Post by varalf on Aug 4, 2005 9:34:40 GMT -5
Me and ToD (the guy with the crap connection) are working on a concept for a game, to be made later, once we learn programming
Game co-op, Varalf and ToD:
World X(Name pending):
* Areas become more distorted as the game moves on – Madness of the main character increases
Small thought by ToD:
The dominant world in the game is a projection images (memories, maybe) within the mind of the protagonist. He does not live within his mind, per say, but rather his world is shaped by that which exists within his mind. Basically, EVERYTHING that exists within the game is a reflection of the protagonist himself, his desires, hopes etc. and his darker side. It is a world that he subconsciously (or consciously, and he has simply altered his memory) created to accommodate for his every need (Garden of Eden reference). For example, it is a world that will change slightly when his mental condition changes; everything he every wanted appears to him (in a rational manner, not immaculately, ie over time) and his emotions are also reflected within the world (once again, not straight away, but a continual trend will cause severe consequences within the world). The other characters within the world are basically there as a ‘fail safe’ mechanism, as they are representations of the aspects of himself. They are there to prevent a constant trend that would cause an unbalance within the world, that might be caused by a great depression or continual joy and bliss).
However, while the world is a reflection of himself, the people he has created to coexist with him has there own minds/ambitions etc, but only the mind of the “true” antagonist (ie, the complete form, the self observed by the self that observes the self, in this case the universe in with he is everything) is projected into the image of the world. However, the antagonist seeks to become the dominant consciousness that shapes the world, thus as he becomes closer the world begins to change to suit HIS whim. It will be at this point when the game begins.
Just as a final note, the world should change as the mental condition of the protagonist changes. As he becomes more unstable, the world will begins to receive input errors, thus data (or whatever) is lost and fact become distorted (laws of gravity etc.). This, of course, needs to be differentiated from the changes that are made to the world by the antagonist, who is trying to dominate his consciousness within the world. In this respect, the changes made to the world by the antagonist are simply the creation of monsters etc. The changes caused by mental instability should be MUCH stranger.
Story:
* MAIN THEME: Human Mind – Descent into madness
* Occurs in Protagonists mind – Created from the mind
* Possible Incorporation of Tree of Life
* Good and Evil do battle in the mind = leads to suicide because one cannot live without the other
* The Ultimate world is destroyed once the two sides become one it becomes an impossibility
Protagonist:
* Becomes dominant entity
* Fights himself in the end
* Last battle signifies his suicide
* Game up to end signifies descent into madness
* Protagonist party is simply other versions of the protagonist, including women, leading to possible gender and role confusion
* Possible abuse as a child, ultimate cause of madness
* Monsters represent his repressed and dark memories as well as imagination
* Possible flashbacks as a child involving pillars
Basic Concept:
(Varalf)
The essential concept of the game will be the progression of the mind, the story will follow the main character as he moves further from the conscious to the sub-conscious mind, the start of the game will focus more on the conscious aspects such as visuals, sound and feel. When the protagonist returns to parts at the start of the game they will be duller than it first seemed however they will be far more detailed. The delving into the sub-conscious of the protagonist will alter the perception of the world and the game dynamics will change. The world is essentially a creation (or rather re-creation) of the mind, everything within it will essentially be of the same essence as the protagonist, even those who travel with him, whether they be female or not, leading to an aspect of gender confusion.
The story will revolve around a dark theme of self discovery where too much is discovered and this leads to the ultimate destruction of the world that he exists in during the game and the introduction of another, real (or surreal) world that will only be mentioned at the end. The final confrontation will be symbolic of the protagonist standing up to his demons, and will represent a much darker side than originally anticipated, leading to a paradox of the world when one of them is destroyed as the “good” cannot exist without the “evil” and a Order vs. Chaos theme can be seen although probably won’t be pursued, which aspect of the mind is the evil however will be left up to debate (either antagonist or protagonist can be seen as the true evil or good). So the self-discovery of the mind near the end leads to an inherent madness, if not in the protagonist but in the World of his mind itself.
The party that the protagonist travels with will be essentially parts of the conscious mind, as the unconicous mind is the world in which they live, they will be very different from each other and possible romantic themes will emerge contributing to the “darker” aspect of the game, they can be seen as Vanity and Egotism. The world itself will see a gradual change (as previously mentioned) leading to a complicated and diverse musical score which will become a true part of the game itself, as in that the music will be the main contributor to the plot. As the characters delve further into the sub-conscious the characters and such begin to shift more to the extreme and the plot simplifies and thickens at the same time. Character development (or the opposite) will be integral to the plot.
The world should itself be seen as a character being changed and developed over time, in this sense the true protagonist and antagonist is not the characters but the world (itself) it is the one that makes the decision to Destroy itself as the Antagonist (or Protagonist) is killed at the end. This (the world) should be the most important aspect of the game, however concepts such as Gaia and life stream should not apply as the Characters do not inhabit the world but the world inhabits the characters as a whole. This should be only slightly hinted at, but the intricacies of the plot will be more subtle than usual.
