Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Regarding sequel, and other stuff

Hello readers! I thought I'd make a post for an open discussion regarding some things.

I've been trying to make another screenshot creepypasta, however it's not "flowing" very well. I wanted to do something else for more practice in the screenshot story style, but I'm not sure where to go with it.

http://z3.invisionfree.com/bogleech/index.php?showtopic=2516&st=0

Now, about NES Godzilla Creepypasta 2-

I have been considering it even while I was making the first one. Being positive, I think at least one more good story could be gotten from the material. It seems like even when I'm trying to come up with ideas for other things, my mind always wanders back to stuff I could do for this sequel.

It's not a sure thing though.

Since completing this story I've realized that my writing leaves a lot to be desired. I've always been more of an artist than a writer, and that is apparent in the story, sometimes to embarrassing extent.

If I were to make a sequel I would want it to be better than the original, otherwise it would be unnecessary. And I'm not sure I could write a better story.

The other thing is that making a screenshot story of this scale takes a huge amount of time and effort. I had to work on NGC in my free time without any assistance, and it took the majority of a year to create.

That being said, here are the ideas I had posted regarding a possible sequel. This is the list where the TvTropes mention of Rodan and the Seven Sins demons came from. Possible spoilers, if you're wary of that.
Possible title: Godzilla:Replay

A new guy (Carl) does indeed buy the game.

Unlike the 1st story, where the story all happened in one night and it's all in past tense, the 2nd story will have the new narrator play a world a day(Or one per week) and make a summary at the end of each one. He's not sure what will happen next.

The story focuses on Carl playing the same cartridge, except now the game has entirely reinvented itself from the start. It doesn't progress through the same "worlds" that Zach went through. I will attempt to add more new gameplay elements, and try for a less predictable flow of events.

There will be more of an emphasis on exploring what's in the game, seeing what it's capable of, testing it's limits, and hopefully figuring out WHY the game is the way it is. For example, early on Carl discovers that the game will only go into it's supernatural weirdness if only one person is watching the screen as it happens.

I'm considering having each world with a specific objective that has to be completed at the end to progress(Create Godzilla, Rescue Rodan), etc.

As for new monsters, game play stuff, etc:

First world is like an introductory world. Carl starts out with one monster - Godzillasaurus. Bosses consist of the Yog Trio, and the last boss of World 1 is a large ceratopsian dinosaur that is fought on "Lagos Island", just before the bomb hits. When the bomb hits, Godzillasaurus is transformed into Godzilla.

New bosses most likely to show up are:
Ganimes and Kameobas (completing Yog Trio) Mechagodzilla 90's, King Kong, Sanda/Gaira (Tag Team Fight) Kamacuras.

Instead of replacement monsters, a team of demons based off the Seven Sins

Rodan as a new playable character, revealed early on in the game. Plays the role of "flying monster" that Mothra did, only a bit better at combat.

New demonic villain:

Not a revived Red, not named after a color. Different kind of personality and tactics.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/9813/newvillain013.jpg




Quiz time! Some questions for the audience.

1. Would you want to see Godzilla:Replay?

2. What were your favorite parts of NES Godzilla Creepypasta?

3. What elements of the story worked best, and you would want to see more of in the sequel?

4. Conversely, which elements of the story didn't work, and you would want to see absent/less of/done differently in the sequel?

5. Do you have any other particular ideas regarding a sequel?

6. In the event that a sequel is started, would you be willing to offer assistance?

And I think that wraps it up. If you want to discuss things further without the awkward blog.com commenting system, I'm always hanging around on the Bogleech forums: http://z3.invisionfree.com/bogleech/index.php?act=idx

10 comments:

  1. I think what would be a great idea if you got help making your own NES-based game, including your own made sprites and whatnot, that way you can let the player be immersed into the storyline instead of watching from the sidelines.

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  2. I would love for you to eventually have people make rom hacks or games like this.
    People who thought the BEN thing was real wanted a dump of the rom.

