Inhabit

[Injury]

Picked back up in my private board.

Spoiler

"The past, all that has led us here, has killed our future."

A legend, probably just a myth at this point, told of powerful ancient artifacts from a time long forgotten.

Many versions of this tale were fabricated over the years, telling of the miraculous powers they may grant...

Immortality...Visions of the future...Even the ability to commune with the dead.

No one knew what to expect when we set out to find them. Clue after clue, often dead ends and exhausted leads.

A path is laid, one stone at a time...Blindly we followed into the ambition and greed of man...

What fools we were.
Story:

Spoiler

New Horizon Colony, 2136, Old Earth

A team of Archaeologists from an advanced future have come across a legendary set of artifacts thought to be pure myth. As the team investigates their find, the original crew begins to vanish...Thought to be the targets of assassination by their corporate rivals, the board members that funded the excavation of these new treasures have hired a G.A., or Ghost Agent, to discover the origin of these attacks...

...but the future waits for no one but the past...

Naiser-Shaita Temple, 400-500 BCE, ???

Blood. It fills the troughs that line the temple walls, a salty tang mixes with the stench of decay. Deep within the temple a ritual is being performed. A blood rite. Only when enough blood has shed will their gods be pleased.

As the next victim is brought into the alter, noises are heard coming from the surface. The shaman shouts, beckoning the guards to hurry and bring the next victim down to their knees...It's too late, and three unknown warriors break through, crushing the enemies around them, but it's too late...

The crudely made ceremonial knife plunges into it's final victim, as one of the warriors cuts the shamans head off...

The temple begins to shake....slowly at first...until it seems as if the temple will crumble, the blood from the troughs spilling everywhere...Corpses of previous victims being crushed by rock and covered in fine dust...It stops suddenly, and from the fountain of blood rises three distinct staves...Dripping in blood, yet gleaning in the torchlight.

The warriors argue back and forth as to what should be done.

Alll of them leave, taking separate paths to ensure neither would take what should be left alone...

They reach the temples entrance, only to find one has not returned. Turning back, they reach the alter once more to find their companion dead on the floor...The ceremonial knife lodged in his back...

A whisper is heard...Each suspects the other...But only dead men know the truth...

A stave held in his lifeless corpse...and in spirit.

He sees his brothers-in-arms reach for the other two, and finally they leave silently.

Features:
-100% custom voice overs/sountrack with subtitles
-Possession system: Control NPCs at a whim with this imaginative system to push the story forward in unknown directions!
-Dual Timelines
--What happens in the past effects the future
---Harness the power of time and space and jump between the two timelines
-Custom UI/Title/???

-Support/Credits/ETC
--Do you like what you see? I bet you do! You have a keen eye for the goods, so sign up for the forums, grab a support bar and tell me what you think!

Support HBGorg and become one of the cool kids with a donation!
Donate here!

Update Log:
[09-Jul-14]
-Working on voice overs! Check the last post and whatnot!
-Trying to get some graphics figured out...I don't really want to use the standard look of RMXP, or formatting the RMVXA tilesets to RMXP.
---

Spoiler: Old Updates

[29-Jun-14]
-Worked on the visuals for the past. It's actually pretty cool! I just need to make up more images and create a better string of variables for use. I will post more info in my latest post on this thread.
-Worked on the basic UI...I don't want something that consumes the whole screen and has some stuff flitting around, but I think what I have in mind will work.
-I will post some screenies once I get some things worked out with my mapping...I'm going for a sideview mapping. More info below!
[28-Jun-14]
-Added some kind of title...It's OK. I'll mess around with it later. I want to focus on getting these tilesets right.
-Tilesets are good to go. Working on autotiles
-Voice over conversation template is set! Seems to work just fine, but it might need modification due to spacing issues.
[27-Jun-14]
-Added features list
-Worked on some graphics for the UI/visual features
[25-Jun-14]
-Edited original post
--Added title, overview, story outline, basic plot points

---

Spoiler: Original Concept

This is a quick concept write up...

Concept is based on the idea that you and I are one in the same. That despite living and dying, you are actually playing all roles, over time, until time ends and you've been everyone, everything. Some say its the God birth concept, but I really don't care about the religious angle so much as the idea that playing multiple roles has some potential for a cool game concept...

The game's world itself would be small because dealing with multiple character based plot lines is difficult. It will be based around one event happening in a larger world, possibly a action/mystery in that regard...

The main game mechanic would be the ability to "inhabit" ANY NPC, thus making them the focus under play control.

This would result in a very dynamic experience that has multiple endings, varied conversation depending on who you talk to and prior character relationships.

I really want to experiment with voice overs, so that might come into play here. I want to break the wall of text and just have it all out there.

It will be done in RMXP. I feel it has the look I need for something darker.

More to be posted, I will be working on story today.

