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Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 12:44 am
by david
As you may know, Seith is aiming for cinematic locations with GoaT, though he hasn't really gone into specifics yet. Here are a few initial thoughts on some areas that might be visually interesting, and fit what is publicly known of the story too:

- Big shipwreck
- Ship graveyard
- Moai statues
- River, waterfall and lake
- Winding path up to the peak
- Cliffside
- Rats' castle, moat, drawbridge, main gate, winch room, gate house, barracks
- Frogs' underground caverns and subterranean lake (must have lily pads)
- Long-abandoned fishing village

Feel free to add your ideas! :D

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 6:25 am
by Pulsar
Lava.... there has got to be lava.

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 8:18 am
by KwisatzHaderach
Pulsar wrote:Lava.... there has got to be lava.
I concur!

But not just boring old lava streams! It would be awesome to have something like:

Lava tubes
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and basalt columns
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Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 5:05 am
by david
Lava and basalt columns would be good! :)

Here's some more from me:

- Mineshaft
- Swaying rope bridges
- Dark forest
- Cornfield
- Cliff for climbing and hopping
- Hollow logs, climbable trees and plants (suggested by EvilKing)
- Crevices for stealth (by FrozenCherry)

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 1:14 pm
by Raggon
I think the Moai statues and fishing village would really add an interesting aspect to the game, making players wonder where they came from until a surprising revelation at the end.

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 2:59 pm
by evilkinggumby
I love the idea of Moai though tthey'd have to be scaled down as the real ones would be MASSIVE.. unless you had a game level take place IN one of those heads.. that'd be fun for a dungeon maze/puzzle

Other locations that'd be fun:

Pet semetary/burial ground (fun creepy and even a little touching, our adventurer must work their way through a series of plaques, stone statues and burial mounds to get to the center circle where a message was supposedly left on the masoleum wall. Climbing through large skeletal remains of lost dogs, coiled lizards, and even a few fish bones, our hero must avoid grubs and worms, scavengers, and even a few returned pets still skuling about, their collars and name tags dangling amongst loose grey rotten fur.

chemical tainted pond/swamp - Possibly the remnants from a illegal dumping site with rusted barrels peaking up out of the oiley water amongst brown grass and fumes. Glowing mushrooms and other incandescent flora abound due to the strange concoction the waters have become.

Oversized abandoned HoneyBee Hive - lots of shafts of light and dramatic shadow offer the player a cavernous puzzle to navigate up to the upper honeycomb to speak with an aged forgotten queen bee still alive in it's depths. Golden pools of honey and opaque wax textures abound.

Pumpkin fields - amongst the vines and leaves the mouse must navigate between and through fresh, baby and rotted pumpkins, avoiding scavengers, insects and other enemies to try and get to the center of the patch where there is a scarecrow long rotted and now simply a crow perch. Can the Crow be trusted?

Covered bridge- Full sized rotting covered bridge that still spans across a length of water. Players must navigate across, avoiding rotted/termite damaged spots and going over/under/between supports and planks to get across without falling or getting hurt on nails poking through. Be sure to avoid the Owl's roosted in the upper beams.

The Glass Dump - A large bin or cove where hundreds of glass bottles, jars and other glass throwaways have been collected or left behind. Navigating this is a splendor for the eyes with lots of reflected light and color and strange labels faintly present on some, but also dangerous due to shards of glass, containers of poison, and various creatures living inside the containers. But could there be a few key items hiddin in these forgotten containers? Or a friend? Returning to this area rendered at night turns a somewhat colorful whimsical location into a dark and strange new place where shadows abound and the terrain becomes much more treacherous.

Atop the Great tree- The Eagles Nest - Only the truly brave and adventurous ones venture to the top of the great tree to find the remnants of lost heroes. If you are lucky enough to find the hidden knothole and climb through the insides and outer branches of this massive tree, you might be lucky enough to discover the eagles nest and quite possibly a weapon or trinket left behind in the bones of fallen comrades...

