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Author Topic: Project Definition  (Read 2504 times)

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Project Definition
« on: March 29, 2011, 10:39:07 pm »
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Project Definition will begin here.  Kren has pulled the elements from the old archive.  I'm going to post it here for the Game Design Division to work on it.  Critique it, tear it apart, change, it, leave it, whatever.  At this point, the project will be turned over to Game Design, and will be directed by Foreshadower and Bludleef with the managers.  We'll discuss a deadline or something to keep things moving.  And so on that note, here's the document!

I'd like for Foreshadower and Bludleef to meet with the project managers at some point to discuss how this part of the project will play out.

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CURRENT (SECOND) DRAFT
PROLOGUE - The below backstory is relayed in the intro of the game
The Gerudo are a race of proud, desert-dwelling vagabonds who were, several centuries ago, dragged into a war with the rest of Hyrule by their evil son and heir Ganondorf's obsession with finding the legendary Triforce.

Ganondorf plunged the whole of the land into darkness and ruin, until at the desperate final hour he was defeated and sealed away in the limbo of the Sacred Realm, hopefully never to return.

Following Ganondorf's imprisonment, his people retreated to live in isolation in their harsh wasteland for centuries, embittered by the war and beaten by the unyielding desert wind, until their most recent king - the first male born unto the Gerudo in a hundred years, and who had grown to be a wise and courageous leader - decided if they were to continue to survive, the time had come to mend the broken relations with the rest of Hyrule.

But before he could put any of his plans into action, the evil Ganondorf suddenly and mysteriously returned from his banishment and reclaimed his right to the throne. He usurped the good king and cast him out into the desert. What then became of the king no one knows...

***This set-up will inform players familiar with the Legend of Zelda story that Ganondorf is back and is presumably in hiding in the desert, doubtless hatching an evil scheme, but also that there is a mysterious new character - the good and true king - who they should expect to meet in some guise somewhere in the game.

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IN-GAME INTRODUCTION - Link's backstory should not be told as part of the prologue. Instead the game simply begins and the player discovers Link's history through dialogue in the opening sequence and by talking with the gang members. Less watching, more playing!
A decade has passed, and our story opens in Hyrule Castle Town. It is divided by a grand avenue that leads all the way up from the main southern entrance to the royal castle itself, a vain monument to the royal family that effectively segregates the townsfolk into two communities: one half is poor and run down, its inhabitants have turned to petty crime just to survive; the other is prosperous and peaceful, but also selfish, greedy and ignorant of the poorer folks' plight.

The royal family of Hyrule - adored by the rich, unpopular with the poor - are also ignorant of the suffering of their subjects, leading a pampered and sheltered existence behind the castle walls.

The hero of the story is a young orphan boy named Link, who was taken under the wing of Farin, the fatherly leader of a gang of child thieves, when he was very young. He lives in their hideout in the poor area of Castle Town.

Meanwhile, following centuries of animosity, the king of the Gerudo has suddenly made a diplomatic visit to Castle Town. He is gaining favour in the royal court by persuading them to extend the hand of friendship to his struggling people who, after hundreds of years of hostile relations, are too proud to come and ask for help themselves. Noble but humble, and incredibly charismatic, he seems to captivate everybody he meets.
***When the player first meets this character, we should be careful to create enough ambiguity that they might naturally assume this to be the true, exiled king come to ask for help. But it is in fact Ganondorf, stripped of his Triforce piece and therefore considerably less powerful, he is seeking to take the Triforce by more stealthy, devious means, ingratiating himself with the royal court and biding his time until the opportunity comes to strike. But the player, and Link, will not find this out until deep into the game.

The royal family are flattered to be the object of the Gerudo king's mercy mission, and greedily accept the luxurious gifts he lavishes upon them, but his only genuine ally appears to be the compassionate young Princess Zelda who seems wise enough beyond her years to truly understand his peoples' predicament. She is committed to helping him, despite her parents' apathy. It is her wish that he become a friend and trusted confidant of the Hyrulian royal family, and for the duration of his visit he is to stay in one of the castle's many sleeping quarters.
***This establishes Zelda as a good and kind-hearted person, even though she comes from a selfish and pampered family. She is, however, still naive and her latent magical powers cannot at first pick up on the Gerudo's deceit. Slowly, and throughout the game, doubts as to his motives begin to creep into her mind as she is haunted by magical visions of his ultimate betrayal.

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TUTORIAL - Gameplay basics and getting to grips with controls etc.
One morning, the gang's leader, Farin, instructs Link and his rival to go on a job. Link's rival is to instruct him how to pick the pockets of the rich folk across town, and bring back a nice haul of rupees.

They go on the job, and a not exactly friendly rivalry between the two is established. Link's rival is arrogant and impatient, but also mean-spirited and insecure. After Link learns this rudimentary technique they head back to the hideout together.

Then, shortly after and satisfied with Link's progress, Farin sends the two out again, this time to learn the skills for moving unseen around the rooftops of Castle Town. The two begin stealthily navigating the rooftops, but it soon escalates into a high-speed chase fuelled by their rivalry.

