Saturday 19 January 2013

Fallout LDN: Factions

Main article HERE

In Fallout LDN there would be a number of factions, with varying character alignments (they aren't simply good, neutral or evil any more).

LAWFUL:

Lawful factions are focussed with maintaining order, and have their own individual approaches for criminal elements.

Order of the Met (Lawful Good): A quasi-religious order espousing the tenets of restoring order and teaching others to be good people. Their Constables patrol the capital, looking for those who have fallen, arrest them and do their best to rehabilitate them, to be good members of society. Headquartered at Wormwood Scrubs prison.

British Army (Lawful Neutral): With bases around the capital, the Army seeks to restore law and order, sometimes with a brutal and seemingly unfair hand. Runs National Radio - a station with important messages, notices for arrest, and classical anthems of old (inc. God Save The Queen). The Army has a message for lawbreakers, get caught and you get shot in the head.

Steel Fist Bounty Hunter Company (Lawful Evil): See themselves as the disinfectant in a cursed city, these guys take on contracts to take out bad guys and criminals, but will happily pick on the good guy if they mess with the wrong people. The Steel Fist represent rich benefactors who don't like other messing with their business. The Steel Fist tend to recruit bad eggs who just want a bit of structure in their lives.

NEUTRAL:

Neutrals don't consider order to be forefront to their decision-making. It's important, but Neutrals don't seek the need to follow all laws of the land.

Les Chevaliers (Neutral Good): The LC (Full name - "Les Chevaliers de la République Européen) seek to unite the fractured lands of Europe under one flag and uphold the French principles of 'Liberté, Égalité and Fraternité' to the letter. The Chevaliers are Fallout LDNs version of the reknowned Brotherhood of Steel and have access to power armour.

Radio LDN (True Neutral): Broadcasting the news that matters, from all sides, everyone deserves their say, their airtime, and the station's seemingly endless supply of eyebots knows how to go deep to get that news. Also ensures the air is filled with plenty of tunes.

The Ghoul City/The Ghoul Empire (True Neutral): The main target for the player. Initially as a refuge for the city's ghouls from the rest of society, their motives became warped and their leader has ready an army of cybernetically enhanced ghouls ("revenants") made from those unfortunate enough to descend into feralism. The Ghoul City lies deep under the Houses of Parliament, an expansive place built over decades, and is ready to seek to expand to take the rest of the city.

The Skulls (Neutral Evil): They who run the only casino in town, where everything is game, even those who play there...

The Tenpenny Family (Neutral Evil): A family headed by the wicked overlord Allaistair Tenpenny Jr., a man with many unscrupulous business interests, including slavery. .

CHAOTIC:

The Pirate Clan (Chaotic Good): The Pirates of the ruined capital originally formed from a group of scavengers and raiders, who would raid from those who had too much, and give it to the needy. The Clan runs the Pirate Radio station from an abandoned warship in the Thames. The Pirates espouse a kind of socio-anarchic command structure - they are represented by their Captain, but all booty is shared equally and everyone is infact equal. See the rich as a target to steal from, so that the poor can get by.

Bruiser Gang (Chaotic Neutral): One of the more gentlemanly gangs of the capital, they have no respect for law and order, but sometimes they do have a heart. Run by the Bruiser Brothers, two abnormally giant, stocky twins who WILL rip your arms out of their sockets if you cross them the wrong way. But, they are gentlemen, and they'll shake your hand first. Then throw you a couple of stimpacks.

Raiders (Chaotic Evil): Loosely organised clans with the notion to just go out there, break stuff, rob, cheat, kill and generally fuck up shit. One of the larger factions of the capital, but also one with a larger death rate as they do attack their own. The raiders do have a leader (who most ignore), Lord Fuck You, who the player can curry favour with by wanting to see what's left of London burn...

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Fallout LDN: Game Mechanics

Main article HERE:

Here, I want to talk about game mechanics, i.e. what would make this game stand out from other Fallout titles and games in general.

At the time I write this, I have no idea whether Bethesda are planning to cover any of these in Fallout 4.

