Talk:The Project

[18:26] <@Peel> some kind of floweropolis [18:26] <@Peel> a garden city [18:26] <@Peel> that's a good environment [18:27] <@Peel> overgrown and quiet �01[18:27] <Mal> You must get the Iris key to open the Iris door [18:27] <@Peel> indeed [18:27] <@Peel> presenting the question, what did it do before and how did it get this way [18:28] <@Peel> Rana discovered it and Reika was drawn to it and found it responded to her [18:28] <@Peel> fight evil flowers [18:28] <@Peel> doom blossoms [18:28] <@Peel> black orchids [18:29] <@Peel> Mourning Glories �06[18:29] * @Peel notes that down �01[18:29] <Mal> hee [18:29] <@Peel> and as they go they all discover things about themselves [18:30] <@Peel> okay so [18:30] <@Peel> Reika has a power that flowers don't wilt [18:30] <@Peel> we can hang a theme on that [18:30] <@Peel> because normally flowers do wilt, so maybe the people in the city, or some person in the city, had a problem with that fact �01[18:30] <Mal> yup [18:30] <@Peel> and made a pact or ritual for eternal blooms [18:31] <@Peel> and of course that sort of thing NEVER ends well �01[18:31] <Mal> yup [18:33] <@Peel> and people got bored [18:33] <@Peel> and drifted away, leaving some bloodlines leading to R [18:33] <@Peel> and maybe there's some crazy person left deep inside who is the only person who just Can't Let Go �01[18:33] <Mal> said person would be very old [18:34] <@Peel> old people make for good bosses :v �01[18:35] <Mal> I suppose! [18:36] <@Peel> that's just a first and most obvious pass at a plot though �01[18:36] <Mal> Just that for mystery purposes the ancient portal must not have been active for a while [18:36] <@Peel> yeah �01[18:36] <Mal> long enough to be a buried ruin anyhow �01[18:37] <Mal> I do have a boss idea - an insert of the psychotic dryad I made up years ago for something [18:39] <@Peel> o yeah? �01[18:40] <Mal> yeah it was one where I interpretted dryads as being to a tree as a werewolf to a wolf [18:40] <@Peel> boss ideas is a good start... though do we have the assets for bosses? [18:41] <@Peel> as in, anything particularly odd �01[18:41] <Mal> no, but boss assets aren't as difficult �01[18:41] <Mal> you can take any picture and nudge it a bit in photoshop �01[18:42] <Mal> Actually the thing is with transforming bosses, their boss pic is different from their walking sprite, so it's easier [18:44] <@Peel> so what's the deal with the dryad [18:44] <@Peel> actually, this is a good question to ask to uncover more of the plot [18:45] <@Peel> why are the flowers evil [18:45] <@Peel> flowers aren't normally evil! [18:45] <@Peel> or indeed ambulatory at all �01[18:47] <Mal> hmmm �01[18:47] <Mal> Well we established earlier that a Wizard Did it �01[18:48] <Mal> or at least a Wizard Did Something [18:49] <FBH> you should have non-flower villains [18:49] <FBH> the heroes are flowers [18:49] <FBH> the villains should be something else �01[18:49] <Mal> No, the city's theme is flowers �01[18:49] <Mal> Which interacts with the fact that the heroes are flower related [18:50] <@Peel> flowergame �01[18:50] <Mal> We have five so far �01[18:50] <Mal> Gokka [18:50] <@Peel> I take it we don't have a tileset for a giant abandoned beehive because that would be a good subdungeon :< �01[18:51] <Mal> Nope �01[18:51] <Mal> We can pen it in as a stretch goal [18:51] <@Peel> a wizard did something [18:51] <@Peel> such as opened a source of eternal life [18:51] <@Peel> which of course led to cancerous overgrowth [18:52] <@Peel> and then ran out, perhaps, making everything slow down and go dormant until new life showed up for it to vampirise [18:52] <@Peel> hmm hmm hmm [18:52] <@Peel> ok let me just shove this quick idea out there [18:52] <@Peel> the flowers grew and wilted seasonally as they do [18:53] <@Peel> someone(s) disliked that so invented eternal flowers [18:53] <@Peel> then