I have completely finished the story and completed simple concept maps (levels and such) for 2 of 3 chapters of the video game along with some dialoge elements 🙂
I will post my simple storyboards when I get time and after I scan them in.
MUSIC:Play this in the Background: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbRom1Rz8OA
That being said… here is the final storyline and alternate timeline for the American History.
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CHAPTER1: George Washington has made the United States a country by defeating the British in the American Revolution. In appreciation and admiration of this new country he sets out to cross the Ohio river, South of Fort BadLuck, in search of more lands and peoples that boarder this great nation. However, unbeknownst to George, he is traveling aboard a secret British time travel ship that takes him to pre-revolution times along the Eastern Colonies. He is confused, but being his bad-ass self he continues on in search of answers to why he is back in time and why he is here. Along the way he meets many people and trees. He solves small puzzles and traverses ice caps. He fights bears, wolves, and stops the American colonies from going to battle with the French claims of Canada by showing them how WONDERFUL maple syrup is.
CHAPTER2: Travel to Boston and distribute the syrup to everyone you find. Avoid angry British soldiers and get to the docks to help the WONDERFUL syrup to the rest of the colonies. During his fateful travels to Boston he is confronted by a sea captain at the dock. George makes small talk and gives him some syrup and they hit it off as friends. This captain ends up being a captain of one of the time travel ships. George kills him in anger as it is revealed that he has helped shape history through use of this special ship and that another is being built at the intersection of the 3 rivers.
CHAPTER3a: George runs to the Ohio River (wolves and Big Foot along the way) to find the ship under construction by super advanced technology (replaceable parts, a factory, welders, workers in masks ect… like technology from the 1920’s) and the leader is actually the King of the New Britain, from the year 2095. He boards his escape ship and ends up in 1962 in the secret time room of JFK.
CHAPTER3b: Washington meets and is greeted by JFK. He informs JFK of the potential loss of the revolution because of his time travel and JFK offers his help. The US in 1962 has established time travel but at a cost… The user must travel and his current body and mind must die so that he can appear in the past. JFK’s final words in the game are “Let us kill me now so I can save our past”. Screen goes black.
FINAL: George and JFK stand upon a field of battle with the british in retreat…. JFK looks at George and says “I know of a place where there was sent a USA time squad. Can you come help the future?” George-“I think I cannot. The country needs me now. Thank you friend”. JFK-“I understand. Well done. I must travel again to the future. To a time further than my time. I think this country may need saving more than once. Everyone hates the winner” HIGH-FIVE MOTHER FUCKERS. GAME OVER.
MECHANICS I WANT TO IMPLEMENT
HEALTH. A health bar and a health status bar. I don’t plan for fighting in game but this is for bears, wolves, hurtful words, and stuff like that.
TREASURE. Bits of paper/gold that can be read that reveal a crazy time traveling British empire and their future escalation of a time traveling power-struggle of the future.
NARRATOR: Omniscient woman (who I have cast already) to help the story along between chapters. Also to read signs out loud. Ends up being the voice of JFK as well.
I want this to be ridiculous and funny. I think that the escape from reality and hilarity will be the culmination of what this game is about.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Also… I want to make an Arcade Machine for this. Very basic. Made of MDO/MDF/Plywood on the CNC router. Decorated in the Stripes and Stars of America and covered with beautiful glossy finish. I have already started the file and will talk literally 8 minutes to cut and some assembly will be required.
I agree with Paolo, I like the all over the place craziness that will result with a hilarious game, it just needs to be tweaked a little to add a bit more interest and why this is all important to the player.
do it. i don’t really have feedback; i like the historical inaccuracies, because i think if you’re changing American history that’s perfectly ok (baby Washington totally lives in Murica). Do it, do it hard.
aaaah scopescopescopescope
I guess just really figure out all your time travel past changey branchy stuff beforehand, so that it doesn’t become unmanageable
I love the premise of this. I would consider taking out all health/damage things and make the game completely narrative in order to focus it. It could be cool if someone invented the time machine in the past, like Tesla or something.
Thanks Alex. I think I am working on the very first conception and use of the time machine and how it gets into British hands. I don’t want health really and I don’t know If I can utilize narrative in a powerful way to make it interesting.
Personally I love the idea of breaking time – remember the butterfly effect! Big things happen from small actions. You have literally zero need to make any sort of sense, especially if you are already having JFK and Washington meet.
Go for it, man. I agree with Paolo’s advice of ditching the talking tree because it seems a little out of line with the whole time travel motif and the things you got going on within that realm. I hope you make that arcade machine too, it’d be interesting to see how that would change the feel of the game.
I think the scope might be a little too large, especially if you add the arcade cabinet. I’m a little worried that the “between the plot” parts will be a little dry since most of the scenery seems to be woods and just avoiding some sort of wilderness animal. I do like the overall Wtf feel of the game though and I hope you keep the weirdness in without being too wordy about it.
Thoroughly enjoyed the style of the first, and am excited to see animated cutscenes implemented with a BALLIN storyline as described. Seems like a rather large task, but if you can cover it all well done! If you have to scrap less important parts, I’d lose the treasure/extras that aren’t crucial to the plot (i guess thats a smidge obvious). Lookin forward to it!
1) This could be super, over the top racist in a funny way, making fun of white colonialists the most would be excellent.
2) Definitely all star cast of funny characters (I Love the BF character idea BenFranklin/BigFoot)
3) Think about tying the ending in with the beginning
4) What music will you be using?
Hey Martin I am going to be definitely taking some of your suggestions. The making fun of white colonialists is something I was looking into. All Star Cast is a yes. BF/BF is a gooooooooood fucking idea.
I am working on tying the ending into the beginning but I don’t know if I can really make it story driven or master the narrative enough.
Also Music is up in the air. could be something I make or an edit of a mash-up of a playlist. Ill keep posting updates.
The arcade cabinet seeps super duper cool and your ideas are ridiculous and funny, but I agree that the scope definitely needs to be a little more limited.
that’s an awesome idea to “fight” using ridiculous items such as your idea to win a battle by showing the enemies maple syrup. There should be more of that. I am a little confused, however, on this game play… why you chose these periods of time to travel back to… how they connect to each other.. because as of right now it sort of seems you chose random points in history and characters in history that you like
The time period was really picked because of the already existing mythos of George Washington and JFK was chosen because he also has a really insane world story and history and it is sometimes nice to engage with a character who has already established something meaningful in U.S. history. I do want to make it more apparent and I will try and convey the conception into the gameplay
The canadians should have moose antlers and floppy hats and magnificent beards that might or might not also double as bears.
There is no such thing as scope. You made a printer out of crayons. You can do anything.
Thanks bro. I will fucking do this all.