Please post ideas on what type of events might transpire in the story and over the course of the campaign. These ideas might be used by story writers and script writers to determine the direction the campaign might take. For example, a common one was the decision-path of both the stock and FE campaigns -- as well as the invasion of the planet in the stock/isdf campaign. What kind of basic ideas would be implemented in a good story?
Keep in mind that using ANY of these ideas is completely up to story writers. This is just here for brainstorming purposes, nothing else, really. It helps to get these things down early rather than trying to shoehorn an existing campaign to fit the ideas. Don't post anything really specific like planet names, and also if you're a story writer and post ideas here, dont feel ripped off if another person steals these ideas. That's exactly what the purpose of this thread is.
:mrgreen:
People seemed to like time travel, but it requires a LOT of work to implement. I can however give you some random bits of information that might be of use.
All times are hypothetical and do not reflect real values:
A ship enters near light speed at 0 hours, in 5 hours of time to the perspective of those inside, 5 years pass outside. An Einstein Rosen Bridge created from inside the ship would have 1 space destination, but two time destinations. The portal exit would be both either 5 hours or 5 years in the future of 0 hours. Had the ship exited light speed, the portal would be to 5 years, but while in that state there is the disparity between local time and real time.
This can be used as an interesting element, I can provide various scenarios based on stories we have already heard that use this and do not damage the Battlezone Universe like the previous stories do.
Utilizing what we had, I concoct thus:
The Hadeans, at war with the Olympians on their new world, also work on galactic conquest in order to gain more technology and strength to use against the Olympians. They happen upon the Cthonian offshoot called the Aeneans that split off during the exodus from their previous world Icarus after/before/during its destruction in the war against the furies. They consist of members from both 'races', and they have not had the best time on their wold. Their planet is not the most hospitable, so their joint efforts were required to make it livable, better strengthening whatever weak alliance remained from the war with the furies. They are the origin of the portal technology used by Hadeans much later in FE.
Now, they can have time portals, sure, but this would come later. One possibility is they have time portals, escape to the past of their own planet before they ever arrived, and leaving the attacking Hadeans to take the locational portal technology. I would note ping-ponging off a ship at light speed might have the interesting ability to time travel within the limited scope. Now, if they were to send a probe out with portal tech on it, at light speed, the probe might appear in a location occupied by the Olympians, who the Aeneans could have learned were still around during the Hadean attack, and dropped the object off roughly the moment the prob was sent via the concept outlined above. YEARS later the ISDF would discover the probe as it comes out of light speed over this world. The technology could have passed from the Olympians to the Scions of the Ark II to keep it safe from the Hadeans. Just some probabilities.
Now this story, has the finesse required for time travel. It also have a valid explanation for time travel. (Other than the Aeneans escaping into their own past, which would be impossible by this method unless there was a system in place before they arrived, perhaps the origin of their portal tech, though it more likely that technology be based on the Pegasus Device.) Now, maybe they never do escape into their past. Then the use of a system they may have put in place using what is described above may allow the Scions and ISDF to go back to the attack on the Aneans and fight with them. Then the secret the Olympians were protecting would have been both knowledge of the time travel system that was implemented and maybe higher level functions of teleportation such as intergalactic distances. It could be some deeper secret that does lead to time travel, or some ancient secret, or any other huge revelation, something that could not be understood without first following the breadcrumbs to the Aenean planet and utilizing the Portal/LightSpeed system to return to them before their extinction at the hands of the Hadeans.
This can be a story of time travel, saving an entire race, and even ancient mystery. It is all about what we make it.
I hope this base above is useful. I personally like limiting time travel to saving the Aeneans from extinction at the hands of the Hadeans, but ensuring the Hadeans still get away with the Portal tech so the events of FE still occur, and then moving back to your own time at some point via stasis/lightspeed or some such either before or after the mystery portion (Perhaps you must be in the so called 'present' to correctly solve this mystery). As a result of being in the present, you might meet the still existing and now more advanced Aneans.
What if the third race has been hiding all along and has been planning to come out at just the right time to take over. Then they are forced into early uncovery by the scions somehow. Maybe the scions where doing an investigation of a report they got of what the reporter thought was cerberi activity, then the scions find the third race and they fight it out.
Nevermind about that. I think the player should have the choice fairly early in the game whether to fight for or against the third faction.
Depends of course if the third faction is still usable, which I do believe it is.
