In our fourth devlog, we’ll be talking about the biggest difference from the original Police Stories - our police precinct. This is the place where every mission begins and ends, the territory where our officers work tirelessly. And you, as the precinct chief, are the one planning all operations.
At first, we had plenty of different ideas for how to set up our “base.” One concept was a top-down view of the entire precinct as a schematic. Another was a simple list of departments. We even considered making the whole precinct a separate level that you could freely walk around.
We drew inspiration from this particular precinct layout when deciding on the design.
As we explored different options, we decided to try a style inspired by CCTV cameras placed throughout various precinct departments. It turned out to be so cool that we immediately scrapped all the other ideas. So, the precinct.
At this stage of development, what we’re showing you is not the final version, since the style and effects may and will change in the future.
This is the first place you’ll see when starting the game and after completing each mission. One of its key visual features is the level of activity in the precinct. The number of police officers and frustrated citizens on your screen will change depending on how effective your precinct is. It’s simple: the worse your precinct performs, the more unhappy people you’ll see waiting in line.
The most important element here is the list containing all financial information, broken down into categories and sorted by numbers. This table is displayed on the left.
It helps you keep track of your financial situation and make future decisions based on it. Remember - if you run out of funds to keep the precinct operational, you’ll be dismissed, and the game will be over.
There will be 2 types of missions in Police Stories 2:
- story missions, which will appear as you progress through the game. They will require all of your skills and effort;
- side missions, which will help you fix the precinct’s budget, complete tasks1 from the governor or the mafia, and practice new methods of fighting crime.
For both missions types, briefing screen will be your starting point. It will give you the opportunity to understand what actions to take during the mission.
For example:"Gunshots were heard near the warehouse" - you should consider taking the sturdiest body armor. "A sect of former military has barricaded themselves in a grocery store and threatens to blow everything up" - take a borescope and wire cutters, most likely there will be traps.
May be "A huge office building has been taken over by a gang of deranged punks" - request sniper support, they will provide you with information about enemy locations.
The choice of which officer to send is entirely up to you. Hire a disgraced alcoholic cop to save some money? Or maybe a battle-hardened veteran who has just graduated from the academy? Perhaps send an exhausted officer who’s already on his third shift in a row?
There are plenty of options, each with its own pros and cons - both financially and in terms of gameplay.
Rank-and-file officers, their skills, and their problems will be covered as a separate topic in the next devlog. Stay tuned for more info :D
Over time, weapons wear out, break, and become unusable. Likewise, officers can get injured and lose their special equipment. Sometimes the governor urgently demands that all body armor reserves be handed over to his security detail. Or maybe someone from the staff is stealing from the storage?
There are plenty of reasons why weapons and gear get spent. But the solution is always the same - purchase new ones, equip your officer, and send them on a mission.
-- "Officers assigned and equipped? Address received, let’s roll out!"
Haven’t forgotten anything? If you’re sure, hit the big button and head out to deliver justice.
You’ll also be in charge of other departments. At the moment, they are still in development, so for now we can only tell you about them.
Forensics - they arrive at the crime scene right after you and document everything you’ve done. If you feel your actions weren’t exactly proper, we strongly recommend cleaning things up before they arrive. Of course, you can hire less reliable forensic staff who will “find” the right kind of evidence themselves. But in that case, don’t count on successful investigations or rewards from the governor.
Detectives - they show up after the forensics team. It may look like all they do is smoke and curse, but without them, you won’t solve a single case. Their results heavily depend on how effective the forensics team and the intelligence department are.
Intelligence department - informants, informants, and more informants. This department requires solid financial support, and not every dollar spent will bring you useful intel. But without them, detectives won’t be able to carry out investigations, and you won’t receive critical information about your enemies. For example: someone rats out their partner, and you know for certain that the next mission will feature a dangerous thug wearing military-grade body armor and wielding an AK-47. Or you might find out that the next mission is actually a setup, and an ordinary café is already rigged as an ambush for your officers. That’s the kind of intel you definitely don’t want to miss.
Evidence storage - the most tempting target for the mafia. After all, a criminal case can collapse with the loss of just one important document or a single tiny shell casing. Keep a close eye on the evidence storage - it might just save you from being fired one day.
Workshop - making explosives isn’t exactly legal, just like assembling weapons and delivering them to a crime scene. So of course, you don’t actually have a workshop - just an empty room in the precinct that is definitely not occupied by a shady handyman.
Garage - the place where cars that have been shot up or wrecked are brought back to life. Without vehicles, you won’t be able to head out on missions, so we strongly recommend not to leave them unattended.
Chief’s office - your own personal space, where you can shut the door and take a break from all the chaos. Listen to some music, sip a bit of whiskey, and have a smoke while looking out over the city… Here, you might hear a call from a hidden phone that absolutely shouldn’t be in your office. You answer it, and on the line is someone determined to burn the mafia with hot iron and throw the corrupt governor behind bars. One precise strike to destroy all their plans and bring peace back to the city.
Don’t forget about our Discord. There you can:
discuss previous versions
share your impressions and ideas
find partners for co-op missions
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