Game Concept

Extinguished

“By executive order we may proceed with the campaign. Fling your asteroids and launch your missiles. Strike with speed and precision. Extinguish rival planets. No one must survive and no one must know.”

Overview

1. Genre/Category

Casual/Arcade-Style. The combination of short levels, fast-paced gameplay relying on reaction time, and advancement from level to level mimics an arcade-like experience. The relatively simple mechanics and minimal instruction needed to start playing means the player can easily start, stop and resume short sessions of play. These factors indicate that the game is best suited for a casual audience and those interested in arcade-style games.

2. Influences

One big inspiration comes from a particular scene in the film Starship Troopers – where the antagonist alien race hurls an asteroid towards Earth, destroying the city of Buenos Aires. The idea of using asteroids as long-range weapons stuck with me and remained as a central idea throughout the development of the game concept.

In terms of gameplay, Rock of Ages was a definite influence, where the player controls a giant rolling boulder and must dodge obstacles to maintain enough speed by the end of the level to smash the enemy gates. Although executed differently, this is the essence of the gameplay in Extinguished.

3. Concept Creation Process

The process of forming the concept of Extinguished took a circuitous route. The initial idea began as a clone of Star Control II, with the player traversing a small galaxy visiting various planets and solar systems. From here the concept moved away from a keyboard-controlled ship moving around to a mouse-controlled ship akin to the ships in Empire: Total War, with slow movement, lines representing the predicted route of ships, and cones projected from the sides of ships representing the range of their guns.

After some initial modelling of this idea, focus was shifted to developing something with a smaller scope and more exciting gameplay.

Stripping away almost everything from the first idea, I was left with simply controlling an object moving through space. Taking this very basic piece of gameplay and viewing it through the lens of the previously mentioned inspirations, the first version of the current concept for Extinguished was formed. Now instead of a ship, the player is controlling an asteroid hurtling towards a planet inhabited by rival lifeforms.

4. Audience Analysis

This game is intended for a casual audience, as there’s not a great deal of exposition needed for the player to understand the premise and gameplay - destroying planets by controlling projectiles at high speeds. Progression through the game is incremental, as it occurs via the completion of a series of short levels, allowing the player finer control over how much time they wish to spend playing the game, and the freedom to pick up and drop play.

The space theme is already quite common amongst games and creates certain player expectations such as the absence of gravity, and the presence of visual elements like stars or a black background. This familiarity should help players to start playing and having fun sooner, rather than spending time confused as to what they are seeing upon their first try.

The premise of launching projectiles at enemy planets to wipe them from the galaxy fits with the fast-paced reaction-testing gameplay. However, it’s worth noting that the focus on speedy action might dissuade some players who prefer a slower-paced style of game, or one with a rich story line.

This game is intended to emulate an arcade-like experience in two ways:

• The scope of the game is small but specifically designed for rapid and repeated playthroughs of levels.
• It takes very little time to get to the action (minimal menus, very brief intro).

Overall, with simple controls and the general popularity of action games, Extinguished is suitable for a wide-ranging audience. Although the concept of what the player is doing during the course of the game might seem dark and violent, there are no graphic or detailed depictions of death, blood or gore.

Game Treatment

1. The Game

You are a member of a mysterious alien race which dominates their home galaxy. Your job is to direct strikes against enemy planets to extinguish all inhabiting lifeforms and ensure they can pose no threat to your people in the future. Most of these lifeforms are unaware of our existence, and the few who are do not comprehend the sheer power disparity between us. We are not to make contact or consort with alien powers, the element of surprise must be maintained.

You have an arsenal of numerous giant asteroids, missiles, and various other weapons at your disposal. According to the environment and defences of the target planet, you may choose which weapon to use at your discretion, provided you have enough funds to purchase them.

Upon approaching the target planet, you must successfully navigate through whatever obstacles lie in the path of your projectile, and maintain the highest speed you can to maximise damage. Common encounters include rocks and debris, however some planets may be advanced enough to deploy countermeasures like orbital shields or intercepting missiles. If successful, your projectile should slam into the enemy planet and extinguish all lifeforms inhabiting it. Once this is achieved, you will move on to the next planet where you must do the same again.

2. Key Features

• Fast-paced gameplay which tests your reaction time. Never quite knowing what will be zooming towards you makes for a nerve-wracking experience, and forces the player to remain on their toes.
• Powerful, satisfying feedback from impacts and explosions. Even when the player fails to reach the planet and crashes into an obstacle on the way, there is still a sense of satisfaction from the impact - even failing can be fun.
• Smooth movement and high speeds. Gaining and maintaining speed both produce satisfying feedback for the player, along with smooth steering in zero gravity.
• Variety of projectile types, obstacles and planetary defences add tactical elements to the game. Depending on what you’re up against, certain projectiles may perform better or worse, for example using a conventional asteroid or missile will not penetrate a planet’s force field on the first impact, however a “Plasma Ball” can easily pass through. For another example, if there is a particularly thick layer of rocks and debris in the way, using an “Asteroid Buster” to clear a path will make things easier as opposed to navigating through the rocks unassisted.
• Interesting level-selection menus with visual representation of level locations, orienting the player in intergalactic space.

3. Backstory

Fearful of potential rival powers from neighbouring galaxies, a secret project is conceived to halt the advancement of emerging lifeforms: a deadly intergalactic bombing campaign designed to wipe out targets without warning. In clear breach of common galactic law, this project remained hidden from the public and entered hibernation awaiting the perfect moment. That moment is now. After years of clever political manoeuvring, the once dormant clandestine operation may finally proceed, thanks to an under-the-table executive order issued by the newly-appointed Overseer. You must act quickly and strike with extreme prejudice.

(All images and GIFs provided by myself)