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:36 am
by david
:D @Raggon, you get the idea exactly! As I understand Seith, he intends that the locations will help tell the story and form of the mystery (as well as being visually stunning, of course). I'm not suggesting these are final game locations, but for example:

- what substance has poisoned the toxic pond?
- why is the fishing village abandoned?
- what is the purpose of these giant moai heads, and who made them?
- what is the story behind the shipwrecked fleet, and did any of the crews survive?
- is there a way inside the volcano?

@EvilKing The pet cemetary, hive, pond etc. are genius!

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:46 pm
by evilkinggumby
ok THIS has got to be considered at some point..

http://sploid.gizmodo.com/spectacular-b ... 1498816568


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Blue lava from indonesia. OMG SO KOOOOLLLL :)

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2014 3:02 am
by david
@EvilKing... that's just wild, it's hard to believe it is real... but apparently it is. Amazing :mrgreen:

Some more locations...
  • -weird and misty marsh
    -an abandoned burrow
    -a stone altar
    -a tiny wooded island offshore, with a dock and a structure nested among the dense trees
    -tall, waving reeds at the mouth of the small river
    -sand banks, held together with some rough grass
    -a watch tower and signal fire
    -steaming mangrove swamp, where the crabs live
    -tree house with a rope ladder
    -stepping stones across the river
    -a narrow opening, evidently an ancient grave, with rat remains, old pots and rusty weapons

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 11:51 pm
by david
I just thought that it would be cool to have an area or level or location where Tilo has to wade through dark water at waist level.

Maybe a series of underground caves?

Not being able to see the ground beneath could be part of the gameplay, perhaps with creatures and fish popping out of the water and safe underwater ledges to stay on (we don't know yet if Tilo can swim, or maybe if he falls into the deeper water his lamp goes out).

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:02 am
by evilkinggumby
I could see that. Like Tidal Caves that only really become accessible when the tide recedes, so there is a time limit. Not sure how crazy Seith would want to try and go with water effects and physics, but what you propose would be right fun. I grew up on looney Tunes so i'd get a kick out of having a simple reed/straw to breath through and using that as a snorkle to move under the water to evade big nasties in the cave.. lol Or fashioning a hat with a small hanging candle/lamp on it so it doesn't get wet. or special shoes made of very lightweight wood that allow you to scamper across certain sections of deep water for brief periods (Waterstrider Wooden Clogs). Popping open clams and oysters for food and treasure. Finding a big ol pirate chest covered in seaweed and barnacles that end sup empty but with a broken hole in the side that shows whatever was in it has fallen out and rolled down a channel of rocks into a seemingly hidden grotto. :)

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:26 am
by david
@EvilKing... sweet heaven... there are just an insane amount off terrific ideas in that post: a breathing straw! hat with a candle! pirate chest with a clue to the hidden grotto where the treasure has gone!

Kwisatz also likes the tide mechanic, he posted about it a while back. It really would fit so well, and there are fun/puzzly things you can do with it... the height of the water and also maybe changing forces of tidal currents (relevant if Tilo is swimming or in a boat).

Your thought to use the water level as a time limit is terrific...just imagine the tension as the water level gets gradually higher :D

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 6:13 am
by evilkinggumby
Yeah I think the idea of water level and tide could work as a very natural way to build and release tension. 'Hydrophobia' was an incomplete and flawed game that tried to do a LOT with water that had not been done before (with good results for the most part). I really liked a lot of the ways that moving and navigating water in it changed gameplay, tension, play style and overall plotting your way through an area (especially where electricity is concerned). I was bummed th egame feels so .. unfinished. Guess it ran out of money or time..

I don't expect GoaT to go that nutty with water physics and detail, heck I am not sure it'll be viable to implement AT ALL considering it'll require (most likely) an added plugin for general water physics (how a character moves in mild/waist/deep water) and possibly animation routines and tweaks. Plus all the work related to water/splash physics/wet textures for creatures/etc. Great idea that is probably just too hard to add when doing such detailed graphics.

If all else it'd be fun to have drips coming off parts of the ceiling and if you get hit by one Tilo sputters and shakes the water off, surprised. hehehe. That could be reused in forests and outdoor places where water may drip from trees/rocks/waterfalls :)

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 3:14 am
by KwisatzHaderach
I really dig the whole cave thing with tidal flooding! It sounds like a lot of work, but it suits the game really well imo (a mouse-game has got to have an underground section anyway :) ).