Character alignments

Anyway, Fallout 3 had a Karma system, where the player's choices influenced Karma to make them be viewed by NPCs as either "good" or "evil". Many other RPGs use this model. A select few also utilise the "lawful/chaotic" system, e.g. Dungeons & Dragons games such as Neverwinter Nights. I think there is also scope for this in Fallout, for example, stealing isn't always an evil deed, but would mean you are viewed as "chaotic". This allows for combinations such as "Chaotic Good", "Lawful Neutral", "Neutral Evil" etc. An overview of the different character alignments can be found here.

Actions which raised/lowered Karma had a Halo/Horns icon to visually indicate this to the player. Actions which increase Lawfulness (apprehending criminals, restoring order, returning stolen goods to their owner etc) or decrease (stealing, breaking and entering etc) would have "cop/robber" icons. Some actions affect both alignments simultaneously (e.g. setting slaves free from their owners can be both chaotic and good).

Multiple currency

Fallout 3 (in some way), and Fallout New Vegas to a larger extent, acknowledge that there are more forms of currency than bottle caps, e.g. cigarettes, pre-war money, NCR banknotes and Legion currency. But, essentially, caps are still the dominant currency and all traders deal in caps.

With a true multi-currency system, traders can deal with multiple forms of currency and even choose to reject some, seeing it as worthless, e.g. in an example system, you have caps, seashells and cocoa beans. A trader may not accept caps, but you could pay him in seashells and cocoa beans, but if you give him 10 caps, then he'll exchange it for either two shells or a cocoa bean.

This also means that there could also be NPCs dotted around the capital acting as Bureaux de Change/Currency Exchanges where the player can exchange one currency for another. Exchange rates can vary, dependent on the owner, demand and how much cash you have, and some may also accept non-currency items as well.

Resourcefulness

Making your own weapons was also a great feature in previous Fallouts, as well as making modifications as well. This would be a major feature in Fallout LDN, the reason being that firearms would be in shorter supply in the UK than the US, so weapons would be more 'homebrew' than normal. One popular modification for firearms, owing to a more scarce supply of ammunition, would be bayonettage - lashing a knife to the end of your rifle to stick in your foe at close range.

In addition to the usual guns and melee weapons, players would also get to mess around with bows and arrows, adding things like scopes, poison tips, nerve gas canisters, EMP, explosives, incendiaries etc.

Faction Power

In Fallout New Vegas, you can build either a good or bad reputation with the different factions there (e.g. the NCR, Caesar's Legion, The Strip etc). Fallout LDN would give the player the opportunity to interact with many factions; however, some of these vie to control more of the city. As well as gaining or reducing trust with a faction, the player can carry out tasks to increase or decrease a faction's influence, or power, meaning more or less of their units on the streets and more/less territory held (factions can take territory off others). This allows the player to mould the city into the form he/she sees fit: a strict, lawful society, a den of pure evil, a city of goodness, something more chaotic (and combinations of those).

Other concepts

I'll add more when they come to mind...

Thursday 10 January 2013

Fallout LDN (Video game idea)

War never changes.


Fallout LDN is an idea I have for a sequel to the Fallout series of games, for a First Person Shooter Role Playing Game. The game will be based in the ruins of London, England.

Links to other sections:
Introduction
"War never changes.

"In 2077, war came and consumed the entire Earth, as it had done before. And, much like was said about those previous conflicts, it was the war to end all wars.

"But the origins of that war came from an earlier conflict between the European Commonwealth and the Middle East, sparked by dwindling resources, driving up the price of crude oil. In 2052, the Europeans decided they had had enough, and declared war on the Middle East. This was the first time since 1945 that the nuclear bomb was used, and Tel Aviv, Riyadh, Athens and Tehran were amongst the several cities to be decimated.

"In 2060, all the oil in the Middle East ran dry. The Commonwealth, while occupying part of the Middle East, withdrew to face problems at home. Bankrupt and thirsty for resources, the Commonwealth shattered into the bickering nations that once founded it, becoming secluded, paranoid, focussing what resources were left on defence, as the old rivalries between nations returned.

