No Photos, Please! Windows, Web game

Introduction

An introduction first. This is a game that I've just submitted to the Steam Greenlight catalog because with the feedback that I'm hoping to collect, I'll decide if I should officially release it.

The Steam Greenlight page is at Steamcommunity.com

Please do rate the game up if you like what you see and want to see the game released :-) Your feedback is invaluable.

And now, on to the game...

In No Photos, Please!, the player takes control of either a Photographer or a Security Guard in a two player match. It is the Photographer’s object to snap a photo of all the exhibits in the museum while the Security Guard has the objective to identify and apprehend the Photographer before the timer runs out.

Before a game session is started, the players choose their roles. A player can select a role using either the keyboard or an Xbox controller. The game also supports two players on the same keyboard. After both players have agreed upon the roles, the game is launched.

If this is the first time the game is run, the players will be greeted with a small introduction text advising them to play through the In-Game Tutorial before playing their first game together.

Once the game is started, the first thing both players need to do is to identify their avatars from the crowd i.e. finding themselves.
The player being the Photographer then needs to take a photo of all the exhibits in the museum by visiting them to win the game, while the player being the Security Guard needs to apprehend him. It is up to both players’ interest to keep a low profile while blend in with the other AI-driven museum visitors.

To better increase the chances of success, both roles incorporate three abilities each. The abilities are designed in a way as to directly oppose each other.

-[Photographer Abilities]-

The first ability of the Photographer is dropping a Banana Peel. If the Security Guard slips on the Banana Peel, he will be incapacitated for a few moments. The Banana Peel is best used when the Security Guard is chasing after the Photographer.

The second ability is a Blinding Flash. When used, this ability blinds the screen while enabling the Photographer to automatically teleport to a different area of the museum; somewhere away from the Security Guard. The Blinding Flash is best used when the Photographer suspects the Security Guard is very close to him and needs to get out quickly.

The third and final ability is a Sensor Rerouter. This device is used to confuse the Security Guard’s Proximity Sensor into detecting its presence instead of the Photographer’s presence. The Sensor Rerouter is also invisible when deployed, until it’s destroyed when the Security Guard gets very close to it. This device is best used when the Photographer needs to slip past the Security Guard in tight areas.

-[Security Guard Abilities]-

The first ability of the Security Guard is Apprehend. This ability enables the Security Guard to apprehend the Photographer. This is the Security Guard’s most important ability because the he wins the game once the Photographer is apprehended.

The second ability is Sprint. Sprinting increases the Security Guard’s movement speed for some time. This enables him to easily catch up to the Photographer once identified.
The third and final ability is the Proximity Sensor. The Security Guard can toggle the sensor on or off; each game starts with the sensor turned on. Toggling the Proximity Sensor’s power should be used strategically when pinpointing and/or flanking the Photographer.

All of the abilities are driven by cooldowns, and the cooldown periods vary between each ability.

Ideas worth considering

1. Online matchmaking via a Unity Master Server

A current limitation of No Photos, Please! is the fact that the game is playable on a single machine, which means that you can only play it if you have friends around.
One thing which I think could really make the game take off is the addition of online matchmaking. Unity provides a Master Server service which would allow players to host their own private/public matches online and join other private/public matches, all hosted via the Master Server.

This would help create a fantastic multiplayer experience

2. A Cheats & Modifiers screen

Currently, there are hidden in-game cheats that can be inputted within the game but they are activated by typing in the secret codes in the Main Menu. If a correct secret code is inputted in the Main Menu, you will hear a special sound to confirm that the secret is now activated. Some of the secret codes are mentioned within this writeup…

But something that would really be interesting is to have a Cheats & Modifiers screen accessible from the Main Menu that lets you 1) tweak various Boolean modifiers [No Timer (allhours), etc…] and 2) enter secret codes to activate in-game secrets and cheats.