Story/Game Idea I had: Absolution

The Core Media Forum
#31

Alright, I promised, and you shall receive…

Ways to Die in Absolution…

Sector 1: The Outskirts

Where: Train Station
How: Piss off the Bartender. Either talk to him too many times, or order a drink. (Since you have no way of paying for it right now.)
Result: The Bartender gives you a small taste of his 12-gauge. The shot blows Jake’s head into itty-bitty pieces. Jake is revived as an automaton-like headless slave, his body almost completely reworked into a RC-style cyborg.

Death message: “You know, making people fucking pissed isn’t going to help you around here.”

Where: Train Station
How: Jump onto the tracks.
Result: Jake learns the hard way that the train’s actually electric. The force of the currents running through him liquidate his internal organs, blow apart his eyes, and reduce his skin to a mass of burnt, gooey fluid. His remains are placed into a spherical machine, and used as manual labor in Sector 3.

Death message: “You know that whole thing about ‘Look before you leap?’ Yeah, they weren’t kidding around, dumbass. Next time, watch where you step.”

Where: Train Station
How: Try to get the key without attaching the metal pole to the hook.
Result: The first time, the player is warned that there is not enough reach. The second time, the player is told more bluntly. The third time, Jake finally leans over too far and falls over the edge. From there, the death is the same as intentionally jumping onto the tracks.

Death message: “Well…we warned you.”

Where: Train Station
How: Don’t throw the hook at the Bartender in time, or use the wooden pole.
Result: If you just stand there like an idiot, the Bartender blows a hole right through Jake’s heart. If you try to run, the Bartender guns you down from behind. If you try to fight him with your bare hands, he blows you away before you even get close. If you use the pole, you manage to knock him once, but he still gets a shot off. Either way, Jake is quickly lobotomized and rebuilt, and turned into the next Butcher.

Death message: “The fat bastard’s always looking for more help, it seems. If only you had something a bit tougher than yourself…”

Where: Shantytown
How: Try to steal anything besides the pole and thread.
Result: The town’s residents quickly identify Jake as the thief he is, and descend upon him en masse. Within minutes, he is torn to pieces and turned into the town’s communal dinner. A single piece of his brain is kept for the Brotherhood, for use in some of their more simplistic organic machines.

Death message: “A sense of community can be a great strength, even in such a hopeless place as Absolution. Keep that in mind next time you try ripping someone off; you might be the one RIPPED off next.”

Where: Butcher’s Shop
How: Don’t escape the conveyor belt in time.
Result: Jake manages one last cry for help as the dicers tear into his body. Ever-increasing amounts of gore are shot out of the machine as he slowly disappears into the device. Finally, nothing but his head is left. What remains is then placed on a set of spider legs, similar to Torsoboy.

Death message: “You’re on a conveyor belt. You’re heading into a slaughter machine. Figure it out, Einstein!”

Where: Butcher’s Shop
How: Stand around like an idiot after escaping the belt, or try to leave the shop.
Result: If you stand around, the butcher comes back, knocks Jake out, and feeds him into the machine. If he tries to leave, he learns the Butcher is just outside, throwing together some slabs of rotten steak, and is instantly caught. Either way, only his head is left.

Death message: “If you can’t escape right away…then what?”

Where: Butcher’s Shop
How: Fail to escape from the butcher’s initial attack.
Result: Jake’s throat is ripped open by one of the hooks. Gurgling his last breaths, Jake is dragged and thrown into the machine. From there, it’s the same as the previous two deaths.

Death message: “The Butcher has two advantages, one on each hand. Maybe some quick thinking can remedy that situation…”

Where: Butcher’s Shop
How: Fall into the grinder during the fight with the Butcher.
Result: The extra weight causes Jake’s fingers to lose their grip. He plummets backwards into the giant meat grinder, his body ground up into hamburger. The butcher manages to dislodge himself and hook onto the grinder’s edge, thereby surviving the fall. Nothing is left of Jake.

