HACKING THE SYSTEM #2

> \[NDL_LINK INTERFACE v0.2.1]

> jackin://ghostwire<.node//WIRE.ndl . processing

> Access DENIED<<Granted.

Hello Operators.

As promised, heres a second look into the world of DeadWire - and his companion Noodle - focusing on the creation of the world they inhabit and the deadly adversaries facing them

A focus on World Building

When it comes to the city, its origins lie in some of my earlier efforts, interests and explorations. Cyberpunk is a genre Ive always been drawn to; near future urban, cool, shiny and chrome.

I wanted the game to feel a little more grounded and visceral than some of the more hi-tech interpretations you can find. This also played nicely into DeadWires unique rewiring mechanic. Rewiring needed to feel like bleeding edge technology, something that set Wire apart from the riff-raff. It enabled Rewire mode to be the special power that the player has and it being a flexible tool for solving or helping with many of the games puzzles. It is very cyberpunk and really extends the near future feel of the game. For more information on how the mechanic came into being, please have a read of my previous Dev Update.

Gang culture and criminal enterprise is a common trope in cyberpunk; the world of DeadWire is no different. The punk nature of lawlessness feeds into the games antagonists: The rival criminal gangs and the seedy underworld they inhabit. Each gang has a different approach to its activities, meaning the player needs to tackle different enemies in different ways. This enabled the game to offer evolving levels of threat that you need to learn how to handle.

The first gang - The Sluggers - are the street muscle of Uptown-City, a low-level group of grunts, more used to threatening customers than dealing with a well armed operative. Get enough of them together though and they can be dangerous. They are supplemented by their enforcers, often armed with heavy hitting shotguns. Combine this with the claustrophobic environs of an underground urban warren (and hackable system ripe for controlling) and the games level designs begin to take shape. With the game split into a number of acts, the gang threats and urban environs combine to present the player with an ever evolving and hardening challenge. The reward for exploration and progression is a steadily revealed story throughout the experience.

This was the most challenging aspect of the game to get right. Once the core mechanics were in place, the realisation of the plot arc - coupled with the need to present an ever engaging challenge - began to form the flow of the game. The Acts form logical aspects of the plot that DeadWire and Noodle begin to uncover. No spoilers here (of course), suffice to say Im rather pleased with the flow of the game so far and I hope you enjoy exploring it as much as I enjoyed making it.

Another aspect I wanted to deliver was to get some degree of player progression, by giving DeadWire some additional tools with which to solve the challenges facing him. Again, no spoilers, but a few upgrades can make all the difference and open up additional opportunities for mischief and mayhem. This also has the benefit of rewarding experimentation; there is no optimum strategy and what I want is for players to find ways around the games challenges that I have never thought of. I really look forward to watching a stream or video of someone completing a level and thinking How the hell did they do that?!

Stay frosty, Operatives.

Shotgun Anaconda

> jackin://ghostwire.node//WIRE.ndl -- end

> \[NDL_LINK INTERFACE v0.1.8]

> jackin://ghostwire<.node//WIRE.ndl

> Access Granted.

Lets have some fun shall we >:)

In a little under 48 hours, were going primetime and hacking the PC Gaming Show

The show kicks off Sunday 8 June at 12:00 PDT, 15:00 EDT, 20:00 BST, 21:00 CEST etc. and - no spoilers - but uhhyoull never look at a cup of noodles the same way again.

Tune in and watch the fun.

