[Workshop] Campaign Development

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thebrowncloud
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

Post by thebrowncloud »

That was excellent, Gna! You are truly a gifted writer! I love how the script is like what you would expect a movie or play script to be. However, that also poses some problems, too. Some of the stuff you put in it to give it personallity, like Grisly throwing his gun down or the rocks in the air that the dropship pilot dodges, are either really difficult or impossible for us to do. Especially the rocks. We could do the gun thing with sound effects I suppose.

The only real problems I found with it is that buildings like a planetary fortress, as far as we know, cannot warp travel, so it couldn't have just shown up out of nowhere when it wasn't already there. Maybe it was a Confederate lab that had been buried under rock and dirt by a landslide or something and then was unearthed by an earthquake? I might be able to find a desert planet like you described that has unstable natural conditions. If not, we could always switch the tile set or just make a planet up. The other problem is the partially-phased-in people. I could see them doing tests with portal technology like warp gates, gateways, or stargates, but phase-in is a new ability even by protoss standards. Take a look at some of these experiment names from Deception: http://starcraft.wikia.com/wiki/Deception#Data_Files

I'm leaning towards something similar to the Tau Particle experiment, but we have time.

Other than that, looking good! I'm assuming this stuff would be for a cinematic map?
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

Post by GnaReffotsirk »

It's really up to you man. I'd hit the lore's wall fast. You're the best pilot we've got. ;)

About that script, it's really just something to kinda "show" how the UED got to him. From that example, Wristbone's team is blind about the Resident.

After sending the data though, maybe (if we decide Victor Dome isn't directly involved in the surfacing of this lab, which he seems to be from that script) the Triton crew will discover the Resident, and how he is connected to what was going on there (with which Wristbone's squad experienced as well).

I'd go with you with the surfacing of the facility. We could use a science lab in-game, and have a beacon for Wristbone's team to reach. I'd image the game version of that scene to be a maze or puzzle type mission. The player will have to dodge natural things (which the Resident is able to do as you proposed before), get out of harms way before time runs out, or get something to help out a team member who's trapped. Whatever we might find interesting.

As for the rocks, we could just do an audio version of that during the briefing. (/WantsSC2EditorNow) ???
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

Post by Pr0nogo »

So, other than turning this thing into a novel, what are we doing here?

*lighthearted laugh*

Can someone give me the tl;dr version of this thing? Sorry, I don't have the time nor the patience to read it. =P

And are we interested in using my voices, or are we going to drop that? I can submit more samples if necessary. =)

I'm also willing to perform a rather more imperative role in the making of this (quite literally I might add) and attempt to create some of the maps. Obviously I wouldn't be the only one, but I'd love to put my knowledge to good use. Plus, if I have any issues, I can always ask around here and other places such as SEN. =D

So, what'll it be, mates?
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

Post by GnaReffotsirk »

We are on track, Pronogo. Though we have deviated a bit, not much have gone to waste. It's important we keep it that way. Don't worry, everything is in place.

What's happening now is we are trying to settle only about 5 story points at the moment. And I've been thinking of giving a limit to a certain illustration, say, 3 days. If an illustration of a story point does not get a contender, it becomes final. If a storypoint goes through the process of tweaking and refining (just like what we are doing for our POV character's backstory, which links to the Overall Story's backstory as well) we'll take as much time as we need. But ofcourse, we keep moving.

The above hasn't gotten any argument yet, and since it seems things feel bogged and locked, let's move on.


What we're doing here is trying to define facets of our POV character's theme. It's called the Main Character's Theme.

Now, I understand we are going slow, and there's a lot of excitement with map-making, modding, and voicing, etc, but we really need a rallying point (this story) to keep things as solid as possible.

There will be ample of time to argue on things related to the maps. When we get there, you'll see what we're going to get into. Without a rallying point, we will scatter when more things come into play. The story we're building is our foundation, it's where we will come back to when things come against each other and a striking decision needs to be made.

Now, next up is nailing down our MC's theme.



--- mc theme ---

What we have:

1. Main Character
2. Impact Character
3. Overall Backstory
4. OS event 1
5. Some characters

What can we do now that we have this?

We need a theme for our Perspective Character. This defines his situation, and what his existence looks like as an archetype. We can use this to imagine how it feels like to be him.

What we have about him:

Memory erased. No idea of self. Abilities and biology sought after.

"The innocent carrying a potential that can be used for good or evil ends."



