Kickstarter

If you'd like to see an indie studio produce and bring you a kick-ass zombie game, then please read on!

First, before anything else we want to let you know this is a Zombie FPS shooter. We can hear the groaning from some of you now. We totally get that, but if you'll give us a few minutes of your time, as you read through this, if you don't find yourself going... "yeah, yeah, Yeah!", then we've done a lousy job explaining this game. We chose this genre because we simply feel that all modern zombie shooters have missed the mark and not given the gaming community what they want.

Welcome to Patient Zero: Outbreak. Cinematic quality in the design of gameplay, music and landscape. It takes place in a pre-apocalyptic world on the emergence of an outbreak. Every second counts, but you have a chance to save humanity from the flesh eating demons. Gameplay supports everything from coop to going rogue and everything in between. It's your game, play it the way you want. You'll even have your choice of first or third person view. Switch views at any time.

We'll give you the freedom to explore, exploit and use of your own skills to win the game in a style and manner you see fit. Our plan is to mimic what a real life zombie apocalypse would look and feel like from the emergence to it's eventual end. However, where it ends is up to you. Playing it in the dark you'll be afraid to look over your own shoulder. Fully engaged from the moment you enter the game, you'll experience sharp graphics, detailed buildings and terrain... with your goal simply to survive and crush the mindless horde taking over the landscape. Once the onslaught of carnage has begun, will you be able to stop it? Barricading yourself is a choice, but be careful because if everyone does it, the game won't last long.  You must be aggressive, you'll have to take it to the enemy to stop the emergence of the zombie infection before it's too late. You're going to have to be.... a hero! Help us bring out the real Zombie killer in you!

We have the concept and gameplay, some concept art and sketches along with information posted on our site (link is posted below) and a large part of the zombie rules worked out. Our game begins at the development level, so full development is needed. In order to give this project a real running start we need about 6 more people, some programmers and other artists and that's where are backers come in.

If we get the funding, we will be taking some time in the beginning to get feedback about our story's concept, from our backers here on Kickstarter, to explore what they'd like to see in addition to what we have come up with. The game information on our site should give you an even better idea of the game. We'll update it with any breaking information as things progress.

An infection is gripping the city, it's rapidly spreading. The civilian population is giving way to a zombie horde as more and more civilians are infected and killed. It's quickly escalating out of control. If it goes unchallenged, everyone is doomed. As players move in to gain control they face a soulless, fearless enemy relentless in it's efforts and one that will never stop attempting  to assimilate the human race.

The Landscape:
With maps large enough to get the job done, destructible objects, buildings and more, you'll be able to launch attacks at a level never seen in Zombie shooters. Lay siege to the landscape as you use everything  at your disposal  to defeat the fearless beings roaming areas in search of more victims but, be careful you can kill civilians and lose points. Open maps of city and urban sprawl set the scene for a combat style game against zombies in various groups consisting of 2, 3 or a horde of a 100 strong. Some areas of destructibility include, walls, stairwells, other various building structure and even vehicles. Small gas tanks, propane or other fuel tanks can be shot and exploded to kill or distract zombies. Any pressurized or fuel tank appearing in the game from fire extinguishers to semi-tanker trucks can be exploded. Underground areas can collapse with too much destruction where you could be crushed. You also can be killed by flying debris, so be sure to take cover in explosive situations.

Using brute force, military soldiers, police officers and civilians, team up or go rogue to defend against the onslaught of undead.

Character Types:
Currently you can select from 3 character types, male or female. You can be military, police or a civilian. Some character customization will be allowed. Each type offers some advantages over the others, but not hugely different. Civilians are the most limited on weapons at the beginning of the game. However they can equip themselves with whatever they find if they know where to look. Your personal arsenal is not limited to anything but weight. There will be many NPC's in the game consisting mostly of the potential civilian victims. AI will allow you to ask civilians you save to join your team. Intelligent AI can help defend you in horde situations, but you are solely responsible for their protection.

Zombies:
A great deal of consideration about the game will be given to the zombies and how they move and interact with the world.

