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Aethelwulffe
USA
1782 Posts |
 Posted - 28 Apr 2008 : 08:28:27
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My first sub-adventure storyline to use and a proof-of-concept mini-adventure:
Character (Vrusk) is at his post in a city on Hakosaur. He is called into the briefing room and instructed to investigate a contact that entered the atmosphere the night before. After boarding either an aircar or a spaceship, a launch video will play, or some sort of sub-orbital flight video of the ship will play. The game may then shift into an overhead 2d fiew for landing the vehicle, or possibly another video. In any case, the vehicle lands on the top of a sparsely vegitated mesa. Giant trees, much like Alan Dean Foster's "Midworld" surrounds the mesa. Instead of branches, the local trees have huge leaf-like structures. These are used as a road through the jungle to the objective.
There is a lot of dangerous flora and fauna that the character must avoid or defend himself against. The "Jungle Leaf Road" will be a backgound that is mirrored and flipped several times to provide the play area. The trees and large flowering plants (already modeled and ready to be rendered as game sprites) will poke up through the "gaps" in the map. They will be placed randomly in the "gap" areas.
Suspecting a metor strike, The character instead finds a crashed Sathar Intelligence/Espionage atmospheric lander. There are three occupants milling about. If the character attempts to attack them with his meager armament, he will likely lose. Perhaps the Sathar will have a prisoner, or maybe it will be as simple as the character running away from the Sathar, getting chased, and something attacks the Sathar helping him to defeat them. |
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Imperial Lord
321 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2008 : 18:11:21
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| Hello! I am in! You can delete the pword now. |
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Imperial Lord
321 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2008 : 18:11:58
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So you want the Sathar in right away, huh?
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Imperial Lord
321 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2008 : 18:26:00
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| Sure - for the test bed... |
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Aethelwulffe
USA
1782 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2008 : 19:00:52
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Right, this is just the test-bed...A little mini-adventure that can be raped for other stuff. Really, it is not a bad lead-up for other stuff to have a chance discovery of that sort. Information found on the lander could lead to the "main story" for instance.
In this, I see the character as being a Star Law Ranger, a staff outpost scout, or local constable. There will be plenty of audio clips, messages, or animated movie clips providing the lead-up. At this point, you are supposed to interject any changes you think make it better, such as "why don't you add this" or "put it back in the shitcan where you found it" etc...
I am posting another version of the Vrusk testbed. Use buttons 1 & 2 to switch scenes. Scene 2 has an isometric grid that shows how the backgrounds will be arranged. The "spaceport" background version will soon be deleted as it is not properly isometric. |
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Imperial Lord
321 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2008 : 19:03:17
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| When we hit the big time and get the stuff ironed out, then I have something much more juicy. |
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Aethelwulffe
USA
1782 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2008 : 19:40:57
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| Well, knowing the idea behind what needs to be done in the game will help the development of the engine. I will adress that in the Engine thread... |
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Imperial Lord
321 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2008 : 13:04:37
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The ideas that I have are strictly story-based. In other words, they are not out of control such that any worthwhile game engine cannot handle them.
My plot involves many NPCs plus thievery, corruption, murder, terror, greed, and lust for power. Then the Sathar show up. |
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Aethelwulffe
USA
1782 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2008 : 17:45:55
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Sounds good. Solid NPC development is VITAL even if their part is minimal. As far as the engine considerations, knowing the job before it is built...well, it can't hurt! If we need a major terror or combat scene (or a detonating planetary body  ) we will simply do what is necessary. Don't feel constricted at this point, cause there isn't anything to re-work yet  |
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Imperial Lord
321 Posts |
Posted - 01 May 2008 : 10:27:03
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Ugh! I just launched a huge post and it did not take! Grrrr...
Probably a problem on my end. Fortunately, I copied and pasted it to a Word doc because I saw that the connection was having difficulty. |
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Aethelwulffe
USA
1782 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2008 : 04:16:48
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Heh...don't feel too bad. I had some really cool idea this morning...but this morning was 22 hours ago, and I am just now finishing my "friday" at 4AM....The idea probably died in the process of making payroll today...  |
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Imperial Lord
321 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2008 : 11:33:42
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All That Glitters Campaign
Scenario Overview
Project Manager Gltak is a frustrated Vrusk middle manager working for GVMPI, the Greater Vrusk Mutual Prosperity Institution. He was recently passed up for promotion to Vice President, and is upset about the situation. He hides it well, and sees an opportunity for the fulfillment of his dreams – a business of his own.
To fund his grand designs, he comes up with a complex scheme of market manipulation. He is aware of high quality platinum ore deposits on Histran in the sparsely populated nation of Arakor. This Outpost world was surveyed before, but uranium dust clouded the instruments and produced a false negative on the initial survey results. Now that the uranium mine has played out, Gltak has a hunch that there is platinum there now that the initial orbital survey missed due to the radiation interference from the uranium.