The core issue of the situation:

Raw, unprocessed, free resource. Unused potential. Exploitation for personal gain. Gaining of an object of power. A desperate attempt to rise to a position that may be harmful to everyone involved.

comment: When a chance to establish dominance exists among rivals, a race to gain the source of power follows. A person given the responsibility to choose which one to give the power to is faced with a dilemma of deciding which one shares with him the same desires or intentions. When this person is stripped of intentions, motive, or desire, the path of tension will inevitably lead him to trust his instincts, his innate nature. As a result, an independence is formed, a self-course is seen, a personal destiny is created to justify and give the person a reason ( a central idea, a gathering point of himself ), as he endures the responsibilities and difficulties he must face amidst competing interests of greater powers defining the structure of his environment.

The greatest tension arrives when one's innate nature comes into conflict with an established order -- an order wherein all of its members have been conditioned to supress their own unique selves in order to maintain the current structure and nature of the system.

This is so powerful especially if one's innate nature possesses the qualities of change -- change that leads to something people know is rightful, but have given up the quest to establish for themselves just so to survive.


A good way to understand theme is to take the thought above and realize that someone, somewhere could be experiencing it now.

With this empathy we can then discover the forces he's facing -- the important things that makes up the conditions implied above. From that we can then derive the proper archetypes, what will transpire, and how things will develop, and what they'll look like after everything is over.

We can gain precision in defining who our characters will be, and what they represent.

We'll achieve a sort of metaphor for a real human condition, exaggerate a few things, make things more deadlier, and thus create a more powerful drama.

What were going to define from here on is these archetypes.

What do you think are the archetypes (or "forces) that makes up the reality implied from the above?
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

Post by GnaReffotsirk »

Okay, so this might be a little more simplier and refined. It seems long because we're discussing it, but it's really simple and short when thinking about it and imagining it. This one's for the Main Character Theme (our POV character in the story) this is his story:


MC THEME (the Resident)

The Resident is concerned about the changes he sees in himself: his growing powers, things he can do, and things he comes to know that he thinks he shouldn't.

His archetype throughout this mess is one of responsibility: "someone who takes everything and carries them himself, excluding others in his mind or actions. He believes he's alone in this, and no one else can do it except himself."

In turn, he is faced with issues of commitment: "pushing through something regardless of anything."

So he's this guy whose becoming someone he's not supposed to be. And in that sense, he excludes anyone, taking everything as his responsibility, as he pushes on with something regardless of anything.

He is driven towards this because he has no control of what's going on inside him. He cannot control his powers and how it affects everyone and everything around him.

He doesn't think this is the problem though. He thinks the problem is because other people/factions are forcing whatever that's inside him to come exploding. The memories he gets from corpses; the manipulations he cause to natural things; and some other devastating things people and events have caused (as he claims).

However, the reality is that if he can control this thing inside him, and his rage, there's nothing anyone or anything can do to make his powers manifest. He can even use it for good if only he can control it.

His determination in getting to the bottom of what's happening to him regardless of anything makes him the only person who can really deal with what everyone else is concerned about, which is something regarding "what will be" or the future.

What's holding him back is an issue of "morality" or doing things considering others.

Though he may be driven towards getting to the bottom of things regardless of anything, a part of him cannot stand other people becoming costs to what he does.

This in turn hints him of the need for control, shows him the pains of not having any control, making him blame others more because they trigger him.

Even if he wanted to give up, he can't because people just don't stop looking for him, and something is cooking that will eventually come. His belief that he is the one responsible for all of this, and no one else, pulls him back into the action.


SUMMARY (MC Theme: THE RESIDENT)
In summary, the Resident is someone who's becoming someone he's not supposed to be, and believes he is responsible for something that will culminate into something in the near future - something that will cost others deeply. He is someone who cannot control a part of him, and blames others when something he doesn't like happens. He blames them because he believes they're forcing him to do things he doesn't want. His sense of responsibility drives him to get to the bottom of this matter, but what he truly needs is to develop control of his powers.

This dynamics makes him someone dragged along by forces outside him, as he first refuses to accept the fact that there is no way to undo this change he's going through. Eventually, he will give up feeling a victim, and start taking charge of his condition. Eventually, he will know how to control it after the pains and good he comes to meet along the way.

In the end, he will become this self-contained power, ready to be unleashed. And he welcomes anyone who shares his desires and passions that benefits everyone, but to what end by then will remain another story yet to be told.


This one's the first sequence, as dictated by the theme:

--- MC Plot Sequence 1 ---

Main Character Story
Sequence One

Sequence one is about Coming up with an Idea or where the Resident gets a wrong idea of what's happening to him -- this change he's carrying.

He first gets the right idea, but then something happens that becomes evidence to him that his orginal thought was a mistake. However, something leads him to suspect someone is behind this event that seems to prove him wrong, but at the end someone twists everything and gives him a lie.

In summary, the Resident's first sequence is like being misled to see something differently. Must be due his amnesia that anyone who knows the right words to place at the right spot in his mind can get away with making him believe in something. This in turn makes him an unwitting pawn of this someone, and so his path of being someone used towards accomplishing something negative begins.