    1. Would you want to see Godzilla:Replay?
    I would love to see more, or a new creepypasta
    2. What were your favorite parts of NES Godzilla Creepypasta?
    Defiantly how the game read your mind was sentient, also the mothera part it made me feel zach devloped a bit from a jerk to a more though out guy.
    3. What elements of the story worked best, and you would want to see more of in the sequel?
    I'd say RED he was the impending doom, the dread. Though I'd love to see more GIFS or actull game play.
    4. Conversely, which elements of the story didn't work, and you would want to see absent/less of/done differently in the sequel?
    The whole mellissa was ok, but it could of used far more development. It was used early on then had almost no mention for two chapters.
    5. Do you have any other particular ideas regarding a sequel?

    If it's Godzilla fucking add the gotengo, or cut-scenes. Don Frye as gordan. You could have mission briefings or he could aid you as a guide. And if the player screws up or losses the gotengo he loses Gordans help.
    More monsters?
    But that's to happy go lucky. I don't know you did so much in this stuff.
    A creepy pasta of snes clocktower.
    6. In the event that a sequel is started, would you be willing to offer assistance?

    I'd love to help, I don't know what I could do. I don't have programming skills. I mean if you wanted to use me as a voice actor possibly.

    IF you reply to this I will go by the name Gigan.

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  3. 1. If not a replay, at least something with the same attention to detail that the original enjoyed.

    2. "STILL THE BEST 1973." Entropy was probably my favourite level out of the whole experience, otherwise. Seeing all those Toho Monsters inserted into one of my favourite games from back in the day was pretty spifftastic, too.

    3. The visuals really made the original. The quiz section added to the atmosphere really well, I found. Face's death was simultaneously sad and quite disturbing. Moreso, the bizarre alien ecosystem was really immersive. All those little things that - at least at first - reinforced how this could actually be a game somewhere along the line were nice too: The way the 'RUN' scenes had a definite 'Difficulty Curve,' for example. RED was a pretty effective antagonist all around. Power and sheer malice all in one Lovecraftian package.

    4. I don't think adding a pre-existing connection between Zach's backstory and RED was necessary, though I didn't mind it. I agree with the previous poster that it would benefit from more development, or at least decompressed pacing.
    Having RED hold a conversation with Zach at the end kinda' took away from its inscrutable Eldritch-ness, for me. At the very least, it could have used less Mustache Twirling and more Giygas, if you get me.

    5. Since you've already started, "Do something with Super Godzilla" is out. From a writing standpoint, I'd say having the game reveal things about the player which he might not want revealed at all could be a proper approach. Say, imagine if the secret RED told Zach was "YOU killed Melissa." Maybe focus on the horrific damage Godzilla is doing to the lives in his path. As for the villain, it'd be a bit of a stretch for it to have been following Carl from the very beginning -again-, but that doesn't stop it from learning about him as time goes by. RED was both a Predator and an Enemy: sort of a Nemesis that never gave up the chase. Maybe the new guy should be more, say, a Rival and Tormentor, for example? Like, the player as Godzilla has destroyed a few cities, then comes to one that's already been utterly levelled, with the new thing standing at the end literally pouring a busload of people into its face. It grins at the player, then leaves.
    Or whatever.

    6. I'm not a sprite artist or a composer. All I've got's suggestions that are about three months stale now.

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  4. With your permission, and with the month of October coming up shortly, can I make an audio narrative of this story and put it on YouTube?

    Also here are my answers to your questions

    1. I'm already reading it!

    2. I especially loved seeing Anguirus and the new monsters appearing in it, as well as the NOT monsters in it too. The story makes me think "What if Yoshimitsu Banno made a Godzilla Video Game?"

    3. I liked the story elements already, but as far as the sequel goes, regarding what I say in #4, With a creepypasta about a Godzilla video game. I believe more emphasis on the Godzilla character himself would be much more appreciated and understandable.

    4. THE ENDING. I'm sorry, but the climactic battle between Red and the final monster (who I'm not going to reveal here) looked like a bad case of Deus ex machina. Plus some more backstory on Red and Melissa (or in this case, mostly melissa) would've been more helpful.

    5. Again, more emphasis on Godzilla himself in a creepypasta about his video game would be much more appreciated and understandable.

