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EdvardMunch
02-14-2004, 3:02 PM
PROJECT: UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Logline: In this ripoff of the classic writing game, we begin with the first level of a campaign, and then have the next person in line write and create the next level. Thus, as each map maker adds to and reinterprets the plot, it evolves, and we have a series of very unique levels made by very different people.

Participants: (in first come, first serve order)

1. EdvardMunch
2. Geno (skipped turn this round)
3. Doom Dragoon
4. Dark_Soul74
5. UED77
6. ZeroDarkStar

(If I screwed up your place or left you off, tell me today! Or yesterday, whichever is easiest for you.)

The campaign so far:
Mission 1 - Whirlpool (http://blizzscums.kupatrix.com/maps/uploads/UncertainFuture01v2.zip) (Blizzscums only)

The story so far: (spoiler alert!)
Mission 1 - Whirlpool

We begin with Galiverac, a Protoss officer who is leading two groups on an attack on a small Zerg expansion. The Protoss forces have beaten their cerebrate back to a single island. If they take this expansion, they will be within perfect striking distance to finish the cerebrate off. However, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, so says a famous optimist.

First, contact is lost with the main base, then one of the groups are destroyed by Zerg forces. Three survivors make it through the onslaught, only for us to lose contact with them.

Galiverac's group, who is relatively unharmed, loses contact with the survivors. They trek through the desert, discovering the once empty countryside is now overrun with Zerg structures which appear to have been built impossibly fast...

Upon arriving back at the remains of their base, Galiverac assumes control and he radios for help. During the process, the satellite reports that the three Protoss survivors are still alive, but their DNA has a small percentage of Zerg in them, which could only happen if they were being infested.

The distress signal is picked up by two Terran generals, Marcia Denunci and Adam Nils, who just came from a rather vicious battle in which Kerrigan destroyed the UED, Mengsk, and Protoss forces. They thought this would be a simple pick up, however Galiverac refuses to leave until his captured troops are saved from infestation. After an argument which results in a stalemate, Marcia offers Galiverac another option: To help her backstab Adam. She can convince Adam to help, but only if Galiverac promises to help her.

Galiverac agrees, without fully learning her reasons. He does learn that Adam, who is currently Marcia's second in command, is on his way to see Mengsk to be made into a full general.

The trio rescue Galiverac's captured troops, and when the moment comes to backstab Adam, Galiverac stops the plan. Galiverac lacks the proof to convince Adam of what is going on, and so can do nothing about Marcia. The three leave the planet, in a rather awkward state.

The cerebrate has profitted most from all of this. It managed to partially infest a zealot, just enough to be able to read its thoughts, but not control it. Nonetheless, this zealot will be an excellent spy, and a powerful weapon against Kerrigan.


Description: Going in order through the list of participants, each person will make one level and then a placeholder map for the next participant's mission. We'll need a specific file naming scheme, so here it is: "Uncertain Future ##".
Each mission does not have to be a straight sequel of the last mission, if you so wish, your mission may start up with an entirely new character and plot, but these two threads will have to be brought together at some point in the campaign.
Map making takes a while, so campaign levels can take as long as they need to get made. This is intended to be an "in your spare time" project.

Rules:

1. Seriousness and professionalism is a must! This project will be an utter failure if we regard it as something silly. Therefore, our names may not be prominently displayed as major characters or anything like that. They can be thrown in as Easter Eggs, worded such that the casual gamer would not notice them, but we would (like the 77th UED battalion for UED77. Poo_on _you, good luck finding a way to inconspicuously slide your name in).

2. No customs. It will just be too much of a headache for those of us who have no idea how to work with a patching program to incorporate the new units into the campaign. Of course, StarEdit hacks are fine, so long as any bozo with BW 1.10 can play the maps.

3. Preferably don't discuss the story, otherwise we might get a campaign that is coherent. The problem is that each map will lose its individual flavor and there won't be much surprise in playing a new map whose plot has already been discussed in the thread.

4. Map making teams are okay, lemme know who is working with who so I can update the list of humans. We'll have to discuss the specifics of teams, like if it's Mr. Book's turn, and he is working with Mr. Hand, does this mean Mr. Hand has forfeited his turn? On the one hand, (har har) Mr. Hand gave up his turn to do only half of the work, but on the other hand, if he still keeps his turn, he'll have probably had an impact on the story of two maps, which is unfair to those of us solitaires.

