Wednesday 20 July 2011

The Plot Thickens

Now my writing skills will slowly start going downhill but I figured that this project will at least need some sort of closure.  The main aim of this project is focusing on the experience for the player, unlike games which focuses on gameplay and replay value *cough*L4D2/COD4*cough*.  I think the plot right now is not the most original in the world but I'm confident that if we work on this together it'll still make it a really good game to play.  Like FF9 or PW.

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The original idea was that since Kemi and her boss were investigating a corrupt businessman/politician, he sent a few thugs after Kemi and her crew to scare them.  However in the process, they disturbed several offering tables during the commotion and because of that it caused the attention of many unwanted spirits lol.  In a sense the business politician isn't directly responsible for anything but setting the whole thing into motion.

After Yu finds out that Kemi's boss is murdered, I was thinking of having three distinct areas in which the player can explore to find clues and stuff.  Kemi's apartment (hacking into her laptop for instance), the murder scene (haven't decided where yet) in which Yu can ask around for information/get witness statements ala PW.  Finally somewhere abandoned (that zombieland linke was useful Emma!)  where Yu can talk to the gang members, then finally perhaps the corrupt official.

The ending can go in different ways:  Kemi comes back alive/dead or ends in a cliff hanger... or Kemi is found but stays in the mental hospital, Yu still sees weird things until the end of the Ghost month.

As Mike said, we can only reveal so much to the player if I manage to write it properly lol.  Mike also came up with the idea of sneaking into the crime scene without being detected by the guards at night Metal Gear style.  I then had the idea of making it so that the environments look incredibly similar and maze like and avoid the guards.  You can't see them but you can hear their footsteps which forces the player to listen out for them and puts them on the edge.  There's a possibility that we can randomise the source of the footsteps to say either left or right and you'd need to go into the opposite direction.  Almost like a mini game.

Also, any ideas to contribute in what should happen on the train scenes?  I can only seem to come up with the 'diffusing the bomb' situation from Trauma Centre lol.

EDIT: forgot to add Emma's link to the abandoned amusement park pictures! Here it is: http://www.lovethesepics.com/2011/05/creepy-crusty-crumbling-illegal-tour-of-abandoned-six-flags-new-orleans-75-pics/.

7 comments:

  1. DOCTOR WE NEED YOUR HELP DIFFUSING THIS ATOM BOMB! :[

    I think these are all good ideas. Thinking about the ending so more, I wonder if its just best to leave it on a cliff hanger kinda like in the same way that higurashi does. Otherwise you'd need to wrap up for example with the spirits stop chasing you etc and I can imagine it will just get to the point of over explaining everything.

    Maybe with the train, as it will act partly as a tutorial for the game play maybe the first puzzle is a stupidly easy one like 'show the guard your ticket from the inventory'. Maybe have some more simple puzzles and covnersation, I'll have a think of what form thise can take.

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  2. On the same line of thought, I like to have some sort of closure whenever I play games or watch movies. The only problem I found with Higurashi was that it present more questions rather than answers which made me very disappointed and really couldn't be bothered with season 2 XD. I find that there needs to be a good balance of whether the player/audience wants more or less. But I don't know....I guess it depends on how well I write it *pressure, pressure, pressure*!

    Yes I was thinking that the train bit will be a tutorial bit too. I like the presenting the train ticket idea!

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  3. ohh i love that maze idea.. mazes are always scary.. even in ocarina of time when you're trying to sneak into the castle.. bloody made me scared XD

    hmm... with the train scenes i know we've gone over this a lot but i really like the idea of a carriage dissapearing for a bit or changing.. maybe that could be the first weird thing that happens but it comes back shortly after so yu just thinks its his imagination.

    and also, at the point hes on the train, would that be around the time or a little after kemi and the thugs disturb the ghosts? cause if it was at the same time and yu started being haunted maybe because of the connection kemi made by phoning him i could see it working..

    as for the ending.. its always good to have someone die haha.. just cause its too happy ending-ish if they all live i guess?
    anyway im way behind with these so you guys may have already had a solution, sorry if so XD

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  4. Maze puzzle shall be included XD

    The disappearing carriage will still be there; I've yet to make a script for all the 'creepy' bits yet as I'm a bit stuck there. Again I'll make another post later this evening just to get the think-tank ball rolling XD

    I believe it is the same time (happens on day2 if I remember correctly)- can't remember if I wrote it in the general script though. I was just having a random discussion with Mike last night about the plot which could give the plot a brilliant twist. Have you seen the Minority Report film?

    I'm planning to spend another week or so just to finalize the plot/script so everything and anything still goes XD

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  5. that sounds good :O np np take your time :D

    okay cool thats a good idea, and i saw minority report a long time ago but it was very sad so i didnt watch it again :'(

    thats a good idea :D

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  6. Ah I love Minority Report! Altho Artificial Intelligence is even sadder :'<

    In Minority Report, the main character joins the police force because of the disappearance/death of his son. A conspiracy happens and the twist was that it goes back to the case of his son which was used to set him up. I shall do a general update of the plot soonies :3

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  7. oh god yeah i bawled in AI D:

    but that sounds good thanks jade ^^

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