Hello guys and girls! I’m James and I’m very new at the game book and coding thing, but I am currently in development of my first Game Book idea - ‘Ozoic’. There’s something of a ‘One Million BC’ or ‘Land That Time Forgot’ feel to this project as in it you play a humanoid whose tribe must struggle to survive a world of prehistorical creatures and competing tribes. The idea is that there is a sense of realism in that there’s no magic or powers, and players will have to use their natural skills and basic weapons to defend themselves against a range of dinosaurs, mammals, giant insects, creatures of the sky and of the deep.
Players will have to mature and survive in this world as they attempt to locate a place of safety and ensure that their tribe survives, or alternatively try to go it alone in order to search for resources across the land. There’s also likely to be some sub plots, romance options and the ability to select from a range of beings outside Homo Sapians including Neanderthals and ‘Lizard Men’.
Whilst as mentioned there’s a desire to keep it fairly realistic the core idea is that all types of creatures from all eras of prehistory will co-exist, and all the creatures encountered will be inspired by actual dinosaurs and other prehistorical animals. There will be areas players can go to where certain kinds of animals tend to thrive - the great plains where herds of giant herbivores migrate and where equally giant predators hunt them. The jungles where insects are more than just a minor pest. The sea cliffs where Pterosaurs take to the skies and risk the looming monsters of the oceans for their catch. Hopefully this will be a selection of the places where you and your tribe can visit and even settle if you think you can survive there.
Anyway, this is all early days and I’m hoping that this can become a Hosted Game down the line, but any suggestions you guys and girls have for things you’d like to see will be perfect at this stage!
Thanks for your interest! Hopefully I’m going to try and get a working demo with the Prologue and the first 1-2 Chapters up in the coming weeks or month once I’m sorted out the basics and advanced elements of coding. I’ve elected at present for a straight to action prologue ala ‘Dragon’ and ‘Broadsides’ and then a character creation section. Right now I’m deciding if to have it like a range of past choices like Dragon or something more like the ‘Vendetta’ Hosted Game I’ve been impressed with which has backgrounds and past occupations which determine the stats. Things like being a warrior, herder, farmer or possibly a shaman. And the types of humanoid species like Homo Sapian (default), Neanderthals (less intelligent but hardier survivors and suited for the frozen landscape area I have in mind) and Reptile Men (who might have a range of abilities including being more atune with dinosaurs).
Yes, the Frozen Area should be a challenging place to survive in, filled with animals who have adapted to the cold climes like Mammoths and Wholly Rhinos, as well as predators like huge bears and wolves. If by War Path you mean will there be the chance to hunt for food, then yes there will be. Just try not to go from being the Hunter to the Hunted.
@derekmetaltron ya i like the action then building idea. take your time, less errors more story means happy me. And im busy with school so I wont notice if it takes forever.
I’m intending to take my time, I need to so I can get my head round the coding and the getting stuff online stuff. When a demo feels right, I’ll stick it up.
Thanks. There’s likely to be tribal warfare and you’ll have the chance to assert yourself within your own party, but don’t expect any full world conquering, you’ll be doing all you can just to survive not only against your fellow humanoids but packs of nasty creatures who might be wanting you for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
This is probably closest to the classic ‘One Million BC’ 60’s movies where man struggled to survive in a world of monsters. So whilst Ice Age mammals might well appear they won’t be talking with lisps. There should be a chance to own a ‘pet’ of sorts early on, so it’s possible that you can name it Scrat or Sid or the like.
@Pale_Strider
You mean the things people used to think Iguanadon look like with the spiked thumb incorrectly assumed to be a horn? Possibly. Although I’m hoping all the creatures I use in the game will be representations of actual dinosaurs and creatures known at present. Though they won’t have their actual names, rather names given to them by the tribe. Hopefully there’ll be somewhere where I can reveal what each species actually is scientifically.
And quite possibly. Though ‘cave girls’ won’t be screaming damsels in distress here, they’ll hold their own against creatures regardless of whether the player is a female or not. To be honest clothing rather depends on where you end up living, which will likely be a fundamental part of the game which will affect the final ending and give a decent amount of replayability.
I hope there will be such things as equipment, relationships…
And also will it look like as a zombie apocalypse game? Make friends, enemies, survive, upgrade your base, get supplies, fight other “survivor groups-tribes”?
As a girl, I really hate the idea of fur bikinis or similar outfits for females when all the guys are in loincloths. I would definately go topless if I was a cave girl. It’d be easier for mothers to nurse anyway.
No one wore a shirt then anyway unless they lived in colder climates.
Also, Neanderthals were actually quite intelligent, and some scientists theorize they were on average smarter than homo sapien sapiens, being the first of the two to bury their dead and develop more advanced stone tools.
Of course I realize this is fantasy, but can’t let anyone get away with misconceptions of Neanderthals!
(They also may have not been that hairy after all.)
