Legends of the Rift (BxG)[Scifi/mystery] Updated 5/19

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godman85
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Legends of the Rift (BxG)[Scifi/mystery] Updated 5/19

#1 Post by godman85 »

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OFFICIAL WEBSITE http://www.blacksandsentertainment.com

SYNOPSIS

Black Sands is a bold new visual novel drawing from African, Indian and Middle Eastern mythology, married to an innovative spin on speculation about ancient aliens and precursor races. This is largely unexplored territory for video games as a medium – and Black Sands aims to take it further than any other creative team has managed to date.



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Genres: Visual Novel, History, Mythology, Dark Fantasy, Educational

As Ra, the Dark Pharaoh, players must enter into a series of challenging trials posed by their creator, Nun – an emissary from the far-flung world of Nibiru who wants you, as his avatar, to wield godlike power over the ancient world. But before your legend can begin, you have to prove yourself worthy.

In the Black Sands Universe, Nun engineered the beings humanity worship as gods – but his creations betrayed his grand plan, and plunged the Earth into an age of oppression. Rah and his companions are Nun's last-ditch attempt to fix his mistakes – but before he can unleash them on the Earth, he needs to know they're up to the challenge!

You have to manage a team of mythical heroes; nurture their relationships, both with you and each other; explore the sprawling landscape of Nun's secret hideaway, the Rift; study its secrets and its tortured history, and defeat the countless enemies that stand in your way. Only then will Nun grant you your freedom!

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Watch their Profiles on Youtube!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LsuU_Yoy5k

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UNIQUENESS

Black Sands is more than just comic-book heroics and wild conspiracy theories – it aims to convey a deeper understanding of real-world ancient history and cultural diversity as well. An in-game dictionary with scores of unlockable entries contains an explanation of the research that went into every character and location, giving their historical inspiration alongside their in-game backstories.

Black Sands is also not simply a visual novel, too. Decisions stem from much more than simple emotional dilemmas or “choose your own adventure” style branching paths. The story offers players the challenge of exploration, discovery, investigation and stat management over a rich, carefully crafted narrative and multiple side quests of many different types.


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Win your companions' respect to open up still more content as their backstories are revealed – or rule them by fear like the god you're destined to become.

Scour the map for a huge number of secrets spread across a detailed, ever-changing world.

Watch the clock! Manage the passing of time correctly, or the odds could end up against you and cause your death!

Study the relics and artifacts to unlock achievements and lore – including the real-world research behind the fiction.

Be entrenched in the development of a stunning production values from a carefully hand-picked team.

A totally unique aesthetic – no other game has used this same material like Black Sands!

[*]Dominant Protagonist
[*]African, Middle Eastern, and Hindu cultures
[*]Competitive love interest
[*]Comic-style Artwork
[*]Multiple Mini-Sagas
[*]Aliens
[*]Mythological Gods and Monsters
[*]Dark Humor
[*]Education

The Book of Thoth

The Book of Thoth is a lore database which allows players to learn the real history behind the ideas in Black Sands with sourced and quoted material. It will be split into three sections per entry.
Fantasy - The way the person, place, thing is in the Black Sands Universe.
History - The actual historical/mythological information about the person, place, or thing.
Theory - The theory we use to make the historical figure into what we use in Black Sands.
Examples would be like if you saw a vision through "The Eye of Oblivion" and saw giants in Canaan, you would unlock a new lore entry in game saying "Knowledge has been acquired." Then you would have two lore entries when you checked the Book of Thoth. One for the historical context of the Nephilim and one for Canaan. It should be a great experience for the knowledge seekers in the world.

Villains

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Vritra, Dragon King of the Asura – Before the internal fighting of the Deva, there were many families of the old bloodlines similar to each other. The Asura were one of those lines. They were most like the Deva in strength and technique but their ideologies were completely at odds. Vritra was a ruler who did not wish control over his people. Asura grew independent of each other and wished to integrate with humanity when they left the Rift. The Deva used the actions of a few of the wilder Asura to condemn the rest and consorted with the Anunnaki and Titans to destroy them. In an effort to save his people, Vrtira surrendered to the Deva. He knew his people stood no chance because they were not united under one cause. The Deva created a massive dimensional tare underground to house the most dangerous prison that ever existed and sealed all the Asura there for the rest of eternity. The Asura now knew the reality of their weakness from being such independent souls and if they were ever to get their chance again, they would unite under Vritra and put the Deva down for good.

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Coeus, The Fallen Prince – The long lost Titan Coeus, once known for his intellect and reason was cursed for delving too deeply into the forbidden arts of the ancient bloodlines. Because of his lack of the necessary precautions used by Nun’s people, Coeus was overtaken by a spirit known as the Devourer. When he acquired the curse, he did not tell anyone. Over time, his mind slipped due to the hunger of the curse. It needed souls. One day he lost control and killed an Anunnaki, draining it of its essence. Marduk was outraged and Kronus investigated the situation. When Coeus lacked reason and attacked the others, Kronus knew something was wrong. He seeked the council of Nun and Nun decided Coeus should be destroyed. Kronus, pitying his son, decided to instead imprison him. Marduk did not like his decision but agreed when Kronus allowed the Anunnaki to build the facility to guarantee he would never escape. Nun never knew he was kept alive, locked underground and chained for 1500 years. But now that the rift is unstabilized, the quakes have broken the chains on the prince. He is still imprisoned but how long could the facility last without the beast restrained?

