The Pirates Code

Pitch Document

Authored by Mark Thompson

An Esquire Games Production

Document
Version

0.1.1
Initial Details

Game Synopsis
The Pirates Code is a VR arcade fighting game in which players take control of
one of seven possible pirate captains, all vying for the right to become the king
of the pirates. Using a fixed position and patterned combat system (based on
the methods used in stage combat), The Pirates Code will be a fast-paced
experience which will feel like a cross between Punch Out and Street Fighter.

The game will feature 3 core modes; Story, Rematch, and Altercations. In the
Story mode of the game, players will duel through a roster of 9 pirate captains
in best of three battles using swords, wit, obscenity, and all manner of ruthless
cheating to ascend to the top of the pirate world.

In Rematch mode, players will be able to fight against the AI captain of their
choosing and adjust the setting for difficulty, locations and other things.

In Altercations mode, players will fight other players 1v1 in an Online

Multiplayer.

Game Core
Product Name: The Pirates Code

Game Type: VR, First Person Combat, Arcade Fighter, Online Play

Narrative theming: Family Friendly, Robot Pirates, Comedy

Game Modes: Story, Rematch, Altercations

Game Mission Statement

The mission of The Pirates Code is to create a game which effectively present
an authentic and high-quality arcade gaming experience in VR, thus
developing a product which can be sold to both arcades and home markets.

At a gameplay level, the goal of this game is to take the basic skills of stage-
based sword combat and translate it into an effective fighting system, there-
by combatting the regular draw backs of VR sword fighting (that being a lack
force feedback).

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Genre & Style
The Pirates Code is an arcade fighting game in the style of Punch Out mixed
with Street Fighter.

Whilst these games were originally sprite based, The Pirates Code is envisioned
to be fully rendered 3D featuring a tropical cartoon and pirate aesthetic similar
to that of the Ratchet and Clank or Jak & Daxter series of games.

Target Audience & Release Platform

The target market of this game are audiences interested in VR experiences but
don’t wish to (or are currently unable to) invest in the hardware necessary to
engage in VR technology in the home setting. By designing an arcade game
(and later a home port of the game) we are looking to create new player base
by creating an “In Arcade” experience which operates as a way to try both
the technology and the games to incite the transmission from arcade product
to in-home product.

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Mechanics & Gameplay

Overview of Gameplay
The Pirates Code is an arcade fighting game in the style of Punch Out mixed
with Street Fighter developed for arcade and home VR systems.

The game features a core fighting mechanic based on “The Basic 8”, a stage
combat technique used by combat chorographers to teach actors of all skill
levels how to fight effectively but also safely.

The game features three core modes, a “Story” mode, a “Rematch” mode,
and an “Altercations” mode.

Story Mode

• The Story is mode is a “Street Fighter” style tournament. Players pick

one from the rooster of 7 pirate captains and must face off against
9 of the other pirate captains.
• Each fight lasts a maximum of 3 min with the winner being decided
on most damage done or three successful destructions.
• The difficulty scales with each fight and the order of battles is based
on which of the captains you choose.
• This mode is over if you lose a fight or if you finish the story. It can be
paused and returned to at the end of each fight

Rematch Mode

• Rematch is the quick-fight mode. It does away with the story

component and allows the player to select their pirate and the AI
pirate they will be facing and the settings (such the starting difficulty
and location) of their fight.
• Each fight operates much the same as story mode through play and
victory conditions.
• If the player wins or loses the fight, the player can elect to “rematch”
a captain which make the captain easier or harder.

Altercations Mode

• Altercations is the 1 on 1 online PVP mode.

• Each fight operates the same as story mode through play and victory
conditions with the exception that both parties are human
controlled.
• Players cannot communicate directly; any communication will be
body language or pre-set phrases.

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The Basic 8
The Basic 8 is a method of stage combat which is designed to allow actors to
create complex fights by breaking it down into 16 distinct actions, 8 of which
are attacking and the other 8 which are defending.

This method of fight chorography turns combat into a process of only needing
to know 3 things at any one time:

• Number Order of the fight (e.g. 12563481)

• The positions that match the number (e.g. 1 = Left Head/Shoulders)
• Are they are attacking or defending?

By using this method as a basis for our gameplay, we can take a complex
system (such a first-person VR combat) and turn it into a much simpler game of
pattern recognition, response and reflex gameplay.

It is this type of gameplay, reminiscent of games like PunchOut, will be the

connective tissue of The Pirates Code.

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The Captains
There are 9 unique robot pirate characters in the game, 7 of which you have
unlocked from the start and 2 you unlock by special conditions in the game.

It is important to note that this is an Ideal number, not the upper or lower limit
on the number of captains which may be in the game later.

Each captain processes the following traits and stats:

• Health – A standard statistic for measuring the amount of damage

needed to be applied before the Captains are destroyed.

• Attack Pattern – Each captain has multiple, pre-set attack patterns for
adjustable difficulty.

• Anger Stat – This stat will increase the speed of attacks and decrease
the speed of blocks as well as of lengthening the window during which
they are defenceless (not applicable to human players). This can be
increased by chaining successful blocks and using obscenities.

• A Cheating Skill – Pirates are notorious cheaters and to stick to the

theme of robot pirates all these cheats are illegal mods that cause
“Glitches”. Cheats have a warm up which is quarried by successful
blocking and landing hits and a cool down with a unique signifier that
they are being used and that they are inactive.

• Obscenities – Obscenities can stun and frustrate you enemy. They are
all family friendly, robot based insults and can only be used in AI combat.

Captains are ideally voice acted

The Background Details

Fighting games can often be know for unique and interesting back grounds, as
such it has been considered that for each captain there will also need to be a
unique location, along with a menu location and a training location. This brings
the total number of arenas to be 11 locations to be the ideal number. Like
pirate captains, this is not the minimum or the maximum, just the preferred
number in content of this nature.

Additionally in the final list of background details, we would look at the

production of 2 additional robots. A generic first mate character (Like Smee
from Peter Pan) for your pirate captain, to narrate or communicate things that
players might need to know.

Finally, a generic NPC robot for additional background detail would bring the
total to: 11 Robots (9 Playable) & 11 Locations to create the final product.

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