people got bored with that and the city started to fade away [18:53] <@Peel> so the fountain of life was set to overflow out of rage and desperation [18:54] <@Peel> which led to the above [18:54] <@Peel> (it's a metaphor for hanging on to your bad old ideas too long :v) �01[18:55] <Mal> I'm curious what you mean by fade away [18:55] <@Peel> people just left �01[18:55] <Mal> Yeah but why? �01[18:55] <Mal> I mean the city was secure was it not? [18:55] <@Peel> they got bored with the city being the same all the time [18:55] <@Peel> I suppose so... [18:55] <@Peel> hmm �01[18:55] <Mal> Yeah, but Toronto's the same all the time �01[18:55] <Mal> You don't see me packing up and leaving :p �01[18:56] <Mal> I mean if the population were like Fae or something that might make sense [18:56] <@Peel> maybe you would if you were there for a hundred years and you could start things up elsewhere with your fantasy ancient powers :v [18:56] <FBH> ops [18:56] <@Peel> or your fairy pwoers yeah �03[18:56] * Peel sets mode: +oo FBH Mal [18:56] <@FBH> maybe its more personal than that �01[18:56] <@Mal> But if they were human, your primary concerns are ssecurity, shelter and economic prosperity [18:57] <@FBH> like, maybe there are forces in the city trying to restore its former glory [18:57] <@FBH> and they need the hearts and souls of 5 flower aligned magical girls to do it [18:57] <@FBH> so they end up raiding the town, burning down one flower shop �01[18:57] <@Mal> I do like the 'until life returned for it to vampirise' [18:57] <@FBH> and then because she's unwise, the main character wants to pursue them [18:57] <@Peel> I'm fine with them being fae or otherwise inherently magical [18:58] <@Peel> maybe when you step into the city it's all dry and wilted and wakes up as you move around [18:58] <@Peel> turn on fountains [18:58] <@Peel> feed it life �01[18:59] <@Mal> And then it turns out to be a bad idea? [18:59] <@Peel> I guess it does! �01[18:59] <@Mal> Might take a bit of execution [19:00] <@Peel> FBH is right that there should be a reason for the heroes to do all this [19:00] <@Peel> once the city turns out dangerous, wouldn't you skedaddle and send in the duke's guards [19:00] <@FBH> an insighting incident [19:01] <@Peel> it could also be something that you know will create enemies but you want to do because it lets you get deeper, for loot, truth or otherwise [19:03] <@Peel> I don't really like FBH's idea because I'm attracted to the atmosphere of a dead city that only wakes up as you come near it [19:03] <@Peel> rather than infiltrating the evil flower HQ [19:04] <@Peel> as it were �01[19:04] <@Mal> That's a nice aesthetic but lacking in random encounters [19:04] <@Peel> but that's just my atmosphere [19:04] <@Peel> well that's the 'as you come near it' but :v �01[19:04] <@Mal> That'd very much be the visual novel route [19:04] <@Peel> *bit �01[19:06] <@Mal> Well how near are we talking? �01[19:07] <@Mal> Like as you're walking the scenery dynamically shifts? [19:08] <@Peel> Not that near no [19:08] <@Peel> (not on our budget lol) [19:08] <@Peel> More like, you step into Orchid Park for the first time and get a camera pan cutscene with some colour and movement returning [19:08] <@Peel> and get random encounters moving through it [19:08] <@Peel> a fluff conceit rather than an actual game mechanic �01[19:09] <@Mal> hmm, okay [19:09] <@FBH> hmm [19:09] <@FBH> I've got an alternate idea if you like [19:09] <@Peel> That's my internal vision for a flower-based lost city [19:09] <@FBH> but it's a bit more complex and multilayered [19:10] <@Peel> other input is always good at this stage [19:10] <@FBH> one of the ideas I've always liked is a story with multiple challenges and threats [19:10] <@FBH> so maybe some other party of humanish villains kidnaps someone or steals something from the village [19:10] <@FBH> and