GLASS BREAK — Full Game Specification v2

Office Highrise Tactical Shooter

"Valorant meets The Office in Lethal Company's engine"

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🎯 ELEVATOR PITCH

A 5v5 (starting 2v2) tactical shooter set in corporate highrises where glass destruction is a core mechanic. Real guns, real economy, real bomb/defuse — but every glass wall, window, and partition can shatter, permanently changing sightlines mid-round. Agents are corporate archetypes with abilities themed around office life. Low-poly Lethal Company art style. Built for clips.

Working Title: GLASS BREAK

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🔑 THE CORE DIFFERENTIATOR: GLASS

This is what sets Glass Break apart from every other tac shooter. Glass isn't a gimmick — it's the central tactical layer.

How Glass Works

Types of Glass in the Game:

Glass Destruction Rules

1. Any bullet breaks glass. One shot = full shatter. No "cracking" state (keeps it simple, readable, and satisfying).
2. Broken glass stays broken for the entire round. No repair. This means each round the map evolves as glass breaks.
3. Glass resets between rounds. Every round starts fresh — same map, new tactical possibilities.
4. Broken glass on the floor is a permanent audio trap. Walk over shattered glass = loud crunching. Crouch-walk reduces but doesn't eliminate the sound. This is HUGE for info.
5. You can shoot THROUGH intact glass with reduced damage. So glass walls provide visual info but not protection. Breaking them removes the damage reduction but also removes the audio trap potential... unless the shards are on your side.
6. Exterior windows — breaking them on a highrise creates a wind effect in that room (papers fly, slight movement speed reduction toward the opening, loud ambient wind noise that masks footsteps). Massive tactical implications.

Why Glass Changes Everything

In Valorant/CS: The map is static. Sightlines are fixed. You learn the angles, you hold the angles.

In Glass Break: The map evolves as you play. Round starts with all glass intact — conference rooms are sealed boxes with frosted glass, you can see silhouettes inside but can't wallbang efficiently. Mid-round, someone breaks the glass and now that conference room is an open-air crossfire. The broken glass on the floor means you can't quietly rotate through it.

Tactical decisions unique to Glass Break:

• Do you break the glass early to open a sightline, or leave it intact to use the audio intel from someone else breaking it?
• Glass floor debris as area denial — break glass in a choke point and enemies either crunch through loudly or find another path
• Exterior windows — do you break them for a long-range angle, knowing the wind effect will give away anyone near the opening?
• One-way mirrors are power positions until someone breaks them from the mirrored side — now it's just an open hole
• Frosted glass lets you see movement without detail — do you spam through it (breaking it, losing the info advantage) or hold and wait?

Glass Destruction — Technical Implementation (UE5)

Approach: Pre-Fractured Geometry Collection

• Each glass panel is a Geometry Collection (UE5 Chaos Destruction) pre-fractured into 15-30 shards
• On hit: server RPCs "break this panel" → all clients play the shatter
• Shards become static floor debris (not physics simulated after landing — performance)
• Floor debris = overlap volume that triggers "crunch" audio when walked through
• Networking: Only replicate "panel X is broken" (boolean per panel, ~50-100 bits per map). Deterministic fracture means all clients produce identical shards from the same seed
• Performance: Pre-fractured meshes are cheap. No runtime fracture computation. Shards bake to static after 1 second. Target: <0.5ms per shatter event

LOD Strategy:

• Close: Full shard detail with individual pieces
• Medium: Simplified shard clumps
• Far: Flat decal texture showing broken glass on floor
• Audio always plays at full detail regardless of visual LOD

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🎨 ART DIRECTION: "Corporate Low-Fi"

The Look

Lethal Company's low-poly charm applied to sterile office environments. The contrast between the mundane corporate setting and the low-fi jank is inherently funny.

Technical Approach:

• Meshes: Low-poly (200-500 tris per prop, 2000-5000 for characters). Chunky, slightly wobbly geometry
• Textures: 64-128px, flat colors with minimal detail. Hand-painted look
• Lighting: Mostly baked fluorescent office lighting (slightly green-tinted, sterile). Dynamic lights only for muzzle flash, abilities, and broken window light shafts
• Post-Process: Subtle CRT/VHS scan lines, slight color banding, film grain. NOT heavy — just enough to feel indie
• Shaders: Flat/unlit-style base with simple 2-band shadows. No PBR. No Nanite. No Lumen
• Animation: Slightly stiff, puppet-like. Not mocap-smooth. Adds to the charm

Color Palette

Character Design

Proportions: 5.5-head tall. Slightly oversized hands and heads (for readability + low-poly charm). Everyone wears business attire variants — suits, dress shirts, ties, lanyards, ID badges.

