Force majeure 2: The Zone (Released)

simulacra · Sat 24/07/2004 17:44:55

You are the sole survivor of an unknown catastrophe, trapped in an air-raid shelter. Escaping your confinement, you face a delusional reality known only as the Zone â€" a place where your own mind is your enemy. The city is in ruins: explore a dreamy landscape through the eyes of a lone wanderer trying to piece together fragments of the past.

Force majeure II: The Zone is an audio-visual interactive story by Leo Nordwall set in a ruined city where everything seems uncertain. The Zone is experienced from a first-person perspective and is navigated by pointing-and-clicking. Photos, drawings, 3D renderings and live video footage have been integrated into a unique visual experience. The soundtrack is over 70 minutes long and features new tracks in the tradition of electro-acoustic music, ambient and electronica.

While there are plenty of interactive works and games that entertain by providing puzzle solving, action and slapstick humour, the Zone is all about exploring the unknown territories of the mind. If you feel that issues such as philosophy, poetry, metaphysics and art is your cup of tea, the story might interest you. If not, the irreal meanderings of the Zone is best left alone.

Force majeure: The Zone is produced by Leo Nordwall in cooperation with Interacting Arts.

Facts

Play time: 1,5â€"2,5 hours
Number of locations: 75
Soundtrack: Over 70 minutes
Platforms: Windows XP (Mac OS X and Linux ports are underway)

Game web site with screenshots, music and video downloads: http://interactingarts.org/thezone/

Screenshots

First encounter

The Concrete Ziggurat

Our special place

Inside the old laboratory

Answering the phone

Rendezvous

Exploring the ruins

Printer problems

Rendezvous II

A dangerous Zone dweller

simulacra · Mon 09/08/2004 15:03:23

I thought I'd just give a report on how things are going so far and post a few screenshots. There will be a web page for the game soon, where you'll be able to sign up as a beta tester.

So far, there are 34 46 52 detailed rooms with an original CD-quality soundtrack. As you see below, the game is not made in the traditional cartoon style. :o The game is quite linear in the beginning, but divides into several intertwining sub-episodes. If you enjoy works by authors such as Philip K Dick, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, works by filmmakers such as Tarkovskij or David Lynch, or music like the Silent Hill OSTs or Future Sound of London, you probably will enjoy the Zone as well.

If you want some information on the live roleplaying game which is the first part of the story, please visit: http://interactingarts.org/force/

Screenshots

Inside the old laboratory

Answering the phone

Rendezvous

Exploring the ruins

Printer problems

Rendezvous II

deadsuperhero · Wed 11/08/2004 18:56:28

They look great. Did you make them yourself?

simulacra · Wed 11/08/2004 20:22:26

Quote from: Webspider on Wed 11/08/2004 18:56:28
They look great. Did you make them yourself?

Yes, I did. I actually made the white costume for the project.

simulacra · Mon 30/08/2004 02:35:22

Game web site released with screenshots, call for beta testers and sneak preview downloads of soundtrack bits and pieces.

http://interactingarts.org/thezone/

MoodyBlues · Mon 30/08/2004 03:18:55

Woah. This looks good. :o

The screenshots are beautiful, and the storyline is very intriguing - almost Sanitarium-like. Best of luck with this one!

Goldmund · Mon 30/08/2004 04:35:26

This looks very cool.
But aren't you afraid that the lack of other character may make the gameplay rather dull?

simulacra · Mon 30/08/2004 14:41:55

Quote from: Goldmund on Mon 30/08/2004 04:35:26
This looks very cool.
But aren't you afraid that the lack of other character may make the gameplay rather dull?

That is actually somewhat of a problem. But there are some characters: zone wanderers, a long-lost love, a talking vat, some old collegues and ... umm... an elephant.

simulacra · Fri 10/09/2004 16:24:49

Designer's notes - 10th September 2004

I have been working on The Zone for a year now. After finishing the first part of this interactive drama series (Force majeure), I was left with a feeling of emptiness. So much work put into a project... and yet one question remained unanswered. What is the Zone?

The Zone starts where Force majeure ends. In Force majeure, thirteen people find themselves trapped in an old air-raid shelter after a mysterious disaster and you get to experience the first two hours of entrapment. Physically. During Force majeure, you hear fragments of several radio messages broadcasted by a lone wanderer in a city struck by disaster. But these messages get more and more surreal and become a major topic for speculation in the shelter. Is it safe to leave? No one knows for sure. And those who do leave find themselves in quite a different city.

During work on Force majeure I got lots of ideas concerning what might have happened out there. But I soon realised that these notions were too surreal to enact physically. A different form of expression was needed.

