Psychonauts (Int Check)

[Nigawatts]

“You were born with a special gift. But the people around you treat it like a curse. Your mother is afraid of you, and your father looks at you with shame in his eyes. Come to Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, and you can show them all. Back home, your powers make you a loner, an outcast, a circus freak. But in this dojo, in this psychic dojo, they make you a hero.” — Coach Oleander

This is my love letter to the Psychonauts game. One of my top ten favorite games of all time. Created by Tim Schafer who looks like a crazy bastard (and probably is), it was first released for the Xbox (not the 360) back in the day. Not many people got it when it first came out, including me (although I did rent it when it finally came out on PS2). The game itself involves a Summer Camp for Psychically gifted youths. The game is notable for it's quirky humor, and distinctive visual design.

This game will be a remake of sorts. Mainly because I want the original aspects of the game's story. Things like the cheesy Summer Camp horror plot at the beginning. The Insane Asylum that shows up halfway through the game. Everything like that I want to include, but make it bigger. Instead of just Raz as the main character, it would be more like a Goonies style gang played by us, trying to solve the mystery. Add into that psychic powers and hilarity ensues...I hope.





I promised myself not to use pictures in this as much as possible...but I really love that pic.

Whispering Rock is the main setting of the game, both the Video Game and this RPG. For those of you who haven't played the game, Whispering Rock is actually a very interesting place with multiple layers.

Hundreds of years ago, a large chunk of Psitanium crash landed in the area and created a large crater. Psitanium (cheesy I know) is a very rare mineral that has psychoactive properties. Prolonged exposure to the mineral can induce insanity in a normal human being. In psychically gifted people, it can increase their abilities exponentially, bringing latent psychic powers to their full potential. The Native Americans who lived in the region discovered the metorite and used the metal to create arrow heads. Over time they noticed the animals around the area becoming more aggressive, and when madness began to set into the tribe they abandoned the land. The tribe warned against those who tried to take the land, naming it Whispering Rock.

White people eventually arrived on the land and began to settle it. The town Shaky Claim, flourished for a few years, until it became apparent that something was very strange. Many folks who lived there would slowly go insane, and because of this, the Thorney Towers Insane Asylum was created on a large hill a few miles away from the town. Overtime more people were admitted into the asylum than lived in the town. Eventually the Government (who understood the nature of Psitanium) realized the large deposit located around Whispering Rock. They evacuated the town, and flooded the crater (and the town located in the crater). This became Lake Oblongata, a large body of water covering most of Whispering Rock's territory. The insane asylum survived the flooding, and now sits on an island on the far side of the Lake.

The Government know of the presence of Psychics in the world. They decided to use Whispering Rock as a training ground for psychically gifted children.




Theoretically speaking, players will take on the roles of the Campers in this game. But I'm willing to allow people to play as Councilors if they desire. This game is less of about power levels, and more about the characters and story. There will be a character creation with RPG aspects (such as choosing powers you are good at), but I don't want that to become the main focus of the game.

The overall structure of the game will involve us simultaneously utilizing the setting of the Summer Camp, and sequences where we go into the minds of other people. Like the game, this "Mind Worlds" work on different rules from the real world. While we'll have to deal with some of the worlds from the Video Game (The Milkman Conspiracy will definitely show up somewhere in the future), some will be original. The story will also be different, so those of you who have actually played the game won't be spoiled. Some of the villains will change, as well as the overall structure of the plot (the Summer Camp sequence being much longer). If this goes well I may be tempted to make true sequels that have us see more of the world. Hopefully we'll be able to capture the same charm that the designers put into it.

[Aweena]

Being an insanely huge fan of Psychonauts (and apparently now Psychonauts 2 will cost too much, so it's being postponed further - frustration!), I find it hard to not express my interest. It seems like you've got great ideas for it as well, so it's too tempting. Consider me interested.

But (and please say yes) will the morbid, uncomfortable humor be a large aspect to it? Because the game made me laugh way too much; Crystal's and Chlem's conversations... the best things ever. So I'm hoping there'll be lots of that.

