Stolen Pixels #210: The Business Plan
- Thread starter Shamus Young
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If you want to do zombies and corporate evil, it is much more scary if you start with the corporation already in power, like they are now. Maybe it could take place sometime in the future, where corporations have amassed such power with their products that they have slowly infused the "common" population with additives or nanobots or something that have effectively turned those people into zombies. Maybe they have even caused physical changes, like making the people stronger and more resilient and resistant to pain so they can be better workers, and so they are inexpensive to maintain. They would be like worker bots but better. Worker bots require maintenance and a lot of expensive raw materials. But biological organisms maintain themselves. They reproduce very cheaply, and as long as you feed them some kind of nutrient slurry they keep on working for decades, and sometimes even a century. All you have to do is highjack their minds.
The game would probably involve the player as some sort of outsider, either a rebel or a freed zombie, who goes against this entire world. And once the people in charge see there is an intruder, they would broadcast some signal that would make all their zombies hostile towards you.
If you're willing to play with the traditional idea of 'zombie' and move away from the dirty and decaying corpse idea, you could come up with some pretty terrifying scenarios--imagine a "Prozac Zombie," a creature that has been chemically lobotomized and is now incapable of feeling anything other than a sick and unnatural happiness no matter what happens. You shoot it and it keeps smiling at you. You blow its arm off and it laughs like someone who just heard a funny joke. Imagine being beset upon by a hoard of people smiling like it's their wedding day and saying pleasant, neighborly things as they walk towards you and try to rip you apart. They are chemically unable to feel pain, fear, or anything unpleasant, and no matter how you kill them they die laughing and smiling. They would look like normal people except just a little bit off, and the world would be very neat and orderly, maybe no different than how it is today. It would be kind of the inverse of a Zombie Apocalypse--rather than destroying society, the zombies ARE society.
The game would probably involve the player as some sort of outsider, either a rebel or a freed zombie, who goes against this entire world. And once the people in charge see there is an intruder, they would broadcast some signal that would make all their zombies hostile towards you.
If you're willing to play with the traditional idea of 'zombie' and move away from the dirty and decaying corpse idea, you could come up with some pretty terrifying scenarios--imagine a "Prozac Zombie," a creature that has been chemically lobotomized and is now incapable of feeling anything other than a sick and unnatural happiness no matter what happens. You shoot it and it keeps smiling at you. You blow its arm off and it laughs like someone who just heard a funny joke. Imagine being beset upon by a hoard of people smiling like it's their wedding day and saying pleasant, neighborly things as they walk towards you and try to rip you apart. They are chemically unable to feel pain, fear, or anything unpleasant, and no matter how you kill them they die laughing and smiling. They would look like normal people except just a little bit off, and the world would be very neat and orderly, maybe no different than how it is today. It would be kind of the inverse of a Zombie Apocalypse--rather than destroying society, the zombies ARE society.
Nice comic, the last bit made me laugh.
And if I did the reboot, I'd replace Umbrella corporation with Generic Evil Corporation corporation, and the main characters would be the crew of a Tiger tank (along with said tank) who got teleported into the evil future, with the tank made scientifically (it's SCIENCE! after all) very durable with SCIENCE fuel that doesn't run out and a SCIENCE gun that can adapt to basically anything at all. Yes, it would be able to shoot refrigerators.
And in one level, you'd have to shoot down a Zeppelin full of evil Generic Evil Corporation corporation people, while storming through the evil countryside full of grass and trees at 80 mp/h, and since the zeppelin is SCIENCE! protected from outside damage caused by projectiles moving faster than a certain speed, you'd have to launch a huge fucking anchor at it (which would naturally go slow enough, because that's exactly what anchors do) tied to a rope, then your (rather elite) main character would epic-climb it to the zeppelin, where you'd fight the evil people and then slide down the anchor-rope , with the zeppelin (having been pimped out with bombs) exploding behind you in a blaze of awesome.
And the foot combat would be TPS, and the good type.
You'd probably get a landshark gun, too.
And if I did the reboot, I'd replace Umbrella corporation with Generic Evil Corporation corporation, and the main characters would be the crew of a Tiger tank (along with said tank) who got teleported into the evil future, with the tank made scientifically (it's SCIENCE! after all) very durable with SCIENCE fuel that doesn't run out and a SCIENCE gun that can adapt to basically anything at all. Yes, it would be able to shoot refrigerators.
