Mass Effect: Horizon
Synopsis: Blair Hodges is a human engineer who has recently been hired as a shuttle mechanic by Administrator Lorik Qu'inn of the Noveria Development Corp. She is stationed at Port Hanshan under the authority of head mechanic Lilihierax, where the pair struggles to avoid the pitfalls of local politics. When a routine service call to Peak 19 goes awry, they discover just how many secrets the Noveria corporations keep...
Motivation: Many female players were disappointed by the lack of a romance option for the turian character Garrus in Bioware's sci-fi epic Mass Effect, and I, personally, was disappointed by certain male-centric aspects of the game. After thinking on it for awhile, I resolved to make a little mini-game where a turian character is romancable, and one where females are the intended audience. At a later time, I may support a play-though from Li's perspective, but for the first release, only Blair's side of the story will be playable.
I was already familiar with the Ren'py engine from earlier, less ambitious projects, and after seeing Mass Effect: Galaxy for the iPhone, I decided I no longer had an excuse to not make this game. I can do the art, I can do the programming, and I have the story. Now, it's just a matter of time and support. I will update this thread with info and art as it becomes available.
What I hope to accomplish with this game:
- Branching dialog that allows for multiple player-types and play styles
Three unique endings based on player choices
Two hours minimum of gameplay
Persistent data for potential future installments
An "unlockable" special scene gallery
Blair Hodges - Human - Player Character
As a child, Blair was heavily influenced by her father, an ex-pilot for the Systems Alliance. As a result, she values discipline, personal responsibility, respect, and preparedness, but despite her interest in her father's former life, her more sensitive personality made her steer away from the life of a soldier.
She discovered her mechanical aptitude early in life, beginning work on ATVs and moving up to the internal workings of Alliance cruisers. After high school, Blair enrolled in an intensive four-year program to study aerospace engineering. Her bright future came to a sudden, tragic halt when, during a vacation to celebrate her graduation, she and her father were involved in a shuttle collision. The accident left Blair's father dead and herself badly injured.
After being rushed to the hospital, Blair's mangled left arm had to be amputated, leaving her reliant upon a poor prosthetic. Devastated and dissatisfied with her synthetic substitute, she switched the focus of her studies from aerospace to robotics, with the intention of designing a more useful replacement. After investing a lot of time and most of her savings into the project, she finally devised a detachable prosthetic housing an on-board omni-tool. Equipped with this new technology and her regained sense of independence, she took her first real job as a shuttle mechanic on the industrial world of Noveria; hoping to repair her flagging finances and catch the eyes of the planet's higher-ups in the process.
"I've had ficus with better personalities." (to Daxis)
"It's not a Swiss army knife you know..."
- Blair comes to Noveria broke and bemused but determined to get on with her life. Her success - or failure - is in the player's hands.
Lilihierax - Turian - Major NPC
Lilihierax, or "Li" as he is better known, is the head mechanic of Port Hanshan's transport garage - and Blair's new boss. Like most turians, he is a reliable, honest worker, and his innate sense of order makes him good at his job. As a long time resident, Li knows the ins and outs of Noveria's corporate communities and is always up-to-date on important happenings. Ever since the melt-down of research Peak 15 however, things have been fairly quiet in the spaceport, leaving him without much to distract him from his day-to-day duties.
"Sometimes I talk slow, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid." (to Blair)
"Complain? And where will that get me?"
- Li's job isn't as fulfilling as it used to be, and Port Hanshan's political intrigue is getting predictable. He's looking for something (or someone) to come along and make life interesting again.
Daxis - Salarian - Major NPC
A perennial grouch with quick tongue, Daxis sees the worst in everybody except himself. When he isn't busy complaining about the weather, his coworkers, or his short life-span, he can be found logging shipments in Port Hanshan's customs department. Despite his generally abrasive attitude, his fellow salarians treat him with great difference - something that seems to go unnoticed by other citizens who prefer to write him off as a common curmudgeon.
"Had a bad doughnut did you, big boy?" (to Li)
"Sh*t is going to hit the fan and it will not be evenly distributed!"
- Daxis is surrounded by morons. He’s tired of fixing other people’s problems when they can fix it themselves.
Concept/Preliminary Art:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/ ... odies1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/vnk/space1.jpg
WIP Screenshots:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/vnk/screen1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/vnk/screen2.jpg
Sounds good to me ! Can't wait playing this.
I have Mass Effect 2 pre-ordered. 