As a contrast I would love to see an area with alpine meadows and some dwarf shrubs. I feel like the game would profit from an open , expansive free-roam area away from the coastline, high up in the mountains. With the right wind effects and occasionally some falling snow I think that could be a really atmospheric place.

Image

If you use limestone as bedrock (makes for more rugged, dramatic scenery anyway) you could also have small caves and sinkholes within that high plain.

Sinkhole
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Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 8:01 am
by david
@Kwisatz... I totally agree, not just tunnels and caverns! Mixing it up with wide outdoor areas, offering a variety of routes through and plenty of interesting options to creatively deal with enemies.

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 2:25 pm
by evilkinggumby
something that'd be fun as well... (i seem to love these lava tunnel shots...)

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From a lava tunnel after it cooled...

or this.. which'd make an AWESOME place to camp on the island...

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Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 1:59 am
by KwisatzHaderach
Yay for lava caves (see also my previous post: http://www.ghostofatale.com/forum/viewt ... t=182#p228)!

In my function as chief master geologist of the Royal GoaT Science Assosiation it is my duty to inform you that Fingal's Cave is not a lava cave sensu stricto, but a sea cave eroded by waves into basalt columns.

That second picture is amazing! Did you take it yourself? If so, where abouts? I'm guessing that is a formation of Tufa? Anyway, it would make for a very unique and fun location. You'd definitaly need a lascivious lady mouse showering underneath that dribbling water though :shock:

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 7:37 am
by david
@Kwisatz... absolutely, a waterfall and a pool for sure.. with some clever variation or twist on the 'tunnel entrance behind the waterfall trope'. I somehow doubt if we'll be seeing a nubile girl mouse showering underneath it though ;)

I also REALLY like the look of the basalt, but it might confuse a lot of players into thinking that the cave is man-made. Though if you have basalt, it would come from an active or extinct volcano, which would naturally lead to further interesting locations like steam geysers, lava flow, lava pools, etc.

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 8:17 am
by evilkinggumby
I don't claim ownership of either photo. they were photo of the day's on a facebook page.

and the first just had the title "Cave formed by lava cooling and fracturing" so I didnt know anything was erroded by water.. sorry! Though the location you cited is correct, good eye!

the second is quoted as something in MINIS GORGE? not sure.

earlier in the thread I mentioned a fun animation of Tilo sputters when water drips on his head.. that second image would be a great place outside to see that happen..hehehe...

The game totally needs a female mouse shaowering..even if it's a ghost of some tail... hehehe... I'd laugh if the biggest reason our hero was exploring the island was to chase a hot female ghost mouse thinking she was real...

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:46 am
by evilkinggumby
Ok this seems like it could be used easily for this game - an old abandoned ship left to die way inland on a small concealed bit of river. :)

http://www.viralforest.com/110-year-old ... hio-river/

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Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 3:49 am
by david
@EvilKing.. I can really imagine this place, a dank and rotting wooden ship's hull, with plants growing through it. The abandoned hulk has been long stripped of any valuable items. The water in this place is still, and an unhealthy green color.

A rancid smell lingers in the air, and there is a cloud of insects... perhaps the decaying corpse of a large animal lies among the tall vivid-green grass.

PS. of course, whether this intriguing and atmospheric but not-so-pleasant location (as I've described it) fits the game, utterly depends on the direction that Seith steers GOAT's themes and mood: http://www.ghostofatale.com/forum/viewt ... ?f=6&t=498

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 3:46 pm
by evilkinggumby
couple shots a friend's mom took in Watkins Glenn that are really interesting. Not the greatest pics but you can see enough to get a glimpse of how wild this'd be in a game like GoaT


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Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 7:18 pm
by Vallug
Definitely a swamp area, or bog. Creatures in the water that you can't see. Fog that's super thick but you can navigate through.

