I love both of the Deadliest Warrior games, but I've always wondered how it would be if they made a Deadliest Warrior game with modern warriors. What would it be called? Who would be in it? How would it work? And how in the heck would they balance it so the most modern warriors aren't overpowered?
When it comes to a name, Modern Warriors, Modern Legends, and Modern Combat are all that I got. Perhaps you have a better suggestion.
Trailer[]
Just a little something that I thought up of. Hope it sounds cool.
In a small warehouse, five Spetznas soldiers enter and scout around the area. One of the soldiers is told to check a corner and he does so. When he approaches a crate, he sees a cowboy hat sitting on top of it and is puzzled by this. A colt revolver is pointed at the Spetznas soldier and a gunshot is heard. The other Spetznas quickly run and see that Jesse James has killed their comrade. He grabs his hat and quickly runs down another corridor, barely evading the Spetznas' gunfire. One of Jesse James' men fires his colt revolvers at them, but a Spetznas soldier takes cover behind a crate. He then quickly pops up and fires his AK74, riddling him with bullets. Another James Gang member fires his revolver at the Spetznas, who falls down. The Spetznas has been wounded in his left shoulder and thus is unable to effectively hold the AK74. He gets back up, switches to his makarov pistol, and fires again at the Jesse James member. The James Gang member then draws his bowie knife and charges at the Spetznas member. He cannot get a clear shot at the Jesse James member, who then stabs him in the neck and throws him down. A Spetznas member faces him, holding a saiga shotgun, and fires it at the Jesse James member, killing him instantly. Just as that occurs, a Jesse James member fires his winchester rifle from afar, killing the Spetznas instantly. Another Spetznas, just as far from him, fires his dragunov sniper rifle, killing that Jesse James member instantly. The Spetznas then moves to another spot when he is shot at by Jesse James along with his last man. The Spetznas soldier is shot in the leg, causing him to limp, as his leader grabs onto his arm and pulls him away while firing with a makarov pistol. As the two sides exchange fire, the Spetznas member pulls out a grenade, lets it sit in his hand, and then throws it. The Jesse James member pushes his leader out of the way as the grenade makes contact and kills him. The Spetznas leader gets his soldier behind cover and tries to use a medical kit to heal him, but before he can, a bullet nearly misses his head and he is forced to stop. Jesse James keeps firing as the Spetznas leader gets behind cover himself. He throws a grenade at Jesse James, but rather than evading it, he kicks it back at the Spetznas. The leader flees as the grenade lands underneath the wounded soldier's legs and goes off as he screams. Jesse James and the Spetznas leader keep firing until they both run out of ammo. From there, Jesse James pulls out his bowie knife as the Spetznas leader pulls out his ballistic knife. He raises his hands, but then he begins to point the ballistic knife towards him. Jesse James seems to know what the Spetznas is trying to do and gets his bowie knife into a throwing position. He lets out a grin as they both wait to see who will launch their weapon first. The screen goes black and both the bowie knife being thrown and the ballistic knife being launched can be heard. The impact of one of these weapons can be heard, but the winner is unclear.
Warriors[]
Now for the roster. We have quite a bit of gunslingers to choose from. My overall roster would be:
Navy Seals
Period: Modern
Mid-Range: SIG Sauer P226, Beretta Pistol, Mossberg Shotgun
Long Range: M4 Colt Commando, SR-25 Sniper Rifle
Special Weapon: C4, M67 Grenade, M18A1 Claymore
Melee Weapon: Recon 1 Knife, E-Tool
Skin: Land, Air, Sea, Swamp
Rival: Russian Spetznas
Russian Spetsnaz
Period: Late 1900's
Mid-Range: Saiga Shotgun, Makarov Pistol
Long Range: AK74 Carbine, Dragunov Rifle
Special Weapon: RGD-5 Grenade
Melee Weapon: Ballistic Knife
Skin:
Rival: GSG9
The Mafia
Period: Early 1900's
Mid-Range: Sawed-Off Shotgun
Long Range: Tommy Gun
Special Weapon: Molotov Cocktail, Pineapple Bomb
Melee Weapon: Brass Knuckles, Stiletto, Baseball Bat
Skin: Prohibition, Al Capone (unlockable)
Rival: Jesse James Gang
The Yakuza
Period: Mid 1900's
Mid-Range: Walther P38
Long Range: Sten
Special Weapon: Ceramic Grenade
Melee Weapon: Sai, Nunchaku, Katana
Skin:
Rival: The Mafia
SWAT
Period: Modern
Mid-Range: Benelli M4 Shotgun
Long Range: LWRC PSD Rifle, Remington 170 Sniper Rifle
Special Weapon: Tazer Shockwave
Melee Weapon:
Skin:
Rival: Israeli Commandos
GSG9
Period: Modern
Mid-Range: Remington 870 Shotgun
Long Range: HK G36, HK PSG1 Sniper Rifle
Special Weapon: Stingball Grenade
Melee Weapon:
Skin:
Rival: SWAT
Jesse James Gang
Period: Late 1800's
Mid-Range: Colt Revolvers
Long Range: Winchester Rifle
Special Weapon: Bowie Knife (thrown)
Melee Weapon: Pistol Whip, Bowie Knife
Skin: James Frank (unlockable), Jesse James (unlockable)
Rival: The Yakuza
Israeli Commandos
