-Story-
Its 2025 and a strange rambling prophet has begun wandering the streets of major cities, warning all that Heaven has fallen to the forces of Hell and none stand in their way. Many just push him and move on, ignoring him, but the prophet's words struck a few cords, what if what he spoke was true? What if Heaven had fallen to the forces of Hell?
Divinity Arms, a weapons manufacturer, was a prominent arms dealer in the 21st century, creating leaps forward in personal combat armor and weaponry. Many didn't know that underneath the layers of corporate bureaucracy lay Project SANCTUS, a weapons development project that used fragments of holy artifacts obtained over the decades of operation to develop holy weaponry for use against the forces of Hell should this Prophet speak truth, it was the pet project of CEO Conrad Redburg, the owner of Divinity Arms.
It didn't take more than a few years for the truth to be revealed, the Rapture had begun exactly as prophesized in the holy texts, the world became besieged by the forces of Hell, but unlike the holy texts predicted, Heaven never came, and as the years passed, and decades rolled by, it became more and more apparent that they weren't going to.
Project SANCTUS went into action immediately, arming the forces they had, they began operations as soon as the first Hellrift appeared in New York. As many and as armed as they were, it was impossible to stop the demon onslaught, so they limited themselves to search and rescue, and reconnaissance on their foes. As years passed and humanity's bastions fell to the demons, SANCTUS's research progressed, soon they had crafted weapons tailor made for fighting the demons and armor that was resilient to their weapons.
SANCTUS's forces then began a massive wave of operations against the demons, and attempted to take back their world from the forces of Hell.
-Overview-
The Rapture is a tactical RPG that takes place in a post-modern world where demons and zombies have overrun society. You are a member of SANCTUS a paramilitary organization that is armed with the tools necessary to fight back the demons, you are tasked with the defense of humanity's remaining survivors and the assault and destruction of demonic forces wherever you may find them.
The game itself will be divided up among a multitude of mission-types, these mission types will be replayable for experience and loot and each will have their own difficulty settings chooseable. A player's character will progress outside of the map as well as inside, you will have a Level that will be your character's level ingame, giving you stats as you level up and allowing you new abilities to use and making you a generally stronger fighter. You will also have a Rank which is your out of game level, at the end of each map you'll acrue Rank Points depending on how well you handled your mission, a loss will result in much fewer points than a successful victory.
The first mission that will be released will begin with the players (number not decided, between 4 and 8 for this mission) will ride in an APC, upon exit they will begin to push through the city, busting in doors, searching for survivors. Your first objective is to bring so many civilians to safety (the APC on the main bridge, the only entrance to the city), your second objective will be to close Hellrifts that are opening around the city, as time goes more and more of these will open and each of them will spawn enemies for you to fight, so closing them is a priority for surviving the onslaught. Your final objective is to defeat the primary leader of this district, who will enter the map and immediately begin heading towards you, killing him will free the area from demonic control temporarily and allow your team to be extracted. (Objectives 1 and 2 will be doable at any time, 3 requires both 1 and 2 to be finished)
Players will begin as an Initiate, a basic soldier with an Assault Rifle and barely any abilities, once they have ranked up through playing at least one mission they will be allowed to change their class using the Armory (a side map that allows you to outfit your character, modify your equipment, and allocate stat points) into one of 8 classes. (7, Mason might get cut due, explained later).
SANCTUS soldiers wear armor loosely based on the crusader armor of the middle ages, I drew inspiration from many games that feature power armor (Warhammer 40k being a big one, but also other minor sources such as the General class from Fire Emblem) their armor is default white with team color markings on the pieces to differentiate players in the squad. (at this time there is not a custom model for the SANCTUS soldiers, eventually its my hope to have a custom model for each class available)
Ingame there will also be a skill tree for each class, where you can upgrade yourself and your abilities as you level up. Each class has a primary role they excel at but they each have their weakpoints, meaning you should construct your team around covering eachother's shortcomings and providing a balanced setup for completing the mission at hand. The game will reward players moreso for their skill at the game as opposed to their class choice and Rank.
