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Angry Saint

Background story proposal

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Background Phase 1

 

The year: 2199. Planet Earth is a place ruined by pollution and resources exploitation. The Advanced Geoengineering Megacorp, or AGM as is better known, decide to create a new home for Mankind. A home where only the richest 1% of the population would be allowed to live, paying an expensive one way ticket.

 

AGM starts huge geoengineering activities in the Horizon solar system, a place of ancient planets not suitable to human life. In order to control the terraforming processes, many outposts and research centers are created on the moons orbiting the planets.

 

Thanks to extensive genetic engineering, human prisoners are mutated using Horizon native insects DNA, and new species are created. Some are used as slaves. Others as soldiers.

 

The creatures develop their own culture and call themselves the Zymanthians. They soon realize that AGM will dispose of them after completing the terraformation. The Zymanthians rebel and after killing all AGM personnel they claim Horizon for them.

 

Before being killed, the last AGM scientist activates the newest brand of AGM warriors. You.

But you have other plans. You've been a guinea pig for their genetic research programs, a test subject who only dreamed about Earth's landscape and freedom. Now you have a possibility to leave this doomed place. You just have to find a starship or a teleporter to Earth.

 

You know Zymanthians will try to kill you because you are still too much human for their taste.

 

 

Notes: In this way episode 1 2 and 4 of Phase 1 should be set on moons orbiting the planets, while episode 3 should be set on a planet in process of terraforming – which would explain why it resemble hell.

 

Background Phase 2

 

The spaceship travel was very slow and you reached Earth, and hopefully freedom, months after the events of Phase 1. But as you land on the AGM spaceport you notice that the planet has been subjected to an heavy attack. As you step out of the ship, you realize the Zymanthians invaded Earth. Now you will have to fight once more against the mutants to bring peace and freedom to this planet.

 

Notes: Chapter 1 can be set in the spaceport, chapter 2 on an destroyed city, chapter 3 still on Earth or on another AGM terraformed place. Chapter 4 again on Horizon.

 

The Enemy

 

Some enemies are human prisoners mutated by AGM scientists. Others are laboratory freaks created for hard labor. Others again are new specimens of super soldiers. All of them will try to kill you on sight. Be ready.

 

Zombie & Shotgun zombie: you are very sorry for these brainless humans, victims of horrible experiments by AGM. But they will not stop your search for freedom.

 

Minigun zombie: this zombie soldier model is old, but still lethal.

 

Serpentipede: when AGM needed slaves for working under Horizon harsh environment, they took a native bug specie and evolved it into this heavy duty monster. Just for fun AGM added the ability to throw fire balls.

 

Flesh Worm: this native Horizon creature was used by AGM as draught animal. Zymanthias revolution freed these monsters which now roam around as hungry hunting dogs. There is also a stealth version.

 

Deadflare: what can possible go wrong when you combine plasma containment research with genetic engineering? Absolutely nothing: just a flying fire that tries to kill you.

 

Trilobite: floating mass of aggressive insect meat.

 

Pain Bringer: the new owners of the Horizon solar system, these guy will try everything to kill you. They integrated in their armor an energy shooting lizard. Don't worry to destroy them: the poor lizard will be happier dead than slave.

 

Pain Lord: they have an advanced armor and are tougher to kill.

 

Technospider: a new product from the AGM Weapons Laboratory, this cybernetic enhanced alien spider can shoot and endless sequence of plasma bolts.

 

Deadflare Ball: as everybody at AGM agreed that the Deadflare was a great idea, the scientists created this. More plasma contained in a chitinous frame.

 

Dark Soldier: targets use to move, so what can be better than a monster shooting homing missiles?

 

Combat Slug: Slow. Unstoppable. It makes firework.

 

Flame Bringer: AGM found a way to resurrect dead slaves for additional non paid overtime work. As this is not bad enough, it can hit you with his distance attack.

 

Assault Tripod: another piece of the AGM war machine, this tripod can shot missiles.

 

Large Technospider: This tank is provided with a powerful machinegun and is the intelligence center of the Zymanthias army.

Edited by Angry Saint

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I've always been dead set on making the player have a motive to escape from something. And yours has that motive.

