New Oddworld "Timeline"

[TheParamitePie]

My personal opinion is that it'll be considerably clearer what the long term intentions are for things like the quintology post-Soulstorm.

As for getting the full story - Abe's full story - that's very much the plan.

Hey guys, I'm new here. Nice to meet you all! But to stay on topic, I'm super hyped for Soulstorm and even more so for Abe's full story!

[STM]

I touched on this in the ARG thread, but I'll elaborate more here.

After playing through the swimming portions of Inside (from the team that developed Limbo; great experience btw) I couldn't help but think about how a 2D re-imagining of Munch's Oddysee would work and I honestly think if OWI were to ever go about redoing Munch, it would be much wiser and safer to keep it in 2D rather than going into full 3D "Oddivision". If they were to go 3D, it would potentially be best to stick with fixed camera angles, like in this beta visualisation.

I'm torn between the two options. On the one hand, going 3D is a great way to flesh out the world and make it feel more like a real place, but I can't help but feel that this style of gameplay is just better suited to a sidescroller point of view. All I know for sure is that if I have to collect Spooce shrubs to open a gate one more time, I might just go crazy.

I'm not bothered as to what OWI do next; I could really get behind a revamped MO as it was meant to be, or something entirely new. I feel like with the way the franchise is going, MO is gonna have to be redone to reflect the developments of Soulstorm however.

With that being said, I really like the idea of a hypothetical MO_2.0 being somewhere between the archetypal 2.5D platformer a la NnT, and full on 3D game such as SW. If it's going down that route, I think fixed "swivelable" cameras and platforms that aren't always obviously platforms would be a good medium to portray gameplay.

[SgabbitGabbiar]

i'm happy to see that this topic is still going on

[horiZon]

My personal opinion is that it'll be considerably clearer what the long term intentions are for things like the quintology post-Soulstorm.

As for getting the full story - Abe's full story - that's very much the plan.

That's the Spirit! Abe's Story deserves to be told. Also Munch is a part on Abe's way. So, i'm looking forward meeting him again. :3

i'm happy to see that this topic is still going on

Happy about it too! Can't wait to get some more Information about Soulstorm, so we can fantasize more about the Lore.

[3S9Six]

The Mudokon resistance was never even mentioned in AE and was only suggested in MO.

I know it's pedantic, but isn't that what the scene at the end of Exoddus was alluding to?

From my understanding, Abe set off for Necrum immediately after escaping RuptureFarms - he is greeted by Big Face, farts, is knocked off the platform where he meets the Weirdos, and then embarks on his trip through the desert with his small crew.

The point I'm making is, Exoddus already is (sort of) the story of the Mudokon resistance, but the timeline is so brief, it wouldn't have made sense for an organised uprising to occur the day after the slaves were rescued.

It's not until the end of the game where he says there are more Mudokons out there, and announces "we're gonna find 'em".

This also makes me wonder if there will be a larger gap between N'n'T and Soulstorm like there is between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. Will Abe be a serious revolutionary figure or will he still be a hapless chump who's way out of his depth?

What do you guys think?

[Havoc]

I know it's pedantic, but isn't that what the scene at the end of Exoddus was alluding to?

From my understanding, Abe set off for Necrum immediately after escaping RuptureFarms - he is greeted by Big Face, farts, is knocked off the platform where he meets the Weirdos, and then embarks on his trip through the desert with his small crew.

The point I'm making is, Exoddus already is (sort of) the story of the Mudokon resistance, but the timeline is so brief, it wouldn't have made sense for an organised uprising to occur the day after the slaves were rescued.

It's not until the end of the game where he says there are more Mudokons out there, and announces "we're gonna find 'em".

To me the Mudokons as a group have always acted as a bunch of goofy guys with good intentions, wanting to free a few friends but not much else. Abe always seems to go with what others tell him and those others rarely, if ever, have actual long term plans. With the introduction of Soulstorm we see a side of the Mudokons we have never seen before. A serious, revolutionary, almost threatening side that actually resembles terrorism if one were to look at it from the Glukkon's point of view (which fits Abe's title as 'terrorist' much better).

I assume this idea was originally meant to be part of Exoddus as well, but was never fleshed out in the slightest. Which is why ended up with a rather light hearted and almost comical depiction of enslaved Mudokons. The scene at the end of Exoddus is what I would describe as a depiction of hope. Whereas I have the strong suspicion that the final scene in Soulstorm is going to be depicting something much much darker.

[3S9Six]

@Havoc

There is definitely an element of hope in the ending of Exoddus, but as the camera pulls back and reveals a legion of Muds all saluting the sky, I always got the impression they were becoming organised. Obviously, the game was so hastily made, nothing more than that made the cut, so it's only really hinted at, but I always thought it was the first stirrings of armed resistance.

That said, Soulstorm doesn't look like guerrilla warfare, but an underground revolutionary movement, full of spies, intrigue and covert tactics. This, to me, is much more in the spirit of Oddworld than the Mudokon resistance in MO, which seemed a little whacky and under-developed. It also lacked the art-style that gave the Slig Barracks, Bonewerkz, etc. such a haunting, creepy quality (one of my favourite things about Oddworld).

