Scifi/cyberpunk]Working Title:Lost Cause: Rise of the Anasazi
by Andrew Singleton · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 04/22/2006 (6:29 pm) · 2 replies
This's pretty much going to start out as a cut and paste from a file I have on my machien that I've been updating and will continue to update as more ideas accumulate. This is sortof both to shop around for people interested to help me see this idea completed(I don't even care if other people work on this project on their own so long as I'm credited somewhere, and that I'm asked for input during the process.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a preemptive note I ramble a fair bit, mostly to ensure that whatever ideas i have are recorded rather than lost while writing something else down. Please understand that I know this isn't a presentation quality writeout, so if anyone feels like editing and rearranging things go ahead. The only stipulation I have is that unless otherwise stated the ideas and other ramblings are mine, but believe me anyone's input will be welcome here(not to mention that I encourage other people to add their names to what they contribute since I don't want to be credited with something I didn't think up...mostly because it would save me the embarassment of trying to explain a concept I might not know....and the whole being honest and decent thing)
- Andrew
Working title: Lost Cause: Rise of the Anasazi
general story:
Initial setting: close to saturn, quite near to the inner rings
Act 0: Ressurection
It starts out following the crew of the salvage vessle Enoch just before discovering what will later be revieled to be the jettisoned segment of millitary space station used for all sorts of things that had been deemed best kept out of the public eye. The crew of the Enoch however view it as what could've been a tourist ship or possibly a yacht caught in saturn's gravity. Because this 'ship' has no name, no registry numbers, or any other identification markers it is viewed as fair game and is then boarded. This is where the tutorial segment of the game takes place and hence will be where players will get a chance to ease into the game's controls. The only enemies seen here will be quite weak and fiew in number as they serve only to keep the player on his toes while taking a look around the ship. After either a set ammount of time or, more likely, there's been a certaint ammount of rooms entered one of the npcs will direct the player to a cryonics tube that's dinted up, has bullet holes and even claw marks yet is still in full working order. What follows will be a convrosation between the crew on wether or not they should dump whatever's inside and see if they can get the tube to their ship as it would be of great value even in its damaged condition. The convrosation will be cut short when this tube opens revieling what's inside as well as raise an energy barrier around the mechanism.
After the initial panic there's a general consensus to run for it leaving the player with a choice betweenfollowing the panicked crew or staying to watch what happens. Either way the force shield drops to allow the former occupant to follow in the general direction the other npcs went. It won't attack the player or even acknowledge any actions the player takes unless it's attacked whereupon it will turn towards the player and defend itself. If the player allows it to pass it will head towards the salvage ship, or the airlock connecting to said ship where it will address the crew as they're huddled around the apparently broken door. This segmet ends with a shot of the the salvage vessle towing the deralict craft away from saturn.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Input would be greatly appreciated byond noting my many spelling and grammerical mistakes. I realize its unprofessional, however please try to gloss those errors over and concentrate on the material. More segments will be forthcomming as I can get thigns organized(also I will start releasing concept sketches as they're recieved).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a preemptive note I ramble a fair bit, mostly to ensure that whatever ideas i have are recorded rather than lost while writing something else down. Please understand that I know this isn't a presentation quality writeout, so if anyone feels like editing and rearranging things go ahead. The only stipulation I have is that unless otherwise stated the ideas and other ramblings are mine, but believe me anyone's input will be welcome here(not to mention that I encourage other people to add their names to what they contribute since I don't want to be credited with something I didn't think up...mostly because it would save me the embarassment of trying to explain a concept I might not know....and the whole being honest and decent thing)
- Andrew
Working title: Lost Cause: Rise of the Anasazi
general story:
Initial setting: close to saturn, quite near to the inner rings
Act 0: Ressurection
It starts out following the crew of the salvage vessle Enoch just before discovering what will later be revieled to be the jettisoned segment of millitary space station used for all sorts of things that had been deemed best kept out of the public eye. The crew of the Enoch however view it as what could've been a tourist ship or possibly a yacht caught in saturn's gravity. Because this 'ship' has no name, no registry numbers, or any other identification markers it is viewed as fair game and is then boarded. This is where the tutorial segment of the game takes place and hence will be where players will get a chance to ease into the game's controls. The only enemies seen here will be quite weak and fiew in number as they serve only to keep the player on his toes while taking a look around the ship. After either a set ammount of time or, more likely, there's been a certaint ammount of rooms entered one of the npcs will direct the player to a cryonics tube that's dinted up, has bullet holes and even claw marks yet is still in full working order. What follows will be a convrosation between the crew on wether or not they should dump whatever's inside and see if they can get the tube to their ship as it would be of great value even in its damaged condition. The convrosation will be cut short when this tube opens revieling what's inside as well as raise an energy barrier around the mechanism.
