Heist 1

Heist
Game Design Document

David Brice, Josh Delgado, Jacques St-Laurent, Ben Taylor, Solomon Twiggs

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Table of Contents
Group Member Contributions ....................................................................................................................... 5 Game Overview and Technology ................................................................................................................. 5 Razor Statement ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Focus Paragraph........................................................................................................................................ 6 Tone words ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Technical Considerations .......................................................................................................................... 6 Game Mechanics........................................................................................................................................... 7 General Features....................................................................................................................................... 7 Open World ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Closed Area ......................................................................................................................................... 11 Heist ........................................................................................................................................................ 13 Professions .............................................................................................................................................. 16 Character Base Stats ........................................................................................................................... 17 Controller functionality ........................................................................................................................... 18 Description and Mockup of UI ............................................................................................................... 20 Artificial Intelligence .................................................................................................................................. 23 Enemy AI ................................................................................................................................................ 24 Pathfinding .............................................................................................................................................. 27 Damage / Combat ................................................................................................................................... 27 Story AI................................................................................................................................................... 27 Game Specific AI Considerations ........................................................................................................... 28 Game Elements ........................................................................................................................................... 29 Art Mockups ........................................................................................................................................... 29 Characters ........................................................................................................................................... 29 Gadgets ............................................................................................................................................... 32 Environments ...................................................................................................................................... 37 Characters ............................................................................................................................................... 41 Playable Characters ............................................................................................................................. 41 Non-Playable Characters..................................................................................................................... 42 Enemies ............................................................................................................................................... 43 Weapons / Items ...................................................................................................................................... 46

Heist 3 Weapons.............................................................................................................................................. 46 Upgrades ............................................................................................................................................. 47 Gadgets ............................................................................................................................................... 48 Items .................................................................................................................................................... 49 Music and Sound FX .............................................................................................................................. 49 Music................................................................................................................................................... 49 SFX ..................................................................................................................................................... 52 Storytelling.................................................................................................................................................. 54 Characters ............................................................................................................................................... 55 The Team ............................................................................................................................................ 55 Secondary Characters.......................................................................................................................... 60 Story ........................................................................................................................................................ 64 World - Included in the game manual ................................................................................................. 64 Anatech - From their company website .............................................................................................. 65 Game Story ......................................................................................................................................... 65 Side Missions ...................................................................................................................................... 74 Environment............................................................................................................................................ 76 Cities ................................................................................................................................................... 76 Buildings ............................................................................................................................................. 77 Narrative Technique................................................................................................................................ 78 Anatech Documents ............................................................................................................................ 78 Visual Storytelling Methods ................................................................................................................... 80 Game Progression ....................................................................................................................................... 81 Game Scenario Details ............................................................................................................................ 81 Skills ................................................................................................................................................... 81 World Layout .......................................................................................................................................... 84 Outline of levels ...................................................................................................................................... 85 Main Missions..................................................................................................................................... 85 Side Missions ...................................................................................................................................... 87 Sample Level - Data Discovery ........................................................................................................... 89 Basic level design: Bank Heist (Quarter of the way through story)........................................................ 94 Business Considerations ........................................................................................................................... 107

Heist 4 Feasibility Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 107 Projected Sales ...................................................................................................................................... 107 Competition Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 108 DLC Options........................................................................................................................................... 108 Appendices................................................................................................................................................ 109 CD Content ....................................................................................................................................... 109 Original Concept ............................................................................................................................... 110

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Group Member Contributions

All Game Overview and Technology. Basic game mechanics. Basic story concept. Bank level design. David Brice Game Mechanics. Biological document text. Playtesting Josh Delgado Heist logo. Game Mechanics. Game Elements (All sub-sections not otherwise specified). Game Progression (All sub-sections not otherwise specified). Jacques St-Laurent Heist logo. Artificial Intelligence. Environments in Game Elements. Main Characters. Side Missions. Data center level map. Digital Disc. Document editor. Ben Taylor Heist logo. Character models. Anatech logo and intel graphics. Storytelling (All subsections not otherwise specified). Outline of levels in Game Progression. Document editor. Solomon Twiggs Secondary Characters. Data Center level design. Business Considerations.

Game Overview and Technology

Razor Statement
Heist is a fast-paced, open-world, third-person, action and strategy game focused on a small group of criminals climbing the ladder of thievery. Heist will give players choices to truly define their

Heist 6 own character as they progress through the story, making decisions based on their own desired path. Heist is story-driven, with the story increasing in intensity from beginning to climactic end.

Focus Paragraph
Heist is a fast paced, open-world, third-person, action and strategy game focused on a small group of criminals climbing the ladder of thievery. The story of the game begins with a very normal, albeit illegal, plot set-up, and develops towards a more radical science-fiction ending. Though the story will develop towards it throughout the game, it will be just as much of a shock to the player as the main character. The player's experience is spent alternating between three distinct play segments. 1. Open-world exploration with city NPC interaction in which the player can scout new locations to heist, acquire new equipment, and travel between story central locations 2. Heist segments featuring puzzle, stealth, and combat elements. 3. Narrative scenes with interactive dialogue and staging. The players choices regarding heist methodology plays into the game's morality system to effect relationships between team members, available subplots, and heist outcomes.

Tone words
Exciting, choice, stealthy, intense, dark, brooding, grungy, noir, classy.

Technical Considerations
Heist runs on the Unreal Engine in a full 3D environment. The character models, along with ingame objects are created in Maya. Heist is available on the PS3 and Xbox 360. The camera is controllable by the player but follows over-the-shoulder in a third person point-of-view by default. The game lighting is dependant on the characters in-game location and time of day. In the daytime, the lighting will be derived from the sun outdoors and a combination of the sun and man-made lighting indoors. At nighttime, the light will be derived from the moon and man-made lighting.

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Game Mechanics
General Features
Single player with three types of gameplay: Open World, Closed Areas, and Heist segments.

Open World
Open world segments take place in the city or area outside of particular places that are part of heist segments or closed areas. During open world segments, the player will only have control over Eli, with other characters either beside him to assist or in another location depending on the place in the story. Most of these segments take place in between heist or closed area segments. However, some story elements will take place in the open world, and at times heist segments include sections in the open world.

Health Characters with higher defense levels will have an overall greater amount of health. Each successful hit on a character or combative NPC drains some of the health from that character. The level of drainage depends on the the attack. Once a character or NPC reaches zero health, that character is knocked out for the mission. If the mission requires survival and the character reaches zero health, the mission is over. If there is no particular mission and the character reaches zero health, the character starts at the Hospital with full health, but with less money due to the hospital bill and none of the weapons the player had at the time of death. Different items can help heal or revive teammates during missions involving more than one character. Hand to hand combat

Heist 8 A character with a higher strength level will do more damage per successful hit than one with a lower strength. Strong attacks do more damage than normal attacks but the player can perform normal attacks more rapidly than strong attacks. The player can upgrade to different simple hand to hand weapons such as a knife. More difficult enemies will have these weapons. Hand to hand weapons do more damage per successful hit than just bare fists. The player can also use the Grab button to grab an enemy NPC and hold as a hostage or human shield. Depending on the characters strength level, the NPC will be incapacitated by the grab for a certain amount of time. A character with a lower strength level will not be able to hold an NPC as long as another character with a higher strength level could. The player can only grab an NPC (and vice versa) if the NPC is not attacking at the same time as the grab attempt. If the player is grabbed by an NPC, the player must press on screen command buttons in order to escape. For example, characters with higher defense levels will have to press less buttons in succession in order to escape. The player can press the Grab button again to knock out the person being grabbed.

Gunplay Whenever a gun is selected as a weapon by using the vertical D-pad buttons, gunplay mechanics are enabled. The player can see a reticle in the middle of the screen that shows where a shot will be fired by pressing the Fire button. The player can aim in general directions by using the two controller joysticks. Holding the Aim button allows the player to zoom in at a target with a closer over-the-shoulder camera view and thereby pull off more accurate shots. The controls for aiming in this mode are less sensitive, meaning that the player has to hold a particular aiming direction longer in order to achieve the same movement of sight.

Heist 9 The munitions attribute of a character determines their accuracy with guns. Those with a low level will be less accurate overall than those with a high level. Driving The player can enter or break into a car or other drivable vehicle by pressing the action button while next to the vehicle. Accelerate moves the car forward and continues to make the car goes faster as long as the button is held until the particular cars pre-determined maximum speed is reached. Brake slows the car down until it stops and then puts the car in reverse until the cars predetermined maximum reverse speed is reached. Different cars in the game have different speed, reverse speed, turning radius and maximum damage levels. Maximum damage levels correspond to the amount of damage a vehicle can experience before exploding. When a car explodes with the player in or near it (unless inside another vehicle), the player incurs damage. To initiate shooting from the car, the player can press the Shoot button. To aim, the player can use the right joystick to move the camera until the reticle is over what the player wants to shoot. Using the Emergency Brake button, the player can stop the vehicle quicker than using the Brake button. The vehicle will not go into reverse if the button is held after the vehicle reaches a stop. The player can also tap the Emergency Brake button while turning to execute a drift which allows the vehicle to go around corners faster than simply turning. Drifting, however is more difficult to control than turning normally. Cruise Control allows the player to maintain the speed of the car at the particular moment the player presses the button without needing to hold the accelerate button. NPC Interaction and Dialogue When the player walks next to an NPC that can interact with the player, the Action button command will hover over the NPC. The player can choose to press the Action button to initiate

Heist 10 the interaction with the NPC or to not press the Action button and continue without engaging the NPC. There will be some points in the game where the player is required to interact with the NPC. Depending on the situation in the story, the game will either not progress until the player interacts with the NPC or jump to a conversation with the NPC after the player reaches a certain point in the game. In the game, there will be certain sections where the player has to simply interact with an NPC, such as dropping off a package, as opposed to conversing with the NPC. After a simple interaction, the player will continue with the gameplay as normal without going into a conversation mode with the NPC. When a conversation begins, the camera changes to cinematic angles while the voice-acted and animated dialogue scene plays out. At certain points the player is prompted to either select a dialogue option or physical action. The text displayed as an option is not the dialogue; rather it presents the general idea of the speech. The characters charm attribute level gives more dialogue options to the player. These choices are important when trying to persuade NPCs to do a number of things during missions. Characters with low charm levels will only have basic or nonsensical dialogue options when trying to convince NPCs and characters with higher levels of charm will have more dialogue options that will ultimately be more persuasive. Simple cons require only a certain charm attribute level, with no dialogue options for the player.

Gadgets The success of Gadget use depends on the characters tech attribute. Those with high levels will take less time to prepare a gadget and have a better overall result. For example, if a character with a low tech level wants to use the hologram projector, it will take longer to scan the object or person, and will yield a less convincing result, raising suspicions of the NPCs the player is trying to fool.

Heist 11 The player can select a gadget using the horizontal D-pad buttons and activate the gadget using the Action button. Gadget use constitutes two stages: preparation and execution. Preparation is represented on the screen as a countdown bar after the player presses the Action button. Characters with higher tech levels will have a shorter time bar to prepare the gadget than characters with lower tech levels. The execution of the gadget also depends on the characters tech level. A player with a high tech level will have a better execution when using gadgets. Pickpocketing Pickpocketing is an extra skill the player can purchase using earned money. For the first two skill levels, whenever the player holds the Action button and bumps into a non-story related NPC while in the open-world, the player can attempt pickpocketing. At the starting skill level, a two-button command will flash on the screen. If the player correctly presses the two buttons while the command is on-screen, the player successfully pickpockets and gains money for the overall funds of the team. If the player only gets one button correct, no money is gained, and the victim doesnt notice the attempt. If the player pushes two incorrect buttons, no money is gained and the victim notices the attempt and promptly pursues the player to attack or report the player to an police officer. At the next level of skill, a one-button command will flash on the screen. If the player correctly presses the button, the player successfully pickpockets and gains money for the overall funds of the team. If the player presses an incorrect button, no money is gained and the victim doesnt notice the attempt. At the last level of skill, the player can pickpocket automatically with 100% success just by bumping into a non-story related NPC and pressing the action button.

Closed Area

Heist 12 Closed area sections of the game constitute gameplay segments that occur inside of buildings but dont have the same weight of objectives as the heist segments. In the closed area segments, the player has control over only Eli. These sections of the game have significance in both overarching gameplay such as buying items and in storyline such as planting a camera in someones house for blackmail or rearranging the furniture of a blind person that opposes the team.

Health Base The player can travel to the building where the base is and walk into the building and into the base. While inside, the player can walk around and explore the base and talk to the team members to get a better sense of their personalities and backstories. The player can also sleep at the base in order detract time between missions if the player decides not to explore the open world. The player has the option to upgrade the bases size, equipment and decor. The player can also equip the team with weapons, gadgets, and clothing at the start of each mission. The planning stage of each mission occurs in the base. During an interactive mission brief, Eli presents the plan. The different dialogue options act as a method to determine which gameplay style will occur in the heist sections. Gadgets Same as described in the Open World section Same as described in the Open World section

Interactive dialogue Same as described in the Open World section

Buying from shops The player can enter a shop by walking into it from the open world. When in the shop, the player can browse through and purchase items and powerups.

Heist 13 Shops around the open world that the player can purchase items from include gun shops, clothing stores, and garages. Robberies The player can rob local stores or houses to gain items or information to either further the story or add to total funds. Other variations of robberies allow the player to plant evidence or a bug to spy on certain NPCs integral to story development. The player can also sneak into a house or store at night to call a conference to discuss upcoming objectives with other members of the team. Stores Daytime robbery, when more NPCs are in the store, allows the player to take money and/or the object of interest by force using weapons and physical prowess or more passively by charm, stealth, or tech attributes. The latter option requires a higher level of those particular attributes than the guns blazing approach, but is less risky in terms of alerting authorities. Nighttime robbery, when no NPCs are in stores, allows the player to take the money and/or the object of interest mostly by utilizing the tech attribute to deactivate security systems and stealth to sneak into the store. Houses Daytime robbery, when most people are at work instead of home, allows the player to choose between using stealth attributes, to avoid guard dogs or children and spouses, and using munitions to secure the object of interest. Nighttime robbery, when most people are at home asleep, allows the player to choose between using stealth to avoid guard dogs and security systems or choosing to kidnap members of the family and plant cameras or bugs to blackmail any of the family members.

