A friend of mine passed along this blog series over at Insult Swordfight. It's about coming up with gamer definitions more accurate than simply "casual" and "hardcore". I found it really interesting so I thought I would share the link here, with anyone who stumbles across it.

Here is a quote from it to give you a taste for what he was trying to achieve with the series.

Employing this new taxonomy, we're able to discuss games without resorting to a simplistic rubric in which games either suck or rule. And we're able to see gamers as a lot more than simply hardcore or casual. Instead of talking past each other when we're coming at games from fundamentally different perspectives, we'll be able to seek common ground and at least disagree with one another from a place of understanding.

Please read the first part of my blog before moving on to this one.

Police: This would be something that is removed as an option. Even if they were still around, they would no longer care if you were breaking the law, nor would they be interested in enforcing it. They would likely be more concerned with their own survival.

Traffic: This too would removed as we know it. The majority of the city's population is dead and as such there would be no regular driving commutes to adjust from "heavy" to "parked". All the vehicles the players would find for themselves are abandoned and littering the streets. I could see this changing the number of useable vehicles (ie: ones that can be jacked) available though.

Zombie Speed: You may have been wondering what type of undead I have imagined. Are they the slow cl@ssic from "Night of the Living Dead", or the faster moving runners as seen in the "Dawn of the Dead" remake and "28 Days Later" (yes I know they aren't really zombies in that one, don't bother me with technicalities)? Well my answer to you is, why not both? You see, I think arguing over which should be used is pointless. Who cares? Especially when it really comes down to one's personal preference and not what is actually right. Why should I force my own preference on you, when there is no reason we can't both be happy? Besides, even though I'm more of a slow cl@ssic kinda guy myself, that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to try the runners sometimes. And that is why I have this option here, allowing you to select whether you want your zombies to be of the fast or slow variety.

Zombie Density: This is where you'd adjust how many of the buggers you want lumbering around. Options would be "Low", "Medium" and "High". A high number of runners would be a more difficult game, for example. One more suited to 16 players perhaps. A low number of slow zombies would be easier for a small group to manage. However there is nothing stopping you from setting this to whatever challenge (or lack there of) you want at the time.

Zombie Aggression: This could also be labeled as "Zombie Attentiveness". Basically it's how aware the zombies are to your presence as well as how far that awareness reaches. Low aggression would mean you'd have to be closer to the zombies and firing your weapons in order to get their attention and then have them come towards you. Higher aggression would mean they could "sense" you at slightly longer distances (even if you're being quiet) and can hear gun fire from further away. The highest setting would mean zombies would also be aware of their fellow mortality challenged comrades, as well as what they are interested in. If a group begins moves towards you it will get the attention of those nearby them (who may have been out of earshot themselves), who in turn may decide to head that way too (bringing themselves into earshot). Seasoned zombie hunters need only apply.

Zombie Random Factor: This would be a simple on or off feature. As the name suggests it would add a little randomness to your encounters. Maybe a group of them get really curious about a gas station and cause an explosion just as you're passing nearby. Maybe someone who died behind the wheel manages to get the vehicle running and it comes barreling towards you before crashing. Maybe a couple zombies pull a Bub, and shoot the guns still in their hands, after death, towards you (dead cops or mobsters?). This wouldn't be with any real accuracy, it would be completely random, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't get a lucky shot off from time to time. Again, just random stuff that could mix things up.

Insane Survivors: For lack of a more creative title, this would be a similar random setting to that mentioned above. Also either on or off. Basically this is encountering other living survivors (NPC's) that have snapped under the strain of the situation. Perhaps they are driving around in a dangerous manner. Maybe they are blasting away at anything that moves, zombie or otherwise. Just another means to mix things up and keep them from getting too predictable.

