I've been thinking today of the overarching narrative that I'll include in this map.
In my film class at university, we started analyzing Inception. The story in it holds a lot of similarities to the one forming in my mind, so I was thinking the entire time how I'd be able to use the same concepts.
The biggest decision I need to make in this map project is the finale of the story. I know that I want to include a moral dilemma and I have something of an idea right now, but it's not fleshed out at all. In essence (and this is what I was building as we watched Inception), I need the player to choose between two world-changing possibilities, both of which will affect the future. It *must* be their choice and I need them to be invested enough emotionally that they truly feel torn, the feeling that true dilemmas bring. It has to be so powerful that they should have trouble when it comes to the decision moment. I don't want to lead them along a single path which they completely resolves when it finishes; this choice should feel important to their life outside of the map experience and I'd love to see further discussion brought about solely by this dilemma.
That's how high I'm setting my sights for this story.
In the video series on my YouTube channel, I plan on taking some time to figure this out as I build soon.
Supplemental:
I believe I want the creature to have discovered something that will imminently eradicate life on the player's planet. With the player building the machine, they are creating a way for the human race to ascend into energy and either be transported to another habitable planet or move into the creature's dimension to live. That choice is contrasted with the opportunity to remain on the planet and battle through whatever the danger is and with only a tiny chance of survival. What the creature is proposing is a decision of whether you want to run or you want to fight. I'd bet that, with this initial choice, most players will want to stay and fight. However, I need to make sure they understand the problem and both solutions very well. Maybe I should expose the problem with around three dreams left, so they still have time to gather a few artifacts while they think.
So why would anyone choose to leave? How can that be a better choice in some instances? Would there be some cons with the travel or destination? I want the choice to run to be a valid one. I'm pretty sure my ultimate goal is to see the player squirm, really struggle, when they reach the point of decision. Not because I want to see them in pain, but because it would be a victory to capture the essence of tough choices that have big consequences. Maybe I can vent as I build.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Progress on Spawn and the Electric Desert
Map:
* Created a Map Icon
* Added color tag to title
Spawn:
* Added a Death Counter option
* Reorganized command blocks to only allow Gamerule Activation once
Electric Desert:
* Worked on the walls to bring more variation and interest
* Added the locked door to the next area
Don't worry! All of these visuals will be touched up as their functionality solidifies.
* Created a Map Icon
* Added color tag to title
* Added a Death Counter option
* Reorganized command blocks to only allow Gamerule Activation once
Electric Desert:
* Worked on the walls to bring more variation and interest
* Added the locked door to the next area
Don't worry! All of these visuals will be touched up as their functionality solidifies.
Monday, May 29, 2017
Awoken Banner
I just spent a bit of time creating a location in a Minecraft test world that would be appropriate for a banner.
This is the result, with a simple white blurred border:
I may recreate this in the map as a nice title somewhere. :)
This is the result, with a simple white blurred border:
I may recreate this in the map as a nice title somewhere. :)
Friday, March 17, 2017
Overview [SPOILER ALERT!]
This will be the first post on this map-making journey for the Awoken adventure, so I'm going to write the entire plan for the story right here. If you haven't played it and want a sense of wonder, skip this post and download the world file from the thread on Minecraft Forums right here.
This idea arose when I was finished with my Rift Up custom map and was looking for another project. I noticed the dream journal I have kept since 2012 and decided that it was full of resources I could use to construct another enjoyable adventure. It's almost like a journal of ideas that I have had while unconscious.
The general premise of the map will be this:
Development time for this project is undetermined until more plans have been made and my schedule is a bit more predictable, but I will diligently pursue this goal until more news comes about.
Awoken Work-In-Progress Forum Post here.
Previous map Rift Up thread here.
This idea arose when I was finished with my Rift Up custom map and was looking for another project. I noticed the dream journal I have kept since 2012 and decided that it was full of resources I could use to construct another enjoyable adventure. It's almost like a journal of ideas that I have had while unconscious.
The general premise of the map will be this:
A portal opened near your home and a being came through that didn't understand the way you worked. It accessed your mind and started learning, but this unfortunately meant that you were pushed unconscious. Your experience through this has been a series of dreams as you've explored your own mind trying to find the problem. You've been noticing clues and the other characters you encounter have been analyzing the situation, sometimes saying things when they think you can't hear. After you progress through all of the areas, you meet a projection of the being and are tasked with teaching it who you are by using the objects you've collected along the way. After the being understands, it withdraws from your mind and you wake up, only to find the world around you is different; the being has altered it with similar features that you found in your dreams.I'm planning Awoken to have a similar style as Rift Up, but the project is slightly more ambitious, which leads to my next point:
Development time for this project is undetermined until more plans have been made and my schedule is a bit more predictable, but I will diligently pursue this goal until more news comes about.
Awoken Work-In-Progress Forum Post here.
Previous map Rift Up thread here.
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