GentlemanHal made a good point about needing to find a reason for people to stay in the town, rather than some contrived "bridges blocked, tunnel collapsed, giant fissure around town (I'm looking at you, Silent Hill)" reason
I personally think that that meshes perfectly with the gangster/looting angle.
The criminals haven't recieved word from their people inside the city, and are starting to worry about a drug deal.
They go into the city, whatever enemy/paranormal thing is happening in the city menaces them a bit, but they manage to make it to the druglords den. Surprise surprise, everyones dead.
Things are really starting to go to hell now, they start to think that maybe they should just get out.
But, with all the chaos, one of them suggests it would be the perfect time to pull a huge heist.
So: They have a reason to go in, a reason to stay, interesting histories, and are proficient with guns.
Of course, I don't know what kind of thing has gone wrong with the city, or if you want the protagonists to be motivated justly or by greed, so I could be way off the mark with this one.
Stuck On what kind of character to use for horror game
Author
Well from what I seen in this posts, we have sone good choices for characters and why they would be going into the city and all. Or what could of happened. I just wished most of you was near me, so that way we all could work together on this thing as a team project. I would actually share the profits if I knew you was all closer. That is providing if the game got out. But I do see tons of good material I can possibly use. I just wanna make the best possible horror game for people to play.
I think the main idea in a horror game is that you're scared; you need to feel outnumbered, weaker than the things you're fighting, and so on. A SEAL team, or SWAT leader are pretty well trained. A zombie might scare them at first sight, but they won't soon start turning desperate. Cops are less trained, but, as said, pretty cliché overall.
A regular civilian would be a good idea. Look at Half-life, where you're playing a regular scientist who miraculously appears to be able to kick ass. Nobody ever questions the plausibility of that, and it makes the beginning much, much more interesting. You're no killing machine out to kill. The killing is merely incidental.
Looking for his/her family doesn't stand out as being especially original either, but you need a good drive. I'm inclined towards a mystery to be found out; A person they meet somewhere and somehow keeps showing up in the city? Something less cliché than losing your family, but still giving an emotional drive to the character. Revenge is always a good one too, but taking revenge on horrorgame-evils (usually the zombies) is just silly... Unless the enemies/bosses of the enemies are still sane, of course.
A regular civilian would be a good idea. Look at Half-life, where you're playing a regular scientist who miraculously appears to be able to kick ass. Nobody ever questions the plausibility of that, and it makes the beginning much, much more interesting. You're no killing machine out to kill. The killing is merely incidental.
Looking for his/her family doesn't stand out as being especially original either, but you need a good drive. I'm inclined towards a mystery to be found out; A person they meet somewhere and somehow keeps showing up in the city? Something less cliché than losing your family, but still giving an emotional drive to the character. Revenge is always a good one too, but taking revenge on horrorgame-evils (usually the zombies) is just silly... Unless the enemies/bosses of the enemies are still sane, of course.
Hi,
The whole gang idea seems to be getting quite a following and I have to say I think it's a pretty neat idea too.
CIJollys idea gives a really nice overview to all the major problems (why go, why stay, etc) and could allow nicely for hexgears idea of two 'opposite' protagonists.
Which could go as follows:
The gang go to city and managed to get to there den. At this stage some wacky shit has happened but nothing so scary as to not make them think sticking around is a good idea.
Perhaps some of the other gang members could still be alive to 'help' with the heist. (You always need NPC's to eviscerate in cut scenes! right?! :P)
So they get to the bank or where ever the heist is to be and *BAM* stuff really starts to go wrong! Maybe a huge powerful monster turns up. (boss fight anyone? :D)
During the fight (bye bye NPC's ;)) the only way the monster can be killed in the end is by the protagonists teaming up with the police or maybe a rival gang.
You now have your opposite main characters who are forced to work together to survive.
This would allow for a nice dynamic, maybe the police person who teamed up with gang member has orders to find out what is going on. The gang member just wants to get out alive but knows he must stick with police person to survive. This would give you a nice way to explain the plot to the player also (because, well how many gang members would care WHY it was happening? They wouldnt, but yet most players would.)
