Augmented Reality [Futuristic] [Sci-fi]

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CathyR
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Augmented Reality [Futuristic] [Sci-fi]

#1 Post by CathyR »

Welcome to your new world. Everything that you think you know is a cover up for a government project to take over the energy source known as XL. For years scientists from different countries have been attempting to find ways to harvest the energy under command of a variety of governments from around the world. These governments are taking certain measures that they have been in control. However, mysteries forces have leaked the existence of XL and with the leak there has been a reemergence of an otherworldly population of beings. These beings seem to be after XL and are exchanging their advanced technology for its possession. With the leak of XL’s existence there are some that have gained the ability to see the energy force of XL along with the creatures desperately seeking it. You have been identified as one who was granted the ability to See.

With the knowledge of XL and the Beings becoming known to some, groups have started to form. The Believers who trust and follow the Beings and accept their advanced technology, The Sticks who find the actions of the Beings suspicious while questioning their motives. While many people are ordinary citizens, you and plenty others are no longer among them. It is up to you to choose your side as war starts to brew on the horizon. Good luck Soldier. You will need it.


After being forced to download an app known as 'XL' on his phone by his best friend, local shut in Avon's life takes a turn. Thinking that being forced to go outside was bad enough, Avon finds that the game isn't just a game, and him and his best friend Leo are forced to face the deadly forces behind the creation of XL. In mere days, Avon's life changes from college shut-in to one of the few people who can save the city from the strange Beings that are slowly taken over.

Characters

Avon
The main protagonist. At 19 he takes college classes online and avidly avoids the outside world. He has a bit of a stoic attitude, and he has common sense strongly on his side. He isn't all that intuitive sometimes, and he tends to freeze up when it matters most to do something. He isn't all that fond of the 'game' XL at first, especially since it deals with leaving the safety of his home.

Leo
Avon's best friend. They've known each other since they were 14. He's a light hearted goof ball most of the time, however, there is a darker side to him. He's fiercely loyal, so loyal that it gets him in trouble sometimes. He's willing to fight Avon's battles for him, and he's also adamant about getting Avon to leave his apartment.

Cam
A mysterious character met through the chat on XL. He seems to be light hearted, however he doesn't give out a lot of information, especially when it's obvious he knows more than he lets on. There is the question of whether or not it would be wise to trust him.

Riley
A girl met at Caran's Game Shop. She is usually soft spoken, however she is not afraid to stand up for herself. She tends to worry over the current events happening in the city, and tends to report things that she's heard back to Avon. She has a little brother whom she cares about deeply, and she would do anything for.

Zane
The local hacker that has been keeping tabs on Cam and the events occurring in the city. He has a little sister who he seems distant about, and he looks as if he never gets enough sleep. He knows a lot of things, and he's willing to provide information if he gets something in return. No one really knows what his main motives are.

Fortune
A girl who is helping the ones that are bent on destroying the city for reasons of her own. She has a knack for violence and cruelty, and isn't afraid to fight for what she wants. Her eyes are dual colored however, symbolizing the split in her soul. Can she be saved from her fate? Or will she end Avon's life instead?

Unknown:
h ELp pLEasE

Rating:
Should be around T (Teen: ages 13+)

How many endings?
12 endings: Six for being a 'Believer' and six for being a 'Sticks'

What I dream of it featuring:
-Customization for Avon's XL avatar.
-an opening movie
-mini-games to simulate the game XL on Avon's phone

What it'll most likely have:
-100,000 words
-CG's (unknown number as of now)
-unlockable side stories
-raising friendship ranks with the characters

So far I have a writer (myself), a programmer, an artist, and possibly someone whose doing music(??)

Questions:
1.Is the premise interesting? Was anything about it confusing?
2. Do you like games that give you unlockable content? Would you prefer to gain it for raising friendship ranks with the characters or by finishing an ending? Both? Neither?
3. What are your impressions of the characters so far?
4. Do you like mini-games in visual novels or no?
5. Any questions? Comments? Concerns?

Anyway, that is all, thank you for looking through this and I hope that this project can really take off. Especially since I have a bunch of other ideas floating around as well.
Last edited by CathyR on Sun Feb 26, 2017 11:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Zelan
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Re: Augmented Reality [Futuristic] [Sci-fi?]

