Right here, write now.

[Parsley]

I remember someone mentioning something about giving characters within cb a story.  Well... choose a character & write a story below!

Rules:

i) No swearing, graphic sex, or anything that might offend any persons or people.
ii) Try and involve characters from the previous stories in the thread as much as possible.
iii) No mentioning of player names, except Matlu as some kind of deific being if you're feeling particularly kissass.
iv) You can write a story for any character - even if someone has already done one on the same character beforehand.

[Ed. Re: Bakster - I mean in game monsters/commanders]

[Bakster]

"Character"? Do you mean the players, or the in-game monsters?

[BlitzJoker]

You already broke rule one, in rule three.

[ultswordsman]

lol

[The_Gu3st]

Good job Parsley, you're a great role model for this topic.

[TheMcCool]

I think any stories are going to involve alot of artistic liscense, unless we establish an official setting and explanations for stuff. Does it take place in some sort of virtual cyberscape? Or a wartorn post-apocalyptic future earth (with the blank backgrounds representing empty wastelands)? Are the creatures summoned from somewhere somehow, or are they created?

Are the actions taken in games meant to be taken as literal real-time actions (which would support the virtual cyberscape setting idea), or more like symbolic/metaphorical presentations of a battle taking place over a much longer period of time (this would explain the whole alignment thing - i.e. the alien/bioligical side and tech/machine side struggling for resources to advance their science and technologies and produce more units)?

And commanders... If it's "alien" vs "tech",  then why do commanders who are the same side fight each other as well? This would mean that there's not exactly any big societies around.. More like many small fiefdoms with lords constantly battling amongst each other for power, with each of them individually fighting for resources to advance their forces along whatever alignment they choose - probably whatever's convenient.

But then there's the whole hologram thing. Either that means these lord-commanders have magical powers, or it confirms the virtual-cyberscape thing. Oh my god! It's all just a game!

[The_Gu3st]

wow you put a ton of thought into that, and yet no one has written a story.

[TheMcCool]

I figured even if no one wants to write any stories, it would be good to try and establish the setting and background story of the game. Actually I do kind of want to write some stories some time (for fun), hence why I want answers to the questions I raised in the previous post... I assume we'll probably just end up voting on it, if enough people care that is... lol.

[Parsley]

"Blue Commander, I have a confirmation on an incoming class 7 Mech." crackled the intercom linked to the CyberBattle mainframe.  Blue ground his teeth and focused on the blinking lights in front of him.  Already?!  His thoughts danced in a brief panic, before calming to a cool resolve… It couldn't be real, could it?  The commander cleared his mind, and let the reassuring words of the induction ordinator trickle through his thoughts.

A hollow voice rasped through the speakers above the main training hall, repeating the familiar rhetoric that each combatant had heard countless times before.  They knew why they were here, this announcement was like a space flight safety announcement â€" more of a 'Welcome to your flight' - or in this case, 'Welcome to your fight'.

"Since history began man has fought to protect that which they have known.  The protection and profligation of a man's socio-mental construct is inherent to the human condition.   After the strife associated with the Age of Science came a global revelation during the Age of Reason - an understanding that the most basic representation of an individuals desire to manifest their influence on the destiny of mankind was through open conflict. 

"Battles were, at first, fought between individuals and teams representing power blocs in order to maintain stability and balance in a globalised chaos of ideologies.  As these concepts consolidated and broke apart over the centuries our Key Minds, led by the socio-scientist Matlu, came to the understanding that each of these constructs were imprinted social conditions inherently designed within and by society to conflict with one another so that the strongest could survive, and so mankind as a whole would, over time, evolve.

"This concept was rationalised in the Great Reason (Matlu, 3005): 

'Successful evolution of beliefs, logic and mentality occurs through evolution.  The larger the social construct, the slower the evolutionary process.  Hence the most efficient form occurs through individual conflict.

'Beliefs, logic and mentality are, within the human mind, progressive, and as such any person can develop a more successful approach through trial and error, the learning process.

'Hence the most effective manner of progress for humanity as a whole is to allow the individual to fight, die, learn and fight again… Being human it is your duty to fight, to manifest your destiny.'

A glint of realisation dawned across Blue's eyes.

'He killed me this way before…'

'Computer, initiate holodetect sequence.  Target class 7 Mechanoid and process that sonofa…'

[Bakster]

Parsley thought about this way too much

[Parsley]

Majored in social anthropology @ uni.  Chucked in a bit of Asimov, Clarke, K Dick & Matlu.   

Possible story lines along this theme:

-  'Battle' stories
Like in the Story thread, but explaining what people learned - applied knowledge guides. as it were, combined with a bit of story telling.

-  Why Cyber Battles is as it is - an explanation of the creatures and powers according to the lesson they teach the individual about themselves.  Buddhist/Karmic style fables could be an angle (like Aesop fables)

-  Or a completely different take on the whole concept!


Cyber Battles, Manifest your Destiny

[Bakster]

social anthropology? Sounds like you study animal bones in your spare time, mixed with a bit of socializing?

[TheMcCool]

Parsley, I like the idea, but what's the reason for fighting? How about this: The world is both wildly overpopulated and at war with aliens over resources on earth, and on the alien planet. We fight with remotely controlled machines and mech squadrons, so anyone can be a soldier. Every human over the age of 12 is required to play this game regularly. Every 2 years, those with 100 points or less are killed and recycled for food, and everyone else is assigned units, or groups of units to control or give orders to based on their record. Since the planet is so overpopulated we fight in shifts, so everyone is still required to keep playing.

[matlu]

Chucked in a bit of Asimov, Clarke, K Dick & Matlu

I like reading K Dick.
Btw I also think that "Dune" would fit into the concept - commanders fighting each other might be paralel to the Houses from Dune.

[Parsley]

Parsley, I like the idea, but what's the reason for fighting?

The reasoning was meant to be fairly self-contained.  I deliberately left out any reference to events in order to allow other people to develop these ideas further.  But essentially the theme is: Revolution & Evolution.

A continual cycle of people trying to better themselves as an aim in itself, rather than against or for any particular exogenous cause.

But your idea has merit in the sense that it could be a precursor to the 'Age of Reason' - an event that caused humanity to realise that it could not remain sterile & stagnant in a state of global peace because it would succumb to [insert plot line here].

"Dune" would fit into the concept

Hell yeah, would be a fantastic angle.  Would this require some sort of modification of the game in order to allow people to choose their 'house' - and then they would have to fight for their house in order to win points? 

In my mind, it goes back to the idea of a clan/team-only server - for which we don't, as yet, really have enough of a player base.

But it ties in fantastically with my little story - although the 'prize' would be winning fights, rather than spice, obviously.