Death message: “What a way to go. If only you could have unburdened yourself before the plunge…”

Where: Anywhere after the Butcher’s Shop.
How: Don’t use the First-Aid kit on the wound.
Result: After a few minutes, the game warns you that Jake is feeling lightheaded. A few more minutes later, Jake falls to his feet, and barely manages to pick himself up. By this point, the wound is obviously infected; pus is growing from all corners, the skin has turned a purplish hue, and Jake is sweating heavily. If the player doesn’t treat the wound within a minute, the infection destroys his central nervous system. Already weak from the loss of blood, Jake has a massive seizure and falls dead, his mouth foaming over. He is remodeled with a new cybernetic nervous system, and sent to work in Sector 6.

Death message: “Obviously the Butcher wasn’t very keen on cleanliness. You might have survived if you hadn’t been so lazy with that kit.”

Where: The Gates
How: Don’t kill the Bartender.
Result: The Bartender guns Jake down. Jake is then turned into one of the Bartender’s latest servants, and greets new arrivals at the train station.

Death message: “The Bartender was just too tough this time around. If only he had a weak spot…”

Well, that’s all for Sector 1. Sector 2 has a LOT more ways to perish.

#32

Good d, I liked the last part.

#33

Update tomorrow.

#34

Alright, the deaths for Sector 2. These are, hopefully, a little more elaborate and satisfying than those in Sector 1.

Where: Church
How: Try to enter the church three times without the statue, or try to enter again after returning the statue.
Result: The guard gives you two tries to turn back. The first time, he simply blocks your way and points towards the road. The second time, he raises the shotgun and motions towards the road. The third time, he blows Jake’s head and half of his torso clean off. Jake’s remains are used to power a Reagent (a Frankenstein-esque creature made by the body parts rendered unusable in reviving the dead.)

Death Message:
(If you tried to enter before returning the statue)
“Pissing off the Order of Baphomet isn’t exactly a good idea. Keep that in mind- oh, sorry.”

(If you tried to enter after returning the statue)
“Good works will only get you so far with the Order. Maybe you should just leave well enough alone…”

Where: Governor’s Office
How: Try to enter the white room before finding the statue
Result: The governor orders his manservants to grab Jake. He manages to catch a glimpse of the woman shaking her head sadly before disappearing. Jake is laid flat on floor, while the governor stands overhead. For daring to transgress against his wishes, the governor first smashes Jake’s crotch with his foot, and then smashes his skull in five painful seconds later. With nothing left of use for the Red Light District, the governor has the body carved up into food.

Death Message: “The Lord of the Body is a lot tougher than he looks. Maybe you should have considered his offer more closely…”

Where: Just about anywhere in the Red Light District
How: Try to have a “job” done
Result: The results differ slightly, depending on what brothel or with which prostitutes Jake visits. However, the result is always the same. Jake is cornered in the room and his lower body is either torn or melted off. Jake’s upper body is then fitted on a mechanical tank-like contraption meant for “his or her pleasure.”

Death Message: “Um…you know you have a job to do, right?”

Where: The Fallen Seraphim Brothel
How: Give the key to the Emo kid
Result: The madam refuses to believe that Jake was sent by the governor, and he is pushed out. With no means of retrieving his key, Jake is forced to spend the rest of eternity in the Red Light District.

Death Message: “Look, we told you. We warned you giving the key away was a bad idea, but you didn’t listen. Next time, try to THINK AHEAD!”

Where: The Cherub’s Lair
How: Don’t kill the child or leave the room in time.
Result: The child screams out an alarm. The room is immediately swarmed with hundreds of pedophiles and their “love toys.” Jake is quickly pushed out the window by the sheer momentum of the crowd, and dies on the streets below. His body is refitted with a mechanical spine, and he becomes a worker at Sector 6.

Death Message: “Inaction will cost you dearly. Maybe you should get rid of the kid.”

Where: The Cherub’s Lair
How: Stay in the room after killing the child.
Result: A woman sees the dead child and screams up at the brothel. The room is immediately flooded with vengeful pedophiles, who quickly push Jake out the window. His body is refitted with a mechanical spine, and he becomes a worker at Sector 6.

Death Message: “You murdered a child…in a den of perverts. What did you THINK was going to happen?”

(more tomorrow)

#35

Eeewww. Did you HAVE to include castration?

Hostel 2 much?

#36

This is the only thread I read in this forum

#37

If a game like that was actually released, I would sue the creators for the pain I feel lin my testicles by watching it. :slight_smile:

#38

Alright, on to the rest of the horrible, agonizing deaths (plus one cheapie!).