Heist

Heist 14 Heists function as the main gameplay device driving the story of the game. Not only does a player pull off heists in banks, but the player also has the opportunity to heist museums, cruise ships, and casinos throughout the story of the game. Heist sections occur completely within a closed space and are the only part of the game where the player has the opportunity to play as other members of the team besides Eli. Team-based strategy and execution are crucial for successful heists.

Health As described in the Open World section

Team management During the heist mission, the player can utilize all members of the team present. Most heists have different aspects which require the use of different attributes, making the management of different characters essential to the success of the heist. All characters are under the order of Eli who acts as the squad leader. At the beginning of the mission, the player as Eli gives commands to different team members including himself. At this point, the team members will go off to do their tasks and the player can then control any of the team members to complete his or her task. The different team members progress in their tasks will be represented as time bar on screen with a very short description of the task. Generally, a skilled player can perform a task faster than an AI-controlled team member. At any time during the mission, the player can select a different team member to instantly switch to and jump into the action of that team members task. The team member the player switches from will have AI take over to complete the task. During the mission as different tasks are completed or become unattainable, the player can go to the pause menu and look at the map of the building in which the heist takes place. On the map the player can see and highlight team members, enemies, and objectives. Highlighting a team

Heist 15 member and then either an enemy or objective will command that team member to achieve the objective, fight the enemies, or act in a number of different manners such as healing a teammate. If at any point any of the team members raise enough suspicion, through actions such as drawing a weapon in a crowd or firing a gun within earshot of an NPC, an alarm will go off and a time limit is placed on the team to achieve the objectives of the heist. This time limit applies only to in-game action, not when the game is paused. The time limit does not apply to the command pause screen. Hand to hand combat As described in the Open World section

Gunplay As described in the Open World section

Hacking mini-game During the playtesting, we found that one of the most integral parts of gameplay was hacking. With this emphasis on a particular gameplay element, we wanted to make it enjoyable for the player as opposed to a chore. At the early parts of the game, the player has to complete hacking minigames in order to successfully hack into different computer systems. As the game progresses and the player improves the Tech attribute, the player can buy a Hack Drive in order to automatically skip the hacking mini-game in order to successfully hack. This item allows a player who doesnt enjoy the mini-game to still complete hacking tasks. The mini-game represents the player who integrates him/herself into the computer network. Depending on which character initiates the hacking, his/her image will be in the form of a sprite in a 2-D side scrolling platformer. The goal of the mini-game is to collect 5 pieces of data and reach the end of the level. The characters will have an unlimited amount of attempts, but the difficulty of the level will vary based on a characters Tech attribute level. Characters with high tech levels will be very fast

Heist 16 and jump very high in the game, but those with low levels of the attribute will be slow and unable to jump very high. The inherent difficulty of the level (number of enemies and traps) will be the same for each characters attempt at a particular hacking scenario. Whenever a player falls in a trap or is attacked by an enemy, the player must restart the level but still has the data pieces collected during the run, making the challenge primarily reaching the end of the level. Later hacking levels include time limits after which the character will have to restart the entire hacking process without retaining the data pieces collected if failed. Gadgets As described in the Open World section

Interactive dialogue As described in the Open World section

Professions
Members of the team have professions with varying attribute levels.

Con Artist

The Con Artist is able to smooth talk through any situation. They can use their high charm ability to convince anyone of just about anything. The Con Artist can talk their way into a building, secure a vault, or provide a distraction so other members can pull off the heist.

Technician

The Technician knows their way around technology. While they are not nearly as strong or intimidating as the Brute, they use their intelligence and knowledge of the mechanical world around them to their advantage. This makes them an invaluable member on any criminal team, especially in the technologically advanced future.

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Brute

The Brute is the muscle behind the team. They take out anyone in the team's way through intimidation and force. With their high level of intensity, they lack the charisma, stealth, and technological knowledge of the other professions.

Infiltrator

The Infiltrator gets things done without detection. They excel at hiding in the shadows and taking the unbeaten path to discover sensitive information. They function like an assassin, though are less prone to violence.

Attributes

Strength: determines a characters magnitude of damage done during fistfights and success in grabbing an opponent.

Defense: determines a characters overall health points and ability to escape being grabbed by an opponent.

Charm: determines a characters persuasiveness during dialogue sequences Tech: determines a characters degree of success when using gadgets and their overall ability to perform during the hacking mini-games.

Stealth: determines a characters ability to physically sneak past guards and security systems Munitions: determines a characters accuracy when using guns

Character Base Stats

The player begins the game with Eli and Josh with low stats. The base stats of the characters the player gains later on start at a level equivalent to what the current team members stats are. Eli Egret Hale (Con Artist) Eli is a con artist who has average tech and stealth skills but has low amounts of strength, defense, and munitions skills. He specializes in Charm. Josh Wolf Hale (Brute)

Heist 18 Josh is a brute with average strength and defense but low amounts of charm, tech, and stealth skill. He specializes in munitions. Alice Koala Connors (Technician) Alice has average charm and defense but low amounts of strength, stealth, and munitions. She specializes in tech. Kostya Bear Kolpaschikov (Brute) Kostya is a brute with a very high level of strength and defense, an average skill in munitions, and a very low amount of skill in charm, tech, and stealth. Zefer Monkey Medernos (Infiltrator) Zefer has average skill in charm and tech but low skill in strength, defense, and munitions. He specializes in stealth.

Controller functionality

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Description and Mockup of UI

Heist 21 When the player reaches the main menu, the objects on screen fade in from black. The menu has a very simple design coupled with the music that plays when the player is in the hideout. When a menu item is selected, it flashes and fades out, along with the non-selected items, and the new sub-menu fades in.

The heads-up display while the player is in combat is as above. The mini-map is always present and allows the player to see where they, their team, and the enemies are when within a certain distance. The Weapons & Gadgets diamond allows the player to view what weapons or gadgets they have assigned to various slots. It appears when the player is in combat, but is see through when not being utilized while in combat. The player and team read out rectangles appear when the team is in combat and gives the player basic information about their team and detailed information about their selected character.

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The pause menu is broken up into subsections so the player can quickly view basic information. If the player selects one of the icons it expands to give the player the ability to see it in detail.

Heist 23 The shop menu gives the player a list of all the skills or items they have the ability to purchase while graying-out the ones that are not yet available. When an item is highlighted, its details are displayed in the boxes next to the list of items. The shop owner or skill trainer is fully visible and animated. Depending on the shop owner or skill trainer, he/she may make comments on the players actions or nonaction.

In the hacking mini-game, the player will play a classic 2D side scroller in which the characters tech level will determine the ability of the avatar while the technologys difficulty will determine the levels layout. The character attempting to hack is displayed in the top left corner as a head that reacts to how the player is playing the mini-game. In some hacks, there may be a time limit or a number of data bits that need collecting. Those are displayed in the upper right hand corner but are not displayed if not included in that mini-game.

Artificial Intelligence

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Enemy AI
A variety of enemies challenge the players skill and creativity as the player strives to complete missions. Clerk Clerks are In most buildings the player enters. They are the standard workers of the building. They largely leave the player alone, greeting them as they come in range to welcome them to the store, bank, or other building. If the player approaches the clerk and engages them in conversation, they will answer basic questions asked by the player. If a clerk notices a player engaging in a suspicious activity, they will do one of the following: question the players actions, demand they leave the premises, or call security (if they have security). If the player draws a weapon, the clerk will flee if without security. If the clerk has security, the clerk will summon it either vocally or by alarm, and then attempt to flee. Scientist The scientist can be found in most facilities owned by Anatech. As these facilities are restricted areas, scientists will immediately summon security upon seeing the player. The player may prevent this alert a number of ways. The player may sneak around the scientist, use charm or intimidate to convince them not to sound the alarm, threaten the scientist into keeping quiet, or incapacitate the scientist using lethal or non-lethal methods. Standard Guard If the player is in a location open to the public, the standard guard will largely ignore the player, unless they do something considered to be suspicious. Suspicious actions include: being in a location they shouldnt be (for example, a male character in a womens restroom), using strange and conspicuous gadgetry, and drawing a weapon. Guard responses to these actions will vary by severity of action for instance, for being in an improper bathroom, guards will ask the player to leave the area, whereas guards will respond to drawn weapons by drawing their own weapons and demanding the player submit to arrest.

Heist 25 Upon spotting the player entering a restricted area, the standard guard will challenge the characters right of access to that area. If the player cannot convince the guard they have the right to be there, the guard will escort them off of the premises, using non-lethal force if the need arises. Should the player engage the guard in lethal combat, the guard will use lethal force. In a combat scenario, guards will work together to neutralize the player, using cover to their advantage. If outnumbered, guards will withdraw to the safest location to defend themselves. If guards outnumber the players team, they will aggressively move to the most viable offensive positions, while using cover as best they can. High Security Guard Upon spotting the player entering a restricted area, the high security guard will demand the player leave, using non-lethal force if the need arises. Should the player engage the guard in any type of combat, the guard will use lethal force. In a combat scenario, guards will work together to neutralize the player, using cover to their advantage. If outnumbered, guards will withdraw to the safest location to defend themselves. If guards outnumber the players team, they will aggressively move to the most viable offensive positions, while using cover as best they can. Restricted Access Security Guard Upon spotting the player, a restricted access security guard will immediately attack the player. Guards will work together to neutralize the player, using cover to their advantage. If outnumbered, guards will withdraw to the safest location to defend themselves. If guards outnumber the players team, they will aggressively move to the most viable offensive positions, while using cover as best they can. Security Camera 1 This security camera swivels, searching over a wide area. These are generally placed in openaccess areas where civilians are able to enter freely. If the player is in a location open to the public, the camera will largely ignore the player unless they do something considered to be suspicious. Suspicious

Heist 26 actions include: being in a location they shouldnt be (for example, a male character in a womens restroom), using strange and conspicuous gadgetry, and drawing a weapon. If a player is spotted committing suspicious actions by the camera, the camera will cease its movement to focus on the player, as well as signaling for security to approach the player. The player can use this to his advantage. Distracting the security camera with one character allows the player to take advantage of the now unmonitored area the camera was previously watching with another character. Security Camera 2 This security camera does not swivel, remaining fixed on one location. If this camera spots a player, it immediately alerts security to the players location. Security will then confront the player. Alarm If an alarm is triggered, the player will hear the ringing noise. It is sometimes accompanied by flashing lights, and security will approach them. Silent Alarm If a silent alarm is triggered, the player will not be able to discern that an alarm has been triggered. Security will approach the player. Turret Turrets are automated mechanisms that open fire on the player. If a player is spotted by a turret, it will immediately open fire upon the player without warning. The player can disable the turret either through hacking or attacking it. Laser Detection Security System In some high security areas, the player will encounter the laser detection security system. This appears to the player as a number of laser beams blocking their path. There are two types of these: nonlethal and lethal. If a player makes contact with a beam of the non-lethal system, security is immediately alerted and sent to intercept the player. If a player makes contact with a beam of the lethal system, one of the systems turrets will target the area the player made contact with and immediately open fire. Security will also be alerted and sent to intercept the player.

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Pathfinding
NPCs (Non-playable characters) will move along natural paths for their respective role in the game. For instance, clerks will largely stay behind their respective counter whereas guards might either patrol an area or stand in a fixed position. Once engaged in combat, guards will engage in tactical battle with the player. Guards will work together to neutralize the player, using cover to their advantage. If outnumbered, guards will withdraw to the safest location to defend themselves. If guards outnumber the players team, they will aggressively move to the most viable offensive positions, while using cover as best they can.

Damage / Combat
NPCs deal a differing amount of damage and can withstand a different amount of damage. Clerks can withstand a low amount of damage from melee and ranged attacks. Standard guards can withstand more damage, high security guards can withstand more still, and restricted access security guards can withstand the most. Clerks deal a very slight amount of melee damage as they are not combat trained. Guards can deal more, high security guards more still, and restricted access security guards can deal the most. All guards deal an equal amount of ranged damage, if using the same weaponry. However, guard accuracy increases as the guard level increases. Standard guards have low accuracy, high security guards medium, and restricted access security guards high. Additionally, higher level guards may be better equipped, allowing them advantages such as greater range, accuracy, bullet damage, and rate of fire.

Story AI
In the course of the game, it will be necessary for the player to interact with many NPCs in more depth than a simple combat encounter. This will be done through dialogue options. Some NPCs will be scripted differently than others, including differences in player-perceived intelligence, susceptibility to

Heist 28 charm/intimidate, and honesty, amongst others. Thus, when a player encounters a bank manager outside of his workplace, he will interact with the player differently than a standard store clerk would.

Game Specific AI Considerations

This game will require certain artificial intelligence programming that many games will not. NPC interaction is a large part of gameplay. Because of this, NPCs must have the ability to respond convincingly and realistically to a wide range of player actions, including conversation, suspicious activities, physical threat, and physical attack. Different types of NPCs will react in different ways to these stimuli. Besides this, NPCs must also function tactically in combat situations. This includes using squad tactics, recognition of balance of numbers in battle, using cover strategically, and ability to effectively attack the player. Teammate NPCs must also be considered. Outside of combat, when not being directly controlled by the player, teammates will follow the player around. They can be ordered to go to different locations, wait in a certain location, or follow the player. When engaged in combat, teammates will naturally use cover to their advantage. They can be ordered around tactically by the player, including commands to move to a certain location, attack a specific enemy, or hold position.

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Game Elements
Art Mockups
Characters
Eli Egret Hale

Josh Wolf Hale

Heist 30 Alice Koala Connors

Kostya Bear Kolpaschikov

Heist 31 Zefer Monkey Medernos

Anatech Logo

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Gadgets
Shuriken Watch

Brass Knuckles animevice.com

Shrapnel Mine and Detonator

Heist 33 Electric Baton

Flash Grenade ebairsoft.com

Heist 34 Smoke Grenade hobbyeshop.com

EMP Grenade

Hologram Projector

Heist 35 Drill urbantaster.com

Lock-Pick devonlocks.com

Hack-Drive

Heist 36 Health Pack

Ammo Pack

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Environments
Chicago en.wikipedia.org

Hideout

Heist 38 Anatech Data Center

Rio De Janiero Slums hiren.info

Heist 39 Black Ace Casino bryaneastman.com

Jail

Heist 40 Cruise Ship elemis.com

Anatech Research

Heist 41 Pod Room

Characters
Playable Characters
Eli Egret Hale
Eli is the main protagonist and player character. He is the character the player controls in the open world and closed area segments. When in the heist segments of the game, the player will initially control Eli but will have the ability to switch between characters at will or when necessary. Elis chief skill is charm and persuasion so an intelligent player will use him to smooth talk whenever smooth talking is required.

