http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHEjx7-BjpQ&feature=c4-overview&list=UUfDV5xinF2VjLd8LSAAfgCg I'm looking to put together a story Team for Project AXSX. There is just so much work that needs to be done on the main project that it leaves little or no time to incorporate story elements on my own (unless I stop working on the main game). Just looking for some key players to form that team and get story done simultaneously. 2D artists, 3D artists, animators, music guys and script guys who can sculpt some of the original story elements into something great. may also need someone to keep things together, like a manager. I wont be butting in much because of time constraints on my end. ( I have a feeling this is a bad idea since I wont be managing it directly ) but what the hell better than no story at all. lol (right?) What needs to be done: 1: Chose one of the scrapped sonic X-treme stories. (Multiple if desired to combine) 2: Argue over what elements to change if necessary. Than Change them. 3: get story boards together. 4: Start modeling ( if 3D) or drawing (if 2D) 5: Music and sound FX people tie things together adding feeling to the scene! 6: good luck ! 7: hope it wont get tooo crazy ! keep things simple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Important notes and Story Team Project status updates: Notes Updated: 2-27-2014 7:31 PM Eastern standard time. 1: Some base reference materials have been added below to start you guys off with brain storming ideas. 2: Right now we are in the planning and Research Phase. Opinions, Ideas, and constructive criticisms welcome ! ( no fighting please !) 1: There are no deadlines or anything like that in this project, Its a go at your own pace type of deal. 2: I don't mind keeping AXSX Story team progress open for public eyes here on the forums. Just as long as some goals are set. ( I don't want to see Extravagant new ideas being implemented once the story development process leaves planning stages) 3: I really want to keep things as simple as possible. For example: Opening , Ending, and maybe a few in between level events. ( like before a boss fight for example) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, here are the official stories that were planned for Sonic X-treme. Stories: 01: GamePlayers Magazine Introduction: Spoiler The new story introduces two new characters -- one, an old man named Professor Gazebo Boobowski and the second, his daughter Tiara B. Neither character is playable in the game but they are both well-represented in the game's cinematics and there is always the possibility of future involvement in later adventures. As with every great hero, Sonic's greatest joy in life comes from saving his friends from the clutches of evil, and in Sonic X-treme, very little has changed! At the beginning of the game, we find Sonic doing a little surfing when he sees the bluestreak distress signal in the sky. The signal is coming from Professor Gazebo Boobowski and his daughter Tiara B. Keepers of the six magical rings of order, and the castle wherein they practice the ancient art of ring smithing, Boobowski and Tuara are in fear that Dr. Robotnik has, at this point, already made one attempt at stealing the rings of order. It is determined that only sonic can fight off Robotnik's attempt and to do so , he will need to collect the six magic Rings of Order, battling Robotnik's badnicks all the way. Just another day in the life of a super hedghog. 02: Sonic the Hedgehog battles Dr. Robotnik in a 3-D Virtual Reality (VR) world. Spoiler While Sonic is away checking on a security alarm in a remote part of the Great Forest, his pals (Sally, Bunnie, Tails and Knuckles) have discovered a strange message from within one of Robotnik's super computers. [Dr. Robotnik is trying to take over a computer VR world (Micro Mobius) and the message is a plea for help from its peaceful inhabitants.] Sonic returns to Knothole to discover that Robotnik has captured his friends and taken them into his VR world. Sonic attempts to save his friends and thwart Robotnik's plan to “reformat” Micro Mobius. 03: Gamebook Introduction: Spoiler Peace reigned In Mobius following Robotnik's defeat in the Floating Island Adventure. For a long time the inhabitants enjoyed a tranquil existence. It seemed to most Mobites that Robotnik had packed his bags and left their world for a different place. Sonic, though, had a different opinion. For as long as he could remember Ivo Robotnik had a burning desire to control the power of the Chaos Emeralds. It seemed odd that he would ever lose interest in them... Sonic wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery and sent a tall to the floating island for Knuckles. Once together, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles formulated a search plan. Deciding to meet back at Knothole with any news of Robotnik's whereabouts Knuckles & Tails took off to the skies in the biplane while Sonic scorched across the land. That was the last Sonic saw of his friends... Main Game Introduction: Fly in a spiral Mobius Chronicles newspaper reading ''Knuckles and Tails Missing!" with pictures (Knuckles with determined look & hint of smile and Tails with his classic big smile) and fake text below. Cross-dissolve to a dim Scene of Robotnik's palace- A wacky observatory (shaped like his head) spreading pollution into the gray sky. The camera slowly zooms in to one of the eyeglass windows to reveal a dark and mechanical laboratory. Knuckles and Tails are trapped in a cage stationed against