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Acorn Arcade forums: Games: It's No Game
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It's No Game |
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VincceH (09:55 21/4/2009)
Phlamethrower (10:15 21/4/2009)
filecore (12:16 21/4/2009)
Phlamethrower (12:33 21/4/2009)
VincceH (15:51 21/4/2009)
VincceH (13:45 23/4/2009)
VincceH (15:31 5/5/2009)
VincceH (20:51 5/5/2009)
VincceH (23:14 7/5/2009)
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VinceH |
Message #109849, posted by VincceH at 09:55, 21/4/2009 |
 Lowering the tone since the dawn of time
Posts: 1600
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Now that Ashes to Ashes is back on our screens for its second season, I've decided it's time to start thinking about what comes after Quicksand.
Way back when, I considered the title 'Fashion' as a contender, being a single word/short title on Scary Monsters (same album as Ashes to Ashes) - but I've now decided on It's No Game (to the extent that this morning I emailed my appname reservation).
Before embarking on selecting photographs, drawing a map, etc, I need to think about a setting (in turn leading to a plot). In keeping with the Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes tv shows, it would be nice if the character in It's no Game is aware of the character in Quicksand, and what happened to him, and thus recognise the situation she is now in. (It'll be a female character).
One problem with this is that in the setting moved from Manchester in Life on Mars, to London in Ashes to Ashes; it's the characters that Alex Drake recognised - but in Quicksand, there was only one character: the little boy who had lost his ball. Not enough. I therefore considered that I could keep her in Tyler Wood, which then means I have a map already drawn - but that means anyone who's played Quicksand already knows their way around.
Perhaps, therefore, there can be references to Tyler Wood early in It's No Game. Maybe a painting of a view of the area; there was one in that game. That kind of thing.
The possible character name has given me a couple of ideas. In Quicksand, it was Stan Tyler (vs Sam Tyler in Life on Mars); so I'm thinking Alice Drake (vs Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes).
Alice?
Some kind of Wonderland? Blunderland?
I think my picture of a dog seemingly operating a remote control and watching TV would work in such a place.
I also considered Sunderland, but I know nothing about the place so that's off the cards. (As well as having no suitable photos, and the problem of it being full of people. People would have to be interactive characters - one or two is one thing, but not that many!)
Also, an item on my local news (well traffic report) this morning gave me an idea for one random character: a man sitting out in the middle of nowhere writing down numbers at random on a piece of paper.
Anyway. More I will be thinking more thoughts while working on less interesting things during the coming days.
Ideas are also welcome, obviously.
[Edited by VincceH at 09:58, 21/4/2009] |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #109850, posted by Phlamethrower at 10:15, 21/4/2009, in reply to message #109849 |
 Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot stuff
Posts: 15100
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Ideas are also welcome, obviously. Maybe she can be a cylon but she doesn't know it. Or she can be stuck on a desert island with a time-traveling plane wreck. Or maybe she can have super powers and is being hunted by some guy named after a watch. Or maybe she can see dead people/is dead. Or maybe she's an evil terrorist working as a mole inside CTU.
The possibilities for ripping off ideas from modern TV series/films are endless! |
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Jason Togneri |
Message #109851, posted by filecore at 12:16, 21/4/2009, in reply to message #109850 |
Posts: 3867
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Or she can be stuck on a desert island with a time-traveling plane wreck. Oh, is that the plot of Lost? The first season was good, the second was boring, and I gave up after that. Trailers and snippets that have passed me by haven't made much sense. |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #109852, posted by Phlamethrower at 12:33, 21/4/2009, in reply to message #109851 |
Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot stuff
Posts: 15100
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Or she can be stuck on a desert island with a time-traveling plane wreck. Oh, is that the plot of Lost?
I think that's the gist of it, yes. But I never bothered watching it. The introduction of time travel has only reinforced my belief that it's complete nonsense. |
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VinceH |
Message #109853, posted by VincceH at 15:51, 21/4/2009, in reply to message #109850 |
Lowering the tone since the dawn of time
Posts: 1600
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Quite. Except that I intend it to be fairly simple, like Quicksand.
I've decided to plump for a fairly obvious approach: Alice will start off standing next to a big locked gate, with a sign reading "Tyler Woods" - the woods in which Stan Tyler found himself in Quicksand will be beyond that gate.
