Preemptive Thread about Writing Restrictions

[MarcoPolo121]

I've gleamed a few, obvious rules about contributing to this game - the player character cannot be a non-humanoid race, only people with a Creator tag can write Companions due to the investment demands but the TF, NPC and Enemy industries are sellers' markets, no wholesale lifting of characters and concepts from the original game but maybe we can put a new spin on old concepts - but there's still a lot I don't know about this game and the administrators' plans for it. Once I get past my major writer's block I hope to contribute to this game, but I also want to avoid my prospective creations to not have to be heavily rewritten or even restarted from scratch because this or that detail didn't fit with the world Savin & co. are working hard to bring to life. Few things are as frustrating as cranking out thousands of words of raw copy, filtering it through sub-editing and drafting, then sending off to the people in charge only for them to get back to you and say, "No, sorry, this is good stuff but we can't accept and publish it because <insert detail we don't like here>. It just doesn't gel with our mission statement."

To that end, I'm setting up this thread with which to ask questions seeking further information about the setting, the story and how much of both is set in stone or can be moved around to accommodate content created by low-ranking forumites as long as it's done well. Likewise anyone else who wants to ask questions in advance of actually starting. Maybe I'm the only one who needs this, but expending effort on something that turns out to be a complete waste of time is one of my pet hates so at the very least this should save a couple of us some headaches.

My mind has conjured some ideas for content that could be added to this game across all three categories that I'm authorised to write for. They include:

