Wednesday, 15 October 2014

Think Tank - Story Boarding

Corey's idea: Earth is no more. Humanities greedy nature had finally caught up as the worlds first massive colony ships neared completion following the worldwide panic as the effects of resource starvation and global warming started to really show. Humanity was forced to make certain sacrifices and abandon their home. The mass populace moved to the ship yards above, by way of Orbital Elevators, to escape the chaos below. Earths last few materials were drained as man sucked the air from the planet for the stations and ships and even went as far to drain the water from the seas to be filtrated and rationed above. 

The once clean and modern stations quickly became riddled with disease and famine as space was scarce as were any resources, Humanity would endure this hardship for some time and even fall trial to the formation of new human bodies of power and government as the newly formed colonies orbiting Earth waged war against each other, each racing to leave the rest behind. Riots and killings were on the rise until a time of brief peace a midst the chaos came only months before the colony ships would ferry Humanity to a New Earth, a monument to mankind's old home. 

As the ships scoured the galaxy strongholds were built and systems were marked. Each faction found their home and expanded their territory from there, discovering new planets and even new life. Some people were accepting of the strange races they encountered, others saw the aliens as lesser beings in the way of humanities progress.

Now the year is 2272, more than 100 years after the Unification Wars and still nothings changed. The Commonwealth of Nations led by King Arthur Windsor, President John Miller and the United States Space Federation, the Coalition of Communist Space led by Chairman Dae-Hyun Eun and The Fourth Reich led by Baron Ulrich Steiner operate under a shaky piece treaty. A bright center to the chaos of the galaxy has been founded on the largest planet of the Agora System. A political haven where humanity and her respective factions share a stand with the larger alien empires of the galaxy.

Enter the New Earth Consortium. A small faction operating out of a hidden station on a remote moon. They believe the treaty should be repealed and instead of the powers coexisting they should be merged into a fairer government body. This NEC has been ousted as the perpetrators of recent assassination on a member of the United States Space Federation, under alignment with the Coalition. The fall man is James Trent, a spacer who takes on any work he can, bounties, smuggling, gun running anything that requires a certain element. The assassination was concocted by the Commonwealth Nations in order to turn the Federation against the Coalition, two groups who have always remained rivals.

For the first half of the game Trent runs various missions with his crew, playing all sides of the power struggle in the capital. When Trent is hired for an assassination he jumps without question as the pay is substantial. He places a bomb in the location specified and leaves. Following the explosion he learns of the victims, the wife and children of a very high up person in the USF rankings. Suddenly there's a bounty on Trent's head as he flees to the only people willing to help, the NEC. Over the course of his partnership with the NEC he learns that the Commonwealth were behind the whole thing and that there are a substantial amount of bounty hunters looking for him and his crew but not before he's sold out as a Coalition Radical to the Commonwealth. With most of his crew disbanded or dead and a serious hunter stopping at nothing to find him he manages to escape and find the man responsible for everything. Over the course of the game the player will have made multiple choices that effect the ending. If that player choose mostly evil options throughout he's gunned down killing the father of the family and the perpetrator of the assassination. A mix of both good and evil sees the character die at the hand of the father and the perpetrator being brought to justice within the Commonwealth and a majority of good choices leads to the fathers forgiveness and corrupt members of all houses being hunted down.
Nathan's idea: The year is 2501, the beginning of a new Century, and it has been almost 300 years since the UCC have rose to power. They brought about the terraforming of new planets, forming hundreds of colonies over countless planets. The Universal Command Corps grew strong and many in numbers and slowly they took over each planet and acted as the new law enforcers. They were in control and they made sure that their presence was felt by all. Governments quickly became overthrown and strife with corruption as they shouldered their way in. The UCC began dividing the poor and the wealthy in a attempt to create their own Utopia in the central cities, their own little piece of paradise. The rich would flourish and prosper while the working class would suffer and live in poverty. 

The smaller hubs of the working class prospered and grew taking on their own form of society, culture and gangs. Many of these smaller cities created their own hierarchies of guilds and gangs. Joining one of these guilds would mean to go against the UCC and to become a target till the day that you died.
The Den of Thieves, The Alliance of Hunters, The Shades and The Resurrected. These were the collection of guilds that had formed after the divide. These guilds were the type of places that if you needed something done quickly and quietly, that wasn't on the right side of the law, you would find all the resources you needed. Any one of these guilds would teach any willing soul how to stalk their prey, to go in for the killing blow and to collect the bounty on their head. They would train the youngest of children how to pickpocket and steal without being detected. However, the most prestigious guild was the Alliance of Hunters and they would take the brightest and best to train in the art of becoming a hunter. They would take boys and girls and give them years of training to become hone their craft and to perfect that art of killing. Anyone from the Alliance of Hunters could easily be called finest assassins of the verse. Only a few select assassins would survive past the muscle for hire stage but those who did would claim the title of Bounty Hunter. 

