Co-Op gameplay mechanics feature

Once again, it is I, Dwayne Douglass, lead designer on Killing, My Friend. Today’s topics are Special FX which will help answer the question “What do I do with all this Fame?” We'll also cover some of our co-op specific gameplay features. And wanted to show off some screenshots from our upcoming Hong Kong map. Specifically the garage area. So dive in!

Wounded, Injured and Death

Wounded: When the player’s hit points reach zero, they are knocked down with severe wounds and a short timer starts (this timer is longer if playing solo). When the timer runs out they are killed and must wait to respawn. While Wounded the player can crawl at a very reduced pace and shoot their sidearm. The only way to be revived is by making it to a safe zone behind cover and bandaging their wounds.

Limping and Injured: When an AI player falls below 15 percent health or a human player falls below 10 percent health (through both temporary and lingering damage) they are Injured and must limp to find cover. The players are unable to perform any stunts. Injuries can only be remedied by bandaging. The only difference to bandaging while wounded is that this type of bandaging only resets limping and does not restore any health.

Death: When a player is Wounded and their revive timer times out or they are executed as hostages, the player is killed and is required to respawn. Also, if the player is Wounded more than three times, the player’s health reaching zero will cause death rather than Wounded. At the end of a wave, the director will call “Cut! Reset” and the player will respawn and then gameplay continues. When all players in a co-op game are dead the game is over.

Enemy Interactions

Held Hostage: Human Shield: Lieutenants that get close enough to a player can grab the player and use them as a human shield, firing over the hostage’s shoulder. They will try to keep the hostage between them and any other players. The player held hostage can only be released by another player killing the Lieutenant.

Held Hostage: Kidnapped: Lieutenant grabs a player and throws a bag over their head and attempts to lead them out of the battle. If they reach the edge of the map the player is executed.

Held Hostage: Explosive Vest: Lieutenant straps an explosive vest to the player and lets them loose. The only way to stop the player from exploding is to either kill the lieutenant that is holding the remote or to disarm the vest in time.

Player Interactions

Share Ammunition: The player can throw a few clips or box of ammo to another player at any time. Ammunition can be scarce and the player may find that they run out of ammunition at a critical moment and are not in a position to reach any on their own.

Rescue: A healthy player can help a wounded player revive more quickly by picking the wounded player up, slinging their arm over their shoulder and leading them to a safe zone to bandage their wounds. Once slung over the shoulder of the other player, the wounded player cannot control their movement. They can both aim and shoot their sidearms while player movement is controlled by the healthy player. Once deposited in the safe zone, the wounded player can then bandage their wounds and get back into the fight.

Release Hostage: When another player is held hostage, they can only be released by another player. If they are held too long the Lieutenant executes the hostage and the player held hostage has to respawn.

Defusing Explosive Vest: The player defuses the explosive vest in time and saves the other player.

That's it for this installment. Please check out our Kickstarter which is currently LIVE here:

We were recently chosen as a staff pick too! Cool beans!

Thanks again, and check back again when we do a run down on the enemies you'll be facing in Killing, My Friend.