White Mod – Development

What is Project: White?

It is an Unreal Tournament 3 Modification with the express purpose of trying to successfully build out the White universe. The focus of this project is to bring a couple new game types to the Unreal Franchise and at the same time network the team with the rest of the unreal community. Our project’s heart is in multiplayer interaction over the internet or LAN, but we are going to include some extensions of the AI to allow it to make playing alone more interesting.

It is highly important to keep in mind that our project is trying to push for believability, where we can. We do not have an emphasis on realism, so much as using reality as a guide. Our universe is different, but we are choosing to keep one foot in reality.

Background and Setting

The Star System of Taurus – 1

Taurus – 1 is a star system with a large number of planets. It was colonized only a century ago by a scientifically humanoid race with the goal of learning more about their galaxy and ultimately the origins of life and so forth. Billions of people had moved to these planets and expanded the purpose of the colony out to include other, more entertaining and lucrative, needs.

The third planet out, Lars, is the home of the most devastating discovery that the colonies had ever found, and the scientists who had found it were a bit ashamed to have the chance occurrence be named after him. The Kimb Effect is what happens when a star goes supernova in proximity to another similarly large star, triggering that one to go supernova. This discovery was made when Dr. Kimb had caught two supernovae within months of each other, only 18 light years away. As he let his math do the walking he caught a third, only months later. A chain of stars were going supernovae, and they were leading right towards Taurus – 1.

He went public with his findings and got the colonies together for a discussion and it was put forward that they needed to get out of the system within three years or they would be witness to one of the most amazing sights availed to anyone ever to live. The skeptics had their say but ultimately the scientists had the data on their side. It was obvious that there was nothing that could be done to get the full three light years out of the zone that was soon to become a scene of superheated space gasses. Nothing conventional at least

Plans were laid for a series of ships that the people of the colonies could use to exodus their population from the confines of this soon to be dead zone. The choice to go for the faster than light drive research was difficult to make but quickly turned into the only option. The research was had and the scientists achieved their goals quicker than expected. FTL was not just an option it actually baffled the scientists to think that they hadn’t attempted it previously.

Construction was begun on a ship for each of the colonies, big enough to include their people and their own FTL drive but something went wrong. Only months away from the expected date of their exodus a wave of their sister star, some three light years away, washed through their system and shifted the orbits of three planets. As they wobbled, two fell too close to the sun and their production was brought to a halt. They were unable to properly develop the parts they needed to allow the exodus to go without issue. Of the 11 colony ships only 7 would be able to be completed.

The game play begins at this point. Only months from the date when they need to have their organized exodus the colonies are now forced to fight over the remaining parts, pushing and capturing parts to allow their colony to be a part of the exodus.

Setting

The many planets of the Taurus – 1 System allow for an almost uninhibited creative vision. The cities and factories of the colonies are reminiscent of the vision of communist Russia, where everything is very simple and plain. Poured concrete and molded cinderblock brick work where people live.

Due to heavy industrial utilization we should have smog and desert like areas around any single city or factory. The feeling we are trying to convey here is that things are bleak and the people are working beyond their means to achieve the impossible and get off of their planet and or moon. We could do a map or two on a moon with a short day time period of only a few minutes just for theatrical effect. It could be the case that the day time of this specific moon makes it impossible to be outdoors, as such everything in the environment should be adapted to fit this fact, including gold and aluminum shielded buildings or some such thing.

Technology

These colonies have been devoting their industrial engine to nothing but this exodus for years, so it can be accepted that their weapons are not advanced, and may not entirely fit into the rest of the environment. The colonies have extensive work with lasers in communication and mobility studies, but there are no weapon applications available. They have achieved interplanetary drives, so moving from planet to planet only takes a matter of days.

AI and computer automation are not widely used. People are allowed to do even the most hazardous of tasks, regardless of loss of life.  The ultimate goal is the exodus and if a few hundred or thousand seats could be freed up that is a good thing.

All units are given a multi-purpose environmental suit, referred to as MPES, which provides shielding from heat, nuclear radiation, biological contaminants, and ballistic rounds. It comes fitted with an oxygen mask to allow the units to breathe in the field, but needs to be replenished at regular intervals.

Project: White is an Unreal Tournament 3 Mod that focuses on team play. It is set in a star system on the verge of destruction, as its sun is caught up in the throes of a chain of supernovae. The colonies of this system have months till exodus, but which colonies will be included?