As a boy I was cast out by my mother and father for being different from the rest. I would always ask the wrong questions and could never understand why we had separated from the poor. I believed that we should have helped them and it was 'heretical' views that brought shame on my family so I was abandoned and sent to the slums to fight for myself. Growing up in a city where slave trafficking, prostitution and murder are a daily occurrence I quickly learned how to surive, how to steal, to live in the shadows and how to fight for for my life. After a few years of living in those conditions I had build somewhat of a reputation for myself among a few of the guilds. I guess this served me well as just after my 17th birthday I was tracked down by the Alliance of Hunters wanting me to become a bounty hunter. Seven grueling years later I had finally made a name for myself as a bounty hunter and I had my own ship, my own armour and guns and had a list of contacts for 'business' contracts. 

The irony is that the very same people who cast me out, who abandoned me were now those who were hiring my services. As long as the paycheck is worth it then I only need to ask one question, the name of my target. My work may be grim and bloody but as long as there are at least two people left on this planet someone will want someone else dead.

Ben's idea: Sci-fi game (FPS/RPG)
Sometime, several hundred years from now when space travel is a common method of transportation and access to different planets, inhabited by different alien races is nothing but a day to day occurrence, an underground organisation hides among society. Dealing out contracts for the Soldiers of Fortune for the galaxy one in particular known as <Protagonist Name: Player Selective> abandons his current job <Player choice> in order to join this Mercenary group and gain riches to pay for his only daughters blood transfusion, a cost which he wouldn't be able to make in his life time, legally. Turning to the Underground Society he equips himself with the gear needed provided by his deceased father and uses his name as an Alias to get what he wants.

 In the game there would a job system for the character to choose at the start of the game and would also give a different opening cutscene; slightly, for the game. Some of the jobs are as follows.
 Architect:
  1.   Has access to blueprints of multiple buildings and skyscrapers in the galaxy.
  2. Starts mission with map
  3. Can exploit structural weaknesses
Engineer:
  1. Access to power tools which double as weapons
  2. Can weld and create new weapons
  3. Can repair weapons and armour
Full time Bounty Hunter:
  1. Starts game with knowledge of all Hunting Bureaus
  2. Can hire followers at a cheaper price
  3. More influence over Bounty Hunter Society
Followers can range from bounty hunters to friends you have done tasks for to even police systems, they can be commanded in great detail about what they will be doing, the more specific the player is in their options, the higher the rate of success they can do their action.

 Fast Travel will only be unlocked after 33% of the games locations have been unlocked. Other methods of fast travel such as paid star flight and public transport are unlocked at the beginning of the game.

Andy's idea: You start on SAAN one of 6 planets in the Prosperity District of Galaxy Clel.

A wealthy human business man, most of your wealth coming from taking and selling resources from other planets with your company Xpl-Ore. Since Xpl-Ore take resources before most lifeforms on the planet are able to make use of them, leaving the planet with no wealth or possible way to maintain sustainable life. 
This outrages some other districts, which leads to an attempt to steal some of his wealth. Unfortunately for these bounty hunters/theifs they steal (his) space trawler with his daughter still in the vessel.
Not only has your daughter just been stolen from you, but you receive the blame. 

Your fellow board members of the company freeze your assets, oust you as CEO and have you arrested for the kidnapping and potential murder of your daughter.

///////OOOohhh shit it turns out was actually guy below you, that did it so he could be ceo///////

You are moved to the Niterc District, and placed in Clel's largest floating multi-species prison as you await trial. You spend 4 nights in the prison pleading your innocence and trying to figure a way out.

On the fifth night, a masked figure presents himself as Olaga, he proceeds to break you out of the prison and takes you to one of his several asteroid bases. Then informs you that it was right hand man (insert name) ordered some bounty hunters to steal your ship but wait until the daughter goes into it, so he can gain full control of the company. Olaga also informs you that they have your daughter in the Farlig District, very restricted and only accessible by being a high up member of Dödliga Jägare- a notorious gang of bounty hunters lead by the galaxies most lethal and dangerous criminals- as it is only accessible by being a Dödliga Jägare (unless you wish for an instant death), you have to start of as a small bounty hunter, working your way up until you manage to become a Dödliga Jägare.
I have no idea why its all spaced like that above^^^^^^^
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Other add-ons

Olaga is a merchant on the black market who will send you what ever you need (provide you got the coin)
He allows you to use one of his asteroid bases (again coin) were the Player can customise your character with new armour, weaponry, gadgets, vessiles and of course a mad ass jet pack.

