What themes would you like to see in future OW games?

[Scrab Watcher]

The name says it all really. What themes would you like to see in future games? We've seen slavery, animal testing, and Stranger's Wrath seems to (in my opinion) have something to do with 'always be yourself', so what themes would you like to appear in the future?

[Oddish]

Dark,twisted, horror,epic, depthy. Stranger's Wrath as something do with Racesism. I would like to see war in Oddworld too.

[WiLL the Wander]

An Oddworld war in Lord of the Rings style. And something from a wander who don't know who is he and what his mission.

[Nate]

This is something they've brushed on, but I'd like to see them delve deeper into the issue that 'one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist'. Perhaps they could do a game from an industrial's perspective, showing the hurt and pain that Abe and Munch have caused.

[Xavier]

War...
show the death, the injuried, the families, the burning bodies, the captured "squelet-muds", everything that hurts

show the horrible side of war, not the surface that "simply" is killing people

[Nepharski]

The Neph List:

-Genocide
-War
-Treachery

[Fuzzle Guy]

War, Team Work (Not liek Munch)

[Nate]

Some sort of parallel to the Industrial Revolution. The pollution side of things would be easy but I'm not too sure how they'd represent the social effects (unemployment, huge amounts of crime, etc)

[Alcar]

I would really like to see the topic of alternative lifestyles explored. Such as homosexuality, transgenders, etc. I think Oddworld could do a marvelous job on the subject - and it is a contemporary issue.

Apart from that, I'd like to see the religious issue continued in relation to the Mudokons.

Alcar...

[Dipstikk]

Dark,twisted, horror,epic, depthy.

That's kind of how my comic, Actra's Quest, is played out (Whenever I finish it...or start it). I think a horror story is something Oddworld desperately needs. Gore would be nice too. It's not like it's off-limits.

It would be cool to have a blood-and-gore game in Oddworld. Would be very refreshing.

I would really like to see the topic of alternative lifestyles explored. Such as homosexuality, transgenders, etc.

Though that's a good thought, Homosexuality is a very contravercial topic, and might be "jumping the gun" for Oddworld. It might give the Inhabitents more negitive media then they would like. You know what happened with San Anderas; people got word of a game with gang relations and they jumped all over it. I mean, it's not fair to Rockstar Games, but who didn't see it coming?

War

War is a very good topic. I'm thinking someone could start out fighting for his side, then find out that his side is planning something sinister, and he/she needs to stop this from happening.

My last thoughts: Oddworld could stand to have as female as the main character in one of their games. After all, we know that females exist, but we never hear of them doing anything besides laying eggs.

[Rincewynd]

This is something they've brushed on, but I'd like to see them delve deeper into the issue that 'one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist'. Perhaps they could do a game from an industrial's perspective, showing the hurt and pain that Abe and Munch have caused.

I agree, I want to have a game on the glukkons point of view and what munch and abe did(or maybe how the glukkons stopped it)

[Wil]

I would really like to see the topic of alternative lifestyles explored. Such as homosexuality, transgenders, etc. I think Oddworld could do a marvelous job on the subject - and it is a contemporary issue.

I love this quote from Lorne Lanning in an interview with the GT Marketing Slig in 1999.

The nature of our characters' sexuality has a tremendous amount to do with the storytelling. But this has yet to surface in our games as of yet. The beginnings of this will become revealed in Munch's Oddysee. The purpose is too complicated to describe just yet; in time it will make much more sense. With regard to controversy, I think that where we are going with sexual relations will be far more controversial than conventional sex could ever get. However, the classic boy meets girl story doesn't stand a chance on Oddworld. It just won't happen.

My own personal favourites:
- Hunting (we thought this would be in Stranger, maybe it will still be brushed on)
- Forced performing (e.g. circus animals, bear bating)
- Branding and luxury goods (á la Nike and Jäger le Coultre - Purdey would lend itself to hunting, too)
- Urbanisation and those stupid people who live on flood plains
- The ghastly trend of suing people over every little thing
- Glorification (of supposed war heroes and so on)
- SPAM!

