Author Topic: GearHead3 Speculation  (Read 2603 times)

Offline Joseph Hewitt

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GearHead3 Speculation
« on: October 07, 2009, 03:53:28 AM »
Moved from SharkD's thread "New idea for a game".

Quoting: Joseph Hewitt
Quote from: xpace
Quoting: xpace
I was just wondering if Mr. Hewitt has contemplated the GearHead future beyond GH2...


Yes, I have. GH3 will definitely be about the Earth-Luna war. I'm thinking of some radically different storytelling mechanics for this one- there will be no core story other than the war, all NPCs (and the PC) will be linked by a web of relationships, NPCs will perform their own missions which the PC may aid or oppose, and the game will have a one year time limit during which the PC can try to affect the outcome of the war. All things are of course subject to change before then.

I've also thought of a far-future game called GearHead 5000. It's set a few hundred years after GH2 when human beings are colonizing the galaxy. There are a number of technologies from GH1/2 which have been advanced to their logical conclusion: post-humanity, mind copying, FTL phase drives... The big MacGuffin in this setting is the shaped force field. Mecha are no longer physical objects, but force field projections created by a user's mind. The line between self and technology has all-but disappeared. Certain characters from GH1/2/3 may make appearances as computer-simulated mindclones. I'm not sure if this will be the definitive future of the GH universe, but it is something I'm thinking about.



Quoting: Ramidel
If there's fewer sidequests and less level-grinding, and this is focused on one core story, I can see a one-year-war work. It's much less of a sandbox than GH1 and 2. (Which is the problem with a dynamic core story in GH2: in a sandbox game, the PC really needs to have time to play for themselves and advance the storyline when they're ready.)

I definitely dream of the thought of being able to ensure the dissolution of both the FedTer and AOL through highly destructive merc work...

Offline SharkD

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GearHead3 Speculation
« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2009, 02:27:01 AM »
Quoting: Joseph Hewitt
all NPCs (and the PC) will be linked by a web of relationships, NPCs will perform their own missions which the PC may aid or oppose

This part sounds especially awesome!

Offline Aquillion

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GearHead3 Speculation
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2009, 01:18:26 AM »
Personally, though, I sort of don't like the time-limit idea.  I like being able to just wander around taking missions without any pressure.

Offline Frumple

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GearHead3 Speculation
« Reply #3 on: October 29, 2009, 06:15:39 PM »
Wouldn't a one year time limit be, uh... pretty generous, though, if the GH time system stayed mostly the same? 365ish days?

I'll admit I'm never particularly fond of time limits myself, especially tight ones, but a loose limit that's thematically appropriate is an entirely different thing. Still occasionally a nuisance, but push comes to shove, that's what a nice memory editor (or whatever your preferred method is to adjust time limits of such sort) is for, heh.

Maybe some sort of new game+ sort of thing, just to be on the 'safe side', so to speak, so the player could still hang around and rampage 'til their heart's content. Something similar to the system used by 'Strange Encounters in Infinite Space' might also be interesting; a limit, after which penalties accrue. Sorta' like an Arena mode for the campaign? S'a host of a similar sorts of things going on in other games, if one's looking for comparison.
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Offline IronJelly

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Re: GearHead3 Speculation
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2010, 12:20:29 PM »
I like the force-field projection thing.  I would have maybe moved it closer to the story of One Must Fall.  In it's background, it says humans used to be strapped into the robots for fighting.  There were many injuries, of course.  Eventually, they created a mind link.  The user is just in a hospital bed or something, and their mind is remotely controlling the giant fighting robots.

This could play into the game too.  Can you find a place to comfortably link up without having your body stolen from, killed, or left out in the rain?

Just my 2 cents.

Offline Saintmothra

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Re: GearHead3 Speculation
« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2010, 05:52:39 AM »
Hello, this is my first post, nice to meet you all.

I had an idea for the next plot development. I love the One-Year war idea, actually being a soldier\merc and effecting the outcome of the war, and a year is plenty of time in GH terms. But since both Gearheads explore different parts of the setting, I think it would be cool to continue this trend. I've always wondered about the moons of jupiter, and I think it would be an interesting development. Since their not mentioned much in either GH, I would like to think their isolated from the rest of the solar system.

My idea was to have the moons of jupiters regress into feudal fiefdoms. Corporate holdings have become feudal estates, and CEOs have become aristocrats/nobles, tracing their dynasty through their genetics or digital replications, and since (at least from my own speculation) most of the corporations were japanese/asian in origin, they adopt a japanese cultural aesthetic.  Cavaliers become the new samurai/knight, and pledge fealty to a local lord. Non-aligned cavaliers are the Ronin of this world. Their is a code of ethics amongst the cavaliers, called the New Bushido, and if they fail to follow this code, they lose Honor(Renown). The object of the player is to climb the feudal hierarchy, and unite the moons under one banner(Becoming a shogun, of sorts). I have tons of ideas for this concept, but I'd like to hear what you have to think before I make an ass of myself and write another page.

Offline Vair

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Re: GearHead3 Speculation
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2010, 03:43:12 AM »
To be honest, as much as I like most of those ideas I am not sure if there really has to be the Gearhead 3 to incorporate them. I mean, games which are made currently still have lot of space for improvement as well as if I recall - plans, and a lot of things mentioned above would fit the current worlds/timelines as well.

Offline JohnnyDmonic

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Re: GearHead3 Speculation
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2010, 04:33:50 AM »
Actually I was going to mention something which Vair's post reminded me of, I like the idea of the One-Year War, but, to an extent, it feels like it might work better as a variant of Arena mode.  Do missions, gain rank, help your side out, depending on if certain mission conditions are met get access to certain rewards or mission paths, etc.

Offline Izzy_Vira

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Re: GearHead3 Speculation
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2010, 02:51:51 PM »
I like the force field idea and please forgeve my spelling, never was my strong sute...

Offline IronJelly

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Re: GearHead3 Speculation
« Reply #9 on: April 16, 2010, 03:23:00 PM »
Actually I was going to mention something which Vair's post reminded me of, I like the idea of the One-Year War, but, to an extent, it feels like it might work better as a variant of Arena mode.  Do missions, gain rank, help your side out, depending on if certain mission conditions are met get access to certain rewards or mission paths, etc.

 
   
Heh... you should be able to change the outcome of the war if you happen to get really lucky (or unlucky).