Josh Wolf Hale

Josh is the weapons expert of the group. While the entire team carries weapons and can fight, Josh and Kostya are best suited for any combat the player may experience throughout the game. Josh is best suited for long-range combat.

Kostya Bear Kolpashchikov

Heist 42 Kostya is trained in the Russian fighting style of Systema and is a lethal force to be reckoned with. When the player is a situation that involves close quarters combat, Kostya is the best choice.

Alice Koala Conners

Alice is the tech-savvy member of the group who is the primary choice for hacking or anything technology related.

Zefer Monkey Mederros

Zefer is agile and stealthy, making him the best choice for breaking into a building, sneaking around guards, scouting, or anything stealthy. He is not much of a fighter and is not fond of weapons.

Non-Playable Characters
Joseph Hale
Joseph is Eli and Joshs father. He will interact differently with the player based on the players choices regarding him.

Annabelle Anna Hale

Anna is Eli and Joshs mother. She will interact differently with the player based on the players choices regarding her.

Agent Washburn
Agent Washburn is the agent assigned to the task of convincing Eli to provide him with the information on Anatech that the FBI needs. Whatever path he chooses, the player will have a chance to experience Agent Washburns cheesy dialogue, suave demeanor, and unique humor.

Andrew Norrington
Andrew Norrington is one of the three founders of Anatech, and is currently both President and CEO of the company.

Heist 43

William Anderson
Mr. Anderson is a bank manager. The player will encounter him during an early Heist.

Joaquim Moreno
Joaquim Moreno is the head of the Brazilian mob. The player will encounter him and/or be affected by his work while in Brazil.

Heraclio Herc Freitas

Heraclio is the slumlord presiding over the slums Zefers family lives in.

The Mederros Family

Zefers family raised him in complete poverty. They dared not venture outside of their small home, for fear of drawing attention to themselves or Zefer, whose list of crimes he was wanted for had reached a life-sentence.

Enemies
Clerk In most buildings the player enters are clerks, the standard workers of the building. These clerks will largely leave the player alone, greeting them as they come in range to welcome them to the store, bank, or other building. If the player approaches the clerk and engages them in conversation, they will answer basic questions asked by the player. If a clerk notices a player engaging in a suspicious activity, they will do one of the following: question the players actions, demand they leave the premises, or call security (if they have security). If the player draws a weapon, the clerk will flee if without security. If the clerk has security, the clerk will summon it either vocally or by alarm, and then attempt to flee. Scientist The scientist can be found in most facilities owned by Anatech. As these facilities are restricted areas, scientists will immediately summon security upon seeing the player. The player may prevent this

Heist 44 alert a number of ways. The player may sneak around the scientist, use charm or intimidate to convince them not to sound the alarm, threaten the scientist into keeping quiet, or incapacitate the scientist using lethal or non-lethal methods. Standard Guard If the player is in a location open to the public, the standard guard will largely ignore the player, unless they do something considered to be suspicious. Suspicious actions include: being in a location they shouldnt be (for example, a male character in a womens restroom), using strange and conspicuous gadgetry, and drawing a weapon. Guard responses to these actions will vary by severity of action for instance, for being in an improper bathroom, guards will ask the player to leave the area, whereas guards will respond to drawn weapons by drawing their own weapons and demanding the player submit to arrest. Upon spotting the player entering a restricted area, the standard guard will challenge the characters right of access to that area. If the player cannot convince the guard they have the right to be there, the guard will escort them off of the premises, using non-lethal force if the need arises. Should the player engage the guard in lethal combat, the guard will use lethal force. In a combat scenario, guards will work together to neutralize the player, using cover to their advantage. If outnumbered, guards will withdraw to the safest location to defend themselves. If guards outnumber the players team, they will aggressively move to the most viable offensive positions, while using cover as best they can. High Security Guard Upon spotting the player entering a restricted area, the high security guard will demand that the player leave, using non-lethal force if the need arises. Should the player engage the guard in any type of combat, the guard will use lethal force. In a combat scenario, guards will work together to neutralize the player, using cover to their advantage. If outnumbered, guards will withdraw to the safest location to defend themselves. If guards outnumber the players team, they will aggressively move to the most viable offensive positions, while using cover as best they can.

Heist 45 Restricted Access Security Guard Upon spotting the player, a restricted access security guard will immediately attack the player. Guards will work together to neutralize the player, using cover to their advantage. If outnumbered, guards will withdraw to the safest location to defend themselves. If guards outnumber the players team, they will aggressively move to the most viable offensive positions, while using cover as best they can. Security Camera 1 This security camera swivels, searching over a wide area. These are generally placed in openaccess areas where civilians are able to enter freely. If the player is in a location open to the public, the camera will largely ignore the player unless they do something considered to be suspicious. Suspicious actions include: being in a location they shouldnt be (for example, a male character in a womens restroom), using strange and conspicuous gadgetry, and drawing a weapon. If a player is spotted committing suspicious actions by the camera, the camera will cease its movement to focus on the player, as well as signaling for security to approach the player. The player can use this to his advantage. Distracting the security camera with one character allows the player to take advantage of the now unmonitored area the camera was previously watching with another character. Security Camera 2 This security camera does not swivel, remaining fixed on one location. If this camera spots a player, it immediately alerts security to the players location. Security will then confront the player. Alarm If an alarm is triggered, the player will hear the ringing noise. It is sometimes accompanied by flashing lights, and security will approach them. Silent Alarm If a silent alarm is triggered, the player will not be able to discern that an alarm has been triggered. Security will approach the player. Turret

Heist 46 Turrets are automated mechanisms that open fire on the player. If a player is spotted by a turret, it will immediately open fire upon the player without warning. The player can disable the turret either through hacking or attacking it. Laser Detection Security System In some high security areas, the player will encounter the laser detection security system. This appears to the player as a number of laser beams blocking their path. There are two types of these: nonlethal and lethal. If a player makes contact with a beam of the non-lethal system, security is immediately alerted and sent to intercept the player. If a player makes contact with a beam of the lethal system, one of the systems turrets will target the area the player made contact with and immediately open fire. Security will also be alerted and sent to intercept the player.

Weapons / Items
Weapons
P99 The P99 is the most common pistol in the game and is an average gun in every way. However, its central location on the bell curve means it is reliable. USP .45 This pistol deals less damage than the P99 but has a higher range and better accuracy, making the USP .45 the ideal medium-long range pistol. MP412 This pistol is considerably stronger than either the P99 or USP .45 but is less accurate. M4A1 This is the standard assault rifle. While its damage is average, this guns accuracy and rate of fire is a bit above average. M16A4

Heist 47 The M16A4 is better than the M4A1 in every way except that its magazine is smaller. It is also a less commonly attained than the M4A1. AK47 This gun is the most accurate assault rifle of the bunch, with an above-average magazine size, but it also the weakest and the slowest. AS50 This is the only sniper in the game. It is highly accurate when the scope is in use with a moderate rate of fire. It is a very strong weapon but is impractical in most situations. KSG12 This shotgun has an average rate of fire but is inaccurate and has a very limited range. It deals a high level of damage to compensate. USAS12 This shotgun is faster and more accurate than the KSG12, but deals less damage. X26c This taser-gun has above average accuracy, range, and rate of fire but does not mortally injure the enemy. Instead, they are temporarily incapacitated. This also doubles as a melee weapon.

Upgrades
Scope The scope slightly increases the range and accuracy of the gun. Silencer The silence slightly lowers the damage of the gun, but it makes the shots unheard by enemies. Magazine The magazine increases the amount of ammunition in the gun. Stock The stock increases the accuracy and rate of fire while also reducing recoil.

Heist 48 Extended Barrel The long barrel increases the accuracy of the gun but decreases the amount of damage. Shock-Bayonet This upgrade gives the gun the ability to be used as a melee-range taser. This upgrade is not available until later in the game.

Gadgets
Shuriken Watch This gadget inconspicuously shoots shurikens at enemies. The watch has a medium-low amount of shurikens stored inside that deal low amounts of damage. However, the shurikens have the ability to be tipped in poison, tranquilizer, etc. later on in the game. Brass Knuckles The brass knuckles increase the melee damage of the character. Shrapnel Mine This mine explodes by a trigger and sends pieces of shrapnel flying in all directions. This can hurt the player or ally characters if they are not under cover. Electric Baton This increases the melee damage done by the player while also giving each hit a chance to stun the opponent. Flash Grenade (3) Enemies cannot see for a short period. This may also blind the player and ally characters if not protected. Smoke Grenades (3) This lowers visibility for everyone but increases the players ability to be stealthy or make an easy escape. EMP Grenade (3)

Heist 49 This grenade blocks wireless communications for a set amount of time. The players communications with their team remain functional. Hologram Projector This projects a holographic image to distract or deceive NPCs. This has unlimited uses but has a long recharge time. Drill This can be used to drill through some walls, safes, and other surfaces.

Items
Lock-Picks This item makes picking one lock easier to pick. This item is stackable and consumable. Hack-Drive This item makes hacking one piece of technology easier. This item is stackable and consumable. Health Pack This item replenishes some of the players health. Ammo Pack This item replenishes some of the players ammunition.

Music and Sound FX

Music
Chapter 1
Chicago The music for the over-world of Chicago is more energetic and modern than the Hideout, but still incorporates a jazz feel. Hideout

Heist 50 The music for the gangs hideout is relaxed and ambient. Light drum cymbals with a solid groove bass and jazz flute dominate. Car Music while in the car consists of top 40s music and commercials applicable to the larger setting. For example, if the player is driving a car in Chicago, the music has jazz influences, but if the player is in Brazil, the music has reggaeton influences. Small Crimes (Stores, homes, restaurants, etc.) If the player just walks into one of the stores in Chicago, the music does not change in style, but drops in volume. When they decide to do a dastardly deed, the music rises in tempo and becomes slightly fuller. Bank Managers House The music playing in this section of the game has a feel of determination and stealth. The music incorporates staccato strings that ascend a scale with light drums. Important Bank The music is more punk inspired than the rest of the music due to the heightened tension of the first big heist. It still incorporates a jazz feel to keep a consistent feel throughout the Chicago level as a whole.

Chapter 2
Kostyas gym Because this is the first time the player meets Kostya, the music in his gym has a rough, intimidating, militaristic Russian feel to it. Anatech Data Facility The music in the Anatech Data Facility is electronic based. It is ambient as to not distract the player, but the music takes inspiration from house and trance music. Corporate Offices and Other Banks

Heist 51 Similar to the small crimes section in chapter one, the music does not change from the over world if the player just walks into an office or a bank. Once the player decides to commit a crime though, the music rises in tempo and becomes fuller.

Chapter 3
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The music in the Brazilian over-world has a South American and urban feel to it. The beat of the music is similar to reggaeton but also has modern club music influences to it. Slums The slums keeps the raggaeton feel from the larger metropolis of Rio de Jeneiro but loses the modern club influences and adopts a more somber tone. This mirrors the third world living conditions of the slums. Shipyard The shipyard music has a bit of an island, coastal feel. The music hints at the idea and feel of a paradise. The Black Ace The music in The Black Ace is influenced by reggaeton along with a classy groove that comes to be expected with Casinos. This sound is a marriage between the musical feel of the Brazilian over-world and the classy groove of the gangs hideout. Jail The music in the jail is desolate. The player should feels as if they have been taken out of the world they have become used to. If they choose to break Zefer out of jail, the music becomes more energetic and sounds similar to the music of the Bank at the end of chapter 1.

Chapter 4
Yacht

Heist 52 The music on the Yacht plays off the music of the Rio Port, but fully explores the island feel. The tone is that of an ironic vacation. FBI Contact Since the team is now back in Chicago, the music playing while the FBI initiates contact with Eli and the rest of the team has the Chicago jazz feel but is more ominous than the over-world.

Chapter 5
Anatech town The music here feels abandoned and dark. It is similar to the feel of the music at the Rio de Janeiro jail but a bit livelier with bits of electronic sounds to hint at Anatech. Anatech Building Because this is the last and most intense part of the game, the music here is dark and foreboding. The music is primarily electronic in instrumentation to mirror the high technological power of Anatech along with having heavy rock type sounds.

Other
Menu The music at the menu screen is the same as the music that plays at the gangs hideout.

SFX
Weapons
The guns sound as they would in reality and change to accommodate any upgrades the gun may have such as a silencer or extended barrel.

Gadgets
Shuriken Watch When used, the shuriken watch emits a metallic shing sound.

Heist 53 Brass Knuckles The brass knuckles cause the players melee attacks to have a heavier thud. Shrapnel Mine The mine beeps while in the players hand. Once planted it stops making noise. When detonated, it sounds like a controlled explosion followed by clinging metal. Electric Baton The baton has a constant buzz when equipped and makes a shock sound when swung. Flash Grenade (3) The flash grenade sound slike a quick, powerful burst of air. If the player is affected by the blast, they hear a high-pitched ringing instead of any other sound effects until the effects wear off. Smoke Grenades (3) The smoke grenade sound slike smoke leaking out of a container, similar to a medium-high pressure fog machine. EMP Grenade (3) The EMP grenade sounds similar to the flash grenade. Hologram Projector The hologram projector creates a whirring noise when used. If the player is near it while it is in use, they hear a low hum similar to the sound an idle television makes. Drill The drill sounds like a high power drill sounds in reality.

Items
Lock-Picks When picked up, the lock pick makes a sound similar to picking up keys. When used it sounds like metal scratching metal. Hack-Drive

Heist 54 The hack-drive makes a click noise when picked up and makes a glitchy, dial-up sound when being used. Health Pack The health pack makes a noise that sounds like it is being put into a pack when picked up and an ascending bloop sound when used. Ammo Pack The ammo pack makes a reloading sound when picked up. Menu When selecting a menu item the player will hear a basic click selection noise. Melee combat The sound effects during combat will mimic the action. Punches will sound like punches, grabs will sound like grabs, etc. Driving The sound effects while driving mimic the sounds of a real car. Enemies Alarms Alarms are loud, pulsating sirens at pitches that are in discord. Turrets Turrets have a whirring noise when turning and a machine gun sound when fired. Cameras Cameras have a whirring sound when turning.