And in one level, you'd have to shoot down a Zeppelin full of evil Generic Evil Corporation corporation people, while storming through the evil countryside full of grass and trees at 80 mp/h, and since the zeppelin is SCIENCE! protected from outside damage caused by projectiles moving faster than a certain speed, you'd have to launch a huge fucking anchor at it (which would naturally go slow enough, because that's exactly what anchors do) tied to a rope, then your (rather elite) main character would epic-climb it to the zeppelin, where you'd fight the evil people and then slide down the anchor-rope , with the zeppelin (having been pimped out with bombs) exploding behind you in a blaze of awesome.
And the foot combat would be TPS, and the good type.
You'd probably get a landshark gun, too.
I actually think Resident Evil 4 was a reboot of sorts. Suddenly everything stupid that came before didn't matter as much, and the only tip-offs that there might have been a game beforehand came from the occasional run-ins with other characters such as Mia and Krauser. If they'd just forget everything that came before and continue with the Las Plagas stuff from RE4, and most importantly, Leon, I think RE6 would do really well.
I would reveal Chris Redfield to be the real head of Umbrella. Wait, that's not a reboot. I just hate Chris Redfield and would enjoy shooting him in the face.
Now lets be fair, the entire resident evil story hasnt been complete crap. Resident Evil 4 had a unique story (midget napolean ftw)and it was fun. They used old characters but it was fresh. But ya other then that its been crap.
Pretty much this idea for a new storypoiumty said:
If I was handling the reboot I would make an epilogue to the previous series at the beginning of the new series (in which you are an employee of the umbrella corporation) and handwave it as a computer simulation of what would happen if the zombie virus ever did get out (as being screened to new employees, of which you are one). And then of course the virus does get out.
I have an idea. Make the game a character driven story. Something small and personal. Imagine a man caught in the middle of a city. Zombies are everywhere. He's unarmed(to start) and unskilled. Maybe he's even a little bit of a wuss. The man desperately seeks his wife or girlfriend or whatever. She's on the other side of the city. As Jeff (let's call him Jeff) makes his way across the city, he comes across obstacles. He must deal with zombies, lickers, hunters, etc.
Jeff even needs to deal with other people. He could assist someone against a zombie attack, make a quick negotiation for supplies or even fight hostile or simply desperate people. Jeff's actions throughout the game determine how his character grows. He could become a badass, a raving lunatic or an even bigger wuss depending on the player's actions throughout the game.
Jeff's characterization and the amount of time it takes him to reach Natalie (let's call her Natalie) determines not only if she survives, but also shapes how she interacts with him. Did Jeff abandon others to save himself? Then Natalie berates him for his cowardly behavior. Did Jeff kill people in cold blood? Then Natalie reacts to the cold and violent man he has become. Did Jeff become the epitome of awesome morality? Well, then I guess Natalie loves him more, saving the relationship we learn was failing. If Jeff took too long, then maybe he just finds Natalie's lifeless body.
You don't need an obnoxious British prat as an antagonist. Nor do you need a faceless corporation to be a bad guy. You have ZOMBIES and our own shortcomings in the onslaught of disaster.
Jeff even needs to deal with other people. He could assist someone against a zombie attack, make a quick negotiation for supplies or even fight hostile or simply desperate people. Jeff's actions throughout the game determine how his character grows. He could become a badass, a raving lunatic or an even bigger wuss depending on the player's actions throughout the game.
Jeff's characterization and the amount of time it takes him to reach Natalie (let's call her Natalie) determines not only if she survives, but also shapes how she interacts with him. Did Jeff abandon others to save himself? Then Natalie berates him for his cowardly behavior. Did Jeff kill people in cold blood? Then Natalie reacts to the cold and violent man he has become. Did Jeff become the epitome of awesome morality? Well, then I guess Natalie loves him more, saving the relationship we learn was failing. If Jeff took too long, then maybe he just finds Natalie's lifeless body.
