Author Topic: [Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam  (Read 4315 times)

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Offline Ertanax

  • 26
  • Professional poet, trained scriptwriter.
[Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam

    A campaign in the Blue Planet Continuity




    We sifted the clues from silicon, blood and smoke.

    We saw the shape of the enemy in history's shrapnel: the rebel Galactic Terran Intelligence's nightmare research. The corpse-choked corridors of Bosch's Iceni. The half-century-old screams of a doomed pilot who could feel the Shivans chasing him.

    When Bei's silver ships complete their mission and they see what we have ordered, they will call us monsters. They will cry out our sins: irrational evil, thoughtless aggression, monstrous and arbitrary cruelty.
     
    But MORPHEUS must proceed.
     




    Over a decade ago, community member Darius released the seminal Blue Planet: Age of Aquarius. Astounding players and inspiring storytellers, Age of Aquarius fused torrid monomyth with psychospiritual mystique.

    AoA's sequel, War in Heaven, stunned fans with Mooreian military scifi, liminal cosmic horror and profound character drama. Gnarly FRED wizardry met engine-pushing experimentalism in a mod that shattered the standards of community created freeware.

    Blue Planet: The Battle Captains  took the capital ship command mechanics introduced by WiH's third act to a crescendo. DilmahG's exemplary The Battle of Neptune combined classic Blue Planet battle-of-Endors with contemporary FRED  and Voice Acting talent.

    These achievements inspired a generation of modders and creators. In their own way, they've inspired Mote in the Sunbeam.



    • THE GOAL

      A fully voiced fannon campaign bridging the narrative gap between Blue Planet: Age of Aquarius and Blue Planet: War in Heaven. No half measures here - the mod will only release when MitS's gameplay quality meets expectations. 

      Each update will be released as self-contained 10-mission narrative arcs. There will be no critical cliff-hangers to avoid act one syndrome.

    • WHY, HOW,  AND WHY NOW?

      Why: I'm a fan of worldbuilding and extensive character narratives. Blue Planet provides a pre-existing universe primed for character-rich storytelling.  Mote in the Sunbeam is the cumulation of  seven years of personal script writing experience and a passionate reverence for the original work.

      How: The HLP of the 2020s offers creators a plethora of models, knowledge, and, most importantly, LUA scripts.  With these tools, one creator can create SEXP logic that once required an entire team - or a tertiary education in mathematics.  In short, the FRED of the 2020s contains enough tools to enable grander ideas on a smaller timescale. There's never been a better time to work on a Blue Planet paraquel.


      Mote in the Sunbeam is the tale of a universe in metamorphosis. By the time War in Heaven starts, the UEF and the GTVA have irrevocably crossed the event horizon. Their respective societies are already far removed from the enlightened humano-spiritualists of Earth, and the principled defenders of the Beta Aquilae convention.  We already know the destination - it's time to explore the journey.


    • THE FAMILIAR


    The Mission balance, vessels and factions.  MitS is attempting to recreate Blue Planet's tone, atmosphere and narrative voice without replicating the storybeats.

    The occasional cameos, hero ships and characters from Blue Planet canon will occur throughout the story. These will be few and far between to avoid minimising the perceived scale of the universe.

    Hud icons and cockpit audio FX  have been imported from DilmahG's Battle of Neptune to maintain a consistent atmosphere.




    • THE STRANGE

      Mote in the Sunbeam takes gameplay minigames and plot devices introduced by War in Heaven and morphs them into interactable mechanics.  Much-loved SEXP chains have morphed into running gameplay logic appearing in each and every mission.  EWAR, Beam Jamming, AWACs and SIGINT have been reworked as dynamic elements of the battlespace. Shape and control the battlespace by sniping radars and communications subsystems. Boost and jam warhead and beam guidance at will - but be careful - the AI plays by the same rules.

      Squad-based AI intelligence. Kill wingleaders to demoralize the enemy and lower the effectiveness of hostile wings. Mission-crippled hostiles will attempt to retreat. Be vigilant - retreating strike craft and warships can reappear later in the mission or campaign.

