This is a topic for discussing the story structure of the RPG-in-design. For the general system discussions, go HERE. For Character discussions, go HERE. For enemy discussions, go HERE.
ALTERED REALITY, FLOOPYWOOPYHOOHAWHEY!!
You totally thought I totally deleted it, because I totally didn't lie. But it turns out I did lie, thrice-fold, like a triple facepalm combo of self-loathing. AR STILL EXISTS! And it's just as shitty as it was when I left it.
So let's talk story. We've already established the idea behind the world, but we need to actually storyboard this sort of thing. Anything that comes to mind, feel free to add in a specific location below. Anything with a {?} to the left of it is subject to change if a better idea is presented. Anything with a [!] to the left signifies a party member joining.
---- INTRO ----
{?} * IRC Bullshit
* Title Cards
---- AREA1 ----
* Zarro wakes up outside of a small forested area, wondering wtf is going on
* Zarro finds Kira-Mitsukai nearby in awe
* Is confronted by a strong enemy, who he cannot defeat
* Rage-power-boost enables Zarro to use a skill that nukes the enemy in one hit.
* Exiting the forest, Zarro goes to town#1
---- AREA2 ----
* Inhabitants of town#2 reveal that a strange girl showed up recently
* She headed into a large forest 'not too long ago'
* Zarro follows afterward
[!] * Daniruu joins the party
* First boss fight against ???
---- AREA3 ----
* Town#3 is a castle town
* King bitches about some of his troops having gone to a tunnel to exterminate monsters
* "But none have returned!"
* Party wanders around the tunnel and eventually finds many of the knights dead
* Heading deeper, party finds two people alive, a nameless knight, and...
[!] * Shades joins the party
* Nameless Knight joins temporarily the party
* Second boss fight against ???
---- AREA4&5 ----
* Town#4 is scared shitless about 'two demons fighting in the desert'
* Clearly going to check it out is a good idea!
* After wandering the desert, the party finds Kai and Caleb fighting
* CHOICE TIME! WHO JOINS THE PARTY!?
[!] * Kai OR Caleb joins the party, the other wanders off on their own
---- Beyond this ----
{?} * Fuck if I know!
---- EVENTUALLY ----
* Pandimonium 'final boss' fight
* Turns out to be fake, and the world map is warped into a flip-side nightmare
* Eventual true final boss fight against the dream goddess who put us here, 'Yumi'
* Who is, incidentally, a bit of a psycho bitch
========
If you can think of where your character fits, or any sort of side-quests that could be shoved in somewhere, feel free to suggest it.
Re: ALTERED REALITY - Story Discussion
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 5:38 pm
by MintE
The storyboard is looking good. Has a very typical RPG story structured feel to it, but that isn't a bad thing.
I especially love the choice thing between Caleb and Kai. That is nice. Adds replayability.
You should use that choice thing (not necessarily always for party members) as much as possible.
Also, I have a question, is the entire INTRO section actually an intro? And if it is what do you mean by IRC Bullshit? Well mainly is the IRC you mentioned the chat?
Re: ALTERED REALITY - Story Discussion
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:40 pm
by Firefox11
I assume Zarro just didn't want to post everything, since some of us saw what it was in the 'other' version of the game.
IRC bullshit is the intro, where all the characters are logged in a IRC channel chatting. Eventually, Zarro decides to go to bed, and wakes up in an altered reality (hence the name).
And yes, the intro is a intro. Pretty much is (was) an IRC conversation til he wakes up in the other reality, which is when the first scripted battle starts.
Re: ALTERED REALITY - Story Discussion
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 12:47 am
by MintE
Will it have action cutscenes of people typing on key boards and the like?
Re: ALTERED REALITY - Story Discussion
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 2:22 am
by ZarroTsu
MintE wrote:action cutscenes of people typing on key boards
Pffffthahaha
(we'll see)
Re: ALTERED REALITY - Story Discussion
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 10:51 pm
by TheBlueEcho
Gladitorial / Coloseum City
Good Place for level grinding (If you allow it), earning unique Items, Skill, Weapons, ect. Good spot for use of Enemies and Characters that don't fit anywhere else. You also can do things such as Solo Challanges, Bragging rights Challanges, ect.
Trade / Babalon City
Good for Conspiracy, Jailbreak plots. Again good for misc character inclusion because of the international/central city nature of it. You can use it as a hub to get Items from all the other citys/towns/villiges, after you have visted them first, respectively. (or not?)
Combining the two would give you something of a roman city.