Storytelling

Heist 55

Characters
The Team
Eli Egret Hale
Gender: Male Age: 26 From: Chicago, United States of America Education: Harvard (Graduate) Eli Egret Hale has been on troubles path since before he could talk. Being born as the little brother of Josh Wolf Hale, his older brother quickly indoctrinated him into his troublemaker ways, and the two became an unstoppable team. Their transgressions started out small: stealing cookies, sneaking out of the house, taking money from their moms purse. When Eli entered middle school, he joined his brother in his thriving business of buying and selling homework and test answers, and when Josh moved on to high school, Eli took over maintaining the business. Once Eli entered high school, he joined his brother again to rule the underworld of the school. Growing up, Eli could see the thrill Josh got out of business. Eli wasnt as enthused, but had no issue with the increasing profit margin. Once Josh graduated, Eli once again took over the business. Though he always had access to the answers to his classes, Eli chose to study his way through school rather than use them himself, managing to place in the top three students in his class. Upon graduation, Eli applied to Harvard University, and was accepted. Josh surprised Eli with an offer to cover use the money hed saved, along with future business dealings, to pay for the cost of attending the University. Along with this, Josh himself successfully applied to Harvard. Attending Harvard, the brothers cornered the market on their particular business. While Josh cheated his way through classes and focused on business, Eli focused on his studies while working the business on the side. After graduating from Harvard, Josh and Eli moved back to their home town, buying a house and

Heist 56 setting up business. Although Josh feels its time to move on to bigger and better things, Eli cant help harboring a few doubts. A part of Egret always saw these plans as his brother's ideas. Did he really want to always be a criminal? Didn't he want a family?

Josh Wolf Hale

Gender: Male Age: 28 From: Chicago, United States of America Education: Harvard (Graduate) Josh Wolf Hale, Elis older brother, happily grew up with the role of the troublemaker. Though theyll never admit it, his parents know theyd have never had another son if theyd waited any longer and seen the trouble Josh would cause. As it turns out, doing so would just give Josh the partner in crime he needed to pursue his thrill-seeking to its full potential, without regard for the rules or the law. Joshs transgressions started out small: stealing cookies, sneaking out of the house, taking money from his moms purse. By the time he reached middle school, Josh had moved on from these trivial thrills. Seeing potential in an otherwise untapped market, Josh put the top student in his classes on the payroll, buying homework and test answers from them, reselling them to other students in the class at reasonable prices. Josh then turned this money around and bought answers to every class in the school, raking in profits. High school opened up new doors - with his little brother cornering the middle school market, Josh could expand his business to a new realm with new opportunities. While many would pay for answers, many more would pay for a fake credit card or ID and test scores to be changed electronically, all of which Josh was happy to provide for a fee. But although he always kept his eye on the profit margin, it was never really about money for Josh - it was about the thrill of action, and the satisfaction of getting away with it. After high school, Josh attended a local community college for two years. Knowing his younger brothers aspirations towards higher learning, he began to save money from his business, and expanded

Heist 57 his activities to include credit card fraud and the occasional store robbery. When Eli graduated from high school, he and Josh applied to Harvard University. After being accepted, Josh surprised his brother by offering to use the money hed saved, along with future business dealings, to pay for the cost of attending the University. Attending Harvard, the brothers cornered the market on their particular business. While Eli spent a decent amount of time on his studies, Josh almost exclusively cheated his way through his classes, using the system of test and homework answers hed set up. After graduating from Harvard, Josh and Eli moved back to their home town, buying a house. Now, without school to consider, Josh feels that its time to move on to bigger and better things.

Alice Koala Conners (Tech)

Gender: Female Age: 26 From: Sydney, Australia Education: Harvard (Unfinished) Profession: White hat for Anatech Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Alice Koala Conners has always had an affinity for technology. In 3rd grade, she noticed a few glitches in the Australian governments online database - after hacking into it and fixing the mistakes in the code, the government found her and put her on an accelerated track in computer programming. At age 18, Alice decided to pursue higher education at Harvard University in America. While studying at Harvard, she met Eli and Josh Hale, and became close friends with the brothers, Eli in particular. Rumors point to a romantic relationship with Eli, but nothing definite is currently known. Though most knew nothing of Josh and Elis business, their lies and coverups did not fool Alice. Luckily for them, she chose not to expose them. Alice never graduated from Harvard, leaving her studies a year before graduation to pursue a career with Anatech. She worked there as a white hat, or computer security expert. She was well paid, not

Heist 58 only to do her job, but to keep her mouth shut about some of the companys less than ethical practices. She went along with this until she encountered an image she was never supposed to see - men, women, and children being abducted from their homes. Horrified and more than a little inquisitive, she dug through Anatechs database until she found more images that were supposed to be hidden to her, of more abductions and of a room full of abducted citizens, encased in pods filled with some softly-glowing liquid. After covering her tracks digitally, Alice went home after work and never returned, disappearing from existence. She found Eli and took refuge with him and Josh, refusing to speak of what scared her off for fear of endangering the brothers.

Kostya Bear Kolpashchikov (Brute)

Gender: Male Age: 28 From: Volograd, Russia Born in Volograd (formerly Stalingrad), Russia, Kostya was raised in the lower class of society. Growing up without much money, he quickly learned to fight for what he needed, learning Systema from an early age from his ex-Spetsnaz father. He quickly mastered the martial art, being a fit match for his father by age 18. At age 22, Kostya left home to explore the world, acquiring means of transportation any way he could. Being fluent in Russian with a basic working knowledge of English, French, and German, Kostya quickly picked up other languages during his travels. After six years of traveling, Kostya settled temporarily in Chicago, shortly before Eli and Josh return from Harvard. While Kostya was at the gym working out one day, Josh casually pickpocketed him. Kostya gave Josh the worst beating hed ever received, while managing not to permanently injure him in any way. Full of begrudging respect, Josh returned a week later to find the Russian man, apologizing and offering his friendship. From that day forward, Kostya began instructing Josh in combat. When Josh is injured (Chapter 2: A Plan to Bank On), he realizes the team needs someone to replace him for combat situations, at least temporarily. He meets with Kostya at the gym, asking him to

Heist 59 stop by the house later that day. After speaking with Josh and Eli, Kostya admits that he respects the work they are doing, but is uninterested in joining the team. As Kostya exits, he runs into Alice entering the house, and the two converse in Russian, which she tells him she learned from Nicoli Aleksikov, one of the founders of Anatech. Kostya is taken aback, as Nicoli is a cousin of his, who, despite the impoverished state of his Russian family, kept his money to himself, spending it on frivolous luxuries. Kostya admits that one of his reasons for traveling the world was to investigate his cousin and his company. Alice excitedly tells him this is exactly one of the projects the team is working on currently. Kostya immediately joins the team. During the game, the members of the team will get to know Kostya better, including seeing his hidden talent for dancing Samba. After a confusing conversation between Kostya and Zefer regarding Alice, Zefer begins to question Kostyas sexual orientation, the nature of which will be unknown to the player.

Zefer Monkey Mederros (Infiltrator)

Gender: Male Age: 22 From: Rio, Brazil Born into poverty in the urban slums of Rio, Brazil, Zefer grew up stealing food for his family to eat and stealing money to pay the familys slumlord. This family consisted of his father, mother, and younger sister. They knew Zefer was stealing for them, but never asked, and he never told them. Despite his frequent thievery, Zefer managed to avoid the law his entire life. He was wanted for countless crimes, but had never been caught, and the location of his family was completely unknown to anyone but the four of them. The other three never left the slum they lived in, and from age 12 on, Zefer only left and entered in disguise. One year prior to the start of Heist, people began to mysteriously disappear from the slums. No one well-known or of any significant importance disappeared, just the kind of people no one will take real

Heist 60 notice of - people like Zefer and his family. Zefer took notice of this, and increased the caution he exercised in his thievery and sneaking around, to avoid attention on his family. Zefer began to notice a truck departing the city nightly, a truck owned by Joaquim Moreno, the owner of The Black Ace Casino. In Chapter 3: The Brazilian Job, the team encounters Zefer in a bar in the slums. He overhears them discussing The Black Ace Casino and goods being moved through Brazil. Wary at first, he listens to their discussion until he is sure they are not involved in the kidnappings, and then he introduces himself and offers up what information he knows. The team will get to know Zefer better through the game, especially if they choose to save him. If saved, he will half-jokingly attribute it to Alice having a crush on him.

Secondary Characters
Joseph Hale
Growing up in a low-income household taught Joseph Hale how harsh life could be, but he has always believed quite firmly in his own personal motto: Good things come to those who work. In keeping with this adage, he has worked hard his entire life to ensure that each year would be better than those that preceded it. That has not always been the case, but he did successfully break into the uppermiddle class as a real-estate agent. With a beautiful wife, two strong and healthy sons, and all of lifes necessities plus a few extra luxuries, Joseph is quite proud of his accomplishments and continues working hard to maintain his standard of living. Joseph has always taken a vested interest in the lives of his children in the hopes that his influence would mold them into hard-working contributors to society who might achieve even more than he has. This remains true even to the present day, so Mr. Hale will contact the player several times throughout the game to check-in and, on occasion, suggest/arrange a visit. The player may choose to make Mr. Hale aware of Elis criminal activities at any point or else hide them throughout the game, though the latter option will take some effort. If kept in the dark, he may provide Eli with certain benefits (i.e. discount housing, loans, or vehicles) throughout the game depending on the players actions and

Heist 61 apparent financial status. Revealing the truth to him will cut the player off from these benefits and make Anna Hale aware of Elis criminal activities as well, but on the other hand, he may receive an extra boon (i.e. bail money or a place to hide) should things go south.

Annabelle Anna Hale

Given her great beauty and her husbands level of success, Annabelle Hale (ne Summers) could easily serve as a housewife/trophy wife and be set for life. However, she is possessed of a certain need for independence, some workaholic tendencies, and a marked desire to live as part of a two-income household. These factors combined with a passion for research and technology have made her qualified to serve as Assistant Director of Research and Development at the local branch of MacroCorp. While the company she works for is but a struggling rival to Anatech, their strict focus on military technology has given them a leg up on the corporate giant in that specific field. While Mrs. Hale loves her children, she has had trouble connecting with them as theyve grown due to the importance she places on her work combined with her exasperation at their childhood antics. Unlike her husband, Mrs. Hale will only speak with Eli if the player chooses to contact her first and will only meet with him while Joseph is present unless the player sets up a separate meeting. The player has the option of revealing Elis criminal activities to her or keeping them a secret throughout the game. If she is told early enough in the game, she will provide the player with a special experimental device to aid in the final mission in the hopes he will do the right thing against Anatech. She does nothing for the player directly if kept in the dark, but her lowered guard may enable the player to acquire discounts on certain weapons and gadgets through illicit use of Annas information.

Agent Washburn
Overstimulated by a life spent watching spy movies and reading old James Bond novels, Agent Washburn is something of a walking cliche. He can be seen wearing a black suit and tie on and off the job, unless hes undercover, and he doesnt feel the outfit is quite complete if he doesnt have his expensive sunglasses on. Washburns sharp wit coupled with his somewhat awkward sense of humor

Heist 62 have made him into a laughing stock at the office, but his unfailing professionalism and high success rate have earned him the respect of his superiors. Due to a demonstrated willingness to pursue less than noble means of getting the job done, Washburn is the agent assigned to the task of convincing Eli to provide him with the information on Anatech that the FBI needs. Having led a life of crime, Eli is more than reluctant to cooperate. But as the stakes grow higher, Eli is forced to consider whether to act in his own best interests, or in the best interests of humanity. Whatever path he chooses, the player will have a chance to experience Agent Washburns cheesy dialogue, suave demeanor, and unique humor.

Andrew Norrington
Though he is but one of three men who founded Anatech together, it is Andrew Norrington who holds the positions of President and CEO. He is a shrewd businessman, and a clever salesman, whose silver tongue is largely responsible for the successful unification of Antons genius and Nicolis resources. Though the three friends together consider Andrew to be first among equals at best, history will almost certainly remember Mr. Norrington as the man who led Anatech to greatness. This suits him just fine, as he does enjoy being in the spotlight. However, he still always remembers to give due credit to his two best friends and all who have helped them. Norrington considers himself a consummate humanitarian, but many of his beliefs are closer to a somewhat extreme form of transhumanism. Anatech is much-lauded for the many philanthropic causes it funds and supports, but the companys behind-the-scenes operations have grown increasingly shady over the years. Andrew defends his actions with his belief that those who are sacrificed to the cause of advancing humanity are not nearly as important as the act of advancing humanity, but it isnt certain if he has managed to convince even himself that these words are true.

William Anderson
Mr. Anderson is a rather dull individual on the surface, likely owing to his monotonous position as a bank manager. Though he seems to be a mild-mannered pencil pusher at first glance, those whove

Heist 63 had the displeasure of spending extended periods of time with Anderson find him decidedly unpleasant due to his superiority complex and penchant for micromanaging his employees. Both traits make it quite difficult for him to find romantic partners, but he is most certainly willing to employ less-than-legal means to ensure his needs are met.

Joaquim Moreno
Despite the authority and respect afforded to him as head of the Brazilian mob, Joaquim doesnt seem to take any real pleasure in the activities he consistently finds himself involved in. Still, he is the oldest, smartest, and overall most dangerous member of his mob-connected family, making him the only man for the job. He certainly has a head for crime, having brought the organization into its most prosperous days in decades while its victims languish beneath its criminal tyranny. However, some find it amusing that he spends most of his ill-gotten gains putting on plays and hosting art shows.

Heraclio Herc Freitas

While not as evil as his tenants would have outsiders believe, there is no denying that Heraclio Freitas, who prefers his nickname Herc, is quite a bit more harsh than necessary. Heraclio is the slumlord presiding over the slums that Zefers family lives in. True to his namesake, he is a hulking man whose size and strength can be attributed as much to some genetic disorder as to his penchant for heavy exercise. Though he keeps an entourage of gun-toting thugs in his company, whenever it comes time to collect on rent, they are just back-up. Herc punishes families who do not, cannot, or will not pay by violently beating the familys strongest male. He imagines he is establishing himself as something of an alpha-male among his residents, but in reality, hes just making himself into a big bully.

The Mederros Family

Zefers family raised him in complete poverty. His mother, Iara, and father, Davi, had been unemployed from the time of Zefers conception. His younger sister, Roya, was born ten years after Zefer. The family survived from the thievery of Zefer, who stole food and money to provide for them.

Heist 64 They dared not venture outside of their small home for fear of drawing attention to themselves or Zefer. The list of crimes the police sought him for would surely give him a life sentence.