 

Two things:

"One day they rebelled", not very inspiring is it?

"You hope Zymanthians won't stop you", although it seems all of them want to stop you.

 

May I ask what other name for Earth you're talking about?

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I referred to Zymanthians. I made up this name on the spot, but I remember someone else suggested a better name with some Lovecraftian suggestions in it.

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Zymanthians as in Maz's Zamanythes (I think that's the spelling)? Not sure what other name you're referring to.

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Yes, it was probably Zamanythes. I remember it had Z, M and Y somewhere... I just got the wrong order. But I can't find Maz original post about it.

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I never found one either, someone just mentioned it and everyone else went along with it.

 

Might as well go with Zymanthians.

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30 minutes ago, Voros said:

"You hope Zymanthians won't stop you", although it seems all of them want to stop you.

Thinking about it, I don't know why they want to kill you. You are a genetic experiment like them. Maybe they just think you are on AGM side.

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As I remember it, the Zams were the little reptile things that were captured by the trilobite monsters.

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1 hour ago, luckypunk said:

As I remember it, the Zams were the little reptile things that were captured by the trilobite monsters.

And it was/is an awful idea. I wish that all remaining traces of Zamanthytes were removed from Freedoom, it's corny and does not fit.

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I suggest that most of the "Zymanthians" are prisoners from earth that have been experimented on to become slaves And your the Lucky one who didn't end up becoming a abomination. So you break out of prison and try to escape the hellhole that is the Horizon system. But first you would have to travel from planet to moon to planet to moon again just to find a ship. Or a teleporter to earth. Or any planet/moon in our solar system.

 

 

Just a suggestion.

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11 minutes ago, Blastfrog said:

And it was/is an awful idea. I wish that all remaining traces of Zamanthytes were removed from Freedoom, it's corny and does not fit.

I don't know if it's any more corny than any other game story.

 

Whatever world you're in gets taken over by some critters from a different world. It's up to you to stop them! The only variation is whether you are the lone survivor, or whether you are trying to rescue/free all the other survivors.

 

The one detail that does seem overly corny is the bit about "you" being a genetic engineering experiment. Can't you just be the most malevolent-posterior human being that ever came down the pike? The original Doomguy was just that, after all, as was William Blazcowicz (probably misspelled that), Gordon Freeman, etc., etc.

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25 minutes ago, 42PercentHealth said:

Can't you just be the most malevolent-posterior human being that ever came down the pike? The original Doomguy was just that

The original Doomguy "assaulted a superior officer who ordered him to fire upon innocent civilians" so I think he is all but bad. And being a genetic experiment really put you at the lowest level of "human" society.

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Just now, Angry Saint said:

The original Doomguy "assaulted a superior officer who ordered him to fire upon innocent civilians" so I think he is all but bad. And being a genetic experiment really put you at the lowest level of "human" society.

"Malevolent-posterior" is a clean workaround for another expression. Malevolent = bad, posterior = <use your imagination>.

 

I don't object to the genetic experiment because of social status... I just don't think we need an explanation as to why the main character is more skilled than any other human at fighting off the invading hordes. My point is that Doom, Wolf3D, and Half-Life felt no need to explain this about their protagonists, and I think a similar philosophy would be the best for Freedoom.

 

Just my two cents... I've not contributed anything to this project, so I'm not in any position to make decisions.

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For what is worth, i actually liked the zams's art and story concept: it felt coesive in both fields and somewhat original enough to stand on its own feets. (I also think that the story should be part of an artistic vision and such managed, or at least shared, by those who make the actual art, to mantain a level of coesion; but that is beyond the scope of this thread.)

Regarding op's story proposal... imo it's close to be a good foundation: a former (maybe military) experiment fighting for it's freedoom is a good trope for a fps.

 

 

 

 

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All we know is that Freedoomguy is an experiment. Upto what extent is unknown. He could've have been given a simple pill to orally take in or went full out SPARTAN-II. And as quoted in the intermission text: "Who cares?"

 

Lets leave it at that.

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10 hours ago, 42PercentHealth said:

"Malevolent-posterior" is a clean workaround for another expression. Malevolent = bad, posterior = <use your imagination>.