- Chris
The whole gang idea seems to be getting quite a following and I have to say I think it's a pretty neat idea too.
CIJollys idea gives a really nice overview to all the major problems (why go, why stay, etc) and could allow nicely for hexgears idea of two 'opposite' protagonists.
Which could go as follows:
The gang go to city and managed to get to there den. At this stage some wacky shit has happened but nothing so scary as to not make them think sticking around is a good idea.
Perhaps some of the other gang members could still be alive to 'help' with the heist. (You always need NPC's to eviscerate in cut scenes! right?! :P)
So they get to the bank or where ever the heist is to be and *BAM* stuff really starts to go wrong! Maybe a huge powerful monster turns up. (boss fight anyone? :D)
During the fight (bye bye NPC's ;)) the only way the monster can be killed in the end is by the protagonists teaming up with the police or maybe a rival gang.
You now have your opposite main characters who are forced to work together to survive.
This would allow for a nice dynamic, maybe the police person who teamed up with gang member has orders to find out what is going on. The gang member just wants to get out alive but knows he must stick with police person to survive. This would give you a nice way to explain the plot to the player also (because, well how many gang members would care WHY it was happening? They wouldnt, but yet most players would.)
- Chris
The reason I suggested so-called "bad guys" is simple: ordinary people are boring, frightened and extremely unlikely to act heroically in a dangerous situation - they are, in short, luke-warm.
Officials such as police/special forces are on one end of the spectrum, but their responses to certain situations are limited. If for instance the removal of a human was neccasary, they are constrained by their very nature.
Members of the underworld have no such weaknesses. They can be colourful characters with children and families - in short, you can have bad people which the player will still form an emotional bond with.
You also open up a whole range of interesting story concepts: The gang might break out of prison during the event or they might actually be in the process of robbing a bank, and survive the initial holocaust by locking themselves in the vault. They emerge into a scene from hell, and spend the game attempting to escape with the money, running into (and uneasily teaming up with) police, and eventually special forces along the way... surely that is more exciting than the cliched "citizens rescuing loved ones" or "police finding out what has transpired"?
Only my 2 cents.
Officials such as police/special forces are on one end of the spectrum, but their responses to certain situations are limited. If for instance the removal of a human was neccasary, they are constrained by their very nature.
Members of the underworld have no such weaknesses. They can be colourful characters with children and families - in short, you can have bad people which the player will still form an emotional bond with.
You also open up a whole range of interesting story concepts: The gang might break out of prison during the event or they might actually be in the process of robbing a bank, and survive the initial holocaust by locking themselves in the vault. They emerge into a scene from hell, and spend the game attempting to escape with the money, running into (and uneasily teaming up with) police, and eventually special forces along the way... surely that is more exciting than the cliched "citizens rescuing loved ones" or "police finding out what has transpired"?
Only my 2 cents.
Author
Well from all the things I have read there are several people that I can choose and for several reasons.
Like another poster said Using Police Officers, Swat, Military Soldiers, and FBI agents would know how to handle dangerous situations like this, so I am thinking about not using them.
Then GentlemanHal mentioned some thing about using regular people who are not used to dealing with these dangerous situations. Which is he right. So now I have to figure out who I want to use.
Using drug dealers and gangsters are a good idea but not what I want for this game. I will change some things about this game project but not every thing, UNLESS it happens to fit the area I need. But I am very willing to change my story plot and Story line. I am even thinking a major re-write of most things in this game.
And several of you are right about the city.
What's so important in the city
Why does the this particular city need to be contacted
Who cares about this city
and a few others that was asked
The people who made their comments about the city have hit a very serious question. And this makes re-writing this game alot easier because of the ideas submitted here at this forum.
Getting back to the characters, I think they should be regular people. In fact I am quite sure I am going to do it. But I want to use some one that the people can relate to or likes.
In the end I just want to make the best possible survival horror game that I can. And give the players some thing new or at least interesting to deal with.
With all the choices submitted here, I will end up using some of them. I just don't know until I get to that point. Which I will be dealing with today.