 

[Ellie]

I love the idea, if done well. The whole mechanic could end up as game changing as vvvvvv. Not entirely sure how I'd pull this off so good luck with it.

 

[Injury]

That's what I'm trying to wrap my head around.

A central event is for sure...

Still working on it! Thank you for the support!

 

[Injury]

Big question:

Setting
Future or Fantasy?
Mystery or what?

Kind of trying to figure this out at this point...

 

[Jumping Jack Flash]

future.

 

[baghead_jackson]

Perhaps it would be easier for you to come up with a general plot line before you come up with your setting.

A Futuristic or Fantasy setting could apply to the same scenarios.

For instance the plot could focus around the assassination of a leading figure, depending which NPC's you take control of you will be able to witness it from different angles.

Something as simple as inhabiting a cat for instance who then jumps into the window of an otherwise unreachable NPC's room. When you inhabit him it turns out that he's the cook in the mansion of the victim. Whereas previously you would have witnessed the assassination from afar now you get a closer insight to the intrigue by being able to get in physical contact and therefore inhabit NPCs closer to the action

either way a futuristic or fantasy setting could be relatively easy adapted to the plot, because you have your main game mechanic already thought up it makes it easier to write into any setting.

You could do a Futuristic Minority Report type of Setting, Modern Day Psychic Type thing or Fantasy (as you could make up anything you like pretty much. Maybe your a demon trying to influence a scene somehow for your master or find the perfect host.

This mechanic has my brain whirring with all sorts of ideas, I look forward to seeing how it goes.

 

[Injury]

The idea is beginning to take shape in the form of inhabiting the victim of a murder. The fantasy plot would be based on a treasure the group had found, some coveted some wanted to sell. Someone gets killed, but no one knows who except the killer...

Future would be based around, like you said, an assasination, and a future agent who has the ability to hack the mindCon (an integrated bio tech that connects people with a wireless mesh that is propagated throughout the planet's atmo), and read thoughts, messages, locations etc.

The later is a better idea, but it might take a bit more to get it up and running. I have a lot of visual ideas that would require some great artists, but other than that, it's 100% doable.

 

[baghead_jackson]

What is the aim going to be? Is it going to be a game where your striving to complete a task or just like a piece of interactive storytelling?

i.e is the Agent trying to hunt down the assassins, doing the assassinating or just doing some sort of recon?

 

[Injury]

The future scenario:

Probably hired geek to solve this crime, or at least solve it enough that people start getting eliminated and ultimately the people who hired him to solve it try to eliminate loose ends.

Now I'm thinking of dual timelines...

The past, that has led us here, has killed the future.

Nice little intro tag line I think...

 

[baghead_jackson]

perhaps you could limit the number of inhabits the player has per playthrough, This will help keep your timelines shorter and easier to plot against eachother also will allow for different experiences and make the player think twice about spamming the skill.

That sort of eliminates the possibility of using the mechanic for puzzles though, inhabiting NPC's to press switches for doors the layer cant reach etc. But with enough planning these could still be included in the limit.

 

[Injury]

Its a great idea, and you'll get credit for it! I will also ripoff the concept of Rast's Reset spell...So it's becoming a mystery/noir puzzle game, with some action maybe. idk.

I have a 24 hour shift tonight, so I'm going to be working on everything from the title, which might just end up being Inhabit, to the basic storyline, mechanics, and some other things.

I will be updating this thread accordingly if I have some late-night questions/breakthroughs!

 

[baghead_jackson]

happy to help any way i can.

perhaps a way to include action is to have some encounters but only certain npcs can engage in the fights. If you engage a group of hostiles with the main character a fight could ensue, if your currently controlling an NPC without the ability to defend himself then he'll be killed or simply told to bounce.

you could even sacrifice NPCs to the assasin/s to have different outcomes.

That said it depends on the scenario, if your jumping into a scene that's already happened who dies and who lives will already be predetermined and whilst the player could get different perspectives on the same tale the actual game wouldn't change.

what sort of action are you thinking about? will you use standard rmxp turn-based battles or some other system because that's a decision that will influence how your inhabit mechanic can work appropriately?

 

[Injury]

In that regard, I find that that any combat or action related scene will occur and nothing outside can influence it.

In that way it will be isolated and keep things from getting way more complicated that it has to be...

In that regard, I really want to have an ABS, but in the same instance, I want something slower that the player can decide, action by action like D+D, see the results play out, but not in a TBS kind of way...IDK...

I want a lot of things.

 

[baghead_jackson]

In that regard, I find that that any combat or action related scene will occur and nothing outside can influence it.

In that way it will be isolated and keep things from getting way more complicated that it has to be...

makes sense.

In that regard, I really want to have an ABS, but in the same instance, I want something slower that the player can decide, action by action like D+D, see the results play out, but not in a TBS kind of way...IDK...

I want a lot of things.

this is a problem i also have.