After the initial panic there's a general consensus to run for it leaving the player with a choice betweenfollowing the panicked crew or staying to watch what happens. Either way the force shield drops to allow the former occupant to follow in the general direction the other npcs went. It won't attack the player or even acknowledge any actions the player takes unless it's attacked whereupon it will turn towards the player and defend itself. If the player allows it to pass it will head towards the salvage ship, or the airlock connecting to said ship where it will address the crew as they're huddled around the apparently broken door. This segmet ends with a shot of the the salvage vessle towing the deralict craft away from saturn.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Input would be greatly appreciated byond noting my many spelling and grammerical mistakes. I realize its unprofessional, however please try to gloss those errors over and concentrate on the material. More segments will be forthcomming as I can get thigns organized(also I will start releasing concept sketches as they're recieved).
About the author
#2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Interlude 2
I know that a few people will stop and ask how you can clone so many people without a mountain of meat to use, or some other way for the machiens to gather matter to convert into biomass. On this as well as the 'magic memory intigration machines' used to cram knowledge into the minds of these clones is going to be what i consider bits of wierd science that get little if any explainations on how either of 'em work.
While we're on the subject of clones I'm going to want NPCs to comment on that subject here and there, nothing argumenitive or absolute(except perhaps to that particular person), just differing theories and inturpretations on how different religions view these people. That's going to be brought up because, I suppose, the main subtext throughout the game is to ask at what point does something cease to be considered human and what makes a human different than machines that are incorperating increasingly larger ammounts of organic tissue into their processers, or different cults that worship gene manipulation and recombination. Again, I don't want anything crammed down the player's neck and i want the player to be able to ignore any of the litterature/speeches if they want to(well unless its happening while within the game and in that situation you'd more likely be focused on staying alive rather than pondering the differences of man and the toys that're trying to kill him.
I've been rather vuage at this point when it comes to layout and technology and such since things're kinda up in the air, but here I will try to explain a little of what i've already decided on. The marines/arbiters/goon squad/whatever will all be wearing powered armor that has different mounting points for bolt on additions, which is something I liked from the tribes games which I'd like to see here(in fact I want one of the packs to be a jetpack that, while you can only fly for limited streaches before your energy depleates, can be used indefinatly because the suit's energy regenerates(I also want a shield pack as well as a cloaking pack to give players options on how they approach a situation). Additionally I want the player to have room for only two different weapons in their infentory. I know this's a risky move since we all love having our guns on hand constaintly but it's a bit unrealistic to think somebody can run around and fight while carrying eight or twelve different guns on his back. To compensate, to an extent I'm wanting to again borrow from tribes and have grenades bound to a sepirate key than your main weapon(which makes sense because those things're in their own specific place), as well as the possability of packs that act as weapons(a heavy missle launcher or plasma cannon or something).
