quote: Original post by furby100
Yes, the computer ruling an entire society based on the former leader''s consciousness is as Hackneyed as the planet composed entirely of gangsters or Romans.

Hey now, I liked those planets!

hmm, the idea of time travel gave me an idea. for game what about. If the game consist of the player traveling back and forth through in an attempt to prevent the end of the world. Where in despite your efforts and choices you make you always end up in confrontaion with mad man trying to destroy the world.

So it starts off, world gets destroyed and in a attempt to save it you travel back in time 3 days. You live thoughs three days confront the villian but are unable prevent the worlds destruction and so your sent back three days again. However things have changed as a result of your actions the last time through thoughs three days continue and the end you once again fight the villian and fail to save the world. This continues a number of times until you finaly are able to save the world. There could be interesting side quests such as trying to change peoples lives for the better.

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

quote: Original post by TechnoGoth
However things have changed as a result of your actions the last time through thoughs three days continue and the end you once again fight the villian and fail to save the world.

I would take the cheap route out: prevent the villain''s birth. Plus, your actions in the future wouldn''t change things that happened before you did them. The game would get repetitive.

"Plus, your actions in the future wouldn''t change things that happened before you did them. The game would get repetitive"

Ahh but your forgetting something. Since you''ve already traveled back in time before then that means there is all ready a version of you out there changing things. So for instance if you cause a car to go out of control and run over a woman. Then in future loops you could be there to save the woman before she dies.

It wouldn''t be reptive, think of it as a game that each chapter takes place in the same setting. Where the new events are result from your own actions or inactions.

First time through you have no idea whats happening you begin to figure out and confront the villian but by then its to late.

Next time you have better understanding of events and are able to confront the villian earlir but its still to late to prevent the worlds destruction. and so on until you can understand the course of events the result in the worlds destruction and prevent them from occuring.

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

quote: Original post by TechnoGoth
So it starts off, world gets destroyed and in a attempt to save it you travel back in time 3 days. You live thoughs three days confront the villian but are unable prevent the worlds destruction and so your sent back three days again. However things have changed as a result of your actions the last time through thoughs three days continue and the end you once again fight the villian and fail to save the world. This continues a number of times until you finaly are able to save the world. There could be interesting side quests such as trying to change peoples lives for the better.

Congratulations, you just described The Legend of Zelda: Majora''s Mask. Right down to the three day time limit. (Except in that game, all the changes you made are lost when you go back in time.)

How about, you find out that the villain you slew in the original game, was really the -real- villain''s stunt double?

Anyone?

Is this thing on? *tap tap*



matrix³
[ email | web | apple gl | linux gl | opengl | freeglut | glui | lua ]

If you are making a story driven game, you cannot have the villain really die and then return. It leads to too many questions, and at the end, the player doesn''t really know if the character is dead. Instead use the tactic that I believe Xenosaga is getting ready to use. SPOILERS





The character of Joacim Mizrahi (sp) is described in great detail as a mad man, etc., however, you are also constantly reminded that he is dead. Enter U-DO, massive evil force eminating from Miltia. Connection? IMO, U-DO IS Joacim Mizrahi. By leaving out details, such as the players actually seeing his death, or giving a very detailed discription of his death, the possibility is left open that he could still be alive in some way. In fact, there is evidence that he is alive within MOMO. Also, while i''m on the topic, I think Shion is JM''s daughter, although I have very scattered evidence on that. END SPOILERS






By leaving the possibility that the villain is still alive i.e. Final Fantasy X, you give the player believability while still allowing the player to know when the villain really is dead. Unfortunately Advent Children brings back Sephiroth, who was dead, but still a great villain. Why, I don''t know, but I think they should leave the dead in peace. And yes, the fifth Element was love, although everyone I talk to disagrees.

quote: Original post by TechnoGoth
"Plus, your actions in the future wouldn''t change things that happened before you did them. The game would get repetitive"

Ahh but your forgetting something. Since you''ve already traveled back in time before then that means there is all ready a version of you out there changing things. So for instance if you cause a car to go out of control and run over a woman. Then in future loops you could be there to save the woman before she dies.

Since you never wend back to before that time, the beginning would be the same. So in the end, there would be like five of you trying to stop the evil villain.

Five of you trying to stop the evil villian? Cool!! You would have to write great AI, or people would say, "that''s not what my other self would do," but that would be a great boss fight in the end.

--------------------------------------
I am the master of stories.....
If only I could just write them down...

You wouldn''t need a great AI just system of action storage since the past selves will simply repeat what you''ve already done. So if the first time 30 seconds into battle you set off an explosive destroying the villians coaxiel tesla coil. Then in all future battle that would occur 30 seconds into the battle.

But then again it all comes down to the games desgin you could elborate and allow interactions with future and past selves leading to the addition of mind boggling future echos and paradoxs. Or you could decided that you can''t interact directly with past selves, or maybe steal the idea of quatum leap and have you go back as diffrent person each time.

but most likely it would all be handled by trigger just as its done in other games.

Or you could elborate and have the villian so powerful that it takes 5 of you to kill him. Lets give the villian a name since villian is to generic lets call him something evil and terrifing like... Bob. So your first encounter with Bob your battling him and he activates his megadeath cannon and obliterates you. So the second encounter while version 1 you is battling Bob you decided to get creative and man the energy drainging beam located on a nearby catwalk. so whenever you see the megadeath cannon charging you blast bob with energy draing cannon.

The possibilites are endless time travel could be used very effectivly in a puzzle game.

For instance lets say you''re relic hunter and just discover the fabled time warden amulet which grants you the abililty "save" your life up to the point wheen you placed the amult on certain pedastels. Now your trying to escape from the temple before is collapses so you have to work with yourself to over come obstacles. For instance theres a large chasam in order to cross it you need to pull and hold a lever which will create a bridge that can be crossed. But you can''t pull the lever and cross at the same time so. You go and hold the lever from 1:00-2:00 minutes. Then rewind back to your last save point and now you can cross the gab between 1:00-2:00 minutes. It leads to all sorts of possiblities.


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