the circular Interior wall. Dr. Robotnik stands facing the Master Chaos Emerald in the center of the room. All sorts of robotic arm contraptions are drilling and zapping the huge gemstones trying to tap its mysterious power. The flashes bottom-light Robotnik's face as he laughs like a triumphant maniac. After a few moments the Dr. notices something strange. Leaning closer, he looks curiously disturbed as the Master Emerald glitters and clouds within. Suddenly the gem explodes in a flash of light, hurling Robotnik back against the wall next to Knuckles and Tails. The dark room is lit by rapid pulses of black light as the three stare in awe. Cut to the Master Emerald spilling out loads of foggy smoke. Cut to Knuckles and Tails looking curiously at each other. Out of the gemstone and into the mist glide small flickering lights almost like fireflies. Cut to Robotnik sprawled on the floor, propping himself up, looking exalted and a bit frightened by the spectacle. Six tall shadows materialize and loom large over the Dr., Knuckles and Tails. Truck-in to Robotnik's sweating, shocked look as the shadows draw in and "smother" him. Cut to a serene Knotvalley flourishing with green vegetation set in front of a classic blue sky with puffy, white clouds floating slowly by. Camera zooms out to reveal this as a reflection in Sonic's high-tec binoculars as he studies the scene from inside a Knothole tree. Sonic gets a start as a huge, dark cloudbank rockets across the sky in the distance. Lightning and a crackling thunder pierce the air. Sonic zips out the door and spirals down the tree house trunk stairs to the ground as the storm blows closer. Sonic looks into the sky with a scowl before dashing down the hillside into the valley-. On course to meet the dark storm head-on. Sonic starts the game in Orange Grove Zone 0... Overview and Climax: Sonic must make his way through six awesome zones to rescue his friends (and Robotnik!) with the hooded Chaos Elementals (CE) in hot pursuit. They hope to capture and banish Sonic as soon as possible, for he represents the only threat to their domination. Before each Zone's end Sonic must combat its Element Keeper, a mechanized Boss robot designed to destroy hedgehogs. Each time a Boss is defeated, the CE come closer to pinpointing Sonic's exact whereabouts. By the end Of Zone 5, the CE will be waiting for Sonic in Gordos, a huge robot city where Knuckles, Tails and Robotnik are held prisoner. "Why don't they just surround Sonic and banish his blue buns?" you might ask? Well, CE cannot physically move fast enough to surround our hero. They will have tried unsuccessfully to trap him many times, and their only hope lies in jointly piloting the most deadly Chaos Mega-bot to combine their 6 Elemental powers. 04: Sonic the Hedgehog must try and make his date with Tiara while Dr. Robotnik tries his best to twist everything into a big mess! Spoiler Sonic has until sundown to make his date with Tiara, the beautiful Manx Kitten-Princess. Their choice of a romantic spot makes for an adventurous journey as obstacles and enemies of all sorts plague Sonic's path. The longer it takes him, the darker it gets and the more miffed Tiara will be in the end… Regardless of how long Sonic's trek lasts, he's in for a BIG surprise in the end. Good luck, Blue Boy!!! Sonic wants to meet up with Tiara for a date, though the distance between them presents a bit of a problem. Sonic hangs in his Knothole crib, while Manx-baby chills in her pop's Kingdom a thousand males away!!! Sonic's got to race into and over many secret hills and valleys to get to his love. Tiara waits calmly, but Cameo footage reveals her increasing impatience. The longer he takes, the more miffed she'll be when he arrives. Sonic figures a little necklace endowed with 7 certain Chaos emeralds would make a nifty gift to cheer her up. Unfortunately, via his Sneaky Spy Satellite (S3), egg-boy Robotnik gets wind of Sonic's chivalric endeavor and sets out to stop him. Dr. Robotnik decides that it's a great time for his new SuperDooper MegaRay Cannon. Tested on impulse power, the Cannon beamed a secluded forest In Mobius, causing its trees to rip from the ground and float in various orientations in the sky. Filled with devilish glee after a few more successful experiments, Robotnik schemes a way to stop Sonic from stealing the Emeralds AND to trap him forever! Having developed a spring- switch device to control the rotation of the floating walkways, Dr. Robotnik plans a series of puzzles and then sets the Cannon to FULL power, zapping the entire planet! When the boom and flash of light fades, Mobius is transformed! Huge chunks of wood, plant, metal and even whole houses, cars, etc.-- All ripped up, floating angellically in various angles in the sky! What a trip! So now, to complicate the distance/ time issue, Sonic has a warped "twisted" world to navigate through that's filled with Robotnik's badniks! And to think that all Sonic wants is a nice, quiet good old-fashioned date! It's going to be more than half the fun getting there... Worlds: ?Circus Theatre - The ultimate floating amusement park with the latest in party technology! Ferocious robots remain caged within huge, ornate boxcars. Colorful tent- like structures riddle the sky. All sorts of wacky carnival games jump out at every corner. Sonic must be careful not to get too caught up in the fun or he'll miss his date! ?Gadget Mall - Imagine every appliance, computer, TV, VCR, stereo, washing machine, refrigerator-- Everything you've ever wanted (or not!) in