Jet also brought into question just why are we supposed to care about the guy we're pushing around on screen. What sort of personality could the guy have without giving him diolog? Granted we could have people talk ABOUT him if we want, but its a bit of a sticky point for me since I haven't much experiance on the matter. One idea I had though is why not have clones of your player running around? After all you're the one that fixed the machine so what would prevent that from happening? Granted these clones would be rather brainwahsed, but they just might provide interesting little tidbits of infromation here and there. I dunno, its just an idea, and I'm not sure how good of one it is to be honest.
Act 2: Chaos
There will be no distinct sepiration from the last act and this since, technicly, the sepiration point is when the clones of the team that went in with you first attack. Here is where the station's computer starts guiding the player, first by telling him about a vent he can use to exit the room(which is being overrun at this point and if the player does decide to stay he'll be stuck in a 20 to 1 firefight, which if he win's he'll earn a comment along the line of luck favoring the foolish or something, as well as an unlocked item or two in the bonus menue(not sure what, but it'd better be good). After either fighting his way out or taking the computer's advise and running the player will be informed, again through the station's computer, that to stop the influx of cloned troops the player has to either shut off the main power for that segment of the station, or jettison the thing.
The easyer of the two options would be to shut the power off, However as the game progresses the power will be restored, which reactivates the cloning banks that've been told to create marines rather than security guards. The route to shut the power off will be fairly convoluted due to doors requiring either passcodes or spiking the door's security(the 'spike' being an item gained earlyer if the player decided to explore the station earlyer on rather than go straight to medical. Also the spike won't be in that location if the player goes looking afterwards as it was on an npc that is nolonger within that segment). There will be three different doors requiring keycards, with each card being found within the recreational, residential, and 'office' areas. Additionally a keycode needed to allow access to the power switch is located on an NPC that's extreamly well guarded both by fodder troops and automated turrets.
If the player wants to jettison the station segment that ends the game with an ending that raises the question of how thorough the job was done, but only lightly considering up till that point every sign given would show that the problem was contained to the medical/corpirate segment of the station. To Jettison the segment the player has to find the same three keycards used to access the power core as well as an additional keycard and two different passcodes. The additional cards would be held in segments far apart as well as requiering keycodes to gain access to each key. Additionally as soon as the two needed keycards have been accessed resistance takes an upwards spike in the form of auto turrets and marines in addition to the standard security. Through all that and past a final gauntlet there's still the problem of a timer to get back to the dropship as soon as the switch is thrown else its game over.
-----------------------------------------
I understand talk...and ideas are cheap, however I have a few people working on concept art right now as well as one or two people willing to help in modling, however since everyone who's said yes so far have other matters that must trump this in terms of importaince(collage, work, ect ect) I have to lable them as unreliable. Also I know that my ideas need tweaking and refining before I can shop around(dispite hte fact that's more or less what I'm doing now).
04/22/2006 (6:32 pm)
This should be the last segment for the time being. -----------------------------------------------------------------
Interlude 2
I know that a few people will stop and ask how you can clone so many people without a mountain of meat to use, or some other way for the machiens to gather matter to convert into biomass. On this as well as the 'magic memory intigration machines' used to cram knowledge into the minds of these clones is going to be what i consider bits of wierd science that get little if any explainations on how either of 'em work.
While we're on the subject of clones I'm going to want NPCs to comment on that subject here and there, nothing argumenitive or absolute(except perhaps to that particular person), just differing theories and inturpretations on how different religions view these people. That's going to be brought up because, I suppose, the main subtext throughout the game is to ask at what point does something cease to be considered human and what makes a human different than machines that are incorperating increasingly larger ammounts of organic tissue into their processers, or different cults that worship gene manipulation and recombination. Again, I don't want anything crammed down the player's neck and i want the player to be able to ignore any of the litterature/speeches if they want to(well unless its happening while within the game and in that situation you'd more likely be focused on staying alive rather than pondering the differences of man and the toys that're trying to kill him.
