I think the best possible way to create a fan based game of the Panzer Dragoon universe, is to NOT to make a sequel of anything that has already been done. The best way, (and probably the most effective), is to make a prequel based on THEORIES of the mysteries of the Panzer Dragoon world, and build a foundation from that.
I think we should all discuss all of the theories that have currently been contributed, decide which ones are more accurate, and then create a script based on those speculations. Once the script is complete, those who are contributing to the project (programming, graphics, music etc etc), will be able to the read the story before anyone else so they can draw a mental picture within their minds on how the world, in the time period we are trying to portray it, should look like. Everything else will go smoothly after that.
Creating a side story based on knowledge and characters we already know is not a smart idea, and will be looked down upon in the long run. Let’s be creative, and create something entirely different in the Panzer Dragoon universe - a PREQUEL that never was recorded in the history of the other Panzer Dragoon games, but ARE tied to them somehow. A good idea is creating a game based on the Fall of the Ancient Age (the history in the Panzer Dragoon games only goes back to the point AFTER the Fall of the Ancients - therefore, creating a game based on such assumptions would be, not only safe, but worthwhile.)
I think undertaking such a project should not just be done to please the fans, but to also impress Sega in someway…let’s put our hearts into it, like Team Andromeda did with Panzer Dragoon Saga. I know that sounds cheesy, but I’m serious.
A side story, prequel or no, would be wiser than a direct continuation of any official matierial. It allows for some flexibility within the world and sound less like a fanfic.
I think it would be cool to make a game set in the PD world, but gasp not involving dragons in any way. It seems like there are all sorts of opportunitites down that road. But that’s just me.
I don’t quite get some of the points you’ve made here Kadamose, so I’d appreciate it if you’d elaborate a little:
[quote=“Kadamose”]I think the best possible way to create a fan based game of the Panzer Dragoon universe, is to NOT to make a sequel of anything that has already been done. The best way, (and probably the most effective), is to make a prequel based on THEORIES of the mysteries of the Panzer Dragoon world, and build a foundation from that.
I think we should all discuss all of the theories that have currently been contributed, decide which ones are more accurate, and then create a script based on those speculations.[/quote]
The Panzer Dragoon “theories” (well, what I understand as the theories) are just speculation regarding specific issues of continuity within the series. They’re not… well, not really the kind of things that you could draw a plot line or a script from. They’re merely selective commentary on the existing plotlines. If you meant something different to this, please explain…
Why do you believe it is not a smart idea? Why do you believe it would be looked down upon in the long run? And how can a Panzer Dragoon game be created without utilising knowledge that is already known? That would by definition make it not a Panzer Dragoon game.
A huge proportion of fanfics are side stories which are not a direct continuation of any official matierial. More to the point, what’s wrong with fanfics?
Making a game based on the Ancient Age may be a little more problematic than you might think. I’ll post more on this subject later, but here are my initial impressions:
If a fan game was made that finally revealed the truth about the Ancient Age, it would run a high risk of being a disappointment to Panzer Dragoon fans. The reason that the Ancient Age works as a narrative device is because it is mysterious; it is by definition the unknown past that the Panzer world can never draw upon deeply. To see the Ancient Age, though it might sound very appealing, would ultimately shatter the illusion. As every fan will have a significantly different idea of what the Ancient Age would have been like, it would also be very hard to create the illusion that “our Ancient Age” was authentic.
The above problems are compounded by the fact that it would be even harder to do the Ancient Age justice in a “short” game such as this. The fact that we won’t be using bang-up-to-date top-generation graphics would also not help.
As many people have pointed out, we are not meant to know whether or not the Ancients were even human. (Typographical errors in the Saturn games excluded.) Which means…
Any conclusions arrived at about the Ancient Age actually do stand a high chance of being contradicted in future official games. We have been told more and more tantalising fragments of information regarding the Ancient Age with each Panzer game. For instance, before PDO no-one could have suspected that the Ancients / some Ancients had gone into stasis, and could potentially be resurrected. We also didn’t know that Sestren was in fact their highly advanced computer network, and not “a group of astral passages between time and space”. If we create enough details for an actual game, it is almost cetain that some of them will be contradicted, whether thay are based on existing information or not.
Now I’m not saying that this is a really bad thing; only that the Ancient Age is not the fix-all new plot solution that you seem to be presenting it as. It should definitely be approached with as much caution as, if not more than, anything else.
I agree with these sentiments - if the fan game does get off the ground, the people involved should put as much effort as they possibly can into it. With such enthusiastic and talented fans as we have, though, I hope that this will never be a problem.