Silhouettes: Each agent has a distinct body shape and accessory:

• Different heights and builds
• Unique hats/hair/accessories visible at distance
• Team color on lanyard, tie, and subtle clothing accents

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🧑‍💼 AGENTS: THE CORPORATE LADDER

Design Philosophy

Abilities are Valorant-style (smokes, flashes, recon, area denial) but themed as office equipment and corporate behavior. Every ability uses real guns alongside it — abilities create opportunities, guns get kills.

Roles (Valorant framework):

• Duelist — entry fraggers, self-sufficient abilities
• Controller — smokes, area denial, map control
• Sentinel — defense, lockdown, information
• Initiator — recon, flashes, enabling team pushes

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📎 CLIPPY — Initiator

"Looks like you're trying to plant the bomb. Would you like help with that?"

An overly helpful IT support worker who's always in everyone's business. Wears a headset, cargo pants full of gadgets, lanyard with 50 keycards.

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🖨️ KAREN — Controller

"I need to speak to whoever's in charge of this bomb site."

The office manager who controls everything. Pencil skirt power suit, clipboard always in hand, reading glasses on a chain. Terrifying energy.

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💼 CHAD — Duelist

"Crush it. Kill it. Circle back."

The finance bro sales guy who thinks he's the main character. Fitted suit, slicked hair, Bluetooth earpiece permanently in, finger guns as his idle animation.

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🔒 COMPLIANCE — Sentinel

"That's a violation."

Corporate security / health-and-safety officer. Dressed in a slightly-too-tight security uniform, hi-vis vest, utility belt full of stuff. Takes everything way too seriously.

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☕ BREW — Initiator

"Nobody talk to me until I've had my coffee."

The bleary-eyed developer/engineer who runs on caffeine and rage. Hoodie, messy hair, permanent dark circles. Carries a thermos everywhere.

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📊 PIVOT — Controller

"Let me pull up the data on that."

The consultant/analyst who treats everything like a business problem. Sharp blazer, tablet always in hand, speaks in corporate buzzwords unironically. The "galaxy brain" agent.

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💊 ABILITY ECONOMY (Valorant Model)

How ability charges work:

• C (Basic 1): BUY with credits during buy phase. Lost at round end if unused.
• Q (Basic 2): BUY with credits during buy phase. Lost at round end if unused.
• E (Signature): FREE each round. May recharge on timer or refresh on kills.
• X (Ultimate): Charged by ult points. Persists across rounds until used.

Ult points earned: Kill +1, Death +1, Plant +1, Defuse +1, Ult orb +1, Round start +1.

Eco example: Full buy = Benchmark (₵2700) + Heavy Armor (₵1000) + C×2 + Q×1 (₵500-800) ≈ ₵4,200-4,500. Forces real decisions.

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🔫 WEAPONS

Real Guns, Corporate Aesthetic

All weapons are real firearm archetypes but with subtle corporate flair — wood-paneled grips, matte grey finishes, engraved company logos, "Property of [Company]" stickers.

Sidearms

SMGs

Rifles

Shotguns

Sniper

Heavy

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💰 ECONOMY: CORPORATE BUDGET

Currency: Credits (₵)

No need to overtheme this — credits work. The buy menu is a corporate procurement form.

Max credits: 9,000

Armor

All utility is agent abilities. No buying utility. Charges reset per round (Valorant model). Simpler economy, more emphasis on agent picks and gun choices.

Buy Menu UI

Styled as an internal procurement portal / expense report form:

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  📋 PROCUREMENT REQUEST — Round 4        ║
║  Budget Remaining: ₵4,200                ║
║                                           ║
║  WEAPONS:          AGENT ABILITIES:       ║
║  ┌─────────────┐  ┌──────────────────┐   ║
║  │ Sidearms    │  │ C: [ability] ₵250│   ║
║  │ SMGs        │  │ Q: [ability] ₵300│   ║
║  │ Rifles      │  │ E: FREE ✓       │   ║
║  │ Shotguns    │  │ X: 4/7 ult pts   │   ║
║  │ Snipers     │  └──────────────────┘   ║
║  │ Heavy       │  ARMOR:                  ║
║  └─────────────┘  ┌──────────────────┐   ║
║                    │ Light ₵400       │   ║
║                    │ Heavy ₵1000      │   ║
║                    └──────────────────┘   ║
║                                           ║
║  [Submit Request]  [Drop for Colleague]   ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════╝

Ability Economy (Valorant model):

• C ability (Basic 1): BUY with credits each round. Unused charges lost at round end.
• Q ability (Basic 2): BUY with credits each round. Unused charges lost at round end.
• E ability (Signature): FREE, 1 charge. May recharge on cooldown or refresh on kills.
• X ability (Ultimate): Charged by ult points (kills, deaths, orbs, round start +1).

