Deliverance
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Overview

Deliverance is an alt-history singleplayer Protoss campaign set during the fall of Aiur. Following a pair of Praetors and their Judicator, the events of Deliverance chronicle a psionic experiment undertaken by the Umojans with the goal of controlling a Cerebrate.

Deliverance is built on the HYDRA game state. This campaign presents an intimate narrative, with its mission design focusing less on linear setpieces and more on freer expression. The tale told by Deliverance will set the stage for a larger setting, though future installments may or may not be developed.

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Risks and Considerations

As BW engine development appears to be ceasing before the end of 2020, Deliverance may well be the last campaign I produce for the game. Here are the concerns I have about its development.

  • Stability of HYDRA
    • It is unclear how much more development HYDRA will see during the Full Toilet event. Deliverance is simply not worth producing unless it incorporates HYDRA tech, but we are still missing crucial core gameplay rules (i.e. height changes) and a huge amount of tech. As such we will need to make determinations as to how much of HYDRA's game state will be completed in service to Deliverance.
  • Limitations in data entries
    • We are limited to the number of unit entries available for cannibalization within the HYDRA game state. We must decide if Deliverance should include unique techtree additions (specifically units) and fully plan such additions out so we have a complete understanding of the remaining unit entries available for additional HYDRA game state updates.
  • Heroes
    • I have very little confidence in the ability to deploy a satisfying hero system in an RTS under the best of circumstances. Given we are on a time constraint, my confidence is more or less nil. Deliverance was meant to have a very involved hero system with Relics acting as bank-based enhancements to your hero, so we should figure out what to do in a hero system's stead, as it is unlikely we will pursue it.
  • Storytelling
    • Though this project dates back to 2016, I never fully revised its scripts or mission plans, and haven't thought much about it for over a year. As such, I am not convinced that this will have the most sensible story arc or character progression, and I need to take some time to establish the main plot points and how they pertain to the characters.
  • Mission count
    • Seven missions are currently listed, though I am completely uncertain as to whether that is the final mission count, and need more time to develop the particulars (see above). Even if it remains where it currently is, Deliverance would be a very ambitious project to develop based on mission count alone.
  • Scope creep and more
    • Given the nature of my iterative development process, and the length of time it has been since my last disciplined blocking and planning of a project, Deliverance is likely to experience some form of feature creep during its development unless we come to complete agreement about its characteristics before getting too far into development (or even before starting development). This is true of any project, but it is a tripwire that should be noted and dealt with nonetheless.

Presentation

Deliverance will have the following attributes:

  • Full voice acting
    • Though it should go without saying, Deliverance will be much the same as my other projects in that every line of dialogue will be voice acted, and that new units will deploy with fully custom unit responses.
  • Custom music
    • Either composed by a cawtributor or by myself, Deliverance's custom music will be presented by way of a central theme for any given mission. If we are able to assemble a music system that allows for dynamic track changing, additional tracks or mutations of the same track will be added for more immersive staging.
  • Custom tech
    • At a minimum, Deliverance will feature several new units for the Protoss. We will also be cutting Dark Templar, Dark Archons, Corsairs, Valkyries, and Medics, replacing these faction-specific units with unique ones that better express the new factions that are on display. More details TBD.
  • Custom graphics
    • Building on HYDRA's game state allows us to inherit the graphical assets and tileset changes. Some additional tileset modifications will debut in Deliverance, details TBD. Custom portraits are likely to be limited to recolors, kitbashes, and rips from other games due to the lack of quality portrait art.

Techtree Changes

Removals

  • Dark Templar, Dark Archon, Corsair, Medic, Valkyrie
    • Faction-specific units have been removed.