Period: Modern
Mid-Range: Glock 19
Long Range: Micro Galil
Special Weapon: Semtex (remote), Semtex (wire)
Melee Weapon: KA-BAR Knife
Skin:
Rival: Navy Seals
División del Norte (Pancho Villa)
Period: Early 1900's
Mid-Range: Colt Bisley
Long Range: 1894 Winchester Repeating Rifle
Special Weapon:
Melee Weapon: Bolo Knife
Skin: Pancho Villa (unlockable)
Rival: Phantom Army
Oglala Lakota (Crazy Horse)
Period: Late 1800's
Mid-Range: 1873 Colt
Long Range: 1860 Henry Repeating Rifle
Special Weapon: Bow & Arrow
Melee Weapon: Inyankapemni Club
Skin: Crazy Horse (unlockable)
Rival: División del Norte
French Foreign Legion
Period: Mid 1900's
Mid-Range: MAS-36 Rifle
Long Range: Browning Automatic Rifle
Special Weapon:
Melee Weapon: Camillus
Skin:
Rival: Gurkhas
Gurkhas
Period: Mid 1900's
Mid-Range: Enfield No. 4 Rifle
Long Range: Bren Light Machine Gun
Special Weapon:
Melee Weapon: Kukri
Skin:
Rival: Oglala Lakota
And just recently:
Phantom Army (Lawrence of Arabia)
Period: Early 1900's
Mid-Range: Lee-Enfield Rifle
Long Range: Vickers Machine Gun
Special Weapon:
Melee Weapon: Jambiya
Skin: Lawrence of Arabia (unlockable)
Rival: French Foreign Legion
Those are the ten that I would probably go with. As for the rest, we have prehistoric gunpowder warriors, the Pirate, the Romanians (Vlad the Impaler), the Ming, French Musketeers, American Revolutionaries (George Washington), Grand Army (Napoleon Bonaparte), Conquistadors (Hernan Cortez), and Streltsy/Oprichniki (Ivan the Terrible), who would have virtually no chance due to their one shot weapons; we also have potentially offensive, the IRA, Taliban, Waffen SS, Viet Cong, Somali Pirates, Mendellin Cartel, North Korean Special Operations Force, Republican Army (Saddam Hussein), and Khmer Rouge (Pol Pot), who may cause outcry towards the game in certain countries. As for the remaining missing, CIA, KGB, and Rough Riders (Theodore Roosevelt), I simply didn't feel like using them. I had just recently had a change of heart on the Phantom Army (Lawrence of Arabia) because they represent a time period that I hadn't covered, as well as another variety, though I do doubt that I will do so again for the rest. Despite this, I hope that the 13 modern warriors that I've considered are varied enough.
Gameplay[]
The gameplay would be simple: third-person, two teams, each with five members each, battle each other until the last man falls in a large map from one to three out of five. Teams appear from seperate sides of the map and try to hunt each other down, either as an entire squad or seperate if the players decide to split up. Player names of the same side can be seen, allowing you to find them easier, but player names of the oppositon do not, allowing them (or yourself) to hide until the opportune moment. Each warrior has two firearms (mid-range and long-range), as well as a special weapon (for the most part, explosive), as well as a melee attack that differs depending on the warrior. Depending on where you hit an opponent, they will either suffer only a minor wound, may limp, be forced to only use their mid-range weapon, or just may go down in one strike. Limping soldiers can be saved by their comrades if they grab onto them and pull them away. You can heal wounds by using medical kits. Each warrior by default has one and can use it whenever they please. However, the effect is not instantaneous; you must find a safe place and hold a button for a few seconds in order for the healing to complete itself. Medical kits can be found in the level, but there are very few of them. You cannot press a button to stick to cover, so you will have to run or roll to it. You will not find extra ammo laid out throughout the level, so instead you will have to either get an ally to lend it to you or take it from their dead body. You cannot take or wield enemy weapons, but if an enemy throws a grenade at you, you do have the option of throwing (or kicking) it back to them before it goes off.
Explosives like C4 and semtex detonate when the warrior that placed it activates it. If that soldier dies, then it will go off some time afterwards at random. To stop this, you can disable it (both sides can) by getting up close to it and pressing a button, which will enable your warrior to disable it if you stay in that position for a few seconds. This also works on landmines, but you must be at a certain distance, otherwise it'll go off and kill you.
For the most part, mid-range and long range weapons all work generally the same way, though a big exception is the Phantom Army's Vickers. The weapon is designed not to be held and fired, but rather placed onto the ground and remain stationary, unless the player desires to move it.
Special weapons vary considerably on the factions.
Navy Seals, Spetznas, Mafia, Yakuza, and Israeli Commandos, wield explosives, which, depending on the faction, are thrown or stationary. Grenades are for taking out a group at once or an enemy behind cover, while stationary explosives remain in a location until either triggered by the person that set it (ex. C4) or the opposing enemy has stepped too close to it (ex. claymore).
