Jerald and Kohler Escape from Zombie Prison!
Jerald has been in his cell for a little over a year, still without a clue why. He is a scrawny man of timid nature and ambiguous racial identity. He finds himself in fits of anxiety and self-disappointment, but is always comforted by Kohler. Kohler, who you play, is Jerald’s best friend and cell mate; you’ve been in that cell since you can remember, and have made acquaintances with all of its residents. Jerald is the only one who’s ever spoken to you, however, because, well…. You’re a toilet seat. And Jerald is clearly out of his right mind. One day, Jerald awakes to the discomforting sound of flesh-munching. He quickly realizes the zombie apocalypse is upon the earth, and it has started at this very prison. As Kohler, you must guide your dear friend towards escape and salvation.
Example conversation:
As Jerald awakes and comes to grips with the situation, you can converse with him to change his mindset towards:
- Optimism, terror, confidence, apathy
- Tell him to stay in his cell for safety
- Take you and bust out of the place
As he is his own man, he can decide not to listen to you; filling him with confidence may make it easier to convince him to break out of the cell.
Throughout the adventure, you may meet other prisoners who are not yet zombies, have to fight through the hordes while Jerald uses you as a weapon, so on and so forth, all the while guiding his actions and conversing with him to influences his effectiveness/decision-making.
Sonance
You play Sonance – the lead vocalist of a local post-hardcore band turned superhero. Because of your vocal and physical prowess, you are the man that the HCPD (Harlot City Police Dept) trusts to get the answers they need while keeping their hands clean. Every interaction with a suspect/inmate/criminal/mobster will have the same four options:
- General Question (WHERE ARE THEY!?!)
- Accuse them of lying (DON’T LIE TO ME!!!!)
- “Convince” them to answer you/Intimidate (TELL THE TRUTH!!!!!!)
- Interrogation/Action Move (break his wrist… etc).
Yes, if you were wondering, it’s almost a play on the overdone but effective Batman tactic; I do plan on changing it sufficiently to make in original, and the dialogue options will change between every interaction.
Every person you interrogate/question will reveal their personality through how the react to your presence and choices. Based on what kind person you discern they are (sociopath, tough guy, coward/rat/squealer) you will choose the best options to get what you want. A coward may not last long/get knocked out if you beat him up to much, but may respond well to lots of yelling and intimidation.
The story may progress linearly (the more successful interrogations, the further you get into figuring out what is happening/who’s in charge/ etc).
Example:
You are told of a small businessman who works for a mob boss who is smuggling drugs into the city. You meet him in an alley way at night, and pin him to the ground with your NetGun. He’s not too tough of a guy, and is already wetting his pants. Punching his chest will cause him to faint, but asking questions and accusing him may work wonders to get what you need. With the info he gives you, you know your next target will be the head of a local shipping and transit corporation.
LOL emo hair
I think the first idea with the zombie invasion/you being a toilet seat is a lot more original and interesting. (Although I do like the drawing of the guy with emo hair.) It sounds like you have the story and characters pretty well thought-out already; I’d be interested to see what type of personality you, as the toilet seat, are inclined to have – are you sassy and sarcastic? Friendly and comforting towards him? Or is this all up to the player’s choice?
I also am really liking the idea of you, as a toilet seat, being used as a weapon against zombies. It just sounds fantastic.
Second idea strikes me as more immediately interesting. They both sound pretty ambitious– lots of character work, environment, story choices etc.
Didn’t pick up on the toilet seat bit at first. Now that could be interesting.
The second idea sounds more fun. I like how you started the story but would prefer to get different choices more related to things this character would do or superpowers he has. The graphic you included is pretty cool as well.
I prefer the second one (it kind of reminds me of Scotty Pilgrim which is an awesome movie). I think having the player play a superhero will give you more creative liberty with interactions. With the first one, I think the player as the toilet seat is original but a bit limiting because the toilet seat is dependent on the other guy to make any sort of movement. Of course this could provide interesting gameplay if done right.
Being used as a bludgeon is especially hilarious when you are in fact a toilet seat… a “talking” toilet seat even.
Both ideas sound really fun. For the first idea, I’m not sure how much movement will be in the story, but getting Kohler to move with the story could be potentially problematic. The second idea sounds whacky but it would definitely need to have good humor to make it work.
toilet seat. Yes yes yes. I think a lot has been said about the idea so I will not put anything further. TOILET SEAT WITH LOLEMO HAIR? 🙂
Toilet seat, because insanity is so awesome to explore. Being a toilet seat makes you depend on the other character to do anything, yes, but since this is dialogue-focued you should make a point that persuasion is the name of the game.
I really like the toilet seat idea because it was really not something I expected and it would be great if you could bring that surprise to the player as well