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Alien civilisation
Author
In the context of games, what sort of "tools" visual, text, dialogue, animation, prescripted battle scenes, new words (to be used VERY INFREQUENTLY), GAMEPLAY do we have that can be used to portray alien cultures well.
How can we pace this introduction, and interaction with these alien cultures so that they learn & and come to understand these people and their values ? Without being made to feel that they are a trekkie, being forced to learn an alien language to play a game. (This P***** off reviewers, and many gamers).
Like real science-fiction novels(not science-adventure). Do we want them to communicate aurally ? Or not?
Lots of options here: I think the most used (overused?) is to rely on visual differences in physiology and setting to convey "alienness." Next to that comes manner of speech ("Understand this, do you?") Then comes story to explain the scripted changes. Most games don''t seem to get out of this territory...
The next tool might be AI behavior and abilities, i.e., what the alien does in the game world. This is tricky to show since almost every game is solely about combat or puzzle solving (story or no story). But take a page from the old Ultimas: Show aliens doing things that are part of everyday life: Ex., floaters who puff up and mill about while waiting for the next wind... acid spitters using their ability to break into a dwelling, etc.
One way to translate this into gameplay would be to ask the player to understand how the alien world works. This would have to be equal to combat or puzzle solving to have any traction. Ex: What you carry in inventory means something, what you say, and who you say it to, all has an effect. You might even vary the effects of player choices by culture. Ex.: Stealing on one world isn''t a crime, you can take whatever you want; on another, it merits the death sentence.
Want to get really nuts? Make the game __about__ alien-ness. Play an alien contact specialist that has to use different gameplay options to communicate with a culture. Like the old game "Captain Blood" you might use a symbol library to communicate. Your symbol for trade might be their symbol for reproduction.
Now, if you truly want to be weird (and probably turn off traditional gamers used to fantasy RPGs), I propose this!
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Just waiting for the mothership...
The next tool might be AI behavior and abilities, i.e., what the alien does in the game world. This is tricky to show since almost every game is solely about combat or puzzle solving (story or no story). But take a page from the old Ultimas: Show aliens doing things that are part of everyday life: Ex., floaters who puff up and mill about while waiting for the next wind... acid spitters using their ability to break into a dwelling, etc.
One way to translate this into gameplay would be to ask the player to understand how the alien world works. This would have to be equal to combat or puzzle solving to have any traction. Ex: What you carry in inventory means something, what you say, and who you say it to, all has an effect. You might even vary the effects of player choices by culture. Ex.: Stealing on one world isn''t a crime, you can take whatever you want; on another, it merits the death sentence.
Want to get really nuts? Make the game __about__ alien-ness. Play an alien contact specialist that has to use different gameplay options to communicate with a culture. Like the old game "Captain Blood" you might use a symbol library to communicate. Your symbol for trade might be their symbol for reproduction.
Now, if you truly want to be weird (and probably turn off traditional gamers used to fantasy RPGs), I propose this!
--------------------
Just waiting for the mothership...
Author
On the subject of monsters / aliens.
I have to say that since getting my hands on the Ultima Underworld games, I have been relatively unhappy with other fantasy based games. Because UU had a huge society with different camps of species that were relatively peaceful and had history (you could talk to them). It wasn''t about Goblin Genocide.
Whereas other games just have nicely rendered cannon fodder. In a game with semi-intelligent fungi I would much rather try and communicate with a fungi, than fight it.
(How about Fungi spaceships ?)
I have to say that since getting my hands on the Ultima Underworld games, I have been relatively unhappy with other fantasy based games. Because UU had a huge society with different camps of species that were relatively peaceful and had history (you could talk to them). It wasn''t about Goblin Genocide.
Whereas other games just have nicely rendered cannon fodder. In a game with semi-intelligent fungi I would much rather try and communicate with a fungi, than fight it.
(How about Fungi spaceships ?)
Ketchaval : you would love Albion, from BlueByte. There is among others, a race with fungi buildings, and an oligarchic system where the most useful people get resurrected during the birth of a new child ... 
The problem with doing anything relating to aliens is that we always base them on things that live on Earth. This is something we can''t escape from because Earth based organisms are our only reference points. Surely an alien civilization, evolving totally seperate from our own, would have properties that no one could even begin to imagine. I''m sure they''d think the same about us.
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official Necromancer of GameDev forums Game Writing section
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official Necromancer of GameDev forums Game Writing section
I think the above post was correct. The key to making a convincing alien race is to distance them totally from human values and conceptions. I don't mean merely make them view immoral acts as moral, and vice versa, but rather a total shift in the concept of ethical behaviour, totally foreign to our own.
