looking to break into the video game industry. Since we are only in the planning and early prototyping stages of Corporate Ascent, our team currently consists of five people: Alexander Murphy is group leader for Team Harbinger. He came up with the concept for Corporate Ascent and wrote the history, characters, environment, and narrative technique mini-sections for the Storytelling section as well as the Business Considerations section for the document. He worked on the first and second versions of the game level prototype as a programmer and artist. Robert Schwyzer wrote the Game Progression section and the Plot part of the Storytelling section in the game design document. He designed the multiple endings and the players interaction with the story. He is also the primary editor for the game design document, and has also contributed in a number of smaller ways, including contributing a significant amount of weaponry design and tweaking the default PC controls significantly. Sean Lambdin wrote the Artificial Intelligence section for the game design document. He also compiled the Appendices for the game design document and worked on the initial level prototype as the head programmer and artist.

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Tyler Cecchini was in charge of both the Prototyping and Playtesting section and the Game Elements section of the game design document. She is also our main concept artist. Scott Polhemus was tasked with the Game Overview and Technology and Game Mechanics sections for the game design document. He also worked as an artist for the level prototypes. Our strategy thus far has been to refine and polish the game mechanics, storyline, and the rest of the elements that will make up Corporate Ascent. We are undergoing this process in order to maximize the games appeal to a wide audience of gamers while still being feasible to produce with a realistic Triple-A title budget. As has been previously mentioned, we have created two versions of a basic level prototype that was tested by players via the internet. We have gleaned a good deal of information from the prototype, which has been used to refine and focus the game design.

Our Product
Corporate Ascent is the current project that we are working on. Corporate Ascent is a fast paced, first person shooter with RPG elements where the players decisions affect the progression and outcome of the game. The game will put the player in the shoes of a mercenary who chooses to join one of two teams in a futuristic tournament to determine the new weapons contractor for the Incorporated United States. The players decisions and interactions with NPCs will have a significant impact on the progression and outcome of the game. It will be designed utilizing Unreal Engine 3 and Autodesk Maya. The game will be available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Windows PC. The target audience will be hardcore gamers, ages 13 and up.

Industry
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Team Harbinger is in the multi-console, hardcore game industry. We produce challenging, immersive games on a large scale for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Windows PC. Trends in this industry rapidly change and it takes a solid, current game to make a name for yourself among the numerous hardcore titles available for most console. Games where player decisions have a significant impact on the course of the game are popular right now (and expectedly always will be), and we decided to capitalize on that with Corporate Ascent. Firstperson-shooters are also a norm in the industry and comprise most of the best sellers from this category of game. We took this into consideration as well when making our game a FPS. The hardcore game industry has been steadily expanding for years and Team Harbinger intends to be a part of it.

Market Strategy
Our target audience will be hardcore gamers, ages thirteen and up. Since it is intended to be a Triple-A game, Corporate Ascent must appear to be a Triple-A title to the gaming community. Corporate Ascent will be heavily advertised in magazines such as Game Informer, advertisements on popular internet sites, and a number of other, large to small-scale advertisement methods. A major market strategy will be to create a website called ChooseASide.com that will initially start out as a small teaser video repping the game and will slowly expand to reveal details about the game world of Corporate Ascent and gameplay as the release date of the game gets closer. We will also attempt to get featured on one of G4 TVs upcoming game review shows. These methods will get the word out about the game without the need for a television commercial, which would heavily cut into the budget that could be used for producing the actual game. The main selling points of the game that we intend to make clear when we market it:
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The players ability to heavily influence the progression and outcome of the game and ownership of that outcome through side missions, NPC interaction, and game performance. The fast-paced, diverse, and entertaining FPS arena combat of the main missions. The players initial decision between the two teams and the unique skill sets and weapons that go along with either decision. The RPG style upgrade system. Since we are targeting most of the major current-gen consoles, we will be maximizing our potential total sales. On a subtle level, we also intend to convey through the advertisements the idea that Corporate Ascent also has the added appeal of being a game that non-hardcore gamers could enjoy playing. The fast-paced arena battles that will take place in the main combat levels will be entertaining without the player being required to commit time to following the (full) story of the game, engaging in side missions, or talking to the many NPCs that populate the world. This should further expand the total audience of players who will buy the game. We intend to the sell the game at the current-gen console Triple-A title standard rate of sixty dollars for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Windows PC. We may release different premium versions of the game that cost more than the standard price and come with additional side content such as memorabilia and additional storyline information. That will be decided when the project is further into development, however.

Operations
Operations critical to the success of our business in order are: Confirm that target game consoles will allow allow us to run our game on their consoles and sign corresponding contracts.
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Establish a game budget. Settle on an in-depth schedule. Regularly check to ensure we will stay in budget. Get access to enough efficient computers to equip the necessary staff. Get access to Unreal Engine 3 and Autodesk Maya for all necessary computers. Assemble a team of capable programmers, artists, and producers that can use and have experience using Unreal Engine 3 and Autodesk Maya. Buy other necessary materials. Find a work-space for the team to work in. Establish good team communication and coordination: Name a system of managers for the producers, programmers, and artists that will keep the groups on track. Hold regular team meetings to show off the progress theyve made and so they can be told what needs to be fixed, improved, or done in the future. Begin game marketing through previously mentioned strategies. Playtest throughout game production: Playtest with target audience of hardcore gamers 13 and up most frequently. Playtest with other groups of people. Update the game regularly based on information gathered from playtests. Find an appropriate distributor for distributing our game.

