28 Days Later: Manchester Burning
Wolf_Kahler
Join Date: 2002-11-29 Member: 10252Members
Join Date: 2002-11-29 Member: 10252Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Mod Proposal</div> Yes, I'd be overjoyed if anyone happened to be interested in seeing this mod made. The original news post I made can be seen <a href='http://www.clandirtydozen.com/site/modules/news/article.php?storyid=77' target='_blank'>here</a> and I've started a thread on my clan's forum, <a href='http://www.clandirtydozen.com/site/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=708&forum=6' target='_blank'>here</a>. Since my clan is my on-line home, I would like that thread to be the base from which anything may be built, but a discussion here is also welcome.
Ever since seeing the film, 28 Days Later, I've had a concept for a game rolling around in my head tentatively titled "<i>Manchester Burning</i>". I've put the meat of it down and am sharing it with whoever cares in the hopes that somebody might like to see it completed.
From the <a href='http://www.clandirtydozen.com/site/modules/easyweb/index.php?artid=11' target='_blank'>initial concept document</a>:
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->At its heart, the game I envision is a mainly third-person epic horror adventure with instances of first-person shooting, driving, exploration, stealth, occasional puzzle-solving and survival staged in a virtual representation of Manchester and its surrounding areas during the spread of the infection that brought England to ruin in the film.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I am aware that such an undertaking would be nothing short of immense and that the time needed would be very long, that there would need to be a great deal of research done in to the general lay-out of the real Manchester, photographs of areas within the city needed in order to establish at least a semi-realistic sense of location, et cetera.
<b><span style='color:red'>Please, if you would like to post comments or questions, read at least the first several paragraphs of the <i><a href='http://www.clandirtydozen.com/site/modules/easyweb/index.php?artid=11' target='_blank'>initial concept document</a></i>.</span></b>
Thank you.
Ever since seeing the film, 28 Days Later, I've had a concept for a game rolling around in my head tentatively titled "<i>Manchester Burning</i>". I've put the meat of it down and am sharing it with whoever cares in the hopes that somebody might like to see it completed.
From the <a href='http://www.clandirtydozen.com/site/modules/easyweb/index.php?artid=11' target='_blank'>initial concept document</a>:
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->At its heart, the game I envision is a mainly third-person epic horror adventure with instances of first-person shooting, driving, exploration, stealth, occasional puzzle-solving and survival staged in a virtual representation of Manchester and its surrounding areas during the spread of the infection that brought England to ruin in the film.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I am aware that such an undertaking would be nothing short of immense and that the time needed would be very long, that there would need to be a great deal of research done in to the general lay-out of the real Manchester, photographs of areas within the city needed in order to establish at least a semi-realistic sense of location, et cetera.
<b><span style='color:red'>Please, if you would like to post comments or questions, read at least the first several paragraphs of the <i><a href='http://www.clandirtydozen.com/site/modules/easyweb/index.php?artid=11' target='_blank'>initial concept document</a></i>.</span></b>
Thank you.
Comments
I live there, you could just ask. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Manchester's got some great scenery, hasn't it?
Shockwave, do you know the radio code in Manchester for a fire?
Like in the States, dispatch will send out a message over the radio saying there's a "187" to say there's been a murder. Might not be the right number, but I'm hoping you'll get the idea.
Instead of using any actual words that refer to the act of burning, the number code might be more ominous.
Which bits are you looking to portray? Manchester varies a LOT depending on what part you go to, for example Salford is full of classic two-up-two-down terraced housing, with lots of alleyways inbetween (It's also known for it's high crimerate, it's effectively the Bronx of Manchester), all the way through to outer places like Sale, Altrincham, Aldererly Edge which are very greenery fillled with big mansion like housing.
long live St.Helens! lol (my gf comes from there.. well newton le willows)
but nice idea tho...
I'd use the same one as stalker, you need patience tho <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Um... I should really go find some links or something ^^;
I was hoping to portray all of the most important areas of Manchester in miniature. Instead of being a hundred blocks wide per neighbourhood, maybe just twenty, or something to that effect. Get the main look and feel of the various areas while taking 3D snapshots of important landmarks within each area, so it's at least plausibly <i>similar</i> to, but not exactly, the real thing.
If Trafford center's a landmark, it should be represented, but then I would need someone who knows the city and would be willing to maybe share maps that would give an idea as to where each "burrough" [not sure what they're called locally] and outline such places with photographs that can be referenced in designing the maps. Photos of the average style of buildings in each area, the kind of businesses that can be found, the sites and attractions [monuments, open squares, government buildings, police stations, hospitals, et cetera, et cetera], the kinds of vehicles that can be found in the different neighbourhoods... Bref, all the things that would make the city its own unique beast and could be used to further the player's feeling of being there, whether they ever really have or haven't.
Remember, though, that these aren't exactly your typical Romero zombies we're talking about.
Um... I should really go find some links or something ^^; <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
*Points to his sig.*
The center of Manchester has really come up market since the re-developement began several years ago due to the IRA bomb. Its now a strange mix of modern architechture and the old red brick style. (I really was amazed when I didn't go into the center Manchester for a year or 2 and see how much it had changed).
<a href='http://www.myphotopia.com/images/full/5/IMG_0555.JPG' target='_blank'>http://www.myphotopia.com/images/full/5/IMG_0555.JPG</a>
Thats a picture of a major street in Manchester called Market street (can you confirm this Shockwave? I don't trust my mother on this one <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->).
it runs from the city centre outwards for 2 or more miles(?) and passes all 3 main universities (uni of, UMIST and the met.) as well as going in the rusholme (think vegas style lighting at night coming from indian resturants and takeways from either side of the road).
maybe being able to go into various university buildings and getting "special" weapons depending on what building they're found in. not uber 1337 railguns (well, maybe from the physics departments), but things like acids or explosives from chemistry buildings, bio hazard protection suits from the biology labs, that sort of thing.
