Themes

Started by AliveDrive, March 03, 2011, 03:44:57 pm

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AliveDrive

So story, I don't wanna set it in stone for a few days until everyone's had a chance to talk, but I think steampunk should definitely be the "theme" of our game. So let's add that to the ballot.
Quote from: Blizzard on September 09, 2011, 02:26:33 am
The permanent solution for your problem would be to stop hanging out with stupid people.

WhiteRose

Quote from: AliveDrive on March 03, 2011, 03:44:57 pm
So story, I don't wanna set it in stone for a few days until everyone's had a chance to talk, but I think steampunk should definitely be the "theme" of our game. So let's add that to the ballot.


Meh, I don't agree. Not only would Steampunk appeal more to a niche (no pun intended) audience, it would be much more difficult to get usable tilesets, meaning whoever would be working as graphic designers would be working overtime. I think we should aim more for high fantasy.

winkio

Sorry I don't know much about either genre just described, but what about a good old-fashioned explorer RPG?  Something centered around a boat's captain and crew traversing the seas and exploring dangerous and exciting new places?  I just think we could make good use of the RTP that way.

AliveDrive

Pirates!

Me neither, but niche showed me this and I was sold xD.
Spoiler: ShowHide


I want to hear everyone's ideas before anything is decided.

And once more for emphasis: Pirates!
Quote from: Blizzard on September 09, 2011, 02:26:33 am
The permanent solution for your problem would be to stop hanging out with stupid people.

winkio

So now that we have our story started, we can focus a bit more here.  Obviously, the main goal is to stop the gods/cultists from messing things up.  There is also the search for titanium and magic.  I could see this panning out in a few different ways:

1.  Chase the bad guys - the game revolves around trying to stop the bad guys - you chase them from place to place, etc.  This is like Golden Sun.
2.  Explorer - the game revolves around finding enough titanium to be able to strike back against the bad guys.  This is like Super Mario RPG (where they search for the stars).
3.  Defensive - "help, we're under attack!" then heroes come to the rescue.  Can't think of a good example game.
4.  2-world - making use of the corruption sites as important plot devices - maybe that's where most of the titanium is?  Can't think of a good example game.

Obviously, we can combine some of these themes if we wanted.

WhiteRose

Quote from: winkio on March 04, 2011, 03:09:43 pm
So now that we have our story started, we can focus a bit more here.  Obviously, the main goal is to stop the gods/cultists from messing things up.  There is also the search for titanium and magic.  I could see this panning out in a few different ways:

1.  Chase the bad guys - the game revolves around trying to stop the bad guys - you chase them from place to place, etc.  This is like Golden Sun.
2.  Explorer - the game revolves around finding enough titanium to be able to strike back against the bad guys.  This is like Super Mario RPG (where they search for the stars).
3.  Defensive - "help, we're under attack!" then heroes come to the rescue.  Can't think of a good example game.
4.  2-world - making use of the corruption sites as important plot devices - maybe that's where most of the titanium is?  Can't think of a good example game.

Obviously, we can combine some of these themes if we wanted.


I think a good combination of the first two would be that the party is trying to stop the Cult from acquiring any more Titanium, and does so by finding it and taking it for themselves. We could also tie the fourth option into this by deciding that Titanium is most commonly found in these spots of the corruption. Thus, the players travel around, looking for sites of corruption, and then explore them and try and get the Titanium. The Cult, meanwhile, is trying to do the same thing, leading to events such as the the heroes getting to a site just as the Cult makes off with the Titanium, the two groups arriving at about the same time and fighting over it, or even the Cult directly attacking the party to take their Titanium.

If we decide to go with the big, epic ending of the Cult unsealing the Creators, then they'd need to end up on top in the search for the Titanium. Maybe they could somehow trick or force the party into handing over all the Titanium that they have gathered?

winkio

If the gods are unsealed and the party just lost all of their titanium... how do they fight back?  Do they just lose instantly?  Also, the cult still has all that titanium... does the cult end up saving the day?

AliveDrive

1. What about having the bad guys chase them? They have motive to get that titanium.

2. Explorer - Super Mario RPG is my favorite game of all time, and I think that is because of how well done it was. The story, gathering the stars, exploring the world, and helping people along the way, are basic RPG themes, but they work very well.

3. How bold is the cult? Do they intend to harm the church directly? There could be a point in the story where you need to defend.

4. 2-world. Oblivion comes to mind. Good game. Story? TL;DR. It would make sense that most of the titanium is found here.

I like the idea of a combination.
Quote from: Blizzard on September 09, 2011, 02:26:33 am
The permanent solution for your problem would be to stop hanging out with stupid people.

WhiteRose

Quote from: winkio on March 04, 2011, 03:20:52 pm
If the gods are unsealed and the party just lost all of their titanium... how do they fight back?  Do they just lose instantly?  Also, the cult still has all that titanium... does the cult end up saving the day?


