[WIP] Vessel Zero [psycological horror / superhero / urban fantasy)

Hosted Games Works In Progress
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[details=CONTENT WARNINGS] Vessel Zero is a horror story. It contains:

  • Body Horror & Gore: Graphic descriptions of physical mutation, injury, and visceral biological functions.

  • Violence: Descriptions of lethal force, bone-breaking, and molecular disintegration.

  • Psychological Themes: Depictions of dissociation, derealization, loss of bodily autonomy, and memory loss.

  • Medical Trauma: Flashbacks involving medical experimentation on a child. [/details]

IT STARTS WITH A BUS.

You are just a regular person going about a mundane Tuesday. Then you see a child in the road. You see the grill of the bus. You brace for the scream.

Blink.

You are standing on the other side of the street. The child is safe in your arms. The bus is screeching to a halt behind you. You don’t know how you got there. The last few seconds are a blur of static and adrenaline.

At first, it feels like a miracle. You test yourself. You can hover. You can move objects with your mind. You can bend steel.

In a world without superheroes, you are the first. You catch criminals. You save lives. You become a local celebrity. You finally have a purpose.

THEN THE BLACKOUTS START.

Time vanishes. You wake up in strange places with no memory of how you got there.

News reports start trickling in. Random disappearances. Brutal, visceral attacks that set the city on edge. People whisper about a hulking nightmare creature prowling the streets. Everyone looks to you, their new Savior, to stop it.

As you look into it, you realize a horrible truth…

All the clues lead back to you. The nightmare creature… It’s you.

You slowly discover… you don’t have superpowers. You have a Tenant. A creature of insane, cosmic power has been imprisoned inside your nervous system. For twenty-four years, it was dormant. But every time you use your “powers” to save someone, you cracked the lock.

Now, the cage is open. And to be a good hero, you must be a bad jailer.

THE GAME

Vessel Zero is a projected 500,000+ word interactive novel about the cost of power.

  • Play as Male, Female, or Non-Binary.

  • The Power Fantasy: Use telekinesis, strength, and teleportation to be the hero you always wanted to be.

  • The Horror Reality: Every use of power increases your Corruption. Push too far, and the Fugue State triggers. You lose control, and the Entity takes the wheel to “solve” problems with terrifying efficiency.

  • The Mystery: Why is this creature inside you? Who locked it there? And what happens when the people who built the cage come back to reclaim their property?

THE ROMANCE

You are losing your humanity. These are the people pulling you back from the ledge—or pushing you off it.

  • THE ANCHOR (Elena/Elias Mercer): An investigative journalist and the parent of the child you saved. They want to thank the Hero, but they are hunting the Monster. What happens when they realize they are the same person?

  • THE CONFIDANT (Lisa/Liam): Your oldest friend. They were the one banging on your door when you vanished for three weeks. They represent the normal life you are losing. Can you protect them from your own darkness?

  • THE HUNTER (Agent Cipher): A Vanguard super-soldier sent to recapture “Asset Zero.” They are a weapon just like you. Enemies to lovers… if you don’t kill each other first.

  • THE RIVAL (Paragon): The Military’s answer to you. A decorated soldier pumped full of experimental serums and cybernetics to match your strength. They are addicted to the enhancement, sweating toxins and desperation. They hate you because you have effortlessly what they are destroying their body to achieve.

  • THE THEORIST (Aris): An underground doctor fascinated by your physiology. While others fear the monster, Aris worships it. A romance for those who want to let the creature win.

CURRENT STATUS

  • Word Count: ~10,000 words (Chapter 1 only so far).

  • Demo Link: CoGDemos

A QUESTION FOR THE COMMUNITY

I am currently working on two very different passion projects, and I find myself torn between them. I love them both, but I want to know where the community’s hunger lies so I can prioritize my focus.

The Question: Is Vessel Zero something you want to see continued? Does the premise of being a “Cage” for an eldritch god grab you? Or should I finish the tactical depths of the Football career first?

[poll type=regular results=always public=true]

Which project captures your interest most right now?

  • Vessel Zero (The Cosmic Horror/Superhero Game)

  • The Football Simulation (Sports Management RPG)

  • Both equally (Rotate updates) [/poll]

Thank you for reading!