The zombies will be modeled after the Romero Rules only differing in a few areas, mostly to enhance gameplay. One will be rate of infection due to time constraints of the game. Reanimation of an infected human will be approximately 30 seconds once someone has gotten bit. Another is, severed heads will be considered a kill because the head can no longer guide the body.  They will have the instinct to avoid fire. In very dark situations, their eyes will slightly glow. This can also be seen through an IR scope. Zombies will glow a bit brighter in an IR scope if they have recently feasted on human flesh, indicating you just missed your chance to save someone. Other than this, Romero Rules will apply.

Zombies are stupidly curious. They will be programmed on 4 base instincts.
1. Their drive: hunger for human flesh.
2. Sound/hearing. This is their best sense as they can hear farther than they can see or smell you.
3. Sight is the next best sense, however zombies will generally be focused on what is closer to them rather than gazing far away. If you're over a few hundred feet from them and dart across their path, chances are they won't see you.
4. Sense of smell. If you're wounded, they can smell you if within 10 meters, so they can zero in on you or any other wounded in your party, so be sure everyone is 100%. They will also be able to follow fresh blood trails, so if you're wounded and trying to hide, they can seek you out. Best to find a medic or first aid and heal.

The zombie's gait is known as a shamble. They can not do a full out run due to their depleted physical condition and some loss of motor control, but are capable of a sort of slightly jerky jog (shambling). They will have the ability to lunge when close to an intended victim.  Depending on how intact their body is determines how fast they can move with the shamble being top speed. Recently bitten humans that turn and have minimal damage can shamble right along. Older zombies, dismembered, rotting or damaged ones will move slower according to how deteriorated they are.

One of their main advantages is they have almost limitless energy and therefore can keep up their shambling pace for very long periods of time. Thus eventually overtaking their human prey if that human can not get to a safe location before tiring. They have no power of reasoning, feel no pain (they might growl in pain when the brain is destroyed or when they are beheaded). Another advantage zombies have is that they are pretty quiet as they move. Most zombies will able to get very close to their human prey before they know it. If a zombie is dragging a limb, it will be much easier to hear them however.

They are limited in their ability and can be stopped by a closed door. They do not have the dexterity to turn a door knob nor do they possess the intelligence.  They can't climb ladders or jump objects. However they can come through open doorways, low windows, a hole blown in a wall and meander up stairwells. With enough zombie weight behind them they can force their way past some barricades and through closed doors made of wood or glass by bursting them open.

At the beginning of every game, a certain amount of zombies will be created. Their initial number will be quite small, but unchecked can grow quite large very quickly. Their movement throughout the game will be based on the dynamics of the player interaction or non-interaction. From their origin, they will move out into the city/map and systematically attack and infect anyone they can catch. Their movement will largely depend on where their victims are caught and the next victim is located. In densely populated buildings, a pattern of attack, infect, kill and reanimation will occur until everyone is turned starting with the first floor. This traps people in the remaining floors of the building. Once all the humans in the building are killed or assimilated, they will fan out and onto the streets, invading all areas. They are guided by their drive for human flesh and directed by what they hear, see and smell from there on out. It's a relentless chase of hunger. In large groups of people, they will focus on the victim closest to and in front of them. If you are not wounded or making noise, you could be closer than the victim they have in focus and remain out of view until it is safe to escape.

Zombies in their chaos can inadvertently cause fires and explosions if they spark something near flammable fluids. They can also catch on fire and spread flames that way.  They are destructible at every joint so they could be taken apart piece by piece. They can be dismembered 14 ways at major joints and the torso. Even zombies with one arm and a torso can still crawl to you. Zombies may sometimes groan, sigh, gasp, sniff or growl slightly. They are not capable of speech nor do they understand it.

Zombies do not come in endless, meaningless waves, although it may seem that way at times if a horde grows very large. When each map begins, there is a small random number of zombies created. They are fairly concentrated into one area as this is always an emerging outbreak and will be spread from an origin. With a large, but finite set of humans in the area, they will be the victims for that is their one and only resource. Once a zombie is killed it will not be regenerated and is removed from the zombie population. The object is to locate the zombie outbreak, mobilize your attacking force and stop the zombies from spreading to such a large number they overrun all military, police and civilian resistance. Again how and where the infection spreads depends on the player interaction or lack of interaction. Every player's move affects gameplay, from choosing something as simple as whether to go north versus choosing to go west.