Development
We will first need to confirm that the consoles we wish to launch our games on will support our game and sign contracts with them affirming it. After that, we will have to come up
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with a total budget and schedule. We will regularly check to ensure we are within our budget and on schedule. We will then need to get access to computers, Unreal Engine 3, and Autodesk Maya. We will have to hire a staff of about 30 members, made up of programmers, producers, and artists that can all use Unreal Engine 3 and Autodesk Maya. After that we will have to buy the other necessary equipment and materials for the studio and then find a place to house the studio for all of the staff. After that we will focus on creating a hierarchy of game designers and then hand out jobs for the staff to work on. Communication and efficiency will be emphasized amongst the team and regular team meetings will be held to keep everyone on track. Since the game will be underway, we will begin executing the marketing campaigns that were previously mentioned in the Market Strategy section. We will begin playtesting early on in development and will continue throughout production. We will ask the playtesters questions about the game and give them small sums of money for going through the process. The majority of playtesting will be in our target playtest group, hardcore gamers age 13 and up. We will be playtesting amongst other groups as well, and then we will take all of the information gathered from these playtest groups and improve the game with it. After that, all that will be left will be finding someone who will produce the hard copies of the games and distribute it to stores across the country.

Projected Sales
Triple-A hardcore game sales are all over the map but the big hits (Mass Effect, Halo, etc.) made in the upwards of tens of millions of dollars after considering initial budget costs to produce and distribute the games. There is no guarantee that Corporate Ascent will hit the target mark of Triple-A game sales, but with good budgeting, marketing, and game quality, Team Harbinger will ensure that our game will make a solid net profit. Potential future content updates
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can also be made and sold to owners of the game if Corporate Ascent is successful enough to merit it. We are confident that Corporate Ascent is what hardcore gamers are looking for.

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VIII. Appendices
Included along with this GDD will be a number of supplementary items to enhance the marketability of Corporate Ascendancy. Included on the supplementary cd, please find the following:

1 Word document entitled Game Lit. and Culture GDD Doc - this word document is the GDD used for the planning and proposition of Corporate Ascent. This document contains many of the images in the Appendix as well as an in depth description of the game mechanics, setting, plot and layout. 1 Powerpoint entitled Game_Lit_and_Culture_GDD_Presentation - this Powerpoint contains the details of the original and second pitch of the game, including the Game Layout, Game Mechanics, Setting, Plot, Optional Plot Points, Alternate Endings, the Arena, Weapons and Upgrades, and finally Peer Review Considerations. 1 Powerpoint entitled Corporate_Ascent_Prototype_Presentation - this Powerpoint contains the information about the first and second prototyping sessions for the Death Race event of the game. The powerpoint contains production details about the first prototype, images of people playing the first prototype, feedback for the first prototype, description of the second prototype and its improvements, and finally what we had learned during our playtesting. 1 Powerpoint entitled Corporate_Ascent_Final_PResentation - this Powerpoint contains the final presentation of the game Corporate Ascent. The information provided includes the final Game Overview, the Improvements and Changes to the game, the final edition

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of the Backstory, a final overview of the Gameplay, the significance of player choice, a level walkthrough and the end result. 1 image entitled Corporate Ascent Building - GP - this image showcases the ground level design showing how the different areas are split in the arena. The image showcases the locations of the HQ of each of the warring companies, the lounge areas and the locations of the audience seating. This image was used in this document as Image 4A. 1 image entitled Corporate Ascent Building Front View - this image showcases the same building in another view, of what the building will look like in 3d. This image was used in this document as Image 4B. 1 image entitled Corporate-Ascent-Prototype map - this image is our first rough concept map of the Death Race mission, which is also the map we used for the Death Race demo in the prototypes. 1 image entitled GP with Lights - this image shows the ground plan of one of the levels of the game, and basic concept art with the lights turned on in the level. This image was used in this document as Image 4C. 1 image entitled Isometrics with Lights - this image is an isometric view that shows the 3D quality of the level in the image above. This image was used in this document at Image 4D. 1 image entitled HUD - this image is a mockup of the gameplay during the Death Race arena match. In the image, the HUD is showcased at the top as well as an image of the level map in the bottom left corner to tell the player where they are. This image was used in this document as Image 4I.

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1 image entitled Female-Arena - this image is an image of a concept sketch of the female protagonist as she would appear inside the arena during combat missions. This image was used in this document as Image 4E. 1image entitled PC/Mac Controls - this image is listed 2E. 1 image entitled Female-Out of Arena - this is an image of a concept sketch of the female protagonist as she would appear outside of the arena, during espionage missions. This image was used in this document as Image 4F. 1 image entitled Male-Arena - this image is an image of a concept sketch of the male protagonist as he would appear inside the arena during combat missions. This image was used in this document as Image 4G. 1 image entitled Male-Out of Arena - this is an image of a concept sketch of the male protagonist as he would appear outside of the arena, during espionage missions. This image was used in this document as Image 4H. 1 image entitled Xbox_Controls - this is an image of the layout of the controls of the game laid out on an Xbox 360 controller. This image was used in this document as Image 2A. 1 application entitled Corporate-Ascent-Prototype - this application is the first prototype of Corporate Ascent. This simple game is a top down racing game using simple graphics to convey the base traits of the Death Race. 1 application entitled Corporate-Ascent-Prototype2 - this application is the second prototype of Corporate Ascent. The prototype still focuses on the Death Race, but utilizes better graphics and allows the player to choose the company they want to work for and the upgrade they want to play with.

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1 sound file entitled Fate of the Unknown - this mp3 was used originally in the advertisements for the game Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, it was used as the background music in the two demos for Corporate Ascent. 1 sound file entitled Parasite Eve OST - Arise Within You Battle Theme. 1 sound file entitled Xenoblade Chronicles Music - Mechanical Rhythm.

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