Really appreciate any and all feedback. I’d love to know which game you think I should focus on first, though if feedback is positive I fully intend to do both!

AI NOTE: This is all my own ideas, work, and writing.

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Before I read this next WIP, I want to say that I am a bit biased, and really enjoyed the nice little niche The Long Shot fulfills. I also can’t handle some parts of the content warnings of the cosmic horror story.

Is it possible to work on both concurrently, making progress on the other when you have a writers block or need a break?

That way, one of your primary project.

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Well I’m glad you like the football game for sure!

Though please don’t be put off by the content warnings, I have to put them there but I really don’t think they’re remotely as bad as the warnings sound, I think so far at least is a medical scene flashback (nothing overt) and you can choose to destroy these thugs but even then it’s actually not really in your face or anything!

Hope this helps though please if you read it and you disagree please let me know!

Thanks!

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That’s a really interesting start.

I enjoyed the build up to the incident. The imagery was nice and interesting (such as the burnt coffee or the ladies whispering conspiratorially). Authors who that so well are easily my favorites.

The cover is definitely trippy looking.

few typos

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You’ve
pal,”

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ain’t
!”. to !”

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“You’ve got right” part reads as confusing for me.

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shoe soles, smoke

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Thanks a lot really appreciate the catches there!

Glad you like it so far, I have it all mapped out to continue and am a few thousand words into chapter 2 (and same for chapter 4 for the football one) so hopefully can roll something out soon

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I found the wip earlier on cogdemos and loved it, glad it got a thread :slightly_smiling_face:

When it comes to a question, I’m going to be very biased - Vessel Zero 1) I enjoy it and can’t wait for the next chapters 2) I’m not interested in sports stories at all.

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Bias is totally fine! That’s just showing me generally what people prefer (I did have a feeling that based on most of the COG available that my new book would likely be preferred by most).

Glad you like it! Hopefully have more to follow

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Yup, heroes and superpowers are quite a popular thing in interactive games :thinking: But the idea that this superpower comes from a monster is a bit more unusual, imo. Always appreciate some Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde trope :+1:

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Glad you think so, as long as it’s a good one :joy:

I thought the arc of oh wow I have superpowers! Then realising where they were coming from was pretty cool, so your main enemy sort of becomes yourself.

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I’m all for this game getting continued even if it’s just just chapter 1 for now. The MC feels like he has Venom inside him safely locked away. Out of sight and out of mind until now where memories we don’t recall at all thanks to the scientists or trauma keeping it hidden start surfacing.I’m looking forward to seeing where this is going.

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Can we come up with a hero name or has the public chosen something?

Also — Aris sounds like a freak who would lock MC in a basement on a torture table. Stay away, Doc!

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Thanks so much!

I’m planning that the whole back story will come out alongside the main story, with hopefully shocking revelations how this has come to be!

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You can come up with your own name, and not only that but I’m planning for you to customise your abilities (or at least focus your attention on the types of abilities you prefer)

Yes Aria will 100% be like that, I don’t foresee it being a positive relationship really :joy:

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That will be three of them :weary_face: or maybe four. If a journalist learns the truth.

At least we have L (will mc tell them everything?)

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I have written that bit in chapter 2, one of the big early choice of chapter 2 whether you tell L, and also how much you tell also :blush:

I’m excited most for the journalist, I think when she tracks you down or you choose to see her will be a great moment! I’m planning that there is something about her girl also which in my head is going to be really exciting!

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This was great! I love the story so far, and I think the plot is very interesting. I can’t wait for more.

There were a few different spots where the male pronouns came up while having a female MC.

Other than that, I didn’t find anything I thought was super important to flag. The pacing was good. Not too much was given away about the intricacies of the two introduced RO’s. I’m looking forward to seeing how they interact with the MC.

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It seems I have the perfect choice on who to romance.

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Aw thanks so much that’s awesome to hear!!

I’ll check out the pronouns thanks for letting me know.

Excited to make the next part for you :grin:

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The journalist is gonna have to be careful what she wishes for despite wanting to make it up to us saving their child which is understandable since they should have been roadkill. You know what they say about meeting your idols. My MC is just paranoid getting involved with them since the government won’t be that far behind when she does.

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Absolutely she is, but there is something more to her that will come out that relates to something that you see in chapter 1 that will tie some things together too and make her more central to the whole thing!

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