Where: Second Brothel Basement
How: Stay in the basement without turning on the flashlight
Result: The game immediately warns the player that it’s pitch black down there. If the player decides to stumble around, eventually Jake trips on something…or someone. The last thing the player hears is Jake’s screams as he’s beaten to death. If he simply stands around, something lunges at him from the shadows, pulls him in, and beats the shit out of his face. His body is still intact, so he is simply lobotomized and turned into an automaton slave for the governor.

Death Message: “If only Jake could have seen what was coming…”

Where: Second Brothel Basement
How: Take too long to reach the generator
Result: As Jake continues to navigate the maze, the flashlight slowly starts to dim. If he takes more than ten minutes to reach the generator, the batteries burn out, leaving him stranded in the darkness. Soon enough, something grabs him by the throat and rearranges his face. His fate is the same as going in without the flashlight.

Death Message: “Stupid cheap 7-11 batteries! Maybe you should have gone a WEE bit quicker there…”

Where: Second Brothel Basement
How: Touch the generator or try to move the body without using the wooden pole
Result: The very second Jake’s hands touch the wet blood on the generator or body, millions of volts of electricity surge through his body. He manages to elect one final scream as his vocal cords, not to mention many of his other extremities, burst from the pure onslaught. After several agonizing seconds, his charred remains slump to the floor. The few parts of his brain that weren’t melted are used to power a small street cleaning robot.

Death Message: “You would think the crackling and sizzling would be a clue. Just think back a little, dumbass.”

Where: Second Brothel
How: Don’t escape before the building explodes
Result: The building collapses, sending debris raining down on Jake. Nobody even bothers to dig through the rubble to salvage his corpse.

Death Message: “One word: Boom.”

Where: Third Brothel Lobby
How: Don’t escape up the stairs in time
Result: Jake is dragged on his knees to the madam. Taking hold of a nearby leather whip, she proceeds to whip the shit out of Jake’s face and body before finally strangling him with the cord. He is turned into a drooling sadomasochistic gimp as punishment.

Death Message: “Sometimes, the only way to go is up…”

Where: Third Brothel Second Floor
How: Get hit by the crossbow bolts
Result: The striking bolt tears right through Jake’s neck and exits through the other side. After a few moments of gurgling, Jake falls dead. He is then turned into the brothel’s new reserve gimp.

Death Message: “Your arrow-catching skills could use some work. Maybe you should work on dodging next time.”

Where: Third Brothel Second Floor
How: Don’t punch the dominatrix
Result: Jake is grabbed in a choke hold and dragged back to the lobby. The death is then the same as simply staying in the lobby.

Death Message: “Dude, you’re in Hell. Chivalry died out about seven hundred sins ago.”

Where: Third Brothel Third Floor
How: Step on one of the bear traps
Result: The trap immediately closes on Jake’s leg, all but severing his foot. As he screams in absolute agony, the waiting madam grabs him by the hair and shoves him into the other traps. The mechanisms immediately close on him, tearing off his face, crushing his crotch, busing his kneecaps, mutilating his arms, etc. The bloody wreck that was once a human being is then divided up and sold as food.

Death Message: “Watch your step!”

Where: Third Brothel Fourth Floor
How: Don’t use the spray can and lighter
Result: Same as the lobby.

Death Message: “So close, and yet…so far. If only you had something you could use.”

Where: Third Brothel Fourth Floor
How: Don’t dodge the battle axe
Result: The axe severs Jake’s head with a single swing. The madam, now suffering from catastrophic third-degree burns, has the head stuffed, while the body is refitted with a cybernetic skull and turned into a gimp.

Death Message: “In the immortal words of bad movies: duck, you sucker!”

Where: Third Brothel
How: Don’t escape before the building burns down
Result: A piece of the floor above Jake falls down, pining him helplessly. His body is already half-melted by the time the rest of the building follows suit. Nothing usable remains.

Death Message: “Doesn’t it just BURN you up?”

Where: Fallen Seraphim Brothel
How: Don’t dodge the bodyguard’s attacks
Result: The bodyguard grabs Jake by the throat and strangles him to death. Jake is then lobotomized and resurrected as a mindless servant for the governor.