Story
World - Included in the game manual
The year is 2025. The world isnt too different from the world of 2012 at first glance, but the little things, they change everything. The world governments fascination with tools of war and security continued to grow at a nearly exponential rate. Taxpayer dollars poured into private defense companies to develop the next great killing machine for the military, a better way to monitor potential threats for the NSA, a better way to be a threat for the CIA, and a safeguard of corporate funds for the financial sector. These desires led to the creation of the most powerful devices of the early 21st century. As it always does, the technology leaked into the public sector and was reverse engineered by amateur scientists with less than noble intentions. They sold their findings to any company who could pay. The consumer electronic manufacturers and private security systems developers were the quickest to bite. In the mid-2010s, a dramatic rise in bank robberies prompted the government to create a new digital system of monetary exchange for those with sizable funds. Multi-million dollar corporations, who met strict requirements, could trade in large amounts of US dollars into VDollars. These funds could only be transferred and handled from within secure facilities and with the use of a complex series of passphrases and identification verifiers. It also helped that the governments newly developed automated turret systems were rolled out to these major financial buildings. Innovations in secure storage, both in the physical and digital space, were quickly made crackable by those with great skill and able to piece together the right information. Nearly every device with electricity flowing through it incorporated a wireless chip. It was all done in the name of connectivity and ease, but it allowed for the seamless and invisible collection and manipulation of data. While every device had security measures, security was meant to be broken.

Heist 65

Anatech - From their company website

Game Story
The Spark
At Joshs suggestion and continued insistence, Eli and Josh decide its time to go big. But the lingering thought of a crime-free life just won't leave him alone. Its the big leagues or nothin at all, kid.

Synopsis

Heist 66 Heist follows Eli Hale as he forms an elite team of thieves and cons with the goal of climbing the major crimes ladder. As the teams skills grow, bolder and riskier targets are placed in their sights. While all appears to be normal in the world, Alice, a former security expert for the worlds largest tech company, Anatech, slowly reveals the true reason she left the company. The teams focus changes from monetary acquisition for the sake of profit, to using break ins as a cover for an investigation into Anatech in an attempt to disrupt their plans.

Story Outline
Chapter 1. A Life of Crime 1 2 3 Eil and Josh con a lawyer. The brothers decide to start carrying out larger crimes. The first bigger job is either robbing A. A convenience store or B. An Upper-Middle class home. 4 5 6 7 Alice arrives under veiled reasons. Alice agrees to work with Eli and Josh. The trio commit small heists. (Convenience stores, small retail, small restaurants) Josh lays out a plan to rob a bank. Alice picks a specific bank, Grand National Trust, because of a computer linked to an Anatech server that is located inside the vault. The server has a vulnerability she intentionally left open. 8 9 The bank contains high-end security beyond what Alice can crack in a short timeframe. Josh proposes a home invasion of the banks president for information on how to avoid the security system. 10 The team gathers photos to use as blackmail on the bank manager. 11 The team gains the information needed for the heist. Chapter 2. A Plan to Bank On

Heist 67 12 During the bank robbery, time gets tight. The team is able to A. Try to break into the more secure section of the vault to access the Anatech data, or B. Ignore the Anatech data and only take the money. 13 While leaving the bank, Josh gets injured trying to jump into the escape vehicle. He breaks a leg and an arm. He is no longer able to go on missions. 14 The team continues committing small crimes. (Small banks, Restaurants, small stores, small homes) 15 Eli and Josh meet with their parents. They probe about what happened with Joshs injury. They can either A. Reveal the truth or B. Keep lying. 16 With Josh injured, Alice and Eli go looking for a new team member. They come across Kostya in a boxing gym. 17 After talking with Kostya back at the hideout, he agrees to work with the team. 18 Alice decrypts the data she pulled from the Anatech records. The files talk about a new nutrient compound that Anatech has developed. It supplies the same amount of nourishment in a quarter of the size. 19 The team is confused by the data, but still doesnt understand why Alice left Anatech. Shes still in a quiet state, but tells the story of how she left, but not why. 20 Alice wants to break into an Anatech data center to retrieve more information. 21 The team breaks into the Anatech data facility. Its heavily fortified. They can either A. Smooth talk their way in with a cover or B. Sneak in through service entrances. 22 Alice installs a rogue piece of spy software in the data centers mainframe. 23 More Anatech intel comes in and leads the team to think Anatech is moving a large amount of goods out of Brazil. There is no logical reason for the company to be doing this. 24 Josh wants to pull a big heist on a Brazilian Casino, the Black Ace. 25 The team sees Joshs desire as a way to convince him to go along with investigating first hand what is happening in Brazil.

Heist 68 26 The team moves on to robbing larger sized banks and also breaks into corporate offices to conduct espionage to sell to other companies. The new funds are used to travel to Brazil. Chapter 3. The Brazilian Job 27 The team, with the exception of Josh who stays in the US to act as a coordinator, arrives in Brazil and travels to the port in Rio de Janeiro where the shipping logs said the Anatech goods were coming from. 28 The team breaks into the shipyard office to find transaction forms for Anatechs shipments. 29 The logs say the crates came from a slum area of Rio. 30 The team travels to the slum and finds third-world living conditions in the midst of the sprawling metropolis of Rio. 31 They talk to business owners trying to gather information about Anatech, but no one will talk about what is happening in the city. 32 At a bar in the slum, a young man introduces himself, Zefer. He tells the team that people have been disappearing. Trucks owned by Joaquim Moreno drive through the city at night. Zefer is convinced theres a link. 33 When probed who Joaquim is, Zefer reveals that the man owns the Black Ace Casino. Zefers wanted to break in and try to figure out whats happening to his people, but never could do it on his own. 34 Zefer joins the team and helps to plan out a heist to cover up the teams true motives. 35 The team breaks into the Black Ace Casino. They transfer money into their account. 36 They find a large storage area with holding areas filled with people. Semi-trucks with cargo containers are parked at the loading docks. Brutes load the captives into cages and place them into the shipping containers. 37 The team returns Zefer back to his apartment, but the apartment is empty. Zefers family has been kidnapped by Anatech. Zefer goes with the team to their hotel.

Heist 69 38 Back at the teams hotel, Alice checks the status of the funds transfer, but the accounts have been cleared. Everything is gone. 39 From the hotel, Kostya spots a cruise ship moored by the ocean, and says he has an idea for how to get back home. 40 With Anatech now aware of the teams existence, they take a precautionary stance. They try to alert Josh about Anatech, but they cant get in touch. 41 The team breaks into the shipyard again to place their names, albeit the ones on their fake documents, on the passenger manifest. 42 As they are leaving, a group of security guards spots the team. A chase ensues and Zefer lags behind. He is arrested by the guards. 43 The team finds out that Zefer is being imprisoned for life, due to the long list of crimes hes accumulated. 44 The team may A. Break into the prison where Zefer is being held to free him or B. Leave him because of the high risk. Chapter 4. Cruisin 45 The team stows away aboard the cruise ship headed to America 46 If Zefer was not rescued, he is never seen again. 47 The team spends some time strolling the ship, and can A. Rob passengers on the ship, B. Steal from the cruise line itself, or C. Sleep off the time and explore the ships amenities. 48 When the cruise ship reaches the United States, the team jumps ship, swimming to shore. They then return to Eli and Joshs house. 49 They walk in to find Josh gone, along with every computer and device of value in the house, and a man in a suit sitting on the living room couch. He addresses Eli: Weve been watching you, Mr. Hale, you and your mystery gang.

Heist 70 50 The man explains himself to be a mediator from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has been monitoring the teams activities for some time, though without meddling. They have been conducting their own investigation into Anatech and their mysterious practices and research. He then stares pointedly at Alice, stating that he feels that someone on the team might have a better idea of whats going on there. 51 Eli demands to know where Josh is. The FBI mediator explains that they followed him to Anatech headquarters shortly after the team disappeared in Brazil, and that he never left. A team from Anatech also arrived to take everything from the house. 52 The FBI is unable to properly obtain a warrant to search Anatechs facilities to uncover whats really going on. The man jots down an address, handing it to Eli as he exits the house. Chapter 5. Closing the Cylinder 53 The team arrives at the Anatech facility, by all appearances an abandoned small mid-western town. 54 Inside a grocery store storeroom, is an access shaft to the Anatech facility. 55 Alice hacks the door and the team drops into a crawl space. 56 They find a dressing room and disguise themselves as Anatech scientists. 57 After evading detection, the team finds a room filled with people in pods in a state of suspended animation. 58 They walk through aisles and aisles of pods. Zefer, if he is still with the team, sees his family. He runs up to open the pod, but Alice grabs him. She explains that they cant just be disconnected. They would die. If Zefer is not on the team, Kostya tries to disconnect a person, but Alice stops him. 59 Eli says they need to find a scientist to get these people out. As they walk out of the room, they see Josh in pod.

Heist 71 60 The team locates a scientist and A. Convinces him to let the people out, or B. Beats him until he agrees to let the people out. 61 In the control room, the scientist is about to revert the stasis effects, but Nicoli Aleksikov, cofounder of Anatech and Kostyas cousin, walks in the room. He offers to let the team go if they agree not to say anything about what theyve seen. He also offers to return their money. 62 If the team chooses to keep quiet and take the money: Softly smooth, yet happily forward looking music plays as bubbles drift up in what appears to be an aquarium with green liquid. But the bubbles do not rest on fish or castles made to look like sand. Instead, they lodge between the crevices of a toe. Elis toe. Eli rests in a pod. Eyes closed, arms crossed. Alice and Kostya are on either side of him in their own pods. Zefer lays in a pod as well, his mother and brother on both sides of him. The End. If the team refuses the offer, but flees instead of choosing to free the people: The team fights their way out of the facility using the combination of all their learned skills. If the team chooses free the people but have not gathered enough intel: The pods open up, the people rise, but quickly die. The team must fight their way out of the facility. If the team frees the people and has enough intel: The pods open and the people are drowsy. They stand, but quickly must sit again. The scientist says they will be alright, but it will take time. The team runs from the facility, all the while keeping the guards from entering the pod chamber. All three of these endings conclude with: At the exit of the facility, Alice, Kostya, Josh, and Zefer (if saved), run out of the building, but Eli stops just short of the exit. Josh yells back to hurry up. Eli says, No. You have to see this. The team walks back in. Now isnt the time... oh. A giant map shows Anatech logos dotted over the entire United States. Kostya looks up, Are those...? Eli takes a step back, Yes, yes they are. The End.

The Way it All Started

Heist 72 From Chapter 1. A Life of Crime Eli and Josh, suit clad and briefcase toting, sit in a lawyers office. Eli finishes the pitch for a new office complex to be built just south of Chicago. The lawyer excitedly presses the submit button for a $50,000 funds transfer to their account. The brothers thank the lawyer and leave the office. While walking out of the office, Eli and Josh overhear the lawyers secretary making a phone call saying that the office park looks like its a fake. Eli and Josh run for the exit of the building and are chased by a security guard. They narrowly escape into their vehicle and drive off. While riding back to their apartment, they discuss the risk/reward factors for their small con operation. They are able to get into just as much criminal trouble and physical danger doing all of these small jobs as they are bigger heists and cons, but with the big jobs they can make out significantly better. Josh doesnt get the same thrill he once did from these small jobs, and Eli cant argue with Joshs logic. Elis started to feel he could run cons on these little guys while under extreme sleep deprivation without the aid of caffeine. Moving on to bigger targets means less people get hurt too. Big banks and multimillion dollar corporations could afford to lose some money. Elis conscience could start to clear up. Josh proposes breaking into a upper-class house as their first job, but Eli has reservations about stealing from individuals. Eli wants to break into a convenience store. When Josh and Eli return from their first successful break-in, Alice, a friend neither of them have seen since college, is sleeping on their sofa. Shes exhausted and hardly talks. After a night of rest shell say more, but no words are going to come tonight.

It Always Unravels
From Chapter 5. Closing the Cylinder The team discovers the location of Anatechs research facility. They infiltrate it. Upon arrival to the main testing chamber they discover a room of hundreds of Brazilian people, of all ages and genders, immersed in glowing liquid and attached to tubes hanging from the ceiling. Josh is in the tanks too. Zefer

Heist 73 runs to a tank to detach a person, Alice enlists Kostyas aid and they stop him, explaining the technology somewhat, and that simply detaching a person would kill them. A search begins for a scientist to free the pod people. A confrontation occurs between an Anatech executive and the team. They are given the option to take hush money or face death. Anatech is conducting research in human stasis technology. Their ultimate goal is to sell the technology to the government and potentially to license the technology to private organizations for prolonged space travel and preservation of the wealthy. Anatech has used the Brazilian slums as a field of human animals fit for testing and manipulation. The fate of the team is inextricably attached to the fate of Anatechs victims. If the team chooses to keep quiet and take the money: Softly smooth, yet happily forward-looking music plays as bubbles drift up in what appears to be an aquarium with green liquid. But the bubbles do not rest on fish or castles made to look like sand. Instead, they lodge between the crevices of a toe. Elis toe. Eli rests in a pod. Eyes closed, arms crossed. Josh, Alice, and Kostya are on either side of him in their own pods. Zefer lays in a pod as well, his mother and brother on both sides of him. The End. If the team refuses the offer, but flees instead of choosing to free the people: The team fights their way out of the facility using the combination of all their learned skills. If the team chooses free the people but have not gathered enough intel: The pods open up, the people rise, but quickly die. The team must fight their way out of the facility. If the team frees the people and has enough intel: The pods open and the people are drowsy. They stand, but quickly must sit again. The scientist says they will be alright, but it will take time. The team runs from the facility, all the while keeping the guards from entering the pod chamber. All three of these endings conclude with: At the exit of the facility, Alice, Kostya, Josh, and Zefer, run out of the building, but Eli stops just short of the exit. Josh yells back to hurry up. Eli says, No. You have to see this. The team walks back

Heist 74 in. Now isnt the time... oh. A giant map shows Anatech logos dotted over the entire United States. Kostya looks up, Are those...? Eli takes a step back, Yes, yes they are. The End.

Side Missions
The following missions are listed by first available opportunity to complete. They are all available to be completed from that point until the end of the game, with the exception of those located in Brazil, which are only available while in Brazil.

