First some background: The game is going to be a simple side scrolling platforming game with puzzle elements. Your goal in most levels will be just get from point A to point B by hitting switches, using pulleys, and pushing buttons to open doors or change the level in some way. The unique feature (I hope it's unique anyway) is that you can rotate the level whenever you want in any direction. ----------- It's supposed to be fairly minimal. It's very similar to Portal's style of story telling because (a) I love portal so very very much and (b) it lends itself well to a small project like this. There are essentially 4 characters the whole game. (1)Your character, who will remain in a space suit the entire game, is in cryogenic sleep on a small one person ship. Your history is never revealed, save for some small snippets toward the end. (2) Your shipboard computer, which is just going to be used to direct you or remind you of simple things(e.g. "Press E to flip the switch" or "The exit is northwest of your current location"). It'll be represented by a black command-line style box near the bottom of the screen. (3&4) The space station that the game takes place on has two computers that run it. I got the inspiration for them from the movie Airplane.* The two computers will argue over petty things, give you (bad) advice on how to complete levels, and often give you contradictory hints on what to do next. *If you haven't seen airplane, this is an example of a conversation the people on the PA system have: Lady: The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only, there is no stopping in the red zone. Man: The red zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only, there is no stopping in the white zone. Lady: No, the white zone is for immediate loading and unloading and there is no stopping in the red zone. Man: The red zone has always been for loading and unloading there is never stopping in a white zone. Lady: Don't tell me which zone is for stopping and which zone is for loading. Man: Listen Betty, don't start up with your white zone shit again. There's just no stopping in a white zone. Lady: Oh really, Vernon, why pretend? We both know perfectly well what it is you're talking about. You want me to have an abortion. Man: Its really the only sensible thing to do. If its done properly, therapeutically, there's no danger involved. Only the Space Station computers will have voices, and I'll probably just have my girlfriend and I play them. Their conversations are meant to be funny, much like GLaDoS from Portal. I think having a ultra petty fighting computer couple is a good way to add some humor to the game. ----------- Now for the story itself: The game starts with your ship crashing into a space station. Your ships computer brings you out of cryosleep and you begin play. Your ship has crashed in the dock of the space station and you're greeted by the two computers. Your shipboard computer tells you that your ship is damaged beyond repair and you must reach the escape pods on the space station if you wish you leave. The rest of the game is spent pursuing this objective. You travel from room to room to get to the other side of the station where the only remaining pods are. Also, your shipboard computer discovers that it can take control of the station's gravity generator, which allows you to change gravity. Since the camera will stay aligned with gravity, you're essentially rotating the level. Your shipboard computer will "remind" you of the controls and mechanics of the game with the excuse that your character may have some memory problems when awakening from cryosleep. It's also going to be significant that you don't know what year it is, so you have no idea how long you've been in stasis. Most levels will have no specific objective other than to continue on. You'll have to listen to the computers have conversations and arguments which are supposed to provide some dry humor as you go about your puzzle solving. For example, one of the early tutorial levels will be a room with two buttons. Man: "Please press the Orange button to unlock the door. Under no circumstances should you press the Purple button." Woman: "No, press the Purple button to unlock the door. Under no circumstances should you ever press the Orange button." Man: "Pressing the Purple button will do horrible things. Please refrain from pushing it, and press the Orange button to continue." Woman: "The Orange button is the dangerous one. You should press the Purple one to continue." ...etc. etc. In the end which ever button you press opens the door. (later in the game though you'll come across a burned room that looks like an explosive hit it where the opposite button has already been pressed and the computer who was wrong will say "Oh, I guess it was the other button" or something like that) Later levels have hazards like black holes, and the station's computers tell you that the generator used to give the ship gravity can also generate small black holes. It's also going to be discovered that the military had this technology commissioned and that it's unique to this space station. It won't be stated, but it will be implied that the technology was taken from the ship by force, which is why there's no more personnel on board. Also, your computer will sometimes give you extra objectives in levels like reach a certain computer in the room, and it will be implied that your computer is downloading secret information off the station's computers. As you get closer to the end of the game the station's computers will start to say some more ominous things, like "Do you really thing it was a coincidence that you crashed here?" and "Even if you reach an escape pod, where will you go? How can you be sure Earth is even still there?" with the implication being, of course, that Earth is not there, maybe having been sucked up by a black hole. Before you leave the ship the computers (under the impression that you're a surviving space station employee) inform you that because you're under an NDA you're not allowed to leave the ship or communicate with the outside world for fear of a security breach. They inform you that if you attempt to leave your ship will be shot down (so much for it being an escape pod :/) In the final level you must deactivate the weapons systems so that you can leave. When you board the escape pod you re-enter cryosleep while your computer appears to type in the destination, Earth. Once your character is asleep, it will state that the location of Earth can not be confirmed, and you're fired off into space asleep with no designated destination. Some of the plot will be implied but never outright stated. You've been in cryosleep for an unstated period of time and "randomly" crash on this station, which was actually planned by your computer. Your computer is apparently secretly using you to get to the station's computers so it can download data. When you finally leave, your computer makes sure you're asleep, and then continues to carry out it's own objectives, with it being implied that it's working for someone else and you're just a puppet used to ferry it around. That turned out way longer than I anticipated. If anyone actually takes the time to read it I'd like to know what you think. I think I may have gone into too much detail in some places, but whatever. The hardest part is going to be writing the station's computers since they'll have the longest script. I'll have to come up with a a bunch of things they can talk to you or each other about and boyfriend/girlfriend arguments they can have.