    6. I can only hope so

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  5. 1) I would like to see more different layout designs, more unique monsters/bosses/mini-bosses, and I would like some more disturbing content (i.e. gore, themes, etc.)
    2) The favorite part of the story was the grand finale where Zach's life was in danger and that he had help from something foreshadowed earlier.
    3) I think the best elements were the outright different monsters that didn't appear in the game, as well as the quiz tiles' questions. I would like to see some more disturbing content (like I mentioned earlier) as well as the appearance of Face.
    4) I have nothing really bad to say about it without really nitpicking about it. Nitpicking I would say that you didn't explain what Melissa's mental condition was. And plus, I found that you didn't explain Solomon's grudge with Red was all about as well as Melissa's backstory with Red.
    5) More Godzilla in the sequel.
    6) ABSOLUTELY! I have enough free time with me being done with my JV Football team. I'm currently in development hell with my new Animal Crossing: New Leaf creepypasta right now. Once done with it, I could let you read it and determine if I could be helping you write this. I could also help with the screen-caps and designing all of the monsters with you if you want.

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  6. 1. The return of Face and his Q/A sessions. Those segments were a good setback from the rest of the pasta.

    2. The screenshots. They were well done and made me believe a copy exists somewhere in the world. Hmm, I wonder...

    3. The balance of story and picture book was a nice touch.

    4.The ending. I wasn't a big fan of the end, as it was too goody-goody, touchy-feely for a creepypasta.

    5. Maybe Bagan as a mini-boss, complete with his boss theme from Super Godzilla. If that happens, I can finally die happy.

    6. Perhaps I could be an editor for each part? Because the last NES Godzilla Creepypasta did have some grammar problems in it, and I don't want that to happen in the next one.

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  7. If you were to have the same cartridge yet different demon considering Red had died, you'd have to make that entity seem more powerful. This leads to the question, if this next demon is more powerful than Red, why was Red in control. It would not make any sense.

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  8. Super late to the party so I have no idea if you'll ever get this, BUT!:

    1. Would you want to see Godzilla:Replay?

    I feel like the themes you were addressing in the Godzilla creepypasta were fairly universal, and this makes it difficult to come up with any kind of sequel that will even live up to, much less exceed, the scope of the original. More than anything else, I'd prefer to see a "remaster" of the tale. Cut out the fat and expand on the more solid ideas. One part of the story that had me very intrigued was where one of the monsters was walking through a level where it was being shown a history of biology on Earth, and supposedly a possible future with twisted, unnerving things to be. Maybe build on some of that as well. (Consequently, that could be fertile grounds for a sequel. More so than any other part of this story, this theme competes with the totality of the rest of the story.)

    2. What were your favorite parts of NES Godzilla Creepypasta?

    The evolution scene I described above and the Mothra parts. However, I wish there had been consequences. You selected "no" when you were asked if you like Mothra and it would have been interesting if this had been the catalyst for unpleasant and permanent consequences for the monster. This however does require a previous investment to pay off so some of the story would have to focus on Mothra in a compassionate light so as to endear her to the reader/listener.

    3. What elements of the story worked best, and you would want to see more of in the sequel?

    Pretty much addressed in my answers to 1 and 2.

    4. Conversely, which elements of the story didn't work, and you would want to see absent/less of/done differently in the sequel?

    I feel like the tv monitor parts with the weird images didn't work. It was suggested that this may just be the tangled way the game/Red puts reality together with its limited ability to comprehend what it's seeing, but this didn't really work for two reasons. 1. The images weren't uncanny enough. They seemed silly instead of unnerving. 2. There was no narrative pay off. At the end of the story, it's just some stuff that happened and we never really see how this garbled point of view factors into the game's psychology. It COULD work, but it needs to be gestated more. Likewise, I'd have liked to know more about the Face.

    5. Do you have any other particular ideas regarding a sequel?



    6. In the event that a sequel is started, would you be willing to offer assistance?

    Not sure what I have to offer, but you can get a hold of me on discord at Sonata_Blue#3600

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