Oddworld: SoulStorm

[Holy Sock]

Considering there hasn't been an Oddworld game better than the first one - 18 years ago - how much hope do we have for Soulstorm and the future of the series?

Exoddus and Stranger's Wrath are generally considered to be good games.

Sometimes I do wonder, however, why those who only liked Abe's Oddysee think there's a future in Oddworld for them? Not saying you're this type of person, Nep. But I do wonder if it's just wishful thinking on their part? Hope? Oddysee had such an impact they can wade through 4 Oddworld games they disliked just in case OWI capture that original magic?

[Vlam]

Holy Sock, Nepsotic can't accept the fact that AE is the "real" Oddworld.

By the way, I'm curious to see how Lanning will "re-write" Exoddus (when we know the story behind it):

Greg-That's good to hear. Story was such an important part of Abe's flow. What's the story for Abe's Exoddus?
Lorne- In Abe's Exoddus, the story picks up exactly where Abe's Oddysee left off. In Abe's Oddysee, Abe believed that he did a great thing by helping out his race. What he learns in Abe's Exoddus is that all of his actions, no matter how righteous they appear, will always have effects that cause another dilemma. In Abe's Oddysee, Abe rescued the Mudokons from the meat grinder then shut down the RuptureFarms plant. Well, when he shut down RuptureFarms, he unknowingly created an ingredients shortage for another Glukkon franchise. This new factory is called SoulStorm Brewery. And their brew is made from bones and Mudokon tears. Abe shut down RuptureFarms, thus he stopped the flow of bones from RuptureFarms to SoulStorm Brewery. But business must go on, so the Glukkons have started to mine an ancient Mudokon burial ground. Needless to say this is pissing a bunch of dead Mudokons off. And you can guess who they come to visit to ask for hel
It's going to be a much funnier game, without losing the qualities and the serious undertone that made Abe's Oddysee what it was.

Yes, Munch's Oddysee was scheduled to be the second game of the Quintology and we had not planned on doing a title outside of the Quintology.

However, many PlayStation owners sent us email and they really, really wanted another game on the PlayStation. Our game designers also wanted to do one more version of the same game style that would achieve and do many things that they weren't able to do in the first game. So we decided to do one more PlayStation title, picking up right from where Abe's Oddysee left off and ending right where Munch's Oddysee would begin. We also had a lot of story points that we wanted the gamer to learn about before we entered the world of Munch. Thus, we came to the conclusion to build Abe's Exoddus. So we look at Abe's Exoddus as though it is a bonus game.

http://web.archive.org/web/199901290...ials/oddworld/

[Holy Sock]

You know, I never got the connection that they started digging up Mudokon bones because of Abe's actions in the first game. Perhaps that's something that could be more of a focus in SoulStorm?

[Vlam]

Me neither. It doesn't make sense: Bonewerkz and SoulStorm Brewery already existed during AO, right? Or maybe he means that since Abe managed to shut down RuptureFarms, the Glukkons produce more brews (?).

[Holy Sock]

He means that shutting down RuptureFarms created a big deficit in bones so they started mining the burial grounds. Doesn't entirely hold up since AE takes place directly after Oddysee and the Mines seem to be in full swing.

But I do like idea of Abe's actions having unforseen negative consequences.

I think it links in with the original idea of the movie where Abe releasing a large portion of RuptureFarms' livestock leads to Molluck using Mudokons instead in desperation.

[Vlam]

He means that shutting down RuptureFarms created a big deficit in bones so they started mining the burial grounds.

Ah, yes.

But I do like idea of Abe's actions having unforseen negative consequences.

Is that really "negative"? They're just stealing bones.

[Nepsotic]

Yeah, to be honest I don't get what the big deal is other than the slavery and torture. That sounds sarcastic, but honestly - all they're doing is taking bones.

Exoddus and Stranger's Wrath are generally considered to be good games.

Sometimes I do wonder, however, why those who only liked Abe's Oddysee think there's a future in Oddworld for them? Not saying you're this type of person, Nep. But I do wonder if it's just wishful thinking on their part? Hope? Oddysee had such an impact they can wade through 4 Oddworld games they disliked just in case OWI capture that original magic?

When did I say Abe's Exoddus and Stranger were not good games? Please, enlighten me.

[Connell]

Nep is a Glukkon sympathiser.

In all seriousness, I never got that the bones were being dug up because of Abe's actions either. It would be nice to see more of this "trickle-down" effect brought to light in Soulstorm, and really connect the world a bit more.

[Holy Sock]

Well the Mudokons are very spiritual people so digging up your ancestral burial grounds is problematic. Also, in Oddword, there are actual Mudokon spirits who are being disturbed by the mining.