New units

  • Ecclesiast ID-79 Tassadar
    • Ground, trained from Gateway, requires Cybernetics Core and Citadel of Adun
    • Stats: 60 HP, 80 shields, 1 armor, 9 sight range, small size
    • Costs: 75 minerals, 50 gas, 31.25 seconds, 2 supply, 2 transport space
    • Weapon: 12+1 normal damage, 4 range (128px), 1.75 second cooldown, hitscan, ground and air units
    • Behavior: Astral Blessing
      • Marks targets with each attack
      • Stacks cap at 10 and expire after 2 seconds of not being refreshed
      • If a target with stacks dies, all allies within 64px of the target have their shields healed by 5*stacks
  • Amaranth ID-61 Dark Templar Unit
    • Ground, trained from Gateway, requires Citadel of Adun
    • Stats: 80 HP, 120 shields, 1 armor, 9 sight range, small size
    • Costs: 150 minerals, 25 gas, 37.5 seconds, 2 supply, 2 transport space
    • Weapon: 20+2 normal damage, melee range, 1.46 seconds, hitscan, ground units
    • Behavior: Gains shieldsteal based on missing life, to a cap of 75% at 20 HP
  • Terminus ID-99 Samir Duran
    • Ground, trained from Gateway, requires Cybernetics Core and Synthetic Synod
    • Stats: 100 HP, 120 shields, 2 armor, 9 sight range, large size
    • Costs: 200 minerals, 100 gas, 3 supply, 37.5 seconds, 4 transport space
    • Weapon: 35+2 explosive damage, 9 range (288px), 3 second cooldown, projectile, ground units
    • Behavior: Weapon upgrades increase attack speed by 10% per level

Character Listing

More info to come for many characters.

Nerazan
Serving as one of the Conclave's Judicators, Nerazan is the lord of the Aviton province. He commands influence among the Architects, even going as far as to employ one of their experts as his right hand when dealing with matters remotely. Although Nerazan was quite disconnected from his province's local government prior to the invasion of Aiur, the state of emergency brought on by the Zerg has caused him to put a premium on his homeland's security, in a way that many consider hypocritical.
Nerazan eventually develops into the role of Magister in an attempt to rebuild Aiur's civilization, it is important that he is shown to be worthy of the job, and he will display talents as both a ruler and a military commander throughout the campaign. He begins Deliverance already attempting to throw off the pompous habits he developed before total war descended upon him, but his growth is not made easy by the insubordination and criticism of Torros.

Torros
Praetor of Aviton. Earned the nickname "Berserker of Aviton" shortly following his deployment in battle against the Zerg. Extreme disdain for the Judicator caste, with much venom levied against Nerazan in particular due to his disregard for Aviton's well-being prior to the invasion.
Torros is the protagonist and his actions are the clear focus of the campaign. He begins quite dissatisfied and distrustful of the Judicator caste, and for good reason. By the end of Deliverance, he has beheld how utterly impossible the task of defending Aiur truly was, and while he remains no defender of the Conclave, the trials he suffers are key in adding nuance to his worldview.

Asalamir
Praetor of Alnathok, a close friend of Torros, and an acquaintance of Damos. Though no fan of the Judicators or the Conclave, Asalamir is not as blind to their merit as his battle brother.
Asalamir is the deuteragonist, and although he is pivotal, it is primarily in service to Torros's character. The Dragoon has already died once, and though he falls forever by the end of the campaign, he does so having reached a sort of acceptance, with the understanding that he has done all he can for his people, and for his battle brother.

Damos
Architect and artificer, an expert on relics and their histories. Serves as Nerazan's second-in-command despite virtually nonexistent combat experience.
Damos is a supporting character to Nerazan, both in the literary sense and in the literal sense. He is the sole Conclave sympathizer among the cast of Deliverance. Though his faith wavers throughout the campaign, he will continue in his quest to mend fences between the Protoss castes, and remain in service to Nerazan despite the events that unfold.

