Note: This post, which
assumes PS4-only, supersedes the previous
'Introducing Parkview Towers'
post (available here),
which assumed previous-gen and multiplat.
"What's going on out there?"
Parkview Towers is a massively multiplayer tower defense gun game and virtual apartment community for PlayStation 4 with PlayStation 4 Camera.
Concept video demonstrating the 'Virtual Apartment Community' aspect of Parkview Towers
Parkview Towers requires:
- PlayStation 4 with PlayStation 4 Camera
- PlayStation Move Motion Controller
- Sharp Shooter Attachment or Shooting Attachment
Parkview Towers is also compatible with:
- PlayStation 3D Glasses
- Xperia devices
The Game
Introduction
Several apartment buildings
overlook a park or square in the heart of a large city. The city is being
attacked and invaded by hostile alien forces.
The head tracking capabilities of the PlayStation 4 Camera will transform your television screen into a window onto that park, and your living room will become a hi-rise apartment in that city under siege.
In Parkview Towers, your television monitor becomes
a window onto a city under alien attack.
You will be issued a physical weapon (see Peripherals below) to help repel the alien invasion. Damage, destroy, and distract the various alien craft from the unique perspective of your apartment window.
But you’re not alone. Those other apartments you can see out your window are all occupied by actual players! You can see their silhouettes in the window, and you can see their attacks against the alien invaders.
Each player has a semi-permanent residence in a specific building. Your closest neighbors can hear you shout, and you can hear them.
It’s up to the brave residents of Parkview Towers to repel the aliens and save their city’s generator from destruction. If your entire neighborhood can learn to work together, the aliens don’t stand a chance.
Neighborhood layout. The Generator lies out of frame to the lower left.
The apartment buildings create a gauntlet for
attacking alien bombers, fighters, and mechs.
Goal
You are defending your neighborhood and the nearby power generator from the aliens. If the aliens do sufficient damage (a process that takes days or weeks of real-world time), your neighborhood will be evacuated, and you will have to move into an apartment in a new neighborhood.
It’s all but inevitable that your city will eventually succumb… but how long can you hold out?
Real-Time Persistent World
When you launch Parkview Towers on your PlayStation 4, you’re not starting a game –
You are opening a window to an alternate world that always exists outside that
window, even when the window is closed.
Events unfold in real time. You can leave the game running for hours, and you can actually do other things around your house - go make a sandwich, or just gaze out the ‘window’ - during the frequent lulls in the attacks. Remember, your living room is now an apartment in Parkview Towers, and your television monitor is a window. But when you hear the warning sirens, you’d better be prepared to man your post.
PlayStation 4 Camera Functionality
Head Tracking
Creates the ‘virtual window’ effect at the core of the game.
Hit Detection
Detects when a player is hit by an alien beam or projectile.
Silhouette Position
Other players in your virtual neighborhood will be able to see your approximate position in your virtual apartment in silhouette form. Nearby neighbors may see a more detailed representation.
Room Color
As seen by other players, your virtual room will take on the color of the lighting in your real-life room.
Gesture-Based Actions
- Open/Close Drapes/Blinds
- Open/Close Window Glass
- Blast Shield Mode (Down/Auto)
- Use Binoculars
- Use Telescope
- Throw Tennis Balls
- Throw Confetti
- Throw Paper Airplanes
- Use Bullhorn
- Use Laser Pointer
- Use High Beam (powerful flashlight)
- Spray Water with Water Hose
- Control R/C Plane and/ or Blimp
- Prepare and Throw Grenades
- Prepare and Throw Smoke Bomb
Open or close the curtains with a wave of the arm.
Voice Commands
The Window can be controlled with voice commands.
- Open/Close Drapes/Blinds
- Open/Close Window Glass
- Blast Shield Mode (Down/Auto)
- Repair Window
Voice Proximity Simulation
The PlayStation 4 Camera’s microphone will pick up your voice and transmit it to your neighbors in the virtual world.
Peripherals
Weapon
Parkview Towers requires the PlayStation Move Motion Controller with either the PlayStation Move Shooting Attachment or the PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter Attachment.
A custom Parkview Towers Shooting Attachment may also be available.
The PlayStation Move Shooting Attachment (above)
The PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter Attachment (above)
- Laser Gun (steady)
- Blaster (bolts)
- Rifle
- Shotgun
- Rocket Launcher
- Grenade Launcher
The Motion Controller will use its light and vibration capabilities to simulate the different weapon modes and to indicate when the player has been hit or stunned.
Combat Goggles
Optional LCD shutter glasses. Combat Goggles enable
stereoscopic 3D and Screen Sharing functions.
[Screen Sharing is a patented Sony technology that uses LCD shutter glasses to reveal two different (alternating) video images to two different viewers.]
These could be PlayStation 3D Glasses or a different existing or custom Sony model. Ideally the Combat Goggles' shuttered lenses should flip up and out of the way when not in use, allowing for smooth transitions between the real world and the game world.
Open the glass 'manually' or
use the window remote
Window Remote
An Xperia device, the
PlayStation Move Navigation Controller, or a DualShock 4 controller can be used as a physical remote
control for the virtual 'window.'
- Open/Close Drapes/Blinds
- Open/Close Window Glass
- Blast Shield Mode (Down/Auto)
- Repair Window
Monitor Stand
This custom Monitor Stand can hold two monitors one above the other, to create a large ‘double-hung window,’ or it can hold a single monitor sideways, to create a smaller double-hung window. It also works as a conventional monitor stand. All configurations integrate dedicated shelves for the PlayStation 4 Camera.
Supports Single Console/Monitor or
Multiple Networked Consoles/Monitors
Standard Configuration
One console and one monitor. Your monitor represents a single window in your virtual apartment. Most players will use this configuration.
LAN Creates Multiple ‘Windows’
Add a second console on a LAN to create a second window into the game world. Two monitors can be placed side-by-side to form two windows along a wall, or they can be placed at a right angle to one another to create a ‘corner apartment’.
Two monitors can be stacked one above the other to create a large ‘double-hung window.’ A stand will be available for this purpose (see Peripherals).
Networked systems consisting of (4) or more consoles will be given access to exclusive virtual ‘Penthouse Suites.’ These Penthouse Suites can be configured to match many different monitor arrangements. Up to 16 consoles can be linked to create the ultimate 16-window experience.
Other Uses for Multiple Consoles/Monitors
Monitors can be used for more than just windows. A monitor could become a mirror, a bookshelf, a fireplace, or a weapons cache. A monitor could even create a portal in a real-world wall in your house, provided that there’s a PlayStation 4 Camera setup on each side of the wall.
Xperia Tablet Creates New Windows
Xperia Tablets can be used to create additional windows - just as with the multiple console/monitor setup described above.
Stay Connected to the Game World with Xperia Tablets and Xperia Phones
Xperia Tablets and Xperia Phones can be used to access in-game maps, news tickers, and more - while playing at home, or while you're on the go.
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Parkview Towers is a trademark of Crucial Games, LLC
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners
Copyright © 2010-2013 Crucial Games, LLC
All Rights Reserved