I have a few ideas of my own:
A. Perhaps instead of time travel simply have the campaign on a far off planet reached with a very powerful wormhole or other theoretical speed of light travel mechanism.
B. I started a thread in the Overdrive Terminal to post Wikipedia articles and began the thread by posting one about a theoretical kind of planet called a Cthonian planet, perhaps we could some how incorporate this into the story.
C. Black holes, I just love 'em.
I guess the first question is what prototype do we use?
Find Secret, Meet Aliens, Save Aliens, 2nd Prototype as part 2
is my suggestion.
We could definately do that, though I think we should try to find something a bit less overdone. I believe what you have put forth has been done a bit to much.
How about this:
Guy and his minions finds aliens. Aliens capture guy and his minions. Aliens make guy and his minions fight other aliens or they will be enslaved for life. Guy chooses either to rebel and fight both or stay with first aliens. If he rebels the second aliens will propose to help him and his minions if they fight against first aliens. Guy can choose to fight both on his own or join second aliens. If the second aliens are chosen then they turn out to be treacherous while the first aliens are trustworthy.
And that's it basically. The fight on your own is the hardest path while the fight with the first aliens is the middle, and the fight for the second aliens is the easiest (so you're not too dissapointed when they turn out to be treacherous). Whadaya think? This is my prototype.
Needs A LOT of work, and as of now I am not much into it, but keep at it, you just might have something there.
Its a skeleton and that's the point.
In that case keep at it, but so far I am not seeing any BZ relation.
The "2nd aliens" can be isdf/scions.
e.g. guy is captured by 3rd faction, made to fight isdf/scions.
Also, we're still thinking of a scion-centric campaign, right?
Hope so.
Quote from: sabrebattletank on December 17, 2009, 07:17:22 PM
The "2nd aliens" can be isdf/scions.
e.g. guy is captured by 3rd faction, made to fight isdf/scions.
Also, we're still thinking of a scion-centric campaign, right?
If it was so then the scion/isdf would have to be corrupt. Of course that's fine, and even called for, somewhat.
How exactly would they be corrupt, I am not seeing it.
They don't keep their word and go on to enslave you. For example you might fight your butt off for them but they instead of freeing you treat you like a hostage. If they were scion/isdf they could be considered rogue.
Another idea: what if in that story line they go on to take you back to earth making it up that you're a hostage and not letting you be seen. Then you'd have to fight your way out of that. How does a battle against the elite earth guard sound?
This thread is not about missions at all. It's about the necessities of the story such as basic plot, and events.
Quote from: Clavin12 on December 17, 2009, 08:17:03 PM
This thread is not about missions at all. It's about the necessities of the story such as basic plot, and events.
Did i just read you saying this thread isn't about the missions, then say it's about the missions?
Quote from: Clavin12 on December 17, 2009, 08:17:03 PM
This thread is not about missions at all. It's about the necessities of the story such as basic plot, and events.
necessities of the story: Stuff happening that makes things go forward.
Basic Plot: The noun version of going forward.
Events: Missions
If mods can be built around submitted models, why not mission design? But again if it is too early then it can go in a mission thread later, but hey maybe motherships and lazers might spark something with the race. Shotgun and see what hits method- not just single "This sounds good!" Attempts. Make the glove fit the hand. Go about it another way- the last way didn't work out so well, although it worked out 5x better than the first attempt 1.3CP.
I suppose. Nevermind what I said back then but I think we should come up with a skeleton before we build the missions. That's all we need really, a skeleton and missions.
Lets now let some new people give their opinions. I don't really want the see the same 3 avatars for 10 pages like previous threads.
And remember, this is story foundations, not story in its rich details.
Clavin's bit I read in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles book, so I can't see it as original either :-P, but that is the point. Archetypes are not original, it is the content and sub arcs you attach LATER that make it original.
aRc mod for example is your standard character growth archetype tied to the invading enemy archetype and later the Battlestar Galactica archetype. The few who saw my story for that likely didn't catch the archetypes unless they looked specifically for them.
I have no avatar. Therefore you will see the same three avatars regardless of what I do. BWAHAHAHA
-1 to myself.
bb1 your idea is good, but it does not belong here. Feel free to start another topic if you like.
Mine happens to be completely original, seeing as I've never read a single TMNT book.
Let me remind you all that this thread is for posting ideas for stories. This is NOT a place to post your own story ideas, do that somewhere else. This thread is just for ideas you can use in your stories if you need them.