Why, sir, I am offended! Clearly it is you that has the dirty mind if you take the word "ass" to mean a crude body part and not a simple farm animal.

 

But no, seriously, you're on a Doom forum. I don't understand why you would go out of your way to self-censor such a benign swearword.

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Updated following some suggestions. Now there are: human prisoners, alien insects, mutation etc...

 

But I'm curious to see the themes the vaious czars will decide for the episodes, so to see where they want to set the story

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Are the mutated people preserving all their faculties? In your story they even have their own culture. Killing them might even seem wrong, as they were rebelling against those who oppressed them.

 

From the sprites I would have guessed those zombi-like creatures were corrupted workers that were being either mind-controlled or infected by something that brings them blind rage, attacking whatever isn't contaminated. Or just brain washed to follow orders.

 

I think that some sort of mind control or cultism that implies there's a mastermind somewhere following an ulterior motive would make sense and would give an explanation as to why there's an "Icon of sin"-like "boss".

Unless there are other ideas for the final boss.

 

The mutating insects idea is not very different from my idea of the ancient aliens I was talking about in the other post. If for example the scientists didnt't know that those small insects were actually native intelligent creatures of the planet, driven by a hivemind concentrated around a central Queen, an ancient being with mind-wrecking knowledge and a deformed shapeless body, merged with a wall in her nest within the depths of her hive. Killing it would cause a huge impact in the hivemind which will automatically cause all the mutants to retreat and halt the invasion, maybe even become just mindless or die.

It would also bring sense to the existence of the arachnid creatures and the big arachnotron-like boss.

Edited by Ferk

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On 3/25/2017 at 3:37 AM, Blastfrog said:

Why, sir, I am offended! Clearly it is you that has the dirty mind if you take the word "ass" to mean a crude body part and not a simple farm animal.

 

But no, seriously, you're on a Doom forum. I don't understand why you would go out of your way to self-censor such a benign swearword.

Actually, I don't swear because I'm a Christian. Some call my use of "replacement words" hypocritical; but on the other hand, I don't go around trying to censor anyone else's speech. It's just a standard to which I hold myself.

 

Now I'm curious -- does the latter half of the compound word "bad@$$" refer to the body part or the animal?

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Is it possible to turn the protagonist into an antihero? The plot seems perfect for this kind of character and also gives a lot of room for creativity (to map designers, sprite artists, diversity of character personality, etc.).

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Technically he is an antihero, judging by the intermission text. They show that he just wants to run, get away from AGM, not fight the monsters and save mankind. In fact the text on map30 pretty much implies this.

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Oh you are right, at first I thought it was another "fight demons, save everyone from the struggle", now I read it again on the "you have other plans" and that gives it away.

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Just a side note, it is probably more accurate to call the monsters arthropods rather than insects; both real-life trilobites and centipedes are classified as such.

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On 3/28/2017 at 1:24 AM, Voros said:

Technically he is an antihero, judging by the intermission text. They show that he just wants to run, get away from AGM, not fight the monsters and save mankind. In fact the text on map30 pretty much implies this.

Thinking about it... do we need one background only for both Phases 1 & 2 or a new background story just to explain what is happening in P2?

 

52 minutes ago, MrFlibble said:

Just a side note, it is probably more accurate to call the monsters arthropods rather than insects; both real-life trilobites and centipedes are classified as such.

I think "bugs" sounds even better than both insects and arthropods. After all, it is about creatures with DNA combined from alien species and humans, so the correct classification could be forgotten.

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Bugs, I like that. A reference going back to Aliens as well.

 

I've never given much though to Freedm's story but I've always kind of assumed that the chaingunners are AGM's security while zombies (and possibly the combat slug) some sort of failed experiments on humans and the rest obviously aliens. But for chaingunners there' still that design of either an anthropomorphic lizard or demon as replacement.

 

On a side note, I think it's still a good idea to collect all the different stories that have been proposed here over the years and put them in the zip with the IWADs. Some are quite entertaining to read. This would also be a direct opposite to that infamous statement by John Carmack about Doom's plot :)

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