Death Message: “What a CRUSHING defeat! If only you had been quicker on the feet.”

Where: Governor’s Office
How: Don’t dodge the gunfire
Result: Jake is pelted with shells from no less than fifteen directions. The barrage reduces him to a few strips of flesh and gore. The bodyguards proceed to feast on what remains.

Death Message: “Bullets, it seems, are bad for your health.”

Where: Governor’s Office
How: Get struck by the governor’s cane
Result: The first blow tears a massive wound in Jake’s cheek, causing him to spin over in a daze. The second blow knows out several of his teeth and sends Jake to the floor. The governor’s final blow strikes the back of his neck, severing his spinal cord. Jake’s paralyzed body is kept alive via life-support machines, just so the governor can watch him suffer forever.

Death Message: “Too bad, Jake. If you had moved a bit quicker, you might have avoided that death blow.”

Where: Governor’s Office
How: Don’t hold back the vibrator
Result: The governor jams the vibrator into Jake’s neck with such force that the machine breaks through the skin. The vibration reduces his windpipe and esophagus to mush within seconds, and Jake dies a very painful, asphyxiated, blood-soaked death. Jake’s body is then refitted with a voice synthesizer, and used to welcome new residents to the Red Light District.

Death Message: “In the end, you just weren’t strong enough to avoid the ramming and the humping.”

Where: The White Room
How: Don’t resist the woman’s words
Result: Jake finally gives in to despair, and rams the cane into his throat. The woman smiles briefly, only to be replaced by a cackling, demonic figure. Jake cannot make anything out before he finally dies.

Death Message: “At last, justice was served. You have been punished for that murder…that you…wait a second!”

And…that’s a wrap with this sector!

I’ll get to work on Sector 3: The Industrial Zone soon. In the meantime, enjoy these cute kittens:

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#39

The many ways of dying give away your old-school adventureness, d. 284 points. Returning to see how the body ends up after dying is a nice touch.

#40

Okay, third sector starting soon.

#41

Please promise me no castration. :slight_smile:

#42

Sector 3: The Industrial District

Jake, Holly, and the stranger wander down the path, passing rivers of toxic slime, mountains of lumped garbage, and the dumped remains of the district’s many victims. In the distance, various factories and plants, evidently pulled directly from the Industrial Revolution, continue to pelt smoke and gases into the air, the haze becoming ever thicker as they reach a small man-made valley.

The minute they reach the outskirts of the valley, they encounter a small, pimple-faced teenager, dressed in an “Absolution Corp” t-shirt and operating a small metal stand. In exchange for Jake’s cash, he gives the three hazard suits and oxygen tanks. Without the suits, the sheer accumulation of pollutants will blister and melt the skin off of everyone; likewise, the air is so toxic that oxygen tanks have to be used to breath. There are oxygen refill stations placed at the few safe areas in the sector’s valley, but otherwise, they have to make tracks to wherever it is they’re going.

All three suit up and enter the smog. However, the sheer density of the cloud causes all three to split up. Eventually, Jake ends up outside of the smog…only to find himself standing in the same wasteland he had seen upon entering. The district’s exit is also here; however, only official product shipments are allowed in and out of the gate. The gatekeeper, a twisted old black man with his entire left side replaced by clanging and creaking machinery, gives Jake a map of the valley, while also suggesting that he find work with any of the main industrial companies: Absolution Corp, Nakir and Munkar Inc., Hamistagan Industries, and Aaru Company.

Absolution Corp is Absolution’s largest legitimate corporation, holding 70% of all production shares in the district. They primarily cater to the mainstream consumer base, especially in the sixth sector. Nakir and Munkar Inc. is a corporate firm, established by two brothers, that holds 15% of production shares in the city. They primarily cater to the Order of Baphomet, and are particularly responsible for turning the dead citizens into twisted machines. Hamistagan Industries is a relative newcomer, holding 10% of all production shares. It primarily caters to the mechanics of Absolution, keeping the train running at all times and making sure the lights stay on. Finally, Aaru Company used to be number one, but lost most of its contracts to Absolution Corp, and holds only 5% of production shares. However, they are also responsible for many of the mining operations on the city’s outskirts, which provide the gold needed for the Order’s statues and churches.

