Idea Info Name: 7th Stronghold Index: Primary Category: RPG Submitted: 1/13/2003 8:45:22 PM Written By: Leviathan Game Architecture and Design: A New Edition Book Highly Recommended !

7th Stronghold

7th Stronghold is based around a realm where powerful evil lords who rule humanity without mercy have usurped all of the continents of a fantasy world. Many of the game concepts are truly unique and I shall explain these concepts, game details, and capabilities in the following chapters.

Concepts
Heroes are thrust in to a world of overwhelming evil and grim hopelessness so as to create the effect of a bleak desolate existence. Evil lurks around every corner, citizens are skeptical, untrusting, starved, worked to death, and hateful, and real heroes are dismissed as fakes. The goal is to earn the trust of the people, create hope, and to dismiss the plagues of the evil empires before them.

An evil emperor rules over one of seven different regions so as to create a unique environment for each chapter of this unfolding story as well as to add diversity to whatever type of skills the heroes and the foes will use. (For example: In an arctic region it may be useless to use weapons and magic of cold on monsters that thrive in the cold.) The emperors have alignments as stagnant and malignant as the regions that they live in. Each of these evil characters has a unique AI. They will not physically pursue heroes, but as the heroes progress and bring hope, so will the emperors try to have the heroes captured, discredited, and even assassinated.

The game will be based upon a moral system. As a hero completes quests, accomplishes tasks, and vanquishes evil not only will a player gain experience and riches, he will also raise moral. As he gains moral he will bring hope to people, receive trust, and become involved in relationships with many NPCs. Should a hero choose a path of evil, he will lose Moral points and gain Immoral points. By becoming Immoral, he will begin relationships with monsters and other evil entities and may even serve one of the seven evils himself as a mercenary or an assassin.

Perhaps the greatest element of this game is the heroes. Heroes come on trading cards. Several hero cards will ship with the store bought game, but other heroes and rare heroes will have to be purchased separately. New heroes will be released regularly. The intention here is not to generate profit, but to create an expandable universe that isn't too bogged down with players who are all of the same class. The cards themselves will have serial number identifiers that will unlock the purchased hero in the game. Heroes can also be traded with friends and the cards will contain instructions for special dueling modes as well.

Details
As described above, the seven villains inhabit seven lands. The lands range from barren to beautiful, but nonetheless deadly. I shall describe these lands in little detail:

Plain lands: These lands are the most commonly inhabited by humans; the plain lands were once serene and beautiful grasslands. With the coming of the Lord of Greed, the once pristine plains have become rocky, barren wastelands and deadly swamps.

Jungles: The jungles are home to the wild and beautiful elves. The lush and exotic forest was once a grove of nature's most sacred creatures, but the elves opened their ears to the lies of the Grand Deceiver. Now the jungle is a cold dark sanction for creatures of prey.

Desert lands: The rugged desert lands settle around an ancient volcanic mountain range and is the most culturally diverse. This region was the last Holy land as the world was overcome by darkness. The Emperor of Hatred sought to destroy religion so that he could create his own. He succeeded.

Underdark: The world of Underdark is the home of the dwarves. A bustling underground labyrinth city of dwarven mastery and the most stunning artifacts one could imagine. The pride of the dwarves was their undoing whilst the Lady of Death took advantage of these stout brave warriors. The city and its surroundings are now crumbling remains of a great empire.

Arctic: The silent and crystalline homelands of the arctic are home to the world’s fiercest and hardiest warriors. A land of rich and hardy culture, tall tales, and bitter ale. The arctic lands have become twice as deadly with the arrival of the Prince of Sorrow who seeks to exhibit his horrible artwork to any who should stop for a visit.

Deep Sea: In the deepest depth of the vibrant oceans thrive the seductive but innocent merfolk. When the Queen of Seduction learned of such people, she sought to use such beauty to empower herself.

Heaven: Could it be? Heaven itself over run? Yes, the Lord of Power has done it. But how.... When Gods have no followers then Gods have no power. Now it is up to the hero. Has he restored enough hope to the people? Can he over come the last evil?

Heroes are divided into several simple categories: Fighters, Mages, Clerics, and Rogues. The hero trading card will indicate what types of weapons and armors he is best suited for. (Example: A Ninja is a Rogue Class that is proficient with the katana, kotetsu, wakasashi, and throwing stars. He can however use other rogue weapons with less proficiency. He could not use fighter class weapons such as broadsword.)

For Mage and Cleric classes you can expect similar proficiency styles where as a mage may be specifically suited to use spells that deal damage, but his ability to cast defensive spells accordingly may be severely limited.

Capabilities
The capabilities and game play of 7th Stronghold make this RPG superior to any other of its class. As heroes gain levels, new skills, magics, and weapons will become available for their use. Special quests, class based quests, and options for expanding keep the game feeling new. Using an advanced 'Moral' based system will create different type of reactions and encounters from other heroes, NPCs, and Villains.

7th Stronghold is designed with multiplayer functionality in mind. It would be hazardous to your health to go adventuring without at least a few NPCs, however 7th Stronghold is designed to handle as many as 24 client side players. Only six players may be on a team together, thus creating a competitive edge over other RPGs where team players must rely on each other’s strengths to overcome their own weaknesses.

Three different camera modes ranging from zoom cams, to chase cams, to automatic scroll cams make the action feel as if you are the leading actor in a movie. (Example: Imagine you just found a powerful sword. As you walk forward to remove the sword from the stone the camera is ever so slowly zooming in on your back. The camera rolls from behind you to a side scroll of your upper body as you triumphantly pull the blade free of the boulder and proudly hold it high in the air.)

Many people have asked what kind of control interface will be included with 7th Stronghold. Voice chat and voice command are both protocols on the agenda but the implementation may not be completed on time. The actual game interface is simple and appealing with customizable hotkeys and menus. Players may opt to use static menus or popup menus.

The release date for 7th Stronghold is not even being considered at until we have implemented all of the major functionality.  Please check back here for updates.

Thank you,
Leviathan