Quote from: Zero Angel on December 18, 2009, 06:49:40 AM
bb1 your idea is good, but it does not belong here. Feel free to start another topic if you like.
Accepted.
Well N1 called for skeletons and so I submitted one.
Some things the story might have:
a point of decision (player chooses a side)
a betrayal (player rebels against someone) [biblical jesus/judas references optional]
Archetypes are basically skeletons summed in 1 to 3 words.
Examples:
Character Growth (Sub type would be Coming of Age but this does not fit a space military game)
Invading Enemy
Battlestar Galactica
Secret Military Program
Self Defense (normally part of Invading Enemy)
Self Survival
Forced to Fight
The point is for people to give some either Archetypes or base ideas for the story as so called 'blocks' that can be used or not used, arranged or not, and then shut up and let others provide things. THEN have some discussion. That was my comment about seeing the same 3 avatars for 10 pages like on other topics. The main say should go to the story comity or actual modders who can make real usable things right now. (Lets try not to have topics that are 90% Clavin and IronMaden each page. Sorry for the call out but that is what is seen.)
Some more things:
Multiple points of decision
A betrayal from your authorities, as in the last isdf mission except it's not the end of the world
I vote against using Time Travel as an element.
I agree, I believe time travel would just get to confusing and that is part of what brought the project to a stand still. I would go for what I had earlier and use a long range worm hole or near light speed type engine to get to the far off planet, should we keep it when we get back to production.
Do not use this thread to eliminate ideas or vote on which ideas are best or worst. That is not the purpose of this thread!
Pardon me ZA, but is the threads title not "Ideas for foundations of the Story"? We are here to find which ideas will work and which won't, and I do not think time travel will work.
And, it looks like this thread is going to have 2 or 3 ppl try to take complete control like other threads, throwing out ideas and promoting only their own.
Give ideas, don't trash them.
I am not just simply trashing the idea, I'm just saying that time travel would not be the wisest idea for the project, I believe that it was you yourself said that time travel had to many loopholes and was difficult to work with.
And since you asked for more, here are some more ideas of mine:
A. A planetary implosion, a nice change from from usual destruction of planets.
B. Smaller factions located on the planet/planets you fight on. Not neccisarily a different faction, but kinda like a fifedom that broke away from the kingdom so to speak.
C. A much longer range missile defense system.
D. Some form of very large, aquatic, battleship type craft.
E. Again, black holes, love 'em
Maybe sum1 should be compiling these into a list as we go. I can do that. Oh, and...
What if instead of a planetary implosion something much less extreme but much creepier: a super disease.
Oh, wait, I know I love black holes nad just remembered an interesting thing I saw on the show the Universe, and yes, this was also in Star Trek.
Use a black hole to cause the planet the implode and vanish, awesome!
Shockers- make the "bad guys" Even more loathsome
Multi-faceted- Separation of bad for the hell of being bad and the qualities that press them to be "bad"
sub- Hadeans were bad for the hell of being bad. Scions were bad because of necessary actions and misleading info.
Vengeful main character- The main character didn't "join up" for a job or cowboy in space, he/she has alterior motives.
Chain of command- High ranking officer ineffective, another steps up and overthrows him/her.
Bad for the hell of being bad is not good for stories at all.
Oh and to Iron Maiden: If you stick your feet in your mouth and swallow you disappear! It's just amazing!
Bad is a term with no meaning. Morality and social tradition is all that gives it value. To be bad for the sake of being bad is wrong, what you are saying is that they are for the sake of being. As we do not know the meaning of life, this whole thing is rather moot.
"what you are saying is that they are for the sake of being"
I say no such thing. I say they can't just be "Hadean Bad" and go killing...warlike race is dull and unattractive. Maybe there are reasons behind what they do to make the player think they are to be fired upon. Then the player has to decide if firing at them is the right way...that's the distinction.
Quote from: bb1 on December 18, 2009, 08:13:05 PM
"what you are saying is that they are for the sake of being"
I say no such thing. I say they can't just be "Hadean Bad" and go killing...warlike race is dull and unattractive. Maybe there are reasons behind what they do to make the player think they are to be fired upon. Then the player has to decide if firing at them is the right way...that's the distinction.
I was clearly addressing Clavin. I have NO IDEA how you could think I meant you when I clearly had no issue with your note. I was simply specifying that morality is what sets what a group does as good or bad in their own eyes. Nazis, by their morals, were good, but not by ours.
