Story Overview

Story Overview

It was a well known fact that the town of Red Oak has long been associated with the Dymon Corporation but the extent of their involvement in the town as it turns out is far more sinister. The town serves as a cover for a secret laboratory that engages in unethical human experimentation to try and push human ability far beyond natural levels. A viral agent previously used in these experiments is accidentally released causing an outbreak in the town. This specific viral agent was deemed too dangerous as it had the horrific side effects of taking over a person’s mind and mutation with prolonged use. Unfortunately for you, a student has been reported missing in the rural town of Red Oak and you are the private investigator tasked with finding him. What you thought would be a simple job ends up being much more than you bargained for as you find yourself struggling against these creatures that before today would only exist in your nightmares.

Characters

Nathan Cross – A private investigator hired to find missing student Rian Sanderson within the rural town of Red Oak. He is determined to find Rian even if it means risking his own life. He will serve as the player character for most of the game experience.

Rian Sanderson – A biology student prodigy at Red Oak University. Has a scholarship sponsored by the Dymon Corporation. He is very passionate about vaccine research. The Dymon Corporation seeks to use his skills in their illicit research which he is initially unaware off.

Operative D-14 – A mysterious agent working for the Dymon Corporation. Employed to protect the image of the company at all costs. At first, they are unwavering in their loyalty to the corporation but the terrible acts they are ordered to commit in Red Oak starts to take a toll. Secondary player character for some segments of the game experience.

Doctor Harold Richmond – The head of research at the Dymon Corporation Red Oak Lab. A cynical man only focused on getting results on his illicit research. This focus on results is what allows the inciting incident to occur in the first place.

Structure

My story is structured in the usual three acts as it works perfectly for the way I am presenting my story in my short game experience. However, there will still be complexity in my structure as I will be utilising the In Media Res storytelling technique in the first act to hook the player’s into my story. I also intend to use the Monomyth or Hero’s Journey as Nathan Cross will leave Red Oak with a new conviction of exposing the sinister nature of the Dymon Corporation. The narrative is multi-layered as there will be multiple perspectives on the events happening in Red Oak allowing the player to see different outlooks on the situation from opposing sides.

First Act: The player is at first in control of Operative D-14 as they clearing a section of the underground lab in search of potential witnesses. The player clears the area of all infected creatures and then finds Nathan Cross and Rian Sanderson. Nathan Cross pleads for D-14 to let them leave and then the screen fades to black. The player now is in control of Nathan Cross earlier that day as he has entered the Red Oak Quarantine Zone. The player explores an abandoned checkpoint and has a first encounter with a zombie. At this point, the player has no weapon so the player has to run. The player finds a handgun on a corpse and dispatches the first zombie.

Second Act: This part of the game is more open as the player is free to explore a small group of houses. It is in this section that the player can find various notes and documents detailing events that occurred in the quarantined area. The aim is to find information on the whereabouts of Rian Sanderson. One of the houses belongs to a Doctor Richmond which contains a hidden entrance to the underground lab. The player has to find a keycard in this open area before being able to progress into the lab. Optional playable section in which the player finds footage of D-14 and their squad killing witnesses.

Third Act: The third act consists of searching the lab. This act is more linear but there are still notes and documents containing information on important elements of the story. The player can piece together exactly how the virus spread as they explore this lab. As the player reaches the end of the playable part of the lab, they discover Rian Sanderson hidden away in a locked room. Opening the room starts an alarm that summons a horde of zombies and the story catches up to the situation set up at the start. Operative D-14 lets Nathan Cross and Rian Sanderson leave as they can no longer cope with the guilt of what they have done in service of the Dymon Corporation.

Themes

The theme that I aim for my story to have is “the devastating effects of corporate greed”. The nefarious experiments that Doctor Richmond and Dymon Corp committed were to gain results in their aim to push human ability further than naturally possible. This was all to increase the income of the company by selling the viral agents to various militaristic organisations all over the world.

Setting

The period in which the story is set in is a version of our modern day. This means that everything in the game should make sense to real life. The zombie and viral agent elements of the game don’t work in a real world scenario but they will be explained in a way that would somewhat make sense in real life. The story takes place in one night as the player explores the Red Oak Quarantine Zone. The story takes place in a rural english town known as Red Oak with a secret underground lab. The main conflict in the game is the main character Nathan Cross surviving against the creatures and forces of the Dymon Corporation. However, there are secondary conflicts of Rian Sanderson discovering the nefarious plans of Doctor Richmond and Operative D-14 struggling to cope with the horrific actions they are ordered to do.

Tone

The story is being told through the eyes of a private investigator and a corporate operative allowing different perspectives on a mostly linear story. The tone will be quite serious as I aim to tell quite a serious story and without a tone that matches it may not work that well.