According to my awkward calculations the game is now 53.75% Complete. (The percentage being built up mostly on the engine completion not actual game play, actual game play accounts for 30% of overall completion and game play stands at 0% xD)
Anyway this post details some of the ideas I have for the new story mode. The original Thing game I tried my hardest to be like the original beta for the 2002 video game. But this time I get to put a lot of my own influence into the design and development of characters. I like having the back story from the 2002 video game to work from though it allows a lot of the main characters to already be set. Anyway enough rambling...
In The Thing II you do not play as Blake (although he is a squad member and main character in the conflict still). You play as a custom Captain character made by you with your own name and graphic selection (The character creation screen is a bit laggy at the moment, screen-shots soon to come...). Anyway this new character is you and you control your squad and will bare the consequences for your actions. Characters from the previous game play roles in the story too such as Captain Rogers, General Caruthers and even some of the survivors from Blakes Squad. Faraday and Whitley are mentioned here and there. I also have added a lot of my own characters to the main stories development.
Anyway here it is; Give me feedback or whatever just help me make it the best it can be. Making a game set in Antarctica is a real challenge in terms of location design but its real fun to work in the snowy secluded environment. Also the new film is awesome I don't care what people say Kate Lloyd is bad ass.
Intro
Blake Escapes on Plane
With the Death of Doctor Faraday and the Missing Dr Bashford; Gen Inc Board appoints the Japanese bio-scientist Dr Erika F. to be in charge of the Thing Project. She recruits Dr A. Black from England to be her assistant.
Gen Inc Detonate an EMP Bomb which causes Blake’s Plane to Crash
Blake does not return to Alaska base within his estimated time frame. General Caruthers and Captain Rogers begin to panic and scramble to assemble a recovery team
The US Government has no idea what the US Army is up to and Caruthers has full Intel on Gen Inc, The Thing research and assumes control of the US Antarctic Forces. He appoints General Makalov, former soviet General in World War 2 to assist him in the monitoring of Gen Inc when concerns arise over Faradays Failure as Gen Inc.
Custom Player Created Character is put in charge of the AART (Alaska Antarctic Rescue Team) and a new squad is assembled to recover Captain Blake and any other survivors (Note that the US Army is unaware of Gen Inc and their EMP).
The AART is tasked with retrieving Captain Blake under Captain Roger’s orders.
Gen Inc Hazmat troopers are deployed to the crashed aircraft that was carrying Captain J.F Blake. They get there before the AART and the body count is low. With the possibility of survivors Blake and his original rescue team and other survivors of the crash are to be exterminated at all costs.
The AART arrives at Antarctica and are greeted by General Makalov who is already in Antarctica picking up after Whitley (under Caruthers orders). General Makalov supports the AART and boosts their forces with a highly trained squad of his own. Makalovs squad have secret orders to eliminate Blake.
Chapter 1: Darkness
The team are dispatched to the last radio transmission of the Aircraft and find the wreckage and find one survivor. Private Sanchez of the US Army was one of the support soldiers aboard the aircraft. Sanchez reports that Blake and his squad have run off and gone rogue. Your squads’ orders are changed to capturing Captain J.F Blake.
This chapter sets the base for the story and contains a lays a lot of the key plots out. The player’s squad get stuck at an illegal mining outpost looking for Blake and encounter their first thing enemies. The chapter details the blood test mechanics & infection, explains about the effectiveness of fire and reveals a lot of characters true intentions.
At the end of this chapter the group finds the old AART Field Base which they take over. This base serves as a central HQ in the story and will be a place where you fight back against your foes. A sub-plot of the main story will involve building this base up and repelling against enemy attacks from time to time (like survival). You will get all your mission objectives from here.
Chapter 2: Survival of the Fittest
The player and his squad have gone rogue. Plot twists in Chapter 1 will reveal why but it’s mainly down to expendability and trust issues in their commanders. Your team need to get hold of a working helicopter as your main priority. This chapter will mainly be about rescuing other survivors of Blake’s squad, trying to find Blake himself, gathering weapons & supplies and trying to build up a small army to evade your captors.
Once you get the helicopter up and running at the field base you will be able to interact with it to select a location to go to (Rather than the linear story of the previous game). Locations can be revisited if you desire to retrieve missed out items etc. Enemies will not re-spawn and new locations will become available either through story progression or if you find certain documents on your travels.
