Arzonus: Legends in Genesis

I am going to compile together a new chapter to add to Arzonus, set two years after current RuneScape events, and set on a different world entirely. The story is as follows.

"Two years have come and gone, and a lot has happened. Now, Master Arcus Maelstrom of Arzonus prepares to begin the greatest step of his people, the first occupied mission off-world, using experimental technology he has spent years developing. Travelling on the voyage are many well-known Arzonus citizens, and they prepare to take off in the a star ship, the first of its kind in Gielinor, and travel to a new world.

The flight goes on as planned, with all occupants on-board enjoying the comfortable flight and prepare to land. However, an anomoly projected from the other world below damages their engine array, and an unknown stowaway appears on board, forcing all of the crew the beam down to the planet below.

Several million miles from home and without transport, our heroes are divided and end up being thrown into the chaos of this new world, with them on the front line. In their travels, they discover ancient myths suggesting they aren't the pioneers from their world and discover one of their own kind, against all concievable odds, fighting for her life in what can only described as hell. Leaving is no longer a top priority as the werewolf heroes from Arzonus prepare to embark on a new expedition, beyond anything they could possibly have dreamed."

I will discuss this regularly. Be fore warned, story is subject to change accordingly.

I plan to feature an element that works around character's overworld abilities into the gameplay. Here are some such abilities, some can be upgraded to have increased performance, some can be purchased while others must be earnt.

Crisis - A character with this ability will have an increasinging stat when the character or the team is in a critical state. Cannot be purchased.

Precognition - Allows the character to forsee an enemy's moves before they occur, as a silhouette. This can be upgraded to allow it to predict earlier.

Swimmer - The character is able to swim. This is upgraded to allow unlimited oxygen upon acquisition of the gill collar.

Filter breather - The character is able to breathe normally in an environment with poisonous air.

Magic Barrier - The character is not susceptible to additional effects of attack i.e. Poison. This is Donicus' signature ability.

Technician - The character is able to manipulate machines. Some characters have this innately, but it can be upgraded to allow access to more secure machines.

Intimidate - Enemy stats are reduced upon a character's entry into combat. This is Giovanni's signature ability. Can be upgraded to take a greater amount of stats off an opponent.

Strong Senses - NPCs can be located and tracked easier. In some cases, this ability is crucial to completing some missions. This is Fang's signature ability.

Multitype - Other abilities can be copied. This is Morbius' signature ability. Can be upgraded to allow more skills to be temporarily copied.

Inquisition - Allows NPCs to be more trusting, and opens more dialogue opportunities, beyond those normally available. This is Zanik's signature ability.

Block - Enemy abilities are inhibited slightly, reducing base damage and chances of secondary effects. This is Rhetorii's signature ability.

Recovery - Restores health when a specific action is performed. This ability cannot be purchased.

Precaution - Boosts a form of combat ability when outnumbered unfairly. This ability cannot be purchased.

Pressure - Increases enemy energy usage.

Magnetic Pull - Prevents metal foes from moving on contact. This is Cheyenne's signature ability.

Demon's Clock - Allows time to be slowed down tremendously for short bursts at a time. This is Yaanas' signature ability, but isn't available at the beginning.

more forthcoming...

Write it as if the reader has no idea who the characters are, even if it's in a setting where Callum our avatar does.

Oh god, but how does Zanik gets involved?, also when will you post arzonus here?

Why would Zanik be involved?

Zanik is considered an ally of Arzonus. And besides, I couldn't think of another character I could use for the newer team. She hasn't much involvement in the story.

"Two years on.

Arzonus is the city of werewolves, a thriving metropolis, a powerful stronghold and home to many brilliant creatures. It now lies on the brink of reaching the greatest potential; travelling beyond the origin world...

Maya, apprentice to the Chief Scientist and Master Summoner has been chosen to lead the pioneer mission beyond the confines of this tiny planet, to extend Arzonus' knowledge and embrace new frontiers. Her two best friends, the calm-thinking Donicus Whitearrow and the hot-headed human hunter Fang will be at her side, to take on new challenges, beyond anything they've previously faced.

Elsewhere in the city, the overambitious and overconfident youth, going by the name of Morbius plans to pull a few strings in order to reserve himself a place on this coveted mission. Normally untrustworthy and unreliable with anything high profile, Morbius plans to prove his ability isn't just a long line of consecutive flukes, but have some amount of planning and strategy behind it.
Dawn, Morbius' childhood friend also has been offered a position alongside her friend, mostly for the reason of giving Morbius some control and restrictions when he runs head first into anything that remotely smells like trouble.
Rhetorii, Morbius' dislikable* personal trainer is dispatched with the purpose to make sure that Morbius keeps on top of his training and ability, but also to make sure the enthusiastic one doesn't rely too much on luck and happy-go-lucky odds when it comes to serious business