[quote=“Lance”]I don’t quite get some of the points you’ve made here Kadamose, so I’d appreciate it if you’d elaborate a little:
The Panzer Dragoon “theories” (well, what I understand as the theories) are just speculation regarding specific issues of continuity within the series. They’re not… well, not really the kind of things that you could draw a plot line or a script from. They’re merely selective commentary on the existing plotlines. If you meant something different to this, please explain…[/quote]
No, that’s precisely what I was implying. Though the theories may be pure speculation, I would rather have something of that nature, than to have something that’s completely fictional. Doing the latter would not do the series any justice.
[quote=“Lance”]
Why do you believe it is not a smart idea? Why do you believe it would be looked down upon in the long run? And how can a Panzer Dragoon game be created without utilising knowledge that is already known? That would by definition make it not a Panzer Dragoon game.[/quote]
Not true - What I meant by that comment, was not using characters or timelines that had already happened. That means no Edge, no Azel (unless we show the creation of Azel), no Paet or any other character that came from the series. Going that route will be looked down upon, because WHEN Sega does make a sequel to PDS, all the information presented from the fanbase will most likely be incorrect. Granted, the same could be said about our presentation of the Fall of the Ancient Age (if we chose that route), but at least it will be uncharted territory where everything is pretty much a mystery.
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I still don’t get what you mean by “theories”. All the theories are just speculation regarding the existing plotlines - but you seem to be suggesting that we don’t use the existing plotlines at all. Do you just mean “story ideas”?
It is very unlikely that a future Panzer RPG will involve characters from the Saga era in its plot. A new game will - if not certainly, then most likely - be a straight sequel to Panzer Dragon Orta, as that game’s ending was clearly constructed to allow this.
As all of the Saga characters are more-or-less dead and the Saga story has been tied up and laid to rest, it would be very odd for a new game to start digging it up again. Almost certainly, a new game would deal with the “new world” of PDO, both for continuity reasons and to not alienate newer fans.
Therefore, I honestly don’t see why such character / plot references would be “looked down upon” in the future, any more than anything else.
Well as Feveth (or was it Solo?) stated it has to be a small story anyway or it will never get done… so I’d rather it be one as long as possible (though still short) rather than divide that to even smaller ones…
But who knows… maybe after this one’s done sometime later the team could go at it again and create more stories using the already programmed stuff, that would be easier and take less time too so the focus could be on the storyline and art etc
[quote=“Al3xand3r”]Well as Feveth (or was it Solo?) stated it has to be a small story anyway or it will never get done… so I’d rather it be one as long as possible (though still short) rather than divide that to even smaller ones…
But who knows… maybe after this one’s done sometime later the team could go at it again and create more stories using the already programmed stuff, that would be easier and take less time too so the focus could be on the storyline and art etc
Let’s just concetrate on this for now ^_^[/quote]
That’s the kind of thing that I thought Arcie had in mind.
And yes, we are going to be making a short RPG here - that’s pretty much in the design brief. Epic, 98% original storylines may be great, but they aren’t really applicable. That’s one of the reasons why I think that the “Azel’s quest for Edge” plotline would be a good choice for this project: because a shortish adventure such as this would be just the right length, and it would let us see what we are capable of.
As it’s almost certain that this quest will never be elaborated upon in a future official game, it seems like a good choice. Also, building on a single existing character (Azel) will be much more feasible than developing a new Panzer hero from scratch.
To be honest, if we had the budget, the resources and the time, I’d love to work on a game that dealt with a totally, completely original PD scenario, or the Ancient Age - but we have to remember that this is a fan project, and it will in fact be the first PD fan game in existance. One step at a time, as Al3x is suggesting, would seem to be the wisest choice…
Well, I look at the (pseudo-psychological) mess that was made considering how sloppily translated Phantasy Star was. Especially the whole Lutz/Noah deal. Even though it was never meant to be the case, some folks have convinced themselves they are two different characters and have gone to great effort, through writing, to prove it so. And mainly, just because some chumps in suits didn’t bother to check their own work in the series.
Besides, I said “Less like a fanfic”. Just laying off the fanboyism is a good idea, at least in my head.
Don’t worry Skeearmon, I don’t think that anyone is going to be allowed to get away with grafting unrealistically unlikely theories into this fan game. It would really lower the “authenticity” of the project, which no-one will want. When considering already-known information, we’re going to be avoiding continuity errors like the plague, not inviting them
