The Tourist

*For foreword click here

‘THE TOURIST’

SYNOPSIS

Silus finds himself on the mysterious island of Ibiza. After his first night on the island he finds evidence to suggest somebody could be following him. Silus acts quick to find his stalker and confront him.
But along the way, he finds something more sinister is at hand, and needs to make an immediate decision– investigate or play along.
With a notorious gang and thousands of mystifying locals at his heels, Silus must choose who to trust and find a way off this strange island.

GAME OVERVIEW

‘The Tourist’ is a single player Adventure/RPG for mature gamers. The game consists of intellectual dialogue, difficult puzzles and intelligent A.I. The key features are exploration and the ability to access, and follow multiple storyline.

THE GAME WORLD
‘The Tourist’ takes place on the island of Ibiza. Ibiza lies south of Spain, in the Mediterranean Sea, and is well known for its summer parties and nightclubs. Famous clubs include Amnesia, Eden and Es Paradis, which holds the well-known Water-Party where the central dance floor fills with water. Ibiza is also home to the ‘West-End’ party district of Sant Antoni, a rite of passage for many partygoers.

Aside from ravers and other tourists you can interact with, Ibiza contains some of the world’s most beautiful scenery and architecture. The cinematography in ‘The Beach’ (Darius Khondji) is a large influence on the games visual design because it depicts the epitome of paradise. Ibiza also offers excellent examples of late Carthaginian-Punic civilization from as far back as the Roman Empire, during which the island became an imperial outpost. For a brief period, the island fell under the ruling of the Byzantine, followed shortly thereafter by the Moors. Under Islamic rule, chapels and large, richly decorated halls were built on different parts of the island to impress visitors.

Notable monuments on the island include “God’s Finger” in Benirrás Bay as well as some of the more traditional Ibicenco cultural sites and “The Egg”, erected in honour of Christopher Columbus. The list goes on – private beaches, night-markets, 5 star hotels and the finest restaurants. And for its panoramic views and natural beauty, world-renown photographers and filmmakers frequently visit Ibiza. The island stretches as far as 40km at its two furthest points making it the perfect size for a grand scale RPG.

MAIN CHARACTER
Silus is a young tourist who has never had to work a hard day in his life. He came into lots of money at a very young age when his parents died on a boat cruise and always dreamed of going on the adventures he read of in the Tin-Tin books his father used to buy him. The only thing he trusts is the camera his mother bought him just before her demise. Silus stopped studying after secondary school and picked up odd jobs here and there. Since then he has travelled the world as a freelance photographer seeking something more to take him away from his mundane life. He has searched the Pyramids of Egypt and scaled the Great Wall of China. Now, on his 26th birthday, he decides to relax on the shores of a small island before searching for his next adventure. . .
‘The Player’ controls Silus, a young tourist, who finds himself drawn into the mysteries of Ibiza. ‘The Player’ is not limited to the confines of one main action, such as shooting or driving, but a plethora of interactions with various objects. This is achieved by giving ‘The Player’ a higher degree of control than is currently being given in current popular game titles. ‘The Player’ is able to interact with everything from vehicles to light switches. Even tasks such as climbing and swimming would be a reality. If the main character converses with other characters, ‘The Player’ is given choices as to how they wish to reply, thus changing the outcome every time.

Several factors come into play when controlling Silus. He can suffer from dehydration & lack of sleep right down to over exertion, intoxication, and not having enough air (whether drowning or being in confined areas). These factors can affect his speed, strength, vision, hearing & most importantly, vitality. Any scars, tearing of clothes or physical changes to Silus’ body and/or clothes will be permanent throughout the game. If Silus dies, the changes revert to the last checkpoint.

GENERAL FEATURES
The very essence of ‘The Tourist‘ is giving ‘The Player’ more control and ultimatums (???solving mysteries, completing puzzles, exploring uncharted territory???). The reward of following your own hunch and finding your next clue is second to none. There are, of course, ways to cheat – but not in the traditional sense. For example, speaking to/knocking out a security guard at night may get you into a previously inaccessible area. Or what about doing a favour for Pedro at his hand-gliding stall near the beach and letting him lend you a hand-glider when you can clearly see you’re low on cash on the interface.