Both SWAT and GSG9 possess non-lethal special weapons, that do not kill the target, but rather stuns then, leaving them open for the kill. The Tazer Shockwave is stationary, activating when an enemy walks too close to it, while the Stingball grenade can be thrown and hits the enemy if they're in the attack range.
The Mafia also can use the Molotov cocktail, which has the ability to create fire on the ground for a short duration of time. An enemy that either runs into that fire or that are hit directly by the Molotov will be in a burning state, which can only be stopped if the player can rapidly press buttons to put out the flame. Otherwise, if being attacked or in critical condition in this state, it can be futile.
The Jesse James Gang can throw Bowie Knifes right at their opponents. The damage depends on where the knife hits. Hitting the arm or leg will cause major damage to that limb and a headshot or chestshot will kill instantly.
The Oglala Lakota have a bow and arrow that they can draw and fire at their opponents. Like the James Gang knife, the damage depends on where the knife hits. Arrows are sparce, but can be reused if taken from a dead opponent.
Melee weapons are designed for either when all ammo has been used or for conserving it. Longer range melee weapons, such as the baseball bat and katana, have a good reach and can kill in one hit (with armored enemies being the exception), but are much slower, thus easier to avoid. Shorter range weapons, such as knifes, are quicker, but have much shorter range and take more than one hit to kill. The one unique melee weapon is the Spetznas' Ballistic Knife, which can be used for melee, as well as a ranged weapon, though the second option will remove the weapon for the rest of the battle until it is retrieved from the fallen enemy.
Armor from certain factions (SWAT and GSG9) can minimize damage, but it only protects then for a few shots and it slows them down either slightly or heavily depending on the amount. The armor does prevent longer range melee weapons from killing them in one strike, but the strike will leave the receiver in critical damage.
Offline, you and your AI comrades will have to work together to eliminate the enemy effectively. You are their squad leader and can tell them commands using the directional pad. The commands are: follow me, spread out, look around, or give me ammo. When you die, you must choose which of your teammates that you wish to take over. However, if all of your comrades are dead by the time you die, then you've lost the round. Online, if you die, you will have to wait until the round concludes to start again.
Friendly fire can be kept on or off to ensure firearms and melee attacks do not accidently harm allies, but even if turned off, explosive special weapons, be it grenades or stationary (ex. C4) will kill whoever is in the blast radius, regardless of faction.
Now the biggest question is how do you balance it? Do you let Jesse Jame's revolver do extreme damage and have SWAT do less damage because they have a larger magazine? Perhaps, but it probably isn't that simple. For starters, wearing body armor will allow you to take more shots, but it slows you down. The more body armor you have, the slower you will be. Not having armor makes you a lot quicker, but you obviously die easier. Like the Deadliest Warrior games with ancient warriors, we could break them up into classes. Would it be determined by their weapons, armor, or time? Many of them could fall under the guerilla class, but what about the rest?
Customization[]
Each team of warriors has default skins (and armors) to choose from as well as unlockable skins. Besides that, you can create your own skins by choosing parts for the head, torso, shoulder, arm, hands, waist, legs, knees, and feet. You can also choose your own face and apply your own colors and symbols.
Using this not only allows you to create a warrior fit for you visually, but also gameplay-wise (for warriors with access to armor). You can choose the amount of armor you want and for what locations of the body. You can have a warrior that has armor on the arms and legs because you tend to get attacked at those locations, but leave the head and torso free to allow for more movement. Potentially, you could take a warrior like the GSG9 and remove all of his armor, which will give you a light version of the warrior, making you far faster than a fully-armored warrior, but leaves you just as vulnerable as any unarmored warrior.
If I had my way, I'd enable players to select what sex your warrior is when choosing skins or customizing. Since Joan of Arc was the first female combatant on the show and in the games, I'd say lets keep going and have female combatants shoot it out with the men.
Stages[]
Something that I didn't think of at the time was stages. It could be potentially difficult having a stage for each warrior, but it isn't something to rule out just yet. So far, I've based these stages not only on the areas of which most of the 13 warriors fought, but also on areas where the warriors not included fought as well. Since I couldn't give each faction their own individual stage, I've decided that they'll all be randomized in Arcade mode for variety.
These locations are:
Hotel (Mafia vs. Yakuza)
Soviet Building (Green Beret vs. Spetznas)
Abandoned Car Lot (IRA vs. Taliban)
Warehouse (IRA vs. Spetznas, Somali Pirates vs. Mendellin Cartel)
Training Grounds (SWAT vs. GSG9)
American History Museum (Jesse James Gang vs. Al Capone)
Jungle (Waffen SS vs. Viet Cong)
Embassy (CIA vs. KGB)
Power Plant (Navy SEALs vs. Israeli Commandos)
Peninsula (U.S. Army Rangers vs. North Korean Special Operations Force)
War-torn City (Saddam Hussein vs. Pol Pot)
Open Field (Theodore Roosevelt vs. Lawrence of Arabia)
Campsite (Crazy Horse vs. Pancho Villa, French Foreign Legion Vs Gurkhas)
Fight Lab
Will be adding on to this later. Suggestions would be great.