One of the first choices you make in a tactical shooter – especially in Rogue Point – is deciding which gun to bring on your raid. Are you having fun and experimenting? Or are you trying to fill a specific role within your team to maximize your effectiveness?
We wanted this choice to truly matter, so here is a quick overview of our weapon economy, Dead Drop system, and goals for weapon design.
Economy
With Rogue Point's economy, we referenced games like Counter-Strike, where you start with a small amount of money each game and must perform actions during a raid to earn more resources and improve your operator’s build.
We've also included ways for players to earn specific skills and buffs, but that's for a different dev diary…
In the beginning, players can spend a small amount of money to improve their chances of having a successful raid, OR they can save their money for the next round to purchase higher-tier items.
Our goal is to make it a challenge to acquire higher-tier weapons, and to make it impossible to buy every gun you might want to try in a single campaign. Players must work together and also decide whether to be a balanced team OR a balanced operator.
For example, you may choose a longer-range pistol right out of the gate. This will help you and your team engage targets at longer distances on the easier raids. You'll then have to decide if you want to spend money to make your loadout more balanced, such as by buying a shotgun, OR if you want to stick to your long-range role and buy a rifle as your next big purchase.
You can also take the opposite approach by buying an inexpensive shotgun at the start, then following up with a long-range pistol.
Making decisions that affect your whole run can be tough…and expensive. We designed the Dead Drop system to help players get into the action, and help change up the economy.
Dead Drops
As mentioned above, buying and experimenting with all the guns should be difficult and expensive. The higher end weapons bring a ton of versatility and firepower to your team, so they demand a high price (both in universe and in our game design).
However, we also don’t want players to feel like they can’t try new things or to fall into the same comfortable patterns during every campaign.
To address this, we developed the Dead Drop system. This feature allows players to experiment with different weapons while introducing a risk/reward element to the loadout phase of the game.
Essentially, the system functions as a figurative slot machine for weapons. Players can spend a modest amount of in-game currency for a chance to obtain useful items for their next raid. This gamble could yield a high-end gun, heavy armor, grenades or perhaps even all of the above.
Players can also discover Dead Drops tucked away within the levels. Extracting these hidden packages grants them a free spin for their next loadout/store phase.
In short, we want to have our cake and eat it too. We want players to manage limited resources by carefully planning and selecting gear to fulfill specific roles. At the same time, we want to surprise them with fresh gear from Dead Drops, encouraging them to adapt to new roles based on what they’ve just acquired.
Weapon Showcase: The TROOPER - 9MM
“An innovative and class leading design for its time, this weapon is getting a bit long in the tooth. Despite its age, this submachine gun is still a favorite among people who need to get in close and get the job done. What it lacks in customization and reload speed, it makes up for in smooth operation. It even has a built in flashlight for extra easy target acquisition in low light. Viable at just about any stage of your campaign, this weapon is a great choice for new Rogues looking to get comfortable, and veterans that know how to maximize its strengths.”
You’ve seen this gun before. It is a certified classic, but what makes it special? What aspects of its design can be used for gameplay? The Trooper - 9mm is well known for its handling, and its 9mm ammo has basically peaked in terms of stopping power. So, what drawbacks can we add based on our gameplay potential and real-world attributes?
Well, it’s slightly older design means it does not have a bolt release like many newer SMGs. This makes reloading take longer, which is a considerable drawback in the heat of battle.
It also lacks a standardized rail system seen on modern firearms. Despite its remarkable foundation, this limitation imposes a ceiling on how far the weapon can be customized or enhanced.
Even with these structural limitations, it is still an amazing house to live in (OK, that is as far as I will use that metaphor).
Moving Forward
To wrap up, how can we incorporate the real-world design of guns into our game? How can we spice up the system to ensure players aren’t always choosing the “meta” guns or the guns they are most comfortable with? How can we make sure guns and loadouts fit into specific roles for players to adopt? And how can we make guns viable while including clear drawbacks that encourage teamwork?
These are the questions we have to answer, and we’re excited to work with our players to answer those questions in the best way we can through Early Access and beyond!
Wishlist Rogue Point now:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1843840/Rogue_Point