The user interface can be turned on or off in the options menu. It displays Silus’s life meter, a watch (with a compass and calendar) and his money. Any items Silus carries are accessed by pausing. During pause, the camera will align itself in front of Silus and ‘The Player’ can select different areas of the characters body or clothing to show its contents. Choosing the map will pan and re-align the camera to first person view and Silus will unfold the map. If an item is chosen, the camera will zoom to that area of the body and zoom in on the item. It will then show any selections that can be made in reference to the item. A widescreen aspect ratio is used for the entirety of the game.

Just like G.T.A & The Godfather you can travel to further destinations around the island quicker by car but the twist here is that you can’t steal them as easily and you certainly can’t exit a taxi without paying and not expect the driver to chase you and forcibly take the money. Even pickpockets can scrape you of your last bits of change and locals can give you bad directions. There are 2 types of objects you can interact with in ‘The Tourist’ – 1) Fixed objects are permanent fixtures in the world such as light switches, doors, windows, etc. 2) Movable objects are temporary fixtures that can be moved, used and destroyed by ‘The Player’ such as uniforms, photos, furniture, etc.

‘The Tourist’ consists of one island for the entirety of the game with concentrated areas of different interactive elements such as people, objects, stores and terrain. This gives ‘The Player’ time to adapt to everything on the island and master all the character’s abilities. The stories contain various pathways to other stories and the island is full of places of interest to keep ‘The Player’ from feeling isolated. ‘The Player’ is able to save at any time during the game. Any saves made during chapters of a story will load at the beginning of that chapter and any items acquired within that chapter will be non-existent.(???The game will attempt an auto-save at the beginning of each chapter but allow ‘The Player’ to opt out.???) Hours of game play will vary, as there are various stories and puzzles thereafter. Completing all levels and puzzles would take up to 80 hours of game play.

‘The Player’ will move Silus through a world set in real time. Realistic lighting is crucial to keeping the realism of time in par with the games aesthetics. Day & night will bear different conditions for ‘The Player’ and create various obstacles such as loss of visibility at night and difficulty to execute stealth during the day. The weather will vary depending on which story ‘The Player’ is following to keep consistency. Otherwise, the weather will follow a timeline based on seasons and real weather references. A unique aspect of game-play is how ‘The Player’, as Silus, experiences resistance from strong winds & wading through water, for example. ‘The Tourist’ will begin at the start of summer so ‘The Player’ learns to deal with some of the characters flaws (dehydration and over-exertion) early in the game.

‘The Tourist’ is set in Ibiza and will be inhabited by Spanish speaking locals and other tourists of various nationalities. Most characters will speak varying levels of English but all locals will mostly speak in Spanish. Silus will carry an English-Spanish dictionary in his inventory that ‘The Player’ will have access to from the start of the game. Finding a word, spoken by a native, within a conversation and highlighting it with the cursor unlocks it from the subtitles. Once a word has been unlocked, it is translated on the screen among the unknown words.

MUSIC
An orchestral musical score will enhance game play and give the game sophistication. The subtle changes and various styles of genre, accessible by an orchestra will enhance cut-scenes and draw attention to in-game moments for ‘The Player’. Ubisoft’s ‘XIII’ used interesting variations of genre including classical jazz, funk and experimental percussion. The music gave the story a constant progression with fast paced, clashing music in intense scenes and soft string sections fading in and out at moments of stealth. ‘The Tourist’ will use more modern styles such as House, Rap, R&B and older styles of Funk, Soul and Rock & Roll. House will play a major role, as it is the most popular form of music in Ibiza.

ENEMIES & FRIENDS
Due to multiple story lines in the game, enemies and friends will vary. However, all the main characters that exist on the island are permanent fixtures and therefore will always be accessible regardless of the story being played. Alycia, a waitress at the Casino, plays Silus’s love interest. The Casino boss is played by Eduardo ‘Chins’ Morales; the most powerful man on the island. The Eivissa Mob also plays an integral part of the islands story. Other notable characters include the police chief, a professional cat burglar and the clerks of all the frequently visited shops, hotels and stalls on the island.

STORY
Interaction with these characters opens pathways to different stories. All main characters have a set path for the entirety of the game depending on how events unfold. The game opens with Silus landing on the island. Credits roll as the cut-scene plays out. A montage shows Silus at different locations taking pictures with his camera. The scene finishes with Silus waking up in his hotel room suggesting, ‘I better go and pick up my fim’. ‘The Player’ takes full control from this point and is able to travel anywhere on the island. However, by following Silus’s suggestion ‘The Player’ will open the first story line. All story lines consist of chapters. Within those chapters, ‘The Player’ is confined to the tasks and locations containing the clues, which open up the next chapter. In between chapters, it is always possible to roam freely around the island and pursue links to open or continue other stories or chapters.

