The Magellan: Race Against Time- Main Story Line (SPOILER ALERT)

[Emperor Wilbers]

This topic is for developing the main story line for The Magellan, if you haven't noticed from the title. This is what we have so far:

Concept: The characters are sent a mysterious message saying that there is something wrong on the
ship and people are going to die. The characters head off on a fact finding mission to find out what has
happened. This would be rather short, maybe 5 hours, because it leads to the next game.

Introduction: 1 Month before the Magellan incident takes place all of the characters receive a strange telepathic dream, telling them about an impending disaster that will fall upon the great colony ship. The characters race against the clock to find out who sent the dream and why.

The first thing I think we should clarify on is how The Magellan is going to be destroyed, or whatever bad thing is going to happen. Then, just to get it out of the way, what exactly the contents of the warning message are and how the player receives it. We should also figure out where the player starts out in the game, because the location might affect the message, and how the player receives it. Then we should just go from the beginning.

The message should have some sort of clue that points the player in a general direction to continue. Perhaps one of the friends or a person nearby points you in a general direction, or the player sees public events that hint to what is going to happen and where the player goes.

Main Quest Line
1. Player has dream and has to go to Captain for first quest.
A. An onlooker slips you a note and it says to meet you in has cabin.
B. The stranger believes you and wants to do something about it. (Needs to be developed further)

[lightspeed15]

The first thing I think we should clarify on is how The Magellan is going to be destroyed, or whatever bad thing is going to happen. Then, just to get it out of the way, what exactly the contents of the warning message are and how the player receives it. We should also figure out where the player starts out in the game, because the location might affect the message, and how the player receives it. Then we should just go from the beginning.

The message should have some sort of clue that points the player in a general direction to continue. Perhaps one of the friends or a person nearby points you in a general direction, or the player sees public events that hint to what is going to happen and where the player goes.

The Magellan should just be destroyed by a system failure. That's what the player is told happens but their was an exterior force involved in the destruction of the ship.

The player will receive the message in a dream as Hasabushi previously stated. So he/she will be in their cabin.

I think it should show flashes of The Magellan catching fire and falling towards an unidentified planet. Me and Hasabushi can probably whip up some images of a ship on fire in various parts of it.

As I already said, the only time they're dreaming is sleeping so they start off in their cabin. I mean, it would be very comical to have them start off taking a number 2 on a toilet and they fell asleep while takin' a dump. Lol.

I don't think the player needs to be pointed. We just have a notification that tells the player to warn the captain of the ship and you do that but they just laugh at you and reassure of the safeties of the ship. A man watches you as you tell the captain and he slips you a note to meet him in his cabin and he ends up believing you and everything and the rest we can sort out later. :D

[Emperor Wilbers]

Lol, okay, that all works! Although, I think that if the player is told to go talk to the captain it will feel unnatural. I think that we should incorporate that into one of the characters' dialogue that you speak to after yo wake up. I like everything afterwards, great idea! I think that the captain should be involved somehow in the ships' doom. Is that too cliche or is it just awesome?!

[lightspeed15]

We would have to create a super strong motive for the captain to destroy his own ship. You don't know how protective ship captain's are. They can get pretty snappy about it.

But if you can create a strong enough motive then maybe, but otherwise it would be pretty difficult.

[Emperor Wilbers]

True, true. We can think of something later if we want to. So, what is the external force? Is that already thought of?

[Hasabushi]

Actually the dream is very vague it just shows the ship being destroyed there is no actual explanation as it is discovered during play ;)

[Hasabushi]

Oh, I just realized that you guys probably never read the stories that were posted?

[Emperor Wilbers]

Nope!

[Emperor Wilbers]

Okay, but for future reference, what will the force be?

[lightspeed15]

The exterior force is the real people who cause the destruction of the ship. Maybe some sort of terrorist group, or maybe some sort of alien race intent on wiping out the humans, and preventing them from colonizing other planets.

I think the planet they land on should be inhabited by aliens.

[Emperor Wilbers]

Aliens, hmm. I like that. We have to make them unique, though. Maybe the ship entered the planet's airspace, and they receive message in a language they can't read from the alien's military, and so the aliens use there advanced technology to make the ship's system malfunction. And then the aliens blow the ship up or something.

[Emperor Wilbers]

So I guess we'll get to that when we get to it. So, the player goes to the stranger's cabin and the person tells the player that he believes him and that his dream should be investigated further into. Every game has this, or at least the ones I've played: The stranger gives you some money to go and buy some stuff. Then the character comes back for further instruction. Does anyone disagree that this should happen?


Also, on a side note, how is the player going to talk to the NPCs? Will it be like skyrim, where there is a list of responses to things that will change how the person likes you, or other factors?