You don't need an obnoxious British prat as an antagonist. Nor do you need a faceless corporation to be a bad guy. You have ZOMBIES and our own shortcomings in the onslaught of disaster.
i have an idea, add some more good guys and then having both forces have major battles possibly. Also more in depth about the virus such as environmental effects and maybe having jungles and forests envelope you. Also maybe integrate fear back into the franchise with dark rooms and scenes that make you jump, re5 had none of those.
i like everything besides having the game timed. People should be able to go their own pace without worrying about that.UberCharlie said:
What would I do?
More Las Plagas, less Umbrella.
More new villains, less old plotlines.
In other words: put less crap in, and assume that at least good ingredients will make a good product.
If Capcom can make Resident Evil 4 as good as it was while still mildly alluding to past games, then you can assume that without having to please fans, the next game could be excellent.
Though, they really need to employ a serious Western writer to revamp whatever crappy translations have come across during the series. Even in the RE1 remake back on the Gamecube, "LOOK OUT! IT'S A MONSTERRRR" sounded not just camp or satisfyingly B-grade but extremely narmful.
It'd cost next to nothing in the large scheme of the game's budget, and they'd be saving so much money on copying the same damn engine again that they'd have no excuse not to hire some poor scribbler's skills.
End result: RE4, but with a good story. Watch it become Game of the Year.
More Las Plagas, less Umbrella.
More new villains, less old plotlines.
In other words: put less crap in, and assume that at least good ingredients will make a good product.
If Capcom can make Resident Evil 4 as good as it was while still mildly alluding to past games, then you can assume that without having to please fans, the next game could be excellent.
Though, they really need to employ a serious Western writer to revamp whatever crappy translations have come across during the series. Even in the RE1 remake back on the Gamecube, "LOOK OUT! IT'S A MONSTERRRR" sounded not just camp or satisfyingly B-grade but extremely narmful.
It'd cost next to nothing in the large scheme of the game's budget, and they'd be saving so much money on copying the same damn engine again that they'd have no excuse not to hire some poor scribbler's skills.
End result: RE4, but with a good story. Watch it become Game of the Year.
That sounds like a good idea, instead Umbrella being a weapons dealer, they're a vacation resort(makes sense with a name like umbrella)! Also, it would make sense why all the characters are cardboard cutouts of badasses and have crappy dialogue, because they're all tourists!Kapitan_Jack said:
Either that, or I'd introduce some new company that's trying to make something that extends life. You think it's the umbrella company, but the twist is that the umbrella company has a new boss and are trying to win back their image. Then the big big twist is that you've just been killing old people all the time with the final boss being Chris Redfield's Granny.
RE 4 had both the best story and best gameplay of the series. They could crib from "The Ruins" and "Splinter" and have plant based zombies. I don't think that has been done yet.
"Finally?" It's...not exactly a new question. >.>DTWolfwood said:
Rebooting the series? Hm. Well, first thought off the top of my head: Umbrella Corp. finally gets shut down by not-insane governmental powers recognizing they're nuts in the brainmeats. Hazmat teams confiscating dangerous materials, shit goes south, virus unintentionally let loose in highly populated areas, etc.
We're not in the game yet. This would just be RE2 again.
Virus not contained in the city. Spreads across continent of infection. No Umbrella plot involved, no one trying to make a profit off of this, just bad situation getting worse by the day. Game itself takes place either during the panic-spread period or in the zombie apocalypse period that follows.
Basically I'm suggesting an RE sandbox of some kind, I guess. Given survival is the focus it'd probably have some kind of hunger/thirst/rest gauge to monitor forcing you to scrounge for supplies amid the chaos/in the dangerously deserted urban areas. Probably not much of a minigame/quest system involved given the context other than perhaps trying to rescue trapped/endangered persons (who you'd have to watch carefully for a while afterward to make sure they haven't been infected already) and I'm not sure what sort of end goal it'd have - maybe finding a way off whatever continent you're on in the hopes that it hasn't spread overseas already. But yeah, RE large (as in not just one city but beyond it - yeah, pipedream due to tech limits I'm sure, but hey, it's just an idea) sandbox survival game is a thought for a reboot.
I would create a game similar to Dr. Mario where you have to bend and twist mutagens to create zombies... it wouldn't be any good, but it couldn't be much worse then some of the puzzles I've had to solve in some of the games.