Updated Game Premise:
In a dystopian world, a high-living bad-ass driver who moves a hallucinogenic club drug for the biggest crime lord wants to become that crime lord.
or
In a dystopian world, a high-living bad-ass driver who moves a popular hallucinogenic club drug for the biggest crime lord wants out.
World Building:
Developed using “The Ultimate World Building Questionnaire” and guided by rules prompted in “WORLD-BUILDING 101: How to construct an unforgettable universe for your fantasy or sci-fi story” by Hayley Milliman and Kathy Edens
Rules:
“First rule of world-building: creating a new world goes way beyond mere settings”
“Second rule of world-building: use other authors’ worlds to inspire your world.”
“Third rule of world-building: don’t make this new world your story’s focus”
The Ultimate World Building Questionnaire: (modified)
PHYSICS / NATURE
Are the laws of nature / physics different to earth?
Although set in the future, the game is set on earth, the laws remain the same.
Are there multiple suns / moons?
No.
Describe the sky during the day.
Due to incessant warfare and technological advances that left huge carbon footprints, the sky is filled with smog and clouds characterized by gloom. Yet at moments, small streaks of sunlight break through the otherwise ominous sky.
Describe the night sky.
Darkest of dark, no starlight visible or stars for that matter, washed out by light pollution.
What is the climate like?
Warm humid summers and mild winters.
What is the weather like?
Thunderstorms prevail during the summer, and light snowfall during the winter.
What are the seasons like? How many / how long?
Four seasons similar to Northeastern U.S.A.
What are the birds like?
Lots of birds living in the usual habitats. With all of the technological advances, extinct animals were brought back to the population, such as the Dodo bird and the Spix’s macaw.
What are the small animals like?
The small animals are the same with the addition of hybrids that are continuously created from the result of black-market labs.
What are the large animals like?
The large animals are the same with the addition of hybrids that are continuously created from the result of black-market labs.
GEOGRAPHY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
How are the continents laid out?
The same as today.
How are the countries laid out?
Some shift is seen as countries gain and lose territories.
How much land is temperate, equatorial or polar?
The same as today.
Are there forests?
Forests are decimated, few are left. The Amazon is almost gone.
Are there tropical areas?
Yes, growing in area.
Are there grasslands / plains?
Yes, similar to today.
What natural resources are available in different regions?
As characterized by today. Differences include more oil extraction in Mexico and increased mining of rare-earth minerals in Afghanistan.
Which natural resources are scarce?
Phosphorus
MAGIC AND RELIGION
No magic. Religious psychographics remain as characterized by today.
POPULATION
Population growth is slowing, characterized by the attendant norms and cultures of today. Growth in Hispanic and Asian populations, decrease in non-Hispanic Whites, Black population remains the same.
Are there non-human sentient species? Describe them.
No.
LANGUAGE AND GESTURES
Follows the patterns of today with the exception that formality and politeness is at near zero.
WORK AND CULTURE
Do people live in happiness or fear?
In Starlight City people live in fear, a nightmare of sorts full of violence brought on by the hallucinations of various drugs.
Does the culture value strength or compassion more highly?
Aggressive strength, living is not for the weak, the city is in chains.
Does the culture value wealth or generosity more highly?
Wealth, as it buys the bigger gun.
WHAT ARE THE COMMON SUPERSTITIONS?
Wishing at 11:11.
Lucky charms become company logos: Hamsa, Carp scales, acorns, Dala horse, dreamcatchers, Jin Chan, tumi, Naza
POPULATION
Are the people diverse or uniform?
Diverse population due to technological advances in transportation. Uniform approach to life -survival of the fittest
How big is the gap between rich and poor?
Large, and increasing.
What do people wear?
Casual streetwear
What is in fashion this year?
Wired-smart jackets
Modular Gadget-Charging Coats
What was in fashion last year?
Camera-Embedded Active Wear
What topics of conversation are controversial?
Reform, rebellion, revolution,
Which topics of conversation are safe?
What constitutes a social faux pas?
Laughing out loud.
What forms of art are there?
As today all forms lots of neon signage.
Is there theatre? Is it common or reserved for the wealthy?
Theatre as today, for those few that can afford.
What is a highly desirable job?
Any government job.
What is a lowly job?
No such thing as jobs are difficult to come by.
What are the cities like, if any?
Starlight city is a futuristic, dystopian city.
What are the houses like?
Extravagance mansions and palaces out-skirted by gray government buildings contrasts dilapidation shanties of the numerous poor.
Do most people live in rural or urban areas?
Urban
Are criminals common or rare?
Common
EDUCATION
Same as today; secondary education is only for the elite.
FAMILY
What is a normal family unit?
For the elite, a nuclear structure. For the non-elite, extended family structure.
Do people marry for love or other reasons? What reasons?
Marriage has pretty much disappeared for the non-elite. For the elite, love and political aspirations.
TRADE AND CONFLICT
What is the monetary system?
Dollars.
Are there multiple currencies?
Similar to today.
Is there widespread trade?
Legal and illegal as today.
Is there widespread conflict?
Yes, over vanishing resources.
GOVERNANCE
What is the system of government?
