TechBreach

What is TechBreach

TechBreach is a first-person horror shooter set in a futuristic research facility that has been taken over by a malicious AI. You take on the role of a cyborg that has been separated from the system and must find a way to destroy the AI before you yourself are destroyed or reintegrated into the system.

Test procedure

As part of my master's thesis, I am investigating how different enemy behaviours affect gameplay enjoyment and challenge. I prepared four versions of the game with different enemy behaviours.

Play one or multiple versions of TechBreach - each version contains a different AI strategy:

• A - Aggressive: Enemies attack quickly and offensively
• B - Balanced: Enemies have a mixture of offensive and defensive behaviour
• C - Defensive: Enemies act more cautiously and seek cover
• D - Mixed: All three behaviours are distributed on the map

After playing, please complete the questionnaire. The link is in the game in the main menu and after completion of the level. It must be completed once per version.

Your answers help to optimize the balance and playability of AI opponents. A game run takes approx. 15-30 minutes, depending on your pace. All data will be collected anonymously and used exclusively for research purposes.

You are free to play one or all versions. However, I would be very grateful if you would take the time to provide feedback on all versions.

How to play

Module installation

As a cyborg, you have the ability to install modules in your body. In addition to modules, there are also submodules. These can be weapons, life generators or shielding modules (e.g. to shield against radioactivity). Modules are spread all over the map and can be installed by going to a module, pressing the E button and then selecting a slot in the menu to install it:

For submodules, you must first select the main module and then the submodule slot:

Other facts

• Items relevant to the game's progress are highlighted with a white border.
• There is no save function and no checkpoints, i.e. after dying you have to start again from the beginning of the level.
• Shooting drains energy, and energy regenerates only for the current of the three cells. For more, you need energy cells which are distributed around the map. You need to carefully balance your shooting to avoid running out of energy!
• After installing the MK2 module, your weapon will be uninstalled. You need to reinstall it from the inventory (Tab) to use it again.

Key bindings

Key	Action
WASD	Walk
Left Shift	Sprint
Left CTRL	Crouch
Space	Jump
E	Use item
Tab	Inventory
LMB	Shoot