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 2:39 am
by david
@EvilKing... absolutely, a beautiful waterfall at the entrance to a dark underground river with a network of caves and pools, where the frogs live in their underground kingdom, to avoid the 'hairy ones'... the rats and mice.
Vallug wrote:Definitely a swamp area, or bog. Creatures in the water that you can't see. Fog that's super thick but you can navigate through.
@Vallug... a thousand times this! I can imagine that the dense fog would dangerously reduce visibility, and the watery sludge of the bog/swamp would impede Tilo's movements (usually, when sprinting, he can run super-fast). The swamp/bog would have danger in the water, and even normally slow-moving enemies may become a threat. This environment would force players to change tactics. As well, a bog/swamp is wonderfully, menacingly atmospheric of course :mrgreen:

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Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2014 10:34 am
by evilkinggumby
This may not entirely work in the game but.. David and Seith and Jeremiah need to take a trip and hit this for a day spa.. OMG love it.

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Sadly, no clue where this is. :)

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2014 10:22 pm
by david
@EvilKing... a mysterious spa set in a lush tropical paradise... YES PLEASE! :D

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 9:45 am
by david
At the base of the cliffs lies a substantial fishing town, featuring a primitive warehouse that partly covers the series of interconnected wooden docks. A pair of simple, but large, wooden cranes facilitate loading. A host of fishing boats are tied up: there are several new ones though the remainder are well-weathered and in various states of disrepair.

A number of stone-built houses, many stories tall, lean against the vertical cliffs. The inhabitants have probably burrowed backwards into the rock to expand their accommodations. The many rooms are connected by an untidy series of wooden steps, ladders and gangways, and there is a precarious-looking counterweighted wooden elevator to lift heavier loads.

At the apex of the ferry dock to the west, there is an unusual long and lean passenger vessel with unusual outriggers. Amidships, an impressive, modern steam boiler issues copious amounts of black smoke. It is worth noting that these new-fangled boilers are potentially explosive, and this ferry boat is extremely pointy.

To the east, on the long thin beach that stretches below the towering cliffs, there are several upside-down rowing boats, a pile of ropes, various nets, and a mound of empty fish barrels and crab traps. Father along the beach there are further clusters of huts. In the distance, identifed by the hanging multicolored lanterns, there is a small outdoor square with benches and tables, surrounded by taverns and inns featuring bawdy entertainment.

Anchored offshore, a massive black barge, dominates the sparsely-populated harbour moorings. Although the barge's purpose is unclear, it flies the royal standard of the Rat King. From what Tilo can tell, the sinister vessel is heavily-guarded. It would take a large, heavy, fast-moving and pointy object to penetrate the thick hull of this behemoth, ideally supplemented with some type of time-delayed explosion. Alternatively, the judicious combination of fire, with a flammable liquid, would also merit consideration.

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 10:11 am
by evilkinggumby
kool! i like that kind of setup. :)

It almost feels like the end section of the adventure, where after you venture through the island and its inner secrets and tombs you find some artifact, but have it stolen by the rats only to have you skulk and chase them to this location. it is your last chance to try and get it back and stop them, and your only method is to somehow get that large pointy ship to crash and detonate by the big Rat King's ship. Even if you do it is discovered the artifact is missing and in the distance you see a small boat out on open water being rowed by..someone...

This would also be fun if it looked like another thief mouse took it and hints at someone on a barely visible island was incorporated early on in the game. :) Though I don't know if seith was planning on incorporating a spyglass into the game.. if not.. kinda not necessary. :)

Re: Interesting and cinematic island locations

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 4:13 am
by david
@EvilKing... yep, towards the end of the adventure, exactly! After emerging from the prison dungeons, caverns, and mines that are, basically, inside the cliff.

I really like your images of looking through a spyglass at a hazy, mysterious mouse figure (the thief, with a black cloak, hood and an eyepatch!) sitting by a fire on a faraway island, or pulling away miles out into the lake in a little rowboat.

By the way, I forgot to mention the broad, flat salvage raft that is operating offshore, using its giant crane to bring valuables up from the deep. There seems to be one of those newly-invented diving bell on deck. Perhaps they are searching for an immensely valuable item on the sea floor, amidst the recent wreckage of a desperately-fleeing enemy vessel? Can mice use diving bells? Will we ever find out? :D