Don't Read - planning act 1 trad

Note: Birdie, ignore this part: We need these particular developmental notes to be accessible to certain tools used in the process of creating the game, and right now the easiest way to do that is to simply host them on the wiki publicly. This page will contain major spoilers for the traditionalist path and 1) will eventually be deleted and 2) should be avoided. Please don't read the information on this page. Thank You!

Okay, Birdie, here's how the game works. We'll have a visual-novel-style game split into four acts, with three major bullet-hell-style battles in-between each act. Both the choices the player makes over the course of conversation and the player's performance during the battles will affect the story as it progresses. There are basically four endings possible, but the fact that characters will have different feelings about the player based on their choices and actions and the fact that there are four romanceable characters (among a few other possible detours along the way) ensures there are many more than four possible playthroughs. Now, ideally there would be three major paths in the game, but for right now we are only developing the "traditionalist" path. The others are the "shoehorn" and "Red Mission" paths. Each of those paths has its own set of NPCs and four new romanceable characters. The player is always 1) a young Callaxian, 2) a skilled pilot, and 3) a linetwister, but they get to choose their name, their preferred pronouns, and their background from three choices before the game begins. The fact that the player is never shown means they get to imagine the player looks exactly the way they want. At the beginning of the game they get to choose if they are joining the Shoehorns or the Stratist Traditionalists, however, again, at this stage of development we are only making the Traditionalist path.

In this playthrough the player becomes ingratiated with the so-called Royal Calla family and also learns a lot about the Union of Planets. The Union representatives are supposed to keep a lid on many aspects of galactic life—they are supposed to sever all ties after the completion of the war, after all—but the aliens seem to have a hard time not sharing information and thoughts on various things. In particular, they show their disdain for the Stratum, Del most of all.

Starts in the capitol city of New Bray'ed, at the Moonstone College campus, where Dra’rek is making an impassioned Shoehorn speech. Brek is there as well; it seems this is meant to be something of a debate between them, but Dra’rek has other plans. Their mark is part of what makes it possible for them to both be there. She attempts to rally the listeners against the injustices of the Stratum and quickly gets through some exposition about what’s been going on over the last two years and then makes a surprise announcement: with the mission’s help, the rebels, led by her, are launching the war properly, starting with taking over the campus, which will be their base. Pandemonium breaks out as some attendees of the speech run to escape and others run to join up with the Shoehorns. Many people seem to not know which side to take, if any. Brek is shocked at this and tries to flee as well, but he is captured. The player then somehow gets involved and—in the full version of the game—gets to choose between saving Brek or trying to make sure he is captured. However, in our early, traditionalist-only version, the player must help Brek escape.

Brek and the player make it to the palace, where the Union people are helping Brek and his father prepare for the war which has just begun in earnest. Del, who has extremely detailed information about Callax, reveals that the player is a promising young pilot. Because of the help the player gave Brek, they are recruited as an important officer in the fight instead of just a soldier. There are some brief introductions of Brek, Del, Ledev Amal, Yim, Ref, and Javie. They make their case for self-determinism, although Del can’t help but make a comment about the primitive injustice that is the Stratum. She is upbraided by Javie. There are a few chances here to earn points for or against the favor of these characters.

The first battle takes place on the Argony Flats, directly east of New Bray'ed, on the outskirts of the city

First Battle - Unless the player has done literally everything they could in the opening scenes to push Brek away, he will automatically be available to team up with because of his gratitude at being rescued. (Depending on the player’s chosen political alignment, it’s possible that, as a Lax, the player resents Brek to such a degree that they are rude/hostile to him and this drives a wedge between them.) Depending on choices made in the opening scenes, it may also be possible to have one more person available.

Success: 60% or more

It shouldn’t be hard to win this first encounter

Success of 80% or more awards the player extra favorable points from Del.

Upon succeeding in battle: The Union/Traditionalists get excited about their chances at this war, especially now that they have the player on their side. The player gets favorable points for some of the characters who value military prowess, including Del. They get a 5% bonus to the next battle if they succeeded in the first battle

Upon failure: The player gets unfavorable points for some of the characters, including Del. There is a general sense of gloom from many characters, and because of lowered morale, the difficulty level of the next encounter is raised 5%.

In any event, there are various one-on-one get-to-know-you scenes with the characters. Brek explains his family’s role in the world as well as his belief in Stratism. The player can express their feelings on those matters here. Del explains that she is Created and also her firm trust in the concept of self-determinism of species.

There is a surprise at this point: the Red Mission is taking part in this war as well. This leads to the second battle.

Second Battle - Against the Red Mission. Depending on actions/choices made by the player, as well as their performance in the previous battle, it is possible that anyone might be available to pair up with, but not everyone.

Success is 65% if the player succeeded in the first battle, 70% if they failed.

Upon failure morale is negatively affected even more. It will become increasingly difficult for the player to unify their team, and an additional 10% will be added for the needed victory of the final battle against the Mission. Failure in this battle as well as the first will ensure that Del does not like the player. Other characters’ points may be negatively affected as well.

(Also upon failure of the first two minigames, and if the player has romanced Brek, this opens up the possibility of “alternate ending #1”, see below)

Upon failure, if the player scores below 50%, the Red Mission will go on to defeat the Mission as well and the Red Mission will become the overall victor in the battle for Callax. There will be no third battle for the player, and the playthrough will quickly wrap up.

(This constitutes “alternate ending #2”, see below)

Upon success, the Red Mission will now be out of the picture, having made a failed gambit to get involved. Positive character points will be awarded for certain characters.