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Japetus, The Piercer – He was the last child of Gaia before her death. She knew not her son because he was still in his incubation pod when she set off to seek Nun. Kronus had suspicions when Gaia went missing and decided to not release Jepatus until he knew the ware bouts of mother. The Incubation pod was a barrier protecting the host from contamination. Kronus knew that if he ever needed to get back into the Rift, only one that has never been soiled would be allowed to enter. When Rhea’s secret was revealed to Kronus, he told Japetus, who was still trapped in his pod. Kronus then sent him on his way to the rift to find out what happened to his mother and claim his freedom.

Background

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WATCH THE PROMOTIONAL TRAILER ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1DMA8tuQ5Q
Demo can be found @ https://theblacksands.itch.io/black-san ... f-the-rift



1. Does the concept make you want to play the game?
2. Our art style is not traditional. Is that a problem to you?
3. Do you have any inquiries on the world concept or character development?
4. Who are you secretly rooting for from the characters?
5. Alien elementals...Pitch us an alien elemental concept and we'll pick one to incorporate into our world!

( this alien must be an elemental with crystal incorporated in its body. It can resemble real life animals or legendary monsters such as satyrs.)

Please Leave comments. We would love all your feedback.
http://www.indiedb.com/games/black-sands-origins
https://www.facebook.com/BlackSandsEntertainment
https://twitter.com/TheBlackSands
Last edited by godman85 on Thu May 19, 2016 1:45 pm, edited 29 times in total.

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Re: Black Sands Origins (Dark Fantasy/Mythology/Ancient Alie

#2 Post by godman85 »

would love to hear feedback from visitors. It helps us improve.

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Re: Black Sands Origins (Dark Fantasy/Mythology/Ancient Alie

#3 Post by godman85 »

Our blog is now up @ our official website.

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Re: Black Sands Origins [Scifi/Mythology/History] (Multimedi

#4 Post by godman85 »

Updated

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Re: Black Sands Origins [Scifi/Mythology/History] (Multimedi

#5 Post by annpan »

I really love historical games. They add so much depth to the vn genre, I also went to check out your indieDB page and it's amazing. I hope to see some frequent updates in this thread similar to your other page. Also, I want to tell you that Nun was be my favourite character -- though this mentor relationship he has with the mc... Don't let anything bad happen to him QQ. Student-mentor are one of the hardiest thing to watch go to ruin.

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Re: Black Sands Origins [Scifi/Mythology/History] (Multimedi

#6 Post by godman85 »

annpan wrote:I really love historical games. They add so much depth to the vn genre, I also went to check out your indieDB page and it's amazing. I hope to see some frequent updates in this thread similar to your other page. Also, I want to tell you that Nun was be my favourite character -- though this mentor relationship he has with the mc... Don't let anything bad happen to him QQ. Student-mentor are one of the hardiest thing to watch go to ruin.

This was a great read. I normally didn't update this much because no one cared lol. Now that I have enough content to show my vision, hopefully people will give me a chance.

Nun is definitely the most interesting character. But why?

I tell you why. Because in every series ever, there is a mentor that is billy bad ass. One day he must go though. One day... Or maybe not... O_O

Nun has history more established then the others but over time, you will see the others create EMPIRES and start political/religious movements.

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Re: Black Sands Origins [Scifi/Mythology/History] (Multimedi

#7 Post by Mad Harlequin »

godman85 wrote:I normally didn't update this much because no one cared lol. Now that I have enough content to show my vision, hopefully people will give me a chance.
In order for others to give you a chance, you have to give yourself a chance by providing updates with some substance. Don't neglect updates because it seems like nobody's watching. (Your IndieDB page has much more to offer than this thread.)

That being said, I am quite interested in this and do want to see more, so I'm glad to see progress.

Questions/comments:

Tribal civilizations are neither primitive nor savage, but do Nun's people believe they are? Is that why this story starts?

Secondly, regarding the claim that "there are no stereotypes in this epic about ancient gods and empire building," which stereotypes do you mean? Are we talking about racial or ethnic stereotypes or storytelling tropes? If it's the latter, there's at least one already in play.
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Re: Black Sands Origins [Scifi/Mythology/History] (Multimedi

#8 Post by godman85 »

We go more into that in the story. The reason why he saw savages is because his home system is 3000 lightyears away. Thus, when they looked upon Earth, they saw it 3000 years in the past. That + the fact they only mastered speed of light travel meant Nun waited another 3000 years to arrive.