GVMPI is aware of this as well, and has given its blessing to a low budget wild-catting operation, (Episode 1) which will discover this high-grade platinum ore. The party will accompany the operation as security. Dynarra Korzan, who is bribed by Gltak to follow his instructions, will leave the ore extracted in shallow pits to be collected later by him. He will leave this ore off-market as part of his manipulation scheme. Once prices go sky-high, then he will retrieve this ore and refine it, allowing him to sell the platinum directly.
While all this activity is going on, several other situations are arising. First of all, there is widespread labor unrest at a precious metals ore refinery in Thapsis, and elsewhere in the Frontier. The Precious Metals Refiners Union contract has expired, and the workers have been without a contract for months. The Refiners (sometimes referred to as “Refs”) are a hair’s breadth from a interplanetary strike. GVMPI and the other megacorps have turned a blind eye on the plight of the Refs, choosing instead to draw out the negotiations in the hope of concessions. Gltak’s computer access, and his conversations with Vice President Kzzk, has revealed the megacorp strategy to him. The strike presents a golden (or platinum?) opportunity for Gltak, as an interplanetary strike would lower the supply of platinum, panic the market, and make the price skyrocket.
Gltak is also aware of another huge development that will influence the price of platinum. Galactic Planetary (GP), a secret research subsidiary of GVMPI, is working on a new superconductor. This superconductor, which has the ability of raising the efficiency of almost every electronic device in the Frontier, uses platinum as one of its main ingredients. Platinum prices are sure to soar due to this new demand.
GP is also the front company that GVMPI is using to smuggle high-tech tracking devices into Outer Reach – including the Andarran Empire. One of their Research Labs is located in Thapsis. In this Research Lab is Vrusk doctor D’rzzl, who is the chief researcher on the superconductor project. GVMPI, plans to take these research results and claim them as their own. They are hiding their relationship with GP so they can continue to smuggle high tech devices to Outer Reach through GP. Vice President Kzzk is the secret contact between GP and GVMPI. He is not aware of Gltak’s plan, however.
Therefore, Gltak’s plan is to secure a supply of platinum ore, refine the ore under contract, and sell at a huge profit after his scheme that manipulates the price. To refine the ore, he has made contact with the Andarran Empire, which can only process high quality ore (the ore that will be hidden during the wildcatting operation in Episode 1.)
While Gltak wants the Refiner’s strike, GVMPI does not. Gltak will be given the mission of protecting the Thapsis refinery operation and preventing the strike. However, he will undermine the player’s efforts to do this. He WANTS the strike, and has contacted the Outer Reach Police, or ORP, to help him. They have chosen a hideout in a ruined castle outside of Thapsis, and start to cause trouble to provoke the strike (Episode 3 – Thapsis).
The Refiner’s Union is bitterly divided on the issue of the strike. They have two main demands – compensation, and health care for the workers. They currently have no contract, which expired about 6 months ago. The Union is divided into two camps. The pro-strike camp, led by a Yazirian named Nubanon Rizel, is almost strong enough to vote for the strike. They have most of the Yazirian and Human workers on their side. The non-strike side, led by a Human named Garvis Blackstar, favors a milder, non-confrontational approach. The problem for Blackstar is that negotiations have stalled around the two main issues. Most of the Vrusk and Dralasite workers are on his side. They do not want a strike, and prefer negotiation.
The PCs will first be thrust into either Sakleetown (Episode 2) or Arakor Prospect (Episode 1).
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Imperial Lord
321 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2008 : 12:29:08
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So here is a quick scenario path.
Episode 1 - Arakor Prospect
The PCs are dispatched to the nation of Arakor on the planet Histran. This is a barren place - grey rock with scrub brush and thorny thickets. The gray sand is blown at great speed by the high winds in this foreboding valley. These winds have precluded any air drops, and as result the PCs are on a small Explorer convoy - many bone-jarring hours away from their intended base camp and prospecting site.
The explorers are jam packed. Sweaty guards and workers pack the passenger compartment. Everyone has equipment on their laps. There is no road. Just a wide stretch of rocky, almost lifeless terrain towered over by the foreboding gray walls of the valley, which go black when not lit by the sun.
The only break from this are of course the frequent flipping over of the equipment trailers, which allow the whole crew to "come together" to lift it back up. Thank God for the PDU 4000 (Prospecting Drilling Utility) Heavy Duty robot. But chains still need to be attached and the whole situation monitored - in sand blown winds. After all, it's mainly a drillbot, and is not designed to lift up fallen trailers! Next time, Corp needs to send hover trailers, NOT ground trailers!
GVMPI runs a very low-budget operation. The Vrusk senior executives at GVMPI call this "efficient". But they don't have to dig up the ore...
Fortunately Dynarra Korzan, the Yazirian female leader of this operation, seems to know what she is doing. The Corp. gave her very good maps, and the small convoy soon approaches a bend in the valley which blocks the winds by a good several hundred meter stretch of rock. The winds are still strong here, but much more tolerable in the open valley.
Soon Dynarra steps out from the Explorer and starts barking out orders. The PCs are ordered to take rudimentary Security Detection Probes in a semicircle, arcing several hundred meters out, to monitor the area up to the "border" (if you will) of the high winds. The other 6 workers (all Vrusk) start running around and setting up tents and equipment.
