Hello!
Last month our blog post on the "Tubes" showcased the sewer system on Bastion. This sever will eventually become our first dungeon experience in the public demo for, INT. Matt Parking and I discussed the design and construction of the "Tubes" last month, and if you didn't get a chance to read it, please check it out here .
Since we already have discussed the construction (modelling) of the level, I would like to take a few moments to explain what to expect in it, the story behind it, and how it factors into the overall game.
The Tubes was originally conceived to be free-for-all combat area, a zone that offered the player a chance to obtain experience before journeying to other parts of the game world. This changed over time to become a dungeon area with a traditional boss. So who will you fight in the Tubes? The main combatants will be vapour assailants; criminals pumped on a dangerous in-universe drug reminiscent of the present day opiates and other synthetic drugs.
Expect to find the following:
- Unique enemies
- Unique environment and environmental hazards
- A boss encounter
- Rewards including armour and weaponry
Story of the Tubes:
The Interstellar Civil War which rages above the city has forced many below ground including refugees, users and homeless people. The authorities controlling the principal city above the Tubes have shut off many access points to the older maintenance tunnels in abandoned and destroyed portions of the city.
The residents of the Tubes have been shielded from the bombardment above, but at a cost. most are now trapped in the Tubes due to the closer of the access point by the UCE and some suffer withdrawal. Further complicating matters is that the Tubes is now in the hands of a mysterious group with control the only entrance and exit and do not let the people below leave. This has caused vapour users to modify the infrastructure of the Tubes to release a low-yield variant of vapour into the narrow confines of the underground tunnel thus infecting everyone the Tubes to the modified variant.
Considerations:
- Who is this group and why won't they let the people trapped in the Tubes leave?
- Why have vapour users tuned violent after modifying the infrastructure to produce a low-yield variant?
- What will happen to you and your party when you enter the Tubes, i.e. how does vapour affect you?
I hope you enjoyed the short description for the level, level expectations, and how it fits into the overall game. I believe that the level will offer an unique play through experience while remaining true to our core tenets of story and quality.
Additionally, earlier this month we hosted a livestream round table with Matt Parkin, John Shen, Tranderas, Panda, BC and myself. The video covered the continued modelling of the Tubes along with commentary from us about what to expect in it. The video can be viewed here .
That is all for this month,
Justin