Since I've just established in the rules that I pretty much discourage all forms of discussion, I think this will be a pretty popular thread!


The map I uploaded is a beta, I'd appreciate if everyone would difficulty test and say what is too hard or easy. There really shouldn't be any sort of bugs whatsoever. As for the intro, I created a new one and it's about 2.5 minutes.

Also, what color do I use to make the text the same color as the background so everyone isn't spoiled by accidently reading the map recap?

Oh by the by, it's billed as a BlizzSCUMS production because we haven't yet officially decided on a name.

The older Uncertain Future can be canned.

Sorry for posting the new one in the general files category, oops.

Geno
02-14-2004, 4:56 PM
Hmmm... I am quite busy, and now I won't have time. I will bypass my turn. You may go ahead, DD. Sorry to do that, but with the musical, and the current project(s) I'm in with people, my big one being the map with ZDS, it's hard. Go ahead, and make some maps. If you come back to me, and I'm still busy, just drop me... Sorry! x.x

~Larry "Geno" Meyers

DJtwon
02-14-2004, 9:55 PM
Jeeeeez. That was a beast of a map. Playing that was like watching LOTR. I suck at starcraft so I played it with cheats and it still took about an hour. Crazy. It's way too hard for me, a nub.

However, I felt the story was amazing although, since I'm a fast reader, I wish the text would hurry the f**k up sometimes.

Awesome job, Edvard.

Doom_Dragoon
02-14-2004, 9:59 PM
Ah! Didn't know he skipped his turn. How long will you give me to start? I'm kinda gonna be working on MechRPG for a little while...

UED77
02-14-2004, 10:02 PM
Excellent, Edvard. I'm gonna play the map now. I promise.

So we're going for non-branching, right?

Also, I was wondering... perhaps someone could start an alternate plot and have the two meet in the final map (or next round)...

UED77

Geno
02-14-2004, 10:26 PM
Ah! Didn't know he skipped his turn. How long will you give me to start? I'm kinda gonna be working on MechRPG for a little while...

Although I'm only following this thread, DD, you should start and finish when you can. Not to be mean in any way, but Edvard took his time on his map... I think you can too ;) At least to make it good, anyways...

~Larry "Geno" Meyers

EdvardMunch
02-14-2004, 11:36 PM
Correct UED, this is not a branching system. I don't give the player much of a choice.

You can start whenever you want DD. You could probably wait 2 weeks to start and still have the thing done in half the time that I took.

Thank you very much DJ! You're the other name of CrashMonkey aren't you? I have a few questions to interrogate you (and anyone else who plays the map) with, if you don't mind:

1. Any bad dialogue/jokes that I should fix or scrap?
2. Where and how, specifically, was it too hard or easy? How could it be improved?
3. Did you find the way to the main? In the way I intended, you kill a spore colony and then have Galiverac walk past the long line of sunkens. He would enter via the upper left entrance to the base and is the only unit which can rescue the base.
4. Did I provide enough/too little or much money for you to rescue the probes?
5. Were the directions on what to do next clear? Come to think of it, I only made a quick referrence of where the captured Protoss troops are.
6. How should the text timing be adjusted?
7. Did you find the cerebrate's island well guarded so you don't try to do something smart and kill the rebrate? Alternatively, was it pretty well established for you to not even try?
8. Do you have any suggestions for obstacles to face Galiverac and co. while walking to the main?
9. Were there any bugs I missed? Anything which could have been polished?
10. Was the intro boring or entertaining? If you died soon after you finished watching it, how angry would you be that you had to watch it again?
11. Do the longer dialogue scenes (anything with the satellite, Galiverac and the Terrans' argument, Marcia and Galiverac's deal, etc.) need editing?
12. Was there anything which, for one reason or another, annoyed you or that you disliked?
13. Do you have anything else you wish to add?

These are some ideas I had for version 3, what do those who have played think of them?
- Instead of triggering up big attacks for when you are waiting for the Terrans to arrive, I would instead have a steady, continuous stream of Zerg attacking you, and it would slowly rise in intensity as the level goes on. On the one hand, it's something sorta different, but on the other, it isn't very realistic to how the Zerg attack.
- Split up the captured Protoss troops. Put 2 of them in the Zerg base in the upper left, put 1 in the Zerg base in the bottom middle right. As it stands, there is no reason for you to destroy that base at the bottom of the screen. This would give you one.