Chapter 1 (Chicago) 1 Night Owl: A young vigilante has been spotted following the team around, taking notes. Make sure it doesnt continue. (Options: scare him into stopping, beat him up, or kill him) a Optional opportunity: Put him on the payroll. Pay him to watch Anatechs employees - he will return occasionally with additional information. He will be reported dead when the team returns from Brazil in Chapter 4, having been killed by Anatech. 2 Drive-Through Banking: A bank is moving its supply of hard cash from one bank to the government depository. Intercept the armored van and free the cash. After, meet up with a underground buyer to sell the cash. a Press the buyer for information regarding his other clients and their experiences with Anatech 3 For Old Times Sake: Eli overhears a group of local kids at his old high school complaining about a teacher intentionally failing his entire class. Have Alice help hack into the schools grade system and fix the problem. (Optional: alter the teachers salary) Chapter 2 (Chicago) 4 Immoral Dealing: A local drug dealer has been seen dealing drugs like cocaine and heroin to children as young as six. Teach him some morality. (Options: beat him up or kill him)

Heist 75 5 Silencer: Joshs ex-girlfriend from high school saw the brothers rob a bank and is threatening to call the cops - unless shes paid to keep her mouth shut. Silencer her - one way or another. (Options: pay bribe, scare her into silence, or kill her) 6 The Watcher: A black van has been watching the house for the past week. Follow the driver home and find out why. (Options: pay bribe, scare him into silence, or kill him) a The driver works for Anatech - press him for information.

Chatper 3 (Brazil) 7 Due Payment: A depressed man on the street wasnt paid for his most recent delivery of supplies to his buyer. His family needs the money to survive. Find the buyer and make him pay up. (Optional: beat him up or kill him) a The buyer works under Anatechs company in Brazil. Use him to download information from the company computer. 8 Protection Money: A gang of criminals force the people in Zefers slum to pay protection money. Find them and make them wish they had some protection of their own. (Options: beat them up or kill them) 9 Joaquim Moreno: Track down the man transporting people from Brazil and question him regarding his work for Anatech. (Options: pay bribe, scare him into talking, or kill him) a Has info on Anatech and access to a web server with more information

10 Funds for All!: Follow a few local businessmen who seem to be extorting cash from their clients. Liberate their funds and spread the wealth amongst the poor. (Optional: Beat them up or kill them) Chapter 4 (Chicago) 11 In the Fast Lane: A local underground racing circuit is holding a race tonight. Finish first to win some extra money. (Optional: Sabotage the other cars before the race)

Heist 76 12 Family First:While the team was in Brazil, a couple of robbers broke into the Hale familys house and stole anything of value. Lift their names from the police station and track them down. (Options: Make them return money and: beat them up or kill them) 13 Interior Design: A local upscale restaurant refused Zefer service based on his appearance. Go in at night and redecorate the place a bit. a The restaurant is owned by a division of Anatech - hack into the company database using the computer there for more Anatech information

Environment
Cities
The cities in Heist are presented as an open world to the player. The team owned vehicles may be driven around the city and certain buildings can be entered into. Street vendors and certain NPCs on the street can engage interactions with the player. The interior building types that exist in all open world environments, with the exception of the Brazilian slum, are: Convenience stores Clothing Stores Cafes Bars Restaurants Clubs Suburban Homes Large scale homes Small banks Large banks Corporations (Industrial espionage / theft of information)

Heist 77 Police station (Erase / steal evidence)

Chicago
Chicago is presented in a close to faithful representation of the city. The major landmarks are displayed in a faithful reproduction.

Rio De Janeiro
The city of Rio is a small open world to the player. It is divided into two major open-world sections that are connected by a roadway only accessible in a vehicle. The immediate area surrounding the Black Ace Casino is accessible in an open-world fashion. The second open-world area of Rio is the slums where Zefer lives.

Buildings
Apartment
Josh and Elis apartment has touches of modern style, but largely is an unkempt hodge-podge of furniture and fixing bought for their intrinsic qualities and not their ability to mesh as a whole.

Hideout
The hideout is on the tenth floor of a former office space. Red brick walls and concrete columns close in the area. A five foot tall window stretches the length of the exterior wall. Glass tabletops sprinkle the floor plan. Guns, gadgets, and computers are seemingly thrown onto whatever space was closest at the time of discard. All except for Alices workstation which is meticulously ordered.

Anatech data center

The data center is a pristine, sterile white environment. A majority of the facility is under clean room access, despite the unnecessary nature of this step. Security cameras and defense turrets abound. Guards patrol the corridors.

Black Ace Casino

Heist 78 The Black Ace Casino has the glitz and glamour of a high-class Las Vegas Casino. If theres a surface, it likely has a light on it. Black and red are the two predominant colors.

Cruise ship
Much like The Black Ace Casino, the cruise ship is full of glitz and glamour, wowing American tourists. This ship has everything, from pools to cafeterias to an onboard casino.

Anatech Research facility

The Anatech research facility is a sprawling complex of subterranean corridors. Portions of the complex are carved from rocks that still form the walls of certain caverns. Other sections are reminiscent of the data center. The pod room is the most distinct area. An enormous room, seemingly larger than vision would allow for, is littered with glowing green pods that provide the rooms only illumination. Tubes attach to each pod and lift up to the ceiling. This forms nearly unending rows of horizontal lines of the pods, and vertical lines of nutrient tubes.

Narrative Technique
The story of Heist is mainly told through dialogue spoken while the player has control of the character, and during conversation scenes in both the open and closed environments of the game. The player will also learn vital information about mission locations and Anatechs research plans through documents uncovered throughout the course of the game. Documents range in type from corporate memorandums and research reports to building schematics and audio and video logs. The player has the option of ignoring these additional multimedia storytelling elements, however their play experience will suffer substantially. Billboards and radio advertisements while in the car or roaming the open world, will show Anatech as a dominant power. They will also serve to lend subtle backstory about the teams antagonist.

Anatech Documents

Heist 79

Heist 80

Visual Storytelling Methods

The characters of Heist are able to emote both with facial and body expressions. Their animation provides a significant benefit to the emotional impact of the conversation scenes. The environments of Heist also provide clues to the state of the world. The gadgets in the hands of pedestrians, and the technology inside of buildings, show the futuristic state of a world dominated by Anatech products.

Heist 81 The mystery of Anatech is slowly revealed through research video clips and leaked photographs. These are presented to the player through a computer interface in the teams safe house. Cut scenes are used sparingly throughout the game. They are primarily used at the transition points between chapters and at the beginning and end of the game as an intro and outro to the narrative world.

Game Progression
Game Scenario Details
Skills
General
Strength + Increases strength skill of a character. Costs progressively more with each purchase. Defense + Increases defense skill of a character. Costs progressively more with each purchase. Charm + Increases charm skill of a character. Costs progressively more with each purchase. Stealth + Increases stealth skill of a character. Costs progressively more with each purchase. Tech + Increases tech skill of a character. Costs progressively more with each purchase. Munitions + Increases munitions skill of a player. Costs progressively more with each purchase.

Fighting

Heist 82 Human Shield Use a weak or downed enemy as a shield from damage. Restricts mobility and lowers accuracy. Stun Punch Strong attacks have a chance to stun the enemy. Chance to stun increases with level. Knock Down Activated by a button combo. When used on most enemies they will fall to the ground. Steal Weapon Activated by a button combo and a quicktime event. If successful the enemy loses their weapon to the player. Counter Activated by a quicktime event. The player will dodge or block an attack and counter with another attack. Intimidate Used as a buff that is active for a limited time. Enemies will be slightly less accurate due to fear. The characters strength will also raise. Medium cooldown time. At higher levels the cooldown time is shortened.

Weapons
Extra Weapon Character may carry an extra weapon Ammo + All of the characters weapons hold more ammo. Special Bullets Bullets from a characters gun will have special properties. This is a progressive skill tree that gets more expensive with each purchase. The first level choice is piercing. The second level of choices

Heist 83 are stun or poison. The third level is exploding or poison-piercing. The fourth level is exploding-poison or exploding-stun. The fifth level is exploding-piercing-stun or exploding-piercing-poison. Dual Wield This gives the player the ability to wield two one-handed guns. One Hand for Two-Handers The first level of this skill gives the player the ability to wield a two-handed weapon (assault rifle, sniper, shotgun) with one hand. At the second level, this skill can be combined with Dual Wield.

Tech
Extra Gadget This gives the player the ability to carry an extra gadget. This skill has multiple levels. Robot Minion This allows the player to create an ally robot to aid in the heist. At the first level it can carry an extra item. At the second level it carries an item and can stealth-stun enemy NPCs. At the third level it can do melee damage along with previous skills. At the fourth level it gains a pistol type gun along with all previous skills. At the final level it gains a low level assault rifle or shotgun instead of the pistol. Hacking Allows the player to hack into technology. As the player gains higher levels in hacking, the types of technology they can hack increases. Reprogram Tech Allows the player to reprogram technology to aid the player for a limited amount of time. The technology that can be reprogrammed and the duration of the reprogramming increases with each level. Disarm This allows the player to disarm technology such as turrets, alarms, and cameras. The amount of technology that can be disarmed increases as the skill level does.

Stealth

Heist 84 Stealth Drop If the player is unseen by an NPC, they can knock out the enemy with a quick time event. As the level increases, stronger enemies are susceptible to this skill. Quiet Footsteps This passive ability makes it harder for NPCs to hear the character. The player becomes quieter with each level. Lock-Picking This allows the player to pick locks. As the player gains higher levels in lock-picking, the number of locks they can pick increases. Safe-Cracking This allows the player to crack safes. As the player gains higher levels in safe-cracking, the number of safes they can crack increases.

Medic
First- Aid This allows the player to heal an ally character. There is a medium length cool down for this skill. At higher levels moe health is restored and the cool down is shortened. Anti-Poison This allows the player to cure an ally of poison. At higher levels the player can create antidote preemptively so they are automatically cured. Adrenaline This allows the player to boost any characters strength while sacrificing defense. There is a long cool down for this skill. At higher levels the player can create an adrenaline shot to give to other characters.

World Layout

Heist 85

Outline of levels
Main Missions
See Story Outline for longer descriptions of level content Chapter 1. A Life of Crime

Heist 86 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Even the Lawyers Can Get It - Law office con Planning Out for the Big Leagues - The decision to go big Pit Stop or Home Drop? - Convenience store or Upper-Middle class home break-in The Rabbit Chaser - Arrival of Alice Stretch the Legs, Expand the Horizons - Open-world robbing of smaller businesses Order of the Bills - Planning for first bank robbery Weve All Got a Little Dirt - Blackmail gathering of bank manager Emptying the Dust Bin - Revealing the black mail

Chapter 2. A Plan to Bank On 9 Here Goes Something - First bank heist

10 Its Always Easier on the Second Go Round - Open-world robbing of smaller business (Now includes banks) 11 Meet the Parents - Josh and Eli have dinner with their disapproving parents. 12 Gaining a Brute - Kostya joins the team 13 Data Discovery - The team finds the first bit of Anatech research and raids a data center 14 Filling the Plane - The team robs a series of banks to get enough funds to travel to Brazil Chapter 3. The Brazilian Job 15 Wheels Down - Landing in Brazil 16 Paperwork - The team hunts through shipping paperwork to find Anatech info 17 Slum - Zefer joins the team and reveals the location of Anatechs facility 18 The Black Ace - Breaking into The Black Ace 19 Lost Connections and Connectors - Zefers family is missing and the accounts are empty 20 Square One - Tickets aboard the US bound cruise ship are forged, but Zefer is captured 21 Aint No Bars Holding Me (Optional) - The team breaks Zefer out of jail Chapter 4. Cruisin 22 Ocean Waves and Shining Rays - The cruise back to the states

Heist 87 23 A Proper Proposition - The FBI asks Eli to break into Anatech Chapter 5. Closing the Cylinder 24 Tumbleweeds and Beakers - The team breaks into the facility 25 Keeping Watch - The room of pods is found, the team confronts the scientist 26 You Just Have to Live With It - The final decision is made

Side Missions
The following missions are listed by first available opportunity to complete. They are all available to be completed from that point until the end of the game, with the exception of those located in Brazil, which are only available while in Brazil.

Chapter 1 (Chicago) 1 Night Owl: A young vigilante has been spotted following the team around, taking notes. Make sure it doesnt continue. (Options: scare him into stopping, beat him up, or kill him) b Optional opportunity: Put him on the payroll. Pay him to watch Anatechs employees - he will return occasionally with additional information. He will be reported dead when the team returns from Brazil in Chapter 4, having been killed by Anatech. 2 Drive-Through Banking: A bank is moving its supply of hard cash from one bank to the government depository. Intercept the armored van and free the cash. After, meet up with a underground buyer to sell the cash. c Press the buyer for information regarding his other clients and their experiences with Anatech 3 For Old Times Sake: Eli overhears a group of local kids at his old high school complaining about a teacher intentionally failing his entire class. Have Alice help hack into the schools grade system and fix the problem. (Optional: alter the teachers salary) Chapter 2 (Chicago)

Heist 88 4 Immoral Dealing: A local drug dealer has been seen dealing drugs like cocaine and heroin to children as young as six. Teach him some morality. (Options: beat him up or kill him) 5 Silencer: Joshs ex-girlfriend from high school saw the brothers rob a bank and is threatening to call the cops - unless shes paid to keep her mouth shut. Silencer her - one way or another. (Options: pay bribe, scare her into silence, or kill her) 6 The Watcher: A black van has been watching the house for the past week. Follow the driver home and find out why. (Options: pay bribe, scare him into silence, or kill him) d The driver works for Anatech - press him for information.

Chatper 3 (Brazil) 7 Due Payment: A depressed man on the street wasnt paid for his most recent delivery of supplies to his buyer. His family needs the money to survive. Find the buyer and make him pay up. (Optional: beat him up or kill him) e The buyer works under Anatechs company in Brazil. Use him to download information from the company computer. 8 Protection Money: A gang of criminals force the people in Zefers slum to pay protection money. Find them and make them wish they had some protection of their own. (Options: beat them up or kill them) 9 Joaquim Moreno: Track down the man transporting people from Brazil and question him regarding his work for Anatech. (Options: pay bribe, scare him into talking, or kill him) f Has info on Anatech and access to a web server with more information

10 Funds for All!: Follow a few local businessmen who seem to be extorting cash from their clients. Liberate their funds and spread the wealth amongst the poor. (Optional: Beat them up or kill them) Chapter 4 (Chicago) 11 In the Fast Lane: A local underground racing circuit is holding a race tonight. Finish first to win some extra money. (Optional: Sabotage the other cars before the race)

Heist 89 12 Family First:While the team was in Brazil, a couple of robbers broke into the Hale familys house and stole anything of value. Lift their names from the police station and track them down. (Options: Make them return money and: beat them up or kill them) 13 Interior Design: A local upscale restaurant refused Zefer service based on his appearance. Go in at night and redecorate the place a bit. g The restaurant is owned by a division of Anatech - hack into the company database using the computer there for more Anatech information

Sample Level - Data Discovery

By this point in the game, the player has completed a number of jobs, temporarily lost access to the arms specialist character Josh Wolf Hale, and picked up hand-to-hand specialist Kostya Bear Kolpashchikov. At the start of the mission, a cutscene shows Eli briefing the team (Alice and Kostya) on the job at hand while driving to the facility. Kostya: So, comrades, what exactly are we here to do? Eli: Thisll be a simple recon mission. According to Alices intel, the target facility holds information on a few of Anatechs under-the-table dealings. It could be quite valuable if we can find the right buyer. Or it might just help us figure out whats going on. Alice stares out the window watching the passing buildings. Alice: Not to mention how much damage itd do if it got out. Eli: Whatever motivation helps you get the job done, use it. We go in, we get the data, and we get out. These arent rent-a-cops well be dealing with. Slip up, and Anatechs security will put us down hard. Kostya grabs his sidearm and checks the clip. Kostya: Yes, this could turn out to be quite entertaining.