Side quests and certain areas can be used to convey the theory of the world to the gamer if he can find and complete certain tasks that subtly imply the complexes of the plot. A basic understanding should be developed by the less… involved gamers. But the actual plot will be much more complicated than a simple “Good vs Evil” struggle as possibly seen.
Paradox Method (ToD):
To begin with, the protagonist is NOT everything. The universe is not him, but rather what he will become. The antagonist knows that someone is creating the world in which everything exists (like a god) and seeks to use this power to mould the universe to its whim. All the characters know it that something is creating the universe, a god for all they know. When the antagonist succeeds in becoming the dominant consciousness within the reality, they are forced to destroy him, but in doing so destroy everything, being time/space/etc in the aftermath (not because there was no longer a dominant consciousness). However, when the universe begins to collapse upon itself, the protagonist uses his memories of all the events he has experience to re-create the universe, and becomes the dominant consciousness that creates everything. This includes the memory of himself, and the antagonist. Once again, they will one day destroy the universe all over again, and the new image will create the universe again, thus spiraling on for eternity.
The nice thing about this idea is that there is a paradox within the game. If he becomes the dominant consciousness and uses his memories to create the universe, thus making him the entity that created the reality in which he lived, then in fact his memories of the world come from no where. Think about it, he would have had to have the memories in the beginning in order to create his reality, and himself within it, and yet in order for him to have the memories of himself he will have had to experienced everything up to the point in which the antagonist that he creates eventually kills him. Just to make this obvious:
1.Protagonist is (re)created with antagonist and everybody else in the world up to the point at which the protagonist can remember.
2. Antagonist finds the knowledge of the “consciousness” of the universe.
3.Antagonist becomes consciousness
4. Protagonist destroys Antagonist, but in order for the universe to continue he is forced to become the dominant consciousness himself, at which point he re-creates the world from his memories.
5. Go back to step one, or more, a new step one is created here.
So basically, the time in which the game is played is not the only time that exists in all the universe, but all time is a reflection of the original time in which the game is played (ie, X+X+X…=complete time). The game is NOT a time loop, but rather a loop of events that spiral on endlessly. Also note that due to the act that the world is based on the protagonist’s memories, he will only create the world in the manner in which he imagined it, thus leading to a world in which only he truly exists in any depth, for he knows himself and no one else. Thus, all of the other characters become slight manifestations of his own desires.
Well, that’s my idea for the main nature of the universe; now just work some religious ideology into it. I realize that there are some SERIOUS plot holes in this, but they will have to be worked out later…
Game co-op, Varalf and ToD:
World X(Name pending):
* Areas become more distorted as the game moves on – Madness of the main character increases
Small thought by ToD:
The dominant world in the game is a projection images (memories, maybe) within the mind of the protagonist. He does not live within his mind, per say, but rather his world is shaped by that which exists within his mind. Basically, EVERYTHING that exists within the game is a reflection of the protagonist himself, his desires, hopes etc. and his darker side. It is a world that he subconsciously (or consciously, and he has simply altered his memory) created to accommodate for his every need (Garden of Eden reference). For example, it is a world that will change slightly when his mental condition changes; everything he every wanted appears to him (in a rational manner, not immaculately, ie over time) and his emotions are also reflected within the world (once again, not straight away, but a continual trend will cause severe consequences within the world). The other characters within the world are basically there as a ‘fail safe’ mechanism, as they are representations of the aspects of himself. They are there to prevent a constant trend that would cause an unbalance within the world, that might be caused by a great depression or continual joy and bliss).
However, while the world is a reflection of himself, the people he has created to coexist with him has there own minds/ambitions etc, but only the mind of the “true” antagonist (ie, the complete form, the self observed by the self that observes the self, in this case the universe in with he is everything) is projected into the image of the world. However, the antagonist seeks to become the dominant consciousness that shapes the world, thus as he becomes closer the world begins to change to suit HIS whim. It will be at this point when the game begins.
Just as a final note, the world should change as the mental condition of the protagonist changes. As he becomes more unstable, the world will begins to receive input errors, thus data (or whatever) is lost and fact become distorted (laws of gravity etc.). This, of course, needs to be differentiated from the changes that are made to the world by the antagonist, who is trying to dominate his consciousness within the world. In this respect, the changes made to the world by the antagonist are simply the creation of monsters etc. The changes caused by mental instability should be MUCH stranger.
