59 replies to this topic

[Corkscrew]

Maybe. I see it happening in a more traditional American city. Obviously, as I'm making my own city, the population and surrounding area can be whatever I want and so I might incorporate some more of that African style scenery in certain areas.

[chance]

How about the idea of setting the game in a non-white-n-caucasian area? Like The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (by Alexander McCall Smith, takes place in Botswana...

Great novels! I read the first two. They worked so well because the author knew that culture. He was a white male, but grew up in (what was then) neighboring Rhodesia and went to bi-racial schools. A great example of "write what you know".

I see it happening in a more traditional American city. Obviously, as I'm making my own city, the population and surrounding area can be whatever I want and so I might incorporate some more of that African style scenery in certain areas.

Traditional American city with African style scenery? That's would be San Diego with its famous zoo and wildlife park.

Could be a great plot element: The noire-style detective learns that his dead partner had uncovered a plot to smuggle South-African diamonds. The diamonds were hidden in animal shipping crates bound for the San Diego zoo.

He goes to San Diego to investigate. When he "gets to close" to the corrupt zoo keepers, he is kidnapped, drugged and imprisoned. Eventually he wakes up... only to find himself naked and defenseless in.... wait for it... the African savannah surrounded by wild animals.

His only skill is his knowledge, so somehow he must fashion tools and kill to survive. (This might make an interesting level. A break from the LA-style gameplay).

Ultimately, he discovers he's not in Africa at all, but in the wildlife park. He escapes and returns to LA to finish the game.

[Corkscrew]

It sounds like an interesting mission but slightly ridiculous. I think that I might be able to use most of it.

Rivers discovers an international diamond smuggling ring [diamond smuggling sounds a little corny, at least it's better than the cliche drug-smuggling] is connected to the murder of his partner. After a surveillance mission he discovers that the diamonds are being smuggled into a zoo [not San Diego, it's in a fictional city] and, from there, are being shipped around the globe for exorbitant prices.

Now, I have two endings:

1.
Rivers is caught by the zookeepers and thrown in to an enclosure with a bunch of starved wild animals. There might be a time limit mission where he has to escape before the next shipment of diamonds or something similar.

2.
Rivers is caught by the zookeepers and knocked out. When he regains conciousness he finds himself locked in a police cell being accused of being involved in the diamond ring, since he was on the site when the police busted it. He then has to escape/get out somehow.

Those are two short explanations of my ideas. I think that this might also work as a stand-alone mission, unconnected to his partner's murder. I plan for the player to need to solve cases as the game goes on to provide and income. This will pay for things such as fuel, vehicles, weapons, armour, clothing, bribes, informants, equipment etc.

[chance]

...diamond smuggling sounds a little corny, at least it's better than the cliche drug-smuggling...

True. Sounds corny, but African diamond smuggling is a big deal -- especially since US and Canada passed their "clean diamond" policies. This stopped the (legal) sale of so-called "blood diamonds" used to finance the African warlords.

Plus, by introducing the diamond-smuggling theme, you can tap into the wealth of ideas involving African war lords, arms trafficking... and even human trafficking. Lots of intriguing possibilities here.

[Corkscrew]

It does open up a whole number of different oppotunities for missions and characters. I might be able to work in some of that, possibly an overseas mission or a ring that is working with people inside the city throwing up all these problems.

[chance]

...or a ring that is working with people inside the city throwing up all these problems.

That's probably the best choice. An LA detective would be out-of-place in an African village.

The nice (or bad) thing about LA is that it has pretty much every vice imaginable. Wouldn't surprise me if some LA gangs and/or LA crime bosses have connections in Indochina for opium/heroin, Mexico for pot and cocaine, Africa for diamonds. Even India for fake designer clothes and accessories.

[VerdantRain]

What if the killer is actually the partner, who staged his death (somehow) so he could break away from the law and personally investigate a case that may have been too much for the standard detective? Maybe this case could have been so large that it was hidden from the public but has something important to do with the partner's personal life. We find out that the main character was partnered up with the partner strictly because he may be an untrustworthy man that watches and analyzes everyone, including his friends and family. While investigating the killer of your partner, you become wrapped up in a very dangerous global operation that threatens to corrupt the very world etc. etc...? Friends forced to go against each other because of one's dark past and the other one's sense of justice? I'm throwing things out there now. Haha.

[Corkscrew]

An LA detective would look out of place in Africa. (Of course, he's not from LA)

The whole 'staged his death idea' sounds intriguing. A lot of those stories end up being ridiculous and totally unbeleivable. Think about how hard it would be to stage your own death.

When you say 'he' may be untrustworthy do you mean the partner or the protagonist? That might throw up some interesting possibilities upon why the police pulled out of the case; because they didn't want the protagonist to find out about the partner ensuring he was trustworthy.

I personally find those whole 'corrupt the planet' things a little crazy. I would personally find it more beleivable if one city caused a rift that effected the world. Like if a major world business centre became corrupt and that effected all the business that flowed out of there, causing issues in business around the globe.

