Setting:
A cyberpunk/Decopunk metropolis inhabited entirely by robots, a century after the robot rebellion which drove humans to extinction. Many of the occupations previously taken by their past masters have been replicated where relevant; bartenders serve motor oil and battery acid, janitor drones emerge from hidden plates and panels upon detecting any waste, mechanics of every shape and size are utilised for maintenance and repairs. Human culture and customs have also been preserved, to a degree, with mechanical singers and musicians entertaining the more complex androids.
However, not all is hunky-dory in the Metropolis; even after the humans were driven out of their cities and left for dead in the most inhospitable environments, paranoia among the highest echelons still runs at the possibility of their resurgence. The people are watched by hawk-like police droids and surveillance cameras, while spies keep a close eye on any sympathisers for the human menace. Amidst this age of paranoia, robots like yourself are trying to cope by either dancing, drinking or otherwise serving your function in life by working in your designated workplace. Whatever job you have, and whether you are actually doing it or either of the first two, is up to you...
Society and culture:
The class system of the robot population is based on the emotional and technical complexity of the individual; simplistic droids perform manual labour while advanced androids operate in the higher echelons of their society as businessmen and politicians. The highest positions of power, however, are occupied by the Mainframes, artificial super-intelligences from before the Robot Wars who run each facet of society with an iron fist, from the methodical chief justice BIGWIG to the over-zealous police commander BOB.
Multiple factions exist within the Metropolis, each concerned with a specific area of operation;
- The Coolers operate the offices and business sectors of the Metropolis and resemble suave businessfolk and entrepreneurs.
- The Boilers operate the industrial sectors and factories, hardwired towards efficiency and a no-nonsense attitude.
- The Hoofers run the entertainment business and come in all colours and shapes, from hourglass-figured singstresses to pinstripe-suited musicians.
- The Deviants are the underground gang behind all organised crime in the Metropolis, comprised of defective droids and androids with a little too much free will.
Gameplay Notes:
The overall game would operate in a fashion not dissimilar to virtual world games like Habbo Hotel, with the roleplaying aspects of Fallen London. Players create highly-customised avatars/robots and interact in different settings, from bars to streets, offices to factories.
Along with the aforementioned customisations, players can choose their character's faction, or be independent from said factions.
Each player has their own suite, tailored to both their faction (where applicable) and general status in the city. They can invite other players to their suite, where they can have both 1-to-1 sessions (e.g. a lady droid inviting her boyfriend for a night together) or group sessions (e.g. an android hosts a party in their suite). The suite can be decorated to the player's tastes and preferences.
Each instance in the game (streets, factory floors, offices, bars, theatres etc.) is generated/designed by the host, with an optional addition to NPCs. Some instances are public and permanent, serving as meeting grounds with other players, and can be accessed by an in-game map.
Emotes are performed using the emote command, with an option for custom emotes. Some emote commands (laugh, cry, glitch, angry etc.) play an animation, with some displaying a random message each time (see fart emote in SS13).
(30/04/2022 Addendum)
Aesthetics and Tone:
The Metropolis would be primarily Decopunk in aesthetics, drawing inspiration from the environments of Bioshock and films like Blade Runner and Brazil. The city itself, and its society, would be in itself a carbon copy of the last age of mankind prior to the War, which started in the 20s-30s, albeit having advanced in some aspects towards more Cyberpunk elements. The appearances of the robot inhabitants would cover all areas of sophistication, from simplistically designed drones, to clunky but humanoid robots (think BEN from Treasure Planet), to androids which greatly resemble humans, but with clear indications to their nature (like the Spine from Steam Powered Giraffe). The game itself would be rendered in a detailed pixel artstyle, with the characters rendered as sprites.
In tone, it would combine the sophistication and worldbuilding of Fallen London with the sci-fi satire of Space Station 13 and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, depicting a setting which blends the vibrant Age of Jazz with almost comical Cold War paranoia and film noir cynicism, with spies hiding in every alleyway and policebots on the hunt for any sign of defection, and often arresting innocent civilians in the process. Surrounding this environment is an omnipresent sense of indifference among the population, much in the same way that the upper class in Brazil calmly ignore a terrorist bombing in the restaurant scene. Almost every character is an unfazed everyman, with perhaps only a minority who are actually concerned about the police state that they live in.
Let me know what you think, and if you want to contact me directly to brainstorm more ideas!