As you play through the game the first thing you'll notice is you cannot bunker down. As time progresses more and more enemies will enter the map and the Zombie enemies (there are hundreds of them at all times) will resurrect after death insuring you are constantly on the move. You will also want to constantly check structures for items or supplies so you will most likely be moving from building to building. (Hence why the Mason might be cut, turtling behavior shouldn't be encouraged)
Enemies, Bosses, and sometimes boxes inside structures will drop equipment items, these can enhance your character and make you a more powerful force to be reckoned with. Boss enemies tend to drop the best loot (meaning if you complete the mission, you get some nice loot as well as a nice Rank Exp Bonus) but anyone can drop a variety of items. These items do carry over between missions.
The goal of this project is to provide a timesink RPG that both veterans and rookies can enjoy, eventually its my hope that we can add multiple mission types (a defense type mission for example where you are holding a point for so long, etc.), its my hope the character progression is deep and enjoyable enough that players will continue to repeat missions with various loadouts and different players and each time through it will be a unique experience.
This sounds a bit like my project Notd: AD. I wish you best of luck, and I envision something that is a lot of work but it would be fun. My suggestion though for the item section is be careful for balance. Actually, I can never figure out why enemies drop items. "Oh, I just go this assault rifle from this dog?" Maybe after every boss or before bosses drop in an item. We should talk and share information.
Well the story basis is that when Hell conquered Heaven they also raided Heaven's armories, so some holy artifacts that were being crafted for use in the Rapture are now being carried/used by Hell's minions. So you'll be able to find various things that demons carry as "trophies" or use as weapons.
I figure Bosses and Objectives will reward the best equipment however.
There will be ingame levels (Called Levels like base hero units get) and out of game Ranks which progress between games unlike Levels. Should I make Skill Trees (containing various talents and upgrades, as well as unlocking new abilities) part of the Rank System or Level System? So should you spend points in a skill tree in the Armory (the extra map where you modify your character between games) or should you place them ingame as you progress.
Because if I did them through the Armory and you spent Rank Levels on skill points to have persistence, then ingame you'd just have a series of abilities you'd spend points in (like Warcraft 3's hero system) then the Skill Tree would just modify those as well as your base stats and such.
Updates:
Hero System implemented
Custom Stat System implemented (Think Diablo 2 style)
Some stripping done to the base map due to changes in future goals (Removed weapon creates and needing food to survive, and a few other things)
Variables modified to allow Multiplayer to run smoothly (array-itized them)
I really like your concepts here in terms of both story and gameplay. The story is (meh) perhaps a little too familiar, but you present it well and I have faith (heh) that it will be compelling. I think you could definitely do a lot with the multiple mission types that you propose at the end, especially if the world ends up being as immersive as it sounds.
In terms of the story, I was thinking that maybe you could be a bit playful with the script and missions. Obviously it's not a humorous map, but I feel like there are so many post-apocalyptic games that take themselves too seriously. And of course, when that post-apocalyptic world is Resident Evil, then you need that solemnity to play off the whole "scared shitless fighting for my life" thing. But as far as these "give as good as you get" type scenarios, I definitely think you could get a lot out of the whole, "this CEO is a totally ridiculous, over-the-top character whose strategy of capitalist domination is only a front for his secret obsession with creating advanced modern weapons out of holy artifacts," rather than the much re-hashed and overused, "do not scoff at us. We are part of a centuries-old-secret-church-assassin-priest-organization whose sole purpose has been to combat evil where it appears and blot it from this Earth!" You get the idea :) . Just a suggestion, though, and obviously it's totally dependent on what kind of aesthetic you're going for.
Anyway, looks promising, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the release :) .
Honestly I've given up on cliche'd material for things, I've come to the conclusion it will be almost impossible for me to create a solid story that does not seem familiar to something laid out beforehand.
So simply enough it begins with just basic military-esque missions, but eventually it'll branch out into more explanations of the story and you may find yourself teaming up with some heavenly forces that are still alive and resisting and such. Lots of potential.