Upon success or failure between 50-70%, there will be further scenes in which the player can connect with characters, romance them, or push them away. If pursued successfully by the player, Brek and Del’s romances will culminate here before the final battle. Del’s romance is bittersweet, as she knows that she and the player’s relationship can’t last. But Del is Tellian through and through and knows the value of experiencing these emotions. Unlike Yim and Ledev Amal, she isn’t willing to break her code of ethics to continue the relationship.

An unspecified but significant amount of time passes, with minor skirmishes being reported between Traditionalist and Shoehorn forces, but no clear victor is decided upon until… the final battle.

Third Battle - Against the Mission/Shoehorns, with Dra’rek leading the charge for the opposition.

Success is 70% if the player was successful for the first two battles. If unsuccessful on the first battle only, it’s 75%. If unsuccessful for both it’s now a whopping 85%, which should be quite difficult to pull off.

(Success in both of the first two battles, achieving 95% or higher in the final battle, and having romanced Del opens up “Secret ending #1”, see below.)

Upon success and depending on various choices made during roleplaying, the player can get “Good ending #1” - the most vanilla ending in this major pathway. The Union/Traditionalists successfully win the civil war, drive Mission influence off the planet, and Dra’rek is imprisoned, which effectively ends rebel resistance. There are no major changes to the Stratum system, which is officially the outcome the Union most desires, since it leaves the door open for self-determination. Well, that's not exactly true. Brek becomes king and ends the practice of urgury within the Stratum system, which isn't nothing! https://bird-series.fandom.com/wiki/Urgury

Good ending #1 romance endings: Brek - the player cannot marry Brek because of Stratism and so their relationship comes to an end. Del - a bittersweet goodbye except in the case of the secret ending discussed above. Yim - secretly moves back to Callax after the credits. Ledev Amal - secretly smuggles the player offworld so they can live together on D'sahn.

Upon success and depending on various choices made during roleplaying, the player can get “Good ending #2” - This ending also concludes with the Mission being removed from the planet and ties being severed between Callax and the galactic community, however over the course of the playthrough the player character has successfully shown Brek the injustice of the Stratum, which leads to its abolishment at the end of the war. Something should be said about how this doesn’t follow the pattern of self-determinism and how this doesn’t look good for Del/the other Union officers. The player can decide (through various dialogue options) whether they were always anti-Stratum or if they were themselves first convinced by Del.

Good ending #2 romance endings: Brek - because Brek has disavowed the Stratum, the player CAN marry Brek and their relationship flourishes, with the player becoming a key figure in the new political sphere that’s created. The denouement shows heartening scenes of the player getting involved with making the world of Callax a better place. Del - a bittersweet goodbye except in the case of the secret ending discussed above. Yim - secretly moves back to Callax after the credits. Ledev Amal - secretly smuggles the player offworld so they can live together on D'sahn.

Bad ending #1 - If the player performs poorly on the minigames and/or makes several bad choices near the end of the playthrough, the Union/Traditionalists will lose the civil war, the Stratum will be overthrown, and the Mission will absorb Callax into the galactic community. Brek will be imprisoned. The player is in danger of imprisonment too, but if they have romanced Ledev Amal, or Yim they will have the option of being smuggled off the planet, never to return. Romancing Del will not lead to being smuggled offworld to continue the relationship, but she will use her influence to ensure the player is not imprisoned.

Alternate ending #1 - Alternate ending: If the player romances Brek and if they have not performed well in any of the minigames, there will be an option to kill Brek in a moment when his defenses are down. Because of the mark he shares with Dra’rek, this will kill her as well. This could be an emotional scene in which Brek expresses his belief that his death might be best for Callax but says he is “too weak” to carry it out. Perhaps he is even aware of what the player is doing. Even if the player has not performed well in the minigames, this will end the rebellion and ultimately lead to the Mission withdrawing from the planet. However, the player will be imprisoned and be widely known to be a murderer. Also, all friendships that have been built up with other characters will be ended.

Alternate ending #2 - Red Mission victory

Alternate ending #3 - If the player is about to lose the third battle, there will be a chance to kill Dra’rek. This will end the rebellion, effectively leading to Traditionalist victory, but, of course, this comes at the cost of Brek’s life because of the mark he shares with Dra’rek.

Secret ending #1 - Del breaks the rules for the player and finds some way for them to stay together. She’s so blown away by the player’s prowess, heart, and dedication that she can’t stand the thought of being separated from them. The game should be written in such a way that the player would never suspect this could be possible unless they achieve all of those objectives, hence it being a secret ending.

What you need to know:

The game is set in the backdrop of the Callaxian Civil War - https://bird-series.fandom.com/wiki/The\_Callaxian\_Civil\_War

The player is a linetwister, although they might not find this out or they might not believe it when they do - https://bird-series.fandom.com/wiki/Linetwisters\_and\_the\_Multiverse\_in\_Ledev\_Mysticism

What we're going to develop here is the outline of the script, starting with act 1. I say "script" but it's really a branching path of all the choices and outcomes.

The game always begins at a debate scheduled between Brek Calla and Dra'rek Calla. It's actually a trap that Dra'rek has set for Brek wherein she tries to capture him. The player, who is a very promising young fighter pilot who has done very well in simulations, is in the unique position at the front of the crowd to either ensure Brek is captured or that he escapes. By saving Brek, the player casts their lot with the Traditionalists/Union, or by ensuring Brek is captured with the Shoehorns/Mission. There is a third path that presents itself soon after if they ensure Brek is captured, which is that the Red Mission secretly contacts the player and offers to have them join them. But right now we are ONLY developing the Traditionalist/Union path