Link is bested - this time - and the two return to the hideout, where his rival relates the story of how he beat him. The smaller kids are somewhat intimidated by Link's older rival and adopt a gang mentality, laughing along at Link for losing, which makes him feel hurt and something of an outsider.

Farin takes Link to one side and tells him he is sure he will one day become a better thief than his cocky rival. Feeling a little happier, Link goes to bed for the night.

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Early the next morning, Link and his rival are sent out on their last mission together - to steal the reagent for the ability to vanish into thin air: Deku Snaps - little flash bombs fashioned out of the nuts of the Deku tree.

They enter the shop and whilst Link steals the Deku Snaps, his rival distracts the shopkeeper. It seems to be going well, until Link's rival spitefully alerts the shopkeeper to Link's activities and flees.

Link is caught red-handed and the shopkeeper refuses to let him leave until the guards arrive. Link is forced to use the flash bombs for the first time, and in a burst of dazzling light he slips past the blinded shopkeeper and darts out into the street.

The streets are unusually chaotic, there are guards everywhere, but Link quickly realizes they are not looking for him. He overhears that Princess Zelda has disappeared on an official visit to Castle Town and the guards are searching everywhere.

His path home is blocked by guards, so he uses a Deku Snap to sneak by undetected. Down a back alley he bumps into the princess, who ducked out of the procession, horrified to discover so poor a part of her families' kingdom could exist.

They talk a while, the gracious young princess seems determined to help the poor folk. How can they hope to reconcile themselves with the Gerudo when the same injustice occurs on their own doorsteps?

Just then the guards and the royal nanny arrive, closely followed by the shopkeeper who relays the story of Link's crime.

The nanny concludes Link must have also been trying to kidnap the princess. Despite Zelda's protests, Link is thrown in jail.

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That night, the celebrated Gerudo king turns up unannounced at the jailhouse and bargains with the guard for Link's release. Unsure of his reasons, but glad to be free, Link goes with him.

The king talks of his people, the Gerudo thieves; their history and their struggle, and confides in Link how he hopes to reconcile them with the rest of Hyrule. He tells Link that he heard talk in the royal court of his misadventures and has a proposition for him. This noble gentleman rogue is looking for an apprentice: a naturally gifted thief to pass his skills and his legacy down to. He would treat him like his own son, and be the father to him that neither of them ever had.

Link is tempted by the prospect of living like a prince instead of a pauper, and the chance to learn from a master thief, and a Gerudo no less - that would show his rival - but he remembers he already has a surrogate family, and reluctantly declines the king's offer.

The noble thief is saddened by Link's decision but tells him he admires his loyalty to his friends. Link leaves to go back to the gang's hideout.

He arrives at the hideout to find Farin is out. Link's rival tells him that their leader has been arrested, and that Link must have squealed on him (he has in fact simply gone to the castle to plead for Link's release, but Link will not find this out for some time yet.) The rest of the children are intimidated into playing along with the older kid's story and they decide to kick Link out of the gang.

Feeling hurt, angry and rejected, Link returns to the gentleman thief's quarters and accepts his offer of an apprenticeship.

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First thing the next morning Link is sent on an errand. He is to take a voucher to town to pick up some new clothes, befitting of a gentleman thief's apprentice. Link picks up a finely tailored green tunic and cap, and changes out of his dirty rags.

Upon his return Link's new master elaborates on how it is his most fervent wish to see peace restored to Hyrule, but he fears it is impossible - the Gerudo are too proud to accept help from their sworn enemies, and even with Princess Zelda's support the Hyrulian royal family will never deign to extend the hand of friendship. No, if he is to see his wish become a reality he believes there is but one option. He relays to Link a somewhat abbreviated version of the Triforce myth, emphasising its ability to grant the bearer their heart's desire. Link begins to understand what the King expects of him. He is too old to undertake the task himself, but is willing to pass on his considerable thieving skills to Link in return for retrieving the pieces of the puzzle that leads to the Triforce.

The king explains that, according to legend, the Triforce is held in a sacred realm, the entrance to which is inside a temple within these very castle walls. The entrance is held shut by a powerful magical seal requiring several macguffins to open.

***As we currently have it, Link is collecting medallions, but it could ultimately be anything, if we felt we needed to change it.
According to KingMob they are collecting cogs to open the door .
The king charges his new apprentice with the task of stealing these medallions. They lie hidden in several trap-filled dungeons, long considered the proving grounds for master thieves. Link is told where to find the first of these dungeons and is given his first sword and shield to protect himself whilst completing his tasks. Enthralled by his new mentor, he leaves Castle Town for the first time in his adventure.