When did I say Abe's Exoddus and Stranger were not good games? Please, enlighten me.

I should have elaborated. When I said they were generally considered good games I was poking at the idea that, therefore, people are going to think that one or the other are better experiences than the original. Therefore your original statement certainly applies to your own personal tastes but there isn't this general idea that Oddworld never topped their original outing 18 years ago - and therefore perhaps we shouldn't be too excited about the future.

[Vlam]

Well the Mudokons are very spiritual people so digging up your ancestral burial grounds is problematic. Also, in Oddword, there are actual Mudokon spirits who are being disturbed by the mining.

Yes, but from a storytelling viewpoint it's less dramatic than killing Mudokons (to eat them after) in AO.

[Holy Sock]

Yes, but from a storytelling viewpoint it's less dramatic than killing Mudokons (to eat them after) in AO.

It is but it's just the starting point. Abe then learns they're using the bones to make Brew and later on their tears. Not nearly as dramatic, certainly. But Abe's Exoddus was always sort of a thematic repeat rather than taking the overall narrative deeper and into new dramatic territory.

[kjjcarpenter]

It is but it's just the starting point. Abe then learns they're using the bones to make Brew and later on their tears. Not nearly as dramatic, certainly. But Abe's Exoddus was always sort of a thematic repeat rather than taking the overall narrative deeper and into new dramatic territory.

Plus, we get that timeless line:

First our meat, then our bones, now our tears!

[Manco]

I always felt the desecration of Necrum was very dramatic - not only are they chopping up Mudokons for their meat but even their bones aren't safe; a sacred burial ground is being dug up and the remains of Mudokons laid to rest are being disturbed, and restless spirits are even being trapped. It shows a massive disrespect and disregard on the part of the Magog Cartel for the Mudokons, their history, their beliefs, and their dead.

[Nepsotic]

So? It's kind of like "meh" after you've just played a game where they're going to be chopped up and have their heads put on sticks.

[Vlam]

Nepsotic, AO was a happy accident. You have to learn to live with it.

[Crashpunk]

AO was quite ahead of it's time really. I'm not surprised it got the attention it deserved.

[Michael]

If the brewery has a deficit of bones following RF's destruction, that implies RF had been shipping mudokon bones there for some time. I always thought that they hadn't yet started to make Mudokon Pops during AO, hence 'Coming Soon...' Abe discovered the plans before they were put into motion and stopped the idea from happening (at least in RF 1029). I never got the impression Abe learned the truth behind an existing product

It's established in the AO intro that Mudokon Pops are Molluck's idea, so I wouldn't have thought other franchises would have started making them sooner than 1029.

So if bones were being shipped from RF prior to AO, and SoulStorm Mining Co. was purely reactionary as Lorne suggests, where did they come from? Work related accidents? Seems too small and inconsistent for a huge brewery to rely on!

Think of the mountains of bone powder in Bonewerkz, there's no way anything coming from RF would account for even 1% of that supply. The 'deficit' following AO would be negligible. And the idea that SoulStorm Mining Co is essentially a quick pop-up shop makes no sense in the given timeframe.

Whilst I really like the idea of exploring negative consequences of Abe's actions, in my opinion things would need to change with the narrative to make the situation believable. Having a span of time pass between the games, and establishing exactly why the events in AO let to the plans to mine Necrum, for example.

Maybe these are the kinds of story changes Lorne has hinted at for the new game?

[SligValet]

I would love if they reworked it to something like that, I always imagined they had been doing it for possibly years before RF even concepted the idea of Mudokon Pops - but it would (for me) make the stories feel alot more connected, and darker if its directly referenced that due to Abe's actions this and that happened with a negative impact, along with a small time shift as you said. I imagine the corporations would rather quickly scramble to get something going by the time they hear of the demise of RF1029 - but there's no way they could've gotten to where they were only weeks afterwards

[JayDee]

I feel as though rather than it being specifically Mudokon bones that were coming from Rupturefarms it might have been just any bones in general from the livestock at the meat processing facility. When Rupturefarms shut down this was when they didn't have a supply of livestock bones so they resorted to digging up a Mudokon burial ground and found that these Mudokon bones had, "Twice Ze Flavour."

This still doesn't explain how well set up the Soulstorm Mining Co. appears to be, so perhaps they were just doing it to a lesser extent, since in Exoddus we see them trying to expand into the Mudomo/Mudanche Vaults?

Either way, I like the idea of Abe's good intentions having these kinds of consequences.