The basic concept has to be rooted in biology. Humanity, and all life on earth is rooted in a carbon-based struggle for genetic superioity, rooted in the ability to reproduce. So, all acts that we see as immoral or moral are based generally based around not harming another's right to survive. Animals tend to follow the same code, though with more expceptions. This is a blatent oversimplication of Dawkinsian altrusim theory, but it illustrates the point.
The skill for the writer is to envision some theoretical basis for a race that doesn't rely on reproduction as the basis for their life. For example, to silicate-based life forms, the idea of "reproduction" as we know it would be absurd, as they would replicate in a crystalline fashion over an immensely long period of time. The 'entity', as it were, would have no concept of 'self' and so any contact with humans would be a terrible trauma - if it notcied the humans at all.
So, the trick is to think at 90 degrees to what you know. Go down to the local library and check out some books on probable bases for life. Then extrapolate from that what a culture that evolved from that basis would be like.
I think a terribly interesting example of this is the fact that 'cells', capable of replication and coodination can be formed from coherent clouds of ions surrounding a polarized core. If kept at high temperatures, they can sustain themselves indefinitely, once charged by an electric pulse. Check the BBC news or NewScientist archives for the story, but it would provide an interesting and challenging project for your race....and you wouldn't have to use names like T'Katc'Ll at all...
Cheers,
Operator
[edited by - Operator on November 27, 2003 1:57:59 AM]
The basic concept has to be rooted in biology. Humanity, and all life on earth is rooted in a carbon-based struggle for genetic superioity, rooted in the ability to reproduce. So, all acts that we see as immoral or moral are based generally based around not harming another's right to survive. Animals tend to follow the same code, though with more expceptions. This is a blatent oversimplication of Dawkinsian altrusim theory, but it illustrates the point.
The skill for the writer is to envision some theoretical basis for a race that doesn't rely on reproduction as the basis for their life. For example, to silicate-based life forms, the idea of "reproduction" as we know it would be absurd, as they would replicate in a crystalline fashion over an immensely long period of time. The 'entity', as it were, would have no concept of 'self' and so any contact with humans would be a terrible trauma - if it notcied the humans at all.
So, the trick is to think at 90 degrees to what you know. Go down to the local library and check out some books on probable bases for life. Then extrapolate from that what a culture that evolved from that basis would be like.
I think a terribly interesting example of this is the fact that 'cells', capable of replication and coodination can be formed from coherent clouds of ions surrounding a polarized core. If kept at high temperatures, they can sustain themselves indefinitely, once charged by an electric pulse. Check the BBC news or NewScientist archives for the story, but it would provide an interesting and challenging project for your race....and you wouldn't have to use names like T'Katc'Ll at all...
Cheers,
Operator
[edited by - Operator on November 27, 2003 1:57:59 AM]
While I agree entirely with Operator, there is one thing that he hasn''t mentioned. Thinking in a way totally foriegn to us is nearly impossible. I cannot think of a movie or game or anything else where the basis for an alien civilization looks or has qualities that can be found on earthly examples. Are there any tripedal organisms on Earth? Does that mean a creature based on series of three''s (three ears, three eyes, three arms/legs, etc.) may not exist on another planet. Yet every alien I see has an even numer of legs and other objects. No matter how hard we try, I think that the human race will always have an inability to imagine away from our own experiences. Feel free to disagree with me, however, as this is but a thought and opinion and not a proven fact.
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official Necromancer of GameDev forums Game Writing section
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official Necromancer of GameDev forums Game Writing section
In an RPG, you could make an understanding of a culture into a character skill. Language, dress, customs and such could all be learned using standard levelling algorithms, and the game''s progression and development could be rooted in exploration and interaction. Like an Escape Velocity game where you have to learn how to communicate with Voinians to help negotiate treaties.
This doesn''t do a thing for portrayal. I think that a game with absolutely alien cultures would bite. Without common ground or some sort of similarity, communication would be nearly impossible, and you''d find yourself in an irrevocably mind-boggling situation.
Not that I''d encourage anyone to subject themselves to Stephen King, but "From a Buick 8" addresses this very issue. A strange series of events leads to a portal opening into a different world, and anything from that world can''t exist in this one, and vice versa. Creatures, technology, etc. come through the portal and disintegrate in our air or poison whatever terrestrial thing is unfortunate enough to touch it. It''s not a great book, and the ending is less than satisfying, but it''s not too long and it speaks to this discussion very well.
