Beyond Human (WIP, idea pitch mostly, title up for debate) - Gritty Cyberpunk in the veins of Deus Ex

Hosted Games Works In Progress
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Hey everyone, I’ve been a long time lurker and fan of the COG, as well as something of a hobbyist writer. Today I’ve decided to pick up the pen, or the keyboard, and create a COG of my own.

Do keep in mind however, that I’m being extremely and dare-I-say overly ambitious, and is still just learning choicescript. This is more of an idea pitch than anything (just to get it out of my system), and I wouldn’t hold my breath for a demo. Anyway, here it goes, there will be a tl;dr at the end:

In the year 2092, the gap between the wealthy and the poor is more than just that of financial comfort, but of evolution itself

Developments in cybernetics have enabled people to receive not only artificial limbs, but augmentations that enhance their abilities as well. Stronger, smarter, quicker, less human some might argue, but more evolved. They are, however, very expensive, and only the wealthiest and elites can afford such enhancements

You are the son/daughter of the CEO of a billion dollar cybernetic empire, and the sole survivor of an assassination attempt on your family, and must go on the run. The Board of 500 (it’s not cyberpunk unless there are megacorporations ruling the world) believes it was an attack on them, but investigations have turned up nothing. Like a ghost, these purists simply vanished

There will be blood and gore, romance and intrigue and uncomfortable moral dilemmas and philosophical questions galore. Play as male, or female, augmented or not and destroy all those who stand in the name of progress, or fight against the world in the name of purity.

Tl;dr: It’s bloody cyberpunk. What else do you need to know?

If you read all that, thank you. You are a gorgeous human being. If not, you still look okay, but not as pretty. Anyway, for the next few days, I’ll be reading any cyberpunk novels I can get my hands, other philosophy books on the topic of “The Human Condition” and finally figure out this Choicescript thingy. If you have any questions, ask them below, and I’ll try my best to answer. Good day, folks!

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This could be good if it’s done properly, and you seem to be an at -least decent writer from that short snippet of text.

Questions:

What kind of stats would we be looking at?

Do you have the story planned out yet?

What kind of government are we looking at exactly? In most cyberpunk settings the government has been almost completely supplanted by corporations; will things be the same here?

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This is a really cool idea I’m definitely interested

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Hmm…I smell a quest for Vengance.

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@TheHund At-least decent XD Thanks, mate. A compliment’s a compliment and I’ll take it.

@TechDragon610 It will be an option of course. Always love a good vendetta.

Thank you for the replies guys. It’s good to see that some people are interested in my idea.

Stats
The main stats will probably be all the classic: Strength, Dexterity/Agility, Intelligence and Charisma. I prefer to keep things simple, as I am not that experienced with Choicescript yet and I believe that there is no need to overcomplicate things.

As for moral stats such as Humility/Hubris, Ruthlessness/Compassion and the ever-controversial Humanity (All still TBD), they are not yet as clearly defined and won’t have any real effect on the story other than being just a reflection of the PC’s personality as seen by other characters. People are misunderstood all the time.

Story
I won’t deny the fact that I literally just thought of this idea yesterday and already decided to post it. However, I am aware of the dreaded writer’s block, which most of the times happen simply because the author didn’t think of the whole story first. To avoid that making that mistake and disappointing everyone (and myself), I think I’ll be creating a flow chart first before getting into the nitty gritty of things.

Government
The government exists, but as nothing more than puppets and the real power behind every seat of power are the corporations with their extensive wealth. The way cybernetics have changed humanity, making the wealthy literally physically better than the poor means money have only gained even more power. The Board of 500 basically rule the world in all but name. All in all, yes, it’s almost like every other cyberpunks out there.

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Everyone posts at different times. Same with the game’s development. Some people post playtests just for character creation, others wait until halfway through the game.

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Thanks for not taking that the wrong way :smile: ! It’s just difficult to judge someone’s writing ability from a few short paragraphs.

So I’ll hit you with the most important question you’re probably going to be asked by consumers, and I don’t expect you to have a fullu fleshed out answer since you JUST came up with the idea, but it’s something you need to consider:

So what exactly makes your Cyberpunk universe unique? Why should I play/read this rather than just loading up Deus Ex or Bladerunner?

Also, in case you’re having trouble with choice script, I’d recommend the choice script wiki, in case no one has told you about it yet. It’s been a great help to me.

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Shadow organizations controlling the government in a dark cyberpunk world… I’m interested.

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@TechDragon610 True, though the character creation is one of my favorite parts. Though I personally would like to get something concrete up before I post. But not too much, Otherwise everyone loses the hype.

@TheHund Because you already seen Bladerunner twenty times and want more Cyberpunk? (Joking, maybe only half-joking)

Now that is a good question. The Cyberpunk genre is not the most fleshed out, and I doubt I’ll have the ability to rival such great works as Bladerunner, but I think it’s also one its strengths. Most of us have dreamt of being the heroes in those stories, and I think I can help with that through the power of choicescript.

Of course, I wouldn’t dare, and wouldn’t stoop so low as to plagiarise those works. I think that every story, every setting and every character can be unique, in the same way people are all similar but different and I want to craft something that is my own. I personally liked the way Mecha Ace drew upon Gundam and other mecha-stuff, and Choice of the Vampire upon victorian-era vampire fiction. Sure, it won’t have crazy things no one had ever thought of like giant robot rabbits with laser eyes (though I think that’d make a good book), but it will be its own story. Plus, it will probably have craptons of social commentary, because I’m writing it.

This question is partly why I’m also hesitant to actually read any other cyberpunk books despite having said I would. It can be hard to draw inspiration without copying.

Edit: I think I’m getting carried away with replying XD

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Honestly I’ve been planning on just coding different features that will be included, and displaying them without too much story being given away, and letting the beta be handled later, story and all.

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Ooo like the sound of this, big fan of Deus Ex and blade runner :smiley:
Considering only the rich can afford them (so you and your family are seen as part of the problem of the explanding poverty line). I’m guessing being argumented although giving you an edge physically, is going to cause you problems with the lower class?

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@DreamWalker I’m trying to get the game to be as authentic as possible, so yes, things might start off a bit rougher with the lower-classes characters. I’m thinking some parts will be locked for augmented characters, and some will be locked for un-augmented ones (still debating, as I don’t want to limit player choices too much)

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there’s a big difference between limiting a player’s choice and showing the responsibility of their choices.

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Isn’t their a game called beyond human?

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I know of only Beyond: Two Souls, and google searches is giving me blanks, so, no, I don’t think? Either way, it’s still a working title and the moment I come up with a better name, I’ll change it

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@JDParadox
There is a kickstarter game using that name.
http://beyondhumanproject.com

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This plot has great potential and I can’t wait to try it out.

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Sounds fun never played Deus Ex but the new one looks cool

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I go away from the forum for a few weeks and a number of brilliant and unique ideas have materialised. I can’t wait to play this one as well! :slight_smile: