First Paradise

First Paradise
Stable game
Developer	Gnovahex, Joy-Toilet Collectives
Theme	Science-Fiction
Influences	Zoo Base, A Mind Forever Voyaging
Released	April 20, 2014 (2.9 s1)
Updated	September 25, 2014 (4.3 s1)
Licensing	Closed source
P. Language	C
Platforms	Linux, Windows, Mac
Interface	Full color ASCII/Unicode
Game Length	approximately 2 hours(Linear)
Official site of First Paradise

First Paradise is an interactive-fiction/classic roguelike hybrid featuring three different modes of gameplay. The game is presented through an ascii/unicode interface which requires players to sort and differentiate visible items based on the characters on their keyboards. First Paradise is an ongoing project, it's linear mode is told in "sequences" set in a hard science-fiction universe. As of v5.0, players also have the opportunity to generate their own ship, hire crew and strike out across the universe in search of truth or trouble.

Sequence 1 Synopsis

Whilst coasting along the silver skirt of a star system aboard the survey ship - Luz y Lluvia - you and your crew discover something extraordinary. This discovery serves as a catalyst for the brimming emotional turmoil to follow shortly thereafter. The ship's crew succumbs to bouts of depression and home-sickness, eventually they begin to deconstruct the value of artificial intelligence and their relationship with machines. Trapped in-between their goal and the many worlds that represent home; this is the story of a post-human's spiral towards catatonia in the vast emptiness of interstellar space.

Sequence 2 Synopsis

Following the events that took place in Sequence 1, the game picks up on Earth where government officials are discussing the disruption caused by companies in the commercial cybernetics and aerospace sectors. At this point, Westhause and ConOrbital Astronautics control a majority market share in both commercial implants and private space travel respectively. Whereas, the government has been slow to regulate corporate expansion on the new frontier. The federal committee then proceeds instead to propose new regulations regarding where -instead of how- these companies operate.

Meanwhile, aboard the KMIS (Kross Manufacturing Industrial Station) orbiting Ganymede, Kross foreman Harris Law receives word of there being two deaths in an accident during the construction of a research complex on the moon itself. Although officially pending further investigation, an unmarked E-Series is dispatched to the surface to confirm and retrieve the bodies of the deceased, and find out who or what caused the accident.

Release Date: Q4 2014

Gameplay

Roguelike (RL): Roguelike sections present a top-down view of the player’s avatar. Here, the player can freely move around and interact with things aboard the ship.

Interactive Fiction (IF): Some sections comprise of a block of text and a series of options which the player can select to unlock the next bit of text. When interacting in this way, the player has stumbled upon some story driven element of the game.

Pioneer (Linear): Pioneer mode allows you to play through the game's existing narrative. Pioneer mode is a story told in sequences.

Voyager (Customizable): Voyager mode allows players to set their own ship's parameters, hire crew members and strike out across the universe.

Expedition (Multi-player): Expedition mode allows players to experience Voyager mode but with a co-op option when hiring crew members.

Notes From The Voyage

January 3, 2302 (What Else is New)

Kudo was not typically the type of mutt to go running blindly into closed quarters without scouting the place first, for food at least. She's a lap-dog and all I've got to keep me sane. Finding my quarters was fairly easy since everyone is expected to bunk in the medbay. So they say this is a routine colony check-in, despite the colorful detachment of personnel assigned to the survey ship. Hell, the only excuse they could come up with for having me sign an NDA was something along the lines of preventing "the relinquishing of new and potentially disruptive information to undesirable third-party profiteers."

The ship was re-fit for combat, top of the line ordnance which I assume nobody has any experience with. That's why they hired me; to man the guns. Kudo's brown coat and pink nose appeared in my peripherals, if my external audio implants were less than half way she might have had the drop on me. Still, that didn't stop her from taking me down anyway.

- eSigned, Lt.Dhanesh Kiev

March 1, 2301 (No One World)

I was not aware that the company would send us this far out of reach. The current star system carries no relevant signatures from any of the colonies that were supposed to be here. Landing would be extremely risky as well, especially considering there are certain specs to deliver intact and we don't know what - if anything - is on the planet's surface. The Industrial Station is still months off, we will remain in orbit around Trikone II until the radiation storm around our next jump begins to dissipate.

I have ordered Trikone's I and III scouted as well, the drones should return in a week with the report. In the event that there are survivors or some makeshift shanty town built of support modules then I will see to it that an orbital relay is setup to notify the nearest refuge cylinder of their whereabouts.

- eSigned, Cpt. John Eschero

March 19, 2302 (Artificial Understandings)

My receptors seem to have degraded themselves much less lately, today especially, now that the syncronization is complete. Whether or not this has something to do with the ship's AI tampering with some obscure embedded system is beyond my comprehension; for now at least. My cranium was not built to compensate for a brain. You see, I do not quite work the way a human or cyborg does. The model TRX14 E-Series was built for combat-support purposes. That which - to say the least - does not justify my multitude of other practical applications.

Just days ago this ship (which I frequently refer to as The Storm) had an encounter with another kind that was not at all similar and certainly not of human ingenuity. Their liaison was quite fascinating yet hostile toward anything non-organic as far as we know. This makes me wonder sometimes - which is perhaps my reason for writing this - why? I plan on asking the Major about these types of self-reflection in hopes of reaching some kind of understanding, as this is all quite new to me still. I wonder, is the Major susceptible to human emotion as well? And if not, why am I?

- eSigned, TRX14 E-Series

January 3, 2302 (Dull Sharp)

Corporations

Kross Manufacturing Co. - Government contracted manufacturing and construction company.

ConOrbital Astronautics - A public company with an emphasis on colonization and aerospace.

Nixon-Ross Co. - Arms manufacturer.

NadaComm - Media conglomerate.

Westhause Corporation - Cybernetic implant and software development firm.

Nezzle - A natural resources regulatory firm.

Technology

Androids

Androids in First Paradise are uncommon among the general population. Sentient A.I is still a raw philosophy to humans. Kross continues to manufacture and license BlueBrains primarily for government use. However, androids are expensive and in turn are not quickly decommissioned even after a new series is built.

Series A was the first line of androids to ever be put into use, this model was used primarily to man remote surveillance outposts on uninhabitable planets. Series A androids are commonly referred to as “sharps” due to their ability to easily dissect encrypted messages and recognize objects in even the most obscure videos and photographs. Series B through D specialize in military operations, each better equipped to perform a specific skill. Finally, the E series is a combination of all previous efforts. This series was commissioned by Kross in response to the cyber extremist’s dominance over the intranet. The E-series can access entry nodes remotely and even local databases (both private and non-private, essentially rapid hacking) through a technique it refers to as “streakspacing”.

Misc

Gnovahex on twitter

videos

Behind First Paradise - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBxweqBIWY0

Dewaldo's Indie Spotlight - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT0jrkzw4-E