For my part, I''d be all about Star Wars-style aliens. Some of them can''t speak human languages owing to physiological differences, but most breathe oxygen, enjoy liquor, and can use logic. Physics is consistent, and a general idea of morality persists such that a good guy will be recognized as good wherever he goes.
This doesn''t do a thing for portrayal. I think that a game with absolutely alien cultures would bite. Without common ground or some sort of similarity, communication would be nearly impossible, and you''d find yourself in an irrevocably mind-boggling situation.
Not that I''d encourage anyone to subject themselves to Stephen King, but "From a Buick 8" addresses this very issue. A strange series of events leads to a portal opening into a different world, and anything from that world can''t exist in this one, and vice versa. Creatures, technology, etc. come through the portal and disintegrate in our air or poison whatever terrestrial thing is unfortunate enough to touch it. It''s not a great book, and the ending is less than satisfying, but it''s not too long and it speaks to this discussion very well.
For my part, I''d be all about Star Wars-style aliens. Some of them can''t speak human languages owing to physiological differences, but most breathe oxygen, enjoy liquor, and can use logic. Physics is consistent, and a general idea of morality persists such that a good guy will be recognized as good wherever he goes.
There simple bilogical reason that all species on earth are similar and thats because of evolution. In the early days there was a great deal more diversity between species but over time those that couldn''t prosper died out thus streamlining the creatures.
But as far as aliens go you can''t have something competely alien and still have the audiance identify with it. Its the similarites in ideas and motivations that allow people to identify with aliens. Its not just the philohspies its also the biology. People would have a hard time beliving and identifying with a situation where the player encounter an alien spacecraft by built by a race of intellegent gold fish.
Can you even realisticly describe what that ship would look like or how it would work?
Ultimitly aliens need to be an extansion of ourselves and built off of established cultures and species here on earth. Otherwise the player will never except them.
"For my part, I''d be all about Star Wars-style aliens. Some of them can''t speak human languages owing to physiological differences, but most breathe oxygen, enjoy liquor, and can use logic. Physics is consistent, and a general idea of morality persists such that a good guy will be recognized as good wherever he goes."
If you think about it thats to be excepted if you have a federation or collective of alien species it natural that cultural blending will occur and eventually there would some kind univerally recognized philiosphy and morality that would adopted by the people in the collective.
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Writer, Programer, Cook, I''m a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project
Chaos Factor Design Document
But as far as aliens go you can''t have something competely alien and still have the audiance identify with it. Its the similarites in ideas and motivations that allow people to identify with aliens. Its not just the philohspies its also the biology. People would have a hard time beliving and identifying with a situation where the player encounter an alien spacecraft by built by a race of intellegent gold fish.
Can you even realisticly describe what that ship would look like or how it would work?
Ultimitly aliens need to be an extansion of ourselves and built off of established cultures and species here on earth. Otherwise the player will never except them.
"For my part, I''d be all about Star Wars-style aliens. Some of them can''t speak human languages owing to physiological differences, but most breathe oxygen, enjoy liquor, and can use logic. Physics is consistent, and a general idea of morality persists such that a good guy will be recognized as good wherever he goes."
If you think about it thats to be excepted if you have a federation or collective of alien species it natural that cultural blending will occur and eventually there would some kind univerally recognized philiosphy and morality that would adopted by the people in the collective.
-----------------------------------------------------
Writer, Programer, Cook, I''m a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project
Chaos Factor Design Document
I understand that in order to make aliens believable and allow the player to feel empathy for them is to make them similar to us, but... In a real world sense, what is the chance that on a planet which is perhaps light years from ours, with different gravity, atmosphere, etc., life would evolve to be nearly like it is here. The same with culture, look how different two seperated cultures are. Many cultures have developed many different systems of religion (the funny thing is, they are all right! ), many different languages, and many different systems of morals. However, we eventually will find similarities. For example, the need to communicate with others, the need to search for a deeper meaning, etc. These, however, are all among other humans. Would a totally different species have the same morals, etc. that we do? This is a question which, I believe, will elude us until we actually meet aliens, which seems years away.
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official Necromancer of GameDev forums Game Writing section
), many different languages, and many different systems of morals. However, we eventually will find similarities. For example, the need to communicate with others, the need to search for a deeper meaning, etc. These, however, are all among other humans. Would a totally different species have the same morals, etc. that we do? This is a question which, I believe, will elude us until we actually meet aliens, which seems years away. ____________________________________________________________
official Necromancer of GameDev forums Game Writing section
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