Elements of the Game Story

"This isn't your father's adventure game."

Well... in a way it is. It's all in the details. The rich details. The old games like Zork had information but no graphics worth a damn. Many games in the last 10 to 12 years made up for that with graphics but scarce details that made the game environment "rich". If you have ever been in a junk shop (or  antique store, pawn shop, old garages or barns), you would have richness of detail. You could pick up, manipulate, or otherwise interact with the items. You could even get someone to tell you something about the items or show you how they work.

Some computer games have attempted to create environments with a modest amount of interactive elements. The problem is that most often, only the essential elements were interactive. This leaves most others as "window dressing". I say "if you can't break a window, or open an unlocked door, why put it in?" That is the problem that I hope to overcome in this game. Rich detail in object availablity and function; which should include people that are modeled in the game.

A Tall Order?

No. If the game is to be unique, it needs to innovate beyond the swinging vines characters that proliferate the computer entertainment industry. A simulation of reality can be instructive without being destructive. Certainly a few good sized explosions happen in the real world everyday. But they are often avoidable accidents. This game can reward the player by successfully avoiding the negative events. And certainly they will be difficult enough so that a few "explosions" happen until the player does figure out how to avoid disaster.

The essential difference in this game is that in addition to developing the players puzzle solving capability and ability to manipulate objects; this game demands an understanding of social structures and process. Whoa dude! That's too much book learnin' fer me! Actually, it could be quite interesting.

Human Interaction: Level One

 A typical western european world view would place most players in familiar surroundings in the game. Game play interactions with "normal" human characters would be easy to figure out. Some characters could be developed to show dysfunction behavior that might be overcome with modest effort. The basis of character behavior would be familiar western habits and culture.

These characters would be part of the Tarex Station Crew, and main corporate staff back on Terra (Earth). Some may be present on visiting space transport craft.

Human Interaction: Level Two

These characters might represent the alternate world views of non-western european peoples. Their behavior and speech patterns as well as thoughts would bring an additional challenge to the player. Some simple interactions with these players would teach the player about "things to come" with non-human or off-world human interactions.

Off-worlders Interaction: Level Three

At this point the player would be involved role playing the Victor Crater or other crew staff. Their mission involves keeping Tarex Station operating, developing good relations with New Luxor's inhabitants, and doing some investigative work. The purpose of the latter, spying activity, leads the player toward solving the mysteries on Dione.

Non-human Interaction: Level Four

After the player has amassed substantial knowledge and mastered interactions with station crew and equipment, androids, simulacra, and robots, corporate mangement, local inhabitants, rogue freighter captains, and benign aliens, the real test begins. Each player will have a set of "crisis" events that they will have encountered before. Now each crisis will be focused on a central theme and be linked.

The prior crisis events will start with broken equipment or shortages of food or supplies. The interactions required to resolve these practical realities will set the stage for solving level four crisises. What might appear to be an operational problem may be the manifestations of sabotage. The scenarios should total about eleven.

While each sceanario may start with these problems, any number of additional elements may "go wrong".