As Jake is making his way back to the valley, he is stopped by a normal human, a long-haired hippie. He claims to have been in Absolution for nearly forty years, and has been trying to return the sector to its no doubt beautiful original appearance. He wants Jake to help him shut down all four corporations; in fact, in order to ensure his cooperation, he’s managed to capture the stranger, and will kill him if Jake does not do as he asks.

(to be continued)

#43

I’m really liking this, it’s very compelling and original :slight_smile:

#44

Sorry for not commenting in awhile. as I’ve said before, you really know how to tell a compelling story throughout and still do the icky well. …a little TOO well. Ignore that knock at your door. it’s most definately NOT the men in the clean white coats. Nope. It’s a…candygram. Yes.

#45

I know I’m delaying this update again (mostly because I want to commit myself to some more research), but there’s a couple other things about the game design I wanted to discuss. In this case, I want to speak about the game’s take on morality.

Originally, I had no moral component in Absolution; it was straight horror, sort of steampunk mixed with a twisted reality and a dash of Dante’s Inferno. However, as I began to develop on the groundwork, I began to realize there needed to be some sort of <i>punch</i> behind your actions. Jake always had to deal with or perform awful deeds to succeed, but the reasoning felt rather empty.

Then I remembered BioShock. The game was awesome (and is the ONLY game I have ever finished in one long sitting). However, I remember one of the game’s biggest selling points being the idea of “power vs. humanity.” This was supposed to be exemplified in the “Little Sisters,” and your decision of whether or not to harvest them for more power, or save them at a loss in strength. Unfortunately, this was fucked over by the introduction of a “reward” system for saving Little Sisters. In the end, it was far more beneficial to save as many as possible, leaving the whole struggle between becoming stronger and retaining your humanity moot.

In fact, this is seen all OVER gaming. Being a nice guy gets you power-ups; being a dick gets you hated by everyone. Even games that had you playing as a bad guy (like God of War) only really rewarded you for following the game’s white-and-black notion of morality. This wouldn’t be a problem, except that developers are advertising many such “open” games as having realistic moral consequences, when in reality they are following the same Saturday Morning Cartoon logic that they’ve always had.

I decided to introduce a moral component into Absolution, but not in the traditional “this is good or this is bad” sense. The idea was to break down the barriers between good and bad actions, to show that even being a hero has nasty consequences. This is showcased in the first moral decision in the game: whether or not to kill the child prostitute. The other patrons in the brothel return much later, and will remember your actions accordingly.

If you decide to kill him, you can quickly destroy the brothel and escape without anyone noticing. However, you <i>have</i> just murdered a child. A few even witness you doing so, although they won’t report you (since there’s no real use in such a place). When you bump into the other people you killed, a few are shown to be genuinely remorseful about their actions, thinking that the boy committed suicide because of what they were doing to him. They will actually offer their help as some means of redemption.

However, if you did the right thing and didn’t commit direct child murder, the same people appear again. However, because they have no motivation to question their actions, they are the same as ever. In fact, they’re even more pissed than before, thanks to knowing Jake did them in, and will refuse to help him unless he does some favors for them, mostly involving satisfying their lust.

The idea is to try and not present things in simple terms, but show how even actions that would make people vomit can sometimes NOT have a negative effect on the universe. Furthermore, saving puppies doesn’t always mean you’ll be treated as a saint.

There is a lot more to this, as well, such as thematic takes on age-old beliefs and hypocrisies, the exclusion of a 'light side/dark side" meter, and how this all factors into the endgame. However, this is simply meant to give somewhat of a glimpse into things to come, including some much MORE twisted revelations.

And rape. Can’t forget the rape.

#46

Quite often if you don’t get the same or a bigger amount of money by being a boy scout, you get so much more XP the question is moot.

#47

Alright, I’m sorry it’s been so long. I’ve been having a lack of motivation in regards to this work. I’m just…not sure where to go anymore, partially because I’m trying to take this next part seriously. There will be an update Saturday, and I will go rapidfire through the rest of the sector.

#48

Branching paths!

#49

Absolution Sector Three Continued:

ABSOLUTION CORP PATH:

By far the most straightforward of the paths, Jake’s goal is to bring down
Absolution Corp’s remaining rivals. This is also the second most evil option, as Jake will have to perform some EXTREMELY morally-questionable actions here.

