---------------------------------------------------------------- The Awakening Introduction: The world ended or maybe it’s just begun. It’s hard to say since nobody remembers the old world, the world in which I used to live. One day the world woke up and the people found themselves lost in a sea of confusion. They where surrounded by unfamiliar shapes and objects. It was then that people began to realize that they had no memory of anything before they had awoken. Panic and fear spread rapidly as people tried in vane to remember not only the simplest facts about themselves but also how to operate the devices around them. In time people began to venture out of their homes and banded together into roving gangs for support. These gangs began to grow in size until the city was controlled by 4 main gangs, the Skags who controlled the under city, a world of tunnels and paths that stretched out in all directions, the Chen who owned the north district, the Fords who controlled the southern the district and the Angels who ran the upper city. There where also many smaller gangs and people who simply tried to live their lives in a world they could not comprehend. Day 1 I awoke in a bed; it might have been my own, once upon at time. But judging by the dilapidated condition of my surrounding that had been a long time ago. Groggily I explored the room around me; there was no electricity and or running water. But at least there was a relatively clean set of cloths in the closet and an old grey overcoat. So I left the small room and headed out into the street. There where broken cars and crumbling builds all around. In distant I heard a scream and it seemed as though a lot of bad things had happened here and any kind of law and order had long since vanished. Day 3 I met a girl today by the name of Ami. She was hiding from one the gangs that seemed to plague this city; I helped bandage her wounds and then gave her my coat to keep her warm. Although she was too frightened to tell me why they where chasing her, judging by her appearance it wasn’t hard to guess and I doubted that it was the first time she had been forced to run and hide. Day 4 I’ve spent that last day getting to know Ami and she’s been telling me about the world in which she lives. It seems that everyone had awoken one day with no memory and no idea how to work the devices that I had taken for granted as part of my everyday. But why hadn’t I awoken with everyone else and why was I the only one who could remember anything?, I asked how long ago that had been since she woke up and she told that it had occurred twelve double full moons ago. Double full moons that was wrong, there should only be one moon so why where there now two? I tried to get as much information as I could from her but she was frightened and wary of me. I could hardly blame her considering the life she lived. But yet it was frustrating since although she tried her best she had none of the answers that I needed. What had happened to world, why could no one remember anything and why did they consider this city to be all that existed in the world? Day 5 When I awoke this morning Ami was gone. I was disappointed since I had hoped that I had found a companion and part of me longed to continue to protecting her. I managed to find an old map yellowed with damp and age in the lobby of the hotel where Ami and I had spent the night. With it I would at least have some reference and I could begin explore this city in hopes of finding some clue as to what was going on and perhaps there where other like myself. But it was strange the map was unfamiliar to me this we no city that I had ever heard of let alone the one in which I had been living. Stranger still this city felt empty where were all the people? I had seen several mainly gang members, but yet so many of building where deserted, that I could not help feeling as though that a city that should hold hundreds of thousands held merely hundreds. Some where out there, where the answer I sought and perhaps even a future that lay beyond this bleak and dismal present. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Gameplay: The player controls the main character. There are no skills or stats. Since the character is suppose to have those memories and skills which the player possess. A blend of action, adventure, puzzle solving and simulation. the player will be able to pursue their destiny anyway they choose. Characters have a health attribute which decrease as a result of serious injuries, So losing I fight doesn't nessarily mean death. When health reaches 0 the character dies and the player is given an ending related to the choices they made. The main character will be able to operate the devices unlike the npc who roam the game world. To be honest I haven't really given gameplay much thought I was more focused on the story aspect. ----------------------------------------------------- Writer, Programer, Cook, I'm a Jack of all Trades Current Design project Chaos Factor Design Document [edited by - TechnoGoth on January 12, 2004 3:20:22 AM]

This reminds me of Big O and Paradigm City. That''s not a good thing.

