Game title: Police State
Genre: Cyberpunk
Type: Multiple, including action, RPG, shooting, puzzle, and driving elements
Background: It is the near future. Oil shortages, ecocide, disease, famine, nuclear war, and increasing civil unrest have taken the 21st century to a political halt. In an effort to acquire control, the world’s governments and leading corporations have consolidated power and stripped away civil liberties in the name of national security. Those who wanted security flocked to the cities, consolidating the majority of the population within them, and those who have wanted to be free have fled to the countryside in order to escape bureaucratic and corporate tyranny. As the years have passed, restlessness and anarchy have risen. Within the cities, crime is out of control and a form of corporate feudalism has taken hold. In the country, terror thrives on the highways, where the one with the biggest guns and the most horsepower will become a legend, while one foolish enough to venture outside of the cities will not only become their prey, but become subject to the fury of the poisonous land, land which had once bared life but has been rendered near lifeless from exploitation, haunted by mutants that are a mere resemblance to the creatures that used to be abundant. A person fleeing from the cities and wanted by the government has the added problem of being pursued by the Interstate Force, a suicidal collection of the best drivers America’s police had to offer, who claim privy to the most powerful blocks of Detroit iron to ever grace the highways. Nothing can escape their wrath should it be evoked. Welcome to the future. Welcome to hell in a V8. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
Features:
*Explore over 80 square miles of land, encompassing an entire city, multiple towns both occupied and abandoned, poisonous wastelands, and literally hundreds of miles of roads to explore, engage battle on, and push your car to its limits.
*Develop the skills of your characters as you see fit, skills such as electronics, firearms, driving, and computer hacking.
*Learn how to command a wide array of vehicles, from ho-hum economy sedans to the most savage of fuel-injected suicide machines, encompassing over 150 different types of cars, trucks, and police vehicles.
*Customize your weapons as you see fit, with modifications such as laser sight, full auto pins, larger clips, and a variety of ammunition which you can choose from.
*You are granted complete control of the vehicles you acquire. Upgrade them with bulletproof armor, auto-sealing tires, engine modifications, and tear down the road in however manner you want.
*Real time traffic, weather, and pedestrian behavior makes you feel like you’re there.
*Branching storyline allows for five separate endings and a limitless amount of methods through which to play through the game.
*Enjoy an array of missions, ranging from drug smuggling and armed robberies to espionage and computer crimes. Includes over 300 storyline-based missions.
*Wage battle by hand, gun, car, or computer. You choose how you want to wage your war.
*200+ hours of gameplay.
*Do battle with over one-hundred types of enemies, ranging from privatized police forces and hostile gangs to fuel-hungry savages, deadly mutants, and bizarre demons.
*Enjoy hundreds of in-game tracks, from artists both well-known and independent on the game’s built-in radio stations.
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Police State
Contents:
A Brief History of the Future
The World Today
*Politics and Events
*Culture
*Technology
Thrust into a Situation Out of Control
The Badlands and Gateway City
Gangs
*Stationary Gangs
*Nomadic Gangs
Getting Started
The Long Arm of the Law
Characters
Attributes/ Skills
A Brief History of the Future
No one historian or scientist can fully grasp what has happened in the past, but they will tell you that the Earth is a mess, assuming they would be free to say so without threats to their health, family, reputation, job, or life.
It all started at the turn of the 21st century. America, having been the dominant economy, felt its status was threatened. Its leading politicians consolidated political power amongst themselves and gained absolute control over national and international affairs. Conflicts were frequent with nations not willing to comply with America’s goals, and reactionaries within those nations banded together and gained control of them, consolidating those nations into new superpowers in a fruitless effort to rival America. Those new superpowers were the United Capitalist Federation of Mainland Asia, the European Union, the Holy Lands of Arabia, and the United South American States. Wars raged as a result, with the largest corporations in the world at the helm of it all, consolidating their wealth with utter disregard to the rights and lives of anyone that stood in their way. The economy boomed, having been inflated by deficit spending and endless war. Mergers between incorporated entities occurred daily, until only a select few corporations existed. The rich became exponentially richer, the middle class was mostly marginalized out of existence, and the number of poor quickly increased. The police forces, military, and municipal utilities shortly became privatized.
All of it looked as if it were about to come crashing down.
Years before, there were rumors and claims of oil shortages and warnings of an energy crisis. The failure to heed them shortly after sparked wars for this scare resource as prices skyrocketed. Those oil rich nations in the Middle East and elsewhere faced political calamities with suspicious origins, and often invasion, all courtesy of the United States. Not wanting to be outdone, the superpowers that formed shortly after began to fight back. They threatened sanctions on behalf of the World Trade Organization, ceased importing American goods, and eventually participated in armed conflict with the United States.