> ENDS

Shotgun Anaconda

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/45154560/acc271aba091efa8305156d74e551285b6c84921.jpg"][/img]

> [NDL_LINK INTERFACE v0.1.8] > jackin://ghostwire<.node//WIRE.ndl > Access Granted. Hello Operators. Welcome to first Hacking the System, a new series of posts that jacks into the world of DeadWire. The countdown to the games launch later this summer is well and truly on, so I wanted to start by talking about one of the games key gameplay features Rewire Mode. What is Rewire Mode? DeadWires cybernetic-infused city is a playground for elite hackers like Wire; their mentorship under Noodle has made them one of the most adept at rewiring, the ability to hack into the networked systems found in everything from doors, vehicles, and even human implants. By harnessing their skills through Rewire Mode, Wire can link these systems together and unleash daisy-chained chaos and carnage as they go. Rewiring the past How did Rewire Mode come about? Ive been gaming for many years, and enjoy a really broad range of genres, so inspiration for my own projects come from far and wide. The first kernel that eventually became Rewire Mode started when I played the excellent Dishonored 2 by Arkane Lyon. One of the games protagonists - Emily Kaldwin - is marked with a number of supernatural abilities shortly into the story, and one of these is called Domino, which enables players to link enemies together and causes them to die or fall unconscious together. I wanted to see if I could take that idea and adapt it into a 2D game 20 minutes later, I had a rudimentary prototype where two green boxes could be linked together and disappear. And thats where I melded it with an idea from a second AAA franchise: Ubisofts Watch Dogs. Id coincidentally seen a video on Watch Dogs 2, which inspired me to try and evolve my prototype mechanic so I could link to more things. I programmed it so I could open in-game doors through this daisy-chaining, and I just continued building Rewire Mode from there! Initially when Rewire Mode was being developed, I had it freeze the game, enabling players to have infinite time while they linked enemies and environmental objects together - even select different types of hacking - but I eventually decided to focus the gameplay on action and speed. So now, time is merely slowed down in Rewire Mode, rather than stopped entirely. As a result, DeadWires gameplay started feeling much more arcadey, with hacking becoming more context based. For example, if you hack electronics they stun people close by, enemies with armor will lose their armor and if theyve no armor then theyll die. Everything in the game is separated into one of four distinct categories: Human, Explosives, Electronics, Objects. Depending on what is linked, different things will happen. This creates situations where players can achieve multiple actions. For instance, linking an enemy to a speaker that distracts them; killing the enemy hacks the speaker that blows up, stunning a second enemy standing next to it, and enabling you to shoot them. Another example is linking an explosive barrel to a car, and the car to a locked door. Blowing up the barrel starts the cars engine, which opens the door and there might be an enemy on the other side. Ultimately, one of my goals for DeadWire is to create a highly reactive world; I want you to experiment and force you to hack as you shoot. For me, the peak DeadWire experience is achieving that mix of gunplay with tactical hacking and I cant wait to see what you come up with when the game launches later this year. Stay secure, Operators. Shotgun Anaconda > jackin://ghostwire.node//WIRE.ndl -- end

> [NDL_LINK INTERFACE v0.1.8] > jackin://ghostwire<.node//WIRE.ndl > Access Granted. //Operators, this mission brief is for your eyes only// Im Shotgun Anaconda, the creator of DeadWire, and Im excited to introduce you to the games neon-drenched worldand the explosive hacking combat at its core. Set in a brutal and corrupt cyberpunk city ruled by networks of gangs, you play as Wirean elite hacking operative raised in a backstreet orphanage and trained by a noodle-slinging merc. Your mission: pay off your mentor's debt by taking down the citys criminal underworld using both firepower and hacking finesse.
Firing pistols and throwing sharp katanas comes naturallybut your real weapon is DeadWires distinct hacking mechanic: Rewire Mode. Think fast, hack faster. Rewire Mode lets you manipulate the environment in real time: Create chaos by linking enemies, machines, explosives, and tech together. Pull the trigger, and watch a deadly chain reaction rip through the battlefieldunlocking doors, frying enemies, hotwiring cars, and clearing rooms before anyone knows what hit them. DeadWire is a hybrid of bloody, tactical action and cerebral puzzle-solvingall while the clock ticks. Every level is scored. Every second counts. If you want to get the top rank, youll have to master both bullets and cybernetics. Were launching this summer, and Ive got a ton more to show you soon. So jack in, follow (and Wishlist!) DeadWire on Steam, and get ready to rewire the city. > jackin://ghostwire.node//WIRE.ndl -- end