Quote from: Nielk1 on December 18, 2009, 07:47:07 PM
Bad is a term with no meaning. Morality and social tradition is all that gives it value. To be bad for the sake of being bad is wrong, what you are saying is that they are for the sake of being. As we do not know the meaning of life, this whole thing is rather moot.
We'll see. But then this shouldn't be discussed here. Even so there should be a motive.
Quotes help dissolve such ambiguity. Moving on.
Nationalities: Our planet has multiple nations and factions, what's to say other planets don't? If you go to another species homeworld, expect many many different factions/nationalities with different levels/styles/types of tech. Might be fun to hint upon but not get into too deeply; lest the CP take years and years upon years to develop.
The more alien something is, the less the little differences are noticed. They can however be useful though,
Clavin, what does swallowing feet have to do with black holes?
I believe he was attempting to imply foot-in-mouth. And failing.
Nope I was just joking with Iron Maiden. His comment about a black hole making a planet implode and disappear reminded me of it.
Convergent thinking, specifically eliminating or narrowing down of ideas during the brainstorming session prevents new ideas from appearing, specifically innovative ones. This is why it's not a good idea to narrow things down at this stage.
QuoteNationalities: Our planet has multiple nations and factions, what's to say other planets don't? If you go to another species homeworld, expect many many different factions/nationalities with different levels/styles/types of tech. Might be fun to hint upon but not get into too deeply
I agree, that is why I said what I said about having smaller factions on the planet to help you fight, like that planets own little country's.
Here's what we have so far
1. Instead of time travel far off campaign
2. Black holes
3. Cthonian planets
4. Prototypes/Archetypes
a. Find secret, meet aliens, save aliens,
b. Guy and his minions held captive by aliens, etc.
i. Second aliens as Isdf/Scion
5. Battle against earth guard
6. A point of decision
7. A point of betrayal by the you
8. A point of betrayal by the authorities
9. Character growth
10. Invading enemy
11. Battlestar Galactica
12. Secret military program
13. Self defense
14. Self survival
15. Forced to fight
16. Multiple points of decision
17. Planetary Implosion
18. Smaller factions and nationalities
19. Long range missile defense system
20. Aquatic vehicle
21. Super disease
So far so good, keep piling on the goods people! :-D
Quote from: iron maiden on December 19, 2009, 02:55:58 PM
So far so good, keep piling on the goods people! :-D
When you say people, you do mean "Yourself and Clavin", right?
No, I mean that to everyone, even if they only submitted one thing, the more ideas we have the merrier.
Well him and me have been the main people contributing. Just because only two people contribute doesn't mean it's unacceptable. Anyone can post.
If by contribute you mean throw out such a massive amount of things with no personal preference that anyone else just leaves because anything they say that has meaning to them gets drown out by the insanity. Then yes, you contribute the most. :x
What're you talking about? I've only posted about four ideas here.
I was partly alluding to what happened in other topics.
very well. I'll just wait a little and see who else posts.
aS will I, am eager to see what my colleages put forth. Lay it on me ya'll! :-D
Idea: biometal takes on the characteristics of a deity (as in the 3rd faction worships it maybe), and the biometal itself is a character in the story, with goals and objectives which the player may or may not be aware of
not sure if this goes here, but i'll put it here anyway unless someone suggests otherwise: what if the 3rd faction has some sort of connection with the biometal deeper than biology -- the scions were a fusion of biometal and humanity, what about a race that evolved ingrained with biometal?
Sounds very Fury to me :evil:
Actually I really like the idea of biometal as a sort of deity. Imagine a great silver man emerging from a pool of biometal. :-o
+me
I am not so sure on this idea. It sounds interesting, but if take into account what happens when the metal is stronger than the tissue in bio-metal, statistics say that it go Fury, credit to Ahadely. :evil:
Look at all the amazing ideas pouring in!
Hooray! :-D
I can't tell if your being sarcastic
I can't either.. I want to smite him if he is.
I might smite him anyway.
Quote from: Clavin12 on December 22, 2009, 03:17:38 PM
Look at all the amazing ideas pouring in!
Your comment is not appreciated.
Quote from: VSMIT on December 23, 2009, 03:21:30 AM
Your comment is not appreciated.
He is kind of right. There was so much enthusiasm a month back and now I don't see anyone anymore. Where'd everyone go?
One person didn't like the story, then a few more didn't, then everybody went.
Everyone got a bit annoyed with the story and how it was spiraling out of control under the volition of like 3 specific ppl.
I've created a new thread the the exploration of my idea.