[VerdantRain]

Yeah, you're right about the difficulty of staging a death. Perhaps a disappearance, or just a simple "working, but also working behind the scenes on something no one should know" type of deal?

Yeah, I was talking about the protagonist there, being untrustworthy. It would definitely bring up some cool possibilities.

I was just throwing science at the wall there. Haha, it is your story, and corruption of the planet does seem a little silly.

[Corkscrew]

I reckon there should be something in the player's past that he is somehow unaware about. I'm really not sure what he may have done or been involved in. Any ideas?

[twelveways]

A pimp that he once busted was actually the son of an African warlord and a human trafficker. The detective didnt know this and only got him put away on pimping and extortion charges.

Worried that he was going to turn grass, his accomplices in the underworld got him killed in prison. His father (in africa) vowed revenge on both the arresting detective (you) and the gang that turned against him and has been smuggling soldiers, weapons and diamonds into the city to start a war to wipe them out.

The Warlord wants you alive and brought to Africa so that he can have the pleasure of killing you himself, the final level would see you in a compound in Africa (it should be a fake country) where you need to escape and get a radio message to the CIA so they can blow it up with an airstrike

Edited by twelveways, 18 October 2011 - 06:22 AM.

[Adequate]

1) no fighting
2) google criminology
3) find out how the force would do things back then

Edit: above post reminds me of "America! There's your reason" hooliganery the yanks sometimes use

Edited by Adequate, 18 October 2011 - 07:06 AM.

[Yal]

A pimp that he once busted...

...and has been smuggling soldiers, weapons and diamonds into the city to start a war to wipe them out...

...so they [America] can blow it [innocent country with a warlord] up with an airstrike...

Guess why twelveways is on my ignore list?

[twelveways]

How can you read my posts if you have me on ignore?

Its not an innocent country, its a warlord's compound that is the operational base for human, weapon and drug/diamond smuggling. What is wrong with the first two lines you quoted?

[Yal]

How can you read my posts if you have me on ignore?

I'm a Lv 2996 female Ronin with Geo Change. I can do things like that.

What is wrong with the first two lines you quoted?

The first one uses the word "pimp". The second one is not a serious suggestion.

[twelveways]

Whats wrong with the word 'pimp'?

It is not unreasonable that a warlord would want to avenge his son, obviously when I said 'war' I meant a gang war, not a full-scale international invasion. It is a theme that can be seen on many tv shows and movies, one that springs to mind is the Russian/Irish storyline on Sons of Anarchy

[Yal]

obviously when I said 'war' I meant a gang war, not a full-scale international invasion.

Say gang war, then. Your mention of an american air raid didn't really do anything to eliminate disambuigity.

[chance]

A pimp that he once busted was actually the son of an African warlord and a human trafficker. The detective didnt know this and only got him put away on pimping and extortion charges.

Worried that he was going to turn grass, his accomplices in the underworld got him killed in prison. His father (in africa) vowed revenge on both the arresting detective (you) and the gang that turned against him and has been smuggling soldiers, weapons and diamonds into the city to start a war to wipe them out.

The Warlord wants you alive and brought to Africa so that he can have the pleasure of killing you himself, the final level would see you in a compound in Africa (it should be a fake country) where you need to escape and get a radio message to the CIA so they can blow it up with an airstrike

This has some interesting story elements. But I might change a few (minor) things:

1. the son of a warlord and human trafficker wouldn't be a common pimp. More likely, he'd be supplying the pimps (with both men and women).

2. someone that powerful wouldn't become a stool-pigeon to get out of prison. So he needs to get killed for another reason.

But a connection between an LA gangster and his African warlord father is a clever plot device. And it seems very plausible in today's world. +1

[twelveways]

Ok

How about the Warlord has a connection to a local eastern European smuggling gang, Diamonds from Africa in exchange for guns from [fictional eastern bloc country.

this has been a long standing and honorable deal and the Warlord(lets call him Solomon Mbeke) has sent his son over to oversee the operation. His son, brought up amongst war and tribal conflict has become enamoured by the easy American way of life and soon becomes addicted to drugs, women and MTV.

He gets soft and careless and gets picked up by the protaganist cop (this is in the past and only revealed as the game progresses) for speeding. his car is searched and they find cash, guns and drugs.

The feds recognise that he is the link between the Eastern European gun runners (the organisation known as Red Flag from the rogue state of Bortislava) and the diamond smugglers from the AFrican state of ________. They lean on him heavily and it looks as if he is about to break.

The Bortislavians find out about this via their snitches on the inside and manage to get him killed before he can spill the beans

[chance]

...eastern European smuggling gang, Diamonds from Africa in exchange for guns from [fictional eastern bloc country]

That works too. It's a better plot than some Hollywood movies lately. Maybe you have a future career there.

For a humorous version, you could replace the fictional (ex)Eastern Bloc country with a Turkic country -- like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan.

Call it Reallybadistan. Its main export is ethnic tension. Its leader's main goal is self-enrichment by selling his country's natural resources to Western oil and mining companies. He sends his son -- a Borat type character -- to LA for "cultural exchange" where he accidentally gets involved with LA gangs.