I've been rather vuage at this point when it comes to layout and technology and such since things're kinda up in the air, but here I will try to explain a little of what i've already decided on. The marines/arbiters/goon squad/whatever will all be wearing powered armor that has different mounting points for bolt on additions, which is something I liked from the tribes games which I'd like to see here(in fact I want one of the packs to be a jetpack that, while you can only fly for limited streaches before your energy depleates, can be used indefinatly because the suit's energy regenerates(I also want a shield pack as well as a cloaking pack to give players options on how they approach a situation). Additionally I want the player to have room for only two different weapons in their infentory. I know this's a risky move since we all love having our guns on hand constaintly but it's a bit unrealistic to think somebody can run around and fight while carrying eight or twelve different guns on his back. To compensate, to an extent I'm wanting to again borrow from tribes and have grenades bound to a sepirate key than your main weapon(which makes sense because those things're in their own specific place), as well as the possability of packs that act as weapons(a heavy missle launcher or plasma cannon or something).
Jet also brought into question just why are we supposed to care about the guy we're pushing around on screen. What sort of personality could the guy have without giving him diolog? Granted we could have people talk ABOUT him if we want, but its a bit of a sticky point for me since I haven't much experiance on the matter. One idea I had though is why not have clones of your player running around? After all you're the one that fixed the machine so what would prevent that from happening? Granted these clones would be rather brainwahsed, but they just might provide interesting little tidbits of infromation here and there. I dunno, its just an idea, and I'm not sure how good of one it is to be honest.
Act 2: Chaos
There will be no distinct sepiration from the last act and this since, technicly, the sepiration point is when the clones of the team that went in with you first attack. Here is where the station's computer starts guiding the player, first by telling him about a vent he can use to exit the room(which is being overrun at this point and if the player does decide to stay he'll be stuck in a 20 to 1 firefight, which if he win's he'll earn a comment along the line of luck favoring the foolish or something, as well as an unlocked item or two in the bonus menue(not sure what, but it'd better be good). After either fighting his way out or taking the computer's advise and running the player will be informed, again through the station's computer, that to stop the influx of cloned troops the player has to either shut off the main power for that segment of the station, or jettison the thing.
The easyer of the two options would be to shut the power off, However as the game progresses the power will be restored, which reactivates the cloning banks that've been told to create marines rather than security guards. The route to shut the power off will be fairly convoluted due to doors requiring either passcodes or spiking the door's security(the 'spike' being an item gained earlyer if the player decided to explore the station earlyer on rather than go straight to medical. Also the spike won't be in that location if the player goes looking afterwards as it was on an npc that is nolonger within that segment). There will be three different doors requiring keycards, with each card being found within the recreational, residential, and 'office' areas. Additionally a keycode needed to allow access to the power switch is located on an NPC that's extreamly well guarded both by fodder troops and automated turrets.
If the player wants to jettison the station segment that ends the game with an ending that raises the question of how thorough the job was done, but only lightly considering up till that point every sign given would show that the problem was contained to the medical/corpirate segment of the station. To Jettison the segment the player has to find the same three keycards used to access the power core as well as an additional keycard and two different passcodes. The additional cards would be held in segments far apart as well as requiering keycodes to gain access to each key. Additionally as soon as the two needed keycards have been accessed resistance takes an upwards spike in the form of auto turrets and marines in addition to the standard security. Through all that and past a final gauntlet there's still the problem of a timer to get back to the dropship as soon as the switch is thrown else its game over.
-----------------------------------------
I understand talk...and ideas are cheap, however I have a few people working on concept art right now as well as one or two people willing to help in modling, however since everyone who's said yes so far have other matters that must trump this in terms of importaince(collage, work, ect ect) I have to lable them as unreliable. Also I know that my ideas need tweaking and refining before I can shop around(dispite hte fact that's more or less what I'm doing now).