She'll have known Stan, and known about the strange game world in which he found himself, looking like a 70s throwback - so finding herself looking like a new romantic (looking for the tv sound), and by a gate referencing the place Stan found himself, that'll give her a clue and an objective; to get through that gate, thinking that perhaps she can find her way 'home' the same way he did. |
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VinceH |
Message #109869, posted by VincceH at 13:45, 23/4/2009, in reply to message #109853 |
Lowering the tone since the dawn of time
Posts: 1600
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I've had the appname reservation approved, so that's good.
Opening blurby type stuff:
You are Alice Drake. You [had an accident], and when you woke up you found yourself standing by some huge metal gates, held closed with a big rusty chain and padlock, and on which is a sign which reads "Tyler Woods". You don't even know where this place is, though you do recognise the name. "That's weird" you think - if you were knocked out in the accident, you'd expect to wake up where it happened, or perhaps in hospital - not somewhere else entirely, somewhere you don't recognise.
The weirdest thing is that although you're standing by these huge gates, it actually feels as though you aren't; it's almost as though your situation is being described, and the gates themselves seem more like a photograph to accompany that description!
Then you remember the story of Stan Tyler. When he fell from a tree and knocked himself out a couple of years ago, he woke up to find himself seemingly in an adventure game in 1973, in a place called - and yes, it's from his story that you recognise the name! - Tyler Woods. You look down at yourself to see what you're wearing: You're dressed like some kind of new romantic; it's probably some time in the early 1980s. You dread to imagine how much makeup and hairspray you're wearing!
Looking up at the gates again, you remember that Stan 'escaped' this world by finding a lost ball, and leaving the woods in a small boat - you wonder if perhaps you must do the same, although first you'll have to get inside those gates. The real objective will be something different, but the exit will be in Tyler Woods - although a different exit than before. This means that a whole section of map is already done; I can use the locations and photographs from before for when the player gets her there, changing only what's to be found and used as necessary.
[Edited by VincceH at 13:48, 23/4/2009] |
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VinceH |
Message #109963, posted by VincceH at 15:31, 5/5/2009, in reply to message #109869 |
Lowering the tone since the dawn of time
Posts: 1600
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That opening location means I need to take a photograph of a suitably big gate, padlocked closed (or any kind of lock and I'll modify the description), with what looks like - or can be made to look like - woodland behind it. I think I know somewhere I can take such a picture. I just have to go there when the place is closed and look suspicious. (And hope I'm not wrong about it being locked.)
I also have in mind another location, for this I need to find some kind of temporary site building, and there should be a way to get under (from both in front and behind). I need three pictures at least of that - one from in front, one from behind, and one from underneath.
So, again, when I find a suitable building, I shall probably end up looking a bit suspicious.
Or at least a bit strange.  |
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VinceH |
Message #109968, posted by VincceH at 20:51, 5/5/2009, in reply to message #109963 |
Lowering the tone since the dawn of time
Posts: 1600
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That opening location means I need to take a photograph of a suitably big gate, padlocked closed (or any kind of lock and I'll modify the description), with what looks like - or can be made to look like - woodland behind it. I think I know somewhere I can take such a picture. I just have to go there when the place is closed and look suspicious. (And hope I'm not wrong about it being locked.) I had to get petrol, and it's not much further than the filling station, so I thought I'd carry on in that direction to take the picture. When I got there, I was pleased to discover that it was indeed locked! Yay! However...
Firstly, I realised that the gate isn't actually as big as I thought it was - but it might be possible to get around that by just taking a close up of the lock, and not make the true size obvious. Secondly, I also realised that in spite of deliberately thinking "I'm going to get petrol, then pop up to my possible gate to take this picture..." I completely forgot to take my camera with me. Oops.
So I took a couple of quick test shots with my phone - if nothing else, I can use them temporarily until I take better ones.
I also spotted another contender about a hundred yards away on the other side of the road; a high chain link fence and gates, locked - almost perfect. Almost, because immediately to the right of the main gates is a small gate that isn't there. However, that missing gate meant I could also take a picture from the other side of the fence - so more test shots with the phone.
I think this latter gate might prove the better choice when I go that way again - and remember to take the camera with me.
Also, while driving back I decided that I'm going to put in an appearance in this game. |
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VinceH |
Message #110016, posted by VincceH at 23:14, 7/5/2009, in reply to message #109850 |
Lowering the tone since the dawn of time
Posts: 1600
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Or she can be stuck on a desert island with a time-traveling plane wreck. I've decided - subject to being able to take suitable pictures - that there are a couple of elements from Lost that will be included.
There will be one idea lifted from (and spoofing, really) Doctor Who, as well. (I already have a suitable photograph for that). Although, arguably, I'd be ripping off a spoof of Doctor Who from another source. |
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