As with all great days in history, there are those who see nothing in it, but the opportunity to do harm and destruction out of pure spite, whilst onlookers watch in awe in the hope of enlightenment. A Shadow Apprentice, a dark, twisted individual whom even the most forgiving would label as beyond redemption has eluded detection for far too long and now threatens the safety and integrity of the great pioneering voyage. Only one thing is feared by the foul villain, a werewolf going by the name of Giovanni Magnus.
Having spent most of his life under strict training and being played as a chess piece by dark hands, Giovanni has committed himself to see to it that whatever perversity of justice emerges in the name of the Shadow Apprentices is dealt with strongly, to eliminate all the threat they chose to represent. He is handed this mission with explicit instructions... Execute the criminal on sight.
Joining Giovanni is probably the only werewolf that even the most isolate and lonliest werewolf cannot be without, expertly trained in many practises of stealth and espionage, Cheyenne. With a strong sense of bravery, but also being adept in many forms of trickery, this particular individual is possibly the only werewolf not repelled by Giovanni's somewhat dark disposition.
Naturally tagging along is a strange creature known as Yaanas, assigned purely for purposes of sampling, protection and filming short exerts for presentation evenings at the Rested Spirit. It is unknown why Yaanas bonds so well with Giovanni, but it appears the loner tolerates the machine to some degree.

However, waiting on the destined world, legends are in their infancy for the young Scarlett Knox. The darkest lairs of demons are the only home she knows, trapped in the ever expanding Quarantine zone. The only werewolf on her world, the difficulty of life has been ever present since her birth. Unbeknownst to her, she bears more than just painful emotional scars and an enormous bounty on her head from both sides, and maybe these new visitors might show her, before it is too late.
Sedna is Scarlett's only remaining family, her twin sister, human and the only compassion she has ever properly known. Trapped in hell with her sister, she made a stern promise to never leave her behind, even if it involves sharing death with her. She has discovered herself to possess a unique ability, not common to humans or demons, and has been marked Quaratine enemy number two as a result.

As the great voyage takes place, it is certain from the beginning that the mission will not be as easy as all may let on. Upon leaving the portal and orbiting the new world, propulsions fail and force the travellers to teleport down to the surface and into the face of danger with their one escape lost..."

"overambitious and overconfident youth, going by the name of Morbius plans to pull a few strings in order to reserve himself a place on this coveted mission. Normally untrustworthy and unreliable with anything high profile"

I can see if he somehow managed to get aboard, but how the heck does he manage to get two extra persons? And why is he even allowed to go if he requires constant leash?

Seems very unrealistic, and somehow biased. Also, I wouldn't name a person after yourself, he'll be Mary Sue, that's almost for sure. You'll favor him too much...

Nah, Morbius Maelstrom is given the same treatment as anyone else.

The thing is, Morbius tries to use what he has to try and pull a few strings to get onto the mission. The thing is, he can mimic any ability he comes into contact with, so is indispensible in that respect and so is granted placement on the mission. Considering how many respected officials will also be attending, he will have to be on his best behaviour to keep his place. Also, this part of the story is set two years on, when Morbius has turned about 18/19, so it kind of entails that this is part of his birthday present.

Morbius has spontaneous regeneration, allowing himself to heal rapidly in injury, Dawn and Rhetorii don't. With Dawn present, he is less likely to take great risks and endanger his life performing ridiculous stunts, because he then would be in knowledge that her life would be put at risk as well. Rhetorii (or Lance as he maybe referred to from now on) is Morbius' tutor and is employed to make sure Morbius doesn't rely too strongly on the abilities he has picked up for survival. Also being a militia double agent, he is frequently useful for missions in which someone on the inside is needed.

Militia policy is that missions should never be conducted alone, therefore Morbius must have someone with him, knowing how frequently he chooses to set of on another mission.

The main element of the stories is that they follow a group, frequently splitting up and merging with other groups so that they can complete missions. Morbius couldn't do everything on his own, particularly since Master Maelstrom orders him to wear an inhibitor so that he can only hold onto two new abilities at a time, to improve his reliance without them. The groups stats vary differently. Whilst Morbius has fairly average speed, his physical strength is limited, increasing his dependancy on other characters for combat.

The only time the story will be biased towards Morbius is in his own plotline. Each central protagonist (Maya, Morbius, Giovanni and Scarlett) has their own plotline in which them and their allies feature. Morbius is only dominant in his own, only briefly appearing in other plotlines when groups merge or when they come into combat (Each group will face eachother at least once, as a boss battle).

Morbius only came into being whilst I was originally using player names to name specific characters in the storyline. I chose the more regular members for character names, and Morbius emerged later on. His name has stuck, but I don't favour him over anyone else. To be honest, he is considered fairly mediocre in comparison to other characters, notably Giovanni (whom isnt overly central to any other plot than his own).