one complete air sale taking up 200 cubic miles!!! Wowo—Look out Sears! Technology—Old and New! Best deals in town! All ''floating wonders'' will do something for or against Sonic, so watch out little buddy! ?Mayan Tombs - Huge carved structures made from all sorts of wood populate the spacious, heavenly ruins of the Mayan Tombs. From ornate totem poles, to huge wood and iron gates, to ivy-covered walls of stone, this level proves dangerous in its maze-like system of tricky traps. Look out Indy, here comes Blue-belt Jones!!! ?Blackjax - Las Vegas in the sky! Dark skies with red-lit carpet, twinkling and dazzling the eye for miles! Every known (and unknown) slot-machine and poker game erupts from the blackness. Card tricks and white magician gloves play this glittery paradise as an irresistible diversion for even the strongest of Hedgehogs. ?Deepseas - Blue, viscous currents flow small plankton-like creatures through enormous ''Waterworlds.'' Mechanical sharks and fish school about the aqua plains in and among the huge, geometric corral reefs. Underwater Tech Farms dot the reef and lava beds dangling motionless in the deep, blue ocean. Check your air gauge Sonic! ?Madtraffic - The worst parts of Los Angeles, New York City and even the Bay Area seem to have been transplanted into one, huge metropolis of winding freeways. Thousands of tons of concrete and metal intertwine in the sky, making a twisted, woven mesh of roadways and building pit stops. Don't get hit by the cabs, and don't get mugged Blue Boy! ?Inferno - A gaseous atmosphere booms with explosions as large chunks of cooled lava riddle the sky. The nastiest metal byproducts co-exist in this hellish version of a bizarre, semi-inhabitable sun. Spike plates and robotic deathtraps lurk behind every slab of iron. Lava light and siren lights illuminate this otherwise dim scene of pain. Good luck making your date now, dude! 05: Sonic poisoned 1 Spoiler Dr. Robotnik infects Sonic with a deadly Doom virus. Robotnik himself was previously infected and his plan is to trick Sonic into getting the cure and then snatch it away. Sonic meets professor Boobowski, the only man in Mobius who can save him. He tells Sonic that he needs to collect the cure ingredients from different worlds as quickly as possible. Professor Boobowski takes the ingredients from Sonic as he gets them and begins preparing the wonder cure. Robotnik kidnaps the professor just prior to Sonic acquiring the last ingredient. Disguised as Boobowski, Dr. Robotnik tries to trick Sonic into handing over the final ingredient. Sonic recognizes the trap and then the two titans battle it out for a climactic ending fight! Story: Sonic starts the game with the task of rescuing a damsel in distress. Tiara, a beautiful Manx kitten, has been chained to a wooden platform dangled loosely over a bed of spikes. Without a second thought, Sonic nimbly rescues her from certain doom. Troubled, she thanks him but says that this was a trap set by Sonic's arch enemy Robotnik. She explains that the chains that bound her were laced with a deadly virus, and by touching them, Sonic became infected with the Doom sickness. "Only one man knows the cure, and he's in the castle atop Misty Peak" she continues. Sonic thanks her and dashes off... Making his way through the woods, Sonic finds himself looking out on a huge sleepy valley prefacing what appears to be the Misty Peak. Stopping only moments to admire the view, Sonic zooms down into the valley to find a route to the castle. Reaching it without much trouble Sonic enters the opened drawbridge with echoes careening off the damp, stone walls. An old, stooped man steps into the courtyard. "Who are you and what do you want?!" yells the man. Sonic, unsure of his predicament exclaims," I'm Sonic and the kitten Tiara told me to find the man in the castle on Misty Peak." The old man, raising an eyebrow, responds, "How do you know Tiara?" Sonic explains how he rescued her ending with, "...and she told me that, I guess, YOU are the only one with the cure?" "That is so. I apologize for being so inhospitable. I'm professor Boobowski and my daughter Tiara was kidnapped by Robotnik a short while ago. Thank you so much for rescuing her-- But enough about that! Let's get you cured!" Boobowski grabs Sonic and they scramble down the basement stairs. The dangling lamps slowly flicker on with a buzz illuminating an old, classic laboratory, like something from a cheesy sci-fi film. Viles with fluid bubble and boil to life as the professor wakes the old forgotten laboratory. "I haven't been down here in years," exclaims the professor as he leads Sonic down yet another flight of stairs. They enter a large stone room with ancient shields and tapestries hung on its walls resting above floor plates painted with pain-staking detail. In response to Sonic's questioning glance, Boobowski explains that this is the Twist Chamber. "I'm too old to go and find all of the ingredients for your cure," says Boobowski. "This room lets you get to the different worlds that have what you'll need. This is how it works: Just walk onto the floor plate that represents the world you wish to go to. Tell me you're ready and I'll hit the wall switch to whisk you away." "How do I get back?" pipes Sonic. "Well, once you complete the world task you're automatically whisked back. I'll tell you each task and fill you in on pointers to keep you out of trouble." "Has Robotnik gotten to any of these worlds?" grumbles Sonic. "Not to my knowledge-- But be careful anyways- Oh! I almost forgot! These worlds are a little different then I'm sure you're used to..." Sonic squints his eyes wearily, "What do you mean?" "Well, the gravity in them is a bit strange. You can walk on walls and ceilings and such." "What?! How can I do that?" barks a wide-eyed Sonic. "You'll figure it out-- Hurry! You don't have much time! Pick a world and I'll send you there!" 