Okay, so I'm not really sure how this could be applied to a game... but the idea I'm needing help with fleshing out so far is this- So I'm wanting to mix the mundane everyday life with weird fantasy-ish stuff. The world starts in new york or something, and slowly things start changing until it's a completely different world. In this world (my version of our real world that is) people's spirits talk to each other, and communicate in a kind of spiritual world we can't always see but we can feel. Like when you meet someone and you feel a sense of evil from them... or when you feel someone's loneliness, or their energy and happiness. I was thinking that each person can have an etherial version of themselves, that always stands nearby. And in this spiritual world they communicate with each other through song rather than through words, so that ethereal version of each of our selves sings our song... a kind of representation of who we are. The story fallows around one individual who isn't happy with his life, and he is pretty much neutral. Not happy, not sad... just doesn't care. And the world slowly changes around him, and slowly it changes into a struggle over his own soul so to speak. The world that he is slowly entering into is reflecting his psyche, and through out the story he becomes more and more aware of the voice that's singing his song... ___________ Okay does that rough idea seem stupid to anyone? I've done some quick concept sketches for it, but I'm wandering if anyone thinks it's cliched, or generally stupid... or to weird... or what.

Wow, I really do like the idea of the world changing like that. It might be difficult to do, but I think it's a great idea.

The apathetic character is sometimes overused, but if you let him change, you should be good. Of course, if you change him too much (especially if the player doesn't agree with the changes), then nobody will connect with him. Just something to be careful about.

You don't have just a whole lot here, so that's about all I can give you.

Quote: Wow, I really do like the idea of the world changing like that. It might be difficult to do, but I think it's a great idea.

The apathetic character is sometimes overused, but if you let him change, you should be good. Of course, if you change him too much (especially if the player doesn't agree with the changes), then nobody will connect with him. Just something to be careful about.

You don't have just a whole lot here, so that's about all I can give you.

Hmm... yea I think I'm pulling a bit much from the graduate here with the main character. I want him to be apathetic, but I do want him to change at the same time. Maybe if I were to make this a game I would allow the player to decide his changes, and that would affect the world as it's the main character's psyche here.

I think the idea is actually rather good. You could think of clever ways to use it in a game. Something that just came to my head although perhaps making the general idea more surreal is the following.

As you said everyone has a soul or some type of phantom type that constantly follows them around and these souls carry the person’s personality/feelings etc as you said.

The main character doesn’t have a soul, unknown to him. However not in the other world where the other souls know? This character due to not having a soul does not feel any type of emotion thus he constantly craves the need to be like people to fit into their lives to become them, he is a serial killer. When he kills his body absorbs these spirits and although in his world he is simply mimicking them its his black soul shall we call it that is making him do it so well, so perhaps some type of Adventure/Rpg game where dialogue changes along with how you interact with people on who you have killed and what in the other world you have absorbed…. I’m actually not sure on that now but I thought I might as well finish for finishing sake.

Plus then I suppose it would perhaps be neglecting the transformation into the other world as you mentioned.

Also when I started reading this I couldn’t help but thinking of Grim Fandango when the main character goes to the land of the living and all the imagery is very scary and still. Perhaps it might be a good idea to look at that part of Grim Fandango to perhaps formulate some ideas?

Sorry the idea just came and it unfortunately sounded better in my head. Just a good idea and got me thinking.

Good luck

I like the idea of a normal, or largely normal, world slowly changing into a more bizarre place. I think that has alot of potential.

This vaguely reminds me of The Longest Journey where the magic('spirit') and normal world were comming together. However, that's about the extent of their similarities, and even that is pushing it. The Longest Journey had a really nice story line.

thanks for the sungestions, from all the feedback in this forum and others this world idea seems to be well liked, which makes mr. Pexel a very happy person. I'm fleshing out the world more and more. This is what I've come up with -

The fantasy world that begins overtaking the real world is the fantasy version of that world. It's not fantasy, it's moreso the spiritual version of that world, it's what the spirits see.

And I was thinking that maybe their singing was once harmonious, even though some was sad... some was evil, some were happy, it all blended to make one harmonious song, but something could be causing chaos in the music... I don't know if I like that idea, seeing as how chaos is the fundamental backing to the song as the sum of all humanity to begin with... hmm...

BUT, I did figure out a bit of colors. The new york setting can be very wet and gray, not many bright colors. Anything having to do with the spiritual realm can be bright, giving the viewers a hint. The main character can slowly become brighter throughout the story...

Hey, that's a cool way to start the change, actually. Just start changing the colors on everything, and eventually, you can mess with the models themselves.

I really like the general idea. I'm tired of games where nothing ever changes!

It's spelled schizophrenic.

Don't forget to add the part where loved ones commit suicide by driving a kitchen knife through their eye sockets until their frontal lobe stops working, and they eventually bleed out on the kitchen floor because their nervous system won't allow them to get up and dial 911.

Also, my favourite is when images of dead laughing animals float across the person's field of view.

Seriously, I don't think this is an exploitable topic unless you continue to handle it very delicately, as you seem to be doing now.

Edit: I really love the idea of colour representing vibrance and success. I'd be interested in playing your game some day. :)

[Edited by - taby on April 24, 2006 9:26:26 AM]

Right, because that needed to be posted.

Anyways, I agree with the delicacy comment. There are ways to do this that would take the game into the arena of a sadistic Big Rigs game, but it doesn't seem to be going that way. Keep it like that.

Have you played White Wolf's TableTop RPG called Wraith: The Oblivion? It is about, well, dead people's souls living as phantoms (or fantoms? Ghosts, for easier comprehension.) The surroundings react to the actions of the wandering souls (aka the players) The only serious difference with what I see here, is that, well, it's NOT a video game. But I can understand why it has such appeal.

Maybe you could read Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman, too...