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There's a place we all know about. It's rather damp, really big, and
poorly understood even by people who study it in a professional capacity.
The ocean shows up in RPG's very frequently, of course, but not in the
capacity I'd like to see happen. Instead of flying over it, sailing on it,
or using a submersible to scoot around underneath it, I want to see at least
a significant portion (maybe the entirety) of a game take place under the
ocean.
This would entail - what? Actually a great number of things, if the ocean
is to be made an environment befitting its actual status. Using a submarine
or diving bell for the entirety of the place is a big no-no, so there has to
be a way to get a party under the water and not be crushed by the pressure.
Grow gills temporarily, use diving suits, pop a pill - the means is
subservient to the end in this eventuality. If the entire game takes place
underwater, so much the better: no temporary devices need be used to
facilitate the setting.
Once underwater the possibilities are multifaceted. Unless in the
shallows, lack of light is a real issue. Candles don't work underwater, and
any water-resistant source of light won't penetrate very far in the inky
blackness. Claustrophic? Certainly, which makes me think of Breath of
Fire: Dragon Quarter (even though I haven't played it). The darkness found
below the shallows ought to make for an interesting atmosphere. Also found
underwater is the potential for crushing pressure. Things that live deep
within the ocean cannot survive if brought close to the surface, and the
opposite is also true. Dealing with the pressure encountered at great
depths ought to be an interesting variant on status ailments.
And of course the interesting things to be found as opponents underwater
must not be ignored. Angler fish have shown up from time to time (a Grandia
boss comes to mind) but aren't exactly common adversaries (in my
experience). Squid seem to be about as common as octopus, but frequent
giant squid attacks might be interesting. Sperm whales go down deep, and
offhand I can't recall one showing up as an opponent in an RPG (Monstro does
not count). Certain varieties of shark never make their way out of the deep
- the megamouth shark comes to mind, but there are doubtless many that have
never been seen. Sharks from prehistoric times that are three times bigger
than a great white (and have been the subject of bad fiction)? Trilobites?
Things that live on geothermal instead of solar energy? The possibilities
are pretty darned vast.
As the starting point for a fascinating concept, I think all that needs
to be said has been. Will it be implemented? I can hope so.
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