Number of Lives: Adjustable from one all the way up to ten, this is exactly as it sounds; the number of lives each player has before the game is over. As you may have been able to guess by now, my envisioned DLC would have no player controlled zombies. When you die the game simply ends, or you use up one of your remaining lives. You do not switch over to the zombie side at any time. If you're going to have player controlled zombies then you have to ensure it's fun for both sides. But imagine being a slow moving zombie with only your fists to attack with. You spawn and shuffle your way towards your friends (along with the NPC undead). You're spotted and killed. You respawn but are killed again before getting close enough to do anything. You then respawn in time to watch your friends finish getting into a freshly jacked car and speed away. Now what? Try to catch up with them? Ultimately I think the majority of people want to play the humans most. They enjoy the challenge and scares in doing so. And I think the game can be created so that it's really fun for those humans without sacrificing anything cool, in the name of balancing it for the "zombie players". Also, unlike Halo (for example) you don't need players to assume the role of the zombies, there are plenty of NPC's that can do that job.

Time Limit: This would default to being off/none. Just getting to your objective is going to be contest enough. However for those that would like to up the ante they can add a time limit they need to complete their goal in. This would also be helpful in "Free Mode" (see below), when you just want a little zombie shoot'em up game.

Starting Weapon: This is different from the "Weapons on the Map" option, we currently know of. This would allow you to select a weapon that your character will always start with that is separate from those found laying around the map. In addition there would be options to select a secondary weapon (start with two instead) and the ammo count (low, medium, full) for each weapon. Why you ask? Why not I answer. Again I'm all about being given choice. I'd rather have an option and not use it, then want an option and not have it. Besides one way I can think to use this is to turn off any weapons on the map, and each player only having the guns they start with. It would mean making every shot count and would be pretty intense if you ran out of ammo and only had your fists or a bat to use.

Number of Teams: By default there would only be one team and everyone would be working together to survive. However to mix things up you could adjust that number and maybe play with two (or more) competing teams. There is only one helicopter and each group is trying to get to it first, battling not only the zombies but also each other. Alternatively you could select no teams, and every man would fend for himself.

Objective/Free Mode: This final option would have a default setting of "Objective" and would be the game I've described up until now. Personally I feel having a goal would be the most fun and intense, however I recognize that there would be times you don't want to bother with that. That is when you'd select "Free Mode" instead. With no goals to worry about you can just zombie hunt with your friends, create your own objectives, or just mess around like you normally would with the added fun of the undead about. Free Mode would also open up all other helicopters and boats normally found around the city, as well as an "unlimited" option for your number of lives.

It may sound like a lot of options to have but I truly believe that the greater amount of choice we have the greater the longevity a game will have.

So there you have it. My dream for the ultimate in GTA Zombie DLC. I think it's doubtful we'll actually see anything like this (especially as I envision it) but at the same time I don't think it's entirely out of the realm of possibility. Zombies are pretty popular. There always seems to be a new zombie movie on the horizon, there are a few board games out, lots of different comic books published each month and of course video games (whether mainstream, mods or freeware stuff). Bungie took a zombie game mode that people created, using honour rules, in Halo 2 and added it as an actual gametype in Halo 3. So while I wouldn't place any bets, perhaps Rockstar will surprise us with something amazing and different when the times comes.

*fingers crossed*

For a little while now I've been wondering what the GTAIV DLC might be. Actually more accurately I've been daydreaming on what I would like it to be. The kind of wonderment, that if it came to fruition, would make me cry rainbows. Microsoft spent a vast amount of money (to me anyways) keeping that content exclusive so it's safe to say it will be more than cars, guns and clothing. Likely it will be episodic, probably with more than one download, spaced out over the coming year. But I hope that Microsoft/Rockstar won't put all their guns into one duffle bag (so to speak). With any luck they will offer multiple flavours of DLC, and if the planets are aligned just right, we may even see the ultimate flavour any menu can offer; rotting flesh! Hmmmmmmmmm I think I should rethink that sentence.

I haven't used this blog space before because I never really had anything to say. Not sure that has changed to be honest. However I wanted to gather up all the random thoughts I have thrown about my head and put them into one neat pile in the corner. And what better place to do so than here on the interwebs, among a series of tubes, no one will read!?