[Fatherbrain30]

I feel as though rather than it being specifically Mudokon bones that were coming from Rupturefarms it might have been just any bones in general from the livestock at the meat processing facility. When Rupturefarms shut down this was when they didn't have a supply of livestock bones so they resorted to digging up a Mudokon burial ground and found that these Mudokon bones had, "Twice Ze Flavour.

This makes sense. Bones from animals made the original brew. But it wasn't until they started using Mudokon Bones that they realized they made an unholy drink of addicting power.

[Havoc]

If the brewery has a deficit of bones following RF's destruction, that implies RF had been shipping mudokon bones there for some time.

No, it implies that Brew is made with any kind of bone, not specifically Mudokon bones. I don't know how that mistake crept into everyone's head, because it's never mentioned or implied that way.

RuptureFarms provided the majority of the bones because they're a meat processing plant, obviously taking out a lot of bones from all the creatures. The idea to cut up Mudokons hadn't even been put into action when RF was shut down (AO took place over the course of a single day). But at Bonewerkz we see absolute huge mountains of bone powder. There is no way that is all Mudokon bones.

[Gunnr]

Holy Sock, Nepsotic can't accept the fact that AE is the "real" Oddworld.

By the way, I'm curious to see how Lanning will "re-write" Exoddus (when we know the story behind it):


http://web.archive.org/web/199901290...ials/oddworld/

The hype is mauling me to pieces

[Gunnr]

Holy Sock, Nepsotic can't accept the fact that AE is the "real" Oddworld.

By the way, I'm curious to see how Lanning will "re-write" Exoddus (when we know the story behind it):


http://web.archive.org/web/199901290...ials/oddworld/

Noice

[MA]

When Rupturefarms shut down this was when they didn't have a supply of livestock bones so they resorted to digging up a Mudokon burial ground and found that these Mudokon bones had, "Twice Ze Flavour."

This still doesn't explain how well set up the Soulstorm Mining Co. appears to be, so perhaps they were just doing it to a lesser extent, since in Exoddus we see them trying to expand into the Mudomo/Mudanche Vaults?

i assumed that the whole 'twice ze flavour' thing was to do with them adding mudokon tears to the brew and adding extra bone powder (the words 'X-tra Bone' is something seen on a brew bottle in one of AE cutscenes), which they could have been doing since before Abe shut down RF. i could be wrong though.

does anyone know if Soulstorm Mining Co was active before RF was shut down? i was under the impression with AE that Soulstorm Brew had increased in sales due to addiction and that Soulstorm Mining Co were set up before RF was shut down because RF bones weren't enough to meet demands anymore. i'm not sure if that's correct though.

This makes sense. Bones from animals made the original brew. But it wasn't until they started using Mudokon Bones that they realized they made an unholy drink of addicting power.

i assumed Soulstorm Brew had always been super-addictive (at least to the mudokons), even when they used only animal bones.

[Manco]

SoulStorm Mining Co can be assumed to be operational before AE because of how much digging has already been done, and because we see a sign stating "under new management" referencing Molluck's disappearance. If Molluck was the previous manager then SoulStorm Mining Co would have to have been established before AE begins.

[kjjcarpenter]

SoulStorm Mining Co can be assumed to be operational before AE because of how much digging has already been done, and because we see a sign stating "under new management" referencing Molluck's disappearance. If Molluck was the previous manager then SoulStorm Mining Co would have to have been established before AE begins.

I always interpreted the "Under New Management" notice as referring to the acquisition of the Necrum Burial Grounds by the Magog Cartel.

[Nate]

I always interpreted the "Under New Management" notice as referring to the acquisition of the Necrum Burial Grounds by the Magog Cartel.

This.



If I can summarise the last few pages of this thread:

• Word of God has stated that Necrum Mines was opened in response to Rupturefarms being closed down.
• AE is set the day after AO and appears to show a mature operation
• This doesn't work in the timing.
• There's no real way to consolidate the two concepts
• Someone fucked up. That's just about it.
• We can keep discussing this if you like, but really at this point you're just running in circles.

[STM]

Either that or it was an established mining company and the Magog Cartel moves really fucking fast.

That brings up an interesting question though, to what extent was the Cartel blindsided by the actions of Abe? Are his actions unusual considering RF1029 was obviously an established plant, as with the Brewery. Is the status quo so absolute that actually, the Magog Cartel couldn't forsee any sort of uprising or insurgency?

[Havoc]

I somehow think that "slave worker gets the ability to possess security personnel and high ranking executive Glukkons" was not anywhere on their list of possible future problems in terms of uprisings.

[STM]

And yet they have chant suppressors everywhere and armed security everywhere as well as landmines within a corporate environment. RF is just as much a fortress as it is a meat processing plant.