[Nigawatts]

Thank you for your interest. Yes the morbid and dark humor from the first game will stay. Once we have our characters established, I planned on a particularly uncomfortable scene where we have to use Clairvoyance on each other to get through a situation.

But things like...kids who cause heads to explode, to Crystal and Clem's suicide pact will be in there. I actually plan on most of the NPC's from the game to be there. Players will be allowed to play as those NPCs, or create new characters.

[Terminal]

Interested, though I'd be more enthusiastic if the plot and characters of this thread were unconnected to those of the actual game.

[Nigawatts]

They are in a way...But I really don't want to give up certain aspects of the original game, that I would probably have if it wasn't a remake.

Things like the Insane Asylum, or necessity to explore.

Granted I am able to adjust if necessary. My original plan actually was a sequel, with the events of the first game taking place in the mid 1960's and this game taking place in 1992. The actions of the previous game were sort of like...a Urban Legend of the Camp. With massive exaggerations on the part of those who told the story. I would have Raz take the role of Cruller in this world (although it wouldn't be revealed who he was until toward the ending). The Camp would also be a little bit more like a Government facility, because not only would there just be Councilors, but also G-Men who patrolled the grounds.

I didn't know if that would keep with the seeming...innocence of the first game or not. So I decided to just go with a Remake. But if that bothers too many people we can try the other version of this.

[One Eyed Jack]

I'm down for this. Huge Schaffer fan. Also You like Community, so that makes you double amazing.

[Nigawatts]

Community4life

Before I make the OOC I'll have to know which version you guys prefer. The remake or the sequel?

[One Eyed Jack]

Here's a thought: Prequel. Have it be another year at the camp. Maybe the year before. New adventure, different happenings. Maybe even foreshadowing.

I definitely say keep Whispering Rock. I love the feel of that world. And it's more lighthearted than to, say, have them actually be psychonauts already. Your mentionings of the Goonies feel would be wonderous.

So I'm down for either re imagining or just a different year at camp, with fresh characters

[Aweena]

I like the idea of being able to add onto Whispering Rock more than work with what happened already, so I say a different year. I think there'd be a lot of fun in making our own NPCs than working with what was previously provided. But, to me, the idea of it being a bit more of a government facility takes away a lot of the fun Psychonauts originally had.

[Nigawatts]

Well...when I say Government facility, I'm using that word very lightly. I don't want you to think, that just because there are G-Men around that I'm adding "realism" to the setting. No, even they are going to be fairly out there. If you guys would indulge me by viewing some Youtube...

I'm basing the current "leader" of Whispering Rock on this guy. A real military man unlike Oleander. He is a big fan of all this psychic and paranormal stuff, and if you get him talking about it he'll never shut up. He isn't a psychic, although he has been reprimanded several times for attempting to expose himself to Psitanium to unlock what he says would be latent psychic abilities. Has failed each and every time. He is very open, and does not interfere with the Councilor's or their training sessions, he is simply there to enforce the rules and give orders to his men. He assigns children weekly to read the daily messages over the intercom, where he will butt in from time to time if the messages aren't being read the way he wishes. Has a thing old school Battlestar Galactica, and kid shows (this takes place in the Early 90's...he's a big Pete & Pete fan). His mental world is called "Knowing is 1/16th the Battle!", and is based on G.I. Joe vs. Cobra tv tropes.

The G-Men patrol the perimeter of the Camp. They rarely interact with the children, and if anything it's only to tell them to go back the way they came. You have to get pretty far away from the camp to encounter one of them. If this was a video game, they would simply function as the "invisible wall" that prevents the player from leaving the main area of the game. All G-Men wear black suits, and look roughly the same (although not to the point where you would suspect they were the same person, just general build). They wear sunglasses even at night, and all of them have the Matrix Agent ear pieces. Their mental world (all of them) is called "Access Denied", and is a giant metal door in a black void. The door has a keypad on it, but unless you know the passcode you will not be allowed through. The passcode cannot be guessed, or pulled from them mentally, it must be known. This door is a mental representation of the brain implants they have all received to nullify psychic intrusion. This also inhibits emotions, so they are pretty dry witted when talked too.

So wut ya think?