SiN Episodes: Emergence

Initially, Ritual planned to release one episode every six months. Each episode was supposed to cost $ 19.95. The time required to complete each episode was four to six hours. Initially, the game was released for only one player, but later it was planned to add the ability to network play.

One of Ritual ’s main goals at SiN Episodes was consistency, character-driven gameplay, evolving artificial intelligence, and plot that reflects a player’s choice through a statistics system that collects information into a single database: the next SiN Episodes series will depend on the choice. which every player did. Thus, it is not determined whether the features of the series will remain after the resumption of the development of the episodes.

SiN Episodes is built on the Source engine using additional technologies developed by Ritual .

• Community Result

Ritual makes decisions, taking into account the opinions of the players, for the further development of the game in future episodes; such a concept is possible only in episodic development. If the vast majority of players, faced with a choice, make the same decision, then future episodes can be directed towards this goal. Ritual explains: “If a feature is pleasant to the players, it can be improved in the game, while aspects that do not satisfy the wishes of the players can be changed or completely removed.” At the same time, they say: “We understand that it is annoying not to see our“ ending ”, so we still determine the parts of the game in which this feature will be included.”

• Multiple Element Surfaces

The Source engine does not support elements of a complex composite structure - in other words, a model can be composed of only one matter. If an object (for example, a machine) includes glass, then it will behave like metal covering the case, or if you add armor to the character, it will look like flesh, if you do not designate the entire model as metal. Ritual added technology to facilitate this system and have different types of materials on the same model.

• Dynamic complexity

Thanks to a personal complexity system, Sin Episodes adapts to the player’s level and changes the number and complexity of enemies according to the player’s abilities to make sure the level is “passable” for the user and help him complete the whole game. Ritual assures that a professional player and a beginner will complete the game in approximately the same time.

The action takes place in the city of Freeport - a futuristic metropolis with a population of 27 million people. Freeport is a blend of New York, San Francisco and Tokyo. Areas featured in Emergence include Freeport Docks , Supremacy Tower SinTEK, and a drug manufacturing lab owned by Viktor Radek, hidden aboard an old oil tanker that has been washed ashore. The city is completely flooded with criminal structures; Unable to cope with this, city authorities provided private corporations with the opportunity to create their own security services. One such organization is HardCorps , led by Colonel John R. Blade.

The actions of SiN Episodes occur 4 years after the events of the first SiN .

Main game

John R. Blade regains consciousness at SinTEK Research Center. Bending over him, Victor Radek and Eleksis Sinclair are talking. After a short dialogue between them, Victor Radek injects Blade (presumably drug U4). After the injection, HardCorps breaks into the center. Jessica Cannon helps Blade get out of the center and takes him away by car. Radek and Elexis Sinclair manage to escape.

Jessica Cannon decides to try her luck and grab Radek. She takes Blade to an entrepreneur who knows where Radek's lair is. Along the way, John sees a vision of Elixis floating in the lake and seducing him. Blade meets with an entrepreneur who says where Radek is hiding, but at this moment the arrived SinTEK mercenaries begin to storm the port, and the hero has to storm the lab to the laboratory, where they create the dangerous drug U4. In this he is helped by Jessica and JC.

Having made his way to the laboratory, Blade sees experiments on mercenaries, which under the influence of mutagens turn into bloodthirsty mutants. Shooting from the soldiers, he eventually encounters Radek, who says that he injected Blade not just with a mutagen, but that he could eventually make him a god. His words are confirmed by the appeared hologram Sinclair. Radek manages to escape, before programming the laboratory for self-destruction. Blade has to escape, encountering numerous mutants along the way, who attack everyone indiscriminately. In the end, he manages to escape through the sewers, however, once on the construction site, he is confronted with a huge gorilla-like mutant. After defeating him, Jessica comes for Blade, and together they burst into the SinTEK tower, hoping to finally catch Radek there.

Sinclair, seeing Blade and Jessica arriving at her, taunts them and sends an army of mercenaries armed to the teeth. Jessica stays in the communication center, downloading all the data about SinTEK, which may contain evidence of the connection between Radek and Sinclair, thereby giving her the opportunity to compromise the latter in front of the entire Freeport city. Blade, meanwhile, assaults her way to the top floor of the tower. Having reached almost its very foundation, Blade sees a helicopter on which Radek threatens him, holding Jessica captive. After the request of the hologram Sinclair to give Blade what he wants, Radek injects a mutagen into Jessica and leaves her to the hero, and he flies away. Still intending to grab him, Blade continues to make his way to the base of the tower, but there he encounters another huge mutant and a helicopter. After defeating them, Blade arrives at the HardCorps helicopter and picks it up.

This is where the game ends.

Continuation

In the scene in front of the credits, it becomes clear that the mutants escaping from the laboratory are beginning to capture FreePort, and Jessica, meanwhile, is suffering from the effects of the mutagen. JC asks Blade for help saving her. The further fate of the heroes remains unknown.

Characters

John R. Blade - the leader of HardCorps , one of the private security organizations in the city of Freeport, the protagonist of the game.

JC is a talented hacker, technical support chief at HardCorps. JC tracks every movement of Blade and helps him in every way.

Jessica Cannon is new to Blade's team. Jessica is a direct partner of Blade, who is trying to slightly soften his heavy character. Throughout the game, she will almost always be next to Blade, helping him catch Radek.

Elexis Sinclair is the head of one of the most powerful and successful corporations in the world - SinTEK Industries . She is obsessed with the realization of her dream - the rapid evolution of mankind, and the power of the enterprise that she inherited has allowed her to take a rather extreme path in this area. In secret from the inhabitants of the city, her plan is already being implemented.

Victor Radek is the least studied character. He is from Eastern Europe. Radek recently appeared in the city of Freeport and organized the distribution of a large batch of drug U4. HardCorps operatives followed him for some time, hoping to get information about his dark affairs in the city.

The soundtrack was recorded by Zach Belika, sound engineer at Ritual Entertainment, who also wrote the music for the original SiN.

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