When I think of zombies and GTA, I envision it as a multiplayer gametype. Not as a series of single player missions but as an objective game to be shared in pants peeing terror with your friends (or on your own if they are unavailable and/or imaginary). The basic premise would be as follows. It's your regular mill undead apocalypse. Those who had a "zombie plan" have long since executed it and are living the high life. The rest of us have holed up in a building during the initial outbreak/panic where we've been relatively safe and undetected, but are quickly running low on food and water. One night there is a commotion outside and risking a view, you see three other human survivors. It's the first sign of real life you've seen in over a week and their in a fight for their lives. A rescue is mounted but, alas, it is in vain. Only one of the men makes it back with you, to your building, but he is mortally wounded and won't last the night. He explains that one of the survivors in his own group (there originally were eight) owned a helicopter across town. He felt it would still be secured/operational and they were making their way to it, in order to escape the city's concentration of infected. He dies soon after revealing it's location. The next few hours are spent weighing the pros and cons of making such a suicidal attempt yourself. For the time being your building is a safe haven, but dwindling supplies will force you to venture out into the street anyways. It's decided that if you have to leave, you may as well do so with a plan to escape Liberty City. You and your group gather up what little you have remaining, check your weapons and begin the most important run of your lives.

As you can see the objective of this game is to get from point A to point B. This could be across the entire city or just one of the boroughs (selectable in the set-up options) but whichever you choose there will be a random factor to it. Unlike Hangman's N.O.O.S.E, it's not the same start and finish points every time. If you select the full city then you will need to cross all of it. Sometimes going east to west, sometimes west to east. If you just select an individual borough then you'd be moving north/south instead, as that is generally the longer distance. It's not always a helicopter you're aiming for either. If it fits in better for an area it would be a yacht instead. The point is that you have the option of choosing which area you want to travel and after that there is still a random element to keep things from becoming completely predictable.

The goals themselves would be scaleable to the group. If there are eight of you, for example, then there would be two helicopters instead of one. Also the goal marker to complete the game would be set just beyond the chopper or boat themselves. The helicopter one would be set above it, so you all have to not only get in safely but also lift off and raise a few feet, in order to succeed.

Aside from zombies there are a few other things that set this gametype apart from those currently available. The first is that there would be no other helicopters or boats for you to use. This is obviously so you can't simply take the easy way out. The fun of playing a zombie nightmare is through facing it head on and not from high in the sky or out to at sea. This means you'll be forced to use the streets to reach your goal. However it's isn't going to be much of a challenge if you can simply jack a vehicle and drive all the way there either, which bring me to another change; roadblocks/obstacles.

In the early stages of infection the authorities tried to stop the spread of the outbreak by barricading access to the other islands. Every bridge would thus have some type of roadblock in place (similar to those in place when you first start playing the single player game). Where they were unsuccessful in setting up something in time, I imagine some places to be impassable due to vehicles, packed bumper to bumper, in abandoned traffic jams. Like in the tunnel connecting Algonquin and Alderney and perhaps even some of the lesser connecting bridges (like those connecting Dukes with Bohan). These would serve as sections where the players would have to exit the (relative) safety of their cars and proceed on foot until they could find a new vehicle to use. Motorcycles would likely be able to weave around these sections but would be balanced out by the fact that they are more dangerous and can only carry two people at a time.

In addition to these roadblocks I also imagine a general clutterness to the streets. Overturned cars, mini traffic jams or intersection pile-up's that prevent the players from simply speeding down the avenue unchallenged. This would mean slowly down to navigate these obstacles (or even finding alternative routes if they are bad enough) which in turn increases the likelihood of being overwhelmed by brain munchers (perhaps even pulled from their seats in the process).

When it comes to setting up your game my opinion is not to limit choice. Some of the greatest games I've played have allowed for a bevy of gameplay tweaks, allowing players to adjust each session to match their moods and/or the people they are playing with. Things like time of day, weather, weapons on the map and auto-aim, would all still be there. But there would also be many additional options to mess with (along with some amendments or omissions due to the nature of the gametype). Below I list each of them with further explanation.

Continued in part two due to space limitations