#2 Post by Zelan »

1.Is the premise interesting? Was anything about it confusing?: It got my attention. And no, it's not confusing.
2. Do you like games that give you unlockable content? Would you prefer to gain it for raising friendship ranks with the characters or by finishing an ending? Both? Neither?: Generally, unlockable content is unlocked through finishing a particular ending, but I wouldn't necessarily mind it being unlocked in a different way. Whatever fits your game.
3. What are your impressions of the characters so far?: They seem like an interesting cast. I'm looking forward to seeing how they'd interact.
4. Do you like mini-games in visual novels or no?: I don't mind them, but if they're overly difficult it gets frustrating when I just want to read the story. A good idea to balance this is to have them be optional, so that people who like them can play them and people who don't won't have to.

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Re: Augmented Reality [Futuristic] [Sci-fi?]

#3 Post by gekiganwing »

If you want your reader to learn quite a bit of story-specific terminology, that's fine. I think you might benefit by including a glossary. That way, if a person thinks "what exactly is a Stick again?" two hours into the story, they can find out.
CathyR wrote:What it'll most likely have:
-100,000 words
-CG's (unknown number as of now)
-unlockable side stories
-raising friendship ranks with the characters
If you plan to release a story this large as an indie visual novel, then the scope of your project might be reasonable. Make sure that you can rely on your programmer, artist, and musician. Some planned indie VNs have been canceled because of conflicts between team members.

If you plan to release this as a freeware VN, then be careful. I recommend reading the Why So Many Unfinished Visual Novels? topic for a while. It can help you learn why quite a few works-in-progress have never made it past the planning stages.
CathyR wrote:4. Do you like mini-games in visual novels or no?
Going along with what Zelan said, I prefer when they're either 1) completely optional, or 2) not necessary to master in order to succeed. (I struggled to get into Virtue's Last Reward because it required that the player solve puzzles in order to advance the story. If they had been skippable, then I might have enjoyed the experience more.)

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CathyR
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Re: Augmented Reality [Futuristic] [Sci-fi?]

#4 Post by CathyR »

gekiganwing wrote:If you want your reader to learn quite a bit of story-specific terminology, that's fine. I think you might benefit by including a glossary. That way, if a person thinks "what exactly is a Stick again?" two hours into the story, they can find out.
I wasn't even thinking of that! That's a really good idea, and I thank you for it. Hopefully there won't be too much story specific terminology, I'm trying to keep it to a minimum.
gekiganwing wrote:If you plan to release a story this large as an indie visual novel, then the scope of your project might be reasonable. Make sure that you can rely on your programmer, artist, and musician. Some planned indie VNs have been canceled because of conflicts between team members.

If you plan to release this as a freeware VN, then be careful. I recommend reading the Why So Many Unfinished Visual Novels? topic for a while. It can help you learn why quite a few works-in-progress have never made it past the planning stages.
Thankfully, I've known the people I'm working with pretty much all my life, and I'm fairly certain I can rely on them, but I can defiantly see how that could kill a project. It mind of makes me sad, since there are so many good ideas in the WiP thread that never get finished. I also looked at the forum, and it defiantly reminded me of the struggles that will come with this. I'm not illusioned into thinking that making one of these will be easy work, but I hope that I can finish it despite the hardship. I don't know yet if this will be a free or commercial project, but considering the work that will be put into this it might be commercial, although a fairly cheap one.

Thank you for your imput! I'll defiantly keep all this in mind as I work through this.

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CathyR
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Re: Augmented Reality [Futuristic] [Sci-fi?]

#5 Post by CathyR »

Hello! Just a quick update.
The script for the prologue has been written! Some of it has already been programmed into ren'py. As for the character designs, I have drawn some concepts for them!
Attachments
Zane
Zane
Fortune
Fortune
Riley one of the side characters
Riley one of the side characters
The main character Avon and his best friend Leo.
The main character Avon and his best friend Leo.

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CathyR
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Re: Augmented Reality [Futuristic] [Sci-fi]

#6 Post by CathyR »

Hello everyone! I just felt like I was obligated to update this to say that this is not dead!!! However, it is on the back burner as I work on smaller projects as practice and work up to making something as large as this. At this point, this is closer to a dream project than anything, but I am determined to make it at some point. Until then, though, I'll continue working on my current small project. Sorry about being overexcited and posting this far too early.

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