The protagonist is in the beginning a normal high schooler who gets steamrolled by the events unfolding and a severe backstabbing that takes place during the beginning of the game.
As the story unfolds he finds out that he got changed somehow and needs to find out what is happening to him, to the city and needs to try to help those he holds dear (or destroy them).
The game itself has a heavy story focus and also a heavy rpg focus. This means that you have to make many decisions with some of them being even a loss/loss decision in reality.
Additionally this means that your stats factor heavily into what decisions you can make AND how successfull you are with your decisions. As an example:
You are in a dark alley when a few gang members approach you and demand money. Now you can pay them out, or try to intimidate them (which would be a roll based on your stats) or try
to lie to them that you are a member of their gang in reality and a friend of their boss (which would be a roll based on a different stat) or you could try to fight them (which triggers a round based
combat). What is also is, that your decisions and when you make them have consequences. For example if you do something very nasty it could end up bringing your allies to attack you or to run away.
At least if you don't have their FULL and utter trust (even though that trust could waver there).
The game will focus horror quite heavily (not only splatter horror like most zombie games, or jump scare horror, but also good old subtle horror). But there is still some place for fun, jokes
and even romance in the game. For romances I have at least 2 romance options in mind which will probably increase while writing down the story into the game.
Game specs
*Genre: Zombie apocalypse horror with romance elements
*Type: Text novel with heavy RPG elements and meaningful decisions. Combat is round based.
*Medium: TEXT mostly. Graphical elements are the GUI and maps and (to be made) buttons for decisions.
*Warnings: Blood and gore will be present as are brutality and backstabbings and canibalism so be warned.
What do I look for
I'm currently looking for at least one alpha tester for the game so that I get some measure of how good/bad the story is evolving,... and also what needs to be changed and what is good.
Requirements:
*Age: 18+ (no planed explicit content but some scenes are according to rating agentures 18+ though).
*Ability to give honest feedback both postive and negative (negative feedback also helps if appropriate).
Nice to have (so that communication is faster than pming in here):
*Skype as communication medium (text) or IRC chat
*At least time and again online (example at weekends) between 10 am and 4pm new york time (4pm and 10 pm GMT+1).
What would you have to do:
*Try the game out
*Report all bugs and errors
*Tell me what you think of the storyline, the writing and how things are handled and even the GUI itself how you like it, what you don't like there, ... .
*Textings should be done about every week (trying to get a new update out about every week with between 600 to a few thousand words each).
As info: Some texts will have already gone through the editor I hired, some probably not when I give out demos (will note it though which texts have not gone through an editor already when I give
out the demo).
Behind the scenes
As a few may know I put my main project on hold due to the main artist needing a break/dropping out (till August I should know more):
viewtopic.php?f=43&t=31644
Because of this I started this text only side project set in the same universe playing in the same city the other project starts in.
And to avoid artistic problems: Text only this time around.
The characters themselves in this game are side characters at max. mentioned in the other game while the ones from the other game are making
cameo appearances at least in this one.
About me and my gmes
I'm a programmer jobwise and a long time RPG game master in different systems. The last decade though I played mostly world of darkness RPGs (vampire requiem to vampire redemption, werewolf, demon, ...).
Thus I'm used to using non splatter horror as a story element. But I also was the GM in All Flesh Must Be Eaten games and thus also have experience with splatter genres. All games I ran so far though
have in common that they were heavily story focused and thus I'm more a story teller than a rpg player.
Additionally I'm sort of a perfectionist, trying to create stories that work and are logical. Thus no "You round the corner and there are 2 ogres standing in the center of the room" because it's funny.
Instead "You round the corner and see that the wall on the far side of the room is collapsed leaving a nice view of the outside. Still though there are many bones littering the ground and a crude fire place
is in the middle of it. From the patches of fur that look like clothes and the human bones on the ground it looks like this place could be used as a hideout for Ogres. Probably confusing the house for a natural cave. In the distance of the nearby forest you hear the sounds of heavy footfalls that draw near and a gutural voice singing a strange tune". With that we would have at least SOME logic rason as to WHY the ogres would be in a manson (although still not a very good one
). That aside I'm always trying to put the same principles I'm using when I gm into stories of games I'm doing. Thus the environment acts logically and characters stay IC instead of doing things that make
no sense at all (even though it can be that the sense behind things gets explained later on only......or not at all depending if the player finds the clues or not). And also: The decisions that the protagonists make have consequences. Both good and bad. They can make the game easier or harder and have effects on how the story itself unfolds.
Also this means despite RPG elements being there for my computer games: No grinding in that sense. I hate it in computer games when I have to grind for days to just continue 1 scene further.
Instead I like to give out XP for completing scenes. Grinding one CAN do, and it CAN make things easier, but its not a must in my games.
If anyone has questions or is interested....as usual pot here or send me a pm. tnx
