Not the aliens, but us returning from a long travel?

[altugi]

The other night I was thinking of another story setting for the game, and I was playing with the idea of what would happen if it's not us (the player), but the aliens that have been arrived on on earth first. In other words: Whatever we are returning from, the aliens are already there, attacking the world in small groups, but as we are assuming a world in peace (as it was when we were leaving), now we need someone to explain us what the heck is going on.

As the Intro for this, I basicly imagine a wireless conversation between us and ground control, when we approach the world after almost 20 or more years of space travel (maybe a time travel test or so). They can't identify us since it appears they are using a new system and we have some trouble to make clear that we are the crew of the most important experiment the UN has ever done before, which is strange enough. We seem to be forgotten. Meanwhile we are approached by some spaceships of which we think they must be UN space patrol, but our engine "fingerprints" database does not recognize any spaceship model with this type of engine specs (engine fingerprints are basicly the heat/radiation values per second or something along that way, which help to identify vehicles which are known to use engine models with that values). Just in case, we send a probe to get us some pictures.
Finally the guy at ground control finds something from an old folder and he is quite shocked. He immediately connects us to his commander, a man, who apparently knows us, but is also quite surprised to hear of us. He immediately arranges everything so that we are allowed to enter orbit.
Just as he says "See you down or earth", we also ask him to call back the UN Space Patrol that still approaches us in full speed. But it turns out that no patrol was ordered for such a mission. There is only one stealth patrol in observation mode, quite a distance away.
Suddenly this patrol reports heavy laser gun fire in its sector. Soon after our assistant informs us that our probe has been shot. Then the patrol reports that six UFO's are approaching. At the same time our assistant reports that the probe succeeded to send pictures before it was shot and that the ships aren't UN Fighters. They are something "he has never seen before!".  
Ground control urges us to immediately prepare for passing the orbital gate, so that temporary hole in the global protection shield can be closed before the UFO's approach. We want to ask what's going on, but "there is no time for this now." Ground control takes over the command of our ship, and we are guided through the orbital gate.

A countdown begins... (if kept long enough, even the game credits could be scrolled down during countdown) Finally we hear a voice saying: "3...2...1... Welcome to orbit".

Then the geoscape slowly blends in until we have a still picture of our main game screen. The game controls add themselves one by one...

It should all feels like we are landing in the game!


When the main screen is finally ready for play, we receive our first message from the ground control commander (the guy that knows us). He says that too much has happened and that he sent us a manual to make up our mind until touchdown (that manual is, of course, the Ufopedia). He says that we can select a place to land and that immediately a temporary base will be established there. Further instructions will follow.

When we close the message, the we the Ufopedia icon flash. We click on the icon and can start to read. We'll find some basic game info in there.

When we close the Ufopedia, we can select a point to land. That will establish our temporary base.

Then some other messages follow, that explain our status. We are ordered to serve in earth resistance and further knowledge, this time about our own weapons, is added to the Ufopedia. We are warned, that are first mission might be very soon and that we should prepare quick!

Now the game has revealed all it's core functions to us. We are fully ready to play it.


Well, comments??

[altugi]

By the way, in this scenario, I imagine the aliens as some sort of a barbarian tribe whose survival strategy is based on the plundering, of settled civilizations. I prefer them to function like some of the northern tribes in ancient history, that target already settled civilizations in order to take away their economic surpluses. These are tribes that are organized as a "war machine", so the social structure itself is shaped in a way that reflects this survival strategy. The only thing they can match or even exceed "civilization" is their war "culture". They don't need to be good in anything else. Once they have destroyed a "fat" civilization, they will move on to find some other places to plunder. One other important thing is that they themselves are not settled. They are basically still wandering tribes.

In history, we know of many such tribes. It is said that the Sumerian and Babylonians and later the Egytians have been under attack by such tribes with military superiority for a long time. Some early civilization have been fully destroyed as a result of their continous attack, since finally all sources and knowledge that has been accumulated by them had been exhausted. For instance early civilization around the river Indus.
Around 1700 B.C, such hordes were using Bronze, Horses and Chariots, all new war technologies for which the settled civilizations weren't prepared att all. The Egyptian culture even was almost close to eradication.

Also when iron entered the stage at around 1000 B.C, a northern tribe, the Dorians took over the Greek peninsula and surrounding territory soon. But at that time settled cultures had already grown to deep roots as to be erased and "forgotten".

Another thing about this: Many civilizations learned to answer this thread by learning this war technology, integrating it into their own war system and finally becoming too strong as to be seen as an easy target. Mainly, territorial strength had been re-obtained and whenever possible, tribe leaders have been captured and killed, leaving the raging war hordes of the enemy headless. They dissolved, or looked for a weaker civilization to attack.

I think this general picture suits fine to our game assets. Some UN territories could be just weaker than others, infiltrated and lost earlier, and our goal would be to learn the opponents technology, and re-gain lost territory, until we are strong enough to attack the enemy's camp, capturing their leader or destroying their "capitol".

The alien bases concept we have in the game could be used to make this story work. At some point we would be able to locate their main camp, and once it's down, well, then the game is over.

[Bandobras]

A hot idea for a game intro. A good game needs an intro, even if people will want to watch it only once or twice. This intro is expecially dynamic and the player lands right in the middle of the game, which is a good thing.

[altugi]

This intro is expecially dynamic and the player lands right in the middle of the game

"dynamic" is exactly the word I wanted to hear, hehe. I was curious if this feeling is delivered.

[Bandobras]

OTOH, I don't much like the storyline part of your proposal. Mainly, I'm accustomed to XCOM-like storylines being set very very close to present times. So that I get the feeling "this may as well happen today". Your planetary force shield breaks this for me, just as does decades long space travel...

[altugi]

OTOH, I don't much like the storyline part of your proposal. Mainly, I'm accustomed to XCOM-like storylines being set very very close to present times. So that I get the feeling "this may as well happen today". Your planetary force shield breaks this for me, just as does decades long space travel...

Yeah, I see what you mean. Actually many of the suggestions here around are not really my cup of tea, because I am to much accustomed to X-COM Apocalypse. It is really difficult to get away from it. I think I understand you.

In this particular story structure, it is important to have an "excuse" that brings us into the game when aliens are already there and we gradually have to find out how all this happenend. It could be rewritten using other things than a planetary shield or space travel.

[BloodMagus]

I think this idea is incapitable with the project as is.
There's no way we're going to tie this into the game.


It is however a brilliant idea, and deserves a game in its own right.
It would easily make an excellent background for a RTS game of some sort.

I think this key idea was done in Fallout & Warzone 2100.
The idea that you've been out of the loop and finally got back to fine things have changed, does provide a dynamic idea.

I would think that either you're an Expeditionary force, thats been in stasis, and finally returned. Or, you're the descendants of the expeditionary force.

A slight variation, that borrows the ideas of Fallout, bear in mind its on the spur and not really well thought out:

You're a military organisation that spent the last 30 years in a bunker, after catastrophic attack. You come out to find that the earth is still in a good condition, and even some of the nations still exist. But there's an alien menance and by god its not happy to see you.
So you've got to play catch up, and fight the aliens back to claim terroritory. Get chummy with the local governments.

We'll make it far fetched, and say that all other military forces have been wiped out in battle more or less. THe aliens have send their main military forces to move on, and only have a peacekeeping force. But the moment you show face, they start to call them back. etc. So you spend you time kicking peacekeeper arse, and stealing tech. Slowly the main force returns and gives you a hard time.


The rest is just typical XCOM fashion. Be a hero & save the world.