Lost Planet:
Darkest Nights, Coldest Days
An MMO based on the ‘Lost Planet’ game by Capcom
Created by Lord Charidarn
Synopsis:
The game’s story takes place prior to the reclamation of E.D.N III, after the cities have been abandoned and the remaining settlers have been left to fend for themselves. With the lost of the Earth-based military and the encroaching Akrid forces, the surviving colonist have banded together, forming the Snow Pirates. Territorial and bent on their own survival the Snow Pirate groups fight one another for control of land and the few safe havens from the Akrid. For years the fighting was brutal, and the fear of the Akrids overwhelming. However with the recent discovery of Thermal Energy in the bodies of the Akrids, mankind now has a method, and a reason for fighting back against the Akrid.
Game Design:
The game play, with a few minor tweaks, will run the same as ‘Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions’. Your character will run, jump, fight and climb the same way Wayne does. However, the map will be free roaming, allowing players to go wherever they want and do whatever they can to obtain T-Eng. The only goals in the game will be to keep your band of Snow Pirates (your clan) alive and to gather unique parts for your clan’s VS armada.
Game Play:
You begin the game by customizing your character in the traditional ways (appearance, hairstyle, clothes, name). The game plays the same as ‘Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions’ so there will be no classes or jobs, etc... You will find your place in the game as you play. If you have better aim with a missile launcher then anyone else in your clan you will become the ‘Heavy Weapons Guy’. If you can snipe an Akrid from a valley away, congratulations, you’re now the sniper. If you become bored with one class, don’t worry, you do not need to make a new character, just grab a different weapon, and ta’da!, you have a new job. The main part of the game is gathering Thermal Energy for the NPC akrid characters that roam the world and spawn from nests, much like in the game. It is possible to take on the whole world by yourself, but it is much better to band together with others and form a Snow Pirates Clan.
All the people you meet in the game will be real people. The few cities that are still safe from Akrid incursions are the gathering points, trading posts, and formally declared ‘neutral ground’ of the planet. Here is where new warriors go to join clans, Pirate come to trade their hard earned Thermal Energy, and where the Vital Suits are produced. These few cities have vast tracts of land between them, so travel from one to another can be lucrative, but dangerous.
Travel and Exploration:
The safest way to travel is on the SnowSleds. These giant machines are mobile fortresses, that only the extremely wealthy can afford. Each ‘Sled can house dozens of Pirates and several VS. As a veritable fortress, the SnowSleds are the safe havens of many pirate clans, as well as their transportation from one city to the next. However, their size often makes them targets for other ambitious clans, and more then one SnowSled has been found out in the wastes, gutted and destroyed, no doubt attacked by the many Akrid that roam E.D.N. III.
Not every clan can afford a ‘Sled and not every colonist belongs to a clan. For individual transportation the VS are the next best ways to travel. Built especially to combat the Akrid, a single suit is more then a match for most of the common Akrid that a lone adventurer would meet on their journeys. Those strong the VS require a large supply of T-Eng, which usually forces a pilot to constantly put themselves in danger in order to acquire Thermal Energy from the Akrid or to join a clan which can supply the pilot with enough energy to pilot their VS. Many young pilots have traded all the Thermal Energy they have for a VS, only to have to abandon it in the middle of the wastes due to a lack of fuel.
The last way to travel is on foot. As our ancestors did on Earth, so do many travelers on E.D.N. III and often walking is the most economic way to get around. It is also the most dangerous, and even the most experienced of Pirates would do well to take a group of others with them if they want to travel the snows on foot. There are many terrors out in the cold places of the planet that no lone human should face alone.
The goals of many travels are the few domed cities that are left on the planet. In these giant domes, there is no need for a constant source of individual Thermal Energy. The domes supply enough heat for everyone in them, though the cities are constantly in need of Thermal Energy to run their generators, which is why the cities deal with the Snow Pirates. The city supplies the Pirates with weapons, VS’s and ammunition, the Pirates Supply the cities with Energy.
Experience:
Just like in ‘Extreme Conditions’ there is no roleplaying element to DNCD, except for the kills counter. Every colonist worth their Thermal carries one of these devices. It records every species of Akrid that the person has seen, and also records the number of that species the carrier has slain. This device allows for both boasting and bragging rights, as well as showing potential allies if the carrier is worth the Thermal to hire him. This device would allow anyone to show which types of Arkids they have seen and slain, which will help experienced players get into Snow Pirate Clans.
The Snow Pirates:
Anyone who has been out on the snows for a length of time will eventually come across a clan of Snow Pirates. These a individuals who have banded together for survival or to rid the world of the Arkid. Several clans are wealthy and travel the snows in gigantic SnowSleds while others make their bases in the ruins of old cities that dot the landscape. A few brave, some might say insane, Pirates venture out in groups on foot, searching for the ‘Big Score’ of Thermal Energy.
In game terms the Snow Pirate Clans are the player Guilds. Anyone can found a clan, but only a true leader can mold a rag-tag group of fighters into a Pirate Clan to be proud of. The true sign of a Clan is their teamwork. The partners in a Clan should work together flawlessly; everyone should know their job and what they need to do to get it done. The smaller, less wealthy clans will have only their own portable Thermal Pods and their wits to keep them alive in the snows, while the larger, wealthier clans may claim territory or even own a SnowSled. Overall it will be up to the players how their Clan is run and what goals it needs to accomplish.
Fighting, Death and Thermal:
Just as in ‘Extreme Condition’ the players will have their own individual Thermal Gauge which will tell them how much Thermal Energy the player is carrying. Also, like ‘EC’, the health bar is recharged at a loss of T-Eng, and a lack of T-Eng will result in the health bar slowly decreasing. The basic Pod that hold the Energy maxes out, but larger Pods can be purchased. This will increase the amount of Thermal that a person can carry. However, if caught in a large enough explosion, crushed by an Akrid, or blown up in a VS, the player dies and does not have a chance to refill the health bar with T-Eng. (This could be referred to as taking ‘lethal damage’, when a character sustains too much damage too quickly for the T-Eng to have a chance to recharge the health bar). So larger Pods equal greater carrying capacity, but a greater loss should you die, since your excess T-Eng is dropped with your demise, just like with Akrids or VS’s. Also the weapon that you had equipped is dropped and lost upon your death.
With death comes a rebirth, your character is ‘thawed out’ at the closest Anti-Cryo facility, at only the loss of your T-Eng and weapon that was dropped on your death, and your Kill Counter records your own death. The only problem will now be finding more T-Eng. (You start with the same amount a new player would). Otherwise all of your equipment remains on your person.
Now, if you are in a Clan and it was wealthy enough, it could buy an Anti-Cryo unit of its own. This is set up wherever the clan decides it should be (though odds are you’d want it far away from enemies and close to a large source of T-Eng). This will basically function as the Clan’s ‘base’ and the destruction of a Clan-owned Anti-Cryo Unit (ACU) will result in its permanent destruction. Another can be bought, but at a high cost of T-Eng. Therefore it is important for a Clan to protect its base and its ACU. SnowSleds are so massive that they have their own built-in ACUs and a player in a Clan with a SnowSled would revive at that ‘Sled. As each option becomes available to a player (City, Base, or ‘Sled) the player has a choice as to which one he wishes to be revived at upon his death.
Combat works identically to ‘EC’s combat. It will be fast, brutal, and merciless. A single explosion if well placed, can turn the tide of a single battle. A fast trigger finger will count for much more then how many Akrids you have killed. Skill with the grappling gun will allow a single person to outflank and destroy and entire Clan. One false step will mean a plummet to death. Most importantly, a skilled VS pilot will be welcome in any Clan.
Vital Suits:
The Vital Suits will play a critical role in any and all aspects of the game. They allow for a larger carrying capacity for T-Eng. They are powerful weapons to have in battle, whether against Akrid or other humans. They allow for (relatively) safe transportation across a harsh world. Vital Suits are expensive, both in initial costs and in the T-Eng they require to operate. However, they are an indispensable part of E.D.N. III’s fight against the Akrid, and are well worth the high cost.
