Verrucosus
Warlord
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2002
- Messages
- 267
INT. TENT - DAWN
We see an old man with a wise, lived-in face, sitting in front of a fire. After a few seconds, he looks up. A young man enters the tent. Respectfully, he puts his right hand on his heart.
OLD MAN
Welcome back, my son. I have missed you.
(he returns the greeting)
Have the men begun installing the game?
SON
Yes, father.
OLD MAN
Good. (He looks again into the fire.)
This is a game with a lot of potential.
(He looks up again.)
I think we can play it for a while.
SON
(nodding) I agree.
We will do well with it.
OLD MAN
Come! Sit with me and listen!
(He stretches out his right arm. His son sits.)
I've had a dream of our people's future.
It was glorious, glorious.
The second "glorious" is slightly melodic. The old man looks up as if trying to summon back his vision.
Vision 1: A player clicking himself through various Steam popups when starting the game
OLD MAN (O.S.)
I saw our people putting up with all sorts of
nonsense, bullied to get connected with other
people, lured with great riches in far-away lands
when all they want to do is play the single player
game they had already paid for.
Vision 2: The pyramids and a player searching the Civilopedia desperately for a "religion" entry
OLD MAN (O.S.)
We built wondrous monuments honouring generic gods
because religion was cut.
Vision 3: A player browsing the civilopedia
OLD MAN (O.S.)
... and then I saw a vast, fragmented civilopedia
with summaric entries only, because the barbarians
cannot understand sentences beyond counting on
one hand and they need to buy the game, too.
Vision 4: A player tries to move a second military unit into the same tile, is stopped by an advisor.
OLD MAN (O.S.)
There was some innovation, too, brought about
by the torments of war, but we were strong and
brought victory to our people.
The vision dissolves into the Spartan victory screen, then into the old man's face.
OLD MAN
There my dream ended ... and my story as well.
For it has been revealed to me that it is your future
I dreamed of, not mine. (They both stand.)
The fate of our people is now in your hands.
(They embrace each other.)
I envy you my boy. It is your decisions that will shape
history. Go now, my son, (he lifts his hand) with my
blessing and decide your future.
EXT. TENT - EARLY MORNING
CLOSE ON: The young man leaving the tent, his face a mixture of sadness and urgency.
The camera pulls back and he steps towards a cliff and looks down at the Civ5 opening menu.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. TENT - EARLY MORNING
Tenderly, the old man touches the backs of the printed manuals from Civ 1 - 4, Railroad Tycoon, Colonization and Alpha Centauri, then sits down Indian-style and fires up his laptop.
OLD MAN
(muttering while shaking his head)
Young people ... no idea what they are missing.
His grin dissolves into the desktop. The mouse pointer rests for two seconds on the Civ1 icon, then moves quickly to the Civ4 icon. A double-click and two escapes later the glow of Earth revolving around itself and the sounds of Baba Yetu are filling the tent.
FADE TO: Black
We see an old man with a wise, lived-in face, sitting in front of a fire. After a few seconds, he looks up. A young man enters the tent. Respectfully, he puts his right hand on his heart.
OLD MAN
Welcome back, my son. I have missed you.
(he returns the greeting)
Have the men begun installing the game?
SON
Yes, father.
OLD MAN
Good. (He looks again into the fire.)
This is a game with a lot of potential.
(He looks up again.)
I think we can play it for a while.
SON
(nodding) I agree.
We will do well with it.
OLD MAN
Come! Sit with me and listen!
(He stretches out his right arm. His son sits.)
I've had a dream of our people's future.
It was glorious, glorious.
The second "glorious" is slightly melodic. The old man looks up as if trying to summon back his vision.
Vision 1: A player clicking himself through various Steam popups when starting the game
OLD MAN (O.S.)
I saw our people putting up with all sorts of
nonsense, bullied to get connected with other
people, lured with great riches in far-away lands
when all they want to do is play the single player
game they had already paid for.
Vision 2: The pyramids and a player searching the Civilopedia desperately for a "religion" entry
OLD MAN (O.S.)
We built wondrous monuments honouring generic gods
because religion was cut.
Vision 3: A player browsing the civilopedia
OLD MAN (O.S.)
... and then I saw a vast, fragmented civilopedia
with summaric entries only, because the barbarians
cannot understand sentences beyond counting on
one hand and they need to buy the game, too.
Vision 4: A player tries to move a second military unit into the same tile, is stopped by an advisor.
OLD MAN (O.S.)
There was some innovation, too, brought about
by the torments of war, but we were strong and
brought victory to our people.
The vision dissolves into the Spartan victory screen, then into the old man's face.
OLD MAN
There my dream ended ... and my story as well.
For it has been revealed to me that it is your future
I dreamed of, not mine. (They both stand.)
The fate of our people is now in your hands.
(They embrace each other.)
I envy you my boy. It is your decisions that will shape
history. Go now, my son, (he lifts his hand) with my
blessing and decide your future.
EXT. TENT - EARLY MORNING
CLOSE ON: The young man leaving the tent, his face a mixture of sadness and urgency.
The camera pulls back and he steps towards a cliff and looks down at the Civ5 opening menu.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. TENT - EARLY MORNING
Tenderly, the old man touches the backs of the printed manuals from Civ 1 - 4, Railroad Tycoon, Colonization and Alpha Centauri, then sits down Indian-style and fires up his laptop.
OLD MAN
(muttering while shaking his head)
Young people ... no idea what they are missing.
His grin dissolves into the desktop. The mouse pointer rests for two seconds on the Civ1 icon, then moves quickly to the Civ4 icon. A double-click and two escapes later the glow of Earth revolving around itself and the sounds of Baba Yetu are filling the tent.
FADE TO: Black
