Another Soul Schism Game

[Jason Tandro]

I have other games I'm designing besides TE:A (although at the moment they are all in the conceptual phase. All my time and energy programming wise has been devoted to finally finishing the game!)

One that I am particularly proud of is a game that (and I hate to pull a Stephanie Meyer here) is based on a weird dream I had. Not a wet dream... no it's nothing like that... eww.

But no, I had a dream about a city with tons of different weapon schools. In particular the dream featured a black dojo for executioner weapons, a yellow dojo in a skyscraper and a peaceful white dojo.

Based on that dream, I came up with the game called Acolyte, a game about a boy named Tanner and his friends who seek to become weapon masters and learn the various styles of combat in a quest to become Grand Masters someday.

The easiest way to describe it is a mix between standard RPG, Shenmue and Pokemon. Each class and discipline is leveled as though it were a separate character, which basically makes your main character (the only character whose class you freely change) act as eight separate party members.

The game takes place in the city of Hollow, a modern-day city with skyscrapers and various districts. You can travel on foot, by bus, by cab and even charter boats. It's free-roaming (to a certain degree) and ultimately the order in which you defeat the Masters of each dojo is up to you thanks to a "leveling" system I am devising.

While there is much more to do in town besides win at these dojos, it is the heart of the game. Perhaps this extract from what will become the manual of the game will explain better:

"A Message from the Hollow Department of Public Transportation

Welcome to Hollow!

I am this cities long running Commissioner of Public Transport and have worked in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office to bring you this handy guide to the city. Hollow is a misnomer, as there is much to do in this city, particularly if you are interested in martial arts. Let’s get started.

The Residential District

The Residential District is a nice cluster of our reasonably priced homes located in the green hills on the east mainland. The passage to the sea ends in abrupt cliffs which offer a breathtaking view of the ocean. Down the shore a bit are the sandy beaches that residents have been enjoying for more than 75 years!

The Residential District is also home to the White Dojo, a school specializing in unarmed combat with augmentation by light projectile weapons, such as boomerangs. The discipline is known as Chokaisan, which translates to “the chosen path”.

The Commercial District

The Commercial District is where the highlife of the city shows what it’s got to offer. A massive four story shopping mall is at the center of this large urban sprawl, along with the countless shops, bars, arcades, and restaurants that provide this city with its almost unlimited capital!

The Commercial District’s pinnacle is Weymer Tower, a magnificent skyscraper at the top of which is the Yellow Dojo, a school specializing in ranged weapons, namely bows and crossbows. The discipline is known as Setzukan, which means “strike from the sky”.

The Industrial District

The Industrial complex lies on the southern part of the mainland and is a thriving solution to our cities growing power and manufacturing demands. The massive Power Plant in the center is a maze of pipes and wires, but provides more than enough power for our city!

The Industrial District is home to the Grey Dojo, a school that unabashedly pronounces its skill with guns. The sensei says that no matter what the weapon, nothing can beat a bullet. The discipline is named Kastukan, which means “to cast aside”, perhaps signifying this dojo’s neglect of ancient martial art principles.

The Theatre District

Home to some of the more colorful residents of the city. The Theatre District lies on the mainland side of the Mandel Bridge, which leads to the larger of the two offshore islands that make up the city of Hollow. Street shows and music are large parts of this district, as well as, of course, the large Lenore Theatre.

The Black Dojo lies beneath an allegedly haunted house, Greymare Manor, and teaches the art of lances, axes and scythes, referred to by the sensei as “weapons of the executioner”. The discipline is called Haramusha which directly translates to “to cause pain and suffering”.




The Nature Preserve

On the way out of town? Such a shame. But before you go, you’ll get to pass through out wonderful Nature Preserve; a perfectly untainted forest with the only presence of man being the one road out of town and the occasional paths left by our forest rangers.

Deep in the back of the Nature Preserve is the Green Dojo. However this is a misnomer as there is no physical building, but rather a collection of people in a forest clearing that train with swords, the most ancient and honorable of all weapons. The discipline is called Sogetsu, which means “the pure path”.