Hah. Cool.

Since youve got it planned as a fairly simple game, with the story more to add interest than to drive too many plot twists, etc, having relatively omnipresent computers sounds like a good way to include them without crowding the player too much.

Im also a fan of the humour in Airplane (for Aussie/NZers, also known as "Flying High"), so I suppose Im a little biased :) I look forward to hearing about easter eggs of the player character having "a drinking problem".

It sounds like a really good concept you've come up with, and this would be a game I'd play. Simple, but interesting - and different. Makes me think of a funny System Shock, presentation wise.

Keep in mind, though, that GLADOS in Portal is not the only thing that makes the game charming, but also the overarching plot involving her. Having interesting characters (and it sounds like you do) is a good start, but now it's time to work on an arc. How are these two chatty computers going to develop the plot? Consider their characterization, make sure their bickering doesn't get annoying.

Honestly, this game sounds awesome. I'm a big fan of puzzle games, especially
side-scrolling ones (Super Mario World, one of the best games EVER).

I love the story line you've come up with, but I agree with Beige. A good outlaying story isn't everything. But with that, I was thinking more along the lines of level based stories, like turning off the weapons system at the end of the game.

Instead of telling the player to reach the escape pods and then spending 20 levels doing so,

Make the first 2 levels about finding out where you are, maybe get to some kind of information console (where your computer could make its first secret download), then the next 5 levels to restore power to essential parts of the station, then 10 to reach the escape pod....you know what I'm saying?

Give a specific direction for each level.

Over all I think you have an amazing idea. I love the idea of rotating the board. It could make it possible to beat each level in a variety of different ways.

I did oversimplify it a bit it with my initial post. I felt it was getting a bit long and didn't want to overwhelm people who were going to read it.

I actually intend to split the space station up into sections. Even though you don't really get to see the whole ship from the outside, except maybe in the intro or the ending, when you see maps of it you'll be able to see the lay out. Its basically a double ring with spokes connecting the inner and outer parts. The outer ring is where you ship crashes. It contains the dock, residential area, business district, and maybe a few other civilian type places. This way, I have a variety of environments to work with. These will be the easier levels at the beginning of the game.

Once you go all the way around the ring to the escape pods, you're informed you won't be able to leave just yet, and you have to head to the inner ring to deactivate the security.

The inner ring is the set of harder levels. It contains the station's control center, labs, manufacturing, life support systems, etc. It'll have a more industrial feel overall. This is really where the game starts to get a little darker (when you find out a military organization commissioned the gravity generators as a weapon, when you begin to suspect your ship's computer knows something you don't, etc).

The final level will be in the core of the ship, a Zero Gravity Lab at the center of the station.

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I hadn't thought a whole lot about the exact sequence that the plot will be revealed in. I like the idea of having the computer connect to a terminal somewhere to get it's bearings. I'll have to put some thought into making the objectives a bit more varied.

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Another idea I had a since I made the first post is to maybe have each level start off without you being able to control the gravity of the room. Each level could have it's own generator, so the first objective of every level would be to reach the generator, and then once in control of it you can use it to move on. I'll have to play with the idea though, I think as far as that goes I'll have to get my game engine up and do some play testing to see which method is the most fun or interesting.

Was really interested in the bickering computers. Maybe rather than have two station computers, it can be the shipboard and the station computers that interact with each other. In the first section they could flirt like crazy to the point where it is making the protagonist queazy. Then there is some kind of implied intercourse (computer sex jokes anyone?)that leaves them both disatisfied. From that point on they start bickering and contradicting each other. The advantage of this scenario is that early on they will complement each other acting as a kind of help service as the player familiarises themself with the game. Then when they start arguing, they become an obstacle making the gameplay tougher later on.

Hey, I just wanted to post that I'd like to hear about your progress in making this game. It's an awesome idea and I want to see where you go with it.

Also I'd love to be a Game Tester for you...;)

Work on it hasn't started yet. I'm learning a new game engine right now (Ogre3D) and when I feel comfortable enough using it I'll start actually working on it. I purposely left my game's story somewhat barebones because I don't want to worry about making NPC's or cinemas or anything. Most of the plot will just be given through the comments by the computers.

I'll definitely post it once I made any progress though. With Christmas over and my family all going back home I should have enough time to get some work done.

Edit:

Also, for anyone who cares, I've been figuring out how to use the Wiimote libraries, so I may incorperate an option Wiimote control scheme where you rotate the Wiimote to change gravity.

[Edited by - Amablue on December 28, 2007 5:22:51 PM]

As long as you can do everything with the Wiimote and possibly the peripherals for it, that would be awesome.

You should name the two computers Lela and Durandal.


Seriously, that would increase your fan base so much.

-MAZ