Tuesday, 19 February 2013

New Direction Update 07


Ok well after our presentation to the Tutors as well as professionals Steve Goss and James Brooksby. we were shown and forced to admit the holes and flaw with some of our concepts fundamentals.

As I thought more about what we needed to take from the feedback and how this effected the core vision of the game it became more evident to how constricting sticking rigidly to the album would be. This was a bit shakey for me as it meant I had to let go of a large part of what I wanted to do, which was working on something for this album and staying true the original intentions of a story interpreted out of the music. In it's own way however the album yet again inspired me and directed me to the next move. We needed a story that could stand on it's own feet apart from the music, what if the deeper meaning of this story was about letting go? This story would still be another interpretation of the album but would give us the freedom needed to create something that would work in the situation we are in. At this time the game is still intended to feature the music but not as high of a focus, that is going to be a more personal project in it's own right.

So the story as of now, pitching to fresh ears:

Marcus, a father searching for his lost daughter after she ran away many years ago on a chase in search of vengeance.

In more detail:

The players character *Marcus receives a recorded voice message from his lost daughter. She talks of apologies to him for taking off and not letting him know she was still alive, regrets and that she is scared. She talks of her progress tracking a man she has been trying to kill for a while. Best Marcus can derive she is on *planet X from her message and decides he must go there on the off chance he can help her/save her. He is not a young man, not much of a hero, but out of love must try to get his daughter back.

A cinematic plays showing the players ship approaching the planet and coming in to land. Game begins as he enters the town through a large gate. This landing zone was on an outskirts section of a moderate sized city, this is seen in the skyline. The town seems deserted, but not in a panic. There is a relaxed but eerie mood about the place, “a Sunday?” Marcus thinks. Marcus's thoughts are overlayed on the world to the player in speech. Walking through players see posters of an event on, presumably today. Markets stalls are still up, but are perceived to be automated. Most doors are closed or obstructed, not a lot is going on in town today but it clear that this is not normally such a ghost town and that there is no real worry at this point.

Players are lead on through various subtle elements; Using camera filters/overlay of brightness/contrast/hue etc, as the players move forward Marcus will comment/have thoughts on things he see's, a ghostly representation of his daughter will be seen a distance away from him. This aspect will not be very high in the visual mix but will be another element to draw the player in if they notice it.
Players are free to explore this confined town area until they find/reach a scrap/tinker workshop. A cinematic transition would take the player from the front to the back of the shop, loading a new level. In this cinematic another piece of the original audio device is found *and merges with it*, playing another message left from his daughter. *This time however it is not for him but perhaps a note for her self, a journal*. Taking information in this recording Marcus continues to follow where she may be. As well as this players will be driven by visual elements as before but also her ghost becomes more of a literal follow in the alley way section Marcus is stepping into. Seeing glimmers of her just around the corner. At this point the dangers she may have gotten her self into are hinted to add a bit of tension. Perhaps recent remnants of the towns gang or mafia types are shown here.*

Players are lead on in this fashion to what once was a garden rear entrance but is now boarded up. Some light game play, breaking this down to gain entrance. Again following visual cue's as well as wisps of her ghost through the over grown plants, players work their way through this more uptown and lush garden in contrast to the town's colour aesthetics. This continues with some variety until reaching a more center piece of a water fountain. *Attached to it swinging on the underside of a lip is a necklace he recognizes to be his wife's that was once carried by the daughter. At this point players are let on more of the back story. Just further up is a large house that the player has been seeing in the distance until this point, somewhere to again drive players to.

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