Ghost of a Tale in Indie Statik's 100 Most Anticipated

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david
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Ah now I understand... the Indiestatik description... that makes more sense :D

I think that was written by Indiestatik. Yes, it is a bit askew in a few details... which is understandable when a journalist is trying to summarise 100 forthcoming games, and make them all sound interesting.

As for the blog description, imho it is accurate, but so short that it doesn't quite capture the spirit of the game, for people who are meeting GOAT for the first time.
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evilkinggumby
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I think David should write up a summary of the game's details so far as a blurb for websites to use and report on! :)

There, totally thrown under the bus.

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david
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A pox on you EvilKing :mrgreen: :lol:

But seriously, it is a good idea... an updated, detailed description doesn't exist at the moment. I might even do a press page, with a downloadable image pack.

I'll suggest it to Seith :D
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Seith
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I was surprised as well when I read the description on Indiestatik; I believe it was put together from some older information and unfortunately does not quite reflect the current state (or direction) of the game. Among which is combat. As I have stated before, combat will not be standard as it won't be possible for you to pick up a mighty sword and start killing your enemies by hitting them to death. That's just not the spirit of the game.

As a non-warrior mouse you will have to rely on your agility, cunning and ability to hide in order to make your way to the tower of Periclave. The story will be revealed progressively and there will not be too much hand-holding during the game; you'll have to pay close attention to what is said and what's visible in the environment.

The difficulty level won't be diabolical; if you get cut down to pieces then it means you've probably missed something, NOT that you're not L33T enough.

All that being said I'm still waiting to share more specifics in terms of game mechanics because I need to be certain that what I'm talking about actually works and does find its way into the final product. But believe me, it's fun! :)

Lastly, you guys have basically the most recent information about the game. And I dare say that at this very moment you're probably much more up to date with the project than any other journalist on the web...

(Oh, and we'll come up with a more accurate description for the game!)
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evilkinggumby
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Sounds pretty great then. I have to agree with David's idea of a presskit page though. If you want to really keep anticipation going and grow your marketing/fanbase it'd be better to have a simple page with images, banners, avatars, summary of the game, longer description of the game, and 1-2 short sentence summary of the game so people can use it however they need.

It would also be good to have a solid notion on the set up at this point. I Know Seith wants to keep everything under wraps, but I've kickstarted a ton of games where they were able to at least give a simple plot synopsis of the story, or in the least say how/why it all began. Something Could even be something original that may not be explicitely what is in the final game's intro.

Does the Hero mouse have a name, or will we get to name it?
Why is the hero on the island? What circumstances brought them there?
How is the island referred to by the commonfolk? (or how would the hero mouse refer to it prior to getting there?
Who is the hero mouse?


The actual write up could be anything from long world building set up to simple circumstantial description.

Example:

(as read by Stephen Frye and on the screen you see speed drawn sketches of the hero mouse at home, on a path, at the market)

*****
What is a common life?

If you asked most folk, you would be told many different things. A life spent with family and friends. A life exploring knowledge and expanding one's consciousness of the universe. A life full of laughter and cheer and good food.

Many a folk-mouse have wished for a common life. A good life. Most often, they get exactly what they wish for.

But this little mouse longed for something more. If you were to ask them "What kind of life would you prefer?" they would answer as any other mouse. But deep down, buried in their little mouse heart, there was a desire for something more. Something un-common. Something, dare we say..Dangerous.

Periclave.

(title shot fading in as sketch of mouse out on the ocean fishing and napping appears)

This was the mouses common life. Waking an hour before dawn. Striking out to Marla Moleby's to get a bucket of bait, and then setting sail. Fishing was common. The daily sunrise, in all it's orange juice and gold buttery rays and warm fried egg splendor, was also common. And even the snoring of a certain mouse on the ocean was as common as hearing gulls overhead.

(shot of bucket of wrapped snacks and fruit with sounds of snoring nearby)

This mouse knew fishing was a fairly simple task. This mouse, despite warnings, knew the easiest and best fishing spots were across the bay near the island of Periclave. And so every morning this mouse would fish, and sing, and watch as the sun cast rays across the island across the way. Some days you could see almost nothing, like an eternal fog was napping on the island. Other times, like in the worst hot says of summer, you could almost see movement on the shores.

"Ye' don't go near that place" old Marla would always say, "Ain't no good come of that fer a hunn'd year!"

"Oh, I Know. " the mouse would say, "I know well about the curse."

The mouse knew about the dark history of the island very VERY well, and only went near it to fish. Still, to be safe, the mouse made sure to stay several leagues away from it, despite the piles of fish that could be had. Why?

