Story draft version 2

OpenMW's very own demo, template and game to show off everything that OpenMW is capable of.

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testman
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Re: Story draft version 2

Post by testman »

I personally would like to see Example Suite be set in generic fantasy setting, so that we can use "because magic" as reason for almost anything. And I story should allow for wide variety of side quests.

If I recall correctly, current openmw-template map has three big islands and few small ones.
My idea for story is this:
There was shipwreck, and you wake up in a life boat on the beach of a small island.
Next to you is a box with a flask that contains some kind of potion and an iron dagger. If you drink the potion, get poisoned and die.
There you have your brief tutorial. After exploring around a bit you meet a fisherman that gives you maybe some basic info about the islands and offers to take you to the town/port if you help him find ring that fell in water (is that maybe too much like that ring-in-lake quest from Morrowind?). If you ask about lore, you discover that some disease is spreading around islands that is causing plants/trees to produce less food and turns animals and people to become mindless and aggressive. (This is maybe too much like Blight from Morrowind?). When in town, the equivalent of Mages Guild tells you that what you have in the flask is one of ingredients for cure to the local disease. However not enough, and they send you on a quest to find the shipwreck. Someone please help with ideas about how player should get information for finding the wrecked ship. When you finally do find it, there are bandits already looting the wreckage, so you have to fight them off and take the other flasks back to wizards so that they can make the cure. Then maybe distribution of the cure could be final quest. Or maybe make group of evil wizards or some totally-not-Dagoth-Ur guy who are the source of the disease and have to be killed for people on islands to be happy again.

That's my rough idea of the plot. I would imagine town be hub for many other side quests that OpenMW community would come up with.

But mostly I don't think that forum is good tool for collaborative storywriting. I think better idea would be Github repo with just one text file with story, so that we can pull request ideas and have discussion about each proposed idea in it's seperate issue.

I would love to see everyone interested in Example Suite have productive sessions on IRC or maybe even voice chat. That way Example Suite would get made much faster IMHO.
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DestinedToDie
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Re: Story draft version 2

Post by DestinedToDie »

Wouldn´t be against an IRC session. I don´t think the current bottleneck is the story, though. Besides story we have 3 items on the list:

1. Psi29a told me a while ago that he made an improved map of the island. If he uploads it in the next Template version, then anything placed on the old map will have to be re-placed.
2. Player skeleton, mesh and animations. We have a placeholder, which allows to walk and jump around. We´re only restricted in the way of combat and equipping weapons/armor. JohnD is working on this.
3. Lack of assets.

Number 2 is not so urgent. Number 1 can wait as well. At least until we have some things like trees, rocks and maybe a turtle creature. Without assets we won´t be able to place anything on the new island map anyway, so we might as well get started with 3D modeling some of the things you´d find on a tropic beach.

Lord_Berandas has suggested that we make placeholder models so that we could build the basic layout of the first area. Imo this is a perfect opportunity for a beginner (Vyrukas?) to make a rock/tree model without having to worry about the quality of the meshes. Alternatively, could make some serious good-looking models since we can´t build the basic layout before Psi29a´s new improved island map anyways. At least not without having to re-do it.
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psi29a
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Re: Story draft version 2

Post by psi29a »

DestinedToDie wrote: 1. Psi29a told me a while ago that he made an improved map of the island. If he uploads it in the next Template version, then anything placed on the old map will have to be re-placed.

...

Alternatively, could make some serious good-looking models since we can´t build the basic layout before Psi29a´s new improved island map anyways. At least not without having to re-do it.
I'm terribly sorry for this. I have enough time to follow the forums, but all my hobby work has been put on the backburner because of real life. Same reason why I've not been on IRC lately.

I hate to be a blocker on this.

I'll try to make a release today around lunch time CET.

There are problems with the Island. I've tried my best to minimize the anomalies. I'm hoping that in the future OpenMW-CS will allow for terrain editing so we can smooth over a few deep 'pits' in the ground where the terrain doesn't make sense. I'm going to assume this has to do with change in height being more than 128 units. Thankfully this is all under water so you won't see it unless you go looking for it.
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DestinedToDie
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Re: Story draft version 2

Post by DestinedToDie »

No problem, we can work on models before the island map becomes a necessity. I doubt publishing the map tomorrow will instantly kickstart work on the ES.