I opted for a graphical point-and-click adventure. The focus would on telling the story of the Zone and to provide a audiovisual experience strong enough to give the player a sense of having been there. The story is primarily told using text, supported by images and sound. The alternative would have been to let animations bring the story across, but that unfortunately would be out of scope in a one person, non-funded project. There was so much to tell about the Zone, that I preferred being able to tell the whole story rather than making a short, graphically spectacular episode.

So far, the work has moved forward at a fairly steady pace. The basic structure of the game is mapped: you start out by escaping your confinement in the old air-raid shelter, meet other lost souls (or are they?) and get to visit your old work place. After that, the game becomes less linear and you get to explore the Zone freely. This is done by navigating a map, where you reach episodes at different locations. These are interconnected and trigger events and sub-stories in other sub-plots. The climax of the game is the journey into the mythical centre of the Zone, a journey, the outcome of which depends on your previous actions.

The storylines form an ujjjjjjjjh (oops, a cat stepped on the keyboard). What I was about to say was that the storylines together form a mirror image of the life the protagonist has lived previous to the disaster. Many of these stories originate in my own life: wierd thoughts about the nature of reality, strange visions and events that are better left untold. And a substantial amount of philosophy. Cultural studies sure can turn your head outside in.

The problem that the protagonist tries to solve is perhaps not what the Zone is, but what reality is. I'm not quite sure there are answers such questions. Only those who reach the centre of the Zone will ever know, and none of those who travel there ever return. As with all other pursuits of knowledge it is a one-way journey.

Enjoy your trips.

simulacra · Fri 15/10/2004 02:21:01

New screenshots

The Concrete Ziggurat

Our special place *

* Yes, it is an intertextual reference. There are plenty of those in the game.

pslocum · Fri 15/10/2004 02:24:08

This continues to look great. I look forward to it.

splat44 · Fri 15/10/2004 05:52:39

Woa, mystifying sound too!

Sound great and good luck

simulacra · Tue 19/10/2004 14:27:45

New screenshot

A chance meeting

Another costume made for the project, with me as a model. Hope you like it!

Chicky · Tue 19/10/2004 18:03:37

Looks excellent, i must say. I really admire the effort you're putting into this project.

Rincewind · Tue 19/10/2004 20:02:46

Wow - I agree, this looks bloody marvelous! There is a very odd and eerie feeling over the screenshots, and I think I'm gonna enjoy playing this one...

The best of luck with it!

simulacra · Fri 10/12/2004 11:09:20

Hi there.

I just wanted to tell you that the project is still running. I am currently wrapping up the oneironaut subplot (which has a screenshot above "A chance meeting"). I am also finishing the love plot, which includes a suicide theme. The suicide has now been made interactive (you can opt to avoid it up to a certain point), after some serious consideration.

I have decided to make a small series of boxed games as well, which will include a full soundtrack for CD listening as well as some in-depth background for those who are interested.

That's it for today.

Goldmund · Sun 12/12/2004 12:47:37

Ha ha, oneironaut? This sounds interesting, a very nice idea!
Great to hear you're still working on this.

Haddas · Sun 12/12/2004 17:51:56

How about the music? will it be resident evilly or nice?

simulacra · Mon 13/12/2004 22:03:46

Quote from: Haddas on Sun 12/12/2004 17:51:56
How about the music? will it be resident evilly or nice?

Imagine Satie meeting Yamaoka (composer of Silent Hill soundtracks). There are some sample music available on the game's website.

Goldmund · Wed 15/12/2004 01:48:58

Erik Satie?

That's all I've got to know. He's the only composer that I like so much that I have learnt to play his works on the piano (mainly Gnosiennes).
This game will rock.

Lazy Z · Fri 17/12/2004 22:27:11

For some weird reason, I hadn't posted in this thread even though I've been meaning to do so for a while now. In any case, your game sounds (and looks, for that matter!) absolutely fantastic! The mere mention of music influenced by Akira Yamaoka is enough for me, but everything else (graphics, story) sound fantastic too. So, yeah, looking forward to the complete game!

By the by, oneironaut huh? Cool! On a side note, one thing I've always wondered is how that word is pronounced in English.

simulacra · Sat 18/12/2004 00:05:57

Why thank you for the encouraging feedback. I get sort of nervous that I won't please your high expectations, but I guess that is the way of things. Well, I will just keep working then and keep you updated on what happens.

Neil Dnuma · Mon 20/12/2004 14:07:57

I love the music, esp. "Brain-in-a-vat theory". Reminds me a lot of Arvo PÃ¤rt. You weren't by a chance inspired by his "Alina"?

