MyResistance.net
The ultimate companion game
As the third installment in the critically-acclaimed Resistance franchise, Insomniac Games’ Resistance 3 portrays one man’s heroic struggle to survive in a brutal world. Featuring new upgradeable weapons, the return of the weapon wheel, two-player online or split-screen campaign co-op, and a progression-based multiplayer experience, Resistance 3 delivers a heroic-yet-savage first-person shooter experience for PlayStation 3.
Insomniac Games and Sony Computer Entertainment America invited Soap Creative to concept, design and develop a free-to-play online strategy game set during mankind’s final stand in the Resistance Universe. A player’s actions in Global Resistance unlock content for Resistance 3 on their Playstation 3 console, making this a true companion game in addition to an epic online multiplayer experience. If the player does not yet own Resistance 3, the unlockable rewards offer a compelling sell-through opportunity in the form of actual content.
The target for Global Resistance? People who play video games across the web on a daily/weekly basis who may or may not be familiar with Insomniac or the R3 franchise.
The Challenge
Leverage the iconic Resistance 3 universe online to expand their ultra loyal fan base and increase sales of the title.
The Solution
Create an epic companion game with a casual mindset and multiple levels of engagement; that’s fun, addictive and resonates for both die hard fans and those new to the franchise.
Judge Login
Experience Global Resistance first-hand! Log in now with a mid-level character.
Note: not all tutorials will be available at this level. To learn the game as a first time player would, go to myresistance.net/global and click "Connect Via Facebook." Your account will be created automatically.
Sign-In ID: ResistanceFranchise@hotmail.com
Password: forYourConsideration2012
Concept Art
Humanity wasn't crushed in a day: crafting the artwork for Global Resistance was an iterative process. Browse our concept gallery to see how we brought Humanity's desperate struggle to life, and contrast with the creeping, organic presence of the Chimera.
The Game
Players enlist as either a Chimera or Human commander in the struggle for dominance over successive wars. The team controlling the most regions at the end of each war, claims victory.
The game consists of four main views in the battle to take over the world...
1. World View
Deploy your personal arsenal alongside thousands of other players to destroy enemy forces.
2. Region View
Complete Territory Missions in specific regions to help your side gain the upper hand in battle.
3. Base View
Build barracks & weapons factories to generate war resources for deployment and customize your contribution to the teams effort.
5. Admin Panel
We built an array of behind-the-scenes tools to manage the global conflict. Collectively called "the admin panel," we can review stats and manage macrogame balancing in real timeta.
Community Collaboration
Soap created a number of in-game mechanisms to reinforce the cooperative and competitive aspects of Global Resistance:
In Game Community Collaboration
Avatars represent player movements on the global map.
In Game Community Collaboration
A Personal War log records their own updates... Your barracks is complete!
In Game Community Collaboration
A global news feed keeps players up to date on events in the war... 1032887 Chimera solidiers killed this round!
In Game Community Collaboration
Team based rewards are distributed and affect the outcome of the war and round... Players can vote on where to drop a nuclear bomb to decimate enemy forces.
In Game Community Collaboration
Commanders collaborate and strategize on the MyResistance community site forums, where they discuss which regions to attack next, upcoming team actions (“where to drop the next nuke?”), and how to best grow their own personal armies in order to contribute to the global war.
Stats
Myresistance.net is the central hub holding each player’s profile, recording their stats across all Resistance games, including Global Resistance and Resistance console titles.
Rewards
Endless opportunity to rank up and earn achievements is a core feature of Global Resistance game design. In tying rewards to the achievement system there are several hooks throughout gameplay to get players involved in both Global Resistance and Resistance 3 on the console. Two-way integration between Resistance 3 and its community in MyResistance/ Global Resistance allows for unlockable rewards on both sides. Players unlock concept art, exclusive Resistance 3 multi-player skins, in-game titles and XP boosters for both games.
A true worldwide contest
The game is fully supported in 17 languages. The clock in Global Resistance is off-set against the normal 24 hour day so no timezone has an advantage during game play.
The Process
Take a look at the extensive process involved in constructing the epic battle of Global Resistance.
Step 1: Research
Stocked up on noodles and hit the couch for a lot of quality time... With the Playstation. Taking turns to fight through hordes of Chimera, first in Europe for Resistance: Fall of Man and into the US for Resistance 2.
Step 2: Plan & Align Forces
Workshops, charts & competitor analysis fed into an epic Game Definition Document that described the vision, objectives and functionality of Global Resistance.
Step 3: Rapid Prototype
Build a quick and dirty version of the main map, without any polished design. Project stakeholders could control blocky graphics on a rough map at a very early stage. Experienced Game Developers Insomniac we’re able to confirm we we’re all in sync on basic game play. Time to kick on with the proper build.
Step 4 : Crack the Map
The world map is central to strategy in gameplay: teams can only attack adjacent territories, so the number of shared borders affect how teams can move across the map. We wireframed the map and went through multiple iterations of “meta” gameplay. Once wireframes were approved we moved on to ‘almost final’ artwork. As a mainstay of the game, it was important for both client expectations and development that the map was approved and virtually complete.
Step 5 : Wireframe, build, play & improve
One by one, wireframe game features. Core features like deploying troops on the main map were first. When wireframes were approved that feature would be expedited straight into development to ensure it was playable as early as possible. Having the client test features frequently meant we could incorporate good feedback early and then iterate on releases.
Step 6 : Retrofit Flash development with design.
To reduce risk and keep development as flexible as possible we left design until the end. Design phases trailed releases allowing for testing, feedback & tweaks prior to adding design to Flash. Finer design elements like icons we’re left as late as possible, to avoid putting polish on areas of the game that would change.
Step 7 : Design
HUD design was crafted to be cohesive with the look and feel of Resistance 3. Buckets of assets were downloaded from Insomniac and reusedin designing Global Resistance.
Step 7 : Turn on the lights
Animation brought the game to life. On the main map users see other players’ actions (such as bombs dropping or troops deploying) via map elements featuring each player’s avatar. PVP was constructed with an animated, retro-style black and white treatment of Insomniac’s concept art. Our philosophy was to make the game fun before making it sexy with animation -- that way animation becomes something that makes the game truly amazing. Underneath all the flashy graphcis, at the core of the Global Resistance is the addictive gameplay that keeps players coming back.