Level Ideas:
Weapons Research Ruins (Scavenge Equipment, Supplies, Repair Helicopter)
Once Helicopter available:
French Outpost (Survivors, Supplies)
French Camp (Survivors)
British Base (Survivors, Supplies)
British Camp (Survivors)
Abandoned Base (Survivors, Supplies)
Cliffs & Ice Caves (Survivors)
Power Station (Steal Equipment)
Chapter 3: Exposing the Truth
This chapter will involve gathering evidence. You and your allies are worthless if you get out of here alive. If you ever want to get back to Alaska and warn the US Government you need some hard evidence. This is also a safety precaution to give you a bargaining tool.
Level Ideas:
Crash Site (Take photos of the UFO and its Insides)
Gen Inc Ruins (Find evidence of research done there)
Relay Station (Steal Radio Equipment)
US Army Outpost (Free Prisoners)
Watchtower (Survivors)
Norwegian Weather Station (Survivors)
Chapter 4: Fighting Back
This will focus on fighting back against your enemies. Crippling their bases and ensuring that NOTHING can leave the continent.
Level Ideas:
Cave System/Service Tunnels (Get Access to these to give you the upper hand)
US Army Base (Destroy Base, Free Prisoners, Kill Makalov)
New Airstrip (Destroy Planes)
Gen Inc Base [Separated by Service Tunnels, various bits]
Research Department (Collect Data)
Testing Department (Destroy Research/Subjects)
Medical Department (Destroy all Medical Equipment)
Electronics (Destroy Gen Inc UFO!?, Destroy Labs)
Chapter 5: Revelations
This will be the final chapter in the game and will have tie up a lot of the plots and will also determine (based on your actions) what ending to the game you will receive (there are multiple endings).
This chapter also involves a meeting with Caruthers who will be a key figure in the ending you receive. You will also confront Dr. Erika in the Gen Inc Heart (Main Base Core) and destroy the last remaining samples of the thing entity.
Level ideas:
Airstrip (Meet with Caruthers)
Gen Inc “Heart” (Confront Dr Erika, Destroy Heart & Original Samples)
Endings
Once you have “Confronted” Erika the game will process various endings:
Ending 1 “Escape”
Conditions: Makalov Dies, Kill Caruthers, Kill Erika and Destroy Samples.
The Heroes escape on a plane that brought Caruthers to Antarctica. They go back to Alaska. Gen Inc is exposed to the US Government as well as the army’s involvement.
Ending 2 “Death”
Conditions: Makalov Escapes, Kill Caruthers and Kill Erika.
Makalov exposes all evidence to the US President. A tactical nuclear strike is launched on Antarctica; the Player along with the truth is buried in atomic fire. The president hides the truth from the people but a global inquiry is launched about the missile strike. Political tensions rise.
Ending 3 “Exchange”
Conditions: Side with Caruthers, Kill Erika and Deliver Samples to Caruthers.
The Thing sample is handed over to the US Military. Soldiers are made heroes. Truth is covered up. Gen Inc dissolves and a new Research Company is founded.
Ending 4 “Infection”
Conditions: Makalov Dies, Kill Erika and Infected Member boards’ plane.
If an infected squad member manages to get aboard your escape plane then the thing reaches the main land and according to R.J.MacReady “then it’s won”. Global Infection occurs in 72,000 Hours.
Ending 5 “The Truth Dies”
Conditions: Side with Caruthers, Kill Erika, Destroy Samples.
The Player sides with Caruthers to bury the truth. Upon return from the killing Erika with no samples Caruthers empathises with the Player and offers him a chance to come back to Alaska and to bury the truth. If you disagree to Caruthers second offer then you will have to fight him and you will get Ending #1 instead.
Bonus Locations:
These are purely bonus locations that become available if you meet the conditions on your travels. Each will have a unlock condition and main purpose. The list is short at the moment but I am trying to think of some more.
Level Ideas:
The Storm (Random Fights: Allows you to train your men a bit)
[Unlocked at Start]
Abandoned Campsite (Secret Character)
[Pick up Secret Radio transmission]
Japanese Outpost (Extra Characters, Supplies)
[Found on Map in US Army Outpost?]
US Outpost #24 (Extra Supplies)
[Found if you collect reports on Outpost #31]
The Spoiler Text worked out "really" well :(