Jake returns to the valley, and navigates the toxic fog to Absolution Corp’s main office. The building itself is a massive skyscraper, its exterior rotted and twisted from years in the poisonous air. Inside, however, he finds a lavishly decorated fortress, with gold-plated walls, decorative obsidian columns, and for the first time since his arrival, stable electric lights. The only other person in the lobby is a secretary, a woman that looks like half of her body was held down in magma for a few hours. The parts that are not covered in pulsating sores are instead encased inside cybernetics, all of which seem to be operating with a mind of her own. If Jake decides to indulge her in idle conversation, she reveals that she literally has two minds; the cyborg is what was left of the last secretary, who was thrown into the fog after pissing off the CEO. Waste not, after all…

In any case, Jake is allowed to see the CEO, an almost skeletal old man. His face looks like a partially-melted Vincent Price, his eyes rolling loosely in his threadbare skull. His office itself is lavishly decorated, massive bookcases covering every wall, the floor covered in a decorative mural showing a demonic skull gleefully burning and tearing at numerous naked bodies. The CEO wanders absently-minded about, his teeth constantly chattering and clicking in harsh, unnatural tones. He has been in Absolution for a very long time, having abandoned his own pilgrimage (the term for people trying to leave the city) in exchange for his power. Now, he wishes only to see his rivals ground into dust, and sees gullible Jake as the perfect pawn.

STEP ONE: ELIMINATE NAKIR AND MUNKAR, INC.

“The k-k-key is the Order, my boy. The ORDER! They rule e-v-erything, EVERYTHING, in Absolution, AB! But they don’t want efficiency- efficiency- EFFICIENCY! Those antiquated fools at Nakir and Munkar, THEY have poisoned our minds! Yours, mine, OURS! Show them! Show those fools in the ORDer that we can make things better! BETTER! And FASTER! Faster.”

Absolution Corp has recently built a new means of refitting the damned into monsters, one that is far less varied, but quicker on the uptake. Unfortunately, in order to accomplish this goal, they have to undermine the Order of Baphomet’s confidence in Nakir and Munkar’s abilities. Jake’s task is to find someone, kill them if needed, and then take their body to Nakir and Munkar Inc. Once inside, he will have to refit the body <i>in the wrong fashion</i>. Absolution Corp. has already prepared a few corpses for demonstration; all Jake has to do is convince the Order to shop around, and the company will handle the rest.

Jake has three options of whom to murder:

  1. The hippy from the gate. If Jake sneaks back, he can enter the hippy’s private camp, where the stranger is being held. Also inside the camp is a small collection of garden tools, including a pair of shears and a spade. If Jake frees the stranger, he can convince him to murder the hippy (something the stranger is a little <i>too</i> eager to do), or he can simply kill the bastard himself. Either way, there’s a body.

  2. Wandering around the mist is an older woman, trying desperately to find her way to the relative safety of Absolution Corp. If Jake decides, he can offer to bring her to safety…and then take her to Nakir and Munkar directly. Once inside, she will fail their test miserably, and be ordered to undergo the transformation…while still conscious. Jake can then enter the chamber in the middle of the process and muck with things.

If Jake takes her to Absolution Corp instead, she will refuse to leave. Furthermore, the CEO will ask to see her. When Jake comes back from Nakir and Munkar, he will see the CEO casually tossing a half-eaten bone away.

  1. If Jake saved the dominatrix in Sector Two, she’ll appear back at the entrance, desperate to thank him. Furthermore, she also has access to a body; one of her former co-workers, now a burnt-out waste. This is the only way for Jake to escape the situation without killing someone.

If Jake didn’t save her, there will be a young child running around, having escaped the Cherub’s Lair before its destruction. If Jake threw the other kid out the window, the child will have no idea he was responsible, and will beg him for help. All Jake has to do from there is throw him into the acidic valley, watch as his body melts, take his brain, and head on out. If Jake was caught, the kid will run in terror. At this point, the player has no choice but to take options one or two.