06: Sonic poisoned 2 Spoiler Non-interactive Intro: Flash into (with "flash-in" SFX) scene with the Giant (about Sonic's height) Master Chaos Emerald suspended from the ceiling illuminating (a la Strong Spotlight action!) a bound and gagged Tiara struggling to be free. Flash (again, with "flash-in" SFX) Sonic zipping in and stopping a few feet in front of her. After a short pause he zips (like a whirlwind) around Tiara and frees her from her bonds. Frantically she gasps- "Sonic! You've been poisoned!!!" "What? Don't I even get a 'Thank you?'" "Yes, but-- Oh Sonic, you must hurry! I'm weak from the Chaos... You must go to my father in the castle. He's the only one who knows the Cure. Hurry Sonic! Before it's too late for us all..." "But you're..." "Just GO!!!" With no time to waste, Sonic spindashes into the distance as the dark scene fades quickly to white (with "flash-in" SFX for the last time, really!). Game Start and Flow: Fade in from white to Level 1 starting point in the Emerald Hills Zone. Solid sheets of land comprise the basic layout- No holes or anything too dangerous to interact with. The concept is for the player to get a grasp of basic 3D gameplay within Sonic's universe. Sonic must eventually find the castle in Emerald Hills Zone. Once there, he meets Professor Boobowski. Learning of his daughters rescue and sickness, "Booby" pushes Sonic into the task of gathering the Cure "as quickly as is hedgehogly possible!" Sonic now learns some tips about the tasks ahead of him: ? From Professor Boobowski's "Map Room" Sonic can be warped to 18 or so different dimensions or "Acts" (assuming 6 Zones with 3 Acts apiece). ? Within each Act, Sonic must retrieve its Cure Item, and then automatically warp back to the Map Room. ? Sonic can also warp back to the Map Room by returning to the Act's "Warp Entry Stone"-- a specific spot per Act where Sonic warps to/from. ? The nine Bonus Rounds must be completed to receive each of the nine Power-ups available to Sonic. (please refer to the Rings, Power-ups & More packet) ? Sonic encounters enemies made of either Metal, Stone or Wood. These represent the opposing elements to the three Shield types available to Sonic (I.e. Water, Fire and Lightning). ? Bosses must be fought to access the Cure Items of the Acts. Unlike previous Sonic games, these are highly mutated in nature, sod of "metal-gone-organic." (please refer to the Chaos & the DoomVirus section) ? To technically explain each Act's time limit: Boobowski has a limited Warp Energy supply, and the further away a dimension or Act is, the shorter the time Sonic will have to complete it. ? In addition, Sonic has a total, or global, Sick time in which to retrieve ALL of the various Cure items in the game before falling irretrievably sick to the DoomVirus ? Each Cure Item should be humorous in nature. Some examples include a gumball, some herbs, a laser cannon and an old shoe. Upon returning with the final Cure Item, Sonic finds that the Professor has been replaced by a most suspicious-looking character. Five sizes too large for the Professor's white gown, the stranger hangs a loose fitting and obviously fake white heard- Black pointy mustache jutting out suspiciously from its sides. When the stranger demands the final Cure Item, Sonic resolutely refuses, sending the character into hysterics. "Fine! Have it YOUR way blue boy!" yells the stranger, and with a rip and a roar the madman tears off his costume to reveal none other than ROBOTNIK!!! Breaking the floor below him, Robotnik jumps down into the final Dungeon Arena level of our game. Sonic must eventually fight Robotnik who pilots the Super Mega Boss designed especially for this climactic battle. Whoever wins gets the Cure... *The hole in the Map Room floor remains open, whilst Sonic can revisit various Acts to build up his power for the "Big Fight." [Every full minute Sonic spends in an Act (following Robotnik's disappearance) raises the Mega Boss's difficulty rating.] End Game Sequence: Left half of the screen flashes in (no SFX this time) the details of how the Master Chaos Emerald was cracked.? Dr. Ivo Robotnik tried to tap its power and broke it, contracting the Doom Virus. ? Robotnik tries unsuccessfully to extract information for a Cure from Professor Boobowski, the most famous Doctor in all of Mobius. ? Other forms of extortion failing, Robotnik schemes a very sneaky plan to snatch the Cure right out from under Boobowski's nose undetected! ? He starts by kidnapping Boobowski's precious daughter Tiara. ? Relying on Sonic's inability to resist rescuing any creature in danger, Robotnik sets the broken Master Chaos Emerald above Tiara, his bait. ? Sonic finds Tiara, our damsel in distress, and rushes to her rescue- Ignorant of the trap set for him by Robotnik. ? As planned, Sonic contracts the DoomVirus and sets out to find Tiara's father and hopefully the Cure. ? Planning to snatch the Cure from Sonic as soon as he gets it, Robotnik focuses on the next phase of his plan. ? Robotnik sets his slave-bots to constructing his Super Mega Boss, while other spy-bots to keep track of Sonic's progress. The remaining half of the screen is black with a caricature of each team