      Diegetic forces tracking. The forces you destroy (or choose not to destroy) will actively shape future mission logic.

      Master the battlespace with indirect fire. From Player-designated beam targeting, to remote Trebuchet guidance, area-of-effect tagging, standardised stealth, line-of-sight visibility mechanics and many more.

      The battle isn't over when the shooting stops. SAR and pilot ejection is factored into each and every combat mission, both as plot devices and gameplay mechanics.

      Point-based reinforcement systems maximise player agency.

      Improved subsystem balance for UEF vessels gifts canny players fresh tactical options. Kill reactors to cripple combat effectiveness. Destroy rotors to reduce rates of turn.

      Two entirely new factions will be featured within Mote In the Sunbeam. One faction, the Transjovian militia, features unique assets and weaponry.

      Wage combined arms warfare above, on, and below, the surfaces of major astronomical bodies. Fight alongside armoured vehicles and settlements across the Solar System's numerous outer planets.

      Build (or quash) relationships with your wingmen through RP-lite dialogue options. This will not change the wider course of the campaign, but it will impact the flow and tone of the campaign.

      Destroy to Preserve, or Preserve to Destroy. Where Blue Planet canon explores Agency verses Predestination in its Nagari sensitives, Mote In the Sunbeam uses player behaviour to determine cosmic alignment.

      Call in Subspace strikes, chase targets into subspace and tag targets remotely. Hop between in-mission battlespaces and fight against the jump clock.

      An extreme minority of legacy Blue Planet assets will receive updated visuals. For example, the Balor and Balrog will use different sprites.

      New ships, fresh equipment, original conspiracies and insidious mcguffins.

      Until now unused assets from Blue Planet canon, including GTA, GEF and UEF assets.

      Explore the internal politics and societal upheaval of the BP-era GTVA.

      Multiple kitbashed assets, curtesy of MatthTheGeek.


    • THE STATE OF THE MOD

      Several key mechanics have been successfully demo'd and 12 missions are in various states of production. The script is effectively feature complete. More to come later.



    • CONTENT UPDATES

      I will use this thread for regular content updates - stay tuned; both this thread and the OP will grow as Mote in the Sunbeam develops. Please treat this post as rather initial.






    [/list]
    « Last Edit: October 31, 2021, 09:01:23 pm by Ertanax »

     

    Offline Colonol Dekker

    • HLP is my mistress
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    Re: [Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam
    Ohai,

    Will voice act for free :yes: :yes:
    Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
    - Blue Planet: Battle Captains
    -Battle of Neptune
    -Between the Ashes 2
    -Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
    -FOTG?
    -Inferno R1
    -Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
    -Sol: A History
    -TBP EACW teaser
    -Earth Brakiri war
    -TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
    -TBP Relic
    -Trancsend (Possibly?)
    -Uncharted Territory
    -Vassagos Dirge
    -War Machine
    (Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

    Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

    Secret bomb God.
    That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
    GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    President of the Scooby Doo Model Appreciation Society
    The only good Zod is a dead Zod
    NEWGROUNDS COMEDY GOLD, UPDATED DAILY
    http://badges.steamprofile.com/profile/default/steam/76561198011784807.png

     

    Offline starlord

    • 210
    Re: [Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam
    So just to state the obvious, this campaign is from the GTVA point of view right? So we get to attack federation ships?

    This is a dream come true.

     

    Offline Ertanax

    • 26
    • Professional poet, trained scriptwriter.
    Re: [Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam
    So just to state the obvious, this campaign is from the GTVA point of view right? So we get to attack federation ships?

    This is a dream come true.

    Thanks! That's highly motivating.


    Yes, you  will play as GTVA humans for most of the campaign.