1. Satyrs as content base - I envision satyrs as a race who originally were sentient but wild and largely uncivilised as a whole. Sexual promiscuity, playing lovely music, dancing, drinking wine, the whole works, but usually in an entertaining way and short of being violent or temperamental. Then the demons came and things went to shit for them all around - they were a fun-loving, peaceful race whose natural resilience and lack of conflict with other races meant they never had to worry about mysticism, science or warfare - the tools the rest of the world presumably uses to fight impending demons - leaving them at the demons' mercy. But rather than just out-and-out corrupting them, the demons infected them with an insidious curse. This curse is a perversion of their natural hunger for breeding - at first they just really liked fucking each other and anyone they met, and having or giving children by or to them; now, all satyrs are violent, sexually-aggressive and burdened by a deep sense of dissatisfaction unless they are a) drunk off their arses, b) pregnant (in the case of the wimmenz) or c) in a position where they have fucked or been fucked by a certain quota of people in less than an hour. In the short-term this makes the satyr race yet another peril for the people of this world and keeps them from putting together a countermeasure because none of them can stand to be around each other long enough to do so unless it's to go on a drinking or fucking spree. In the long term it also is intended to cause gradual moral decay in its victims - make them sufficiently frustrated or desperate to attack, rape and rob people often enough and consistently enough that they grow to enjoy it, and as a culture decay into rapacious savages who won't eschew the demons because they have enough in common. And eventually, the corruption will turn those who do not fight their curse into demons - violent, big-dicked brutes who can get anyone pregnant, including dudes (male satyr demons, or Incubi) and cum-hungry baby factories who act both as breeding stock for the demons and temptresses (female satyr demons, or Incubators). I believe this provides a straightforward enough template for others to build off, while also suiting my own purposes. Namely:
   1. NPC: A female satyr who would serve as a recurring encounter, demanding you have sex with her and turning violent if you refused. Penetrative sex would likely result in her getting pregnant. While she was pregnant, she could be encountered in a very different state - weepy and melancholy, looking for some way to take the edge off her feelings of sadness and inadequacy. Eventually she'd give birth and be aggressive again afterwards, but after a certain number of impregnations she'd come to us begging for help and that could lead to a sidequest re: getting the process of purifying the satyr race going, accelerating the countdown of their corruption to curry demonic favour or simply driving the demons off and rising to power among her particular satyr commune, leaving them still aggressive and breed-hungry but no longer at risk of demonhood. Don't really have a name for her yet, let's call her Moira as a placeholder.
   2. Enemy Encounter: Bands of satyrs could be encountered as enemies under two states: the aggressive, we-want-to-have-sex-with-you-whether-you-want-it-or-not kind. or the drunk, we're-bitter-and-sad-and-we-need-an-outlet kind. Either would have the option to have sex with you under victory and loss conditions, and I guess your companions could join in if they wanted. Also the above-mentioned Incubi and Incubators would be enemy encounters as well, much more powerful and dangerous than normal satyrs and with the possibility of corrupting PCs they have sex with.
   3. TF Item: An alcoholic beverage made by satyrs which is enchanted with basic-level magic. One drink wouldn't do anything, but a bunch of them together could lead to becoming a satyr with all that that entails.
2. Fauns as a content base - I don't really have any plans for this race myself, but I'd envision them as being related to satyrs in the same way us humans are related to Neanderthals: they're more civilised and restrained, with greater senses of responsibility and actual work ethics. Unlike satyrs they gladly live, work and raise families in villages, towns and cities, and if they live in the countryside it's only to work the land as farmers. Only sheer luck keeps them out of the reach of demons, and even that has its limitations - fauns are just as susceptible as any other race to demonic corruption if it comes to that. This also serves as a pretty big differentiation from the equivalent race in Mareth, who went extinct prior to the events of the game according to the codex. Again, this is just a jumping-off point from which further innovations could be spun.
3. An evolution of the Oviposition Elixir - This item, working name Inutero Potion, would be a way to experience pregnancy without the hassle of actually being pregnant. Unlike the Ovi, or its TiTS counterpart, this would magically simulate the drinker's womb being filled with a baby around the end of its second trimester. There'd be a heartbeat, and movement, and all the associated junk. It wouldn't be like the ovi stuff where the eggs just sat there and multiplied if cummed onto. Drinking while already under its effects would add a twin, and then a triplet, and after that no more (maybe a quadruplet for the extra fertile). Ideally its effects would last about a week, and ultimately the magically-simulated babies would dissipate harmlessly without a proper birth, but I'm not sure what would happen next; maybe the energy would return to the bottles and could be sold off, or maybe it would randomly increase certain body scores and modifiers like hip size, lactation and/or fertility. Regardless, this is I hope different enough from the Elixir to at least warrant a glance.
4. Side Stories and/or Dungeons involving orc tribes as antagonists - I'm not too clear on what exactly the characterisation of orcs is in this game, but these both take some small cues from the Sand Witch coven and Harpy Queen w/ Phoenixes group in the first game, inasmuch as they are bands of natives who want to fight the demons and end up in conflict with you, but rest assured that's where the similarities end. They would be different enough in characterisation, origins and motives to not be reiterating the old groups any more than one NPC with lactation content is imitating any other with lactation content. (Both names are placeholders, just FYI.)
   1. The Firemountain Tribe: A tribe based out of a volcanic region with levels of organisation, discipline and architectural sophistication unusual for orcs. Great miners and blacksmiths, they produce and magically enhance weapons and armour of peerless quality. Their leader is a visionary orc who seeks to unite the tribes under his banner to take the fight to the demons. Notable for being highly in control of their sexual urges and emotionally stoic, only allowed to show emotion or lust around close friends and assigned sexual partners. Orc player characters would be given the opportunity to join this tribe after successfully completing a rite of passage. Hostile encounters and NPCs can probably be mined from this group.
   2. The Nightslumber Tribe: A tribe fanatically devoted to Tira, the setting's death goddess. They see life as a perverse state guaranteed only to bring suffering, and are obsessed with granting everyone they come across the "tranquility" of death. They kill all living things in their path, but are not cruel or sadistic. They always grant their victims funerary rights designed to guide their souls safely to the afterlife and protect them from corruption. Normally they are come across as emotionless, but this is because they practice a regimen of meditation and spiritual therapy, with emotional tranquility and inner peace considered the highest virtues in their culture. The sight of undead, however, fills them with inconsiderable rage and sends them into a trance where they seek out and exterminate everything in their path. I'm sure we could mine at least a few enemy encounters out of this thread, and maybe it could provide a way to introduce the player to Tira herself, through an initiation ritual? I dunno, this is just spitballing.
5. Spider-morphs with webs used for bondage. Not wholesale copying a single CoC or TiTS example, but maybe taking some cues from any of them. Could be a single NPC, could be a whole race of them, could be enemies. This is more of a suggestion than anything - without grav-cuffs, for there to be any characters with bondage themes their use of it needs to make sense.