Story:
* MAIN THEME: Human Mind – Descent into madness
* Occurs in Protagonists mind – Created from the mind
* Possible Incorporation of Tree of Life
* Good and Evil do battle in the mind = leads to suicide because one cannot live without the other
* The Ultimate world is destroyed once the two sides become one it becomes an impossibility
Protagonist:
* Becomes dominant entity
* Fights himself in the end
* Last battle signifies his suicide
* Game up to end signifies descent into madness
* Protagonist party is simply other versions of the protagonist, including women, leading to possible gender and role confusion
* Possible abuse as a child, ultimate cause of madness
* Monsters represent his repressed and dark memories as well as imagination
* Possible flashbacks as a child involving pillars
Basic Concept:
(Varalf)
The essential concept of the game will be the progression of the mind, the story will follow the main character as he moves further from the conscious to the sub-conscious mind, the start of the game will focus more on the conscious aspects such as visuals, sound and feel. When the protagonist returns to parts at the start of the game they will be duller than it first seemed however they will be far more detailed. The delving into the sub-conscious of the protagonist will alter the perception of the world and the game dynamics will change. The world is essentially a creation (or rather re-creation) of the mind, everything within it will essentially be of the same essence as the protagonist, even those who travel with him, whether they be female or not, leading to an aspect of gender confusion.
The story will revolve around a dark theme of self discovery where too much is discovered and this leads to the ultimate destruction of the world that he exists in during the game and the introduction of another, real (or surreal) world that will only be mentioned at the end. The final confrontation will be symbolic of the protagonist standing up to his demons, and will represent a much darker side than originally anticipated, leading to a paradox of the world when one of them is destroyed as the “good” cannot exist without the “evil” and a Order vs. Chaos theme can be seen although probably won’t be pursued, which aspect of the mind is the evil however will be left up to debate (either antagonist or protagonist can be seen as the true evil or good). So the self-discovery of the mind near the end leads to an inherent madness, if not in the protagonist but in the World of his mind itself.
The party that the protagonist travels with will be essentially parts of the conscious mind, as the unconicous mind is the world in which they live, they will be very different from each other and possible romantic themes will emerge contributing to the “darker” aspect of the game, they can be seen as Vanity and Egotism. The world itself will see a gradual change (as previously mentioned) leading to a complicated and diverse musical score which will become a true part of the game itself, as in that the music will be the main contributor to the plot. As the characters delve further into the sub-conscious the characters and such begin to shift more to the extreme and the plot simplifies and thickens at the same time. Character development (or the opposite) will be integral to the plot.
The world should itself be seen as a character being changed and developed over time, in this sense the true protagonist and antagonist is not the characters but the world (itself) it is the one that makes the decision to Destroy itself as the Antagonist (or Protagonist) is killed at the end. This (the world) should be the most important aspect of the game, however concepts such as Gaia and life stream should not apply as the Characters do not inhabit the world but the world inhabits the characters as a whole. This should be only slightly hinted at, but the intricacies of the plot will be more subtle than usual.
Side quests and certain areas can be used to convey the theory of the world to the gamer if he can find and complete certain tasks that subtly imply the complexes of the plot. A basic understanding should be developed by the less… involved gamers. But the actual plot will be much more complicated than a simple “Good vs Evil” struggle as possibly seen.
Paradox Method (ToD):
To begin with, the protagonist is NOT everything. The universe is not him, but rather what he will become. The antagonist knows that someone is creating the world in which everything exists (like a god) and seeks to use this power to mould the universe to its whim. All the characters know it that something is creating the universe, a god for all they know. When the antagonist succeeds in becoming the dominant consciousness within the reality, they are forced to destroy him, but in doing so destroy everything, being time/space/etc in the aftermath (not because there was no longer a dominant consciousness). However, when the universe begins to collapse upon itself, the protagonist uses his memories of all the events he has experience to re-create the universe, and becomes the dominant consciousness that creates everything. This includes the memory of himself, and the antagonist. Once again, they will one day destroy the universe all over again, and the new image will create the universe again, thus spiraling on for eternity.
The nice thing about this idea is that there is a paradox within the game. If he becomes the dominant consciousness and uses his memories to create the universe, thus making him the entity that created the reality in which he lived, then in fact his memories of the world come from no where. Think about it, he would have had to have the memories in the beginning in order to create his reality, and himself within it, and yet in order for him to have the memories of himself he will have had to experienced everything up to the point in which the antagonist that he creates eventually kills him. Just to make this obvious:
1.Protagonist is (re)created with antagonist and everybody else in the world up to the point at which the protagonist can remember.
2. Antagonist finds the knowledge of the “consciousness” of the universe.
3.Antagonist becomes consciousness
4. Protagonist destroys Antagonist, but in order for the universe to continue he is forced to become the dominant consciousness himself, at which point he re-creates the world from his memories.
5. Go back to step one, or more, a new step one is created here.
So basically, the time in which the game is played is not the only time that exists in all the universe, but all time is a reflection of the original time in which the game is played (ie, X+X+X…=complete time). The game is NOT a time loop, but rather a loop of events that spiral on endlessly. Also note that due to the act that the world is based on the protagonist’s memories, he will only create the world in the manner in which he imagined it, thus leading to a world in which only he truly exists in any depth, for he knows himself and no one else. Thus, all of the other characters become slight manifestations of his own desires.
Well, that’s my idea for the main nature of the universe; now just work some religious ideology into it. I realize that there are some SERIOUS plot holes in this, but they will have to be worked out later…