The first mission revolves around a larger city that's been overtaken, its one of the first real tests of the SANCTUS Project's abilities and they are tasked with setting up a forward base in the City Hall then proceeding to find survivors and escorting them out of the city. After all is said and done you begin closing the rifts that are allowing demons into the city and it ends with a final confrontation in the town square with their overlord if you make it that far. Hordes of zombies, cybernetic demons, mutants who sell their souls to the beast, etc. will all be your foes.
I'm hoping to expand it later to include missions for varieties of players, smaller 2 player missions, all the way up to massive 14-16 player missions where your team is divided on objectives and pushed to their very limits, with the between game progression anything is really possible.
Edit 2: Here's a gist I've typed up if you're curious, I keep tweaking it left and right but this is the basis.
CEO of world's largest arms manufacturer has visions from the Archangel Michael about the end of the world only Heaven doesn't defend Earth against the onslaught, crazy prophets show up all over the world, he kidnaps a few and all their stories are identical word for word, and they all rant till they drop dead, they are similar to Flagellants of the Dark Ages.
CEO begins to wonder and he begins using his own money and a large portion of his company's on "Classified Weapon Development for High Tech Combat Operations", company loses faith in him as time goes on, he gathers holy relics from around the world and tries to find what makes them "holy" and begins to follow the visions sent to him by the Archangel Michael.
Eventually Project SANCTUS is completed, however he still keeps it underwraps as he is warned by Michael that Hell's agents ravage the world as they speak, and the 7 years of prosperity they have experienced are the beginning of the end. He gets removed from his own company after the Board of Directors gets tired of his foolish wastes of money and his secret pet projects. Project SANCTUS goes underground and all the associated property is stolen by the CEO and trained members of SANCTUS.
World goes to hell quickly, 7 years of terrible disasters insue, then finally the Rapture begins and the battle of Armageddon starts, however none rally to the side of Righteousness and Heaven never comes to the aid of Humanity. Project SANCTUS goes into effect and they begin deploying special forces teams in a variety of locales to gather intelligence on their foes and begin training against the hordes. The visions of Michael stop and the CEO equips his own suit of power armor and goes out to begin fighting the hordes.
Honestly I've given up on cliche'd material for things, I've come to the conclusion it will be almost impossible for me to create a solid story that does not seem familiar to something laid out beforehand.
Hahaha I know exactly how you feel. But the trick isn't making it something that's entirely new and original - it's how you use the old material in new ways. Everything must build on what's come before it.
For what it's worth, I actually like what you have so far a lot. So are you going to present the CEO's backstory as flashbacks or episodes in between missions set in the present? I like how he goes through a time of darkness or even potential madness (visions of the Archangel) before the prophecies finally come true, at which point he sort of has to regain his confidence and self-reliance when he realizes he's fighting on his own. You could definitely play off the idea that Heaven never comes and the questions of whether his visions were ever "real" in the first place or whether the whole point is simply that he must come to rely on himself.
Anyway I didn't mean to discourage you re: the story or anything. I really think it's quite good, and my first post was more just to say, "I like this and I hope you avoid some of the pitfalls of a too-cliche plot." But ya, I like what you've written a lot and it rings authentic. Good luck with it!
It sounds like you're developing an interactive story moreso than a campaign, which is an area that sees far too little development these days. Cliches are only really cliche when you rely solely on established archetype to drive the plot. Think of the things you enjoyed the most in the past few years, be it books, movies, or television. What stands out about each one? It probably isn't the story as much as it is the characters involved in it, who react to that given situation in their own way. The trick in creating a world with such a scope is populating that world with characters that players/readers/viewers can grow attached to. Look at the relationship between Raynor and Kerrigan, for a small example, although I don't think Blizzard was able to develop that as much as they could have.
Your story itself reminds me strongly of Hellgate: London, with a bit of Gendou Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangaleon thrown in. It's a good baseline, just don't try too hard to fit the story together on its own. Let the missions and world be a part of the plot, instead of just trappings in the background.
