Project Stealth is a multiplayer video game in the Stealth game genre.

Characters

Project Stealth features two different sides, the non-lethal, but fast and agile Spies and the deadly, slow and powerful Mercenaries (Mercs). Each has special abilities, gadgets, vision modes and objectives to fulfill.

Gameplay for Spies

Spies play like a Third-person shooter

Third-person shooter

Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...

. This gives them the advantage of better reconnaissance

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....

 abilities. Their objective is usually to hack certain terminals

Computer terminal

A computer terminal is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device that is used for entering data into, and displaying data from, a computer or a computing system...

.
At the start of the match the Spies are spawned and have to infiltrate the map, which is guarded by the Mercenaries and their usually deadly gadgets.
Spies have a strictly non-lethal armory, and only method of killing is to sneak up behind a Mercenary and grab him. Therefore, it is usually preferable to avoid fighting the Mercenaries, and instead focus on the objectives.

Gameplay for Mercenaries

Mercenaries have a whole arsenal of gadgets and deadly weapons in order to complete their objective: guarding the terminals and preventing Spies from getting into the premises. They are aided by a gun, which can be a rifle with sniping capabilities, a shotgun for close-range and an SMG for medium range.

Special vision modes

Spy:

• Thermal vision shows heat signatures and makes it easier to see in the dark and through certain objects like thin paper walls.
• Night vision
  Night vision
  Night vision is the ability to see in low light conditions. Whether by biological or technological means, night vision is made possible by a combination of two approaches: sufficient spectral range, and sufficient intensity range...
  
   enhances the capability of the Spies to see in the dark. If it's used in a too bright room, it will give a blurry image because of oversaturation.

Mercenary:

• Motion Tracking vision highlights any moving objects. Non-moving objects will be translucent, while a running Spy will be completely visible.
• Electromagnetic Field vision shows the use of electronic devices, such as the Spy's visions, or a Spy using camouflage.

Gadgets and weapons

Spy:

• Non-lethal shocker gun: Modeled after the P90, the shocker gun temporarily paralyzes the target, which gives the Spy time to run away. It also can cause various objects to explode or overheat, such as gas canisters and mines. Firing the shocker gun drains the regenerating energy meter. The secondary firing mode is used as a launcher for some of the other gadgets.
• Flashbang grenades affect the Mercenary's hearing and normal vision. A loud sound will be heard, which temporarily masks sounds, and a fading white haze caused by burn-in effects obscures a large part of the screen. The closer the Mercenary is to the Flashbang, the longer and brighter the burn-in effects get.
• Smoke grenades obscure the Mercenary's normal vision and motion tracker vision, and slow them down. Prolonged exposure can make the Mercenary fall asleep. A gas mask can be used to avoid these effects.
• Chaff grenades launch a cloud of magnetic strips that interfere with the Mercenary's visions, gadgets, and reloading. The magnet strips fade after a short time, reactivating any devices that were disabled. The Mercenary can also simply leave the cloud, removing the effect. Chaff grenades do not affect Spies.
• Sticky cameras can be fired from the shocker gun and are used for scouting. They hold a small canister of a powerful sleeping gas, which can put a Mercenary to sleep, which is nearly instantaneous. A gas mask can be used to avoid these effects.
• Camouflage drains the energy meter, but renders the Spy invisible. This effect breaks if the Spy is damaged, hit by rain, or if the Spy moves faster than a certain speed.

Mercenary:

• Assault Rifle, has a medium rate of fire and is best used in medium to far ranges. The Sniping mode, accessible by the secondary fire-button increases the damage and long-range accuracy but lowers the rate of fire.
• Shotgun, does high damage at close ranges, making it difficult for Spies to engage them directly. However, the short range makes it difficult to shoot from a distance.
• SMG, its fast rate of fire and reasonable accuracy make it powerful at medium to short ranges. However, at long ranges, the SMG lacks the accuracy to do major damage.
• Fragmentation grenades blow up after 3 seconds and can be bounced around corners.
• Tazer, a short range weapon, which knocks a Spy unconscious if hit by it.
• Mines:
  • Proximity mines, which blow up when Spies move too fast and too close. These can be avoided by moving slowly. They also have a delay between detection and detonation, giving the spy a small escape time-frame. Also, they emit a beeping sound every second, making them detectable if the Spy listens carefully.
  • Laser mines, which explode instantly, when a Spy triggers its laser beam. However, the laser is seen under Thermal vision, making it easy for a cautious Spy to avoid it.
  • Poison mines shoot out a dart when the laser beam is tripped, causing the afflicted Spy's life to drain continuously. This drain can be removed by a medical kit, or by a teammate.

  All mines will trigger if shot by the shocker gun, and will be disabled by the chaff grenade. The mines disappear after being set off.

• Proximity Detectors are small electronic devices that scan the area around them every few seconds and trigger an alarm when a Spy is present. Alternatively, thy can be turned into a tracking device with a laser beam as a trigger. If a Spy trips the laser beam, he will be shot by a tracking dart, and will show up on the Mercenary's radar for a period of time. The dart can be removed by a teammate. The tracking device is removed when set off.
• Gas mask, allows the Mercenary to avoid the knockout and slow down effects of smoke and Sticky Cams when activated. The supply of oxygen is limited, and the gas mask must be manually activated for its effect to take place.

History

Project Stealth was started when fans and veterans of Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow and Splinter Cell Chaos Theory saw the direction of the new multiplayer of Splinter Cell Double Agent. This direction was considered to be 'dumbed down' and the less steep learning curve was not attractive.

Originally it started as a project at SCLamers but after 3 weeks (November 12th), it moved to Splinter Cell Network which suited the needs better.

Legal problems

After initially being condoned by Ubisoft

Ubisoft

Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....

's Community Manager Rhoulette, the newly installed Community Manager Jinx thought Project Stealth infringed on Ubisoft's copyright in the Stealth-Action Multiplayer genre .
After a 6-month ban on anything Project Stealth or SCLamers-related on the Ubisoft forums, the ban was lifted and every post that mentioned it was erased.

Awards and recognition

Project Stealth's Lead Character Modeller 'goodkebab' won 3rd place in Phase 1 of the Make Something Unreal Contest by Epic Games

Epic Games

Epic Games, Inc., also known as Epic and formerly Epic MegaGames, is an American video game development company based in Cary, North Carolina. Its most recent success has been the Gears of War series of games, although it is also known for its Unreal Engine technology. It is the parent company of...

 with assistance of coder LennardF1989.

Project Stealth was voted into the Top-100 of ModDb's Mod of the Year 2007 Awards and the IndieDb's Indie of the Year 2010 Awards.

Project Stealth had a full 1-page article in PC Gamer UK, July-edition 2008.

External links

• Project Stealth, Official site
• Project Stealth, IndieDB page