So from what they saw 6000 years ago to what Nun saw on the ground was VERY different. It totally changed the scope of the mission but his species are not easily swayed from their objectives in life. His mission was assigned to humans as they were in 11,000 BCE but his situation was in 5,000 BCE.


So the TLDR version is "They made their decision to help the savage humans but underestimated their growth rate and didn't calculate for the distance in which they observed humans."


Nun's species is not scientifically advanced. They are evolutionary advanced.

Oh and with stereotypes, people go against their nature a lot.

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Re: Black Sands Origins [Scifi/Mythology/History] (Multimedi

#9 Post by godman85 »

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new CG updates expected later this week. here is a preview.

In the meantime. Here is an interview with the developer.

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO CREATE BLACK SANDS?
I have long been the center of every conversation regarding history and mythology. Since I was a young boy my obsession with mythology has always been overbearing. I watch for years Hollywood butcher myth after myth trying to put a modern spin on things without making much sense at all. This is why I started writing Black Sands.

I developed my story the last three years. First I wrote of Horus but decided I should start chronologically with Rah, the Dark Pharaoh. There were many holes and similarities shared in ancient mythologies that I thought needed to be addressed and Black Sands is how I decided to do it.

WHY CHOOSE TO MAKE IT A VISUAL NOVEL?

I am a big believer in character development. Budget constraints and unpopular ideas make visual novels a more appealing median. It’s hard to pitch “Black and Middle Eastern ethnic gods create empires which to this day, shape our world.”

Hollywood always wants to recreate your story to their likings and I would not allow it. With the Visual Novel genre I have freedom to fully develop the characters and make villains heroes in the right situation. Take for instance the main character of this saga Rah. He is an alien hybrid who resembles a light skinned man with an obsession for Onyx that fights with absolute brutality and suffers from dementia. Good luck fleshing that out in another median.

WHAT MAKES BLACK SANDS UNIQUE COMPARED TO OTHER VNs?
To not sound too cliché, it is basically like game of thrones. The Origins chapter allows players to connect with the major characters in the world before they attempt to conquer it but once they leave the rift, there are many event going on around the world that are told in the story at the same time. Much like in a game of thrones episode, we jump from place to place to watch characters do their own thing.

Additionally, we use q specific set of rules that govern our world so we can make as much sense as possible while incorporating the many and various mythologies of the third millennium BCE.
• A God (Alien) must not kill humans directly.
• A God must never lay with a human.
• A Fallen God must never interfere with the living world.

How we enforce these laws is fun. First, if an ancient god (pure blood aliens) kills a human directly, they lose some of their power. Ancients are immortal but are also elementals so they rely heavily on their reserve power. Hybrids are not as fortunate. They were created with the intention of defeating the Ancients while building empires for humanity. So if they directly kill humans, their lives are literally shortened. Since hybrids are more human than alien, they are mortal.

The second rule is not necessarily enforced, but it is a cautionary rule. The Titans broke this law and created Nephilim. The Nephilim we know of re the giants in Canaan. They raped and enslaved all the women in Canaan while killing every man they could find. This all happened because of foolish desires.

The third rule applies to hybrid gods. They are mortal but when they die, they do not go to dust. Instead, their soul stays as a guardian spirit. These guardians are forbidden to interfere with the mortal world but can still interact with other hybrids as advisors or protectors.

There are also 6 major species in the world.
• Ancients – Aliens that share the same extreme power and longevity that Nun the watcher has.
• Humans – Tribal societies scattered across the earth with organizational skills uncommon in alien culture.
• Nephilim – Human/Ancient hybrids with incredible power and human like reproduction qualities.
• Alien Beasts – Creatures that roam the alien home planet but are recreated here by the ancients.
• Beasts –Earth formed animals that are commonly found here but can have useful talents.
• Hybrids – Mortal gods that create empires and lead the forces of man against the tyranny of the Ancients.

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Re: Black Sands Origins [Scifi/Mythology/History] (Update 7/

#10 Post by godman85 »

updated

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Re: Black Sands Origins [Scifi/Mythology/History] (Update 7/

#11 Post by Harliqueen »

Great interview, it's nice to read the developers thoughts behind a project, and this project sounds really exciting! Can't wait to learn more about it :)
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Re: Black Sands Origins [Scifi/Mythology/History] (Update 7/

#12 Post by godman85 »

Harliqueen wrote:Great interview, it's nice to read the developers thoughts behind a project, and this project sounds really exciting! Can't wait to learn more about it :)
well you just made my day. Thank you very much.

BTW we have been in the top 10 for slideDB on a consistent basis. Seems the demand for this game on IOS/Droid is strong.

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Re: Black Sands Origins [Scifi/Mythology/History] (Update 7/

#13 Post by godman85 »

ffffff
Last edited by godman85 on Mon Nov 09, 2015 6:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Black Sands Origins [Scifi/Mythology/History] (New CGs)

#14 Post by godman85 »

KS and Greenlight campaigns will be live October 19th.

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Re: Black Sands [Scifi/Mythology] (Official Trailer) KS comi

#15 Post by godman85 »

all characters are being updated

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