Just a heads-up; most of this is entirely theoretical ATM. I'm working on the engine as we speak with full intent to actually make this once the underlying technology is there. Feedback is appreciated, and if you're interested in working on the project feel free to drop me a line. I'm full well aware this is a big project, but I've stuck with it by myself for over a year. I realize it's not a walk in the park. Name: Hero Tagline/Premise: What do you do when chosen to save a culture you hate?Story Synopsis: The player controls the late-teenage daughter of a wealthy merchant noble in a fictional European-style fantasy world. The game *effectively* begins when a slave belonging to the PC's family is believed to be a prophecied savior destined to rid the land of the overbearing Scourge. The trick is that said culture adheres a little more closely to the 'source material' in the sense that the Kingdoms of Man are horrendously xenophobic, racist and sexist. It is an intentional and coherent jab at some rather antiquated customs still present in certain cultures today. Women are not allowed to leave their homes or talk to others without explicit permission from their husbands. Slavery is also fairly common practice, and although the Hero is a fairly well-known figure people are still somewhat uncomfortable with the idea that one of his station possesses such power. Characters: Most main characters are nameless; I'm actually thinking of keeping it this way. As you may have guessed, playing with RPG tropes is something I'm interested in here. This is kinda a reversal of 'named, silent protagonist.' Specifically, 'unnamed and vocal.' Each has an established personality/history and speaks frequently where appropriate. The Hero- Large and very bitter. Resentful of most of society, though identifies with both the Heroine and the Faceless One. Somewhat protective, intelligent and a skilled combatant. Wields single-handed battleaxes and heavy armor. Shaved head, covered in symbolic tattoos. Younger, perhaps mid-twenties. The Heroine- Charismatic. Wears light/middle armor (though concealing, none of that stupid bikini crap) and a low hood when in cities, in deference to custom and to hide identity-- Women are not allowed to wander freely. Wields daggers, short swords and long swords with slightly more focus on deftness over brute strength. Young and physically attractive, rather innocent demeanor though still a savage fighter. The Faceless (Collective)- Bit of a mix of WH40k's Space Marines with the Jedi Knights, and self-appointed guardians of the Kingdoms of Man. Each member sacrifices personal identity for the greater good when joining by donning an intricate yet featureless mask and set of heavy armor that is never removed until the wearer dies. As a whole, the idea of equality is a big theme in the faction ideology; this is the major motivator behind the sacrifice of identity to begin with. Though they do not particularly care for the current cultural state of the Kingdoms, each member of the Faceless regards their protection as a personal duty and will defend them to the death. Though highly elite, their numbers continually dwindle as interest in actually *joining* the group declines, though all hold the faction in high regard. The Faceless One- Single member of the Faceless that accompanies the Hero/Heroine as a protector. Highly skilled combatant, wears the trademark featureless helmet and heavy armor. Wields longswords, broadswords and two-handed swords. Reserved and wise, though somewhat detached. The Scourge (Collective)- One might say the secondary antagonists throughout the game, as the primary conflict is more about changing the attitudes of Kingdom society. Shadowy and incorporeal, they tend to attack en masse and drain the life out of an area, leaving only dead vegetation and inorganic contruction in their wake. Mood/Tone/Feel: Intentionally colorful, optimistic and upbeat; realistic (if slightly over-the-top) style. I'm kinda playing with the idea of blissful ignorance; while the titular culture itself runs rampant with sexism and racism it remains blissfully uncaring. I'd like to emphasize this notion with the visuals. Magic-wise, I'm still on the fence. If it is in here, it's going to be pretty obscure and regarded with more than some degree of suspicion. I am pretty certain, however, that humanity and the Scourge are going to be the only 'races' in the game per se. No elves, dwarves, halflings, etc. Gameplay Synopsis: Similar to PoP/Assassin's Creed, (the latter being a major inspiration for some elements of the game) with some co-op mojo taken from Resi 5. Primarily single-player, though other players can join in and control one of the other major characters at will. Presented in a third-person, over-the-shoulder view, though ranged weaponry will likely switch to first-person mode. Combat plays out in a fairly similar fashion to AC, though I'm interested in adding a little strategic complexity through special weapons, a wider variety of attacks, damage types, etc. I've always thought the inclusion of a cover mechanic in a medieval setting would be interesting; perhaps this might complement the range/melee balance. Technical Synopsis: Fairly cutting-edge. I've been doing my proverbial homework on rendering technology and think I have a good idea of the target feature set on that end. Most of the game is spent in a reasonably large, open-world environment; I'll likely make use of some chunked-LOD and cell/area systems with screen-space projected grid-based water rendering. In most cases shadows would come from the sun; I'm thinking that a combo variant of cascaded/parallel-split and pixel-correct shadow maps would be the way to go here. Also, I rather liked the cities in AC; in most other games I've seen these supposed 'metropolises' you get maybe five people wandering around total, (I'm looking at you, Oblivion...) though it's not *absolutely* critical this remains something I'm looking into. Target Platforms: Primarily PC, maybe Linux/Mac. If it gets done/does well, I wouldn't rule out a console port, but that's more of a pipe dream TBH. Final Thoughts: It's a lot to digest, but I'm rather pleased with how it came together. I can imagine it would be fairly controversial if/when released; as mentioned it is a bit of a jab at some customs still present in some countries/faiths. It's by no means an entirely negative view, though, as I'd like the whole thing to be about the gradual change to a more tolerant mindset. That being said I have no interest in beating players over the head with the trite "when we all get along and live free of prejudice, everything is all wonderful" message, but rather something along the lines of "Here's what you're doing; now that you've seen things from the other POV can you really keep it up with a clean conscience?" In summary, you always see everyone complaining about how games are corrupting the youth. Maybe it's time we make these people put their money where their mouth is. A serious non-serious game, if you will.