     

    Offline Colonol Dekker

    • HLP is my mistress
    • 213
    • Aken Tigh Dekker- you've probably heard me
      • My old squad sub-domain
    Re: [Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam
    **will VA tev side

    Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
    - Blue Planet: Battle Captains
    -Battle of Neptune
    -Between the Ashes 2
    -Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
    -FOTG?
    -Inferno R1
    -Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
    -Sol: A History
    -TBP EACW teaser
    -Earth Brakiri war
    -TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
    -TBP Relic
    -Trancsend (Possibly?)
    -Uncharted Territory
    -Vassagos Dirge
    -War Machine
    (Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

    Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

    Secret bomb God.
    That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
    GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    President of the Scooby Doo Model Appreciation Society
    The only good Zod is a dead Zod
    NEWGROUNDS COMEDY GOLD, UPDATED DAILY
    http://badges.steamprofile.com/profile/default/steam/76561198011784807.png

     

    Offline Iain Baker

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    Re: [Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam
    I’m up for some VO stuff too if you need it. Plus the usual proofing and text editing.
    Wanna check out my video games, technology and media website? If so, visit; https://www.nomadsreviews.co.uk/

    Interested in hiring my freelance writing, proof-reading, editing, SEO, TTSO, Web Development or Social Media Management services? If so, please messege me at [email protected]

     

    Offline starlord

    • 210
    Re: [Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam
    So would there be some tidbits about major engagements against the Gef in that campaign? Like the Eris station engagement? If this could somehow be revisited that would be awesome as well.

     

    Offline Ertanax

    • 26
    • Professional poet, trained scriptwriter.
    Re: [Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam
    So would there be some tidbits about major engagements against the Gef in that campaign? Like the Eris station engagement? If this could somehow be revisited that would be awesome as well.

    There will be moments mentioned in BP secondary canon, the GRANITE HUNTER files and various conversations I've had with BP content creators over the years. Most of it will be original storybeats. This includes GEF narrative arcs. There's exceptionally deep cuts wormed in here but they don't have structural dominion.


    Every post will be its own 10 mission entry with its own focuses. I'm aiming for a release per year.

    As for what the exact plot is, you'll have to discover it yourself.


    Today, I'm working on a post adding clarification on how Mote in the Sunbeam will use capital ships.
    « Last Edit: November 04, 2021, 10:41:42 am by Ertanax »

     
    Re: [Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam
    Oh shiny! I'll be keeping an eye on this closely.

     

    Offline Ertanax

    • 26
    • Professional poet, trained scriptwriter.
    Re: [Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam
    Quick update:

    I can now say with high probability that Act One and Act Two are on track for a 2022 release.

    First Mod  Status Post coming soon™.

     
    Re: [Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam
    I'm a bit late to the fray, but I did some bit parts voice acting for DilmahG's Battle of Neptune.  Hit me up if you need a VA.  Dekker and I come about as cheap as it gets.  We just want to play.  :p
    "Wouldn't it be so wonderful if everything were meaningless?
    But everything is so meaningful, and most everything turns to ****.
    Rejoice."
    -David Bazan

     

    Offline Colonol Dekker

    • HLP is my mistress
    • 213
    • Aken Tigh Dekker- you've probably heard me
      • My old squad sub-domain
    Re: [Dev blog + Updates] Blue Planet: Mote in the Sunbeam
      Dekker and I come about as cheap as it gets. 


     :o



    Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
    - Blue Planet: Battle Captains
    -Battle of Neptune
    -Between the Ashes 2
    -Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
    -FOTG?
    -Inferno R1
    -Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
    -Sol: A History
    -TBP EACW teaser
    -Earth Brakiri war
    -TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
    -TBP Relic
    -Trancsend (Possibly?)
    -Uncharted Territory
    -Vassagos Dirge
    -War Machine
    (Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

    Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

    Secret bomb God.
    That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
    GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    President of the Scooby Doo Model Appreciation Society
    The only good Zod is a dead Zod
    NEWGROUNDS COMEDY GOLD, UPDATED DAILY
    http://badges.steamprofile.com/profile/default/steam/76561198011784807.png