Something else, in places where you reject/turn down/Do not save optional party members, have them incorperated elsewhere, such as: an "Oh, it's you."/"Long time no See!"/"Your alive!?" moment, they take employment in some town, becomes an opstical in your quest or turns to the evil (by corruption, being lied to or willingy), a challanger at the coloseum town or an optional boss battle at a later time, or as a plot assistant that helps you out later in the game (such as pulling you out of that totally unforseeable pit in the floor or out of that cell your locked in.)
Re: ALTERED REALITY - Story Discussion
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 1:31 am
by AlexMdle
@TBO
Reminded me of a similar thing I wanted to ask Zarro.
Basically I remember he wanted to make some chars being for/against breaking the dream world.
He could make the rejected chars the prior
Re: ALTERED REALITY - Story Discussion
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 3:59 pm
by ZarroTsu
Well, yes, that's something that should be added to the character topic.
Dependent entirely on the real-life outlook of the person presenting the character, they may very well refuse to return to their previous life, even with the opportunity open to them entirely. To some, this would insult them to the point of retaliation against Zarro/Me & Co. bopping around trying to find a way out with no reason. To others, they'd jump at the chance to escape without so much as the bat of an eye.
If it were straight-up "everyone joins as soon as you find them", that would be rather boring. I want it presented in such a way that the characters are much more realistically portrayed and 'alive' (technically, them being you guys, they are), rather than just some shmucks in a game.
As I said in the topic from a year(?) ago, there are a few catches to this presented fantasy realm.
(1) The longer we spend, the more of our past life we forget. This comes as a frustrating, self-loathing curse to some, and a welcome blessing to others.
(2) If one person manages to leave, everyone else is forced out of the world as well.
Those that wish to stay will have the overwhelming, yet accepted urge to dispose of anyone who wants to leave the world. Depending on by how much can affect how they retaliate in this fashion. (Although it depends. I would fathom some more passive people insisting that they want to stay, while still joining the party.)
It should go without saying that the presented fantasy world is a realm of dream. It is ruled by 'Yumi' (Who used to be called "Dissantra"), a goddess to the dream-universe.
Yumi has more or less complete control over the reality and its inhabitants, presenting much of a problem in some theories. By her mentality, which I shall go over in a moment, she is absolute in keeping us in her dream, and will do whatever in her power to prevent us from leaving (Which, as above, includes a greater persuasion to those who wish to stay, against those who wish to leave).
Yumi has a bit of a mental disorder, which I'm sure has a name to summarize it, but I shall explain it anyway. She is childish in a way, and acts much like a child playing with her toys. While she is passive, and wishes no harm to those she is playing with, she becomes very aggressive to those who wish to put an end to her play-time. While she does present several opportunities that can kill the people of her realm, it would only actually kill anyone who was in a rush to find a way to leave the realm.
What comes as a tricky aspect of this matter is that, being in full control of the realm and its inhabitants, she can very well snap her fingers and send us off to another layer of the realm, without us ever remembering the encounter. While we may have entered the realm with some memory of who we were, encounters with Yumi may render that memory entirely worthless. It was an act of kindness, to remember who we were, as a suggested method that the new realm was a 'much better life'. But those who know real from fake are those who would likely stand against her regardless of her intention. And these are the people Yumi don't understand -- A paradise lies all around you, and yet you wish to leave? Why? What can I change to your liking? What can I do to make you stay? Why? Why do you want to leave, when I can do anything you wish me to to make it a more acceptable place!?
However, in our encounters with her directly, she will indeed throw us to another layer of the realm, and with less of our memory - realm activity included - remaining. I plan on doing this twice, thereby presenting three 'thirds' of the game:
(1) Past memory intact, yet fading - "Where am I?"
(2) Past memory forgotten - "Why am I here?"
(3) All memory forgotten - "Who am I?"
And while session 1 is that of a straightforward, kindly presented fantasy world, session 2 will become more warped and evil, while session 3 will become that of an all-out nightmare. Forcing us to stay.For we shall never leave.
Re: ALTERED REALITY - Story Discussion
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 5:24 pm
by PureQuestion
I am beginning to suspect White as a deus ex machina. Which in turn makes me wonder if Shadow is about somewhere. HMMMMM
Re: ALTERED REALITY - Story Discussion
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 8:58 pm
by Ex-Rumia
If we need those against/for the dream world, wouldn't it make sense to use the previous characters we had made, along with the new/returning ones? That would cut down on effort needed as well.