the party go after it [19:11] <@FBH> there's also a second party of antagonists tracking both the thieves and our heroines [19:11] <@FBH> the villains head to the ruined city for some reason, and wake it up, and then all sides become involved with being trapped in it �01[19:14] <@Mal> Multiple sides in the city is a good idea �01[19:15] <@Mal> and one I'd have foisted anyhow since JUST flowers would be boring obv. [19:15] <@Peel> hmmm [19:16] <@Peel> I was initially skeptical but it could take things in a more Vagrant Story direction, which is valid �01[19:16] <@Mal> Though if we touch back on the Eternal Bloom power, how does that turn into a wilted city? �01[19:16] <@Mal> Well there's gotta be something besides flowers in the city. [19:16] <@Peel> Well, in my hypothetical narrative [19:16] <@Peel> they had a golden goose that was powering the eternity in the city [19:17] <@Peel> when the population was plummeting one or more of the true believers tried to get more power out of it to revitalise things [19:17] <@Peel> and it was unsustainable, so after a period of overgrowth, it ran out [19:17] <@Peel> and everything wilted [19:18] <@Peel> (not a literal golden goose) �01[19:19] <@Mal> hmm ok �01[19:20] <@Mal> So maybe Reika is a new potential golden goose and they want to put her in a crystal to have another go [19:20] <@Peel> that's possible [19:20] <@Peel> makes a lot of sense [19:21] <@Peel> if the GG is a person, it open up the last GG as a boss, too �01[19:23] <@Mal> They break her out of the crystal thinking it's a good idea �01[19:25] <@Mal> Seems to be a recurring theme here �01[19:25] <@Mal> Lots of things heroes think are good ideas [19:25] <@Peel> it does [19:25] <@Peel> all based around foolish attempts to revive the past! �01[19:26] <@Mal> Anyhow, to avoid linearity I'd like a robust way of going back to camp and/or home �01[19:26] <@Mal> so I can have my garden mechanic :p [19:26] <@Peel> Well, there's the portal �01[19:26] <@Mal> yeah but it might be pretty compromised depending on plot [19:26] <@Peel> hmm [19:26] <@Peel> could be more portals [19:26] <@Peel> that you can activate [19:26] <@Peel> which also gives you your shortcuts �01[19:26] <@Mal> Possible [19:26] <@Peel> so you don't have to go all the way through orchid park every time [19:27] <@Peel> In the simplest initial lost city sketch, I figured you'd have the city as the 'dungeon' and the village as the 'town' �01[19:27] <@Mal> yeah' �01[19:27] <@Mal> multiple portals is the easiest way though it rubs me the wrong way somehow �01[19:28] <@Mal> With a single portal, control over the portal becomes a major spawner of plots [19:28] <@Peel> true [19:28] <@Peel> hmm [19:28] <@Peel> maybe the garden can come with you somehow... [19:29] <@Peel> like you find gardens in the city �01[19:29] <@Mal> Well there's plenty [19:29] <@Peel> that are mysteriously identical to your garden at home �01[19:29] <@Mal> Errr [19:29] <@Peel> due to plot bullshit [19:29] <@Peel> magic links �01[19:29] <@Mal> Mmmm [19:29] <@Peel> and these can be save/rest points �01[19:31] <@Mal> It's a...well it's not an idea I want to say total no to and there is an aspect to protag girl that her reaction to fresh magic is 'how to abuse as often and as much as possible' �01[19:31] <@Mal> I dunno, I'll mull it over [19:32] <@Peel> I need to do some reading for my thesis defence �01[19:32] <@Mal> I'm not compelled if it's just 'plot bullshit' [19:32] <@Peel> so we can call it here perhaps �01[19:32] <@Mal> Sure [19:32] <@Peel> we had some good ideas �01[19:32] <@Mal> yup [19:32] <@Peel> you guys saved me from getting too lost in my One Perfect Image with the multiple sides introduction �01[19:32] <@Mal> What do we call this as a working name? [19:33] <@Peel> hmm [19:33] <@Peel> City of Flowers? [19:33] <@Peel> Just for a working name �01[19:33] <@Mal> ok