Hi everyone, I have been thinking on a storyline for a sci-fi game I will hopefully begin to develop. I would like to know if you have any interesting ideas to add to it. Questions and constructive critism are welcomed. I am here to advance my learning on game development. In the year 3000, a scientific research team sponsored by the illuminati led to the discovery of "multiple dimensions". This means that those scientists confirmed the existence of multiple dimensions existing in the same time and space. They developed a machine called the Generator that could open a medium-sized portal on the lab. Using this portal, the scientists hired an expetion team of mercenaries and curious scientists to go in and explore the planet of distant star system. The team knew they wont be able to return to earth because the portal could not stay opened for long and the scientists didn't know how to make open on the same place. The expedition team's mission was not primarily of exploration, but to colonize other places in the universe and to be able to stablish a civilization in which the illuminati could contact later when Eath develops advanced interstellar capabilities. The expeditionary team found themselves in a big jungle. As they explored, they were attacked by velociraptors. The team ran away and entered a cave, which led to a vast underground network of caves and rivers. Anyone interested to volunteer and share their ideas to add to the story? The game's specs Platform: Windows XP Genre: Possible RPG or adventure Type: Pseudo 3D Stage of development: New (working first on the storyline) [Edited by - GameArtist on March 6, 2006 1:53:20 PM]

If I have learned 1 thing from Star Terk - it's the value of having intelligent life in a story.

What if your team was to stumble upon something 'intelligent', such as a tool, piece of clothing or maybe even some technology - depending on how advanced the people/race is. Could even be some markings on the walls of these caves.

I am not a writer but I think the promise of intelligent life would open up the story and give the game a purpose at the start. Also, I think players like to know roughly where a game is heading.

I was going to suggest that the team eventually meet a group of humans... only to find that the group is in fact them... but 40 years older.
But I have a feeling I stole that from some movie ^_^

The questions I would have are:

Did the team go there with the aim of breeding? What is the ETA for Earth to come and get them?
How did they choose this planet? How did they know it could sustain life, but didn't know it had dinosaurs on it?

Oh, and the year 3000AD is a little far off for me. Considering the technological changes between 1000 and 2000AD, I feel that should be closer to 2300AD. A minor point :)

The story certainly has potential - I expect a little creativity is needed to keep it original though.

How about having them find the remains of a previous expedition team. The iluminati being over zealous sent a team prematurely in this portal to never hear of them again. Having no results they decide, yet again to send a second team (the team which the player controls) and they find remains... maybe guns, pieces of clothing, skeletons even? (if you want the first team all dead)...

So a huge plot unfolds... Maybe they want to find a way home to get revenge or they just want to survive what killed off the first team?

Thank you everyone for your precious comments. It's been helpful. Just to let you know that the storyline I've shown you is reserved for a future game. I'm working on an older storyline. I apreciate your comments so far.

tomatoSoup wrote:

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The questions I would have are: Did the team go there with the aim of breeding? What is the ETA for Earth to come and get them? How did they choose this planet? How did they know it could sustain life, but didn't know it had dinosaurs on it? Oh, and the year 3000AD is a little far off for me. Considering the technological changes between 1000 and 2000AD, I feel that should be closer to 2300AD. A minor point :)

1. Yes, the team went there with the aim of breeding. They were supposed to start a civilization on the new planet. There is no ETA for Earth to get them, just the assumption that when Earth develops starships they would meet the human civilization in the other planet.

2. The team did not know too much about the planet. However, the Illuminati had star charts and classified information about celestial bodies given to them by people in government. The planet that is being explored is shown in one of these secret maps and had alien symbols that resemble chemical compounds such has water and oxygen.

3. The year is 3000 because I think it will be the correct time when Earth will be very technological advanced in space. But thank you for your pointing this out. I will consider making it 2300 AD.

the illuminati??

So what are the chances that they end up in a jungle, considering that space is so big? And velociraptors....what?? What are the chances of that.....you can't even make up something else...?

Now I could be wrong and maybe you were planning that they ended up on earth in prehistoric times....but if your not the story makes 0.00001127% sense, and is primarly 99.99998873% other stuff...including bullshit and retartedism.

I would agree that the Illuminati thing seems a little silly, I'd use some other secret organization, descended from the Illuminati organization, or maybe just even change the name and keep all the other stuff, having what is basically Illuminati in teh futur3!!.

