Looking for partners in a large scale Arcanum project

The idea is to create an RPG detailing the events that take place after the ending in vanilla Arcanum. While the specific ending has not been decided yet, I have hammered out outlines for the endings that are being considered.

Mainly what I need is writers, but level designers, artists, and translators would be useful as well.

Any and all work will be up for peer review to the entire team. I am planning for the project to take around a year until we start polishing. I want to have a demo out by the start of next year.

What is very important is that we don't break any of the original canon. That means no faux-Victorian English, or anything else that contradicts things found in the vanilla game.

A website is in the works, where we will be able to present news, as well as privately and publicly discuss the project. I hope to begin discussion on the nature of the project as soon as the core of the team is assembled.

Those who help will of course be credited fully as equal partners.

~CF

 

:lol:

I take it, it's pretty hot outside in Lebanon these days, eh?

 

It's like 32 degrees right now but thank god for the beach.
And to Cloaked Figure, while i can't help, best of luck to you sir!

 

Perfect. I need a partner as well. How about a mutual exchange?

In exchange for scripting/mapping contributions on my part, I'd require help with my own two projects...namely WIP 6.0 Arcanum Coop and Bertland mod....a modification for a friend.


Say I script a few things or features for you and you do a little mapping work for me...and so on and so forth.


If you are interested, I would greatly appreciate your presence on some sort of instant communications tool...preferably ventrilo. AIM or MSN would do, but it's not as efficient multi-tasking wise.

 

I don't have a mic on me. PM me your email.

 

Sent. I'm on MSN, AIM, and vent right now if you want to get started ASAP with the preliminaries.

 

I can't really say that I'll be able to dedicate much time to this, as I'm often busy doing nothing, or masturbating, but if you need a writer, please message me. I can also easily contact Xiao Caity, and see if she has any interest in this project, but I imagine she too is quite busy with her own workings...

 

Any stories of deep intellectualism or philosophical enlightenment and introduction of such ideas through non-linear story dynamics would be appreciated.

And I do mean NON linear dynamics. The reason being that on my end I am working on a multiplayer mod called Bertland. Since linear storylines cannot be saved, a very new and unique methodology of introducing quest dynamics must be devised. Perhaps, breaking up a quest into small segments that are related but unrelated and connect to a varying degree of other quests and furthermore making them 'bite-size' so as to be able to pick them up again when a MP game host crashes.


It is a very difficult intellectual problem to devise a solution to. Perhaps you are game for such?




Actually, one more thing: The quests would have to be independent self-contained modules. One quest cannot rely on another, otherwise you begin to create a linear chain (one thing relying on another in order to make progression). What I meant when I said they should connect with each other is that each one is a puzzle piece, but does not require another to actually achieve the final progression of that individual section.

 

The best way to create a linear yet non-linear storyline would be to have the quests connected by knowledge only. You could learn something in one quest then use that knowledge in the next. Nothing in the actually gameplay or confines of the games are connected just the knowledge a player may learn from one quest to give them clues as to how to solve the next. Each quest is its own little module but at the same time from the player's perspective they are all linked.

Also I would love to share some ideas as far as storyline for an Arcanum sequel.

 

Sure, go ahead. I'm sure Cloaked Figure would be interested in anything you have to offer.

 

Since this is a lot of well written intellectualism, I do have to ask a simple question... what exactly do you want? Call me stupid, but I don't think you actually said. Are you wanting people to write philosophically engaging stories, or take ideas given to us, and build stories, or something entirely different?

 

Wishing you luck wont help you much, I guess, but if you need help with something that is not relevant to translating into English, like technical stuff, websites, design, etc. I think I might be helpful, even when I'm busy with OpenArcanum, so just ask...

Have a nice day.

PS: Where is my Crybaby avatar + status? I want it back!

 

You are correct, I did not allude to a certain direction to take.

There's two fronts to consider here:


1. CF's mod designs to take place after the original Arcanum. So I would naturally assume that anything pertaining to the original Arcanum storylines (except expanded tenfold) would apply here.



2. My mod centers around a technologically industrialized large human city (a Tarant, if you will) which has a monarchy situated between a mountainous region to the north-west, open plain to the south-west, and open sea to the south-east/north-east. Alternate races and magic are very rare here. This module is an open book, as such, and any plot-line would be of acceptable measure here....everything from past wars to secret underground mages societies to a new kind of 'Gilbert Bates'. There is no expectation for back story here to tie into the original Arcanum, but I suppose the possibility could exist. It should also be noted that player run facets of the module will be incorporated. Player run businesses, law enforcement, pirate ships, the king was originally designed to be a PC and set pre-designed game laws and throw balls/parties at the 'Royal'd Palace' if it were so desired. This could also be incorporated into story design (random events taking place upon PC initiated scenarios).

There is also a pseudo language which is derived from synonyms of the English language.

See the following for more details:

- http://ras.teamsapd.com/modSchematic.txt
- http://ras.teamsapd.com/gamedesc.mes

 

So, out of curiousity, is this based upon the same continent as Arcanum is, and things have changed massively, or is it on the idea of there being "another continent?"

 

A new continent. It has no tie ins to the main game whatsoever planned.


I highly encourage you to join me on ventrilo in the evenings. We can toss around story ideas, if you'd like. Alot easier and quicker to discuss things that way.

 

So, how is this going?

 

So, how is this going? Edit: Browser error, didn't mean to double post.

 

That's no problem, as long as no one answers your post you can easily delete it.

Oops.

 

Cloaked Figure has begun mapping a large city I asked him to make whilst I am currently working on a "Script Pack" which I plan to release through TA. It is a 'mutual' exchange of sorts.


However, Arcanum scripting makes me want to shove a knife through my frontal lobe just to alleviate the headache it gives me from the most mundane and elusive of bugs and logic errors.

 

Yeah, I remember playing around with the code and it certainly wasn't the kind of stuff you could just type away on. Required precision and lots of time as most programming languages do, but it took the piss just that little bit more.