P2: Map, premise, project plan

In a future where humanity has chosen to abstract away conscious thought using generative AI models, a selected few people known as “Retrievers” are tasked with recovering lost relics of human cognition. You are an entity who has transcended flexible thought.

You play as an abstracted being tasked with retrieving the ancient relic of Hong Kong from the British National Museum. The relic holds the key to restoring full human free thought. This relic, stolen from Hong Kong decades ago, is rumoured to hold the key to unlocking the full spectrum of human thought, where you have free thought responding to real world scenarios.

Map:

Conflicts:

  • External: bavigate a competing factions—governments, syndicates, and rogue agents—while evading museum security.
  • Internal: decide whether to stay as an abstract entity or embrace the messiness of human thought.

Choices

  •  Trust characters like “The Cipher” for help, or rely on your own AI, ChatGPT, to complete the mission.
  • Hack, infiltrate, or confront enemies directly, or use stealth and negotiation.
  • Make decisions based purely on abstraction or allow traces of human emotion to guide your choices.

Actions and resources

  • Use AI to disable systems, gather intelligence, or outmanoeuvre opponents.
  • An AI tool to assist you but could be manipulated by others.
  • Choose to gain underground resources at the cost of further obligations.

Game events

  • Decide whether to trust locals in HK or rely on your AI to find clues.
  • Face growing threats from competing factions as you approach the relic.
  • Confront your internal choice – remain abstract or restore your own thought

Project Plan

  • Oct 21:  finalise premise using feedback from class and write first draft.
  • Oct 24: learn how to use Twine
  • Oct 28: finish 2  with iteration histories, complete Twine version of game
  • Nov 1: final iteration and hand in

Challenges I anticipate are:

  • Ensuring multiple story paths feel equally compelling and lead to satisfying conclusions.
  • Balancing the abstract nature of the main character with the personal stakes of the mission.
  • Adding some emotion to the character! The character is supposed to feel like a disembodied blob of thought, but it still needs something for the player to root for.

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