Mama Robotnik
Member
I've found something very interesting on the website of Tony C. Giovanni - one of the Level Designers for Retro Studios during production of the Metroid Prime games.
http://sites.google.com/site/tonygiov/Metroid1_5_random_musings.doc?attredirects=0
Its a proposal document for "Metroid 1.5" (working title) a rejected Metroid game set to take place between Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. It seems Tony was tasked to write it up following some internal meetings at Retro, and is nearly 7000 words long. Its fascinating!
Note that the document elaborates on a series of multiplayer modes (some of which sound incredibly silly) as well as a single-player campaign.
The idea of a taunting, malicious AI sounds very reminiscent of SHODAN and GlaDOS (note that this proposal does far preceed Portal).
It seems they were going to take a very different route to the usual nerfing that Samus gets hit with.
It seems to be very much expanding on the mechanics of Prime.
They certainly had a very specific idea of the gameworld. The objectives listed near each environment certainly echo Fusion and Corruption
This concept for the games primary antagonist is really intriguing! It would certainly have given the villain an persistent, overlording presence throughout the game. The split personalities and the deranged nature of them could have made the game very creepy indeed.
It looks like some of these concepts were used to influence the design of future enemies.
Sounds like fun, though more event-based than exploration.
That's quite a distinct twist and a different take on the Dark Samus theme.
Continued in second post
http://sites.google.com/site/tonygiov/Metroid1_5_random_musings.doc?attredirects=0
Its a proposal document for "Metroid 1.5" (working title) a rejected Metroid game set to take place between Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. It seems Tony was tasked to write it up following some internal meetings at Retro, and is nearly 7000 words long. Its fascinating!
Note that the document elaborates on a series of multiplayer modes (some of which sound incredibly silly) as well as a single-player campaign.
The idea of a taunting, malicious AI sounds very reminiscent of SHODAN and GlaDOS (note that this proposal does far preceed Portal).
It seems they were going to take a very different route to the usual nerfing that Samus gets hit with.
It seems to be very much expanding on the mechanics of Prime.
They certainly had a very specific idea of the gameworld. The objectives listed near each environment certainly echo Fusion and Corruption
Mad AI, the central computer of the ship has gone crazy, it sees inviting Samus onto the ship as a game for its amusement. Will taunt and try to trip Samus up at every move. The Mad AI has for distinct personalities The Child, The Killer, the Martyr, and the Fool each one is deadly and utilizes different tactics and techniques.
AI Construct Personality Document
The intent of this document is to illustrate the four distinct personalities of the AI construct and how it will affect game play. Personality types, and their unique traits will break down the list. In addition, the AI personality type The Fool has been replaced with The Mother due to the fact that The Child and The Fool were too similar. The AI and its four personalities would appear at certain intervals of the game in a form of a hologram that although appears to have depth from a forward view, but is actually paper thin, imagine a Sprite that is always facing you, but occasionally, you catch a glimpse of its side, and youll get the idea. Although the AI is Alien, it appears in human form and speaks using English in order for Samus to understand it.
The Killer:
Combat heavy game play style, larger number of enemy spawns than usual, less drops for killed creatures. Security systems (turrets, for example) would be more deadly than normal. The more players involved in the game, they heavier the amount of enemies
Atmosphere of the environment when The Killer AI is in control would consist of strobing lights, red lights, and lots of fog. Camera function would distort at times or fish eye, causing the player to become disoriented, similar to Silent Hill and Eternal Darkness. In addition, there would be darkened areas of the ship that would play into the fear factor of the player, and force them to use their visor mode.
The Killer would taunt the player with a voice similar in tone and inflection to Hannibal The Cannibal Lecter, and Alex from A Clockwork Orange.
For all intensive purposes, The Killer is much more combat oriented than the 3 other personality types. The feeling the player should get from The Killer is that they are being stalked like prey. It has a serial killer mentality and will stop at nothing to end its victims life.
The Child:
Puzzle heavy game play style, more emphasis on puzzle solving and scanning, and less combat. Since The Child is Playing, it will occasionally react by reactivating security systems, re-locking doors, and trapping the player where necessary, all in the name of (deadly) fun. Possible Simon Says like sequences, for example.
Atmosphere of the environment when The Child AI Construct is in control would consist of softer and warmer light values. (Similar to night-lights?) Not too many shadowed places due to the fact that children for the most part, are scared of the dark. Another way we could describe the lighting, would be carnival like, sort of a Dark Disneyland.
The Child would communicate with the player in a childs voice as well as communicate in rhymes and songs. The voice of this AI construct would be similar in tone and inflection to Damien from the Omen, and the kid from that movie, the 6th sense. Interestingly enough, The Child becomes scared when the player enters a dark room or area heavily cast in shadow.
The Child AI construct is the exact opposite of the The Killer. Its focus is puzzle based and relies less on using physical enemies to stop the player. At times, perhaps The Child AI construct could be used as a hint system to guide the player when they become lost. Although the The Child AI construct thinks its playing and having fun, its puzzles and games are still deadly. Imagine a crazed child swinging around an Axe, its having fun, but doesnt realize he/she could really hurt someone.