The Port District

The Port and Harbor area is where the towns external resources come from, and is home to colorful sea-going persons from all over the world. Only a limited amount of the district is available for open exploration, though, as some of the stuff coming in by sea isn’t meant for civilian eyes.

The Blue Dojo, appropriately, is in this district. The sensei, rumored to be a former pirate, teaches people in the art of stealthy, hidden weapons, such as daggers, nunchaku and claws. The discipline is called Yen-Lian, “path of the deceiver”.

The Red Light District

Gambling your game? Care to drink or partake of some herbs? The Red Light District was created as a solution to the growing problem of drug addictions within the city. Rather than ban the substances all-together, they have been contained in this district, along with all other manner of illicit activity.

The Red Dojo lies in the back of an alleged “love hotel”. The mistress and sensei of this dojo teaches mastery of the whip and fan; weapons of the geisha. The discipline is known as Luskaidan, which means “beautiful pain”.

The Government District

The proud heart of our city and a historical center filled with monuments, museums and all other manner of educational facility. The Mayoral Estate and Capital Building are in the back, along with the Courthouse and County Offices.

Within the Hollow University Campus lies the Orange Dojo, a school where people train with staffs, clubs and hammers. The discipline is known as Matakodo, which means “crush the enemy”.

The Arena District

The smaller of the two offshore islands is the Arena District. The Grand Dojo lies here with the current Grand Master who practices a mysterious balanced discipline that utilizes all weapons flawlessly. He is always ready for a challenge, if you can beat the other Masters around the city."


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Thoughts?

[Edit: If you're wondering why I bring this up, it is because a demo of this game will be appearing as one of the downloadable bonus goodies with the final release of TE:A]

[EverPhoenix]

Jason Tandro wrote:

One that I am particularly proud of is a game that (and I hate to pull a Stephanie Meyer here) is based on a weird dream I had.

ive had that happem before. it didnt end up as a game, (it might, still) but it did end up as a writing project.

as for the game, it sounds pretty cool. try not to make it too open-ended though, if the only motivation is to level up and get better stats, then it quickly becomes grind-tastic. hence the reason i dont enjoy MMO games much unless im playing with friends

[Jason Tandro]

Well a series of plot-events will happen that effectively prevent you from being too open ended. I want it to be as open-ended as TE, but have a linear plot, if that makes any sense.

[EverPhoenix]

so, a linear plot with an absurd number of sidequests?

[Jason Tandro]

Ehhh... not really. That's an oversimplification. Basically, you can choose what dojos to complete in what order but, say, after you complete one dojo (no matter what it is) a linear plot sequence begins which you must complete before taking on the next dojo. Understand?

[EverPhoenix]

yeah sort of. reminds me of the pokemon tcg game on gameboy. you can choose the order, but it doesnt have much of a driving plot.

[Manibrandr System]

Sounds pretty damn interesting. What would the combat be like?

[Jason Tandro]

I'm glad you asked. As you complete each Dojo, you learn to master various disciplines. Now rather than have a single character who switches disciplines in the way that you switch classes, each class change is represented as a different leveled character (this is why my "leveling" concept is so important). You can't just blast through each dojo's grand master and hope to win. You must take the time to face each ranks of foes and do missions for the dojos to learn each art.

In battle, you can call upon skills you have learned similar to the TE:A Battle System, but with a couple of key differences.

First, as I want the game to have a faster paced battle system, this game will feature a full ATB system.

Secondly, you have party members who will learn various skills of different techniques, but whom you cannot control. I want this game to be all about you, the person and I want it to have a decidedly realistic edge.

Thirdly, there will be an option to switch you discpline in-battle, so you can freely alter your style. Your weapons will switch to whatever weapons you had last equipped as that discipline (and the respective stats).

[inferiare]

Jason Tandro wrote:

Secondly, you have party members who will learn various skills of different techniques, but whom you cannot control. I want this game to be all about you, the person and I want it to have a decidedly realistic edge.

Just as long as the AI isn't stupid. I hate games with really retarded AI controls. PLEASE FINE-TUNE THE AI, I WOULD LOVE YOU FOREVER.