Heist 90 The player is given the opportunity to choose Elis response to the others dialogue from a dialogue wheel: A) Lets hope it doesnt (the good option), B) Stay focused (the neutral option), and C) Josh is missing out (the bad option). Having played a good Eli up to this point, the player chooses A, prompting this action: Eli darts his eyes back to Kostya. Eli: We didnt bring you here to cause unnecessary chaos. We go in under the radar. If things go south, then we fight. This reaction causes the player to lose a few relationship points with Kostya. The player is then taken to the loadout screen to choose his inventory for the mission. Eli and Kostya are equiped with silenced MP412 pistols while Alice is given the X26c taser gun. For gadgets, Eli receives flash grenades, Kostya brass knuckles, and a hologram projector to Alice. Once the player has confirmed the selections, the loading screen appears. After the level has loaded, the player stands with Kostya and Alice in a car outside of the facility. Taking the mission parameters and earlier dialogue choices to heart, the player seeks a non-violent way to enter the data center. Fake I.D. badges acquired during an earlier mission are used. They are enough to convince the guard at the entrance gate they are clear to pass. Eli drives in slowly to not arouse suspicion and parks the vehicle in an empty space before stepping out. Alice and Kostya follow him into the data center. At this point, the player pauses the game to view the objectives. There are three: 1) Enter the facility (complete), 2) Download Anatech data, and 3) Install SpyWare into data center mainframe. The player navigates to the map screen to view the locations of the uncompleted objectives. Noting that the third objective will require more skill in technology, the decision is made for Alice should to complete it. The team travels to the room containing the computer mainframe. The door has a security lock, and the false I.D.s will not gain them access. The player has three options: force the door open, hack the security device to open it, or attempt to deceive someone into opening it. Forcing the door will certainly alert security to the unauthorized

Heist 91 presence within the facility if the attempt succeeds (unlikely, as the door is large, heavy, and metal), and the frequent presence of researchers and security personnel makes hacking unfavorable for the amount of time it will take and the attention that it will draw. With this in mind, the player decides to make use of Elis high Charm attribute. The player directs Alice and Kostya to take up a position farther down the hallway while Eli remains near the door and waits for a scientist to come close enough. When prompted, the action button will initiate a conversation. The scientist addressed will respond with one of seven reactions (chosen randomly each time): Hm? {exasperated} Can I help you? What is it? Is there a problem? Make it quick - Im very busy. Yes? You seem lost.

The player may choose one of two options from a dialogue wheel: Ive locked myself out the good option) or Dont make me hurt you (the bad option). Once again, the player chooses the less violent option, and Eli tries to persuade the scientist to open the door for him. Eli darts his eyes around and blushes from embarrassment. Eli: Hate to bother you, but I accidentally left my keycard inside. Err...dyou mind? Because of Elis high Charm, the players persuasion attempt is a success. The scientist responds positively to Elis request. Scientist: I suppose we all make that mistake sooner or later. Here. The player is in. The scientist walks off as Eli proceeds into the room, and the door closes behind him. Several other scientists are in the room working. The player notes that attempting to install the SpyWare into the mainframe while others are present will draw unwanted attention, so it is necessary for him to somehow remove them from the equation. An on-screen prompt appears to remind him that he

Heist 92 may address the entire room at once by moving to a designated position and pressing the action button. The player decides relying on Elis Charm attribute once more is the preferable route, so the player moves to the position and presses the action button. There are two options: I need this room clear (the good option) and Everybody out! (the bad option). The player chooses the first, and Eli speaks up. Eli: Can I have everyones attention? Multiple dialogue options appear presenting options for the story Eli will tell. 1.[Computer Errors] Thereve been reports of suspicious errors originating from the computer mainframe. I need everyone to exit the room so we can perform a full sweep. 2.[Bio Hazard] There has been a chemical leak in the bio lab upstairs. This room will soon fill with a toxin. Please leave immediately. 3.[Cake] The cafeteria is giving away cake to everyone because of our wonderful CEOs birthday. Hurry, before its gone. Depending on the players charm skill different dialogue options will be available and will have a varying success rate. The player chooses the computer error option. Because this request makes less sense than the others the Charm requirement is much higher than the more plausible bio hazard option. Unfortunately, the persuasion attempt fails, and the scientists become suspicious. They mutter amongst themselves and make demands of Eli. Let me see your I.D. Suspicious errors? I havent heard anything. Whats this guy talking about? Ive never seen you around here before.

The player can try to persuade the scientists to leave again, but one more failure will push them to summon security. The player decides to consider the attempt at non-violence a failure in this instance and summons Alice and Kostya. Once they are outside of the room, the player lets them in and orders Alice to use her holographic projector to perform a full scan of the room. Her high Tech attribute enables her to achieve this task in a very short amount of time, but the scientists become hostile as the process

Heist 93 completes. The player tosses one of Elis three flash grenades, causing an explosion that blinds all of the scientists in the room while the players vision is only partially affected. Kostya is ordered to attack all hostiles as he draws his pistol, and the pair of them work together to kill the scientists. The silencers ensure no one outside can hear their shots. By the time the enemies are taken care of, Alices hologram has gone into effect, projecting a looping image of the room as it was before the violence broke out to fool the security cameras and any who might pass by. However, it will only work for a short time. The player orders Alice to upload the SpyWare and has Kostya remain with her. A progress bar appears at the top of the screen to let the player know how long the process will take: close to two minutes. Meanwhile, the player loots one of the corpses to acquire a keycard and leaves the room for the other objective in the hopes of knocking them both out quickly. Approximately one minute remains on the upload when the player arrives at the room where objective #2 must be completed. This time, there is no need to charm an NPC or hack the security, as the keycard acquired from the corpse can gain access to the room. Once again, there are several others present, but the player isnt worried about them this time because the operation to be performed here is much simpler. Rather than attempting to address or attack the scientists, the player proceeds directly to the target computer terminal and initiates the download. Elis Tech attribute is significantly lower than Alices, but due to the simplicity of the process, only thirty seconds are required for its completion. By this time, the SpyWare upload is complete. The player summons Alice and Kostya, and they stop outside of the door. Once the information download is complete, Eli turns and proceeds toward the door through which he entered. The quick progression of the download leaves him free of suspicion, so he is able to exit the room unharassed. With both objectives complete, the player heads for the building exit. The alarm sounds. A voice is heard over the intercom: Lockdown sequence initiated. All research personnel are instructed to take refuge in the nearest laboratory. Doors will be sealed in one minute.

Heist 94 The announcement prompts the player to hurry towards the exit with Alice and Kostya in tow. A high security guard stands between them and the door, and more are sure to arrive within the next minute or so as they patrol the corridors on high alert. Placing a hand on his gun, the guard warns the player and his team with several phrases: Hey! Hold it! No one leaves during lockdown. Sorry, but I cant let you leave. Freeze!

Rather than waiting for the guard to get through all four phrases, the player goes on the offensive and orders Kostya to do the same and take the guard down as swiftly as possible. The player opens fire while Kostya engages the guard in hand-to-hand combat. This combination makes for a quick defeat. After the guard has been killed, the player exits the facility. Rather than proceeding to the car the team arrived in, Eli hijacks the nearest vehicle and escapes the area.

Basic level design: Bank Heist (Quarter of the way through story)
This mission can be done in either day or night time depending on if the player values a faster heist with more risk of being caught or hurting a civilian (day), or if they value a safer heist with less chance of being caught along with less risk to civilians (night). The day level would essentially run down as walking into the bank with everything concealed until at some point you yell and tell everyone to get on the ground. At this point you would need NPCs to take over crowd control and also ensure the tellers and security guards dont trigger the silent alarm. Regardless to if the alarm was triggered, it is best to assume it was. Hopefully before the heist a scout has determined the time it takes for the police to arrive and you can use the response time minus ~30 seconds as a time frame for the heist. While the main character identifies the bank manager and forces him

Heist 95 (Depending on his skills through interrogation, sly talking, etc) to go the bank vault, open it, and give him all the cash, the NPCs could be instructed to take cash and valuables from the employees, civilians, and registers. Then with all the cash in hand, the team would need to meet up with the driver and speed away before the cops arrived. If the cops arrived before the team all got out, they would split in an every man for himself style break and meet at a rendezvous point before returning to HQ. The night level would require a more stealthy approach. The team would first need to disarm the alarm as to not alert the security guards or police. With the alarm gone, the team would sneak in through a) the roof b) lock-picking the front door or c) some other option I didnt think of. Once inside, the team would need to sneak to the vault choosing whether to incapacitate the guards, kill the guards, or risk capture by merely avoiding them. Then once at the vault, the hacker must hack into the vault, get the cash, and then the team gets out by running and mowing down the security guards, sneaking back out the way they came in, or maybe even blowing a hole in the wall revealing the getaway car.

Prototyping and Playtesting

Overview
Using a table-top RPG format, the goal of the prototype was to test the free-form action elements of the heist segments. We had previous experience with the open world and dialogue-based game mechanics, leaving the heist action game type the one we wanted to learn the most about from playtesting. The game board represented the interior and exterior of a large bank. The player was presented with multiple weapon and gadget choices and was instructed they may proceed in any fashion they see fit including initiating dialogue interactions with non-player characters. A gamemaster acted as the NPCs and presented the results of actions. This prototype format emphasized the core unique aspect of Heist: non-linear action. During the playtesting session a video camera recorded the players responses and reactions to the game. We also requested the player to speak aloud all thoughts regarding game play. The non-linear play

Heist 96 style was designed to engage the creativity of the player and give them the feeling that their choices had a significant impact on the play session. The three main methods of achieving the objectives we designed using the prototyping mechanics and anticipated during the playtesting were divided into stealth, charm, and force categories. Stealth methods involved using gadgets to sneak around bank workers and security guards and to not draw enough attention to trigger the alarm. Charm methods involved convincing NPCs that the characters had legitimate business with the bank in order to have access to the vault and computer rooms. Force methods involved a guns blazing approach to quickly incapacitate or kill NPCs in the bank to quickly gain uninhibited access to the vault and computer rooms but with the drawback of triggering the alarm fairly early in the heist process.

Game Board

Heist 97 This board, without the written explanations of the bold and blue lines, was presented to the player. Tokens of different colors represented the different team members and NPCs. Civilians were presumed to be mingling throughout the front part of the bank below the blue line. The player moved the team member tokens and the gamemaster moved the Bank Worker and Security Guard tokens during the playtesting session.

Prototype Mechanics
Players Objectives 1. Steal money from the vault 2. Hack into the banks main computer to transfer electronic funds 3. Optional: Break into and disarm an Anatech safety deposit box to get company documents 4. Survive and escape to freedom 5. Avoid detection if possible General Prototype Gameplay Mechanics Success or failure of an action, such as using a weapon or gadget or trying to persuade an NPC, is determined by a dice roll of 1-20 with a 12 or higher being a success. Each character has five different stats that can affect the success of different actions: tech for using gadgets, strength for engaging in hand to hand combat, charm for smooth talking out of a situation, munitions for being accurate with weapons, and dexterity for sneaking successfully past a security guard or bank worker. Each characters stat number is the modifier for the dice roll. For example, a negative 1 modifier to a roll of 12 would result in an 11, causing the attempt at an action to fail instead of pass. HP is the number of successful hits against that character until he or she is knocked out of the game. Whenever knocking out an NPC as opposed to killing him or her, the player has three actions until the NPC regains consciousness and the ability to do everything as before.

Heist 98 Attempting to use a gadget or weapon on an unconscious body has a 100% success rate to mimic in-game aiming at a stationary body. Whenever a NPC hears a gunshot or feels threatened, the security guards activate the alarm system giving the player 12 actions to achieve the objectives including escaping from the bank through either the front or back doors. This turn restriction represents the in-game time limit of when an alarm is triggered until the bank or heist area is surrounded by the police. An action is considered one round of every character performing a task such as moving from one room to another, hacking into a computer, or shooting at a guard. Any noise other than a gunshot that the player makes, such as using the wall driller, can be heard by an NPC one room over and cause a security guard to investigate the suspicious situation. When using gadgets, one turn is used to prepare the object or set it up and the next turn is using the object. If a team member fails at a using a gadget after three attempts, the nearest NPC will become suspicious and investigate the situation. Upon investigation by an NPC, the players character will have to either pass a charm check to convince the NPC that the character has a reason for the situation or a combat check to use various weapons or gadgets to neutralize the threat of an NPC attack and/or possible alarm triggering. Flowchart of Player Decisions

Heist 99 This flowchart, though simple, was the basis for player/gamemaster interaction to represent how the final game would react to player input in terms of the decisions made by the player in order to achieve the objectives of the level. Both of the charm and sneak options (the second two on the chart) for the player automatically feed into the force option (the first on the chart) if at any point the player causes the alarm to trigger. Characters Playable Eli the leader of the group, and the character who specializes in charm HP: 3 Tech: -1 Charm: +2 Munitions: -2 Dexterity: -2

Josh the munitions expert and brother of the leader HP: 3 Tech: -4 (-2 if attempting to pick a lock) Charm: -1 Munitions: +2 Dexterity: -1

Alice a friend of both Eli and Josh, excels at using gadgets HP: 2 Tech: +2 Charm: -1 (+1 if the NPC could be infatuated with her) Munitions: -3 Dexterity: -1

NPCs

Heist 100 Bank Worker: not trained in fighting and has not weapons, would engage in a fistfight if provoked (HP = 2) Security Guard: trained in combat and carries a pistol, can call for backup if necessary (HP = 3) Weapons (each character can only carry one at a time) Throwing Knives: knives that require a great deal of accuracy to hit a target; a roll of 14 or above is a success, but using this weapon makes no noise Tazer: a gun that shoots electrodes that embed themselves in the target; a roll of 10 or above is a success. This weapon also makes no noise, but the target is only down for three turns or actions M16: a roll of 8 or above is a success since this gun is inherently more powerful, but needs two hands to carry, so if the character has this weapon, he or she cannot carry a gadget 9mm Handgun: a roll of a 12 or above is a success. This is the standard gun

Gadgets (each character can only carry one at a time, unless the character has the M16) Ninja star-throwing watch: a clever watch that also silently shoots ninja stars. One turn is required to program the watch while the next is to shoot the ninja star. One hit from the ninja star will kill the target EMP grenades (3 total): EMP grenades knock out electronics, including the alarm system, for three turns; one turn is required to program the grenade while the next is to deploy it Portable Hologram Projector: a projector that can be used to produce a holographic image of anything or anyone the character encounters during the heist mission. One turn is required to scan the object of interest while the next is to activate the holographic projector. This image lasts the whole mission until the player turns it off Wall Driller: a drill that allows characters to move through regular walls. The process of drilling takes two turns to complete. The drilling process is loud enough for those in the same room, as well as adjacent rooms to hear Example of interaction using the skill stats:

Heist 101 The player wants Josh to use the tazer on a guard. The player rolls the die and gets an 8. Since Josh has a +2 munitions stat, the roll now becomes a 10, which is just enough for the tazer to be successful. The guard is now knocked out for three turns.