Sashalok
An elder among the once-outcast Cimmerians, Sashalok serves as an ambassador for his tribe. Though this Protoss has taken up the sword against the swarm, he is far from the warrior he once was, and must rely heavily on the aid of Cimmeria - and perhaps, of the Conclave.
Sashalok is a pivotal character, not only as he bridges the gap between Cimmeria (a brand new faction) and the Khalai Protoss, but also due to his closing remarks. His actions in partnering with Gothroki set up a significant portion of the events that could power the sequels to Deliverance, and cement him as an outcast among his own tribe. His discontent with all Protoss must be firmly established, and must grow to a boiling point where players can clearly sympathize with his decisions, however extreme they may be.

Keszalon
Acting as both an aide to and overseer of Sashalok, Keszalon occupies a rather strange role in the Cimmerian chain of command. Tasked with ensuring that the weary sage has everything he needs, Keszalon remains essential to the cause, despite his relentless documentation and analysis of Sashalok's every action.
As Keszalon is a supporting character, the development he displays is limited. He grows to trust Sashalok throughout the campaign, only for that action to blow up in his face. This will set Keszalon up as nemesis to Sashalok, a thread to be picked up on by potential sequels.

Quentin Chase
Commanding officer of the military detachment accompanying the URS Cartographer and tasked with ensuring the success of the Daybreak program. Technically subservient to Lannigan's endless demands, Chase believes in the science behind Daybreak, but has little patience for the program's engineers.
Chase successfully orchestrates the first half of the Daybreak program, but learns how quickly victories can become pyrrhic, and ultimately is brought to a low point once many of his men are killed in defense of the science. The core of Chase's growth lies in his humbling - not just of himself as a commander, but of the Umojans as a body. Neither are seen as infallible after Deliverance concludes.

Arnold Lannigan
Acting as head scientist of the Daybreak program, Lannigan is as fervent a believer in his work as the Umojan science division. Though he seems to be committed to the cause, many have doubted his enthusiasm for the Umojan government, and his acerbic wit is no help to the scientist's cause.
Lannigan's failings expose his blind spot of Protoss culture and pride, but despite the Cimmerian interference, Daybreak is a success by the end of the campaign. Lannigan does not yield a complete arc, but shows an understanding of his faults and recognizes that his work is far from over.

Gothroki
One of the younger Cerebrates among those that lead the swarms on Aiur, Gothroki is a choice candidate for the Umojan's Daybreak program.
Gothroki yields minimalist character development, but a crucial turning point comes at the end of the campaign, where the Cerebrate goes from having no power in their relationship with the Umojans to having equal power in their relationship with Sashalok. Gothroki becomes far more than a simple tool to be used by Terrans, and this would be fully explored in sequels.


Glossary

  • URS Cartographer
    • The Cartographer is a Umojan research station assigned to the Daybreak program. Due to the risk of the program, the vessel was granted a high strength military escort - the largest coordinated Umojan force ever deployed outside of the Federation's borders. Arnold Lannigan works aboard the Cartographer, with Quentin Chase occasionally staffing his own office when not manning his personal command ship.
  • Daybreak
    • The Daybreak program is the culmination of the Umojan Federation's research and development regarding Zerg. The goal of the program is to assert control over a brood and assess the viability of using the swarm as a weapon.
  • Cimmeria
    • The Cimmerian tribe was cast out by the Conclave a few centuries ago, and has since set up a base of operations in a distant system they've come to call Cimmeria. These Protoss only recently returned to Aiur to help their once-brothers stave off the Zerg invasion.

Plot Breakdown

  • Intro; Establishment of Fenix's deathbriefing of The Hammer
  • Torros's rescue; Damos's introductionThe Hammer - Escape your tomb.
  • Fenix's remembranceclosing of The Hammer
  • Nerazan's introductionbriefing of The Anvil
  • Asalamir's introduction; Gothroki's capture; Umojan Federation's introductionThe Anvil - Rally your brothers.
  • Siege of Scionclosing of The Anvil
  • Loss of contact with Scionbriefing of The Sword
  • Nerazan's capture; Siege of Scion cont.The Sword — Slay your enemy.
  • Umoja's withdrawal from Aiur's surfaceclosing of The Sword
  • Damos's plan; Cimmeria's introductionbriefing of The Shield
  • Chase's introduction; Siege of The CartographerThe Shield — Rescue your leaders.
  • Nerazan's rescueclosing of The Shield
  • Conclave rendezvousbriefing of The Sheathe
  • Chase's retaliationThe Sheathe — suffer your loss
  • Asalamir's deathclosing of The Sheathe
  • Torros's departure; Cimmeria's alliancebriefing of The Helm
  • Gothroki's assaultThe Helm — Stun your nemesis.
  • Lannigan's defeatclosing of The Helm
  • Damos's returnbriefing of The Great Retaliation
  • Chase's defeatThe Great Retaliation - End your journey.
  • Sashalok's betrayalclosing of The Great Retaliation