The next sequence will be about the Resident being used and how he first finds what he does as being good to the cause of this group, to seeing it all to be something evil by his convictions.

For now, the first sequence requires illustrations, as we can obviously notice from above.

Let's begin.

We can make scenes and maps whenever the above elements are illustrated or given concrete things like, say, "A corporation" for one of the elements there.
Last edited by GnaReffotsirk on Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

Post by Pr0nogo »

Not much activity globally lately, eh? Well, let's try to ehfix dees nouw.

(in advance, I do understand we have to finish thinking of the plot direction; for this project alone, I will not be participating in the plotline very often or much because I don't really like to make things fit in the canon; it just isn't my thing)

My main points/issues:

  Is the first mission tileset/plotline complete yet? I can get some terrain-work done before I pick up my brother and start playing Dawn of War II (new game, got it Saturday, it's effing awesome).

  Where are we on unit count? Is the resident taking the Ghost unit, George the Firebat, etc? What's up?

  What about my ideas on a New Swarm hero?

  Voicework? I'll submit some new Protoss/Zerg castings in a bit if you all like (pre-recorded by me).

  Mission count: How many missions are we talking about here? I'm willing to collaborate, but I'm not very good at the whole "here's the map, do your thing so I can finish my thing" because I end up waiting forever and occasionally forget to check my e-mail.

  Modding: Yes/No/Maybe? I'm willing to mod it, but unless I unlock the palette/download a graphics editing tool for StarCraft, I can't do advanced stuff like graphics.

A side note: I think I can actually do a pretty good female Terran/Protoss voice (pitch change lolol), but that's up to you. I'm not sure if we're even doing that.

Alright, people! Let's get back in the rhythm! SC GOGO!
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

Post by thebrowncloud »

Oh, sorry. I forgot to post the news. Gna has gone on "leave" as of September 15th and won't be back until sometime early next year. I threw out the idea to him that we should just postpone this and restart it back up when SC2 comes out. The capabilities we will have at our disposal will be far greater and that will give us more time for other things. We (SoS, aka Tim and I) are in the works of planning our next project and are almost ready to commence, which will take up all of our time campaigning-wise. Anyone is free to take this thread however they want. As of now, Gna and I are out.
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

Post by Pr0nogo »

Well, jeeze, better late than never I suppose.
Alrighty, I guess I'll have to actually work on my own projects when I'm not doing homework or playing DoW II (meaning never, lol).
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

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Gna is semi-around, I speak to him occasionally.
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

Post by thebrowncloud »

Krazy wrote: RIP the Resident and George Foreman.
Hehe, it's not the end. I just don't have the time right now to do it. By all means, if you guys want to keep going, go for it. Gna and I are only two people. But I'm definitely interested in picking this back up once SC2 starts.
Lavarinth wrote: Gna is semi-around, I speak to him occasionally.
Really? Last I spoke with him was the 8th, which is his last recorded login. Do you see him elsewhere? I'm just going by what he told me he was gonna do, so that's the extnet of what I know.  :-\
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

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Lavarinth wrote: Gna is semi-around, I speak to him occasionally.
Really? Last I spoke with him was the 8th, which is his last recorded login. Do you see him elsewhere? I'm just going by what he told me he was gonna do, so that's the extnet of what I know.  :-\
[/quote]

Yes, whether he wants that information released, I don't know.
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

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Krazy wrote: I sorta want to just take some the ideas (mostly what I contributed toward the beginning) and make something reflecting my own interests :P
Go for it, man. We don't own your stuff. Do what you want with it.  ;)
Lavarinth wrote: Yes, whether he wants that information released, I don't know.
Ah, good point. Oh well. I will edit my posts if he finds these details compromising in some way or if you think I should. Basically, he told me to do what I want with the project and I'm busy with other stuff as well, so I'm handing it off to the would-be new head of the project. If no one wants to lead it, Gna will take the helm again when he gets back and I will most likely be rejoining as well. We'll see what happens. Until then, happy mapping!
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Re: [Workshop] Campaign Development

Post by GnaReffotsirk »

I'm still around. But not being able to put in 100% of myself to atleast 4 hours on a subject is kinda "not really there" as far as I've done things lately.

You guys should know that even if I don't come and talk here, I'm not letting go of this good thing we got here.

I thought it best to just let you guys be free and do what you agree to do regarding this project, and when things get better here, I'll come and help you guys out as much as I can.

But yes, until next year I wont be able to give 100%, so, you guys, just keep on shooting what you can or want regarding this project of ours. If you want to propose a mission layout, go ahead. If you have an idea of a map's design, send them in.

The process will help you develop your abilities, not only in your creative abilities but also when using that creativity having the rest of the group and they project's goal in mind. ;)


(something's wrong with this cafe's connection and hardware.)
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