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DUNGEONS AND GAMEPLAY FLOW - There now follows the traditional succession of dungeons, each yielding a new item and a medallion

Current Dungeons:

    Roc’s Nest nest perched atop treacherous mountain spires.
    Chain of shipwrecks lost in a great storm.
    Dormant machine frozen in time
    Open Air Forest Temple It was mentioned but not sure if it is going to be added



New Items:

    Magic Carpet (used to travel long distances at speed, cross ravines, fly in the air)

    Lightning Rod (fires a ball of electricity with the primary use of powering the inner workings of the final dungeon: the Celestial Clock)


Other items mentioned on the “Item and Abilities” thread:

DekuSnaps

Bottles(4)

Bow

Magnet gloves

Regular bombs

Normal Shield

Backlash Shield (Absorbs attack, and sends back an attack)Guardain Sheild (Block Projectile attacks)

Boomerang (Regular Boomerang)
Magic Boomerang (Farther ranged Boomerang)
Fairy Boomerang (Homing Homing)

The Big Bomb

hammer

Swords: 3 swords, one of which is optional

Hookshot

Link abilities:

Pickpocketing

Tightrope

Lockpicking

Basic Locks:
-Houses
-Certain weak doors
-Doors in caverns, etc.
-a few doors in a dungeon

Heavy-Duty Locks:
-Castle Locks, fortress locks
-dungeon locks

Transportation:

Majora Mask Owl Statue

Magic Carpet

Guitar/Ocarina

    We meet Link's rival again several times along the way, and we also run into Farin and Link's old gang who try and persuade him to return. One by one, he is reconciled with them through extended character-specific sub-quests that weave in and out of the main quest


    As Link's rupee count grows he can donate money robbed from the rich to the poor to help them rebuild the neighbourhood. This incrementally yields various rewards in the same way, say, killing golden spiders did in OOT. It is facilitated by a new, more sophisticated wallet engine


    As Link progresses the Gerudo king rewards his efforts by teaching him hidden thieving techniques, such as lock picking and tightrope walking, allowing Link to interact with the world in ways he has never previously been able




All the while a creeping doubt as to the Gerudo king's true motives begins to nag Link. A disturbing thirst for power is becoming evident in his mentor's eyes. His path crosses with Zelda on a number of occasions and he confides in the princess, who has been haunted by visions of her own. Zelda knows all about the legend of the Triforce and begins to suspect the Gerudo king could actually be after the artifact for the same reasons as the evil Ganondorf...

Once the medallions are collected and in the Gerudo king's possession, Link realises his new mentor is planning to betray him, and the scene is set for a showdown.

Just as Link confronts him, Zelda, by now worried for Link, has brought his old gang (minus his rival) and the battle for Link's allegiance begins.

The leader of the gang reveals that Link's new mentor is, unbeknownst to everyone including the royal family, the evil Ganondorf who has escaped from his banishment in the Sacred Realm, eager to resume his search for the Triforce. He tells Link that he knows all this because he is in fact the true king of the Gerudo, who Ganondorf exiled years ago, and he implores Link to realise that his master was only using him to assemble the medallions.

Ganondorf, manipulative to the last, asks Link who he truly believes. Who will he side with?
If it was a real surprise that the gerudo king was Ganondorf we really got to make a different better innocent look of him.

After some soul-searching Link accepts that Ganondorf was only using him, and defies his new mentor by siding with his old friends. They are, however, no match for Ganondorf who escapes with the collected medallions.

**********************************************************

Zelda realises that now Ganondorf is a trusted confidant of the royal family he has free rein to enter the castle as he pleases. There then follows a desperate race to get to the last dungeon, deep in the bowels of the castle's Temple of Time - the Celestial Clock, where the Triforce sleeps for eternity - before Ganondorf does.

When they get there they find it already open and being plundered. If Ganondorf gets his hands on the Triforce he will become so powerful there will be only one way to stop him... Zelda takes Link to a chamber in the temple which houses the legendary blade, the Master Sword, the weapon used by the hero who originally defeated Ganondorf centuries ago. Pulling the sword from its pedestal Link feels the blood of his ancestors coursing through his veins, and understands his destiny is much greater than that of a petty thief. He takes the sword and rushes into the Celestial Clock...

Inside, he finds himself pursuing a mysterious figure, who appears always one step ahead of him. Eventually Link catches up with him and it is revealed to be his rival, who Ganondorf has recruited to finish the job in Link's place. Link defeats his rival and takes the Lightning Rod, using it to activate parts of the dormant machine, until all the power is flowing into a great door mechanism that opens revealing the Triforce.

Ganondorf steps out of the shadows and explains his entire scheme - mocking Link and offering his thanks, since he could not have gotten this far without tricking him and Zelda into helping him, since their destinies are as inextricably linked to the magical golden triangles as his. Then the epic fight for the Triforce begins.

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EPILOGUE
After a great battle Link has defeated Ganondorf. The gang's leader is reinstated as the king of the Gerudo thieves and together he and Zelda unite their people, the two disparate sides of Castle Town begin to live in harmony, the Triforce sleeps safely once more, and everyone lives happily ever after.
« Last Edit: March 30, 2011, 12:53:50 am by MG-Zero »
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