A democracy that veils the true form that of a dictatorship.
Does the leader have special protection
Secret police.
Is there a class system?
Elite and non-elite
Is there slavery?
No.
Is there a form of police?
Uber Police
Is there a formal army?
Yes.
How are wrongdoers tried and punished?
Incarcerated or killed, without consideration of rights.
Does the government provide social assistance?
Some.
Is there any centralized healthcare?
Some.
Is there public transport?
Yes.
Are there publicly run communications systems?
Yes, and black market.
Do people trust the government?
No.
Do the majority of people approve of or disapprove of the government?
Unvoiced disapproval.
Is social mobility easy or hard?
Impossible.
What is the system or taxation?
Tax the poor.
Does the government spy on its enemies? Its people?
Yes.
FOOD AND DINING
As today, eclectic. Lots of energy drinks and vitamin supplements.
1. Overview
A 3D, 14 level, open world design with less of an emphasis on the “checklist” approach, with more attention to an environ that the player can feel as if lived-in. Travel options are limited. Mechanics needed to deal with environ are emphasized. The goal of the game is to beat the Crime Lord. Fourth Street is designed to be played on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
The game is set mostly during nighttime. The city is light with bright neon sign and large advertising screens. The night sky is washed out by the light pollution of the city. The climate of the city is cool summers and cold winters, the weather is unpredictable. Since the game is set on earth, the animals (large and small) are all the same, except if you go to black market animal dealers who barter cross breed animals. (In the game you have an animal companion). The game takes place in the industrial high-tech city, Starlight City, which sits on an island between two rivers. The large population lives almost in fear of the government which is ruled now by criminal organizations. These organizations claim to be a democracy just to appease the surrounding cities and low-ranking government officials. But they rule using fear as their weapon. The gap between the wealthy is larger than ever, with most of the population living in squalor unless you could get a rare job with a large corporation. Due to the governing and the wealth gap, crime is more rampant than ever.
Low poly modeling. In an online article written by Thomas Denham, “What is High & Low Poly in 3D Modeling”, the author suggests, “ If you are making a model that you intend to use in a game, or render in a real time engine such as Unreal or Unity, then you need to be heavily using low poly modeling. Low poly models tend to use less computational power to render, so they are more suited for these kinds of engines that need to rapidly calculate how your model reacts in the virtual environment.” https://conceptartempire.com/high-vs-low-poly-modeling/
2. Key location:
Starlight City, a misnomer, no star light, but lots of neon and LED lights that cast a hazy cloak over the vast illegal activities within. An eye-popping vertically dense city separated by class distinction. Lots of billboards. Energy-efficient infrastructures. Glitz, glamour, and hedonism alongside tents and shanties of poor. Some biodomes and artificial gardens. Tension is palpable.
3. Travel:
The player travels by car, motorcycle, or foot within an open world. The game will load when the character enters a building, some minor interactivity such as providing tips.
4. Scale:
Mimic the real world, adjust (larger) objects or characters to improve player experience.
5. Objects:
Cars, weapons, clothes, maps, computers, body computers, drones, BFG, BFK, emergency energy weapons, emergency energy tanks, bag of holding, hammerspace, breakable weapons, commonplace rare, color-coded items, destroyable items, edible collectable, equipment based progression, equipment upgrade, experience booster, healing potion, grenades, inventory management puzzle, kleptomaniac hero, limited loadout, live item, loot command, loot making attack, nitro boost, non-combat immunity, power ups, real money trade, real time weapon change, ring menu, shiny sense, short range shotgun, single use shield, skeleton key, sniper pistol, starter equipment, timed power-up, something to awesome to use, universal ammunition, vendor trash, with this herring, warp whistle
6. Weather:
Typical weather of a temperate climate, unpredictable due to massive carbon footprint.
7. Day and Night:
The game is set at night, day appears only in the cut scenes. The game does not keep track of time passing.
8. Game Engine:
Unreal
Pros:
Unreal – “Unreal Engine is the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool. Continuously evolving to serve not only its original purpose as a state-of-the-art game engine, today it gives creators across industries the freedom and control to deliver cutting-edge content, interactive experiences, and immersive virtual worlds.”
Cons:
Need a licensed copy,
Must pay royalties
Must have some proficiency in C++
9. Camera:
Third person looking over the characters shoulder. The camera will not move automatically, the player controls the camera on both the x and y axis for free-flowing travel and autonomy. Design adaptations for “never break line of sight” must be addressed.
10. Environment:
3D; full movement through 3d spaces, light and sound will behave as if in 3D space.
11. Lighting
Emulate real word cinematography with refractions, reflections, and shadows. Night vision mode is available, lots of darks and shadows, light is not necessarily a good thing. Lots of neon light to distort reality. Particular attention of headlight shine of cars.
12. Setting
Fantastic luxury cars traveling along high-tech roads. Bullet-speed subway cars. High-tech billboards. Neon-aesthetic lights reflected. Cafes and small food kiosks. Super high-end stores. Five-star hotels. Lights from cell phones. Pedestrian walkways. Juxtaposed against abandoned warehouses, libraires, torn fences, defunct shipyards, gray government buildings and homes of poor.
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