I don't think your Mason class is worthless; any organization or team would need someone like that to function in such a harsh environment. Give them the ability to repair vehicles such as the evacuation APC's, or to prepare temporary defenses in case the squad is about to get overrun. You could also have a defense objective at some point where smaller fortifications must be held while a larger offensive is taking place, or to defend the center of town while NPC's prepare to activate the Holy Hand Grenade type superweapon to complete the mission.
I like the idea so far, and wish you best of luck. I'd offer to help in any way I can, but unfortunately learning the editor is a slow process for me, so I'm still absolutely no good with it. If you want feedback on plot elements or dialog, I would be more than happy to provide those.
Eh the game itself is moreso a campaign with gameplay first and the story comes second, the story will roughly explain what you're doing and why, but won't take a huge portion of the game's time.
Right, I didn't mean to imply this was a xenogears type thing, was more remarking that it had a bit more thought than "hold out til dropships show up."
Ha there will be one of those missions eventually xD
I'd like to do a variety of them, so far this one and probably an in depth take and hold one are in the future, also starting to form plans for a large scale multisquad one but I need to finish what I have before I begin work on anything else.
Stat system properly working with no flaws now
Flamethrower/Rocket Launcher are implemented, Rocket Launcher near done, Flamethrower needs tweaked a bit
Starting "cinematic" implemented, some decoration bits done
Optimized code relating to players, no long spawns none-playing characters
Chaosbane Missile finished (Paladin Ability)
Updated the skill system quite a bit to steamline it
Implementing Ignite to the Flamethrower weapon
Messed with spawning code a bit
Made it so that when it spawns your Marine it selects you (Minor but so helpful)
Keep it up, my build for my map is just like yours meaning. (We take our time because we want to have something good for the public). Instead of having an arcade game. We build the Skyscrapers. Good luck mate. :) I hope to be able to play your game eventually.
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-Story-
Its 2025 and a strange rambling prophet has begun wandering the streets of major cities, warning all that Heaven has fallen to the forces of Hell and none stand in their way. Many just push him and move on, ignoring him, but the prophet's words struck a few cords, what if what he spoke was true? What if Heaven had fallen to the forces of Hell?
Divinity Arms, a weapons manufacturer, was a prominent arms dealer in the 21st century, creating leaps forward in personal combat armor and weaponry. Many didn't know that underneath the layers of corporate bureaucracy lay Project SANCTUS, a weapons development project that used fragments of holy artifacts obtained over the decades of operation to develop holy weaponry for use against the forces of Hell should this Prophet speak truth, it was the pet project of CEO Conrad Redburg, the owner of Divinity Arms.
It didn't take more than a few years for the truth to be revealed, the Rapture had begun exactly as prophesized in the holy texts, the world became besieged by the forces of Hell, but unlike the holy texts predicted, Heaven never came, and as the years passed, and decades rolled by, it became more and more apparent that they weren't going to.
Project SANCTUS went into action immediately, arming the forces they had, they began operations as soon as the first Hellrift appeared in New York. As many and as armed as they were, it was impossible to stop the demon onslaught, so they limited themselves to search and rescue, and reconnaissance on their foes. As years passed and humanity's bastions fell to the demons, SANCTUS's research progressed, soon they had crafted weapons tailor made for fighting the demons and armor that was resilient to their weapons.
SANCTUS's forces then began a massive wave of operations against the demons, and attempted to take back their world from the forces of Hell.
-Overview-
The Rapture is a tactical RPG that takes place in a post-modern world where demons and zombies have overrun society. You are a member of SANCTUS a paramilitary organization that is armed with the tools necessary to fight back the demons, you are tasked with the defense of humanity's remaining survivors and the assault and destruction of demonic forces wherever you may find them.
The game itself will be divided up among a multitude of mission-types, these mission types will be replayable for experience and loot and each will have their own difficulty settings chooseable. A player's character will progress outside of the map as well as inside, you will have a Level that will be your character's level ingame, giving you stats as you level up and allowing you new abilities to use and making you a generally stronger fighter. You will also have a Rank which is your out of game level, at the end of each map you'll acrue Rank Points depending on how well you handled your mission, a loss will result in much fewer points than a successful victory.
