ONE WILD DAY IN OUTSET
One Wild Day in Outset is the first level of a longer campaign, introducing the world and tone on the far side of the rift. Arriving initially to take on a simple job, players find themselves drawn into a conspiracy that threatens the symbiotic relationship between the two worlds. In trying to find out what is going on and how to leave the city, players engage in complex conversations across the entire central city in a variety of evocative settings. This level presents the unique conditions of the new world and the optimism and frantic energy that suffuses life on the other side.
Prebuilt assets adapted from packs published by Synty.
Color shader modified from original by Micheal Noland.
Outline shader modified from original by Tom Shannon.
GOALS
Introduce the city of Outset and the new frontier
Convey the intense, frantic, and optimistic character of the world
Establish the player's relationship with the Manifest Destiny Trading Company
PUTTING THE LEVEL TOGETHER
With the history of the city developed, a narrative that spans the breadth of the zones, and a clear and evocative visual scheme, everything can be brought together to create the level.
Since the narrative advances through interactions with the diverse cast of characters, the characters are placed at endpoints of the playable paths. As players explore, they bump into more scenes from the world and encounter more of the narrative threads.
Each of the zones uses a distinct architectural style, ranging from imposing and unornamented in the corporate areas to desperately cluttered and ramshackle in the slum regions.
Other small additions - like the physical presence of descriptive text - also help in navigating the world and conveying the feeling of living inside a propaganda or travel poster.
THE STATIONS
Outset is a city of industry and movement; players start and end their time in the city in the train stations. At the very beginning, they step off the transfer car after passing through the rift and are confronted with the frantic pace of the city. After having obtained their entry permit, they ultimately descend into Outbound Station, escaping the watchful eyes and taking the first step into the larger frontier.
ORIGIN PLAZA AND THE MARKET
Having been confronted with the need to obtain a way out of the city, players step freely forward into Outset for the first time. The density and energy of the city is immediate. From this open hub, players connect to the other more specialized streets and districts where they start to explore options for escaping the city. The massive forms of the Promontory Hotel and the Manifest Destiny Trading Company Headquarters loom as inescapable landmarks.
CAPITAL ROW
Drawn forward by the classical dignity of the Outset Mercantile Exchange, players enter Capital Row. Here, they might sign up with a suspicious recruiter or attempt to make their fortune at the commodities exchange using their insider knowledge. A disgruntled former employee shares information that casts the Company in a bad light.
PROSPECT STREET
Passing up the grand stair in Outbound Station, players cross the tracks to reach Prospect Street, home of enthusiastic shoppers and opportunistic salespeople alike. Prospect Street reveals the crazed density of Outset, and acts as the node around which many potential means of escape orbit. Whether working for the recruiter, partying with the hedonist, or trying to make a fortune, Prospect Street is where you go to transact.
BENDER BOULEVARD
Traveling deeper into the warehouse districts, Bender Boulevard is where the shine of Outset starts to fade. People here are more desperate and paranoid, wary of the countless prying eyes and quick hands. Players might spend an afternoon with an exhausted employee and discover he has something big to offer, or pick through the broken ruins of their former employer and make startling revelations.
THE STACKS
Passing through an alley in the already claustrophobic Bender Boulevard deposits players in The Stacks. The broken, hopeless, and downtrodden masses of Outset collect here. The Stacks constantly looms as the potential fate of the player if they fail to find an entry permit and escape the city. This deep, players can discover more information about the Company with a well placed bribe or get involved in a smuggling racket in a desperate attempt to find passage outwards.
