Today’s post will somewhat lead into Thursday’s post about economies. Mainly because in addition to a monetary economic system, we foresee the evolution of a sub economy related to what we refer to as “Gel Tech”.

In Emerald Kingdom, Gel is a naturally occurring substance. It’s available anywhere. But, let’s break it down. From our notes: “Gel is the basic raw energy form used in the game. In its unrefined form, it is found at breech points around the land. “  I do not want to reveal a whole bunch of detail on the actual system just yet. I will say that there is a two part process for getting Gel into a usable form. The first part is finding & collecting it. The second part is refining it.

However, let me just state equivocally: In the Emerald Kingdom, power is going to be kind of a big deal. It will power your armor. It will fuel your artillery. It will be used in synthesizing items such as potions and heals. It will be used to construct things. Your weapons will use it. Your crafting will use it. It will be a system almost unto itself. That being said, we do not want Gel to be a scarce commodity. We want it to be pretty common. However, the refined forms…especially the ones with greater capacity…well, those may get scarce. Especially if there is a Faction, on the prowl looking to start some trouble.

The energy tech in Emerald Kingdom serves as a supply system of sorts. We did not want to create a super complex way of making machines work. We did want some kind of sub economy that could function in its own right with it’s own system of fountains and sinks. Gel tech does that, and more. It gives us leave to create some really nifty items. Things like:

  • Powered Armor.
  • Ranged Artillery.
  • Siege Weaponry.
  • Water vessels.
  • Land vehicles.

Those are just a small sample of where we are going with this. Gel is also a bit of a MacGuffin. Gel is almost a like the DNA for the Emerald Kingdom. It’s very existence is a plot device. It’s history and how things got to where they are now is directly related to Gel, and how it changes and shifts. The Sprite’s evolution into their present form is a direct result of the things that happened with Gel thousands of years before the player gets into the game.

(Before anyone starts making comparisons to Final Fantasy VII, let’s just get out a simple fact: as Picasso supposedly put it: “Good Artists Borrow, Great Artists Steal” It’s one of the most misunderstood phrases ever uttered. Whether it’s an element of style. Or a premise, etc. There is a difference between borrowing elements and outright stealing. The Lifestream was certainly an influence on how we have constructed Gel. We are not ashamed to admit that. We love FF as a franchise. While we admit Gel has some connections to the lifestream, for us it actually has more to do with Gaia Theory, and…to an extent, Omega Point Theory.  Once you get into the game, this will be fairly obvious.)

While Gel is certainly a main point in the game, it should be noted that it’s simply one facet. We are shooting for a very hodge podge collection of technology. Will there be projectile weaponry? Yes. Will there be swords? Yes. While we expect full bore war machines of some sort, and personal powered armor of some sort…it’s important to remember that all technology has it’s limits and loopholes. But, we definitely wanted Gel to be a positive energy source in a world of old and new technology. We wanted something that could be controlled and balanced on it’s own via fountains and sinks. More importantly…we wanted a swiss army knife for power and crafting…but integral to the operation of the world itself. Gel is not only a power source, in a very real way it is also part of the story.