[Scrab Watcher]

My last thoughts: Oddworld could stand to have as female as the main character in one of their games. After all, we know that females exist, but we never hear of them doing anything besides laying eggs.

That might be simbolic you know...*is thoughtful*

[Incognito]

I love this quote from Lorne Lanning in an interview with the GT Marketing Slig in 1999.

I take it Lorne was referring to Munch's Oddysee pre-butchery rather than to what we have today. (i.e. Sam, Maggie?)

As for the themes;

-War is definately one that I would like to see.
-Betrayal
-Differing perspectives (terrorist/freedom fighter issue)
-Female inhabitants

Another thing I'd like to see would be the Oddworld take on human politics, (lies, corruption, deceit.) One thing I'd really want to find out is who the real leaders of Oddworld actually are (There must be someone above Lady Margaret.)

[Oddish]

I would also like to see mythes, tales and legendry stories.

[Nate]

Do you mean Earth myths transferred to Oddworld? 'Cos I think the previous games definately count as legendary stories.

[Odd Trusting]

Well the focus of the othergames has a modern meaning but are we thinking about that or about how to get Abe out of the mess he just fell head first into. Yeah once were done we do look at the moral and the modern day issue is there to help us relate. but I do like the lieng/corruption bit cause thats been in them all, like false advertisement does too. I think you guys have come up with some good ideas, and Odd only knows if one of the inhabinants could be reading it right know *wink*

[Alcar]

I take it Lorne was referring to Munch's Oddysee pre-butchery rather than to what we have today. (i.e. Sam, Maggie?)

Yes, Lorne is referring to the Munch's Oddysee intended for the PlayStation 2. However, I'm not sure if he was referring to Sam or Maggie in relation to alternative sexualities. However, in the Xbox Munch's Oddysee, there are already hints of this alternative sexuality: Humphrey and Irwin, for example show signs of it, not to mention their hemphraditism (spelling?).

Alcar...

[Oddipus]

theme's: I agree with all of you

gameplay: remote play
I mean: when you chant you leave your character and play with another.

I want remote play with critters. Good for stealth use. For example: Stranger shoots a fuzzle, you get 1 minute to control the fuzzle.

[Xavier]

remote play?
well that was the big idea for MO

you could play the whole game with one slig for example, and get a higer status, bigger gun

and achieve the same things in a different way

[Nate]

I never heard that. I knew Lulu was going to play a bigger part, but every level would still begin with Abe and Munch breaking into a facility to get close enough to possess him (according to Paul O'Connor).

[Wil]

Lorne doesn't specify what he's talking about in terms of sexual relationships, obviously. Who's to say that Munch's Oddysee was the intended medium for this controversey? Wouldn't surprise me if it was, as the reproductive models of Glukkons and Mudokons would have been seen, but I don't see this or hermaphrodites being all that controversial.

Status was going to be an integral part of Munch's Oddysee gameplay, and Xav is right in saying that a lot of gameplay would involve possessing a Slig and using him to get into new areas. Examples Lorne gave of this involved situations where there were several levers that needed pulling, and while there were enough Sligs about, the only one you could possess was a much lower status than the others, so the higher status Sligs ignored their workmate when he told them to pull the levers.

So it's up to the gamer to control the Slig at work, get a nice wage and trot over to some kind of weapon/status Vendo, get a promotion, impress the other Sligs, and get them to pull the lever.

The Neph List:

-Genocide

Lucky Neph, according to the latest Lorne interview, this is indeed what the Natives are going through.

[Oddish]

That's realy interesting Max, that would be so cool in MO. The puzzle in would of been so much more complex and life like.

[Nath]

I would just love to see a horror senario in Oddworld, maybe not in a game, but in a movie. A crazed Glukkon gets mutated and has extra arms and goes round killing things at night time. Then maybe a twisted Vykker would join him in his rampage to gain vengeance over the death of something that he cared for.