Wednesday 5 October 2016

A weird videogame idea I had - British Intelligence.

I am trying to think of things to do. I wrote a videogame, but because the video game industry is a closed shop to non-coders, pretty much. I wanted to do a sort of John Le Carré-esque video game, a sort of affectionate spoof of that Cold War "tea drinking and discussing traitors in metaphor" genre.

Hope you enjoy.

PLOT
Rostov, Soviet Union, 1979 - Jerry Craven, a British agent is staying at a hotel when he is given a phone call by an English-accented voice. He is told to leave Rostov immediately. He escapes through a forest, and is chased by dogs. He finds a cabin and meets a young woman, only to be released back and savaged by dogs.
Cut to London, 1979 - at a railway station, outside a café, Alec Calder, an ageing British spy eats his lunch from a plastic lunchbox, he unwraps an apple core in tinfoil. Inside the core is a radio. He speaks into it. On the other side of the radio is his boss, Nimrod who urges him to get to MI5.
Calder gets out on a train, and lands at Wyldwych Station. In the station key cutter and shoe repair unit, he meets Jacobs, a man in overalls who leads him at the back of the keycutter's, and we found ourselves in an underground bunker - MI5, there we meet Nimrod. He tells us Craven is missing, possibly dead but his body needs to be recovered, for he had the contents of a microfilm tattooed on his side.
The plot of the game is to find the body of Craven, begins with an arrival at a ferry in Rostov, you walk through the quiet village, where you attempt to avoid a checkpost - by either sneaking onto a bus, stealing a passport, or by climbing through and avoiding being shot. Once you get past the checkpoint, you reach Craven's hotel, then at the hotel, you meet Svetlana. You attempt to kill her, but she instead arrests you. While being driven in her van, you escape, and then scour the forests, where you have to avoid the dogs. As you look around, you find Craven's gun, and you can shoot the dogs, and the guards, while you come across Craven's body. Now, you must find a way to get the contents of the tattoo off his body. The safest bet is taking a photo, as carrying his body would arouse suspicion, even wearing a stolen guard's uniform. Once you get past the checkpoint, you meet Craven who informs you that the body isn't his but a Soviet guard he disguises as himself so he could defect. Now, you have the choice - either reveal to MI5 that Craven  is alive and that the Russians have the contents of the microfilm, kill Craven, claim the corpse of the dead man was Craven and hope the Russians weren't told or keep it secret.
When you return to London, Nimrod will (A.) be apologetic and say there's nothing you could do and tells you that he knew Craven was too clever to be killed, or (B.) tell that you are lying and force you to immediately inform him the truth, where you must tell him that Craven is alive. In this case, you are fired.