Btw I think I may be able to fix your map if given the image. I had experimented a ton on editing mine when I generated my own map and got a perfect map with no errors.
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psi29a
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Re: Story draft version 2

Post by psi29a »

I don't have an image, I use the raw int32 data from the DEM source. This keeps precision which would otherwise be lost in converting the source to bmp or png. I don't know of a tool that allows you modify just raw int32 (or raw anything for that matter). Might be another project idea that twins nicely with World Engine ;)

I can however post what I have.

End result is the above and a few meters below water is fine, just that some bits around the base where the dropoff is from the island deep into the sea is a bit wonky in a few spots. It can be smoothed over in OpenMW-CS in the future so that isn't a problem.
DosBuster
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Re: Story draft version 2

Post by DosBuster »

Hi,

So, I've been lurking for a while and I have a story concept that I think is interesting for both the narrative aspect and the gameplay aspect, after all, that's what matters.

The story is somewhat an adaption of Othello--making it a classic tragedy--it is set in our world, so no magic. The island itself is one of those fancy ones you hear rich people buying, in this case, it was bought for the purpose of living out the dreams of the medieval life without the downsides like disease, war or being poor. Conflict brews--as it tends to--in the vein of jealousy of what many perceive the most beautiful woman in the world who has wed the man in charge of the island, a man of dark skin. (keeping in line with Othello)

We have two figures who oppose our fair leader, one who wants the island, and one who wants the woman. The man who wants power is a close friend/adviser to the Island's owner and the one jealous of his marriage is your usual rich socially-awkward silicon valley type, they decide to team up.

The player is a new arrival to the Island, and through fate's will they fall into this conflict. The game itself takes place over a number of days, there are multiple endings that depend on what the player does during these days. The world will react to how they accomplish their goals, if they steal, bribe and kill their way to achieve want they want the game will punish this by turning the people against the player. (This is fair because the player is essentially rushing their way through the game's objectives.)

If you guys like it, I'll write more and design more, I can also help out with scripting quests & dialogue when life allows me to. I do have some experience in project production, I used to run an open source game, which while falling apart gave me a lot of experience and taught me a lot about how to manage a project.
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DestinedToDie
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Re: Story draft version 2

Post by DestinedToDie »

DosBuster wrote:The story is somewhat an adaption of Othello--making it a classic tragedy--it is set in our world, so no magic. The island itself is one of those fancy ones you hear rich people buying, in this case, it was bought for the purpose of living out the dreams of the medieval life without the downsides like disease, war or being poor.
That concept is pretty ingenious, never heard of it before. However magic needs to be included for the purpose of the demo. At least in some way.

How about a fantasy world where technology has developed so far that no one uses magic anymore? And the island is where rich folks go to live out their medieval dreams free of machines? Don´t need to necessarily focus on the magic part of it, just have it there as an option.

Bonus: The drama and adventure is all a game for the inhabitants of the island. But the player shipwrecks on the island, gets amnesia and thinks it´s fo´ real.

What do you think about these adjustments?
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AnyOldName3
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Re: Story draft version 2

Post by AnyOldName3 »

We could go for the whole 'rich people make a medieval resort' idea, and rely on the 'any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic' adage.
DosBuster
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Re: Story draft version 2

Post by DosBuster »

Amnesia is too much of a cliche here, we can simply have the PC go "I came here to escape life." and leave it at that, it hints towards a backstory but still has the character be mainly player-defined. Game still starts on a boat, a homage to the original Morrowind.

Magic I'm not sure if I want to make it a thing. I was thinking that you could have a musket that you load with different bullet types to help diversify playstyles. These different bullet types could have somewhat "magical" effects, you also have drugs that could provide a short-term buff in exchange for a long-term downfall. (Addiction, long-term detrimental effects to your health etc.)
Nivim
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Re: Story draft version 2

Post by Nivim »

DosBuster wrote:have the PC go "I came here to escape life."
Certainly possible with modern technology, although most people want to escape death instead.
DosBuster wrote:Magic I'm not sure if I want to make it a thing. I was thinking that you could have a musket that you load with different bullet types to help diversify playstyles. These different bullet types could have somewhat "magical" effects, you also have drugs that could provide a short-term buff in exchange for a long-term downfall. (Addiction, long-term detrimental effects to your health etc.)
This sounds good; reminiscent of those newer survival roguelikes both in the weaponry and in getting addicted to drugs (although usually in those it's for dealing with pain).
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