 

[Injury]

I will be updating it more as tonight goes on.

I don't know how I feel about the whole ancient civilization thing, but I think it is more original that forcing it to be fantasy-ish...I still have to pull some elements from it here and there but overall I think it's solid thusfar.

Thoughts, comments and concerns are welcome. Please be concise and deliberate in your replies!

 

[Injury]

Updates!

I've been working on the tilesets. Manually converting from RMVX Ace to RMXP is a pain, but due to RMVXA's lack of layers, I've decided the best way to go is with RMXP.

I will eventually break into RMVXA when I get done with this. I think you'll enjoy the next project.

Anyways, I've also been working on the voice over system, trying to make sure I can make it all work out. Thankfully it wasn't too hard. I've used systems from Fractus Stellarum to ensure that everything works well.

This week I will focus on:

-Graphics
--Autotiles, tilesets and "battler" graphics I will use in conversation.
---I have some DLC content but I haven't chosen sprites for the main characters. There will be 4 main characters, and however many NPCs that will be inhabited, so that might end up requiring some outside work. If you are interested, please let me know. I DO have money, but if out of the kindness of your heart you decide to become apart of the team, then PM me and let me know!

I have a lot of ideas for the soundtrack, and I've been watching a lot of cultish movies trying to get a feel for something for the past theme. Having just got done working on FS, I have an idea of what I want for the future themes.

Visual Ideas!

The past in this game reminds me of old maps. In that regard, archaic symbols and wispy things will float around as part of the UI. I will also have meters and whatnot, all kinda based around the ancient maps and whatnot...

The future will feel more like looking through Master Chief's helmet, with more shit flying around and pulses.

That is what I envision!

If you want to help me in any way shape or form, just reply or PM!

I need people to look over my storyline and help me out a bit too, so check that out.

Thank you!

 

[Injury]

Attention HBG-THUGS!

If you want to be a voice actor in this, please let me know!

You would have to do this all remotely and need to have a certain quality of microphone/recording setup.

Please let me know if you are interested!

I currently need both male and female voice actors! I can't do it all...So please send me some clip of you speaking a line or two of your favorite RPG/game/novel and I'll check it out.

Credits and thanks go for those who help out!

 

[Ellie]

I don't have a good enough setup but good luck. Love the ideas with regard the past, making it look visually different etc. More than just simply being sepia, anyway.

 

[Injury]

I've edited the original post to reflect some ideas I have regarding my event based visuals system.

I'm an advocate of variables and whatnot, and you can do some amazing things with longer variables!

I've used them before in RM2K for determining multi-state pointers. It's a concept also used in Dragon Destiny and many other successful games.

Here it is!

We have a variable set to
11111111 (That is 8 ones!)
Each variable works as it's own switch, but is called upon in reference to a certain function being utilized.

For the purpose of this game, it will be the visuals.

For the visualID, which selects the picture to be used for one series. That is selected by visualRandom. It seems redundant, but when we want multiple calls of this we want to have separate values so we can get a lot of the pictures on screen and keep the code moving! This along with visualTimeRandom and visualDirectionRandom, can be stuffed all into one variable. 11111111!

Breaking that up now

>11<111111
11 ] - visualID
11>11<1111
11 ] -visualRandom
1111>11<11
11 ] -visualTimeRandom
111111>11<
11] - visualDirectionRandom

It's easy enough to change the values here and there! Isolation is the key! Say we want to isolate the 1000 digit, we need to get rid of everything else. Simple addition and subtraction will get us to isolate the digits and allow us to place the values and modify them in temporary variables. The less I spread out each variable used, the more efficient I can put together this event based idea.

For the X and Y values for RandomX,Y and visualX,Y we use two sets of variables set to 111111, 3 digits a pop.

Right now, I have to make an event that handles everything, and I have one set of variables to control all the parameters that dictate the pictures initial placement, movement, and the time and distance as well.

All of this will clear it up, minimize the widespread use of variables and allow us to make some sexy ass events!

I will let you know how things go...

This is also featured in another game I've been working on prior to the Army. It's my board game idea, so I'll see if you enjoy that as well!

Thank you very much!

 

[Injury]

Busy work week, but I will be getting back at it tomorrow! We have lots of time off for this July 4th weekend and I'll be doing what I love, making games!

Or getting my drink on...or both.

I have a lot of ideas and I'm grateful for the featured article in this months eZine! Check it out here!

As far as things go, Peri's composite image ideas have inspired me to a point where I will be dedicating a lot of time mapping out the levels, spriting (possibly) and getting some other functions working on a solid test map. After I have my template down, I will move to storyboard focus, matching storyline with gameplay and all the causalities involved with time travel, multiple character control and more.

It's exciting to be making something this intrepid after Fractus Stellarum, so I set the bar higher for myself this time.

One many homebrew army, fueled by Jameson and beer, will get it done!