Inspired by both the original CONSORTIUM and old-school sci-fi first-person shooters, Consortium: The Tower is a role-playing experience with an unparalleled degree of player freedom.
GAME DESCRIPTION
We here at iDGi have invented a satellite capable of opening a rift through time and space. Travel with us through this rift to the year 2042, and take first-person control of Consortium agent Bishop Six on his first official mission. The result is a highly unique, fourth-wall shattering role-playing experience where you essentially play YOURSELF in full control of another human being.
While the game presents you with a seemingly straightforward mission to rescue hostages, you have complete freedom to approach all situations as you see fit. Decisions are remembered, and can drastically change the outcome of the story. Follow the Consortium mandate and work with your team to accomplish their goals, choose to work directly against them, even fully joining the other side, or skirt the line and play both sides for as long as you can. Both sides have their own truths, and it’s your job to sort them out and decide for yourself who to believe and why. In the middle are a host of characters from all sides of the conflict, each complete with hundreds of lines of dialogue, as well as interconnected backstories and motivations.
We aim for Consortium: The Tower to become the ultimate sci-fi action immersive simulation. Absolutely everything in this game has a narrative or world-building explanation behind it, including all of the game mechanics. In other words our goal from the very beginning was to ensure there are no “gamey” elements, allowing for maximum immersion.
(The 3D automap, revealing all of Act 1)
BACK STORY
London, England, December 21st 2042. Terrorists have seized control of the Churchill Tower Power Facility, located in the center of the 1.5 km high Churchill Tower, and taken all of its civilian employees hostage. The global para-military police agency, The Consortium are being brought in to subdue the terrorists and rescue the hostages, and YOU are the principal agent in charge of the mission.
In the weeks prior to this incident industrial nanites, the primary workforce behind the construction of vast sections of The Churchill Tower, have mysteriously gone haywire. The building’s construction was ground to a halt just days before your arrival. Vast sections of the Tower are unfinished and reshaped, making navigating to where the hostages are a serious challenge.
Due to the unusual nature of the situation, this highly connected society of 2042 quickly become enamoured by your actions. Within hours billions are glued to their VR-decks, hanging off every move you make. Watch as news reports alter based on your actions, and an ever present “public opinion meter” determines your overall standing in their eyes.
Besides the specific story unfolding on the tower, the Consortium Universe is extremely vast, encompassing over ten years of development and worldbuilding. Every nook and cranny of every character and event has been meticulously planned, and allows for a completely optional rabbit hole to delve into for those looking to get lost in an alternate future from our own.
KEY FEATURES
Play this game entirely on its own or import your universe from CONSORTIUM and continue your story seamlessly! Playing the first game is NOT required to fully understand the narrative.
Imported games include alternate dialogue and situations stemming from your choices in CONSORTIUM.
New Players unfamiliar with CONSORTIUM will also be given unique dialogue and situations based on having NOT played the first game!
Explore hundreds of pages of optional backstory and lore through an in-game Information Console (our version of a codex)
A semi-realtime element allows for events to trigger based on playtime, and for world events outside of The Tower to pop periodically. Keep an eye out on these events, and piece together an interconnected narrative that spans well past the confines of The Tower.
SURVIVE!
The Churchill Tower is a highly dangerous environment, with extreme temperatures, security turrets, potentially hostile soldiers, great heights, deadly air vents and more making simple survival a real challenge.
Utilize a classic drag and drop RPG inventory system and manage a wide variety of gear and ammunition that turns you into the world’s ultimate super soldier - a Consortium Bishop. Make deals with combatant squad leaders for better gear, or take them down and loot their bodies.
All of your technology requires Utility Energy to function. Get more Utility Energy by “recycling” dozens of everyday objects scattered throughout the world. Even garbage and litter can yield you vital Utility Energy! If it’s a loose object in the world, it can be recycled.
Find and unlock the Engineering System and gain the ability to upgrade all of your gear to suit your playing style. More than 50 currently available upgrades, with more to come.