Also sending in a bunch of Scientists and Mercenaries to colonize a planet doesn't make much sense, you need other people, too. So I think having the guys knowingly stuck lightyears away from home is rather, um... bad. (Maybe they were tricked, though)

I also think the multiple dimensions "in the same time and space" doesn't make sense to me, I think alternate dimensions can have the same time, or the same space, but not both, because then it just be identical your dimension. In fact, why even the different dimension thing? you could go with a generic wormhole.

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How can I advance this story so far?

I'm not really sure what you mean...

I say scrap the whole thing and maybe ask the next door neighboors 7 year old for some help.

Seriously.

some more ideas:

In keeping with your alternate dimension theme, why not make the world follow different physical laws than our own dimension? Lets say in the other dimension, electric implulses have a drastic effect on the physical world such as your thoughts can directly materialize into tangible objects. They saw a jungle because they were all secretly hoping for a habitable world to be in. They were attacked by velociraptors because they were expecting danger and somebody associated the dark jungle with prehistoric earth and dinos. The caves could be a unconscious wish for a safe hiding place from the attacking velociraptors.

They might later find out how the dimension works and proceed from there. Maybe not all thoughts can be materialized only deep strong thoughts/emotions or Making a wish come true can have negative consequence such as erasing memory, draining life. Fears and nightmares can be realized easier and harder to control than the happy thoughts.

As another idea, make all the people on the team semi-loners or couples meaning they were picked to be on this team because they have nothing to go back to earth (the premise was it was a one way mission) so thinking of a way back to earth and using the new dimension's laws to create a wormhole won't work or some other explanation.

edit : with electricity/electromagnetic patterns having a great effect on other objects, lightning can rip atoms apart, programming a computer may cause explosions or even programs can act sentient. just make some other weird stuff

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Original post by slowpid I say scrap the whole thing and maybe ask the next door neighboors 7 year old for some help. Seriously.

I recommend you improve your level of politness and manners because clearly you are putting me down to the lowest level without knowing me and without any "constructive critism" which this web site demands.

Quote:

Quote: How can I advance this story so far? I'm not really sure what you mean...

Thank you for letting me know. You see, I often write on public boards but since I am always short on time (I am a very busy person), sometimes I am unable to edit my post on the spot. However, I can go back and edit them later. The above quote was meant to sound like this: "How can I advance this story?" I hope this sounds clear.

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I would agree that the Illuminati thing seems a little silly, I'd use some other secret organization, descended from the Illuminati organization, or maybe just even change the name and keep all the other stuff, having what is basically Illuminati in teh futur3!!. Also sending in a bunch of Scientists and Mercenaries to colonize a planet doesn't make much sense, you need other people, too. So I think having the guys knowingly stuck lightyears away from home is rather, um... bad. (Maybe they were tricked, though) I also think the multiple dimensions "in the same time and space" doesn't make sense to me, I think alternate dimensions can have the same time, or the same space, but not both, because then it just be identical your dimension. In fact, why even the different dimension thing? you could go with a generic wormhole.

For first paragraph:
Thank you for your comment. When I mentioned I would use the term Illuminati, I had to mention as well that I would change the name of the secret organization when deemed necessary. In the other hand, I will change any aspects of my story if deemed necessary. You need to understand that these are the initial stages of a game's storyline. Nothing that begins stays the same.

For second paragaph:
I like the idea of team being tricked. However, I couldn't fit all the details in one post but the team is not alone. They have all the support of the world's secret organizations, each of them are contributing something to the project.

For third paragraph:
I don't want to copy the idea of a generic wormhole. That idea is overused by Star Trek and all the other sci fi shows and books. What I want is to explain that "time and space" are the same. Maybe you can think of it as multiple sheets of paper mounted over each other. When you make a deep hole in the cover sheet, you are making the same hole on the sheets under it. However, this example is somehow limited. Time and space is just one "frame" of reality. There multiple realities that exist outside time and space. Think of it as the sorroundings of the multiple sheets example. What is around those multiple sheets is what will be mentioned in the game. Those "sorroundings" are going to be used for travelling by opening up a portal. Thats why I set the story in the year 3000, a year where Earth in my story has developed a great understanding on the workings of the universe.

Additinal comments:
This is not the whole story. Let me explain gradually.