I need help developing a story.

[Renodox]

Okay, I've decided to start writing on my own.  Here's the deal: I've gotten it to where you've been captured and are on a plane transporting you elsewhere along with a lot of other illegally captured animals.  However, you find you are able to remove your badge.  Thing is this: the animals are going to different continents of the world.  Thinking about how a game can practically be made would you recommend that you can pick and choose which animal you switch with and go that that continent and play through the entire game there and what game you play depends on which animal you choose?  Or would it be better that it's like a "Mega Man" game where you have to go to each continent to win but can decide what order you want?  Or would it be better to not allow a choice of which continent you go to and just have the game have a primarily single solid story line?

Furthermore, I was wondering: would it be better to have a single unified game spanning all the lands you visit or would it be better to have a series of games focusing on each different land you visit?

[Grim]

Just remembered what this idea reminded me of!

There's a song by Nine Inch Nails that goes like this ( and similar to my interpretation of your story... which you didn't like;) No mention of badges here but it sure strikes a familiar note) :

See the animal in his cage that you built?
Are you sure what side you're on?
Better not look him too closely in the eye...
Are you sure what side of the glass you're on?

See the safety of the life you have built?
Everything where it belongs...
Feel the hollowness inside of your heart
And it's all right where it belongs...

What if everything around you isn't quite what it seems?
What if all the world you think you know is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection, is that all you want to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks?
Would you find yourself... find yourself afraid to see?

[LetterAfterZ]

I think that you will want to make all the continents playable, or else you're either going to end up with a really short game or A LOT of work to do.

Perhaps the character plays as every animal in whatever order before the finale?

Back on the badges on humans thing, I can see this as a really great final battle where the main character's human will and personality are battling against another human.

This could be either putting the badge on the villain to defeat him, or defending yourself from the villain wherein you actually slay/disable him when you win. (maybe his 'will' gets forced out, but has nowhere to go so it escapes - thus setting up the epilogue/sequel idea where he ends up in some other animal WITHOUT a badge. (either something brutally powerful or really pathetic, but either way something you encountered in your playthrough of the game so the player knows how brutal/pathetic it is).

As an example - the battle of wills thing could be won with a dialogue choice with several trees - the character could uncover certain emotional weaknesses about said villain as he plays through the game. Perhaps this a fight that can be initiated from early on, but only won if you've been to every continent to get the appropriate information.

Just a bit of brainstorming anyway...

[LetterAfterZ]

EDIT:: Double post.

[Pyke]

I think the ideas are a little too abstract to really make a convincing game. You would need a hell of a lot of exposition to explain the 'rules' of the world.

I would greatly simplify the idea, and turn what you currently have around. You play as the soul of a deceased man. You can inhabit the body of any creature you see by 'soul jumping' into it's body. The badges can come intomthe story in that Soul Jumping is a common occurrence in the world-the badges PREVENT a creatures body from being hijacked.

Your puzzles could involve things like tricking people to remove their badges and open themselves up. Hijack a security guards dry cleaner and sabotage his spare badge, allowing you to jump into him when he changes clothes. Follow a man home and jump his body when he takes a shower. Guard dogs would have badges on them, until you lure one into a swimming pool (inside the body of a wild cat) and short out the badge.