Factory Reset

## Goal

Factory Reset is a game that can only be played by users who are considered "delinquent" by their respective societies. For humans that criteria might be obvious, but perhaps for trolls the circumstances would be reversed.

The goal is to reform those who play the game, for better or worse.

## In-game World

Through starting the game you and any co-players are blacked out and transported to "The Factory." The Factory is a seemingly entirely enclosed, multi-floored, space with no windows. Factory floors are city sized, with multiple back hallways and office rooms, as well as buildings inside the floor itself that serve purposes as if it were a city. Running a winding path throughout the entire floor is a single conveyor belt, that ends at a large incinerator.

After entering the game, Players wake up on a floor by themselves on a conveyer belt lined with ceramic mannequin duplicates of the player of varying levels of similarity. The Players are examples of Perfect Bodies, something the Foremen are attempting to create for themselves to replace their own, imperfect, bodies.

### In-game Currencies

Currencies in the Factory are in the form of body parts. These can be looted from enemies or traded by the Vendors for whatever bits and bobs they may ask for. Parts are only useable on the floor they belong to.

Parts come in several grades with lower grades (C, D, F) being almost completely unrecognizable as who they're supposed to resemble.

### NPCs

#### Passive NPCs

Passive NPCs mostly encompass lower ranking employees of the factory. They, like most other inhabitants on a floor, somewhat resemble the player who originally woke up on that floor. Employees are usually helpful to their player such as point them in the direction of quest objectives or hiding them from Security. Employees cannot be Perfect Bodies.

A special example of a passive NPC are the Vendors. The Vendors are the only guaranteed instance of a Perfect Body that spawns as a game construct. The Vendors accept body parts and bits and bobs as currency for resetting a Player's nine refundable skill points. This cost gets higher the more times its used.

#### Basic Enemies

Basic Enemies break down into two groups: Failed Bodies and Security.

Not every mannequin on the conveyor belt makes it to the incinerator, some wake up and get off the belt. Those are called Failed Bodies and they terrorize both Employees and Players alike. Many of the quests Players can be given by Employees can involve dispatching a particularly strong or troublesome Failed Body. Failed Bodies are entirely hostile and if given the opportunity will kill Players.

Security are higher ranking factory employees under control of the floor Foreman with the command to hunt and capture the floor's Player to bring them to the Foreman. Security will not detain other floors' Players though they will defend themselves if assaulted. Security also cannot be Perfect Bodies but in general will be higher quality than lower Employees.

#### Bosses

The main bosses of Factory Reset are the Foremen, of which one appears on each floor of the Factory, and are tailored to each individual player. While they are primarily bosses, they can also be temporarily passive and reasoned with. The Foremen's goal is to create a perfect new body, of which coincidentally would have been the Players' bodies had they not woken up and escaped.

In addition to the Foremen, there is a secret boss that must be taken care of to acquire a key to get the good outcome.

## Character Variances

   Factory Reset *has* a title system, but it's much less important to the game as a whole. While a Player's class and aspect are technically predetermined, only their aspect is readily obvious.

A Player's aspect is displayed from the very beginning on a shackle attached the each Players' ankles. meanwhile their class is determined by a 10-point skill tree. These points are granted to the Player as they clear quests or hit specific growth milestones. A Player's floor's Foreman will always be the same class the floor's Player is predetermined to end up as.

Aspects are an elemental identifier, that in a title, is placed in front of a Player's class.

The first of the 10 points will always be spent on determining which branch of the skill tree a Player will specialize in: Red (fighter), Green (ranger), and Blue (mage). This point can never be refunded.

The remaining nine points are spent allocating to the three skills in a Player's branch. Until all nine points are spent, a Player's class is "Apprentice", regardless of branch. A Player's class is not set in stone until a Player is Gilded. After a Player Gilds they cannot refund their skill points.

### Gilding

Gilding is achieved by solving the problem of the floor's Foreman. This can be achieved in multiple ways but a Player will become Gilt through any of them. Until a Player is Gilt they are Tarnished. Gilded Players receive a key to unlock their shackle, as well as open the Final Door, and also receive a new costume for their trouble. Gilt players are functionally immortal, but can still be killed, they will resurrect after some time, no longer needing spare bodies to resurrect.

The Foreman can be removed from play through multiple methods, all of which will Gild a Player. Most beneficially to the Player involves grinding parts to construct a Perfect Body for the Foreman. After that would be just killing the Foreman and taking their key by force. After that involves sacrificing their body to their Foreman, which would put the Player in the Foreman's body, requiring the Player to make themself a new body. This method assures a Player will be returned to their home if their group acquires the secret key. The Player cannot Gild until they are in their own body. Last, killing and sacrificing your floor's Vendor to the Foreman. This method guarantees the Player in question cannot be returned to their home, regardless of ending.

## Normal Win Condition[s]

Under best case scenarios, a group playing Factory Reset will have grown to be cooperative, and happy, and friendly. They will have all Gilt. They will all come together as a group to the door in the far end of the secret boss' room after defeating them. After inserting each Players' key into the door, they will insert the secret boss' key. Opening the door will transport the group back to their home planet at the time and place of their disappearance. They are then expected to act as benevolent helpers to their home.

### Alternate Win Conditions

A group is not required to grow as people to complete the game. They can be stubborn in the mire of their misery. If a "good" group fails to defeat the secret boss, or a "bad" group opens the Final Door, the group will be thrown through time and space to an otherwise uninhabited space in their universe.

## Trivia

* Most of this came to the author in a dream like a prophet receiving visions from an angry god.