Once a body (or at least part thereof) is in his possession, Jake has to sneak into Nakir and Munkar, Inc. In particular, he has to enter the lower levels, where the surgical machines needed to create the monsters are kept. There are two ways to accomplish this:

  1. If Jake opted for option two, he can simply follow the old woman through the security area. As long as he doesn’t talk to any of the guards, or act suspiciously, he can go as far as the actual surgery ward. Once there, he can sneak into the nearby laundry, borrow a guard uniform, fake a message on the intercom, and then enter the chamber.

  2. If Jake opted for any other choice, he has to take a more direct route. On the far east side of the valley, there is a Jeffries tube of sorts, which connects directly with the surgery ward. If he has a body, he can simply load it into the tube, which shoots it down the drain. From there, he can quickly hop into the tube himself. Once he gets to the ward, he has to quickly jump off, or he’ll get sucked further down. Fortunately, the doctor is currently out, giving him a few minutes to work.

The actual surgery ward is a surprisingly sterile world, bathed entirely in a metallic white and grey. The actual surgery is performed using a large series of metallic needles, hammers, and other automated tools, held together on a robotic chasis hanging over a long table. If he has the child’s brain, he instead has to place it inside a handful of contraptions: a vacuum cleaner, a robotic blowjob dispenser, a street cleaner, a security bot, and a security camera.

First, Jake has to follow the complex ritual involved in the process. The CEO was not kidding when he said the whole mess was slow. Jake has to first input the cause of death on a computer, in order to deem the appropriate fate. Once he has accomplished this task, he has to place the body on the table (or the brain in the device), and then connect the appropriate modifications and wires to power the reanimated corpse. However, since he has to purposely screw up things, he has to change one part of the procedure, so that the resulting automata ceases to function.

  1. The Hippy is ordered to be a door greeter, and as such is to have his vocal chords replaced, his legs rendered useless for walking, and have much of his strength removed. Jake has to perform the latter two actions straight (mostly by removing muscle tissue and replacing it with less flexible silicone substitute), but he must change two of the wires on the vocal chords. This will cause the voice box to overload and explode upon testing, harming the waiting Order agents.

  2. The woman is to be nothing more than a Reagent, and as such must half three-quarters of her brain lobotomized and replaced with a low-grade computer. Obviously, what Jake has to do is change the brain’s programming so that it operates at an improved level, thereby making her <i>smarter and more capable</i> than before. She will then attack the Order’s agents, forcing her to be put down.

Unfortunately, in this case, she is also conscious throughout the whole thing. This gives Jake less time to work before the doctors arrive. (Or, for that matter, less time for the players to enjoy her suffering, if they’re sick enough to actually play this game.)

  1. If Jake has the dead dominatrix, her new role is not that dissimilar from her prior one: a simple whore for the Red Light District. Because most of her body is burnt off, what remains is to be placed inside a new robotic chasis. Jake’s task is to screw with certain parts of the machine, most particularly the vaginal regions, so that they don’t function the way intended. When she is initially tested, the guy fucking her has to actually SUCEED (that is, not die horribly), thereby defeating the entire purpose of the operation. She is then shut down permanently.

If Jake has the boy’s brain, he is ordered to be placed in the blowjob dispenser and shipped off to the former pedophiles in sector seven. Simply enough, Jake can either swap the brain’s wires in the dispenser (thereby making it malfunction), or simply place it in the security bot (leading to some much-deader perverts). If he chooses the later action, he will also have to change the matter of the child’s COD, thereby making it look like a top-level mistake.

(Note: Above all else, Jake cannot leave overt signs of his tampering. If he does something obviously wrong, the Order will realize this was sabotage, march on Absolution Corp, and kill Jake.)

Afterwards, all Jake has to do is reverse the tube and jump in, sending him back to the valley.

When the demonstration fails, the Order will go to Absolution Corp for their pitch. The CEO will demonstrate a number of automata, all of which was extremely simplistic but otherwise work. Seeing the obvious quicker turnaround, the Order will sign a contract with Absolution Corp, robbing Nankir and Munkar of their most important source of revenue. With this, the player is one step closer to escaping.

Note: This has a major impact on the deaths. From Sector Four on, there are two versions for each of Jake’s fates: a simpler one for siding with Absolution Corp, or a more elaborate one for choosing someone else. The only exception is when he is killed by the Order, as they have special technology for such an incident.

(to be continued)

#50

This is quite impressive. And the deaths were pretty funny (and morbid, but it’s cool). Nice work, d!