Hmm, that's definitely a valid point. If we decide to have an ending in which the Cult unseals the Creators, though, the Cult does somehow need to get enough Titanium to do so - either that or they find some other way of releasing them. Also, as I understand it, Titanium isn't the key to defeating the Creators - in the first war (which probably needs a name, by the way :P) the mortals fighting against the Creators had very powerful magic, and thus presumably a lot of Titanium, and still weren't able to destroy them. There needs to be something else....
The Master Sword, anyone? :V

winkio

Hm, I thought of something.  Maybe the monsters realize what is happening once the gods are unleashed, and sacrifice themselves to power the party up?  In the first war, they never really knew the creators, but after being sealed away with them for all those years, they knew who to blame for their condition.  Something about the humans giving the monsters hope for a better future.  Perhaps most of the monsters get wiped out, but some survive, and either learn to coexist with humans, or live in hiding and in peace.

AliveDrive

Hmm...

*After the Creators were sealed away, the founders of the Church had a meeting to devise a method of protection should the unthinkable happen and they were released. After much debate, they decided on forging "EPIC SWORD NAME HERE" so that they may defend themselves in the time of crisis. However, the sword was too powerful, and corrupted those that touched it who were not pure of heart. In the end, they decided the sword was a danger to humanity and decided to lock it deep in a vault, hidden from the world. Eons passed and the location of the vault was forgotten, but the sword still remains there...*

Or something to that effect?
Quote from: Blizzard on September 09, 2011, 02:26:33 am
The permanent solution for your problem would be to stop hanging out with stupid people.

Hatsamu

Quote from: winkio on March 04, 2011, 03:48:46 pm
Hm, I thought of something.  Maybe the monsters realize what is happening once the gods are unleashed, and sacrifice themselves to power the party up?  In the first war, they never really knew the creators, but after being sealed away with them for all those years, they knew who to blame for their condition.  Something about the humans giving the monsters hope for a better future.  Perhaps most of the monsters get wiped out, but some survive, and either learn to coexist with humans, or live in hiding and in peace.


and what about adding something like this?

"When the gods are unleashed, the monsters realize what's happening and sacrifice themselves to power the party up. But the Creators where the creators of those monsters after all and this entities learn from their mistakes too; they won't be faced by their own powers. They nullify the monsters/netherealm powers and everything seems to be lost. But a new power emerges, the world was created by the Creators, but they where created by a more powerful being in the first place. The essence of that greater power gives birth to a new source of magic that the creators can't face. After this, the world could keep going in peace with this non-corrupting new magic..."


winkio

So the monsters sacrifice themselves for nothing?  That's kinda sad :(

Hatsamu

It adds dramatism. =P

Also, by sacrifying themselves they are showing that they weren't so "bad" as people thought. So, if any of them gets to survive or something, they will be accepted by the world and they could coexist in peace.

AliveDrive

I hear a lot of good ideas, it's clear that this part of the story will be more difficult.

I'm curious to see what others will come up with to explain this.

So we're decided that the released Creators must be destroyed? Could they not be imprisoned permanently this time? Perhaps they could be weakened enough so that powerful magic could be used to (freeze them in ice, time-freeze them, etc.) And then trapped away forever this time (we hope ;))?
Quote from: Blizzard on September 09, 2011, 02:26:33 am
The permanent solution for your problem would be to stop hanging out with stupid people.

The Niche

Hold on a second. All sounds cool, but back on the original subject, I move that we make some areas steampunk, some pirate, etc. Basically, we mix it up and have some fun. Hell, we could do underwater scenes and stuff.
Level me down, I'm trying to become the anti-blizz!
Quote from: winkio on June 15, 2011, 07:30:23 pm
Ah, excellent.  You liked my amusing sideshow, yes?  I'm just a simple fool, my wit entertains the wise, and my wisdom fools the fools.



I'm like the bible, widely hated and beautifully quotable.

Dropbox is this way, not any other way!

WhiteRose

Quote from: The Niche on March 04, 2011, 05:58:39 pm
Hold on a second. All sounds cool, but back on the original subject, I move that we make some areas steampunk, some pirate, etc. Basically, we mix it up and have some fun. Hell, we could do underwater scenes and stuff.


This wouldn't be difficult; I designed the setting to give a lot of leeway to things like this. I do think, though, that we should get the skeleton of the main story complete before we start giving it muscles and organs.

The Niche

Excellent choice, ma'am. I'd say we ought to lock this thread for the minute and pick it back up later once the story is done.
Level me down, I'm trying to become the anti-blizz!
Quote from: winkio on June 15, 2011, 07:30:23 pm
Ah, excellent.  You liked my amusing sideshow, yes?  I'm just a simple fool, my wit entertains the wise, and my wisdom fools the fools.



I'm like the bible, widely hated and beautifully quotable.

Dropbox is this way, not any other way!

winkio

err, not at all.  The storyline is it's own thing, but the themes are what is emphasized in game.  They must work together, true, but they are completely separate entities.

The Niche

Of course...wait. What themes are we talking about here?
Level me down, I'm trying to become the anti-blizz!
Quote from: winkio on June 15, 2011, 07:30:23 pm
Ah, excellent.  You liked my amusing sideshow, yes?  I'm just a simple fool, my wit entertains the wise, and my wisdom fools the fools.



I'm like the bible, widely hated and beautifully quotable.

Dropbox is this way, not any other way!