I should make a list up of all that people mentioned here. So that way I can be fair about this. I know that most of you wont have your feelings hurt by me not using your ideas. But I just wanted every one to know I will try to consider all the people that has been suggested here. And I do thank all of you for your posts.
Like another poster said Using Police Officers, Swat, Military Soldiers, and FBI agents would know how to handle dangerous situations like this, so I am thinking about not using them.
Then GentlemanHal mentioned some thing about using regular people who are not used to dealing with these dangerous situations. Which is he right. So now I have to figure out who I want to use.
Using drug dealers and gangsters are a good idea but not what I want for this game. I will change some things about this game project but not every thing, UNLESS it happens to fit the area I need. But I am very willing to change my story plot and Story line. I am even thinking a major re-write of most things in this game.
And several of you are right about the city.
What's so important in the city
Why does the this particular city need to be contacted
Who cares about this city
and a few others that was asked
The people who made their comments about the city have hit a very serious question. And this makes re-writing this game alot easier because of the ideas submitted here at this forum.
Getting back to the characters, I think they should be regular people. In fact I am quite sure I am going to do it. But I want to use some one that the people can relate to or likes.
In the end I just want to make the best possible survival horror game that I can. And give the players some thing new or at least interesting to deal with.
With all the choices submitted here, I will end up using some of them. I just don't know until I get to that point. Which I will be dealing with today.
I should make a list up of all that people mentioned here. So that way I can be fair about this. I know that most of you wont have your feelings hurt by me not using your ideas. But I just wanted every one to know I will try to consider all the people that has been suggested here. And I do thank all of you for your posts.
Author
FBMACHINE I am using your suggestion about the regular people for the main characters. And to the guy who suggested I use ancient ruins, I am using that idea too...They have given me more inspiration... Thank you all for your ideas and suggestions...
I've often thought a Firefighter being the only human still, well, human left in a city would be cool. All other people have been turned into somesort of undead zombie like being, and the only way to actually kill them is to burn them! The joys of stupid irony.
and when I say burn, I mean every last bit of bone is well charred before whatever is in them that makes them the undead dies. Shooting them just puts holes in them, weakening them a little. Zombie with is gut blown out can't lift as much, shoot thier shoulder apart and you get an arm draging itself across the floor trying to climb up and get your throat.
Globs of flesh will wiggle/roll/flop their way, trying to trip/make you slip, or get in your throat to make you choke.
and when I say burn, I mean every last bit of bone is well charred before whatever is in them that makes them the undead dies. Shooting them just puts holes in them, weakening them a little. Zombie with is gut blown out can't lift as much, shoot thier shoulder apart and you get an arm draging itself across the floor trying to climb up and get your throat.
Globs of flesh will wiggle/roll/flop their way, trying to trip/make you slip, or get in your throat to make you choke.
Not sure if this was said already, but you could go with 2 Marines, and maybe one of them is turned into a zombie and uses his military knowledge to "train" the zombies..
*Edit* maybe the Marines could be fresh out of boot camp and havent seen any "actual" fighting**
just my two cents
~kyokai
[Edited by - kyokai on June 23, 2006 9:01:17 PM]
*Edit* maybe the Marines could be fresh out of boot camp and havent seen any "actual" fighting**
just my two cents
~kyokai
[Edited by - kyokai on June 23, 2006 9:01:17 PM]
Yeah, some good ideas in here.
Im a fan of the "bad guys are actually good guys too" theme, where you have characters who most people would look at and judge to be bad people, but after going through a series of trials, their 'inner-good' shines through. Shows the world isnt black and white... I actually like the opposite theme better, like the 'hero-cop' who turns out to be a drug user or a serial killer or a child rapist...
Im a fan of the "bad guys are actually good guys too" theme, where you have characters who most people would look at and judge to be bad people, but after going through a series of trials, their 'inner-good' shines through. Shows the world isnt black and white... I actually like the opposite theme better, like the 'hero-cop' who turns out to be a drug user or a serial killer or a child rapist...
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