Winning vote:
[X] Plan: Combinated Vote
[x] - Omerta. This image is a tribute to the traditional Mafia of the Prohibition era, not in the least romantic image of a brutal criminal organization profiting from human vices, dealing with drugs, prostitution and many other things that are prohibited from gaming nations. This will often be the reason for conflict with them.
[x] - Chairmens. The most typical casino representatives. They no longer show the brutal crime of the mafia of the twenties, but a much later mafia, which has moved from open murders in the middle of the streets to bribery and political lobbying of its own interests. They may be the most typical family, but this is not a problem either, as it takes someone typical to fill the extras among the many vivid images.
[x] - Kings. We already have Elvis Presley fans, and although we originally planned to place them in the outskirts of Vegas, in its slums, no one is stopping us from making a casino focused on the rock and roll style. They can become a kind of hallmark of this city, for which it is known in the rest of the world. And also the basis of a reviving pop culture, for example, music, but they do not create anything new, they worship a person from the past as a living deity. This is blind repetition without understanding and development.
[x] - Clowns. It seems that Vegas has a casino based on circus culture. Why don't we turn them into a casino and a really creepy circus at the same time? Well, with brutal performances as well as animal fights forced to kill each other.
[X] - Hero. The sergeant managed to single-handedly defeat the enemy squad near Vault 15, and this makes him a real legend, firstly only in his battalion. However, the more he becomes a living legend, the more the supply officers who envy him will sabotage the player's activities. Until being sent on an openly suicidal mission, upon returning from which the player will have nothing to do but solve the problem with the commander in the most radical way.
[X] - Stormtrooper. In this version, the hero will serve as an assault specialist assigned to the battalion, who is always at the forefront of the offensive. In the end, he is noticed enough to invite him to test the new type of power armor collected by the NCR, but this makes him a target for the Brotherhood of Steel, since the armor is a reworking of the Enclave's developments, and they are confident that through the player they will be able to reach possible refugees from the Enclave in the Republic.
[X] - Cleaner. We offered players the opportunity to play on the dark side of the Ranger Corps. Namely, the fact that they are often forced to work as assassins on the orders of the high command of the Republic. The player becomes one of them, but gradually the orders coming to him become ambiguous, aimed not only at helping the Republic, but also at settling opponents. And he can both oppose his commanders, and start to cash in on this, officially pretending to be "a good ranger follows orders."
[X] - Archaeologist. This story focuses more on the search in the ruins of the Old World and the scientist's attempts to obtain technology valuable to the Republic, while confronting the Brotherhood, which is trying to obtain technology for itself, and the Legion, which is trying to destroy it. But the technologies themselves are dangerous, because they led to the death of the Old World, and sometimes the NKR will try to capture what they themselves do not fully understand.
[X] - The trade and economic system of fractions. That is, awards, prizes and prices for NPCs depend on the welfare and features of the game of the players, as well as the NPCs themselves. Promise that the NPCs "Can overtake you in the grind", sending visible in-game detachments of hunters and scavengers, as well as fight with players for raids and grind quests.
We are slowly but surely creating the image of the Strip, complementing it also with crime families and creating a division of labor between various mafia families. Neo Vegas itself, the city of sin, is gradually acquiring more and more details. The four factions of the Strip Families vie with each other to please their master, Mr. House, or to do exactly the opposite and find a way to overthrow him. And each of the families also looks different. Creepy Clowns, rude and cruel thugs Omerta, elegant, but cunning as if poisonous snakes Chairmens; and one-faced like soulless copies of the Kings.
But Vegas is not limited exclusively to the Boulevard itself, there are also several other areas of the city, each of which has its own surroundings and history, which we could easily borrow and use for our own needs, diversifying the overall picture of Vegas with its typical post-apocalyptic landscapes.
Choose three options:
[x] - Black Westside. The Fallout universe is focused on the 1940s and 1950s, and if so, then you can remember those times when there were serious restrictions on the Strip for blacks, and therefore they opened their casinos in Westside. We can keep the area as a predominantly African American area, add some voodoo culture and famous black artists like Louis Armstrong.
[x] - Housers. Mr. House's prototype, Howard Hughes, once became the largest landowner in the New Vegas Valley, and his heirs organized the construction of a luxury residential complex on the site of his possessions. This place is now known as Summerlin. Take the eccentric nature of the real Hughes, add self-centeredness, right down to his portraits hung everywhere. And in two centuries we will get a whole cult focused on the worship of House itself.