I also have quite a few questions about what I can or cannot expect to be accepted as pitches. Here are the most pertinent ones:

1. Are there any races who just won't be allowed in the game? As far as I can tell regarding the characters in these games, someone's race is a core part of their personality, so that's probably the most important part to get right early on. If I'm going to invest the time and effort required to add, say, ogre pirates to a coastal region, I want to know I won't have to make such a big change to get it submitted.
2. Beyond the barred fetishes, are there any game elements that just will not be added to the game, regardless of how well things are going, e.g. running into children you've fathered or given birth to after they grow up? Again, if there are any, it's better to know before you write a whole Google Doc on them than after.
3. It seems to me you already have some idea of where the story is going to go. What would that be? And of the regions and plot points picked out, how many of them have already been written up? What niche races, fetishes and/or themes have already been picked out by senior writers and which of them could us supporters at the lower levels help to fill?
4. What exactly is the overall characterisation of the orcs in this setting? What I've read about them (and I will admit, that isn't much) suggests they'll be warlike barbarians and raiders, but not much beyond that. Are they violent and warlike because it's literally hardwired into their DNA to be so, like the Orcs and the Orks in, respectively, Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000? Because that's the culture of the moment and it could change or due to demonic influence of a once-peaceful culture, like the orcs in Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft setting? Or is it because they happen to be led by cruel, vicious leaders who everyone is afraid of, like the original orcs in Tolkien's The Lord of The Rings? Are they barely literate in anything beyond battle, or more culturally sophisticated? Do they have any kind of centralised leadership or tribe leaders vying for such? Are there any races they have particular tension with, or do they view every non-orc equally poorly, or does racism not factor into their worldview at all? Are they merely raiders, or are they also traders? I ask all these because the plausibility or lack thereof of my own orc ideas kind of hinges on the answers lining up with them, but also because orcs are so variable in their portrayals in media that it's impossible for me to assume anything.
5. Should characters be submitted in large congealed blobs of content, or would you prefer they be submitted in parts, which can make them hard to keep track of but is probably more convenient to code?
6. Bearing in mind that Nonesuch's plans for mpreg content beside egg-nancies in TiTS haven't panned out for whatever reason, likely coding concerns, will there be proper mpreg content in this game like there was in the last with those damn satyrs? If so, are any of the races already picked out capable of it, or will that task fall to others to implement, or be returned to in the future?
7. Finally, what are the initial enemy encounters we have to look forward to? Have you already picked out what concepts they will center around?

 

[Kesil]

Considering what CoC had...

• Fauns were no more and female satyrs would break canon.
  
• Orcs already had a codex in which they were stated to be a very peaceful race, so I don't think a killer tribe would make sense. (Personally, I'd heavily dislike it if CoC2 orcs were treated like generic barbaric orcs.)
• Werewolves, vampires and dragons were in the "Pretty Unlikely Unless You Write Something So Hot It Convinces Me" list. But that was something from Fenoxo, which means this might be null and void.

 

[Magic Ted]

That's a lot of words. In fact, that's to many words. Calm down, word smith.

First things first, though, just to get this out of the way;

Considering what CoC had...

• Fauns were no more and female satyrs would break canon.
  
• Orcs already had a codex in which they were stated to be a very peaceful race, so I don't think a killer tribe would make sense. (Personally, I'd heavily dislike it if CoC2 orcs were treated like generic barbaric orcs.)
• Werewolves, vampires and dragons were in the "Pretty Unlikely Unless You Write Something So Hot It Convinces Me" list. But that was something from Fenoxo, which means this might be null and void.

CoC the second is not, in fact, CoC the first. It is headed by a different crew and is in an entirely different setting altogether, with Mareth being a different plane and good ole Kassie showing up from there to muck around. With that said, no, it wouldn't break canon. I dunno if an orc codex for two is lying around though and there is a different list of "hard-banned stuff," which can be found in the QnA.

Now, beyond that. Let me see if I can help you some.

Someone was working away at Satyr/Fauns already, though I can't remember their name or if it was even that detailed. Not to helpful there, but you'll probably have to work with them when a submission comes up. Not that I imagine it'll be anything more then shaking out a codex and then doing whatever. Beyond that, just... make a pitch. The only thing missing from the public document is the story outline, everything else is technically up in the air until someone makes a pitch and settles it in. The worst that'll happen is you'll brainstorm something for a day or two and throw down two or three paragraphs and get shot down on it. Not the end of the world.

 

[Alabaster Chimes]

MistyBirb is doing the Satyrs/Fauns and some extra bizz with it.

 

[Kesil]

is in an entirely different setting altogether, with Mareth being a different plane and good ole Kassie showing up from there to muck around. With that said, no, it wouldn't break canon.

Am I right in thinking that the relationship between CoC and CoC 2 would be akin to that of the Final Fantasy games?