Meanwhile, in America, things were falling apart. No longer were there any legitamate elections, and some now suspect they haven't been legitamate for some time. Americans, having since the start of the 21st century faced increasing job losses, having drafted their sons and daughters to fight wars for oil, and having had their assets pilfered from them by the nation’s leading corporations, were no longer oblivious to the deeds their government had committed in their name and their outcome. They took to the streets in protest. Martial law was soon declared and the country was thrust into a state of anarchy. America was about to plummet into a second, and even bloodier civil war.
Out of failure to remedy the chaos and America’s greed for scarce resources, the world’s newly formed superpowers turned to the United Nations for help. Conflict resulted, with the United States military assaulting the U.N. headquarters in New York City and capturing the representatives of all the worlds’ nations from within its own borders. Although no one knows for certain, all of those captured were suspected to have been executed via secret military tribunals, in the name of national security. Just one day after, the stock market crashed to a low not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
In the blink of an eye, the situation turned nuclear. The United Capitalist Federation of Mainland Asia demanded that their ambassadors be returned to them and demanded the money which they had invested into U.S. currency to be returned. Not being granted their wish, they sent over 4 agents and attempted to kidnap the president of the United States. The agents, having been discovered and having failed, were soon executed on live TV. Things then turned nuclear. America's president, seeking vengence, launched a nuclear missile at Peking, China, and killed over 20 million people in an instant. Furious, the Asian superpower launched nuclear missiles to New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Miami. One missile was shot down and Washington D.C. was spared. Twenty-five million American citizens were killed. America retaliated, not only against what were formerly Russia, China, and India, but against all nations outside the U.S., launching thousands of nuclear weapons that same day. It is not recorded how many lives were taken outside of the U.S. and travel between the U.S. and elsewhere has ceased entirely. All communication with the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia had been mostly wiped out, aside from internet communications.
It is not recorded how many were killed by the police forces and military in America, but the dissent was widely considered to have been crushed and hailed as a success by the corporate media and the government. Protestors were routinely captured and then executed on live TV on a weekly basis. Despite this, anarchy continued to flourish on a smaller scale.
The landscape, having been permanently scarred with pollution and radiation began to quickly transform into a poisonous desert. Toxic rains and poisonous dust storms halted the possibility of travel among the interstate highways between cities. Food had to be grown within hydroponic domes and clean water became nearly impossible to obtain. The majority of the worlds’ species are now considered extinct. In their place, deadly mutants now litter the badlands and have occasionally been known to make their way into the sewers of the cities. The environment has not seen its worst. Some trees and forests remain, but the land continues to die a fast but painful death. It is projected all outside vegetation will be dead within 10 years.
Those who wanted security and jobs fled the small towns to live in those big cities spared from nuclear disaster, cities which were soon walled off. Mobility between the inside and outside of the cities became limited. Those who wanted freedom fled the cities for the few remaining small towns and fortifications, but often became prey to scavengers seeking loot, or to the poisonous hazards that now litter the Earth along the way.
Most disastrous of all, gasoline, of which was used to ship goods across the nation, had become impossible to obtain due to a mass reduction of the world’s oil reserves. All gasoline was from then on reserved to the government and the private military and police forces. Vehicles used by ordinary people quickly became converted to run on compressed hydrogen gas, a fuel dependent on burning coal to produce it, but in much greater supply. These vehicles were severely limited in driving range, with between 20 and 30 miles maximum range. They were suitable for use within the cities, but from then on travel outside the cities became an utter impossibility for those without gas. Worse still burning coal to produce the hydrogen took an even greater toll on the environment. Black clouds of smog hover over the cities blocking out natural light.
Gasoline became the ultimate prize to be sought for by the gangs. Having formed a vast network, they often looted and pillaged refineries and storage facilities, only to burn their prize in high powered muscle cars, seeking their next target. The Interstate Force Patrol was quickly formed to combat them. Composed of the best drivers in the police forces, they were equipped with machines that were rivaled by none. They frequently overtook fleeing nomads in pursuits often exceeding 150 MPH, and in the lawless regions outside the cities, were effectively rendered judge, jury, and executioner. They ruthlessly hunted down and killed anyone deemed a threat to the availability of the dwindling oil supply. IFPs began to wind up dead or captured, with the lucky gang member that killed them being rewarded with a fortune in gasoline. Within the cities, where the gangs are stationary, the police put an abrupt halt to oil sabotage. They raided the headquarters of various gangs and cartels, and killed thousands of members. But this did not eliminate the gangs from the cities altogether. They went back to the professions they were known for in the 20th century, after nearly being wiped out. In the badlands, however, the gangs are mobile enough to survive, and continue to pose a threat to the oil supply to this day.
The corporations of the large cities began taking land from within the countryside that could be suitable for mining, drilling, or agriculture. They have been met with a fierce resistance from those within the country, fueling the civil war even further.