This creates the Valo eco tension: full buy = gun + armor + abilities (₵3,500-4,200). Eco = pistol + maybe just abilities (₵400-600). Force = cheap gun + abilities (₵1,500-2,000).

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🗺️ MAPS

Map Design Philosophy

• Classic 3-lane structure (like CS/Valo) but with vertical elements (multiple floors, overlooks)
• Glass is the variable — every map uses glass differently
• 2 bomb sites per map
• Designed for 5v5 but plays well at 2v2 (sites still accessible, no dead space)

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MAP 1: "MERIDIAN" — Corporate Office

Setting: Floor 41 of a luxury corporate tower. Single floor. Exterior windows line north and south walls (cityscape backdrop). Minor elevation only (raised reception desk).

Layout: Classic 3-lane with glass as the variable.

          DEFENDER SPAWN
               │
    ┌──────────┴──────────────────────────┐
    │    ┌─────────┐      ┌─────────┐     │
    │    │ SERVER  │      │EXEC     │     │
    │    │ ROOM    │      │OFFICE   │     │
    │    │reinforce│      │one-way  │     │
    │    │glass    │      │mirrors  │     │
    │    └────┬────┘      └────┬────┘     │
    │   ██ A SITE ██     ██ B SITE ██     │
    │   ┌──────────┐     ┌──────────┐     │
    │   │CONFERENCE│     │BREAK     │     │
    │   │ROOM      │     │ROOM      │     │
    │   │clear     │     │frosted   │     │
    │   │glass 3   │     │glass     │     │
    │   │sides     │     │partitions│     │
    │   │(fishbowl)│     │(silhouet)│     │
    │   └──────────┘     └──────────┘     │
    │    A LONG            B LONG          │
    │    (tinted           (glass office   │
    │     exterior          doors on       │
    │     windows)          both sides)    │
    │    ┌─────────┐      ┌──────────┐    │
    │    │BATHROOM │      │COPY ROOM │    │
    │    │frosted  │      │(no glass,│    │
    │    │glass    │      │ solid)   │    │
    │    │door     │      └──────────┘    │
    │    └─────────┘                      │
    │    A SHORT          B SHORT          │
    │    ┌────────────────────────────┐    │
    │    │      MID — OPEN OFFICE     │    │
    │    │  cubicle maze (bangable)   │    │
    │    │  glass meeting pods x2     │    │
    │    │  ┌──────────────┐          │    │
    │    │  │ RECEPTION    │          │    │
    │    │  │ raised desk  │          │    │
    │    │  │ glass front  │          │    │
    │    │  └──────────────┘          │    │
    │    └────────────┬───────────────┘    │
    └─────────────────┴────────────────────┘
               ATTACKER SPAWN

Key Glass Moments:

• A Site Conference Room — clear glass on 3 sides. Can SEE the bomb from outside but must break glass to shoot efficiently (or take 10% penalty). Post-plant creates tense glass-break decisions.
• B Site Break Room — frosted glass partitions. See silhouettes only. Break them = B becomes a fishbowl.
• Exec Office — one-way mirrors. Defenders see B perfectly. Attackers see their reflection. Break from either side = power position gone.
• Server Room — reinforced glass. See into A but can't shoot through. Must use doors. Defensive anchor.
• A Long — tinted exterior windows. Break = wind rushes in + long outside angle.

Callouts:

• A: A Long, A Short, Conference, Server Room, Bathroom, Tinted Windows
• B: B Long, B Short, Break Room, Exec Office, Copy Room, Glass Doors
• Mid: Open Office, Cubicles, Meeting Pod 1, Meeting Pod 2, Reception, Desk

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MAP 2: "STARTUP" — Co-Working Space (Glass Heavy)

Setting: Trendy co-working space in a converted warehouse. Single floor. Glass EVERYWHERE — this is the chaos map.