As you can see we have given a lot of consideration to the movement and play of the Zombies which we feel is key to the success of this game. Methods mentioned here are just part of the wondrous things the game has in-store for you. Plus the game will contain discovery items and strategies you can find through trial and error.

We've worked out many more details, but hope what we have presented here gives you a good feel for the game. Are you saying  "Yeah!" yet?

Weapons:
What would a good zombie FPS be without some awesome weapons. Not only do we give you a large arsenal to choose from, you can deploy and carry any type of weapon or weapons you want. The only limit we put on you is equipment weight. Once that limit is reached, you can carry no more. However you can carry and accessorize your weapons how you see fit. Like to snipe? Carry a snipe rifle to pick them off at a distance and an assault rifle for your close combat situations until you reach your sniping destination. Carry claymores and or shape charges for your protection, destruction or escape.

Weapon types include: Assault, Submachine Guns, Light Machine Guns, Sniper Rifles, Shotguns, Machine Pistols, Pistols, Launchers, Anti-Personnel, Explosives, Prototype, Equipment/Attachments (scopes, flash suppressors, silencers, laser sights, foregrips, M320 accessory and more!

There will also be some special prototype weapons in game. One of the game options will be to enter a firing range for target practice if you'd like to get to know your weapons.

 Are you saying  "Yeah!" yet?

The Funding: It's pretty simple, but most of the funding will go to pay the salaries of the designers who will be working full time for 18 months to bring this all together.  Games of this type can be very expensive to design and build. With the level of detail and massive player options we want to provide, from designing your own weapon kits, to character customization, huge maps and highly detailed terrain rendering, we know there will be thousands of man hours involved. Other money will go for licensing fees and modeling fees. We have no illusions about how much work this will be, but our passion for gaming will drive us ever forward.

We realize that 1.2 Million dollars might seem like a lot, but when you stretch that out over an 18 month period paying the salaries of some very talented people, it almost doesn't seem like enough. Especially when you consider that most games of this magnitude cost a publisher anywhere between $10 to $15 million to build, it's truly a small amount in comparison.

Being an indie studio we will be covering all aspects of the game from programming to artwork. We are driven by our passion to design a great game and we're ready to immerse ourselves in the thick of development. With a love for gaming we want to push ourselves to the limits we know we are capable of to bring you a heart stopping, heart pounding game you'll be excited to play!

An unmentioned benefit is that you will be helping to create jobs for highly skilled workers in the area.

Who we are: We're a new indie company and eager to prove ourselves. Have we got all the talent we need? Not yet, but we have the beginning of a great team and are looking for some great developers.

We're the newly formed Emersion Interactive Studios and we're gamers just like you! My name is Henry Harner and together with my coding and management experience I will be heading up this project. My son Dane, is a highly experienced gamer who has been playing FPS games since Doom was considered new and state of the art. So he is aware of the strong points and pitfalls of many games and will be assisting in gameplay design, as well as continuously testing the game for bugs, glitches and any other problem that might appear.

We have 2 audio engineers with nearly 40 years of experience between them, plus being real musicians themselves. One of them, Tony Poukkula will be using Pro Tools to help create some of the creepy in game musical scores.

We also have 2 graphic artists on-board to give you zombie's in cinematic detail with 35 years plus experience between them. Our concept artist Calvin Chopp is responsible for the all character design and skinning.

Also we want to extend special thanks to Parker Fox for helping to point us in a great direction early on in our project. Thanks Parker!

Support from you:
Last, but not least, we sincerely thank you for taking the time to read about our project and if you have donated, no matter how small or how large, your donation is greatly appreciated. We thank you for seeing the heart and drive we have for this project. Not only do we feel 'Patient Zero: Outbreak' will be the best zombie game you've played to date, we hope to set the gaming industry standard for zombie games. The only way to make this a reality is with your help.

Thanks again!

Visit our site at http://www.emersioninteractive.com/main.php