I've had similar thoughts, however in my visions I wanted to try and combine it with some kind of law enforcement prediction system. In the real world law enforcement use things like the now retired VICAPS (Violent Criminal Apprehension System), not sure what the current version is. It combines databases and information in order to try and predict criminal behavior based on parameters. It uses things like the convenience principle where say your typical person is not likely to say drive across town to buy a jug of milk when they can use the neighborhood store. Likewise a killer is likely to mostly victimize people fairly close to where he or she happens to live. Of course exceptions exist, and as more data is collected it works through the possibilities... such "systems" are not entirely computer based by the way it's sort of a system in terms of organizational procedure with the usage of certain elements, and eliminating things A to B.HardkorSB said:
A lot of people like to play "Armchair Killer" when they watch horror movies or mysteries, nothing serious, but it's an interesting thought exercise, pretty much being the reverse of an Armchair Detective (obviously) and a lot of people do both of course. In a sandbox environment such a system based on player behavior and patterns the game recognizes could produce police responses and such, and effect when and where serious opposition randomly appears (in addition to whatever storyline the game has) and even potentially wind up chasing the protagonist killer out of their lair, or ending the game if the player acts in a way that leads to a dragnet so tight forming that they simply cannot "win', escape, or proceed anymore.
As I see things there might also be special rewards for say risking certain patterns, such as killing people in a way that creates a pentagram around a specific point. A pattern which increases the chance of the authorities figuring out what your doing and where your operating from. In the spirit of a campy game like this as well there might also be a sort of risk/reward factor in say tipping off the police. Say giving the police a clue, or even flat out saying where your next kill will be, knowing it will increase your opposition, but if you succeed will garner greater rewards for you.
The whole idea is kind of sick, but I've trained for forensics and criminal investigation so the idea always had this weird kind of appeal. In most games where you play an investigator it becomes limited because your dependent on finding the clues the developer put into the game based on predetermined mistakes by the bad guy. It doesn't allow for that much freedom, compared to seeing what mistakes your going to make, and I admit I'm curious how well many people who claim they could be the perfect killer if they were psycho enough would do, especially when they laugh about how "obviously stupid" real world psychos were when they were captured, when in reality I have my doubts about most people doing better because everything is stupid and obvious in hindsight.
That said, we are fundamentally talking about a literal murder simulator, something which has no real redeeming value other than entertainment for people that are by definition going to be extremely warped and jaded. I'm not sure if the world is ready enough to embrace people's darker hidden impulses to that extent yet, as if such a game was ever made there would literally be no way to defend it. Most slasher movies include some kind of narrative, usually a morality play of sort, which makes them defensible in strict arguments. One can argue for example that the people Jason kills are "Bad" and he's also basically a manifestation of vengeance, albeit a vengeance going way too far. Freddy Kruegar is totally irredeemable but is presented as being pure evil as well, and the movies dealt with some rather interesting subject matter about the relation between sleep and reality and so on. Not to mention the fact that as evil as Freddy was, in part he becomes what he is because the Elm Street parents also did the wrong thing in resorting to vigilante justice. The sins of the fathers being visited on the children so to speak.
That said the day might come, I feel Prototype (the original) was defined in a way that was sociopathic enough where it opens doors. I honestly can't think of many redeeming elements of that game's premise. Most other "your the bad guy" games are goofy enough where you can't take them seriously.