"Concerned about the conflict between the United States and China, many European nations began to plan vaults of their own. Many were poorly designed. The British, with their 'special relationship' with the US, enlisted the help of Vault-Tec to create their own; it was part of several exchanges between the two countries, in return for Britain's solid allegiance, should all-open nuclear conflict occur.

"2077 came and went, like a tidal wave. The US liberated Alaska; the Chinese retaliated with thermonuclear weapons at every US city, and the Americans reacted in kind. The nations of Europe, united in fear for survival, launched a pre-emptive attack on the Soviet Union. Pre-war civilisation's last hurrah was to be all-out war: every country able to fight did so, anticipating the worst, doing what they felt was necessary to protect their own.

"Fighting continued for a while after the bombs fell. Those who were privileged enough to make it to a vault did so, to wait until it was safe to leave. Those unfortunate enough to stay outside mainly perished from nuclear fallout, or were transformed by radiation into ghouls.

"The British vaults were locked tight; their only communication with the outside a secret All Clear signal, when radiation levels had died down to safe levels. For one of these vaults, the signal failed, and its residents, unaware that they were trapped, carried on, hoping that one day they would get the order to leave.

"More than 200 years would pass before Vault D4 would be forced to open."

In the year 2288, a sealed Vita-Chamber opens within Vault D4, a Brit-Vault construction, deep under Hackney Marshes. The lights are low, emergency power is running, and there seems to be nobody else about.

Inside, amidst the replenishing fluid matrix, the Vault Dweller stirs, vision blurred. A whirring can be heard in the distance that seems to be nearing the Vault Dweller.

The Vault Dweller rises out of the blue, viscous liquid - groggy, dazed. There before the Vault Dweller is a robot, a Mister Handy type machine, painted in a smart charcoal colour.

"You're awake. Are you alright?" comes a tinny voice from the robot, "I do hope this six months has brought you back to your full health. Do you remember me? It's Jeeves."

"Six months? What's going on? Where am I?"
"Please keep calm, I appreciate this must be an awful shock for you. Please stay calm, I need to check your vitals. Let's hope this machine has restored you to your correct state."

(The player chooses gender, appearance and name - here I assume the player chooses male)

After checking the player's vitals, the player exits the Vita-Chamber.

"Excellent, sir, you're just how I remember. I'm so pleased this contraption hadn't turned you into a lady! Now, stand, please, if you would sir, and let's clean you up and get you into some clothes."

Jeeves cleans the player up and dresses him.

"Now, chin up. Right, now that I've checked you, and you seem absolutely fine, unfortunately I must give you the lowdown on what happened. Please, take a seat."

The player takes a seat on a nearby armchair.

"Right, ahem, sir... you have been in a terrible accident. You we're near the Power Station on your duties, I imagine, and a power coupling you were near to... exploded. I don't know how it didn't kill you outright, sir, that would have been fatal to anyone. Would have been fatal to any droid too, come to think of it. I don't know how you survived... let's say quite a lot of you was spread about quite a bit. Oh, sir, if I had a stomach, it would have turned, though I'm glad to see you've been brought back to full health!"
"I don't remember anything. I don't even remember going near the Power Station."
"You don't? Oh, I feared this would have happened, sir, I really did. An accident like that may have caused some memory loss, which unfortunately, the Vita-Chamber cannot do much about. Limbs can be healed, well in your case, regrown completely, but memories are either lost forever or hidden deep within. Fortunately, we still have a working Hypnotronic device to help us delve into those deep memories and bring them to the surface."

Jeeves fetches the Hypnotronic helmet and hands it to the player, who puts it on his head.

"Now, sir, please relax, and let the Hypnotronic do its work. I will go to the control interface. You will go into a trance, and we'll go deep inside your own mind."

The player's vision fades.

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO

The player is six years old and before him, on the floor, are his grandfather's broken spectacles. He is in the family apartment, and no one else is about.

"Sir!"

The player turns to his right. Jeeves is there.

