Cash Force
Wacky 70s Styled VR Crime FPS
Cash Force Cash Force is a high-octane arcade VR shooting game where players take the role of an undercover cop gone rogue fleeing the scene of a heist in a colorful 70's crime film esque setting. Defend your stash of cash from pursuing thugs using an assortment of highly intractable weapons. Lock, load, and shoot your way through waves of pursuing enemies as you engage in combat out of the back of a moving heavily armored van, using the doors and other supplies as cover. Carefully plan your escape route before fleeing the scene of the crime, but remember, the higher the risk, the higher reward! Earn cash from performing skillful shots on enemies, allowing you to purchase upgrades and gadgets to improve your weapons and van. But be careful: the more damage the van receives, the more cash you lose; its game over if you run outta' cash!
Visit Website View Trailer View full documentationGame Intent.
The Intent behind the creation of Cash Force is to create a fast paced and exciting shooter experience for our players. Taking control of a cop gone rogue and determined to take down a rival crime syndicate in a colorful 1970s-inspired setting – players can lock, load, and let loose using a flashy arsenal of manually operated weapons! Blast through enemies in hot pursuit from the back of your getaway van, racking up a body count and earning cash as you go. We want players to engage in fast-paced, combat-focused jobs: such as taking out specific enemies, fleeing a job gone wrong, or earning enough funds to skip town.
Cash Force provides an immersive and accessible VR experience, emphasising arcade-style gameplay over intense simulation. Streamlined weapon interactions, like loading and shooting, retain the high level of interactivity and immersion VR is known for while keeping players in the action. The excitement and tension of car chase scenes from ’70s crime films are emulated through frantic gameplay scenarios. In-depth reward systems ensure risk and experience are met with high reward. Cash Force is a stylish, thrilling, and over-the-top shoot-’em-up that strives to challenge players no matter their mastery!
Full Item Manipulation.
Two handed manipulation of each weapon provides players with a middle ground between the complex interactions of VR simulation games, and the simple grab-and-go aspect of arcade shooters. Each weapon in Cash Force can be loaded, cocked, and grabbed with either hand.
Gameplay is fast paced, frantic, and humorous couch competitive experience in which enjoyment is derived from the silliness of the gameplay and player interaction.
Plan Your Getaway.
Plan your getaway route back to your safehouse through a procedurally generated city, where rick rewards. More dangerous routes will lead you back to the safehouse faster, while easier routes will take longer. Use your gained loot to fuel your next missions with upgrades, and weapons. Players plan mission routes using a map like interface within the safehouse. The player can pick which street route to take depending on the traffic and length through touching it with their motion controllers.
Before initially entering each level the player will begin in a “safehouse” like environment. This safehouse is where the player will plan their level route, purchase van and weapon upgrades, check their vault to see their cash and results from the last played mission, test weapons, and choose the items they are bringing to the fight. Purchasing weapons with the cashed gained from levels is easy and intuitive for players without the use of distracting panels. WIthin the safehouse there exists a wall of weapons mounted to the wall on a large tool rack. To purchase a new gun the player simply reaches out and grabs the weapon outlined in a blue color. If the player cannot afford the weapon it will outline in red.
My Role.
I served as the product owner / systems / level designer for this project. Focusing on the core systems of the game and the design and implimentation of the levels.
After focusing on the design of the core systems of Cash Force I shifted my focus to the design of the safehouse and the first main non-procedural level players would experience. Here I created multiple graybox versions which planned for the heavy toll VR takes on a pc, creating shifts and turns in the city route that favor optimization without sacrificing fun.
As this was a game based in virtual reality I wanted to make sure that players would succum to as little motion sickness as possible when playing. During the beginning of development I created multiple prototypes that tested the speed, vision, and turning radius of the getaway van. After many iterations I found that players experience very little motion sickness when their field of view was limited to a set area in front of the player and only in the periods where the van is turning is it noticable to players with a background of motion sickness.
I also took on the role of product owner for Cash Force, working along side the teams Producers Austin Roorda, and Louis Klarfeld to push the project forward and keep the core concept and theme in view during each iteration while assisting in backlog task organization and management. As a lead on the team I worked with the other department heads to deligate tasks, make major design decisions, and scope the project accordingly.
The Team.