In many ways, it was frustrating that MO lacked the narrative element that made the first two games so great. Without it, I've always felt the Oddworld timeline never advanced, and has relied too much on telling parallel stories instead. So I'm really glad OWI have gone back to the source and are expanding on it. I really can't wait to see what they've come up with.

[Manco]

I’ve always hated the disconnect between the ending of AE (“but we knew there had to be more of us out there … and we were gonna find ‘em”) and the events of MO (schlepping around in nameless industrial microbusinesses to get a can of tuna).

Despite its fairly minimal addition to the story, AE established this sense that Abe and co. were getting organized and preparing to fully take on the industrialists, with Abe assuming the role of their guide. But that never came through into the story of MO, and that’s just another strike against MO.

[UnderTheSun]

I think a lot of this hinges on how organized the "Spirit of 1029" group is, and how it's organized.

The name itself hints that the members were inspired by Abe's success in bringing down Rupture Farms (facility 1029, the "biggest meat-processing plant on Oddworld"). However, Abe wasn't alone here; he was helped by the scattered remnant natives (presumably Mudomo and Mudanchee) based in the Monsaic Lines, who managed to infiltrate the heart of the facility to help Abe.

That's not bad in terms of organization. Yet, it seems like they have no tangible connection with the Spirit of 1029, based on how the ARG makes it feel like Abe and co. are completely in the dark about Molluck's other business ventures (among them a vertical monopoly in the creation of Soulstorm Brew). It seems like Ed plays the role of a whistleblower who caught wind of Abe's escapades (through Magog On the March, perhaps?), and figured he'd be the perfect guy to topple the whole thing.

This gives me the impression that Spirit of 1029 is a loosely-organized group of a few (likely ex-slave) Mudokons, each of whom were "employed" somewhere along the Soulstorm Brew production process. This would allow them to collaborate to complete the puzzle (almost like WikiLeaks). Tapping into long-distance communication would certainly help, and Ed seems particularly tech-savvy (although how our friends at the Monsaic Lines are getting any intel is another story).

Off-Topic: Speaking of "Magog On the March," OI should totally make some MOM newscasts as promotion for Soulstorm.

[Havoc]

Off-Topic: Speaking of "Magog On the March," OI should totally make some MOM newscasts as promotion for Soulstorm.

That would be probably be the best PR campaign Oddworld has ever done.

[Nate]

But Abe can chant with a stitched Mouth. So this Theory don't really works.

Poor quality control (8th question down).

[horiZon]

I’ve always hated the disconnect between the ending of AE (“but we knew there had to be more of us out there … and we were gonna find ‘em”) and the events of MO (schlepping around in nameless industrial microbusinesses to get a can of tuna).

Despite its fairly minimal addition to the story, AE established this sense that Abe and co. were getting organized and preparing to fully take on the industrialists, with Abe assuming the role of their guide. But that never came through into the story of MO, and that’s just another strike against MO.

In MO Abe freed also the Mudokon Eggs. So he really freed 'em. He also wanted to free Sam! But they needed to cut it out.
As long as Sam isn't free, they can't raid the Magog Castel. Sam is the only hope they have for living on.
So my hopes are on, she appears maybe at the end of Soulstorm?!

Poor quality control (8th question down).

Who wants to be the 3rd one explain it to me in this Thread? Seems like once isn't enough. :P
[Love u, Nate!]

@Topic: So the ARG is down now, maybe this Thread get's
some more love.

If i look at the Picture, it seems to be the Story before Abe raids to the Brew Factory. Maybe they put so - SO much more in into SS. Exodus maybe is just a piece of Cake to it. :3

[OWI_Pete]

Maybe they put so - SO much more in into SS. Exodus maybe is just a piece of Cake to it. :3

Was going to reply to this with something about how much extra thought is going into Soulstorm but then I got distracted thinking about cake.

[OWI_Pete]

It is indeed a possibility. Peter from OWI has said (basically) that the Quintology doesn't matter anymore.

Nope, never that it doesn't matter, that would be silly. Just that it was a plan that never got finished and, although we still have the option to do that, we also have an opportunity to go in a different direction and, perhaps, make a different kind of quintology (or sextology or whatever!). Ideas evolve and grow, my personal opinion is that it would be crazy to restrict that potential for new and exciting things for the sake of making games that we first spoke about 20 years ago.

Of course, we'd love to be able to make all the games we've got ideas for.

Edit: Apologies for the double post :/

[Manco]

It’s cake baked by Glukkons, it’s probably bad for ya.

That's not bad in terms of organization. Yet, it seems like they have no tangible connection with the Spirit of 1029, based on how the ARG makes it feel like Abe and co. are completely in the dark about Molluck's other business ventures (among them a vertical monopoly in the creation of Soulstorm Brew). It seems like Ed plays the role of a whistleblower who caught wind of Abe's escapades (through Magog On the March, perhaps?), and figured he'd be the perfect guy to topple the whole thing.