The player will be able to name the character (thus providing an emotional connection, like naming a pet, but a pet with mad crazy space stuff)


Names:

Olaga - Unlawful
Farlig - Dangerous
Dödliga Jägare - Deadly/lethal hunters
^these are swedish
Clel - is made up
Niterc - is cretin backwards

Thursday, 9 October 2014

Think Tank - Story Line

The year is 2501, the beginning of a new Century, and it has been almost 300 years since the UCC have rose to power. They brought about the terraforming of new planets, forming hundreds of colonies over countless planets. The Universal Command Corps grew strong and many in numbers and slowly they took over each planet and acted as the new law enforcers. They were in control and they made sure that their presence was felt by all. Governments quickly became overthrown and strife with corruption as they shouldered their way in. The UCC began dividing the poor and the wealthy in a attempt to create their own Utopia in the central cities, their own little piece of paradise. The rich would flourish and prosper while the working class would suffer and live in poverty. 

The smaller hubs of the working class prospered and grew taking on their own form of society, culture and gangs. Many of these smaller cities created their own hierarchies of guilds and gangs. Joining one of these guilds would mean to go against the UCC and to become a target till the day that you died.
The Den of Thieves, The Alliance of Hunters, The Shades and The Resurrected. These were the collection of guilds that had formed after the divide. These guilds were the type of places that if you needed something done quickly and quietly, that wasn't on the right side of the law, you would find all the resources you needed. Any one of these guilds would teach any willing soul how to stalk their prey, to go in for the killing blow and to collect the bounty on their head. They would train the youngest of children how to pickpocket and steal without being detected. However, the most prestigious guild was the Alliance of Hunters and they would take the brightest and best to train in the art of becoming a hunter. They would take boys and girls and give them years of training to become hone their craft and to perfect that art of killing. Anyone from the Alliance of Hunters could easily be called finest assassins of the verse. Only a few select assassins would survive past the muscle for hire stage but those who did would claim the title of Bounty Hunter. 

As a boy I was cast out by my mother and father for being different from the rest. I would always ask the wrong questions and could never understand why we had separated from the poor. I believed that we should have helped them and it was 'heretical' views that brought shame on my family so I was abandoned and sent to the slums to fight for myself. Growing up in a city where slave trafficking, prostitution and murder are a daily occurrence I quickly learned how to surive, how to steal, to live in the shadows and how to fight for for my life. After a few years of living in those conditions I had build somewhat of a reputation for myself among a few of the guilds. I guess this served me well as just after my 17th birthday I was tracked down by the Alliance of Hunters wanting me to become a bounty hunter. Seven grueling years later I had finally made a name for myself as a bounty hunter and I had my own ship, my own armour and guns and had a list of contacts for 'business' contracts. 

The irony is that the very same people who cast me out, who abandoned me were now those who were hiring my services. As long as the paycheck is worth it then I only need to ask one question, the name of my target. My work may be grim and bloody but as long as there are at least two people left on this planet someone will want someone else dead.

Tuesday, 7 October 2014

Every puzzle has an answer

This blog entry took longer than I expected to write up because the idea I have was an idea that I felt that I genuinely want to make at some point in the future so I decided that I would flesh it out as much as possible and make the entry a good read to anyone who is reading this.
I am still unsure if people are reading this or not but either way it feels good to get all this out onto paper!

I guess the best place to begin for this idea is what inspired it in the first place.
If you have know of 'The Borrowers' or have seen the Studio Ghibli adaption 'Arrietty' then you will know roughly what I am on about. If you haven't well I recommend you watch Arrietty as it quite a good wee film. Anyway! Back to the point of inspirations. The idea behind the Borrowers is that there is a family of "tiny" people who are living in an English household and are hiding from the "big" people and have to "borrow" from them in order to live and survive.
Now this doesn't sound exactly like top notch game material does it?
Well what if I said that my other inspiration was the little voodoo doll key rings you can buy....still not appealing is it?

Moving swiftly onto the main idea, the story and other bits and pieces of the game.

The main idea that I have is that you will play as a small voodoo doll that has been separated from your other half because when you were out 'borrowing' one of the young girls of the family happened to find the other doll that you lived with and took her to her room. Your goal is to traverse through the house by going through the various rooms and finding materials you need to craft items to allow you to advance further on.
An example is that in a garage level there will be fishing hooks and wire that can be made into a grappling hook which means you can now cross big open gaps.
Another idea will be that to start climbing the carpet stairs you will need 2 drawing pins from the office level to allow you to climb up them.
It would be an interesting idea that a household will be the entire game. I think that if there was some element of free roaming in the game then it would be more enjoyable than just linear level design.

I think that if the entire household was open once unlocked it would make for a smoother game. So once you have unlocked the kitchen and the dinning room you can freely travel to both of them through cavities in the walls or spaces under the floor boards just as Arrietty would do. Now the game wouldn't be a game without some form of risk or element of challenge. So in a similar fashion to The Borrowers/ Arreitty I think that bugs and perhaps rats would make for enemies to face against throughout the game. Perhaps avoiding mouse traps would be part of the travelling from room to room.

At the moment I will leave this blog entry but I will come back to add more