PROLOGUE.
SUBTITLE/SUPERIMPOSITION:
"Rostov, Czechoslovakia, 1979".
EXT. ROSTOV, CZECHOSLOVAKIA - EARLY EVENING, 1979.
We see a rainy brutalist Eastern Bloc city in the 70s, a grand old 19th Century hotel at the centre of a crumbling plaza of ageing, once beautiful, now battered buildings and horrible Erno Goldfinger-esque flats. This is not a realistic Eastern Bloc, but the stuff of Le Carré. For all we know, it could be Glasgow.
Rains pours down. The CAMERA swoops in and CLOSE-UPS on a window.
INT. HOTEL BEDROOM, ROSTOV, CZECHOSLOVAKIA - EARLY EVENING, 1979.
In a basic, minimalist hotel room, rain noisily pitter-pattering against the window with horrid brown wallpaper, and equally horrid orange carpet, we see a pained-looking figure sitting on a bed, in a cream roll-neck sweater and blue jacket. This is JERRY CRAVEN. He is about fifty, lived-in, close-cropped black hair, panicky-looking.
The phone rings. Jerry picks it up, quick but cautious.
JERRY CRAVEN
(whispery, quite high voice, Edinburgh aristocrat)
Er, yes?
A deep, soothing voice echoes from the other side.
LIONEL NIMROD
(OOV, suave, friendly, with a slight edge of the sinister)
Is that Jerry Craven?
JERRY CRAVEN
(relieved, still panicky)
Er, yes, er, yes of course. Nimrod?
LIONEL NIMROD
(OOV, friendly)
Yes.
JERRY CRAVEN
(worried)
What is it?
LIONEL NIMROD
(OOV, stern)
Where there is sea, there is sun.
JERRY CRAVEN
(confused)
Er...
LIONEL NIMROD
(OOV, mock-polite)
We have arranged a holiday for you, Mr. Craven.
JERRY CRAVEN
(smiling, realising)
Right, I see.
EXT. FOREST, OUTSIDE ROSTOV - NIGHT, 1979.
SUPERIMPOSITION:
"Forest, outside Rostov, Czech-Austrian border."
We see a desolate forest of dead leaf-less trees, and a 1950s BUS arrives. Jerry gets off, looking scared, accompanied by an OLD LADY in a mink coat and cat-eye spectacles. The old lady walks off in the other direction, while Jerry goes towards into the forest.
CUT TO:
Jerry is in the midst of the forest, covered in glass. Suddenly, we hear a howling dog. Jerry looks scared. The CAMERA follows him as he runs, shaky-cam style.
SUDDENLY, THE CAMERA PANS ACROSS TO:
Packs of dogs hiding in the forest, growling, ready to pounce on Jerry. Jerry runs quicker, and quicker. He can't stop now. He's too near the border.
GUARDS IN UNIFORM appear - holding dogs. The CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD, a gruff, rough, grey-bearded man in his late forties stops Jerry. Jerry gives him a passport. Then, a dog jumps onto and claws Jerry.
CUT TO:
A WIDE SHOT of the silhouetted forest at night, with Jerry's screams placed over.
CHAPTER ONE.
SUBTITLE/SUPERIMPOSITION:
"Moribund and Excreta."
INT. "ST. HILDA" underground train station, london - morning, 1979.
We see a dirty 1970s Underground Train Station. A greasy spoon café is in the station, behind a row of benches where sits ALEC CALDER, a red-haired, pudgy spy in thick black-rimmed spectacles, wearing a trenchcoat. He holds a plastic lunch box. It is empty. Alec breathes a sigh of relief.
CLOSE-UP ON:
The lunchbox as it opened up. Inside is an apple core wrapped up in tin foil and a few bread crusts from already eaten sandwiches. Alec unwraps the tinfoil. We see a transistor radio wedged into the apple core.
Alec presses the transistor and speaks into this.
ALEC CALDER
(precise, slow, educated English accent with a hint of working class rough)
Borneo calling Nimrod. Nimrod, can you hear me?
Nimrod's voice comes out of the radio.
LIONEL NIMROD
(OOV)
Yes, quick. You're late. Report to Wyldwych at once.
ALEC CALDER
(whispery)
Yes, boss.
The player controls Nimrod from this point on. You can walk towards the café, but as you near it, it shuts for lunch.
A CHEF's big bald Brian Glover-esque head pops out through the café window.
CHEF
(angry)
Spack off! We're closed!
You then walk towards the rail platform. As you reach the end, a carriage arrives and you get on board.
FADE-OUT.
INT. "WYLDWYCH" UNDERGROUND TRAIN STATION, LONDON - DAY, 1979.
FADE-IN.
You, as Alec Calder walk off the tube carriage onto Wyldwych, a similar train station but with a key-cutters and shoe-repair cubicle and a newsstand. As you walk out, the key-cutter, a small Cockney man in his sixties, in green overalls approaches. This is JACOBS.
JACOBS
(trying to be gentlemanly)
May the gentleman enquire into if his shoes are correct?
ALEC CALDER
(smiling)
Jacobs, how thoughtful.
JACOBS
(whispery, cautious)
Nimrod wants you, Alec. Follow me.
You follow Jacobs, as you walk into the back of the key-cutters, which opens up, and through a door.
FADE TO BLACK.
INT. NIMROD'S OFFICE, UNDER "WYLDWYCH" UNDERGROUND TRAIN STATION, LONDON - DAY, 1979.
We see Jacobs and Calder walking through a grey tunnel, down some steps into a large, concrete modernist office, housed in some former train sheds, a disused carriage in the background. In the office, in a traditional wooden desk and chair, is an old man in a wheelchair, hunched over to one side. This is NIMROD.
LIONEL NIMROD
(tired, old, weak)
Morning, gentlemen.
Jacobs and Calder nod.
ALEC CALDER
Good morning.
LIONEL NIMROD
Jerry Craven is missing, possibly dead, shot down by guards in Rostov, along the Austrian-Czech border. It was his mission to bring home the microfilm of plans relating to the design of a Soviet spyship. These plans need to be found before these ships are sent along the channel.
