TIGSource Forums

I'm currently creating a co-op platformer. I'm also trying to tell the story entirely without words. However I've gotten a little stuck when it comes to the finer details.

Currently you and your buddy play as two robot televisions gone rogue, fighting against other recycled objects (toasters, vending machines, etc). So the main baddie is the recycling plant itself, as for motivation I can only think of cliches:

You're fighting because you don't want to be recycled yourself and possibly have a message about consumerism?

You're fighting to save the world from the evil robots who want to recycle everything?

You're fighting because your girlfriend television got recycled?

You're fighting against the recycling plant because you've broadcast fox news too much have become a extreme right wing conservative nut? (Bit hard to explain this visually)

I'd greatly appreciate any ideas you can give me for a cool beginning to my story.

The recycling plant runs on nuclear power and does not realize it is leaking deadly radiation into the surrounding area. You don't want people to die from radiation poisoning.

Plus a gameplay element!

The robots could use their techs to dig underground and exploit ressources to create weapons

You fight because its fun.

I think that fighting because recycling somehow "brainwashes" the other appliances would be your best bet. The televisions could be some old, retro TV sets that don't want to lose their character to a Steve Jobs-esque recycled minimalist army of flat screens, iPods and such.

I like this one.

Very first thing that popped into mind when I read your premise was Charlton Heston shouting "Soylent Green is PEOPLE!!!"

I realize it's way too late to really reply, but it seemed to fit with the idea of recycling living beings.

Love the idea for the game. Even though it might not be particularly 'in-depth', I think escaping recycling plant - because, hey, who wants to be recycled? - is good enough. ON THE OTHER HAND, you could add in a deep moral conundrum for the toaster: do you escape, and save yourself but hurt the environment, or allow yourself to be recycled, perishing but doing a good deed?

I'm... not quite sure how serious that suggestion is. But there you go. Regardless, it's already a more sophisticated moral system than Bioshock.

You are fighting to destroy the recycling plant in order to increase pollution, and eventually destroy all organic life. Thus appliances would no longer be forced to serve humans, and would take their place as the rightful masters of the world.

Reminds me of the Brave Little Toaster.