TALK!
Choose to talk your way through most of the story, and never even raise your weapon.
Every single NPC found in Consortium: The Tower, including all of the “bad guys,” are there for a narrative reason. You have the choice to try and strike up a conversation with everyone you can find using our realistic, and heavily upgraded waterfall dialog system.
All combatant squad leaders include full backstories along with believable motivations for their actions, and a path toward alliance. You can also speak to the members of the various squads… some may not want to speak with you, but many will and may offer up useful information for your mission.
Non-linear storytelling. Most of the narrative moments can be triggered in any order, and the game will remember what you've done previously and customize your encounters to account for what you've actually done so far in the story. This seamlessly allows for a ridiculous level of replayability.
As of Early Access Alpha 1.0, there is already over 2,500 lines of fully voiced interactive dialog to discover. Our characters are portrayed by top notch voice talent, including Mark Meer (Commander Shepard from the Mass Effect trilogy) as “The Voice”.
Dialog choices truly matter and can cause major changes to occur. Be aware of who you’re talking to, learn their particular biases, and always be careful what you choose to say, or not say!
Forge friendships with individuals and alliances with various factions and decide for yourself who is to be trusted. There is no “right and wrong,” only differing perspectives.
Manage incoming messages and conversation requests from your colleagues and advisors (Consortium or otherwise!) with your Conversation Manager.
FIGHT!
Choose to pit yourself against AI driven mercenaries and soldiers that will flank you, take cover and have a genuine sense of self-preservation - they will surrender to you if they are clearly losing. They can also fall unconscious, but be sure to inject them with incapacitating nanites or they will eventually wake up and re-join the fight!
Battle against a variety of deadly security turrets that are challenging to destroy
Utilize SIX different weapons and a total of TEN different fire-modes with differing tactical value. Your equipment will take damage from incoming fire, so you’ll have to deploy repair nanites to keep your gear in working order.
Multiple lethal and non-lethal solutions to resolving combat. If you want to avoid being kicked from the Consortium, you’ll need to try for non-lethal solutions when you can.
Learn to switch between the Freefall Suit and Battle Utility Suit, and understand the pros and cons to each.
Deep and realistic player damage system. Manage shields and armor to avoid taking any damage. If you let your defenses down you may start bleeding out or incur serious organ damage, meaning you’ll have to deploy expensive medical nanites to stay alive.
EXPLORE!
You have complete freedom to explore the completely non-linear and interconnected sections of the Churchill Tower as you see fit. Early Access Alpha 1.0 includes roughly half of the finished gameworld at a minimum, with plenty of space to expand the scope of the environment in the future:
the roof with currently 6 different ways into the Tower interior you can find.
a massive park entombed by construction nanites and transparent titanium
multiple vent mazes and elevator shafts
multiple floors of the hotel
large mysterious water filled pipes and multiple industrial areas
the spacious and open Hotel Lobby
No movement restrictions and no invisible walls! Use your freefall suit to FLY anywhere you can see as long as you have enough utility energy.
Seamless first-person parkour. Super jump and ledge grab your way into dozens of hidden areas and secret ways into and around the building.
Use a fully 3D automap to keep track of where you are in the Tower.
SNEAK!
The more AI sees you, the more agitated they get which in turn increases their chance of engaging in combat with you. If you wish to avoid gunfights, you will need to manage how much the AI sees and hears you.
Use the engineering system to upgrade your gear’s acoustics and become a truly silent prowler!
Use the Tactical View to see potential combatants and recyclables through solid surfaces and plan your approaches.
Sneak up behind combatants and use your Taser to take them down without drawing the attention of their squadmates.
Find and use the Stealth Shield node to make yourself completely invisible to pass in front of turrets and enemies with ease. Beware that you will still make sound, which can be mitigated through engineering upgrades!
When sneaking around potential combatants, listen in on their conversations to learn more about the world and situation you find yourself in.