ALEC CALDER
(salutes)
Yes, sir.
LIONEL NIMROD
(stern)
We'll arrange a private flight tonight from Chadspear Airfield to the Rostov river ferry service in Austria. Smithers will give you papers.
ALEC CALDER
(smiling)
Thank you.
FADE TO BLACK.
EXT. DOCKS, ROSTOV, CZECHOSLOVAKIA - MORNING, 1979.
We see a primitive, ramshackle ferry docked at horrid-looking cold docks, by a dirty beaching. There is a car park of Ladas, Skodas, Yugos, etc. Calder walks out, in a trenchcoat and fedora hat, and dark sunglasses. The player controls him as he walks towards
Calder's inventory is activated, where his passport and papers, cameras and his guns are. You, the player then goes up to the checkpoint, a wire fence with some portakabins where some gruff looking PASS GUARDS take them.
The gates open. Beyond the gates is a horrid Eastern European version of Llandudno. You shuffle through and a bus will collect you.
VARIANT:
If you shoot the guards, they will chase you and perhaps shoot you down, and you will immediately be returned to the point you get off the ferry,and if you escape, you will go beyond.
FADE TO BLACK.
EXT. ROSTOV, CZECHOSLOVAKIA - EARLY EVENING, 1979.
We see a tramline running through a busy 1970s town square. It looks more the 1940s though, with  a few 70s cars. You, as Calder walk through a shopping arcade at the side of the large hotel where Craven was staying, down a stairway, the back entrance of the hotel.
FADE TO BLACK.
INT. HOTEL BEDROOM, ROSTOV, CZECHOSLOVAKIA - EARLY EVENING, 1979.
We see Calder walk into the hotel bedroom, where is confronted by Svetlana, a tall, icy sexy blonde woman in a black catsuit.
ALEC CALDER
(curious, quizzical)
Are you supposed to be here?
SVETLANA
(thick Czech accent)
You are Craven's friend, aren't you?
ALEC CALDER
(confused)
Yes, and you are...
SVETLANA
(friendly, cold)
Svetlana Kondolska, I was "helping" Craven.
ALEC CALDER
(angry, grinding teeth)
Where is he?
SVETLANA
(cold)
It was his choice.
ALEC CALDER
(angry)
Stop!
You then activate your inventory, and take your gun out. Before you can shoot, Svetlana stops you.
SVETLANA
(pleading)
Wait! You don't understand.
ALEC CALDER
(steely)
Where is the microfilm?
SVETLANA
(serious)
Craven had it tattooed.
ALEC CALDER
(shocked)
Tattooed?
SVETLANA
(cold)
On his backside. The contents are written on his backside.
ALEC CALDER
(angry)
Where is he?
SVETLANA
(sinister)
Where you are going.
Suddenly, SECRET POLICE burst in with guns and drag you out.
FADE TO BLACK.
INT. VAN - early evening, 1979.
You, the player/Calder is in a van, the driver in the back. You must activate the inventory, get your gun and shoot the lock on the door. The doors swing open, and you jump out into the forest below. You look around for the corpse, as guards and dogs come towards from the guard barracks/checkpoint at the point.
EXT. ROAD, FOREST, OUTSIDE ROSTOV - EARLY EVENING, 1979.
You are now lying in the forest, as the van crashes into some trees behind you. You scour around the forest, looking for the corpse, on your way towards the barracks/checkpoint. Then you come around, near a pylon, the ravaged corpse of Craven, his face torn apart, but his back in perfect condition.
You activate your inventory and take out your camera.
In a POV-style through the lens scene, you zoom in and take a photo of the back of Craven. Now, you must run about and avoid the dogs and guards in a sort of PacMan-type maze, as you go through the checkpoint.
Once you reach the checkpoint, you meet Craven, smiling, in a nice suit.
ALEC CALDER
(shocked)
It's you!
JERRY CRAVEN
(smiling, aristocratic Scottish)
You thought I was dead!
ALEC CALDER
(shocked)
But how?
JERRY CRAVEN
(smiling, light-hearted)
No, that was a guard I dressed up.
ALEC CALDER
(tough)
Why?
JERRY CRAVEN
(pleading)
I have a wife and child here. I have chosen to defect. The microfilm, well, they're only spyships. Very primitive by our standards.
VARIANT:
You now have the choice to either kill Craven with the gun from the inventory and pretend he was dead all the time, let him go and pretend he was dead, or let him go and tell MI5.
INT. NIMROD'S OFFICE, UNDER "WYLDWYCH" UNDERGROUND TRAIN STATION, LONDON - DAY, 1979.
You, as Calder are in the office.
The correct outcome is having let Craven go, and Nimrod will tell you the truth.
ALEC CALDER
(smooth)
He's alive. I let him go. He has a family and child. But I got the microfilm. They are primitive ships, though, I was told, but I'm no technocrat, so I can't tell if he was lying or not.
LIONEL NIMROD
(genial, avuncular)
Good, well, now we have the microfilm, we can now how primitive these spyships they really are. He may be alive, but he won't be any harm to us.
You/Calder walk out and smile.
VARIANT:
If you pretended Craven was dead and let him go or pretended he was dead and killed him, Nimrod will tell.
ALEC CALDER
(smooth)
He's dead. I got the microfilm.
LIONEL NIMROD
(senses you are lying)
You are lying! No matter what the outcome is, you pose a threat to security. You shall give us the microfilm, inform us of the truth and then be forced to resign immediately. 
FADE TO BLACK.

THE END.


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