Tales of huge sharks and angry octopus and massive evil spirit things abounded when speaking of the island. Some, like Scry the Scrollmaker, claimed to hear voices from across the water. Others, such as Harl Habersmash, saw smoke and fires. And still others, like Mother Mothbee, could swear they heard the singing of music during a still night.

They all spoke of a magical place. A frightening place. SUCH a place. Periclave was a place no common mouse would ever want to visit.

Periclave always lingered in the minds of the Mouse Village.

On this day however, the island was very VERY common. It was none of those interesting, fascinating, frightening things people had said. Like a pebble on your path, it was of little consequence for one's morning fishing.

The weather, however, was turning an uncommon somber dark-grey-black faster than the mouse ever expected. In minutes the sea began thrashing and splashing, shoving over the bucket of grubs. Toppling the fishing pole into the cold depths. It even claimed the pail of snacks, now a small buoy drifting away from the boat.

"So much for my common day!" Say the mouse as it wiped a tear shed for the snacks. "I best get home."

A sharp CRACK sounded overhead, and looking back, the sail and mast tumbled off into the wind. Grabbing an oar, the mouse fought to turn the boat about, its' arms pumping, brow furrowed, eyes squinting against the sharp rain and cold wind.

Despite this, the storm pushed harder. The mouse rowed faster.

Periclave grew yet closer.

(fade to black as the boat dashes against something solid in the water)
*****

See that helps establish a number of things without even TOUCHING the main plot of the story at all. We don't know what will ultimately transpire on the island, we don't know what evils or beings live there. And despite getting some notion of how the hero mouse acts, we're still given a lot of latitude on how we can play out and act as that mouse.

I don't expect this will be used (to be honest that was a first draft so there is likely a TON of problems with it) but I wanted to offer an example as to what could be out there, shorter, but allowing for some idea of where this all is going.

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Last edited by evilkinggumby on Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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david
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@EvilKing... let's see what Seith will sanction, but as you know he loves keeping things under wraps.... so I'd bet heavily that he'll keep us in suspense... a lot :mrgreen:

I totally get your hypothetical description of the GOAT introduction... it is neat and cinematic! The mouse is a minstrel though, and imho this morsel is quite key to the story of GOAT.

I'm just done chatting with him on Skype. I'll put together a detailed description of GOAT for journalists, so they don't need to research everywhere to get to the bottom of what GOAT is all about. You might see it on a new press page on the site, with a downloadable pack of high res images they can use. It should be finished in a few days.

Good suggestion EvilKing and Kwisatz :D

and yes, the blog video description will be filled out a bit more too... for people who are totally fresh to the GOAT experience ;)
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evilkinggumby
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david wrote:@EvilKing... let's see what Seith will sanction, but as you know he loves keeping things under wraps.... so I'd bet heavily that he'll keep us in suspense.

I totally get your hypothetical description of the GOAT opening... it is neat! The mouse is a minstrel though, and imho this morsel is quite key to the story of GOAT.
What, fishermouse can't also sing and play guitar? Seems like a perfect way to practice your craft without anyone around to bother. :)

LOL and yes I don't expect this to have anything to do with the final game. twas an example, little more. Every once in a while i get the hankering to write a pseudo kids bedtime story, so it was a fun little moment of creativity.
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david
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@EvilKing... for all I know, you may be exactly right in every single detail. Seith keeps me totally in the dark too. :mrgreen:

I swear, there is an entire library of books in you, eager to leap from your fertile mind onto the page.
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evilkinggumby
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david wrote:@EvilKing... for all I know, you may be exactly right in every single detail. Seith keeps me totally in the dark too. :mrgreen:

I swear, there is an entire library of books in you, eager to leap from your fertile mind onto the page.
Dawww.. youuu.. yer such a flatterer!

just imagine what'd happen if i actually learned how to make video games! lol

Unfortunately I'm too easily distracted by food..

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david
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evilkinggumby wrote:if i actually learned how to make video games!
After working for 3 years with Unreal Engine 3 (UDK) and CryEngine 3, this picture below expresses how I felt.

Getting all the elements working together really is a challenge. I'd still encourage you to get started, but in addition to the creative side, the technical side of gamemaking really is a full-time endeavor in itself.
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Caption: "While trying to get things to work properly, I think I have melted my brain" :mrgreen:
Alternative caption: "I thought this would take me ten minutes... that was two weeks ago" :mrgreen:
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evilkinggumby
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ROFL see stories like that are why I shy away from ever trying. I'll just have to resign myself to being the most prolific GoaT fanfic author. lol. Maybe do some crossovers where the Hero mouse has to go up against the Kia car commercial Hamsters...


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lol...

though those guys would be a fun alternate race in GoaT. If a sequal ever needed it. :)

Any word on that press pack ya'll are making? :) do we get to see it too?
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