[x] - Steel Heart of Vegas. Henderson is also known as one of the few Vegas neighborhoods that has had an industry. Mainly because the Hoover Dam was under construction in the 1930s. Why not locate some family-owned refurbished factories in Southeast Vegas. Locals are forced to work for them in harsh conditions, while the Followers of the Apocalypse try to help them, and also secretly spread their anarchist views.
[x] - A city from the past. We may not refer to North Las Vegas as just a neighborhood close to Las Vegas. In the end, during the time of Prohibition, it was he who became the center of activity of the bootlers with their underground establishments. Of course, after the collapse of the Old World, there is no sense in its laws, but they can organize an underground market in secret from Mr. House and Semey, refusing to pay taxes on such entertainment.
On the other hand, our words did not make Bethesda too happy. In their perception, what we were proposing sounded not more like an imitation of life on the map, but more like a full-fledged economic system, more similar to the one in EVE Online, but at the same time involving non-player characters. And this is difficult to balance, extremely difficult.
Also, as they said, the problem is that it will be difficult for us to organize the right audience for it. Traditionally, Killers, according to Bartle, who seek to achieve superiority over other players not by interacting with the world, but at the expense of the players themselves, are the first to profit from auctions. And whether it is trading at the auction, or fighting with other players is a completely different question. The problem is that by providing too much content and opportunities for Killers, we can frighten off other categories of players. And by complicating the financial system, we run the risk of not fully thinking through something, and thereby destroying the market.
While Killers are highly likely to buy paid content from the in-game store from the very beginning, the problem with them is comparable to that of Whales. They can buy a lot, but they will leave the game as soon as dominance is no longer interesting to them. Or, destroy the gaming market, scare away other players, and make the world empty before the game pays off.
Nevertheless, the contract has already been signed, and all that remains is to try to move forward in the hope that the project does not fall apart in the process. Moreover, the time has come to think about E3 2009, as well as the possibility of the very presentation of the fact that we are working on this project. So far, Bethesda itself plans to disclose solely the fact that a new project is being prepared, but we can try to convince them otherwise.
Your position on preparing for E3:
[x] - Do not divulge anything. For now, we will keep a secret the very fact of the preparation of the IMO for Fallout, so that the excitement does not burn out.
[x] - Disclose the fact of cooperation between the studios. Yes, we are indeed working on a Fallout game, which is pretty obvious given that there are many early game authors among the founders of our studio. But what kind of game it is and how it will function is not necessary for them to know at the moment.
[x] - Disclose the facts of the MMO. Yes, we are working on a Fallout MMO, but this is not an overly ambitious project that is not trying to become a WoW killer.
[x] - Catch up on the excitement. Yes, we are working on an MMO, which should become, if not a killer for the current king of online games, then at least become a competitor for another ambitious project - SWTOR, since our games are extremely similar.
Now is the time to move on to the campaign of characters belonging to the Caesar's Legion, of which we also have four. They all have similar tactical roles to their counterparts, but there are also differences. Dean and Sergeant have both similar gameplay and are similar in their images to each other. They are both simple people who rise to the top through their own courage and training, the hero who is easiest to empathize with due to a certain similarity with the player. Likewise, both the Ranger and the Frumentarian use the imagery of the intelligence agent, which also makes them look similar.
But at the same time, there is a big difference between the Heavy Infantry and a member of the Cult of the Vulcan. If the first is just a soldier with elite equipment, who, as a result, are given special tasks, then a member of the Cult of the Vulcan stands outside the main command chain of the Legion. He is a warrior-scholar of the Caesar Legion who obeys the orders of his cult, reporting directly to Caesar. His task is to look for new technologies, as well as ways to apply them. A similar situation with the Scientist and Auxilarium. If everything is clear about the first, then the second is a member of a tribe allied to the Legion, but not part of it, he is also outside the culture of the Legion. But his knowledge is the result of being passed on within the tribe since the time of the Great War, in the form of religious rites, and not restored after the Great War.
Select Dean's story option (one option):
[x] - Survivor. A similar story, where the dean will have to endure the death of his entire century, thrown into a hopeless battle. Standard plot. But in this case, the reason for the decision will be by no means incompetence, but malicious intent. Players will have to expose the tribal enmity that has survived in spite of everything in the Legion, which threatens to tear the Legion itself to pieces.