That is well laid out, none the less there is a lot of text to read there! On this forum, you tend to get the best response when you focus on one new game play element (as opposed to the story/technical aspects)

But... I had a few spare minutes and the opening line sounded quite interesting. I quite like the idea of the "hero" begrudgingly doing what he is doing. How do you plan on making the player feel this reluctance?

Also, have you thought of side quests to further the anti-racism, sexism issues, doing them may stop people heckling the heroin as she walks by. Or the player could choose to either increase the divide by relying solely on the help of slaves or spend time persuading all elements of society to help.

Maybe, make it so that is the motive for helping this society overcome its backward ideas? Then at the end, make it so that he is forced back in to slavery, summing up that society is messed up.

I would like to hear more about how focal combat will be and what the short term quests will be.

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Original post by thk123 That is well laid out, none the less there is a lot of text to read there! On this forum, you tend to get the best response when you focus on one new game play element (as opposed to the story/technical aspects) But... I had a few spare minutes and the opening line sounded quite interesting. I quite like the idea of the "hero" begrudgingly doing what he is doing. How do you plan on making the player feel this reluctance? Also, have you thought of side quests to further the anti-racism, sexism issues, doing them may stop people heckling the heroin as she walks by. Or the player could choose to either increase the divide by relying solely on the help of slaves or spend time persuading all elements of society to help. Maybe, make it so that is the motive for helping this society overcome its backward ideas? Then at the end, make it so that he is forced back in to slavery, summing up that society is messed up. I would like to hear more about how focal combat will be and what the short term quests will be.

Amazing, a response! :) Almost 100 views, and nobody has anything to say :X

Side quests: I think that's a very situational issue. I personally like the idea, but I'm trying my hardest to make the situation as realistic as possible.
As such, I'm wondering if a scenario such as the one you describe could even arise, given that in some (minor 'spoiler') fundamentalist Islamic cultures I'm using as a reference, breaking these societal laws is a literal death sentence. It's a difficult problem to solve, and one that I don't think has ever really showed up before. Treading new ground here, I suppose.
Now, I'm thinking that the Hero and/or the Faceless One can act as proxies in this scenario; with the PC working through any interactions with others vicariously. It seems like it should work, though I can imagine the situation might prove frustrating to the player-- in itself, it's not really a good thing, although it certainly would serve to drive the central 'message' home. Have to find a good balance. Now, having NPCs react to the gradual knowledge that both of the other main characters are being puppeted could give rise to some interesting situations diplomacy-wise.