This gives me the impression that Spirit of 1029 is a loosely-organized group of a few (likely ex-slave) Mudokons, each of whom were "employed" somewhere along the Soulstorm Brew production process. This would allow them to collaborate to complete the puzzle (almost like WikiLeaks). Tapping into long-distance communication would certainly help, and Ed seems particularly tech-savvy (although how our friends at the Monsaic Lines are getting any intel is another story).

This is probably on the mark. The whole “exposing bad stuff happening” angle is probably a play on the Glukkons stitching eyes shut in AE – they didn’t want anyone to find out, but there’s a mole in the system. Ed and the Spirit of 1029 are likely inside Necrum, but I wonder if they have people in the Brewery itself? In AE most Mudokons didn’t seem to know what the bones were being dug up for.

It reminds me less of Wikileaks and more of the animals rights activists who record footage of bad practices in slaughterhouses and farms. Just on a much more sadistic scale.

[V_O_T]

@OWI_Pete, As mentioned above, a Magog on the march PR move would be amazing. Just drop the hint when you can for us

[horiZon]

Was going to reply to this with something about how much extra thought is going into Soulstorm but then I got distracted thinking about cake.

The Cake is a lie !

Of course, we'd love to be able to make all the games we've got ideas for.

Well, a Movie would be great too !

[Xavier]

Nope, never that it doesn't matter, that would be silly. Just that it was a plan that never got finished and, although we still have the option to do that, we also have an opportunity to go in a different direction and, perhaps, make a different kind of quintology (or sextology or whatever!). Ideas evolve and grow, my personal opinion is that it would be crazy to restrict that potential for new and exciting things for the sake of making games that we first spoke about 20 years ago.

Of course, we'd love to be able to make all the games we've got ideas for.

Edit: Apologies for the double post :/

My point exactly, I don't want you guys to be restricted by ideas that were communicated years ago. I just want cool stuff

Also is that the Spirit of 1029 logo in your avatar?

[Vlam]

Nope, never that it doesn't matter, that would be silly. Just that it was a plan that never got finished and, although we still have the option to do that, we also have an opportunity to go in a different direction and, perhaps, make a different kind of quintology (or sextology or whatever!). Ideas evolve and grow, my personal opinion is that it would be crazy to restrict that potential for new and exciting things for the sake of making games that we first spoke about 20 years ago.

Of course, we'd love to be able to make all the games we've got ideas for.

Edit: Apologies for the double post :/

I call a spade a spade.

Lorne’s original vision was to create a series of five videogames, the Oddworld Quintology, with each game introducing a new hero who would join the existing band of revolutionaries on their journey to put an end to the exploitation of cultures, people and the natural world by profiteering capitalists. It would culminate with five heroes in the consumer metropolis, but it would start with a hapless laborer in a third-world meat factory: Abe was a layperson in every way.

http://www.oddworld.com/oddworld-history/

≠

make a different kind of quintology

Thus this isn't the Oddworld Quintology (as defined by Lorne Lanning) anymore. I don't mind: I'm just saying.

[kjjcarpenter]

I understand what Vlam's saying. Essentially, we should have another term to refer to the new canon.

[Varrok]

What about just series?

[kjjcarpenter]

What about just series?

Not Oddworldian enough.

How about the Oddthology?

[Varrok]

Just call it series. Please.

[OWI_Pete]

@OWI_Pete, As mentioned above, a Magog on the march PR move would be amazing. Just drop the hint when you can for us

We've got a lot of ideas around this and I hope you'll be very happy with them when we're finally able to show you all...

Also is that the Spirit of 1029 logo in your avatar?

I don't know, is it? How did that get there?

Thus this isn't the Oddworld Quintology (as defined by Lorne Lanning) anymore. I don't mind: I'm just saying.

So we're essentially agreeing - this isn't that quintology. It might not even be a quintology. Maybe we'll go for six or seven or even more throughout the arc of this story. It's my opinion that the most important thing is telling the story and getting more games out there. I don't really care what terminology we use for doing that.

What about just series?

Well, there's a common sense idea that fixes a lot of communication problems, huh?

[Xavier]

Not Oddworldian enough.

How about the Oddthology?

The Great Oddventure

Please don't

[STM]

The Oddnibus.

[kjjcarpenter]

For the record, quintology is an erroneous term applicable only to Oddworld. It's actually pentalogy.

[OWI_Pete]

For the record, quintology is an erroneous term applicable only to Oddworld. It's actually pentalogy.

Well, now you're just being pODDantic.

[Xavier]

I don't know, is it? How did that get there?

Dude, the SPIRITOF1029 Mud activists have been infiltrating your account. Change your password now!

[Manco]

For the record, quintology is an erroneous term applicable only to Oddworld. It's actually pentalogy.

Let’s just keep it as the Quintology even if it’s no longer 5 games. Then if pedants try to correct it we just start making grammatical errors and odd puns at them.