An Unexpectedly Green Journey (orc life-simulator) (WIP) [67K UPDATE, 16th September 2023, 677K Words Total]

To play the demo, go here: An Unexpectedly Green Journey (dashingdon.com)

My new Tumblr, about the game: Krog Pile

[Read Encirclement1936’s review, 20th September 2023]
Above is a very good review, complete with pros and cons. Well worth a read, especially if you want to get a thorough opinion on whether to try your hand at orc living.

IMPORTANT- Old saves will cause errors with a few variables of which I have changed the data type for this update. It is highly recommended that you make a new save.

UPDATE 6 (16th September 2023): 67k words added, totalling 677k)
-I have added an option on the starting screen where a playtester can skip straight to the demonic path. This will not be in the final game, but since this game is pretty large, it’ll help to find bugs and errors.
-You are the Darkness! Rise from the rank of demonic minion to a demon lord and desecrate the world! Start as a minion with little power and become the apocalypse!
-Manage your new demon powers, Mutate, Possess and Desecrate.
-As the world descends into ruins, read about the decline of civilization with a new page on the Stat screen, showing the diary of a pious monk.
-Diplomatic relations have been replaced with with Terror gauge.
-The map of your conquests had now been replaced to symbolize your spreading taint, showing a spreading fire.
-Build a new army with new demonic units.
-New lore will be revealed as you crush each imperial province.
-Can you take your seat among the thrones of the Powers Beyond and Below?

UPDATE 5 (27th August 2023): 166k words added, totalling 610k
-It is time to face the wrath of the cyclopes. Fall to defeat or rise as an epic hero of legend to save the world.
-Added a war report screen that you can access at the outbreak of general war with the cyclopes. This will follow the advance of the enemy’s armies across the continent, while you prepare for the inevitable final stand.
-Before the conflict, set about forming the policies and character of your kingdom, including your succession policy. This will affect your end-game legacy.
-If you choose to focus on culture or diplomacy, over war and your army, meet many visitors to your throne room. You might even be able to get a dragon!

UPDATE 4 (25th July 2023): 57k words added, totalling 444k
-Finally take on The Empire for good, either through diplomacy or war, to conquer the whole continent.
- Added a few more achievements.
- Added descriptions of your army in the stats screen, to help players keep track of the new units they’ve acquired.
- From the stats screen, you can now access a separate screen with a map and description of the places and political bodies on the continent, at the time of your birth.

UPDATE 3 (14th July 2023): 60k words added, totalling 387k
-60k worth of new content on the war chief path.
-Finally meet Emperor Callistus V, of the human realms. (Tip: Be truthful)
-Deal with the New Shires, the halfling lands, through conquest or diplomacy.
-Build a navy after acquiring the harbour in the New Shires and explore mysterious eastern islands.
-Added Battle Reports, recording your victories and defeats in major battles, on the stats screen.
-Added several achievements.
-Any help with typos very much appreciated.
UPDATE 2.1 (1st July 2023) (Just a quick one)
-Since the shaman @Lance_Heyen found some of the keyboard-gremlin droppings during his playthrough, I have swept them away. Thanks, Lance, for helping me catch a few of those typos!
-Added flavour text for diplomacy with other nations on the stats screen. It should be dynamic and change reflecting other nations’ opinion of you.

UPDATE 2 (30th June 2023): 57k words added, totalling 327k
-Expanded the War Chief path in this update (which I will focus on for now until I reach the first story conclusions). After rising to be War Chief you will spend your time dealing with the surrounding lands through war and diplomacy with the goal of becoming a King. After this, you can finally deal with the elves, perhaps becoming an Emperor.
-Added a checkpoint save system for use when the game is released since, as far as I know, Choice Of Games doesn’t have an inherent save system. In certain hub areas, you will be given the option to save your progress. At each new relevant hub, your game will be automatically saved. You will then get an option to SAVE or RESTART from your last saved position. This will mean that if you die, you don’t lose all your stats. In death scenes, you’ll also be given the option to RESTART your last save point (unless I missed a death scene.) This should not affect DashingDon saves.
-To facilitate those orcs who wish to relish their conquests, I have added a map to the stats screen which should show the progress of your conquests after you have become a king. If you do not want to pursue the king’s path, the map will just show the continent as is.
- Added the ability to keep your old epithet if you don’t like the new one offered.
-Fixed a few issues with earlier scenes. Added a few new achievements.
-Please feel free to point out any typos you find!!! :pray:

UPDATE 1 (9th June 2023): 50k words added, totalling 270k
-31 initial achievements implemented.
-Fixed the Western Hills battle so it works correctly.
-Added the beginnings of later game paths. You can now start to build an orc city. Or, become your clan’s chief, conquer the surrounding lands and rise to be the King of the Orcs. There is a Dark Chief path where you can use necromantic arts to begin your demonic schemes if you are corrupted. You can also become the de-facto shaman of the Dust Clan.
-Some typos have been fixed, although I am sure many remain.

Become an orc! From your first step as a whining infant, through mischievous childhood, to a battle-hardened brute, shape your destiny and that of the world. Break the mould or become the beast you were born to be.