Andrew Singleton
-------------------------------------------------
Interlude 1
As of right now I'm unsure on how best to go since either there will have to be a rather lengthy cutscene to stitch the opening gameplay to what happens next, or there will be a fair bit of confusion till the story is told piecemeal through in game logs, diolog, ect ect. However what happens between acts 1 and 2 is where, in movies, things go horribly horribly wrong. The cyborg/android(not sure what it should be quite yet) will have interfaced with the station's main computer via the salvage vessle's uplink and basicly turn this station into a factory of both robotic and organic weapons. To control and reprogram machines is fairly simple since all you ahve to do is give it new marching orders, but how to explain why people would parade around like zombies? In my thinking this is solved because if there's a system in place to provide replacement clones(or whatever you want to call 'em) that have full memories up to and including death there has to be a way infromation is transmitted then reintigrated into the recepiant vessle. It'd be best if this's sorta glossed over but essentially the hordes of clones will be in the very truest sense of the word brainwashed. Also the fact that there are machiens that will zap people back into existaince without needing any part of the original body this will also explain how you can have unending ammounts of cannon fodder that all happen to look the same; pick the best out of the avalible stock and have those machines churn that one person out till you have enough troops.
I realize this is sounding like something ripped off, and rather blaitently, from system shock...and you'd be right in that presumption for the most part. However unlike system shock 2 there will be pockets of resistance here and there. These resistance cells won't be very large in number nor generally will any of them follow you byond the area they've set up shop in. These people however will be willing to help fill in the gaps in what's happened, give possible directives in what can be done, and not to mention provide a bit of cover fire if you happen to bring home six or seven shotgun wielding vat grown horrers.
One thought that's come to mind is that yes the station itself is the main attraction, but there would be some rather interesting material within the vessle that's been attached(quite sturdily to prevent anyone from hitting the eject button) to the side of the station. Not sure if i want the final confrintation to take place here, but I want some sort of record concerning what happened last time things went wrong to surface here(that it was a lifeboat jettisoned from a millitary installation that had been overrun by unknown hostiles, the public of course being told in the ensuing media blitz that the whole thing was a mining station who's reactor blew).
After having a rather lengthy talk with Jet I realize a few more points need to be hammered out before I go any further(well considering I'm shoving this in between two different thigns its a bit late but eh). Chief amongst these things are that the person you play as during the tutorial(which by the way is purely optional and selectable sepirate from the actual game) is a completely different person that you play as during the rest of the game. Also while you are supposed to stay alive till the scenerio ends It is going to look like, during the majority of the game, that everyone on board died.
Act 1; Entry
The player first starts out in the rear of a troop transport en route to what, from diolog given either over loudspeaker or npcs, is supposedly an ongoing attack by luddite terrorists against one of the mining colonies set amongst jupiter's moons. During the flight there will be alot of chatter, nothing too signifigent but stuff to help fleash out the fact that these people are indeed human and have lives byond what you see on screen. Shortly after 'landing' the game propper begains with the landing craft and the shuttle bay being one of the zones of reletive saftey that I had talked about earlyer. Any orders to the player, unless otherwise noted, wil lbe over headset to save the potential headachs involved with having to get a particular character's lip movements synched. Also it allows the player to know what they're supposed to do without having to go to a particular person(which will be good since its always been a tendency with me to poke about making the need to go to a specific point before the game continues a bit of a headach.
The first set of orders the player will recieve are more or less to probe ahead while the majority of the men stay behind(for the sake of not getting spread too thin, naturally leaving you undermanned out there). From here the only certainties are that power to the primary and secondary elevators don't have power, the hostiles that keep attacking all look the same(after the first attack this will get mentioned by one of your teammates, after the next or possibly one after they'll note that everyone looks like the same person), and that(fortunatly) the main computer appears to be in working order and uncompromised.
After the player finds his way to medical they're told that the station should have flash cloning banks and that he needs to find it and wire the team's bio signatures into its memory as a precautionary measure then to head back to command. Midway through the next briefing alarms start going off and in comes none other than clones of the squad that had just been flown in. These enemies will be both smarter and better armed than what's been seen before since up till now the player has only had to fight against generic rent-a-cop types that have only a minimum of combat experiance.