<b>Aldaris</b>: Thanks. It's info like that I'll be wanting tons of. Keep in mind that I'm Canadian and have never been to Manchester. Any information I get about the place will either be from England's tourist info sites, or residents such as yourselves. Would you mind if I kept that photo?
The "out-of-the-way" status of any landmarks or neighbourhoods is of little concern to me. My intention is to give players a chance to kind-of, sort-of see what happens to the whole [in miniature] of Manchester, leading up to the titular burning.
Events, paths, items, survivors and goals can be put anywhere for any reason.
<b>Verthandi</b>: I don't want the game to be <i>nearly</i> as puzzle-based as Resident Evil, so there doesn't need to be one solid path to get from point A on day one, to point B on day twenty-eight. Depending what area of the city you happen to be in on a given day, there will be options for deciding where to go and why. Consider something somewhat as open-ended as Postal 2, but with bigger maps: you can play the game through to the end, or you can mess around and see how many infected or survivors you can take out before you die. But there won't just be one place to get milk. Going to have to make another update to address points of hunger and fatigue.
<b>big jim</b>: That's an interesting idea, about the universities. Due to size constraints, I may want to not have all three universities on that one road. Maybe one of those three, and a smattering of other ones throughout the city, if there really are any others. But, as I mentioned in the document, I want very strongly to stay as far away from projectile weapons as possible, but still have some. I don't want it to be a hu8nt for amunition. I want it to be focused on the stress of finding hiding places, unrotted food, ways around packs of infected and places to sleep. But I did mention wanting to have a variety of clothings available to offer different levels of protection. It's the sixth black-dot item in the document. Hazmat suits would be good too.
<b>version91x</b>: Realistic, yes, but you wouldn't be entirely alone with the infected. There would be survivors, like yourself. Mostly average Joes, some police, some SWAT, some hospital staff, some military. It will depend where you are and what's happening in the city at the time.
i only skimmed it!
Yeah, I'd have to agree with everyone else...
Manchester = impossible with the size constraints on the Half-Life engine. Unless you do it Postal 2 style... */me dies*
Stealth = One of the harder things to do in a mod
Driving = It took HLRally 5 years to develop decent vehicles, so I'd just recommened replacing the player model with a car and adding momentum. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Some time ago a friend of mine wanted to make a map for CS on the uni we were in. He wanted to borrow the plans of the uni and try to recreate a 3D representation of it on a map to play on. He thought if be kewl to be shooting away in the corridors of the lecture halls here and there. And then I pointed out to him that there is that REMOTE chance some idiot is gonna use his map to plan out the next "columbine". Now he's having second thoughts about it.
So same thing might occur with this particular mod. Well depending how accurately you depict manchester in your mod. ;p
Just a thought.
(Land of Rockports, La Coste tracksuits and cheap gold jewellry)
Do **NOT** put "28 days later" in the name. If the mod turns out to not suck, then you'll be slapped with a Cease and Desist, or a Lawsuit. Just call it "Manchester Burning" and do everything else as planned, leaving out direct references to the film.
10 years of mod foxing due to copyright infringement and people still haven't learned...
Do **NOT** put "28 days later" in the name. If the mod turns out to not suck, then you'll be slapped with a Cease and Desist, or a Lawsuit. Just call it "Manchester Burning" and do everything else as planned, leaving out direct references to the film.
10 years of mod foxing due to copyright infringement and people still haven't learned... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeh just like that Dragonball Quake 3 mod, Bid for Power.
HL Rally had to build thier physics from scratch, HL2 has a full physics engine already built in. If you've seen the E3 vid its pretty clear that driving is supported fairly adequatly by the HL2 engine. He shouldn't have to do more than a vehicle model/skin.
As for the idea, I think it has awesome gameplay potential. The one thing I don't get is how your gonna build the story/gameplay. Are you planning a nonlinear mod? and if so, how do you win? If not, how do you make sure people stay out of the parts of Manchester that you don't want them to go in for the time being?
Do **NOT** put "28 days later" in the name. If the mod turns out to not suck, then you'll be slapped with a Cease and Desist, or a Lawsuit. Just call it "Manchester Burning" and do everything else as planned, leaving out direct references to the film.
10 years of mod foxing due to copyright infringement and people still haven't learned... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well, it depends on the company in question. Capcom are fully supportive of Resident Evil mods, so long as they are non-profit. Fox aren't. Send an email or something to the relevant place to 'test the water'. If it isn't OK, then take Doom's advice.
<a href='http://www.webbaviation.plus.com/manchester/p15.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.webbaviation.plus.com/manchester/p15.htm</a>
The street from before is just below the middle of the photograph. In the first photo graph, if you head in a straight line you enter piccadilly gardens, shown here.
<a href='http://www.webbaviation.plus.com/manchester/p14.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.webbaviation.plus.com/manchester/p14.htm</a>
That building site is no longer there now. I'm trying to orientate myself to the pictures, and I think I've done it, but its a little hazy. I don't go into Manchester city center much anymore, and its changed everytime I do.
<a href='http://www.webbaviation.plus.com/manchester/p10.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.webbaviation.plus.com/manchester/p10.htm</a>
Same area from a different direction.
Shockwave can you help with some landmarks on that picture? Oh and were in Manchester do you live?
Hope I've helped <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Aaaah. Thought it was HL1. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I still say replace the player model with a car model and add momentum.