By Dustin Hyrel Lim
Folk beliefs, otherwise known as "superstitious
beliefs", form part of a people's value system and culture. They basically
reflect the customs, traditions, and mores of a group, which may be based on
religious beliefs, opinions, old or popular practices. They also tell of
how a people view the unknown and the means to appease deities that control
fate.
Filipinos,
by nature, have always been fascinated by the unknown. This fascination is what
inspires the stories that fuel our rich culture that has developed throughout
history. Culture that has given Philippine Literature a unique feel with
customs handed down from one generation to the next. Such customs have earned distinction
from other cultures in Asia. The curiosity of foreigners, enticed. Drawing them
deep into the heart of the country in search of adventure, hoping to encounter
the many mysteries that make up the colorful and majestic nature of the
Philippines.
But with
the advancement of technology at its peak, people’s attention has been
redirected to trends in gadgets, and the latest applications. And with the many
effects one can create with the various graphic and animation applications
around, just about anyone, through their imagination, can create the illusion
of monsters and fairytales. The outcome makes it difficult for anyone to
decipher what’s real and what’s not. But one thing is certain: It’s all just
special effects.
Anyone
can see a horror movie and feel scared all throughout the flick but in the end,
you'll find that nothing's scary about an epileptic ghost girl, walking crawling
out of a television set, bent on eating your face.
Point is, movies today have erased the magic of the many mysteries that
surround our culture. We live in a day where you are afraid of power outs
because you wouldn't be able to charge your gadgets and not because the dark
assailants of the night might swing by to feed on your intestines. The thrill
of it all, barely remembered.
Our character is one such person whose belief in the supernatural has wavered
due to the technological advancements that have taken place in our time. Unable
to perceive the rich and majestic stories from which most of our cultural
literature is based on.
The concept of this game is to
reintroduce the old and dying beliefs of the Filipino culture that are now
being slowly replaced by western influence. Content involves old superstitions,
beliefs, mythical creatures and the character will have to learn customs in
dealing with many of the wonders of the unknown in Filipino culture.
The setting:
The concept's setting is not thoroughly discussed yet. The proposed setting
which the character will be navigating through is an environment in which the
latter is free to roam around unlocking new areas once a goal is achieved. For
this setting, there are two possible types to consider: Persistent and
Instanced.
- Persistent
-This form of environment, which mostly takes form of a town or settlement
in most games, is a permanent map and exist solely as a rally point for
characters to gather, interact with NPC's, manage their items, and do
other necessary changes to enhance a character. These areas are
normally where the plot develops and stand as the save point of the
game. Reference: Persistent Maps
- Instanced
- This type of environment is a special area which is created or
generated by a player. This space, where the gameplay or most of it
happens, is exclusively created for the player to accomplish a goal and
once that goal is accomplished, the instanced area is destroyed and the
character is returned to a persistent area. These areas serve as
"mission" areas. (e.g Dungeons)
Reference: Instanced Maps
The Perspective:
The game, as decided form our initial discussions, will be in 2D. How this is
viewed or how the character sees or can be seen is now the question. After some
discussions we decided to go with:
- Third Person(Bird's-Eye View): This is a familiar
perspective for most people who have played on handheld platforms such as
the gameboy with rpg games like Pokemon(c) and the The Legend of Zelda(c).
The display shows an overlooking view at the top of the setting with the
character at the center.
Game Details:
The game
will be an Adventure RPG. We found it more effective if the player was immersed
in a storyline where he/she played a direct role in.
The
Character – The character can be male or female depending on the player’s
preferences. Same goes for naming the character. The character’s health will be
indicated by HP(Health Points). The character can gain damage and will die if
HP reaches 0. Can attack enemies, can walk/run both in persistent and instanced
areas, and trade/talk with NPC’s.
*Stat
system is still under debate. (e.g. STR increases Attack Power, VIT increases
HP)
*The
character will be a normal city dweller whose would-be vacation turns into a
life changing experience. A skeptic of the supernatural, he/she must learn to
deal with the many trials that lie ahead by learning the customs of Filipino
Folklore. Goal is to find a way back into the city by navigating through small
secluded towns surrounded by acres of woods that house creatures of unknown
origins.
NPC’s – NON-PLAYABLE
CHARACTERS. Characters that are AI controlled. Their primary role is to dictate
the flow of the story. They will ask the player questions, and depending on the
player’s choice of answering they will unlock different areas of the game. Second, some NPC’s serve as merchants whose
services, the player will avail in exchange for a few incentives like currency
or tokens.
Enemies –
NPC’s that have aggressive AI. These critters are based from mythical creatures
encountered in Philippine Folklore. They can cause damage to HP. Can be
attacked, and can be seen in instanced dungeons. (e.g. Manananggal, Tikbalang,
Tiyanak)
*Presence
of enemies can be indicated by signs like a black cat crossing your path,
signaling the coming of something. A Raven, meaning something is lurking in the
shadows and screeches from afar to denote the presence of Viscera Suckers.
Dungeons
– Instanced maps outside of towns/settlements. Player has to navigate through
this in order to progress. Puzzles and traps can be encountered. Enemies can be
encountered. This is where battles commence. Player has the option to either
fight or run from enemies encountered in the dungeon. A Boss can be fought at
every end of the dungeon. Boss must be defeated in order to progress.
*Puzzles
and traps can be avoided using Filipino customs (e.g. You strike a dead end,
putting your shirt on backwards will show the true way. )
Scoring –
The game does not rely on standard scoring, instead, the game makes use of
tokens which can be gained from both persistent map NPC’s, Instanced Maps, and
Minigames. These tokens can then be used in exchange for items that can be
useful to the player. The higher the item’s quality the more tokens are needed
in exchange.
Items –
The player can make use of various items that can be used to either restore HP,
Attack, or use to access key areas. (e.g. Sugar Cane restores HP, Bolo for
attacking, Agimat unlocks a dungeon ).
*
Items will be placed in a bag. Bag’s capacity can be increased through an NPC
provided you pay the right amount of tokens.
Minigames
– Small puzzle games that allow a person to gain more tokens or receive items
that can be useful. (Will be based on Pinoy games and other recreational
activities.) These stages can be optional and does not affect overall gameplay
of not taken.
Though
Optional, rewards can be useful.
Possible
minigames:
-Harvesting
-Laro ng lahi
-Assisting in chores
-Others
Other details:
The game
can be saved should the player decide to continue another time.
The game
can be only saved in persistent areas.
Death
will result in the character spawning in his/her last savepoint.
Single
Player *Under debate
*Other
details will be added if identified/specified.
Comparison to other games:
So far,
this concept is rather unique. We’ve searched for games with similar concepts
but came across with only few results.
The
first being ANITO, a purely Philippine made game that is set in 16th
century Asia, our concept is set in modern time. The game focuses on war and
mostly Muslim Traditions and feature little to no superstitions that we used in
our concept.
The
second and the last was a specific patch in the MMORPG Ragnarok Online. The name
of the Patch was Port Malaya, a Philippine based map. The NPC’s featured in the
game had the Pinoy theme. The way they dressed, the way they welcome visitors
and the beliefs they firmly believed in.
In a
sense, this was the closest to our concept, but what made them very different
is that Port Malaya was just a place where you can see Philippine inspired
structures and creatures, the quests only revolved around the needs of the
local townsfolk, whereas our concept centered more on the character learning
the customs and beliefs and the story focused on the applications of such
customs in his/her endeavors to find a way home whilst relearning the old ways
of Philippine culture.
From
this standing point, we think it’s pretty much safe to pursue this concept for
a project. However, we leave that decision to our professor. Good luck, Team
Oz!