The first mission that will be released will begin with the players (number not decided, between 4 and 8 for this mission) will ride in an APC, upon exit they will begin to push through the city, busting in doors, searching for survivors. Your first objective is to bring so many civilians to safety (the APC on the main bridge, the only entrance to the city), your second objective will be to close Hellrifts that are opening around the city, as time goes more and more of these will open and each of them will spawn enemies for you to fight, so closing them is a priority for surviving the onslaught. Your final objective is to defeat the primary leader of this district, who will enter the map and immediately begin heading towards you, killing him will free the area from demonic control temporarily and allow your team to be extracted. (Objectives 1 and 2 will be doable at any time, 3 requires both 1 and 2 to be finished)
Players will begin as an Initiate, a basic soldier with an Assault Rifle and barely any abilities, once they have ranked up through playing at least one mission they will be allowed to change their class using the Armory (a side map that allows you to outfit your character, modify your equipment, and allocate stat points) into one of 8 classes. (7, Mason might get cut due, explained later).
SANCTUS soldiers wear armor loosely based on the crusader armor of the middle ages, I drew inspiration from many games that feature power armor (Warhammer 40k being a big one, but also other minor sources such as the General class from Fire Emblem) their armor is default white with team color markings on the pieces to differentiate players in the squad. (at this time there is not a custom model for the SANCTUS soldiers, eventually its my hope to have a custom model for each class available)
Exorcist (Pyro - Flamethrower)
Templar (Commander - Assault Rifle)
Paladin (Demolitions - Rocket Launcher)
Guardian (Heavy Weapons - Chain Gun)
Priest (Medic - SMG)
Crusader (Assault - Shotgun)
Inquisitor (Recon - Sniper Rifle)
Mason (Engineer - SMG)
Ingame there will also be a skill tree for each class, where you can upgrade yourself and your abilities as you level up. Each class has a primary role they excel at but they each have their weakpoints, meaning you should construct your team around covering eachother's shortcomings and providing a balanced setup for completing the mission at hand. The game will reward players moreso for their skill at the game as opposed to their class choice and Rank.
As you play through the game the first thing you'll notice is you cannot bunker down. As time progresses more and more enemies will enter the map and the Zombie enemies (there are hundreds of them at all times) will resurrect after death insuring you are constantly on the move. You will also want to constantly check structures for items or supplies so you will most likely be moving from building to building. (Hence why the Mason might be cut, turtling behavior shouldn't be encouraged)
Enemies, Bosses, and sometimes boxes inside structures will drop equipment items, these can enhance your character and make you a more powerful force to be reckoned with. Boss enemies tend to drop the best loot (meaning if you complete the mission, you get some nice loot as well as a nice Rank Exp Bonus) but anyone can drop a variety of items. These items do carry over between missions.
The goal of this project is to provide a timesink RPG that both veterans and rookies can enjoy, eventually its my hope that we can add multiple mission types (a defense type mission for example where you are holding a point for so long, etc.), its my hope the character progression is deep and enjoyable enough that players will continue to repeat missions with various loadouts and different players and each time through it will be a unique experience.
This sounds a bit like my project Notd: AD. I wish you best of luck, and I envision something that is a lot of work but it would be fun. My suggestion though for the item section is be careful for balance. Actually, I can never figure out why enemies drop items. "Oh, I just go this assault rifle from this dog?" Maybe after every boss or before bosses drop in an item. We should talk and share information.
Love
Saki
Well the story basis is that when Hell conquered Heaven they also raided Heaven's armories, so some holy artifacts that were being crafted for use in the Rapture are now being carried/used by Hell's minions. So you'll be able to find various things that demons carry as "trophies" or use as weapons.
I figure Bosses and Objectives will reward the best equipment however.
I need some opinions on a skill tree system..
There will be ingame levels (Called Levels like base hero units get) and out of game Ranks which progress between games unlike Levels. Should I make Skill Trees (containing various talents and upgrades, as well as unlocking new abilities) part of the Rank System or Level System? So should you spend points in a skill tree in the Armory (the extra map where you modify your character between games) or should you place them ingame as you progress.