Playtesting Sessions
We had five different playtesters for the prototyping process, all male and 21 years old, players within our target demographic. Though seemingly one-dimensional, this pool of testers gave us valuable and guided information about how the people most likely to play our game would interact with and feel about our unique gameplay aspect of heisting with nonlinearity and multiple team members. To begin each playtest, we explained the rules and game mechanics as well as gave a brief backstory of the characters and description of the weapons and gadgets. The players were then given their objectives and told to achieve them however they wish. No playtester saw any other playtesters progression through the game before their own turn to play. Each playtest lasted about a half an hour after the explanation. Playtests Alan Favorite types of games: fantasy RPG, survival horror, adventure Game progression: Alice had the tazer and the wall driller, Eli had the throwing knives and ninja starthrowing watch, and Josh had the M16 and EMP (before we decided an M16 can only be used by itself). Alice snuck into the computer room using the wall driller to transfer the funds, completing one of the objectives. Josh and Eli entered the back room and were met by the security guard; Eli failed the charm check to persuade the guard everyone is in the back room to fix the computers. The three characters engaged in a firefight with the guard and win. The alarm wass activated due to the firing of the M16.

Heist 102 The other security guards came to the back room to confront the team. While Eli and Josh had a firefight with the other guards, Alice went to the vault to gather money and get the Anatech files from the safety deposit box. One of the guards died in the battle, leaving one left. There were not enough turns left at this point to disarm the safety deposit box contents, so the team left through the back door to the getaway car. Comments: enjoyed the level design, multiple objectives, and the option of attempting the bonus objective How we iteratively modified the game: split the bathrooms into one for each gender so one is farther away from the computer room Nick Favorite types of games: fantasy RPG, adventure Game progression: Alice had the tazer and wall driller, Eli had the tazer and the EMP grenades, Josh had the tazer and the hologram projector. Alice snuck into the computer room using the wall driller to transfer the funds, completing one of the objectives. Josh and Eli entered the back room and were met by the security guard. Eli failed the charm check to persuade the guard that everyone is in the back room to fix the computers. The three characters engaged in a firefight with the guard and none of the team members hit the guard with their tazers. The guard called for backup and the alarm was triggered. The three team members continued to fire their tazers at the guards that enter the back area but continued to miss. Josh was knocked out of the mission due to attacks by the security guard.

Heist 103 The two remaining team members ran to the vault with the guards chasing them. They fired at the guards killing two of them. While Alice collected money from the vault, Eli fired at the last guard killing him. Not enough turns remained to allow the characters to retrieve and disarm the Anatech safety deposit box, so the team members left the bank through the back entrance to the getaway car. Comments: suggested we work on the balance of the weapons How we iteratively modified the game: after three fails of a gadget, someone will be suspicious. Tazer stuns last three turns. Added the element of only having the M16 as opposed to the M16 with a gadget Adam Favorite types of games: Dungeons and Dragons (table-top), adventure, fantasy RPG Game progression: Alice had the 9mm pistol and the EMP grenades, Eli had the 9mm pistol and the hologram projector, and Josh had the M16. Eli walked up to the bank workers at the teller area and attempted to persuade the workers not to set off the alarm. Eli failed the charm check, so the workers set off the alarm. Josh grabbed one of the security guards and used him as a shield from the other guard. Alice went to the computer room but was stopped by the security guard in the back room on his way to the front. She needed backup, so Eli went over to the back room. Alice and Eli killed the guard in the back room. Alice went to the computer room and transferred funds. At the same time, Eli went to the vault to get money. Josh was able to kill the guards in the front, but at that time, not enough turns remained for the team to get into the innermost vault, get the Anatech safety deposit box, and disarm it. The team instead left through the back entrance to the getaway car.

Heist 104 Comments: killing or incapacitating people was easier than using gadgets or persuading people, so players would inevitably go for the force method How we iteratively modified the game: we changed the success number to 12 out of 20 from the previous 14 out of 20. Since weapons already mostly had their own success numbers, this change helped the probability of successful methods other than force. TJ Favorite types of games: RTS, action, adventure Game progression: Alice had the tazer and EMP, Eli had the 9mm pistol and the hologram projector, and Josh had the 9mm pistol and the ninja star-throwing watch. Alice walked to the back room with Eli and was met by the security guard. Eli was able to convince the guard that the two were there to fix the computers in the computer room. The guard escorted them to the computer room where Alice then proceeded to transfer funds under the guise of fixing the computer. The two then persuaded the guard that they needed something from the safety deposit box. The two then went to the innermost vault where the Anatech box is. Eli then convinced the vault worker he is the true owner of the box, but does have the key. The worker opened the box for them, revealing the rigged box with Anactech documents in it. Eli even used another charm check to thank the worker and the security guard for their help. Eli gave Alice the box once the two entered the main part of the bank again and Alice disarmed the box inside the ladies restroom. After the box was disarmed, the group left through the front door.

Comments: having multiple options of playing the game was fun; was going to first use the guns blazing approach, but decided to go a different direction

How we iteratively modified the game: we couldnt find anything to change after this playtest.

Heist 105 Michael Favorite types of games: fantasy RPG, action, platformer Game progression: Alice had the tazer and the ninja star-throwing watch, Eli had the 9mm pistol, and the EMP grenades, Josh had the tazer and the hologram projector. Alice and Josh went into the back room, but drew the attention of the security guard who was in the back room. The two team members went into the computer room, with the guard chasing them. Josh tazed the guard while Alice hacked the computer to transfer funds. Eventually, the other guards went into the back room and saw the fallen guard. The two guards activated the alarm. Alice went into the vault to get money while the two other teammates fought the guards. By the time Eli and Josh defeated the guards, and Alice got to the innermost part of the vault with the Anatech safety deposit box, there werent enough turns to break into the box and disarm it, so the team left through the back entrance to getaway car. Comments: making the dialogue was fun, the biggest obstacle was the time limit at the end after setting off the alarm How we iteratively modified the game: attacking an unconscious NPC was now 100% without having to roll

Results of Playtesting
Loadout Usage

Knives

Tazer

M16

9mm

Throwing Star

EMP Grenade

Projector

Wall Driller

Heist 106

Alan

Nick

Adam

TJ

Michael

Totals

Blue boxes represent that the player used the item or gadget during the playtest. The tazer was the most often chosen and used weapon in the game. The EMP grenades were the most chosen gadget, but all gadgets except the ninja star-throwing watch were used equally during playtesting; the watch was used least. These stealth weapon and gadget choices, as well as the overall playtesting choices of our testers, led us to believe players in our demographic would have no problem adopting a sneaking playstyle as opposed to always going into situations with the intention of shooting from the beginning as with many other games. Overall, the playtesters loved their experience and were very engaged throughout the process. They particularly enjoyed the level design, multiple objectives, and especially the nonlinearity of the gameplaythe core element of this part of our game. Many of the playtesters even interacted beyond the object of the prototype and created their own dialogue and NPC backstories that we could use in our game. However, the playtesters did see a disparity between the ease of using weapons and the difficulty of utilizing the gadgets. This was somewhat troublesome in that the stealth of hacking and using gadgets to pull off heists is what we believe makes our game unique. Most of this issue, as well as the confusing weapon classifications, stemmed from the inherent differences between any type of prototype and the finished product. Most likely, if we had a video game prototype as opposed to a table-top version, the

Heist 107 majority of these issues would no longer appear because more precise calculations would take the place of a simple dice roll. We had great feedback from our playtesters. Every time we were able to make changes for the next person to help prototype the game and for our design of the game as a whole.

Business Considerations
Feasibility Analysis
The gaming community is primed for a game like Heist to come along. Games such as Grand Theft Auto have proven the effectiveness of a open game world, allowing the player free reign of their environment. Games such as Mass Effect have proven the desirability of forging a unique path filled with choices and a large cast of characters. The success of games such as Splinter Cell show players passion for sneaking through missions, using a combination of weaponry, stealth, and gadgets to succeed. Heist aims largely to create the fusion between all of these aspects of play, making the game enjoyable and accessible to a wide variety of gamers. The target audience for a game such as Heist is male gamers between 14 and 50. Gamers in this market differ from other gamers in an increased interest in challenges that force them to engage their minds as well as their reflexes. Though this game will be costly to develop due to the high level of depth and detail, it represents a enormous potential for profit . Games with a focus on skill based stealth are a smaller market today and will appeal to fans of this gameplay style that have not seen a game of this type in a while.

Projected Sales
At the standard price of $60 per unit, and with adequate funds allocated to marketing on television and appropriate websites, we can reasonably expect to sell approximately 400,000 units within the first month of release. Because Heist is a new IP that will rely on reviews by gaming

Heist 108 magazines/websites and word of mouth to build prestige, we can expect the numbers to increase steadily over time. It is fair to assume we will have sold 1.5 million units by the time the game has been out for six months.

Competition Analysis
At its projected time of release, Heist should be released into an ideal market looking for a game of this type. With Grand Theft Auto V a few years old, and Mass Effect 3 even older, players will be craving games that utilize their unique approaches to play. The only direct source of large-scale competition to Heist may come in the form of the next installment of the Splinter Cell series, which is set to release a sixth installment sometime in the next few years (likely around the time of our games projected release). Keeping this in mind, marketing should focus on the aspects of our game that separate it from Splinter Cell. Specifically the Charm mechanic, the team of playable characters, the free-roam segments, and the activities players may engage in outside of story missions. We also stand to benefit from Splinter Cells move in a more action-oriented direction. The players interested in skill-based stealth will be seeking a game to call their own. Heist also has the potential to bring in entirely new fans to a fresh IP.

DLC Options
During the year after launch, Heist will release a series of DLC packages. These include additional side-story chapters full of missions, one or two new Heist mission-playable characters, and a number of more ridiculous, goofy DLC packages designed to entertain players. These DLC packages will be offered at reasonable prices, high enough to turn a profit and remain competitive yet low enough to draw in sales from players. Some of the smaller DLC packs will be released for free in order to entice purchases. Side-chapter DLC:

Heist 109 - Nuclear Laser-Guided Robot Scorpions from Space - In this chapter, the Heist team will discover and destroy a secret Anatech facility, in which Anatech has been studying technology they discovered in space and have been keeping quiet from the public. This technology, which Anatech has made largely functional, can best be described as nuclear laser-guided robot scorpions. The player will be hard-pressed to fight off these mechanical monsters. - The Red Threat Under Your Pillow - In this chapter, players play as Agent Washburn as the agent lives out his greatest spy fantasies while asleep. Complete with Agent Washburns very own unique sense of humor and ambitions of saving the United States from the red threat of the U.S.S.R. Some of the more goofy DLC packages include: - Bad Sound Effects - In this version of Heist, the voices and sound effects are voiced entirely by the creators of the game. -Hipster - In this version of Heist, everyone is a hipster, with such things as large-rimmed glasses, plaid shirts, tight clothing, and a condescending attitude. - Mary Poppins Pockets - In this version of Heist, everyone has infinite space for objects, and there is no need to limit on-person number of items. - Names Manifest! - In this version of Heist, the characters animal nicknames become reality, and the characters take animal form, in this light-hearted modification to an otherwise grim, dark, depressing, and soul-crushing game. - A Plethora of Pretty Pod People Pondering Product Placement Possibilities (To Placate Your Poetic Ponderings, You Poorly-Personified Plebeians) - In this version of Heist, every character constantly uses alliteration in their dialogue.

Appendices
CD Content

Heist 110 /Art /Logos /In-Game /Intel /Script -from Heist, Chapter 4. Scene: The FBI Steps In /Presentations

Original Concept
Heist is an open-world game focusing on theft-related crime. Flashbacks to the protagonist's childhood are used as a tutorial for new game mechanics and also to strengthen his "criminal since birth" backstory. Scenes include: stealing from a cookie jar, and a coordinated brotherly crib escape. Small jobs are used to gain team member loyalty and improve team member skills in order to pull off a "big job." Each team member has a specialized skill set that can be leveled using an RPG-like stat system. Lockpicking, hacking, acrobatic entry, wheelman, ... While on a heist, the player may switch freely between these characters to carry out the specialized tasks manually, or allow them to occur automatically, leaving the player with the task of simply completing their specialized task. While not on a heist, the player may navigate the city to find new places to rob, buy new equipment, recruit new team members, and engage the criminal underworld or the enforcement arm of the government. A key component of the game is the protagonist's struggle with his decisions in a moral sense. The player is given the opportunity to become a criminal elite, or decide to renounce their criminal past in favor for a more "accepted" lifestyle. This paradigm is controlled through dialogue options, mission selection, and the ability to collect evidence to use against the player's team. Possible scenes to determine moral path:

Heist 111 Parent/relative encourages reform over a dinner. Player is given the option not to attend, or carry out a wide range of responses during the exchange. An FBI agent contacts the player with the opportunity of turning in partners in exchange for immunity.