Mission Listing

  1. The Hammer — Escape your tomb.
  2. The Anvil — Rally your brothers.
  3. The Sword — Slay your enemy.
  4. The Shield — Rescue your leaders.
  5. The Sheathe — Suffer your loss.
  6. The Helm — Stun your nemesis.
  7. The Great Retaliation — End your journey.

The Hammer

SIZE: 192x176
DIRECTION: Introductory/slower-paced opener
COMBATANTS: two Protoss allies (Damos, Fenix's forces); three Zerg enemies (Araq, Gorn, Gothroki)
LOCATION: Aviton, Scion, Antioch (briefing); Antioch (in-game)

The campaign opens in the din of battle. Torros and his brethren make their stand as the Shrine of Aviton falls around them. It is established that the Judicators/Conclave have forsaken Torros's warband. The scene closes with Torros belaying any calls for evacuation, and charging forward into the claws of the Zerg.

This scene establishes Torros as worthy of the title "Berserker", and cements him as a leader with a powerful voice. In a few short exchanges we communicate his penchant for straightforward combat and taking the fight to his enemies, despite odds that seem insurmountable. We also show that he is prepared to die for his brothers, and for Aiur, despite it later being established that his faith in the Conclave is anything but unwavering.

The explosive nature of this scene is an excellent hook that grips players by virtue of it being concise but clearly very different than all other projects that have come before it, and it still serves the story in the ways written above.

Nerazan receives news of Fenix's death and Torros's impending demise from Damos, his steward. The Judicator gives Damos a new directive: rescue Torros and secure Antioch. Damos departs to see to the Judicator's will.

Torros and his warband attempt to strategize as they make their final stand in one of Aviton's temple complexes, but the swarm does not let them rest. The Praetor's brethren fall around him as Damos' arbiter recalls Torros to Antioch.

The player begins with immediate control of a Nexus, a few probes, two Pylons, and a Gateway. Seconds later, Damos flies over the base and Recalls Torros, a Zealot, and a Dragoon. The characters have an exchange and it is established that they are in Antioch and that Nerazan has ordered them to reinforce Fenix's warband. Torros enters the Nexus. Damos withdraws to a base of his own. Several Zerg broods announce their presence with an early Zergling rush and a Hydralisk timing attack.

The dialogue in the second scene of the briefing and in the intro here establishes Nerazan's disconnect with the goings-on of the ground forces, and paints him as coldly practical. He speaks only through Damos until the next mission, but that doesn't stop Torros from cursing the Judicator's name. Also provides some room for Torros and Damos to present their mutual histories through context clues (their way of speaking to one another, their occasional references to self-explanatory past events, etc). Leftover forces from Fenix's warband will remind Torros (and thus, the player) that Fenix is definitely dead, cementing the campaign as alt-history early on.

There is little direct external motivation for the player to piggyback off of, which adds more responsibility to the briefing and intro. If the player is not interested in what Torros will do next or how Nerazan's plan will unfold, they won't necessarily feel compelled to see the battle through. The Zerg will not speak to Torros; the degree to which they act as an antagonizing force is limited to what they accomplish during the mission's gameplay. This is fine for a gameplay-driven experience, but we still lack a clear villain or antagonizing force that holds a story presence.