member paired with their respective credits scrolling slowly upwards. Music should be the only thing we hear, and it should relax the player who has spent MANY hours getting to this resolution. Chaos & the DoomVirus: For thousands of years the "ChaosDoom," or Element Legion lay trapped, suspended in a state of lonely silence within the Master Chaos Emerald, watching seasons in the outside worlds come and go, generations birth and die. Dr. Ivo Robotnik, convinced there was some ultimate power within, succeeded in breaking the Emerald, providing a long-awaited exit for the ChaosDoom. No longer trapped, they waste no time in spreading their evil throughout Mobius and its surrounding dimensions. Initially (and in this game) though, all that takes affect is the DoomVirus, the poisonous atmosphere suitable only for the ChaosDoom. Any living creature coming in contact with the atmospheric rays of the broken Master Emerald fall into sickness, and eventually wither sway- Unless the Cure is found in time. Robots and creatures made of Metal, Stone or Wood are controlled by and serve as initial hosts for the ChaosDoom. Even Robotnik's Boss Robots do their bidding. All of these machines are bent on destroying Sonic, for he alone poses a threat to ChaosDoom. ChaosDoom's main problem is that in order to fully escape the clutches of the Master Chaos Emerald, they need TIME. Not a subscription to the magazine, but maybe a year to fully develop outside of their "egg." To the ChaosDoom, the longer Sonic can be delayed or even eliminated the more time they have to develop. Protecting the Acts with robots and the Cure Items with big, huge and nasty Bosses will hopefully accomplish this. Sequel Setup: Even with Boobowski's extensive research and study of Chaos, he remains unaware of one vital piece of information: The Master Chaos Emerald must be resealed in order for the Cure to have a permanent effect. ChaosDoom knows that if Sonic succeeds, they will lose their freedom. They are NOT planning on going back to their "cage." The ChaosDoom is a brotherhood of 6 magical monks warped in both mind and body whilst on vacation in the Master Chaos Emerald. Each wields a power from the Elements of the Universe. These include: Fire, Wood, Water, Metal, Lightning, Stone. Forming an imaginary circle (I.e. following Stone is Fire again...), each element is more powerful than its neighbor-- Thus creating a sort of Yin-Yang sphere of influence. Already controlling Robotnik's machines, the ChaosDoom plan to personally destroy any opposition following their development period. The plan for the sequel is to incorporate these 6 "Bosses" as Sonic's new enemies- Far out-powering Robotnik in mind and might. Characters: (in order of appearance)? Sonic: The dashing young hedgehog we have come to know and love. Never idle (except when left unattended for more than 5 seconds!) he's practiced a new "Ringthrowing" technique that will come in handy during his adventure. ? Tiara B.: Referred to as "princess" by her father Gazebo, Tiara plays a minor supporting role as bait for Robotnik's fiendish trap. Potentially a future character, she's smart, spunky and swift-- more than a "match" for Sonic . ? Professor Gazebo Boobowski: The only man who knows the Cure to the deadly DoomVirus, "Booby" lives rather eccentrically in his castle on top of the hill. A passion for the unknown led this kooky little man to the study of everything about Chaos Emeralds. ? Dr. Ivo Robotnik: The rotund recluse that just won't quit! Impersonating Pandora a little too closely, he foolishly breaks the Master Chaos Emerald and spills out the Chaos (oops). Didn't anyone tell him to leave well enough alone?! Infected, Robotnik devises a way to get Sonic to do all of the work in finding the mysterious Cure. What a stinker! 07: Prison Galaxy Spoiler Dashing through the snow, Sonic the Hedgehog is captured by one of Robotnik's Space Balloons and taken to a prison galaxy far away. Sonic will explore many exciting worlds while on his adventure home. Story: Long ago, there was an evil man named Ivo Robotnik. He spent his time building robots that built smoky factories that churned out more robots with one goal: To take over the world. Thank goodness for one courageous creature. Enter Sonic, a fast and furious little hedgehog intent on having fun in the sun. Through the use of his wits and speed, Sonic was able to defeat the evil Robotnik and stop his domination. With help from the creatures of the world, Sonic jettisoned Robotnik to a galaxy far, far away – Hoping the rotund recluse would start his life anew. For years the world enjoyed peace. The air was clean and the creatures were safe. No more robots. No more terror. But one day, things changed. Creatures began disappearing from their homes without a trace. More and more dark shapes moved soundlessly through the night. A shadow engulfed the world and everyone knew something bad was about to happen... Sonic, on vacation in the Ice Caps, is snowdashing back to the lodge. Taking turns and jumps at high speeds, the little blue hedgehog is a streak of swiftness. As Sonic drops down the final frozen run, he notices something strange. There is no bridge! “What the--?!” gasps Sonic as he skids, arching to a stop beside a crystal chasm. Sonic wipes his brown in relief. Suddenly, a huge black spider-like shape rises from the ravine. Sonic leaps in panicked surprise as the scene fades to black... ...Sonic wakes up to find himself captured by this “Space Balloon,” a pod designed by Robotnik to trap life forms for future use. Sonic has been traveling millions of light-years in the Space Balloon returning to Robotnik's massive Death Egg. Once Sonic realizes what's going on, he spindashes the heck out of the pod's computer panels, sending it hurtling toward the Jade Gully jungle planet... 