          DEFENDER SPAWN
               │
    ┌──────────┴──────────────────────────┐
    │    ┌─────────┐      ┌─────────┐     │
    │    │PODCAST  │      │PHONE    │     │
    │    │STUDIO   │      │BOOTHS   │     │
    │    │sound-   │      │4 glass  │     │
    │    │proofed  │      │boxes in │     │
    │    │1 door   │      │a row    │     │
    │    └────┬────┘      └────┬────┘     │
    │   ██ A SITE ██     ██ B SITE ██     │
    │   ┌──────────┐     ┌──────────┐     │
    │   │PRESENTAT-│     │WHITEBOARD│     │
    │   │ION AREA  │     │ROOM      │     │
    │   │raised    │     │glass     │     │
    │   │stage     │     │walls w/  │     │
    │   │projector │     │pen marks │     │
    │   │screen    │     │break =   │     │
    │   │as cover  │     │B open    │     │
    │   └──────────┘     └──────────┘     │
    │    A LONG            B LONG          │
    │    (HOT DESK         (nap pod        │
    │     GRID —           corridor —      │
    │     glass            frosted glass   │
    │     dividers         pod doors)      │
    │     intact=maze                      │
    │     broken=open)                     │
    │    ┌─────────┐      ┌──────────┐    │
    │    │BEAN BAG │      │SERVER    │    │
    │    │LOUNGE   │      │CLOSET   │    │
    │    │(no glass│      │reinforced│    │
    │    │soft     │      │glass    │    │
    │    │cover)   │      └──────────┘    │
    │    └─────────┘                      │
    │    A SHORT          B SHORT          │
    │    ┌────────────────────────────┐    │
    │    │     MID — THE HUB          │    │
    │    │  coffee bar (glass counter)│    │
    │    │  ping pong table (solid)   │    │
    │    │  foosball (solid off-angle)│    │
    │    │  scattered bean bags       │    │
    │    └────────────┬───────────────┘    │
    └─────────────────┴────────────────────┘
               ATTACKER SPAWN

Key Glass Moments:

• Hot Desk Grid (A Long) — glass dividers between every desk cluster. Intact = tight maze. Breaks progressively through the round into a wide open killing field. Signature area.
• Phone Booths — 4 glass boxes behind B. Great hold positions. ONE bullet = cover gone.
• Whiteboard Room (B Site) — glass walls with pen marks. Break = B wide open from every angle.
• Nap Pod Corridor (B Long) — frosted glass doors on both sides. See silhouettes of anyone hiding inside.
• Coffee Bar (Mid) — glass counter is the main mid cover. Break it = mid is exposed.

Hot Desk Grid detail:

  ┌───┬───┬───┬───┐
  │ D │ G │ D │ G │  D = desk (solid low cover)
  ├───┼───┼───┼───┤  G = glass divider (breakable)
  │ G │ D │ G │ D │  Intact: maze. Broken: wasteland.
  ├───┼───┼───┼───┤
  │ D │ G │ D │ G │
  └───┴───┴───┴───┘

Callouts:

• A: A Long, Hot Desks, Stage, Presentation, Podcast, Bean Bags
• B: B Long, Nap Pods, Whiteboard, Phone Booths, Server Closet
• Mid: Hub, Coffee Bar, Ping Pong, Foosball, A Short, B Short

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🔊 AUDIO DESIGN

Office Ambience

• Fluorescent light hum (constant, barely perceptible, sets the mood)
• Distant elevator dings
• Muffled phone rings
• HVAC hum through vents
• Keyboard clacking (near computer areas)

Glass Audio (CRITICAL — this is gameplay)

Footsteps by Surface

Weapon Audio

• Gunshots echo realistically through office spaces (reverb based on room size)
• Shots through glass have a distinct "shatter + bang" combo sound
• Suppressed weapons still break glass (just quieter shot + glass break = you hear the glass not the gun)

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🖥️ UI/HUD

Style: Corporate Intranet Portal

Clean, minimal, vaguely soulless corporate design. Helvetica/Arial fonts. Blue-grey color scheme. Looks like an HR portal made by the cheapest contractor.

In-Game HUD

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ROUND 4/12        1:23        ATK 2 — 1 DEF   │
│                                                 │
│                                                 │
│ [Agent Portrait]                                │
│ CLIPPY                                          │
│ C: Reply All ●●  Q: CC'd ●  E: Tech Spt ██░░  │
│ X: Mandatory Update ●●●●○○○                     │
│                                                 │
│                                                 │
│                    +                             │
│                                                 │
│                                                 │
│                                                 │
│                                                 │
│ 🛡️50  ❤️150                   🔫 25/75    ₵4200 │
│ BENCHMARK                                       │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Scoreboard: Looks like a company performance spreadsheet

Death screen: "Your employment has been terminated. Reviewing performance..."