"These are highlighted memories picked up by the Hypnotron. What you do here reflects what happened in your past, what shaped you to be who you are today. Don't worry, this is an artificial hallucination of myself. You can talk to me for advice, but nobody else can see me here. Now, this seems to be the aftermath of an accident. So what did you do?"


(The player goes through a series of choices, in different memories from different times, finishing with the accident - the player is either doing something good, bad and/or lawful or chaotic - will elaborate on these at another time.)

"How was that, sir? I'm sorry you had to see that for yourself, but that is what actually happened. Now, I'm afraid I have more dire news, sir. A week after the accident, there had been a catastrophic power failure across the entire vault. Our best engineers had a look, but they simply could not repair it. The power core was destroyed, melted, they said. They activated emergency power, but there was simply just not enough power to sustain the vault for all its inhabitants, just the basic to keep the emergency lights on. This infirmary, as it might have it, has its own independent power system, so they locked it down until you were fit and able, and kept me in here to keep watch over you."
"Anything else?"
"Since the vault couldn't sustain everyone, the Overseer gave the order to evacuate. Everyone, your mother, your father, they were all ordered to leave."
"Where did they go?"
"Out into the open, whatever was out there. I couldn't imagine what it's like up there, sir. Oh, that reminds me. Your mother popped back in with a note."
"What did the note say?"
"She says as soon as you get out, make your way to Tottenham. They've found a place to live there. She says watch yourself and remember your weapons training, it's a bit rough outside. Oh and she dropped off some supplies too. Your Uncle Ron's old Pip-Boy 3000G, a pistol, a knife, and some ammunition. Oh, I am worried for you, sir."
"I've got to find them."
"I guess you have to. Well, you're in fine health, and I wish you the best of luck. Oh, and I would watch yourself in the vault. It's awfully dark, and I heard... noises. Like animal noises. I hope you remember the way."

Saturday 5 January 2013

Video game ideas - Fallout

(Originally posted 5th January 2013)

Well, I've had an idea for a sequel to a game I bought last year. To be honest, this usually happens when I buy a good game, I imagine what possible sequels could be made (as long as they're going to be something original and fun).

Last year, I bought myself Fallout 3 (Game Of The Year edition). I was interested in getting it when it was first released, but never got around to buying it. Well, I'm glad I eventually did, and even nowadays, it is still a corker of a game, with an excellent storyline. For those who don't know about Fallout 3, here's a video.
 


Fallout 3 is based in the apocalyptic ruins of Washington DC and its surrounds (called the Capital Wasteland).

There is a follow-on game already, Fallout: New Vegas (which I've begun to start playing, and already, this is showing to be excellent), and there's talk of a Fallout 4 being based in Los Angeles. The prequels to this game were set in Post-Apocalyptic USA.

Fallout 3 combines two types of game which I enjoy, First Person Shooter with Role Playing Game (something which Bethesda Studios have been perfecting for a very long time, with their Elder Scrolls series) and it just works so well.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I have two ideas for Fallout games, which are as follows. I will do separate blog posts for each idea.

  1. Fallout LDN: A FPS RPG set in the post-apocalyptic ruins of London. Add-on modules set in various locations around the UK. This would be the first Fallout game set outside of the US.
  2. Fallout Roguelike: A top down "roguelike"-ish Fallout RPG set in the post-apocalyptic ruins of Chicago, IL. Optimised for mobile devices.
Update, 10th January 2013

"What rhymes with shoes, and often gives you the blues? That's right, it's time for the cashews! Okay, that doesn't really rhyme... How about news?"

Literally days after I write this, actor Erik Todd Dellums tweeted that he may have some involvement with a sequel to the Fallout series. I knew there were rumours of a sequel anyway, but there is rumour of there being a sequel based in Boston, Massachusetts. This looks interesting. If he returned as Three Dog, then it would be even more interesting, particularly as I have ideas for quests for both Fallout LDN and Fallout Roguelike that would involve a slightly older Three Dog.

We'll see how this pans out. Hopefully there won't be too much conflict with my ideas.