08: Gravity story Spoiler After Robotnik's defeat at the Floating Island, things returned to normal for Sonic and his friends. Robotnik however, had not been idle, and returned with an even grander scheme to conquer the world. Robotnik has rebuilt his Death Egg fortress, larger than Sonic's entire world! So powerful is its gravity that it can rip planets from their orbits. Already several planets orbited the huge fortress, and Robotnik would not rest until Sonic's world was in his clutches as well! Already the world is being drawn to the Death Egg. Sonic has to act quickly to stop Robotnik. Tails has managed to create a working teleport pod that can send Sonic to the Death Egg. There was no time to contact Knuckles, so Tails will stay behind and operate the teleport pod and Sonic will travel to the heart of the Death Egg and destroy it. But as Sonic was teleporting, one of the small planets surrounding the Death Egg changed course and intercepted Sonic! Sonic found himself on a strange world, surrounded by Badnik robots! Already the inhabitants of this world had been captured and changed into his evil minions. Robotnik had prepared a cunning trap, and Sonic had walked right into it. Everything had gone as Robotnik had planned. He knew that Sonic would try to get to his new Death Egg, and had changed the creatures called Mips into Badniks. Then by controlling the planet's orbit, he had led Sonic right into his trap! "HA! HA! Now I've got you, you spiky blue freak! You won't stop me this time!" Sonic must free the captive Mips, make his way to the new Death Egg, and destroy it quickly. If he fails, the world will belong to Robotnik forever! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Known Story Board: Spoiler More detailed look at the enemy (Ball Drone) shown in story board. ( this is pretty close to the in game sprite) Spoiler ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- FMV Test: Aww come on ! seriously?! This thing looks like shit ! We can do better than that ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- What shall we do for style?! We could take 2 routs here: (if you guys have any ideas please don't hesitate to voice them!) A: Do a set of 3D Pre rendered FMV Sequences. ( you 2D art guys are still useful here for text, textures, backgrounds, Story boards) 3D modelers would be recreating the player models so that they look similar to the below image. ( This model was used to generate the player sprites, its to bad we don't have it) I think it best to base our model on this so that we have consistency in artwork. ( that's just my opinion) or B: Totally Hand drawn Sonic CD styled FMV sequences. ( maybe with some 3D elements tossed here and there) ( This is the official Sonic X-treme Boxart sketch) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some Requirements: Since were going for an oldschool look and feel, one requirement that is a must, the final render size should be 480 x 270. I know this is a widescreen resolution and that its not exactly 1000% oldschool, It will still appear to have an oldschool look and feel because of the low res. Making it oldschool example: Render size at 480 x 270 And below.... This is how it will look scaled up by engine to display at 1920 x 1080 (1929 x 1080 is an example) Spoiler Some notes: 1: For people who don't have widescreen, bars will be automatically added to the top and bottom of the screen via game engine functions. 2: We could also add some grainy compression artifacts if we wanted to take things further. ( in post production ) 3: The working resolution can be larger than final render size, We can always scale it down later to 480 x 270 to give it that pixelated look and feel during Post production. 4: Flash can be used for the final in game cinematic format (the images wont get filtered, and we can have easy control over it via UDK's scaleform features) ------------------------------------------------- Tiara B. concept art A Spoiler Tiara B. concept art B (Another style) Spoiler Tiara B. concept art C Spoiler Tiara B. concept art D (Looks like an animation sequence of her smashing a small Badnik with a hammer! ( Amy anyone?) Spoiler Tiara B. concept art E (Various poses ( one with the badnik) Spoiler Tiara's Enemy Spoiler
Thx for the PM Just want to mention. There are no deadlines or anything like that in this project, Its a go at your own pace type of deal. I don't mind keeping AXSX Story team progress open for public eyes here on the forums. Just as long as some goals are set. ( I don't want to see Extravagant new ideas being implemented once the story development process leaves planning stages) I need to get some starting point reference assets together, so please bare with me a little longer. Right now we are in the planning and Research Phase. Opinions, Ideas, and constructive criticisms welcome ! ( no fighting please !)
I'd join in as a 2D artist, but I'm not too confident about my skills and currently my tablet just wont cooperate with my new laptop.
As I said in the PM, I can whip up a story proposal this weekend, and I can definitely see what I can do in the way of 2D art once we get a direction! EDIT: Animation itself is a bit out of my skillset, but fonts, sketches, textures and whatnot I can definitely do.