There is one day to get set up, and the PCs have to hurry. This side of the valley is pretty dark already, and Manager Dynarra wants the probes up and running, with direct wire backups, by nightfall. Korzan does not want to use any additional parabattery juice, nor does she want to submit the Explorers to any more wind abuse, so the PCs will have the place the probes on foot.
The probes will be placed, and have about a 100 meter surface radius. [REF's NOTE: They only have a TWENTY meter subsurface radius!] The first, second, and fourth will go fine. But the third will take place during a huge stampede of ground shanks. Their only hope is to kill a few of the initial beasts that thunder past. Then the rest of the herd will divert around. Otherwise, the probe gets trampled. There are more probes, but the players will be criticized by Dynarra for letting this happen if it does. If the players shoot enough shanks, the whole herd diverts and the probe is saved, resulting in a 1 XP bonus for the whole party.
After that little encounter, the base sets to work. The PCs are placed in spaced out pickets, within eyesight of each other. The wait is extremely boring. The only breaks are with meals, where the Vrusk workers are very upset. They are complaining about the fact that they don't have the right equipment for the mission, and that this "new technique" is not good.
[REF's NOTE: Of course it is not! Gltak wants to MINE, not prospect. He wants the high grade ore which is squirreled away in the side of the valley at this bend. As a result, the mission is burdened with lots of heavy equipment.]
The only thing in the whole operation that is brand new is the parabattery. GVMPI at least knows better than to skimp on power. However, setting it up is a pain in the ass and the workers don't understand why a wildcatting op would need so much juice.
Dynarra knows what she is doing, but she is a whiny bitch. Nothing is ever good enough. She bosses people around like slaves. She also seems very preoccupied and wanders around the camp a lot when she should be helping with the prospecting equipment and readings. Nor does she help monitor the security sensors, which would be nice.
[REF's NOTE: She is looking for a suitable place to store the ore. On the first day, while the workers are prospecting, she goes off and digs a trench with the PDU 4000.]
In this time, the camp is attacked by a number of Giant Macetails, bat-like creatures with bony tails used to club people to death in diving attacks. At least Dynarra does not shrink from this fight, as she grabs her laser rifle and belt pack and blasts away with the PCs while the workers cower. She might be crooked, but at least she is brave.
Once the PCs fight them off, then everything is peaceful for the next few days. However, the PDU start to drill hard-core after the workers come up with a detection. The noise and vibrations are massive. The drilling echoes through the empty valley.
Not only is this a disturbance to the PCs and NPCs, but it is very annoying to a pod of Tunnel Worms looking to mate. If the PCs wander around, they will find a cave. In this maze of tunnels, which heads over and down to where the drill is, the tunnel worms' normally peaceful underground mating is disturbed. The females are not as swollen as normal, and they are reticent to mate. This is angering the males to the point of rage.
Deeper, deeper, deeper - day by day the drill cuts into the rock.
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Edited by - Imperial Lord on 03 May 2008 12:32:49 |
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Imperial Lord
321 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2008 : 12:35:41
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By the way, if you want, we can replace the Outer Reach Police stuff with mafia, or pirates, or even Sathar (although I don't think Gltak is that evil...)
But I would like this campaign to go to Outer Reach - because oppressive governments are fun! So why not use what I made, plus maybe some Malthar stuff from Drammune Run... THEN we will have the Sathar involved, making a deal with one of the corrupt nations in exchange for survival! |
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Aethelwulffe
USA
1782 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2008 : 14:08:29
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Mabe we should switch from Platinum to Dysprosium...
Question: Are they drilling to take a core sample? Is it an ultrasonic or saw drill? String drill or a conventional sectional? I will need to model and sprite it. I will use the existing models I have for Explorers, and some heavy equipment.
Try putting the scenario into an overview, and then individual game sequences. Give me some ideas as to how to play out each scene. |
//begin Geek Code
GAT d? s+:- a+ C+++ U--- P+ L+ W+++
w+++ PS++ PE- PGP++ t--- R+++ !tv b++
e* h--- r+++ y++
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Imperial Lord
321 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2008 : 21:23:42
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The drill is attached to the heavy duty robot. You can make it whatever drill you think makes sense and looks cool.
I'm thinking of maybe the game having a "wait" button or something... In any case the events:
Ground Shank Stampede
Macetail attack
Cave discovery
First combat with the Tunnel Worms - actually that is a lame name we should work on that. They look a lot like Zerg hydrolisks, but no spitting of acid. Just ripping apart with Claws for 6d10 per hit.
Main worm attack on base camp - 2 workers captured.
Dynarra flips out and runs into the tunnel.
She is killed by the Tunnelers
The players follow the screams of the Vrusk workers and find slimy shedded husks as they run down the caves.
They kill some more tunnelers and then encounter the Great Queen - a huge seething mass of combined tunnelers! This is how they mate and as the males and females "engage" they fuse with one another forming a giant massive organism.
This seething mass is hungry. GVMPI worker is on the menu. The PCs must IMMEDIATELY rescue them, or lose XP.
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Edited by - Imperial Lord on 04 May 2008 14:55:40 |
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Scenario Elements and Storylines