In an Unexpectedly Green Journey, you take an orc from the instance of birth, through to old age, in a lore-rich fantasy world. As you grow, you’ll set your own goals; take part in adventures across the world, dedicate your life to the arts of a shaman and serve the orc god Krog, become a famed Big Belly and engage in epic feats of digestion, rise to the position of chief and lead armies and plot to conquer the world, or fall to darkness and embrace the Powers of Beyond and Below. As you age, new decisions and paths open and friends and enemies are made, allowing a rise to glory or a fall, like so many orcs before, to ignominious defeat.

Based on an old game, but massively expanded, An Unexpectedly Green Journey is currently creeping towards 80% completion.

Once you have emerged from orc infancy, you will take part in a naming ceremony in which you can name your orc. Names must be earned. You can take your orc from childhood to old age, with ever greater choices and consequences. You can currently live a whole lifetime if you take the kingdom-building/war chief path. Other paths still need to be written.

*Note on gender: In this fantasy world, orcs are born from cabbage-like plants called baborcs and are thus hulking, brawling and eating genderless organisms. The world refers to them as the masculine gender due to their stereotypical proclivities.

My Twitter:

164 Likes

Idk why but i laughed when i found this. Its just so random. But i played it and im really impressed with how many routes you can take and the amount of choices and dialogue makes it very repayable.

23 Likes

Hi Tempted,

Thanks for giving it a go, glad you enjoyed it! Yes, there is a thread of humour which runs through the whole thing, though it does get dark and bloody at times. I am aiming for a game built to cater towards replays, since you won’t be able to see everything with one type of orc.

Cheers!

3 Likes

200k+ words damn that’s a lot for a newcomer wip

10 Likes

Hi Sancho,

I had a lot of it mapped out beforehand, which helped to keep track of everything and made it easier to develop and write.

Now, I think it is ready for people to have a first look and play around with before I jump head-first in the second half of the game, which will get complicated for my scattered mind.

2 Likes

Wait. Are these Orcs based off Warhammer Orks?

1 Like

Hi ERECarl,

These orcs are an amalgamation of orciness but not based purely on any existing lore or universe. There will be similarities with orks/orcs from other universes since the orcs here are brutish, greedy and cruel. Though, your orc might well break that mould.

So basically you can be Orcs from generic JRPG and Light Novel worlds, Orcs from Tolkein, Orcs from Warcraft, and the Orks.

Well it seems you got yourself a fan of the concept now.

Looking fowardz to how this idea ends up.

3 Likes

Well, I would say that the orcs lean more towards the Tolkien-esque, though I hope to give the freedom that your orc can become a creature of more benevolent behaviour. At the start, you are thrown into life in an orc tribe which prizes stereotypical orc behaviour. It will not be easy to be an enlightened green fellow but I want to implement that possibility.

Thanks for taking an interest. I am more than happy for any suggestions/ideas which scratch the itch of would-be orcs!

1 Like

obligatory WAAAAAAGH

8 Likes

A roight propa WAAAGH to you too, my green bruvva!

8 Likes

Really enjoyed it so far but does it have a storyline or is it more of a make your own story game?

2 Likes

Aaaaaaaaand it’s genderlocked. (Totally not upset because I have a thing for female orcs)

7 Likes

Primarily, you make your own story, within a number of stories already taking place within the world. Although there is an insidious threat lurking in the dark corners that may become apparent, depending on your travels and choices. Defeating that, as the chief of your tribe, could be considered the ultimate ending.

For more context, the game takes place at a time when orcs are stagnating and shunned by most of the world after being defeated in the past. Through your choices, you may be able to ascend to godhood, conquer the world, become a legendary feaster, build an orc capital and unite the world peacefully. Or live a life of orc mediocrity.

Stakes will rise as you get older and have more opportunities to test yourself against greater events. (Though these later game events are not yet written).

That might have sounded a bit waffly. Does it clear it up at all?

Cheers

3 Likes

Haha. Sorry, I couldn’t float your fancy. The orcs here are sprouted from cabbage-like things, called baborcs. They really could be thought of as genderless, though the medieval-ish world references them as male due to their preoccupations with brawling, eating and smelling bad.

Going full Second Era Elder Scrolls with this one.

5 Likes

Really enjoyed it so far but does it have a storyline or is it more of a make your own story game?

1 Like

The plan is, you can build an orc capital, make it a beacon of learned wisdom or something like a ‘hive of scum and villainy.’ Something like that.

1 Like

Hi Carolyn,

Thanks for taking the time to play my games. Glad you’re enjoying it. I took a stab at answering that very question in a reply to Temptation a few posts back.

Primarily, you create your own story, though, in the context of the world’s orc society, the stereotypical goals would be to become the biggest, baddest warrior and lead your own tribe to all-conquering glory. Many other paths are (and are yet to be) available.

There are (and are yet to be) ‘good’ endings, celebrating a life of orcish achievement.

Many of your adventures, and the people you befriend or antagonise, will have an effect on the story you craft. Although there is a world-ending evil lingering around the edges, one which you may uncover, combat and defeat, you are not tied to that.

Hopefully, the end game will require a variety of orc lives to live through and uncover all the events and paths.

cool that the orcs here are kind of a cross between namekians and saibamen, minus the ki blasts n stuff

1 Like