Cant wait to see what you come up with! Don't worry about not being able to animate, I'm sure there will be someone to jump into that.. I think everyone has a skill that they could use to contribute to the project. Also every contribution goes a long way , no matter how small! This will be a team effort ! :P That'd be great !
Interjection here- Totally go for widescreen. A lot of games from that era had FMV that was letterboxed for a film look, and a widescreen video in a 4:3 window is a dozen times more 'acceptable' than a 4:3 video in a widescreen window.
I'd prefer prerendered FMVs. The consistency with the actual gameplay would help with the Suspension of disbelief. That video resolution may be low even for Saturn's standarts. As for video scaling, its unusual to use nearest neighbor filter(aka no filter). This is how the same video would look in a regular player: Spoiler
Yeah I think that the FMV would be best. Flash can be used for the final in game cinematic format (the images wont get filtered, and we can have easy control over them via UDK's scaleform features)
What do you guys thing about this? 1920 x 1080 while in production, so that we can have a High res version to show off on youtube, while keeping the game Res at 480 x 270.
I'd say go for widescreen too. Andrew I'd really like to help with the music over the next week and try to make a song for you based on one inspiration. Think we could talk about this? Sorry I've not had time to do this before
Hmm.. something like that may fit into one of the custom levels I have planned. (your signature's song ) Anyhow, are you talking about doing some music for the story FMV sequences?
Which one are you referring to? I was thinking about stages but if ya need some FMV, I guess I could try but I'd need the FMV sequences done first or something I presume.
I threw together a quick first draft of a story proposal! I liberally mixed the Rings of Order, Date, and Gravity story concepts, plus re-purposed Tiara as a sort of Knuckles-esque character (in that the traps she enacts causes Sonic to fall into the next zone). I referred to her as "Tiara the Minx" instead of Tiara Boobowski, because calling her by her species seems a little more in-line with the Segaverse. Boobowski just feels too AoStH to me, and not in a good way. Additionally, I re-named Professor Gazebo to Master Gazebo to make the concept behind the Rings of Order feel more mythical and grandiose. I didn't include the "Poison Rope" concept, as the story just sounds weak, plain and simple (STI seemed to have some major issues with sloppy story concepts). I also included the Lunar Fox from Sonic the Fighters as a convenient in-universe plot device for getting to the planet. I tried to refrain from using any concepts that didn't already exist in the Sonic Universe so it stayed streamlined and something that felt like it belonged in-canon with the other games. I think I succeeded, but I'll leave you guys to be the judge Spoiler It's been a calm and peaceful time for our heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles “Tails” Prower, ever since all was set right on Angel Island. With the Death Egg shattered, and the Chaos Emeralds far from Robotnik's grasp, the animal residents of the world have been able to share a sigh of relief. Even Sonic, always on the lookout for Robotnik's ugly mug, has taken the time to relax on a much-needed vacation. But just as he's about to kick up his feet and enjoy a hot plate of chili dogs on the beach, the sun is blocked out by a colossal shadow. The Death Egg, bigger and more deadly than ever, has been rebuilt and orbits the planet! Jumping right into action, Sonic and Tails dash to Tails' workshop where they outfit Sonic's plane The Tornado with Tails' ship the Lunar Fox to launch from the low atmosphere. Sonic blasts away towards the Death Egg, ready to serve it sunny-side up, but as the Lunar Fox approaches, the immense space station's defensive systems go on full alert, and nearly blast Sonic out of the sky. As the Lunar Fox spins violently off course, the Death Egg's gravitational field slingshots the out of control ship around its massive girth. Hidden behind it, Sonic is surprised to see a mysterious planet in tow behind the station. Crash-landing on the alien world, Sonic is enraged to see that the innocent residents of the planet, the Mips, have been enslaved and trapped inside Robotnik's nefarious Badnik machinations. As he goes on his adventure to free the Mips and stop Robotnik from using the Death Egg, he comes across Tiara the Minx, Guardian of the Mips. Despite Sonic putting his best ladies-man moves on, he's shocked to see that not only is Tiara completely unimpressed, but that she is actually hostile towards him, believing that it's Sonic enslaving her friends, and that he has kidnapped her father, Master Gazebo the Ring Smith. Tiara is unconvinced by Sonic's attempts to tell her he's not to blame, and completely shuts him down when he asks her out on a date. As Sonic moves forward on his adventure, Tiara occasionally takes him by surprise, preparing traps and obstacles to impede his progress, forcing him to go in other directions, and enter new zones. Eventually, however, Tiara realizes the truth when she is taken captive by the true culprit of her father's kidnapping, Metal Sonic. After saving her from Metal Sonic's attempted abduction, Sonic and Tiara team up to take out Robotnik. Tiara reveals that her father has created powerful elements known as the Rings of Order, that allow the wielder to transport themselves anywhere in the universe instantaneously, and imbue them with world shattering power. If Robotnik has obtained the Rings of Order, he would be able to use the Death Egg to take over the entire galaxy with ease. Sonic and Tiara travel together, finding one of the hidden minor Rings of Order, and with Tiara's mastery over it, they transport