Monday, August 27, 2012

Star Saga: One - Beyond the Boundary - I Am Stoneseeker

Please note that each character entry will contain spoilers. If you're looking for an overview of the basics of this game, I suggest looking here.

Corin Stoneseeker is the latest in a long line of people that have sought out the Core Stone. This stone was originally found by an explorer known as Soulsinger. According to legend, the stone granted him immortality, and with the stone he would bring ever lasting peace to humanity. On his way home, he was attacked and killed by an alien, a Clathran. His son vowed to find the stone and return it to Atlantis (one of the Nine Worlds); he was the first Stoneseeker.

Twenty generations have passed, each one with a Stoneseeker setting out for the stone. Corin, now 18, will embark on the Quest and gains the title of Questor. He's provided a ship by his people. His first step, cross the Boundary, will begin tomorrow.
Corin's Ship, the Quest's End, foreshadows Corin's destiny
His sleep is uneasy, and he dreams the same dream Prof. Dambroke did; he thinks nothing of it though. In much the same way, he crosses the boundary, although his first destination is different. The planet Bugeye, more specifically Director Colmaris, will provide his first clue.

Colmaris is anxiously waiting to greet Corin, and appears to have been a close friend of his aunt, Cathir the 19th Questor. From Colmaris, he receives his aunt's inheritance: a silver pendant, a flexion glove, and a couple notes. The first describes the use of the flexion glove. Its protective material is the only thing capable of containing the radiation given off by the stone.

The second note mentions the Frog Leg Nebula recently started to broadcast a signal. Inside the ancient texts is something that matches the signature of this signal, and the story goes that the creature who stole the stone escaped in a ship broadcasting this same message.

I get a location, 133-G, which is beyond my star maps, so I make my way to Wellmet, known for expert traders and smugglers. Here I pick up the fabled star maps of Vanessa Chang. Inside, I find the location of 133-G.

Could it really be this easy?

*  *  *  *

That's the introduction and first 5 turns of Corin Stoneseeker, my favorite character when I played this as a kid. I'm not sure if it was the green cover, the quest description, or the name that attracted me most, but I always chose him. It's good to come back to this and relive the story. I actually don't remember any conclusion. If it's anything like Dambroke I'll find the stone, return home, and be told my quest end lies in a different game.

I've done some tracking from my playthrough of Dambroke, and noted that I had read less than half the passages used in the game. I don't know if there's that much left of the story to discover, if there are that many random passages, or if there are that many repeated passages. I've noted only a handful of truly repeated text. Other times I've been surprised at small changes to account for taking actions in a different order. My mind still boggles at the amount of planning required to create this game, and at the quality of the entire package.