 

[HugsAlright]

Satyrs are going to be Fey, and all the Fey being written have similar atributes, mainly a slow-burn TF by exposure type deal. Each type of Fey represents an element, with Satyrs representing fire, and like Fairies, Nymphs, and Dryads can do with Wind, Water, and Earth respectively, Satyrs have the ability to meld with fire, becoming part of the flames for a short while.

And, like how Fairies, Nymphs, and Dryads only have natural females, Satyrs only have natural, full-blooded males, any female satyrs are females of other races that have been TF'd into satyrs. As for how the other races get TF'd, right now the idea involves transformative W I N E and partying (and possibly pregnancy).

Of course, Satyrs love merriment, so they'll generally be found at night around large bonfires dancing in/around the fire, drinking, and having lots of exhibitionist sex, which they love, and in the morning you can find them sleeping in the sun out in the grassy/flowery fields. They're also nudists, mostly. They can also be deer-people instead of goat-people, but that's just up to random chance. They're not gonna be brick-shithouses either, mostly lithe-to-girly guys, with REASONABLY SIZED horse dicks. The TF'ing process ensures non-hyper-masculinity.

Corrupted Satyrs probably get more mischievous and domineering and trickster-y, also they get cool glowing fire eyes, and maybe pyromancy abilities.

Right now my friend Mont and I are working on a joint project to write an encounter for one of these late night bonfire parties with a pair of persistent NPCs the PC can FUCK along with a "party-all-night" option.

@Night Trap is writing their codex thing though so he might know more.

But yeah, Satyrs are already pretty damn finalized, definitely no raping and robing or whatever the fuck that mortal coil shit you said was.

 

[Anomolousrabbit]

A question about allowable content
"First and foremost: The same rules as in Fengames applies here for content allowable, obviously. No loli, piss/poo, corporeal undead, whatever. Angels still verboten for lore-reasons (whatever those are, ask Fen). Werewolves and dragons also okay now. Handle with care."

Does the bolded bit imply that quadrupeds / 'ferals' are OK in this project, as long as they pass the Harkness test?

 

[Wsan]

A question about allowable content
"First and foremost: The same rules as in Fengames applies here for content allowable, obviously. No loli, piss/poo, corporeal undead, whatever. Angels still verboten for lore-reasons (whatever those are, ask Fen). Werewolves and dragons also okay now. Handle with care."

Does the bolded bit imply that quadrupeds / 'ferals' are OK in this project, as long as they pass the Harkness test?

I suspect this is going to be subject to discretion. If you submit a creature that is just "a regular wolf that talks" to get around no bestiality expect it to be baseball-struck out of the stadium, probably.

 

[Nonesuch]

How about a regular wolf that talks, but also has glowing eyes and a tattoo from when he was a slave and is magic

Just a very regular wolf

 

[Savin]

A question about allowable content
"First and foremost: The same rules as in Fengames applies here for content allowable, obviously. No loli, piss/poo, corporeal undead, whatever. Angels still verboten for lore-reasons (whatever those are, ask Fen). Werewolves and dragons also okay now. Handle with care."

Does the bolded bit imply that quadrupeds / 'ferals' are OK in this project, as long as they pass the Harkness test?

No.

 

[Magic Ted]

Am I right in thinking that the relationship between CoC and CoC 2 would be akin to that of the Final Fantasy games?

Mareth and Savarra are two independent planes, much like a DnD campaign setting. One is Forgotten Realms and one is Dragon Lance even though we all wish it was Eberron and Sigil. Individually, they have their own rules, setting, culture etc etc. They are still connected through portals however, if rarely, and the villains of Mareth are invading Savarra through one of these low-volume portals.

 

[Anomolousrabbit]

No.

So it'd need to be like an anthro dragonperson, not a 'classic' dragon?

 

[MarcoPolo121]

That's a lot of words. In fact, that's to many words. Calm down, word smith.

First things first, though, just to get this out of the way;

CoC the second is not, in fact, CoC the first. It is headed by a different crew and is in an entirely different setting altogether, with Mareth being a different plane and good ole Kassie showing up from there to muck around. With that said, no, it wouldn't break canon. I dunno if an orc codex for two is lying around though and there is a different list of "hard-banned stuff," which can be found in the QnA.

Now, beyond that. Let me see if I can help you some.