themselves aboard the Death Egg. There, they find Master Gazebo held captive. He has already completed his work on the final ring, and the Death Egg is nearly at full power. Sonic dashes off for his final confrontation with Robotnik. After an epic final battle, Sonic manages to cause a chain reaction that makes the Death Egg to begin tearing itself apart. Barely able to reach Master Gazebo and Tiara in time, he quickly brings them to the Rings of Order where Master Gazebo and Tiara's energy combined whisk the three of them off of the Death Egg and back to the Mip planet, which has been returned to its correct location. After a quick celebration with the Mips, Master Gazebo tells Sonic he will return him home. Before he goes, Sonic asks Tiara once more for a kiss. Tiara finally relents playfully. Just as they are about to seal the deal, the protective Master Gazebo transports Sonic away with a smirk. Sonic is sent back to the beach where Tails is waiting, and finds himself making out not with Tiara, but with a rock. Realizing what's happened, Sonic pouts as Tails laughs hysterically, while the Death Egg's wreckage can be seen dispersing into space beyond the atmosphere above. The End
That's actually quite good, I like it! Nack the Weasel and Metal Sonic are Bosses within the game, I think it would be fitting to add them in the mix somewhere. Here is my crap-tastic draft for the opening I had in mind for project AXSX,( back in 2006) I'm no writer, so please don't be so harsh, okay ? ( if you guys want to use anything from this go ahead !) This story was very loosely inspired from the story board that was posted on the first page of this topic. When we were initially planning the game's story, Xeniczone insisted on verbal communication between characters. I wanted to keep speech to a minimum and let visuals tell the story. We ended up with a bit of a mix here. Spoiler Location: (In the professor's Lab/House building) *Clank Clank Clank, bzzzzz. A Saw cutting through metal* Prof - "O my, Tera Run" *Tara and the Prof diving into the a room* Tara - "Dad, What is happening" Prof - "They have finally come." Location change: (Near some trees in a grassy open hill type field area) Sonic is off banging Amy in the woods somewhere,,, (err, really they are having a pick-nick or some shit)(not sure yet) *Explosion sounds* Sonic quickly looks up towards the sound's source. He sees a small building on top of one of the hills, with smoke billowing out Sonic runs over as quickly as he can, leaving Amy behind without saying a word. Sonic enters building threw the (still smoking) opening made in the massive metal wall. Location change: (In the professor's Lab/House building) *Scarping and shuffle sounds can be herd* Sonic turns to face the sound source. He can't quite see where the sound came from since the smoke is so thick. *Sonic squints his eyes as the smoke slowly clears* He sees what appears to be the fat Professor being held up in the air. *sonic looks confused* and than Red eyes gleam threw the now thinning smoke ( from behind the Professor. ) The smoke continues to clear, reveling Metal Sonic, who is holding the Fat professor (Up in the air like he's weightless), all while keeping an eye on sonic. ( camera pans around between characters a few times for cinematic purposes) Metal throws the professor so quickly that sonic cant quite catch him in time. and than with the same arm, quickly smashes threw a glass window (glass is part of a large machin that houses the latest developed Ring of order.) Meanwhile: ( err during all of this) The professor rolls into the corner next to his niece who is crying , She grabs and holds the shivering professor to comfort him , Metal zooms past Sonic in the blink of an eye. Sonic looks over to the 2 supporting characters, gives a thumbs up . and dashes off to save the day. *Room's appearance* ( demolished in such a way that it looks like a tornado passed threw ) Some concepts that we wanted to include in later portions of the story: We wanted to explain why some of the boss characters were so huge during boss fights, ( Nack and Metal sonic for example) This is kind of stupid, but rings of order could be used to , umm sort of power up whoever was holding them, (on command.) enlarging their mass and power. ( of course sonic does not do this) This would have been done after an initial fight with a smaller version of the boss character. Hidden in many levels would be secret rooms housing Rings of order access portals which lead to special stages. ( 50 rings required to power the Professor's portal machine)( Nack is always hiding behind that machine and jumps in after sonic) During a special stage Nack would have been trying to beat sonic to each ring of order, Both race to collect as many Rings as possible, If both characters do not have the proper amount of rings than the stage can be repeated at a later time. If Nack won the rings , there is no second attempt at collecting them, However after a Nack boss fight, and nack loses , Metal sonic swoops in and grabs up the remaining rings that neck had acquired. (if Metal takes the rings than there will be an alternate act and boss at the end of the game, After Deathe Egg) If sonic has all of the rings , metal does not show up. ( You get an alternate boss and act, and good ending, After Death Egg ) ( What about the first ring Metal sonic grabbed at the beginning of the game? simple, use our imagination and come up with something for the story! another note: The portals can not be opened with just the 50 rings, there are password key objects hidden around the levels. ( so both are required) These were just rough ideas, use em, change em , do whatever !
Hmm do the sig songs change up or something ? I'm not sure which one it was now, I just pressed the play button the first time I saw the sig. Yeah we need to get the FMV done first before music is introduced.