Because if I did them through the Armory and you spent Rank Levels on skill points to have persistence, then ingame you'd just have a series of abilities you'd spend points in (like Warcraft 3's hero system) then the Skill Tree would just modify those as well as your base stats and such.
Updates:
Hero System implemented
Custom Stat System implemented (Think Diablo 2 style)
Some stripping done to the base map due to changes in future goals (Removed weapon creates and needing food to survive, and a few other things)
Variables modified to allow Multiplayer to run smoothly (array-itized them)
Stats:
Strength (Melee Damage, Melee Crit Chance)
Accuracy (Ranged Damage, Ranged Crit Chance)
Endurance (Health)
Willpower (Energy, Energy Regen)
I really like your concepts here in terms of both story and gameplay. The story is (meh) perhaps a little too familiar, but you present it well and I have faith (heh) that it will be compelling. I think you could definitely do a lot with the multiple mission types that you propose at the end, especially if the world ends up being as immersive as it sounds.
In terms of the story, I was thinking that maybe you could be a bit playful with the script and missions. Obviously it's not a humorous map, but I feel like there are so many post-apocalyptic games that take themselves too seriously. And of course, when that post-apocalyptic world is Resident Evil, then you need that solemnity to play off the whole "scared shitless fighting for my life" thing. But as far as these "give as good as you get" type scenarios, I definitely think you could get a lot out of the whole, "this CEO is a totally ridiculous, over-the-top character whose strategy of capitalist domination is only a front for his secret obsession with creating advanced modern weapons out of holy artifacts," rather than the much re-hashed and overused, "do not scoff at us. We are part of a centuries-old-secret-church-assassin-priest-organization whose sole purpose has been to combat evil where it appears and blot it from this Earth!" You get the idea :) . Just a suggestion, though, and obviously it's totally dependent on what kind of aesthetic you're going for.
Anyway, looks promising, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the release :) .
Honestly I've given up on cliche'd material for things, I've come to the conclusion it will be almost impossible for me to create a solid story that does not seem familiar to something laid out beforehand.
So simply enough it begins with just basic military-esque missions, but eventually it'll branch out into more explanations of the story and you may find yourself teaming up with some heavenly forces that are still alive and resisting and such. Lots of potential.
The first mission revolves around a larger city that's been overtaken, its one of the first real tests of the SANCTUS Project's abilities and they are tasked with setting up a forward base in the City Hall then proceeding to find survivors and escorting them out of the city. After all is said and done you begin closing the rifts that are allowing demons into the city and it ends with a final confrontation in the town square with their overlord if you make it that far. Hordes of zombies, cybernetic demons, mutants who sell their souls to the beast, etc. will all be your foes.
I'm hoping to expand it later to include missions for varieties of players, smaller 2 player missions, all the way up to massive 14-16 player missions where your team is divided on objectives and pushed to their very limits, with the between game progression anything is really possible.
Edit 2: Here's a gist I've typed up if you're curious, I keep tweaking it left and right but this is the basis.
CEO of world's largest arms manufacturer has visions from the Archangel Michael about the end of the world only Heaven doesn't defend Earth against the onslaught, crazy prophets show up all over the world, he kidnaps a few and all their stories are identical word for word, and they all rant till they drop dead, they are similar to Flagellants of the Dark Ages.
CEO begins to wonder and he begins using his own money and a large portion of his company's on "Classified Weapon Development for High Tech Combat Operations", company loses faith in him as time goes on, he gathers holy relics from around the world and tries to find what makes them "holy" and begins to follow the visions sent to him by the Archangel Michael.
Eventually Project SANCTUS is completed, however he still keeps it underwraps as he is warned by Michael that Hell's agents ravage the world as they speak, and the 7 years of prosperity they have experienced are the beginning of the end. He gets removed from his own company after the Board of Directors gets tired of his foolish wastes of money and his secret pet projects. Project SANCTUS goes underground and all the associated property is stolen by the CEO and trained members of SANCTUS.