Someone was working away at Satyr/Fauns already, though I can't remember their name or if it was even that detailed. Not to helpful there, but you'll probably have to work with them when a submission comes up. Not that I imagine it'll be anything more then shaking out a codex and then doing whatever. Beyond that, just... make a pitch. The only thing missing from the public document is the story outline, everything else is technically up in the air until someone makes a pitch and settles it in. The worst that'll happen is you'll brainstorm something for a day or two and throw down two or three paragraphs and get shot down on it. Not the end of the world.

Heh, sorry for all the words. The problem is, I can't really do things small and gradual.

I'll spare you the details, but basically I have one of those brains that doesn't handle distractions well. At all. I can start something with plenty of energy and enthusiasm, but if things are too slow-burning or I have too much time apart from a project, all my enthusiasm for it just deflates. This particular blob of words has been knocking around in my head for days since the game was announced, and I've spent that time getting my ducks in a row and trying to trim most of the fat off my inquisitive thought-processes (Like I said, these aren't all my questions, just the ones I really wanted answered. Some I know I don't need the answers to that badly.)

Normally I would just jump in to something like this, but I've gotten used to TiTS having some creators (not all, just some) not publicly displaying the docs containing their work. I've heard that there's a pregnancy path planned for Aina but never seen it, for instance. And when making contributions to something as big as this, I'd definitely want to know whether or not someone else had already decided what they were doing with it (which they evidently have in multiple areas).

Satyrs are going to be Fey, and all the Fey being written have similar atributes, mainly a slow-burn TF by exposure type deal. Each type of Fey represents an element, with Satyrs representing fire, and like Fairies, Nymphs, and Dryads can do with Wind, Water, and Earth respectively, Satyrs have the ability to meld with fire, becoming part of the flames for a short while.

And, like how Fairies, Nymphs, and Dryads only have natural females, Satyrs only have natural, full-blooded males, any female satyrs are females of other races that have been TF'd into satyrs. As for how the other races get TF'd, right now the idea involves transformative W I N E and partying (and possibly pregnancy).

Of course, Satyrs love merriment, so they'll generally be found at night around large bonfires dancing in/around the fire, drinking, and having lots of exhibitionist sex, which they love, and in the morning you can find them sleeping in the sun out in the grassy/flowery fields. They're also nudists, mostly. They can also be deer-people instead of goat-people, but that's just up to random chance. They're not gonna be brick-shithouses either, mostly lithe-to-girly guys, with REASONABLY SIZED horse dicks. The TF'ing process ensures non-hyper-masculinity.

Corrupted Satyrs probably get more mischievous and domineering and trickster-y, also they get cool glowing fire eyes, and maybe pyromancy abilities.

Right now my friend Mont and I are working on a joint project to write an encounter for one of these late night bonfire parties with a pair of persistent NPCs the PC can FUCK along with a "party-all-night" option.

@Night Trap is writing their codex thing though so he might know more.

But yeah, Satyrs are already pretty damn finalized, definitely no raping and robing or whatever the fuck that mortal coil shit you said was.

Heh, I see. Don't worry, I'm not mad or anything. I knew I'd have to check whether there were already plans for satyrs and I'm glad I did. This take on them works just fine and I support it.

Y'see? This is exactly why it's important to ask questions. I could have written at least two full Google docs for my ideas and had them rejected because someone else had already decided what satyrs were going to be.

 

[The Observer]

Heh, sorry for all the words. The problem is, I can't really do things small and gradual.

I'll spare you the details, but basically I have one of those brains that doesn't handle distractions well. At all. I can start something with plenty of energy and enthusiasm, but if things are too slow-burning or I have too much time apart from a project, all my enthusiasm for it just deflates.

I'm going to suggest this: learn.

Why? Because more likely than not, it's the way things are going to be. We have a LOT of content written and ready to go, and whatever's being written after release is going to be near the back of the to-do pile. If you submitted something today, it's likely that it's going to be months before it's even implemented in-game. This isn't even counting the time that's going to be needed in order to implement the backend support which is required for playable content. Now, we're encouraging competent writers to come forward, but if delayed gratification isn't your thing, then you may wish to wait a little until systems are up and running before beginning a project.

Understand that the writing you see in-game right now was put down by the boss-man more than 3 years ago. The vast majority of the writing you see on my thread was worked on over two years, during which there was no light at the end of the tunnel. We want people who are here for the long haul, and considering that what you have put out appears to be fairly involved I hope you can overcome your self-admitted fickle nature.