If the mood of this tune and the Stalker-esque pictures is carried properly by the actual game, it's gonna be really good.

simulacra · Mon 20/12/2004 14:13:04

Indeed I am - it is a remix of 'Alina' by Arwo PÃ¤rt. You are the first person to recognise it, actually.

simulacra · Mon 10/01/2005 22:28:54

I have decided to postpone the release of the Zone for a while. This is for a number of reasons. First and most important is that I have expanded the original storyline, which makes production take longer. Also, I have gotten a full-time job as a game designer at a research studio, as it happens. I will have to leave Stockholm for a month and work in the medival city of Visby at Gotland. During this period, I will probably have little time to work on my own projects. This does not mean that the project will be abandoned, just that I'll wait with a release until the stars are right.

Meanwhile, I'll give you some new goodies and news tidbits. I have introduced a new character: the psychogeographer. Those of you who know about the situationists will know what this guy is up to.

I have also decided that the ending of the game will something that you never have seen before in an adventure game. I am reluctant to reveal too many details that would spoil it, but I can say that there will be an 'out-of-game experience' that will take, you, the player on a trip that leaves the screen and is a true implementation of first-person gaming. The ending sequence will include a relatively unknown form of psychoactive sound programming to achieve this effect. I hope you will enjoy it.

Three new tracks have been released: Dreaming in colour (music for the Oneironaut plot), The Force majeure Theme (title music) and For Tzara (music for the ruin exploration sequence). Visit the game web site to download these tracks.

http://interactingarts.org/thezone/downloads.html

simulacra · Mon 21/02/2005 00:51:52

Hi again.

I am back from the Trans-Reality Game Laboratory for a brief visit in my home town, Stockholm. I just wanted to pop by and say something about the intro, which is about finished. There will be a 3 minute long introductions sequence with a dirty look in glorious tainted sepia. The music is finished along with most of the graphics, which combines still images with live footage. Can't wait to post a preview as soon as it is done.

polski · Thu 03/03/2005 17:07:27

I've been watching this thread for some time now and sorry for being so lazy and not posting earlierÃ,Â

. This is definitely a game I'm looking forward to, I like the huge atmosphere the garphics and the music create and the story is very interesting. I can't wait for this to be finished.

simulacra · Thu 03/03/2005 17:30:16

That is great to hear! I will keep you posted on what is happening. New for february is that I am about to meet a publisher to discuss matters... exciting!

EDIT: Also, a look at current file sizes indicated that estimated size of the finished game will be around 200-250 Mb. Lots of detailed graphics, music and video footage!

Reptile · Fri 04/03/2005 23:16:44

I bet this game will win a couple of awards. It looks fantastic, the best thing since Kings Quest 2 VGA.

simulacra · Mon 04/04/2005 16:44:45

Had a meeting yesterday with a publisher and it seems we have a deal. There are still some details to work out. If everything works according to plan, there will be a release in late September.

I am kind of astonished by this, really. Seems like there is a market for esoteric interactive stories after all. Wow.

EDIT: I lost a tape with footage for the intro and will have to redo some stuff. Not a disaster, but still annoying... I would be nice to be able to make a trailer out of it.

simulacra · Sat 14/05/2005 07:27:13

Verkligheter is looking for dedicated testers for test runs during June and July for bug hunting and specific feedback. Testers will get free copies of the finished product.

Visit project homepage for more information.

simulacra · Fri 03/06/2005 18:26:26

I have released a teaser trailer for the project.

Force majeure II: The Zone

Mozesh · Fri 03/06/2005 21:56:04

Nice teaser there man, it has a really creepy feeling to it.
I really love these kind of teasers!

simulacra · Sat 04/06/2005 03:11:37

Why, thank you. It's a bit obscure but so is the game.

simulacra · Mon 13/06/2005 16:25:15

Tomorrow we are going to take the final footage for the Zone. There are going to be some still images of a tunnel lurker armed with vintage 19th century revolvers and film footage of people in white suits performing a ritual of sorts. We are also goin to shoot the final 30 seconds of the intro sequence. Very exciting!

The Ivy · Tue 14/06/2005 16:33:50

Congrats on a great-looking game, simulacra. I really look forward to the "psychological thriller" side of the story. To do a game with depth isn't easy, but everything you've posted here indicates you've got it nailed. Looking forward to its release, and good luck with your little ritual.

simulacra · Thu 30/06/2005 17:38:13

The ritual was alright. Now for the scariest part: the release of the first beta for the testing crew. After working on this for two years, it's pretty horrifying to see the first actual reactions... ahh.

JD · Sat 02/07/2005 17:56:47

Usually I dont like first person adventures much, but this looks really great. It has lots of atmosphere, can't wait to play it. Keep it up!

simulacra · Tue 05/07/2005 01:51:27

Here's a new screenshot from the last photo shoot. We decided to go with a bridge instead of the tunnel.

A dangerous Zone dweller

simulacra · Mon 17/10/2005 02:40:00

Well, the project has been released!

Have a look at the brand new web site: http://interactingarts.org/thezone/

Force majeure 2: The Zone (Released)

polski