Slipstream GX Campaign stories

[Oryx Crake]

This is a separate thread for posting campaign ideas for the different teams in Slipstream GX, I have made this into a separate thread because the main thread is very cluttered and we're finding it increasingly hard to keep track of things so if you please submit your campaign stories and ideas here rather than the main thread.

(hope this is alright mods.)

[TypeProton]

Wait, different campaign for each teams?

I'm thinking about current Wipeout format : Events is grouped into several cups with names like "Airbreaker" "Blurry" "Fasttrack" etc., each cup contain around 16 event which will ends with one final tournament for that cup to pass on to the next one.

If we were to have different campaign for each teams, we may need to be able to code specific AI action in some race (Team A trying to actively shoot team B down in that race or team C will try to race perfectly and not harming anyone in the other) and some space to add description for each events. Explaining what happens before each race.

I did considered calendar-based events like in F1 2011 by Codemasters before. But SGX is not a full-on simulator. Arcade gameplay which let players redo completed event easily would suited SGX more. Not to mention plethora of programming needed to manage calendar-based events...

[Oryx Crake]

well I'm thinking campaign stories in the way of say having a story for each part of the campaign, the way wipeout campaign mode has always been structured more or less is after all a set of different events in clusters, say for example in fusion you have leagues, in 2097 you had team specific campaigns, but also based on speed class, I mean I'm just throwing it out there you know it doesn't have to be big but, a motivation essentially for the progression of the campaign. in HD I feel the campaign mode is a little... unmotivated the only real reason I went through it was skins, crafts and tracks (oh and maybe trophies) but there wasn't a story there at all.

[docfo4r]

Maybe we could have some events grouped together. If not team-based event groups, then maybe track-location wise or outdoor feeling [like Tristans & Cassandra are tracks near the beach, maybe create an event group called "Vacation Racing" with like two normal races on each track, Zone on Cassandra and Eliminator or whatever on Tristans and we have 4 events in one event-group]. And multiple event groups are available in campaign, not one eventgroup after another like in Wipeout HD. This could be held pretty easy with no backstory at all -which I find rather cheap- or we could maybe connect these groups together with a backstory.

Another thing I was thinking about are little archievements to unlock. Not like a trophy on the PS3. But some variable stuff like "If you win this race without using any assault weapons, you will gain respect and a special event becomes unlocked [maybe a weapons-off race]". Or to have our own archievement system. And if you have 10 archievements, a new ship skin is available, stuff like that...

[Oryx Crake]

I think the way you describe it like a grid per campaign event like in HD but adding some stories to each grid. Perhaps setting it up so there's a story part at the start and stuff linking the events together and something after the campaign event is done.

[docfo4r]

Yeah something like that. Maybe we can make something else visually than a grid, something unique for SlipStream.

But I think the most horrible thing is having a straight race-by-race campaign. At least in my opinion we should have several races available to choose from. Maybe unlock new races by winning, or by earning a certain amount of score, or even by doing something special.
A race won could update the score, maybe make a new event or a whole new grid available. But then there is a second task. For example, destroy the iFreet ship in that particular race to unlock a head on head event against iFreet [could be linked into a part of the story aswell]...

This is what I meant when I said I wanted to write a story. I'm not good at backstory stuff, but for the campaign mode we could make the game more interesting with a story which has some originality and also special tasks other than just winning a race and special races to be unlocked.

[Amaroq Dricaldari]

How about an illegal Xen-class 'street race'?

[Oryx Crake]

I dunno about a street race but an illegal race on the closed down porto kora if xpand likes the idea of it I'd definitly support., call it either the first race to get into the leauge and all or the final race for all the truly initiated. or something.

[Xpand]

Uh, thats awesome! I was thinking about that too. I was even going to make Porto Kora look like an abandoned town with the time weathered buildings.

[Amaroq Dricaldari]

Don't forget to make it overgrown.

@Oryx I don't care what kind of race it is so long as it is on the Zen Speedclass.

[docfo4r]

Great idea for the first race! I love it, too.

[F.E.I.S.A.R]

Perhaps scouts for the teams in the league were at the track and they knew of a(n illegal) race going on?
This will be taking a cue from Fatal Inertia...the first race won you a permanent Fatal Inertia contract.

[docfo4r]

Yeah something like that... But I think many racing games started like that "first race to get a contract".
Fatal Inertia [like you said] as well as DTM, some Need For Speed...

[Amaroq Dricaldari]

There is this one racing game I once played on my friend's Xbox a few years back. It starts with a cutscene where some girl is trying to drive someone to the hospital in an ambulance, someone tells her that they are running out of time, and so she decides to take a very risky shortcut. Then, she gets hired by a racing team.

[Xpand]

So, you're saying we need to make a set of ships for the ilegal racing events? If so I was thinking of something around the lines of the F3600 AG-S or Auricom ships...

[Amaroq Dricaldari]

Anything goes so long as it has moderately balanced attributes. If this is going to be at the beginning of the game, then the player needs something they can pilot easily.

[Xpand]

I was thinking a sort of home built kit-ship of sorts, based on the now cheap F3600 era technology.

[Amaroq Dricaldari]

How about a refurbished F3600 FEISAR? You could get to use that first model you made back in the early phases of Slipstream GX's development, back when people where still calling it WipEout Spectrum.

[Xpand]

I can't use that model. It was made in gmax, so I can't export it. Also, I'd rather make a new one from scratch than mixing old and new stuff.

[Oryx Crake]

well xpand you have my intermediate stage models (between wo1 and wo2097/xl) if you want somewhere to start from or you can just play around with the w01 models you alread have.

[dreadofmondays]

Oryx, perhaps create a second (third?) thread for submissions of company logos and track backstory and information (if there isn't already a thread for this)? I noticed some talk about that in the main thread, but as you said, it's becoming increasingly cluttered and it would be difficult to keep the information safe if we posted these things there.
Also, I think that having stories tying the different campaigns together is a good idea. I noticed this sort of thing in the Fury campaigns - They were 'Vortex' and then 'Nuked' and then 'Aftermath'. Although nothing actually happened between them in HD, maybe something can in SGX.

[docfo4r]

Yeah I think we really should have a complete story behind everything. Of course, nothing filled up with cutscenes and stuff but something to have another approach than just "win race, next race...". Also I am thinking about how we're going to make the story... Like, one straight story which is set in stone, or a changeable story with several ways & endings depending on things you do while racing/being in campaign mode...