Since the people in this city could remember things such as surnames (Chen, Ford), what is seemingly a variation of a surname (Skag, as in Skagnetti, I think), and a religious figure (Angel), I''m sure they could remember how to read. By reading, they could familiarize themselves with a large amount of knowledge of their surroundings. (From what I''m told, people with amnesia forget the things they really have to think about. When you speak, you usually don''t need to think about speaking, you just do. Same with reading, I''d guess. Can anyone clarify?)

We humans also have the power of reasoning and deduction. People will usually figure out that if you pull the small trigger on a gun, it''ll shoot. After so many times of trial and error, someone''ll get it right.

I''ve never heard Big O, Paradigm City and Blue are they books? Movies? Tv shows?

orionx103:
They don''t remember surnames, they don''t remember anything at all. They can speak english because otherwise the people couldn''t comunicate with each other and the player, but all the names are merely what people decieded to call themselves. The people don''t have the ability to read or write. they have used basic trial and error to figure out how use some device and some even have guns. But there arn''t many guns around and no one. knows how to repair them or make more bullets, so they are used sparingly.

The people arn''t suffering from simple amnesia, they have no memories or skills except those they learned after the awakening.

Instead of thinking of them as people with amnesia, imagine instead cavemen woke up one morning and found themselves in a city. How much could they get working? How much would they understand?

DecipherOne:
The journal is just that more a journal and less a diary. Its being written in hopes that whoever finds it will know what happened.

Your right I tried not to include to much of the characters personality in journal. Simply because the idea is that the player is that character and has found themselves in that world.
So the characters personality traits should be that of the player.


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Writer, Programer, Cook, I''m a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project
Chaos Factor Design Document

If you''re going to say that they can''t remember anything, but they can speak English simply so they can communicate, then it might sound like you can''t think semi-complex ideas out such as this. Such is my opinion. (Anyone elses?)

Also, all this has happened in a single city. Why hasn''t a person from another city came in, for whatever reason, and noticed that everyone has the intellegence of a child? Is this area in the middle of BFE, or is it an island, or by some other means separated?

quote: Original post by orionx103
If you''re going to say that they can''t remember anything, but they can speak English simply so they can communicate, then it might sound like you can''t think semi-complex ideas out such as this. Such is my opinion. (Anyone elses?)

Have you ever watched tv or a movie? Ever notice how everyone speaks english? Or look at star trek every alien speicies speaks perfect english. This all done so that audiance can enjoy the show. In the case of a game unless people can communicate with each other and the player with npcs then its going to be a very dull game. Imagine if you needed to get some information from an npc and the npcs just stared at you blankly.

quote: Original post by orionx103
Also, all this has happened in a single city. Why hasn''t a person from another city came in, for whatever reason, and noticed that everyone has the intellegence of a child? Is this area in the middle of BFE, or is it an island, or by some other means separated?

Have you ever read a story? If you have you know that all the answers arn''t laid out in the introduction. After all that wouldn''t make much of story now would it? Reread the story maybe you''ll notice some foreshadowing as to the answers to your questions.

But don''t worry all your questions about the city would be answered if you pursued that path in the game.

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Writer, Programer, Cook, I''m a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project
Chaos Factor Design Document

This story reminds me of the movie "28 days later" which I hated. But maybe your game will be different.

Like you said you can''t answer all the questions about whats happenning, you can only give a few hints to setup whats going on and then the player has to figure it out and explore.

The reason I like this story is I haven''t heard anything of deamon or zombies or anything yet, it seems like its more of a solve the riddle type game so far

Don''t worry there arn''t any zombies in this story, afterall there are no working TV''s. :-D

There are no supernatural entities or mutants. Your enemies are all other humans, just like you.



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Writer, Programer, Cook, I''m a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project
Chaos Factor Design Document

So other then the story reminding people of movies which they seem to hate. Are they any other thoughts on the subject matter? Does the game world appeal to anyone? Would you want to a play a game invloving this intro story?

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Writer, Programer, Cook, I'm a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project
Chaos Factor Design Document



[edited by - TechnoGoth on January 15, 2004 12:34:54 AM]