R:CD Early Design 2

Robotech Game Timeline and Notes

At the beginning of crystal dreams, you see a lone veritech flying above the Earth, the SDF-3 far in the distance ahead. The camera zooms in to the cockpit, and you are in control. Ghosted on the main window is a news report:

        Unknown Zentraedi Fleet Attacks

        -Six Zentraedi Cruisers suddenly folded into Earth orbit
         yesterday, immediatetly attacking RDF installations.
        -Earth's Zentraedi aiding RDF
        -SDF-3 caught in middle, getting much more of a field
         test than expected
        -Many believe it to be an escalation of the Malcontent
         Uprisings that finally ended last year.  RDF has no info on
         identity or motivations of the attackers.
        -this occurs only six months before SDF-3 to leave for Tirol.
         Growing public opinion that the SDF should remain at Earth.

Added is a personal note from you editor.

         I'm glad you decided to take this assignment.  You are the
         only pilot MBS has that has flight experience in a combat
         plane, and to cover this story, you can not be in anything
         else.  Dock with the SDF-3, and cover the story from there.
         Good luck, and be careful.

         William Chavez
         Editor - Monument City Brodcasting Company

Underneith the note, the screen begins to spark. Soon after, the note disappears, and you can see the SDF-3, explosions around it. You are at the edge of a battle. This is a straight forward battle of killing as many pods as possible, though you get better points for going after the ones dive bombing the SDF-3. When the remaining ones disappear, the battle is over.

After you survive the battle, you land on the SDF-3, and go to the War Room. Rick Hunter is talking to Breetai on the main screen, while Exedore stands behind Rick. They inform Rick that it is possible that some Zentraedi were too far away, or on special missions, to be called to Earth with Dolza.

A female technician looks over her shoulder at you, and then stands up and walks to you. She does not look extemely happy to see you. Through her you get the story of you past, and why she is angry at you. [It was while writing this document that I first got the idea for Vala Norri. I knew that the story had to have a love interest (for the soap-opera side of Robotech), but the details started here]

Rick Hunter finishes with Breetai, and finally turns to you. He also mentions your history, but also commends you for your help today. He says he will give you access to the repair and resupply shop, as well as some money (standard for combat pilots).

Then off you go where you will.

After a few missions, you will return to the SDF-3, and as you are leaving, you get caught in a battle. Two Zen cruisers are near, and you join the fight against the pods they released. Suddenly, the SDF-3 tells you to clear out of the area, she will be firing the main guns. If you get out fast, you will have time to turn to the cruisers, and see one explode in a massive bolt of white light (which will, of course, start at the SDF-3 if you watch in that direction). The other cruiser, on the fringe of the bolt, is damaged, with occasional small explosions across its surface on one side. You are ordered in to try to finish it off. As you get close (just as you start firing at it), a ball of light expands out from the center of the ship, engulfing the entire screen, and making the cockpit screen split into double visions. Then everything returns to normal, except that you are nowhere near Earth. Nearby is a massive irregular crystal the size of a small asteroid, and a dozen Zentraedi ships, from the smallest to two flagships.

The cruiser you came with explodes, and the crystal, which you are nearest, suddenly launches a hundred or more tiny specks, which race toward you, and eventually resolve themselves into crystals a quarter the size of your Veritech. You, and the other Veritechs caught in the fold must fight until you see another Zen cruiser pull out of formation. Someone will tell you that it looks like it might be getting ready to go somewhere, so we should be near it when it folds. You make a mad dash to it, and get caught in its fold. You find yourself back near Earth. Your reconicence data gives you a good boost in everyone's eyes back on the SDF-3.

The first time you save and board the Factory Satelitte, Breetai will call you to the bridge, and tell you that he is adding a small tractor beam to your ship. He wants you to disable a pod so he can interogate one of the new Zentraedi. Miriya will tell you how to do it (as she did in the cartoon).

Capturing an enemy pod will lead to several revelations... How the Zentraedi encountered Eboliar, what it is after, and that a few ships in a battle control all the communications for the battle. Take out these ships and the enemy will become less coordinated as well as become suseptible to the "Minmei" attack.

In the next several attacks, you will see the effect, as some Zentraedi pods will become erratic when the music begins.

About this time, small numbers of new Zentraedi start defecting. Leonard sends up his own Southern Cross pilots (including T.R. Edwards) to stop this. You will get caught in the middle. They will destroy all Zentraedi they come across, and if they cannot convert you or you make them angry, they might fire on you also. Eventually, a small team of (suspected but unprovable) Southern Cross guys try to take over the SDF-3, and run when unsuccesful. You get to chase them (this occurs just as you are returning to the SDF-3 from other missions - you hop back in your fighter to chase them) and end up having to destroy them. Leonard and T.R. Edwards back down (mostly). [In the final dialog file, the SC steals the prototype Veritech Reflex Cannon, rather than trying to take over the SDF-3.]

The new Zentraedi will become factionalized, and Eboliar will start punishing some of the Zentraedi. It will become obvious that Eboliar is becoming more desperate in its quest for the Protoculture Matrix.

Eboliar will retaliate, by kidnapping Minmei. Before it can kill her, Rick launches in pursute with you (sent by Lisa) at his heels. You spend most of the mission keeping Rick alive, and Minmei ends up saving herself by singing to the Zentraedi pilot.

Upon surviving this mission, Vala gives you the Reflex generator, with cannon and barrier shield. This leads to the final confrontations. In one, you use the cannon to distroy a Zentraedi cruiser (alternately, you can crash through it with the barrier shield). Eventually, as the remaining Zentraedi defect or are destroyed, you must go up against Eboliar itself. You fire the cannon, cutting a hole into its heart. You fly into the center, and overload the barrier shield. This destroys Eboliar's brain. You must then fly back out the tunnel you carved, racing the explosion out. If you survive, you see Eboliar go boom, win the game, win your girlfriend back, and get a post on the Expeditionary mission, now leaving in nine months, due to damage (instead of six, which was the time required to finish calibrating the fold system). Of course, the crisis will also delay the wedding three months.

Specific mission ideas:

Vala, in route back to the SDF-3, is attacked. You must save her.

Money:

Each time you fire a shot or missile, and hit an enemy, you get a few points. You also get points for firing the final shot that destroys a ship. Accomplishing mission goals or special bonus goals adds points. Promotion to better ships, and pleasing specific characters also adds points. These points can be spent on repairs and upgrades. The total gained to date is your game score. Some characters will save up brownie points, which determine when they react in certain ways (Lisa giving you a promotion or award, getting closer to Vala, etc). The total brownie points with all characters to date is the soap opera score, and when the points are added, they maybe can be converted to game points for spending.

You can send me mail at opus@opusgames.com