As the dust settles, Antioch is successfully cleansed of the Zerg. With Fenix having fallen in the earlier skirmish, the surviving forces of the late Praetor pledge themselves to Torros.

This is a small note, as despite helping to establish how Torros was able to secure additional contingents of Protoss warriors for use in later missions, it is a mostly symbolic gesture of passing the torch: from the old story to the new one, from old characters to new ones, etc.


The Anvil

SIZE: 224x192
DIRECTION: Early aggro, partial state change once Terrans are found
COMBATANTS: two Protoss allies (Asalamir, Damos); three Zerg enemies (Araq, Gorn, Gothroki); one Terran enemy (Lannigan)
LOCATION: Antioch (briefing), Alnathok (in-game)

Nerazan makes direct contact, briefing Torros and Damos on their next task, and only acknowledging the loss of Fenix once prompted to by Torros. The survivors of the previous battle are to push further into infested territory - a province called Alnathok, home to a close friend of Torros. Asalamir will meet the two Protoss commanders and guide them to a Cerebrate (Gothroki) who must be captured and brought to Scion as per Nerazan's instructions.

Upon arrival in Alnathok, Asalamir and Torros share a moment of brotherhood as they see one another for the first time in months. Torros observes that Gothroki's brood is uncharacteristically passive, having provided little resistance on their march to Alnathok. Damos nervously reports warp signatures that are "not of Zerg origin". As the opening moments of the mission unfold, it is revealed that only the supportive broods are active, as Gothroki has been captured - by the Umojan Federation. What was intended to be a surgical strike against the swarm soon morphs into a full scale battle against the Terran interlopers.

With the Umojan forces in full retreat and the Zerg shattered by both Protoss and Terran hands, Damos receives a frenetic communique from Nerazan, who orders the abandoning of Alnathok and the immediate reinforcing of Scion, as it has come under siege by another, larger Umojan task force.


The Sword

SIZE: 256x224
DIRECTION: Straightforward Protoss vs Terran, with Zerg involvement at the outskirts
COMBATANTS: two Protoss allies (Asalamir, Damos); two Terran enemies (Chase, Umojan lieutenant); two Zerg enemies (Araq, Gorn)
LOCATION: Scion


The Shield

SIZE: 256x256
DIRECTION: Aggressive Protoss vs Terran, with a state-change to deploy Zerg and another to deploy Conclave
COMBATANTS: one Protoss ally (Damos); two Terran enemies (Chase, Lannigan); one Zerg enemy (Gothroki); one Protoss enemy (Conclave)
LOCATION: Low orbit (briefing), URS Cartographer (in-game)


The Sheathe

SIZE: 256x256
DIRECTION: Chaotic free for all, with a state-change to deploy Umojan task force
COMBATANTS: Two Protoss enemies (Conclave); two Zerg enemies (Araq, Gorn); two Umojan enemies (Lannigan (Terran), Gothroki (Zerg))
LOCATION: Low orbit (briefing), Scion (in-game)


The Helm

SIZE: 256x256
DIRECTION: Chaotic free for all
COMBATANTS: One Protoss neutral (Damos); one Protoss enemy (Conclave); three Zerg enemies (Araq, Gorn, Tulgroth); two Umojan enemies (Lannigan (Terran), Gothroki (Zerg))
LOCATION: Alnathok


The Great Retaliation

SIZE: 256x256
DIRECTION: Protoss vs Terran vs Zerg
COMBATANTS: One Protoss ally (Damos); two Terran enemies (Chase, Umojan lieutenant); four Zerg enemies (Araq, Gorn, Tulgroth, Gothroki)
LOCATION: Antioch


Task Sheet

  • Engine
    • In-game unit, bullet, sprite, and image extenders
    • Sound effects extender
    • AI support for transporting structures
  • HYDRA
    • Finalize game state
  • Conceptual
    • Umojan faction changes (air-only Nydus, etc)
  • Audiovisual
    • Ecclesiast graphic, UI, unit responses, and SFX
    • Prelacy graphic, UI, and unit response