[x] - Centurion. Again, in general, a similar plot, where our dean gradually rises to the centurion, withdrawing from various sectors of the fronts the troops that Joshua Grackham needs to storm Hoover Dam. The challenge will be managing such a messy and messy mix, most of which is green newbies. The hero can be put in charge of all the salvation of personnel or victory at any cost.
[x] - Triarius. Its plot is the story of one who changes the course of history, remaining in the shadows. Who can rush with a machete at the enemy squad, interrupt it, get out of the battle unharmed and change the course of the battle. He is appreciated by the centuria, but he himself refuses promotions, confident that his place is right here. But who is he himself? Loyal servant of Caesar, following the spirit of the ideology of dialectics around which the Legion was created? Or a bloody maniac with blood on his hands?
Select the story option for a member of the Cult of the Volcano (one option):
[x] - Talent Seeker. Few will volunteer to work for the Legion, most will prefer to lay low, because the offer of the Legion cannot be refused. His task will be to look for those who can possess knowledge valuable for the cult and in one way or another get it into the service. Far from voluntary, but even so, his methods will vary. Kidnap a scientist and take him to Arizona? Or use his family as hostages, threatening to kill them or sell them as slaves?
[x] - Defector. We can show as a member of the Vulcan Cult not just an ordinary savage who received training and weapons, but remained a savage at heart. Why not show instead a surviving Enclave member who both respects the Legion's martial culture and Caesar's mindset and is driven by hatred of the Brotherhood of Steel and the New California Republic. But will he stoop to methods acceptable to the Legion?
[x] - Mechanic. We can revert to the image of the repairman, and its importance will become even greater within the Legion. In the end, most of the ordinary legionnaires are uneducated savages who do not understand how their weapons actually work, and only follow the instructions for solving standard situations. But what happens in all other situations? They have to turn to the cult of Vulcan. And he has a choice - to try to educate his fellow-in-arms, or to continue to preserve knowledge for the sake of growing the influence of his cult.
Select the Frumentaria story option (one option):
[x] - Hand of Caesar. We may well show the work of a frumentarian as a scout and counterintelligence officer who both searches for enemies and penetrates enemy boundaries, sabotaging enemy forces, and collecting valuable intelligence. The question about the ambiguity of his image is how far will he go in deviating from the Legion lifestyle? He has permission to do so, but will he remain faithful to the ideology of the Legion, or become a plutocrat in everything but the name.
[x] - Mouth of Caesar. In the same way, we will help to show him as a diplomatic agent who not only receives information, but also controls the tribes and whether they will become part of the Legion or be exterminated. Its goal is to look for allies, enter into discussions and convince native cultures to voluntarily go into slavery, so as not to be forced into it.
[x] - Eye of Caesar. And we can again return to the role of the Frumentarians and their ilk as commissioners. Why not? They are outside the main command structure, reporting only to Caesar himself. Ideal fighters for cleaning out those who are too free-thinking and plotting any coups.
Select Auxilarium story option (one option):
[x] - Shaman. The option is similar to the Medic's story in the sense that he will have to choose who to keep alive and who not. But there are major differences between them. The witch doctor also goes back to the image of a shaman, he only heals bodily wounds, but also mental wounds, and also conducts initiation rites. His choice is to help preserve a piece of tribal culture, or ruthlessly erase it within the framework of the Legion-approved Cult of Mars.
[x] - Champion of the tribe. The Auxilarium is not directly part of the Legion's military chain. He is a savage who serves the Legion, for his tribe has sworn allegiance to him. And on him, like on other members of the tribe, Caesar's close attention is paid. He needs to show himself in order for the Legion to continue to believe that granting autonomy to his tribe is the right choice. And the question is - how far is he willing to go to deserve such an attitude towards himself?
[x] - Skirmisher. We can refer to the auxilias as real Roman connections, namely the Cretan archers and the Balearic slinger. A former member of a gang of savage raiders acts as the foremost scout for the Legion's invasion army. But even after joining Caesar's army, he was brought up under the Legion as a recruit who knows no other life. He is a raider who will try to find a way out even in Caesar's army. Including if it means looting and clandestine trade, kidnapping of civilians and the like, bypassing military service.