World goes to hell quickly, 7 years of terrible disasters insue, then finally the Rapture begins and the battle of Armageddon starts, however none rally to the side of Righteousness and Heaven never comes to the aid of Humanity. Project SANCTUS goes into effect and they begin deploying special forces teams in a variety of locales to gather intelligence on their foes and begin training against the hordes. The visions of Michael stop and the CEO equips his own suit of power armor and goes out to begin fighting the hordes.
Hahaha I know exactly how you feel. But the trick isn't making it something that's entirely new and original - it's how you use the old material in new ways. Everything must build on what's come before it.
For what it's worth, I actually like what you have so far a lot. So are you going to present the CEO's backstory as flashbacks or episodes in between missions set in the present? I like how he goes through a time of darkness or even potential madness (visions of the Archangel) before the prophecies finally come true, at which point he sort of has to regain his confidence and self-reliance when he realizes he's fighting on his own. You could definitely play off the idea that Heaven never comes and the questions of whether his visions were ever "real" in the first place or whether the whole point is simply that he must come to rely on himself.
Anyway I didn't mean to discourage you re: the story or anything. I really think it's quite good, and my first post was more just to say, "I like this and I hope you avoid some of the pitfalls of a too-cliche plot." But ya, I like what you've written a lot and it rings authentic. Good luck with it!
It sounds like you're developing an interactive story moreso than a campaign, which is an area that sees far too little development these days. Cliches are only really cliche when you rely solely on established archetype to drive the plot. Think of the things you enjoyed the most in the past few years, be it books, movies, or television. What stands out about each one? It probably isn't the story as much as it is the characters involved in it, who react to that given situation in their own way. The trick in creating a world with such a scope is populating that world with characters that players/readers/viewers can grow attached to. Look at the relationship between Raynor and Kerrigan, for a small example, although I don't think Blizzard was able to develop that as much as they could have.
Your story itself reminds me strongly of Hellgate: London, with a bit of Gendou Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangaleon thrown in. It's a good baseline, just don't try too hard to fit the story together on its own. Let the missions and world be a part of the plot, instead of just trappings in the background.
I don't think your Mason class is worthless; any organization or team would need someone like that to function in such a harsh environment. Give them the ability to repair vehicles such as the evacuation APC's, or to prepare temporary defenses in case the squad is about to get overrun. You could also have a defense objective at some point where smaller fortifications must be held while a larger offensive is taking place, or to defend the center of town while NPC's prepare to activate the Holy Hand Grenade type superweapon to complete the mission.
I like the idea so far, and wish you best of luck. I'd offer to help in any way I can, but unfortunately learning the editor is a slow process for me, so I'm still absolutely no good with it. If you want feedback on plot elements or dialog, I would be more than happy to provide those.
Eh the game itself is moreso a campaign with gameplay first and the story comes second, the story will roughly explain what you're doing and why, but won't take a huge portion of the game's time.
Right, I didn't mean to imply this was a xenogears type thing, was more remarking that it had a bit more thought than "hold out til dropships show up."
@Ghrabthaar: Go
Ha there will be one of those missions eventually xD
I'd like to do a variety of them, so far this one and probably an in depth take and hold one are in the future, also starting to form plans for a large scale multisquad one but I need to finish what I have before I begin work on anything else.
Stat system properly working with no flaws now
Flamethrower/Rocket Launcher are implemented, Rocket Launcher near done, Flamethrower needs tweaked a bit
Starting "cinematic" implemented, some decoration bits done
Optimized code relating to players, no long spawns none-playing characters
Began mapping out abilities yesterday
Chaosbane Missile finished (Paladin Ability)
Updated the skill system quite a bit to steamline it
Implementing Ignite to the Flamethrower weapon
Messed with spawning code a bit
Made it so that when it spawns your Marine it selects you (Minor but so helpful)
can i haz dl plz? kthxbb
Not available for download yet, will be once I get the inventory and save/load system finished.. items are hell in this..
Keep it up, my build for my map is just like yours meaning. (We take our time because we want to have something good for the public). Instead of having an arcade game. We build the Skyscrapers. Good luck mate. :) I hope to be able to play your game eventually.