Round win: "Q4 targets exceeded. Bonus distributed."

Round loss: "Budget cuts incoming. Please collect your belongings."

Match MVP: "Employee of the Month" with a corporate portrait photo

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📋 MOVEMENT & GUNPLAY

Movement

Accuracy Model

Health Model

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📡 NETWORKING & TECH

Architecture

Glass Networking Detail

// Each glass panel has a replicated bool
UPROPERTY(Replicated)
bool bIsBroken = false;

// Client shoots glass → client predicts shatter (instant feedback)
// Server validates hit → sets bIsBroken = true → replicates to all
// Late joiners/reconnects get full glass state from bitfield
// ~25 bytes per map for all glass state (200 panels = 200 bits)

Performance Targets

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📋 MVP DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP

Phase 0: Foundation (Week 1-2)

• UE5 project from First Person C++ template, add GAS + multiplayer
• Flat/low-poly material pipeline (no PBR)
• Basic character controller with movement accuracy
• Greybox Meridian Tower (3 floors, placeholder geometry)
• 2-player networking (connect, move, see each other)

Phase 1: Glass System (Week 3-4)

• Geometry Collection glass panels (pre-fractured)
• Shoot-to-break with network replication
• Glass debris as audio trigger volumes
• Clear, frosted, and tinted glass types
• Exterior window wind effect
• Bullet penetration through glass (damage reduction)

Phase 2: Core Combat (Week 4-6)

• Hitscan weapon system with recoil patterns
• 5 weapons (pistol, SMG, rifle ×2, sniper)
• Health/shield/damage model
• Kill/death replication
• Basic HUD (health, ammo, crosshair)
• First-person viewmodel arms + weapons

Phase 3: Game Mode (Week 6-8)

• Round state machine (prep → action → resolution)
• Bomb plant/defuse
• Economy system + buy menu
• Side swap at half
• Scoreboard
• Win conditions

Phase 4: Agents (Week 8-11)

• GAS setup for abilities
• Clippy (drone, flash, sensor, ult)
• Karen (smoke, molly, wall, ult)
• Chad (charge, buff, flash, ult)
• Compliance (trap, door lock, camera, ult)
• Agent select screen

Phase 5: Art & Audio (Week 11-14)

• Low-poly art pass on Meridian Tower
• Character models (6 agents)
• All weapon models + animations
• Glass shatter VFX + audio
• Footstep system (surface-based)
• Office ambience
• UI art pass (corporate theme)
• Menu screens

Phase 6: Second Map + Polish (Week 14-17)

• Startup map (build + art)
• Brew + Pivot agents
• Additional weapons (shotgun, LMG, burst rifle)
• Kill feed, round announcements, MVP screen
• Spectator/ghost camera for dead players
• Performance optimization

Phase 7: Playtest & Ship Demo (Week 17-20)

• 2v2 balance testing
• 5v5 scaling test
• Basic lobby/matchmaking
• Build packaging
• Bug fixing
• Stream-ready build

Total: ~20 weeks (5 months) to a polished playable demo

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🎬 WHY THIS STREAMS WELL

• "HE'S BEHIND THE FROSTED GLASS I CAN SEE HIS SILHOUETTE" → breaks glass → spray through → kill
• Chad shoulder-charging through a glass wall for an entry frag
• Brew ulting and shattering ALL the glass on B site — complete map transformation
• Someone walking on broken glass and getting caught rotating
• Compliance locking down a site post-plant — doors locked, glass shuttered
• The gradual destruction of the map telling a story round by round
• Corporate humor in every UI element, voice line, and callout
• "PERFORMANCE REVIEW" ult hitting the whole team — everyone slowed, panic ensues
• Getting sniped through a glass floor from the mezzanine below

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📁 WHAT THIS SPEC COVERS

✅ Core gameplay (bomb/defuse, round flow, economy) ✅ Glass destruction system (types, rules, technical implementation) ✅ 6 fully designed agents with abilities ✅ Complete weapon roster with stats ✅ 2 detailed map layouts with callouts ✅ Art direction (Lethal Company low-poly style) ✅ Audio design (glass, footsteps, ambience, weapons) ✅ UI/HUD design ✅ Movement and accuracy model ✅ Health/damage model ✅ Networking architecture ✅ Performance targets ✅ 20-week development roadmap

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The glass is the game. Everything else is a good tac shooter. The glass is what makes people clip it, talk about it, and come back. Nobody else is doing "destructible sightlines" in the Valo format.

Working title: GLASS BREAK 🏢💥