The Mother:
The Mother is the core as well as the helper AI. Out of all four personality types, this one is the most friendly of the bunch. The Mother AI could be used as a crucial Plot device which gives Samus and other bounty Hunters technological upgrades when completing a puzzle. Game play wise, The Mother is a helper, while the action going on around the players is a combination of The Child and The Killer, 50% combat, and 50% puzzle.
Atmosphere of the environment when The Mother AI Construct is in control is womb-like, orange and yellow lights fill the area and a heartbeat can be heard in the background.
The Mother Knows something is wrong with either her or the ships computer, (it has become detached from it self) but feels overwhelmed and helpless. When the Bounty Hunters arrive, she senses that they could possibly right the situation.
The Mother construct would communicate with the players in a soothing voice, ala SAL (2010) and EVE (Command and Conquer)
The Mother AI, is used as the core and helper though out the game. It can be used for item acquisition, technological advancement, relay back story and offer clues and hints, almost like a redundant hint system but with personality. Another interesting factor regarding The Mother it will always pick a favored bounty hunter, much like a favored son or daughter. This could be randomized, so every time the game is started from the beginning, it chooses a bounty hunter at random.
The Martyr:
The Martyr is one of the boss battles in the game, and perhaps is the most deadly of all of the AI constructs due to the fact that The Martyr has the burden of successfully completing its mission. (The mission could be ramming into a planet, if it was the brains for a gigantic spaceship, or self destructing if it were the main operations for the base, for example) Fighting this boss could go a few different ways. Destroy the main reactor/CPU? Shut down the system based on teamwork along the lines of mission impossible? Perhaps the AI manifests itself in physical form. There are a lot of options we can explore.
Atmosphere of the environment when The Martyr AI construct is in control would be one of decay and ruin. Sparks are flying off machines, tons of smoke, auxiliary lights being only light source, machines failing left and right, camera shakes and toppling geometry are the norm.
The Martyr has a personality that is a cross between the MCP from Tron, Shodan from System Shock 1 and 2, and Col. Kurtz from Apocalypse Now. It fully believes in its mission and will stop at nothing to complete it. It also is righteous in its beliefs and has a tendency to scream at the top of its lungs, spewing out all sorts of nonsensical diatribes and riddles.
The Martyr is the Head Honcho of the AI construct; this is what the AI eventually will eventually turn into, as opposed to its other forms. The Martyr also has master control over every aspect of the ship, its security system, and can use anything at its disposal to try and stop the player.
Concept drawings
One of the ideas we had was to just render the face instead of the entire body. Clockwise from left: The Child, The Martyr, The Killer, and The Mother.
Again, The Child with a heavy Anime Influence.
More concepts of The Killer and The Child
This concept for the games primary antagonist is really intriguing! It would certainly have given the villain an persistent, overlording presence throughout the game. The split personalities and the deranged nature of them could have made the game very creepy indeed.
New Enemy Types:
Several new Enemy types have be created in order to facilitate the idea of the genetic experiments the alien race are conducting:
Humetroid: Standing roughly 6 feet tall the Humetroid is a half metroid / half human entity that excels in stealth, sabotage, scouting, and long distance kills. It has a detachable metroid in its chest that can be dispersed in order to attack enemies from a distance and scout an area. Once the metroid is released, the Humetroid body cloaks and the player will have control of the metroid. Because of they symbiotic nature between the Metroid and the Humetroid body, if one is killed, the other will perish.
Because of its ability to absorb energy from other players and creatures, the Humetroid can also temporally gain an opponents ability
A Humetroid
Thrash-hunters: Standing 8 and 1/2 feet tall, this Alien is a mixture between a Space Pirate and another unknown Alien species. It uses no mechanical weapons but does use its sharp saber-like claws to rip though opponents with ease. It can walk along walls, crawl across ceilings and has a chameleon like ability to change its exoskeleton color and pattern to match up to its surrounding environment. It is ruthless and cunning, much like Gigers Alien; it lives to kill, and kills to live.
In addition to its saber-like claws the Thrash-hunter also has the ability to self-destruct when low on heath and when in clear and visible danger. The blast radius would kill anything within a 20-foot radius.
A Thrash-hunter
Shock beast: Standing 10 feet tall, the shock beast is another Space Pirate / Alien Hybrid. It is similar to storm troopers in respect to its loyalty and stupidity. It is the standard shock trooper of the Alien fleet and carriers a high-powered pulse rifle and frag-grenades. In addition to mechanical weapons, it can also self-destruct when in danger or low on health. Again, the blast radius would kill anything within a 20-foot radius.
Due to a genetic flaw, the heart and lungs (on its backside) of the shock beast are exposed, making it an easy kill. Since the ships AI has noticed the design flaw, later versions have an armored carapace that must be destroyed in order to hit the vital areas, much like the Baby Sheegoth.
A Shock beast
It looks like some of these concepts were used to influence the design of future enemies.
Sounds like fun, though more event-based than exploration.
That's quite a distinct twist and a different take on the Dark Samus theme.
Continued in second post