Instilling reluctance: That's pretty straightforward; if anything I would guess that keeping players *going* would be a more difficult problem. Aside from the obvious interaction barrier, you could pretty much go to town with general mistreatment/external favoritism of the PCs.

Endings: That's pretty deliciously twisted right there. I think I'm going to steal that, as it trumps the ending I had in mind initially >:)

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The player controls the late-teenage daughter of a wealthy merchant noble in a fictional European-style fantasy world.

Sexisam and Raceisam are pretty "safe" topics to explore under the guise of promoteing tolerance.

But ageisam isn't "safe". Maybe you should explore that instead.

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Original post by InvalidPointer Quote: Original post by thk123 That is well laid out... be. Amazing, a response! :) Almost 100 views, and nobody has anything to say :X

Like I said, it was quite a lot of text, best to focus on a smaller element :)

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Original post by InvalidPointer Endings: That's pretty deliciously twisted right there. I think I'm going to steal that, as it trumps the ending I had in mind initially >:)

He he, thanks, glad you liked it :)

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Original post by InvalidPointer Side quests: I think that's a very situational issue. I personally like the idea, but I'm trying my hardest to make the situation as realistic as possible. As such, I'm wondering if a scenario such as the one you describe could even arise, given that in some (minor 'spoiler') fundamentalist Islamic cultures I'm using as a reference, breaking these societal laws is a literal death sentence. It's a difficult problem to solve, and one that I don't think has ever really showed up before. Treading new ground here, I suppose. Now, I'm thinking that the Hero and/or the Faceless One can act as proxies in this scenario; with the PC working through any interactions with others vicariously. It seems like it should work, though I can imagine the situation might prove frustrating to the player-- in itself, it's not really a good thing, although it certainly would serve to drive the central 'message' home. Have to find a good balance. Now, having NPCs react to the gradual knowledge that both of the other main characters are being puppeted could give rise to some interesting situations diplomacy-wise.

I think building on the NPC gradual reaction could work. In addition to what you said, a player can either try to change their opinion about racism etc. dramatically, or slowly. Dramatically, although faster, could back fire. Having said that, be very careful with that; don't make the game tedious and a test of the players patience - that isn't fun.

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Original post by InvalidPointer Instilling reluctance: That's pretty straightforward; if anything I would guess that keeping players *going* would be a more difficult problem. Aside from the obvious interaction barrier, you could pretty much go to town with general mistreatment/external favoritism of the PCs.

I forgot the player wasn't the hero, so sorry about that.

Yes, from a game designers point of view, getting the player to keep playing is important and much harder than making them want to stop. However, the character is supposed to be unwilling to help. As a result, maybe you could put in temptation for the player. Once again, don't make it a test of patience. Instead, like Fable 2, make it test two different things that are in balance. For example, most people will be (assuming your game is good) looking to complete the game to the best of their ability. So, lure them off this path with something else - money or equivalent. Getting the second option attractive will be a challenge, but could result in a rewarding game play mechanic.

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Original post by MSW Quote: The player controls the late-teenage daughter of a wealthy merchant noble in a fictional European-style fantasy world. Sexism and Racism are pretty "safe" topics to explore under the guise of promoting tolerance. But ageism isn't "safe". Maybe you should explore that instead.

It's more a thing I have with *games* rather than anything else. As mentioned, most of this is a direct response to a lot of conventions you see in RPGs; not so much "can't we all get along?" :) I kinda took the ball and ran with it, basically trying to subvert every major trope I've seen (within reason) and do so in a convincing, well thought-out manner. Messing with age is an interesting idea; I'm unsure how well it would work considering the rest of the game premise. The idea of actually having a 'desireable' (i.e. hot chick) be both subjected to and breaking this double standard also seems a nice benefit. I'm definitely considering doing something in a similar vein with the Faceless One, though- the masks and armor are enchanted so as to make the wearer not age, as long as both are worn. Basically he'd be a 3,000 year-old-guy in a twenty-year-old's body. Plot complications ensue :P