ENGINE
‘The Tourist’ will use the ‘Electron’ engine. The engine’s Faction system is used for determining objects interactions with each other in terms of friendly, neutral and hostile reactions. The Journal system can keep track of where ‘The Player’ is in each chapter that the player has started, and has a way of describing the current step of each plot to ‘The Player’. The Creature format can move around non-player characters (NPCs) in the game and let them interact with other objects such as doors, placeable objects, items, encounters, triggers or other NPCs. The Conversation format allows a players and one or more NPCs to speak to each other, along with the conditions that govern which lines are said and which are not, which are available to say and which are not, and the actions that accompany each line as it is said. This will allow unlocked words to be translated and shown in subtitles (see bottom of page 3).

The Store format will let ‘The Player’ exchange items & money and can assist ‘The Player’ to make purchases and get photos developed for Silus. The Item format can place items in an area or store and allow them to be carried by Silus. The sound format will let a source of sounds play in a certain area. They may be positional, playing from a specific location, or they may be area-wide, sounding the same regardless of where in the area the listener is. This format will synchronize the right music with specific areas of the island or chapter.

REFERENCES
Internet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_Engine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_Engine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibiza
http://www.bioware.com

Software:
XIII – Ubisoft (Gamecube)
G.T.A: San Andreas – Rockstar (PS2)
The Godfather – EA (Wii)

Films:
The Beach – 20th Century Fox (2000)

This game contains partial nudity, offensive language and mature themes. It will be marketed to mature young adults.

What do I, the player, see and do while I am playing the game?
*Free-roaming exploration of the island’s beautiful landscapes. Over 70 side-mysteries to discover & piece together.
*Find suspicious characters and look for ‘photo opportunities’ to use your shots as a bribery tool. Sell the photo’s you’ve taken around the island to get more money.
*Race against the clock to clear your name from suspicion. Find the men who framed you and uncover the island’s biggest conspiracy.
*Choose to face your enemies in physical confrontations or hide in the path of stealth and use your cunning instincts to bring them to justice.
*Set traps for the men following you or make friends with the locals and convince them to protect you.
*Gather evidence with your camera and lead the authorities to major arrests or work with a journalist to expose major events.
*Find the infamous Blackwood treasure maps the locals are raving about and hunt for the missing ‘Chest of Wonders’.

How do I interact with the game world?
*Control your character from a 3rd person perspective
*Quick-switch into first person mode to use Silus’s camera
*Experience cinematic style camera angles during intense puzzle sequences and cut-scenes.
*Stop and talk to locals.
*Buy items and film for you camera from stores & stalls.
*Check into Hotels or hire out boat homes across the island.

My perspective in the game
Outdoors: A 3rd person perspective is used for exploring the island by foot
Indoors: Set, cinematic style, angles are used inside stores and places of interest. (Close ups occur when approaching key characters to help with seamless transition into cut-scenes)
Vehicles: A 1st person or 3rd person perspective is able to be used while steering.

The set angles will be carefully chosen to intensify the games suspenseful tone.

What I will actually be spending my time doing.
*Following leads and instructions from key characters.
*Tailing suspicious locals.
*Taking photo’s to sell for currency or progress in missions.
*Developing photos
*Speaking to NPC’s to discover new information. (directions, answers to riddles, item locations)
*Accessing private areas.
*Fighting
*Using Bribery
*Driving/Being driven
*Being a tourist (Taking day trips to go scuba diving, para-sailing, sightseeing, etc. Shopping for fashion. Exploring the island at your own pace.)
*Exploring rural territory for treasure
*Solving mysteries
*Completing puzzles/riddles
*Pursuing/Confronting enemies
*Set-up traps/sabotage enemies operations
*Going on dates
*Creating a social network for protection/assistance
*Investigating key locations and gathering evidence
*Co-op Mode Player1: Photographer / Player 2: Journalist – Find scoops to fund your stay and keep your job with the local paper. Expose Ibiza’s underworld figures.

The Tourist

Thursday, May 31, 2012

GDD (Foreword)

GDD (Draft)

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

What is The Tourist?