Also, this is a game. Few people are going to pay that much attention to the storyline, but rather to the gameplay experience. However, if it needs more work, then it shall be done.

WHo is the main antagonist in the game?

Can't remember, need to come up with one.

" Few people are going to pay that much attention to the storyline, but rather to the gameplay experience."

I would completely forget that statement while developing, if I was you.

Me too

You'd be surprised how many dismiss storyline in favour of gameplay. I wouldn't though; literary arts are just as important as the visual arts.

MorbiusMonster wrote:You'd be surprised how many dismiss storyline in favour of gameplay. I wouldn't though; literary arts are just as important as the visual arts.

Morb, we're not saying that people won't ignore it. we're saying "who gives a flying Cabbage?" You're a veritable font of stories, don't give in to populist arguments, express yourself.

Okay, but I don't want to end up spiralling into the "Sonic Next Gen" trap or following the common ways out;

1. It was all a dream.
2. An event was erased in the past, preventing all of this happening.

The Nightmare Begins is taking so long, so that I could try to write several linked, yet somewhat separate stories that are credible and effective, not just your typical RPG one thing to another. Once completed, I will hopefully have a Grand Master players will remember forever.

And so it was revealed...

In the distant days of the past, a star fell from the scarlet skies and blazed the world for days. The flames receeded and from the charred remains was but a pit, leading to the bowels of the planet.

The pit was sealed with a disc in ignorance of what resided within, and the disc shifted and stirred. The Biohazard, the beast from the pit, rose forward and its flesh became the demons that made it, and humankind was on the frontline of the disaster.

As blood spilt ran the rivers red and the bones of the fallen eroded into the desert sands, the final act was made to satisfy the Biohazard. It could remain on the surface, but exclusively to one island and as individuals, not the collective.

The beast agreed and allow its flesh to roam the land it was bestowed. But time moved on and humankind long since forgot the treaty and demons began to consume more to add to their quarantined zone.

To this day, the Quarantine zone covers half of the world, a half flooded with pollution, disease, hunger, conflict and arid land. Some predict the quarantine will engulf all as Biohazard is reformed and seeks to create the new star, like the body that fell to the earth eons ago.

Ever heard of Cranial Cell Sampling? It is an experimental practise in which an artificial cerebrum and cerebellum and constructed, using neurone cells from each crucial component of the brain. A cell from each major and crucial region is taken and attached onto an artificial membrane connected to a circuit grid. The cells behave as central processors, controlling specific design to make it behave living.

However, the process is only experimental, and isn't perfect as some cells can suffer damage as a result of being sampled and memory engrams may not be completely in tact. A large number of functions that revolve around sensitivity cannot be mimicked by a machine and so are omitted from the process.

Central antagonist for Morbius' story, Commander Rogue, is designed in said process by a former admiral who sought to replicate an android clone of himself. Due to the lack of specific brain cells, such as those revolving around specific autonomic processes and sensitivity to non-essential stimuli (taste and smells couln't be replicated well), the active brain cells began working at an increased capacity to fill in the gaps, some being over stimulated than others.

Some of the emotional responses became over stimulated, responding negatively to generate a being that resorted to emotions such as rage, hatred and sadness more often than emotions such as happiness. Also, one of the main cells belonging from a behavourial region of the brain was attached to a faulty circuit board, and ethical processing was slightly damaged, meaning Commaner Rogue doesn't regularly resort to ethics and has impaired judgement, choosing evil over good.

Having all his predecessor's memories and military strategy is another unfortunate fault, which makes him difficult to deactivate and decomission. His plan, simply answer the demands to the voices in his head.

You can easily tell the android apart from another other human easily, primarily because artificial skin was never installed and the endoskeleton is mostly visible, with a few modifications for visual effect.

And little else happens...

If there was a company to make this game alongside Jagex, it'd have to be Insomniac Games (the people behind the original Spyro the Dragon trilogy (which were my very first games) and Ratchet & Clank.).

So far, there games have always impressed me (though I have only ever played the Ratchet and Clank series a couple of times when borrowing the games from a friend or when playing the game in-store), and pretty much I think something like Arzonus would fit in well with their existing work.

But that's just my idea. Does anyone else have any other suggestions?

You know, thinking about ratchet and clank, that sounds perfect...

Now I need to develop slightly more on the story and the locations.

But now there are two formats in which the game can be set. Straight line (in which the story works in a straight line where no character can go back or repeat events and the story resumes from the beginning upon completion) or free roam (in which the story follows a chain, but not strictly, allowing the player to explore the other aspects of the overworld to solve missions and repeat completed missions with a post credits story).

I prefer the second option

Really depends on the game, and from what I've heard of it, you should go with number 1. Doesn't sound like there is THAT much to explore on an undiscovered planet, nothing that wouldn't be explored during a normal storyline.

The planet is new to the main Arzonus cast, but civilization does exist there. There is plenty to explore.