The World Today
Politics and Events
It is sometime around the year 2010, give or take a few years. As of today, the United States is officially controlled by a select few number of corporations. Companies each are granted territories over which they are allowed to exploit their labor and resources, in exchange for vowing to aid the state in purging the nomads that roam the highways and the rebels that reside within small towns and fortifications. Sometimes, companies war amongst each other for a plot of land or for another’s territory. It is not uncommon for a corporation to draft some of its citizens to fight their wars, although the use of hired and paid mercenaries is the accepted norm.
Contact with lands outside the United States continues to remain scarce, and mostly limited to the internet. It is known that over 2 billion people were killed worldwide in the nuclear exchange.
Dissent is still widespread, although underreported. On college campuses and within city centers, protests are held almost daily, just as they have been since the start of the 21st century. Since martial law was declared, the dissent has died back down to pre-depression levels, but it is a constant threat to the status quo and on a whim, force may be used to end it.
The main enemy portrayed within the media and among the population are the rebels holding out in the small towns and fortresses, and the savage nomads that are constantly seeking fuel. There used to often exist conflicts between the military, private police forces, and these perceived enemies, but they have died down. The conflicts are now mostly limited to capturing or killing one who has committed a terrorist attack within one of the major cities. If a person escapes the police inside the cities, the Interstate Force Patrols will give pursuit and hunt them down within the badlands.
As corporations have consolidated power, they have virtually eliminated all constitutional protections. The corporations who take claim to a territory have full authority to track the whereabouts of anyone they choose, complete control over the media, complete ownership of the police and military, and have absolutely no restraints whatsoever. Labor strikes are often met with well-armed soldiers and usually end with the death of the participants. The corporations presiding over a region can claim any property they choose to at will, and it is also not uncommon for a person to be dragged out of their home in the middle of the night and never heard from again. Elections have long been corrupted, with the use of computerized voting machines that can be manipulated at will by the vote counters, everyone knows it, but few dare mention it in public. Large lists of banned literature, movies, videogames, and other media exist, enacted in a day when the religious right was gaining power, but the ban is rarely enforced on an individual basis, and the religious right has become marginalized and forgotten by the corporations, an ally which had once served its purpose. Those that present banned media to a large audience, however, are eventually hunted down and killed, if they can be gotten to without too much conflict. Firearms have been banned ever since martial law was declared, and only the government branches and privatized police forces are legally allowed to possess them, although the law is never enforced towards corporate-hired mercenaries and guards, and gangs have had no problem obtaining firearms and they are frequently used. Those living in the countryside often stockpile guns, and use them as a source of currency thanks to the gangs willing to buy them.
The unemployment rate within America’s cities is in excess of 40%. Those fortunate to have a job typically work 70 hours a week for about half the pay per annum they would have received a mere decade ago. Those without work are usually homeless, and have become a pariah of sorts.
With the virtual elimination of the middle class, four main classes exist. At the top are the corporate owners and the politicians, who technically own everything within the cities, all property, and some say, persons. They write the laws and attempt to control everything the people are allowed to see on TV, and hear on the radios. They have not been able to gain control of the internet, despite their best efforts. Far out of reach from danger, they live enclosed in domed communities up within the mountains that they reach by helicopter, or within the tallest buildings in the cities. It is rumored that the elite of society meet each year in a secluded military bunker and make their decisions within there, but no evidence exists, and no exact location of where this may occur is known. On the next tier are the doctors, engineers, managers, scientists, lawyers, media persons, athletes, and police or military forces. They generally live within gated communities, and are content to enjoy a life similar in living standard to the middle class of a mere decade ago. Their communities are protected by armed guards, and clearance is required to enter them. Trespassers are detained on sight. Their children are fortunate enough to have the money to attend secondary schools, and if the child shows potential, universities. The vast majority of the population are on the next tier. They are found living in dangerous crime-infested ghettos, and struggle to make ends meet. The water they drink, air they breathe, and food they eat is poisoned, and sickness is rampant. Tap water is often cited as a source of mercury, lead, and arsenic poisoning, while processed meat and dairy products a source of a deadly and incurable prion infection. Medical care, however, is a luxury, and most are left to live with their ailments until they die. On the lowest tier are the homeless, those who have fled the cities, and those that have piled around the cities and live within hazardous shantytowns. The homeless and shantytown dwellers struggle to survive, eating food out of dumpsters and using sewage as a source of water. Those who have fled the cities live a life similar to their ancestors of the 1800s, farming what they can and protecting themselves from nomads, although some say their living standard is close to that of rural dwellers in the middle 20th century.
Recently, what can only be described as paranormal phenomena has occurred within the United States. Strange demons have begun appearing within the countryside and have occasionally managed to enter cities. This all occurs after what is described as a Fire Pulse. One has never been recorded on video, as such a pulse renders useless all electronics subjected to its light. Not all places have witnessed this, but once the demons arrive, they wreak havoc among the population. They have been said to be able to wake the dead and manipulate entire cities, some even have gained political positions and have taken over institutions and corporations. It is not uncommon for a demon to blend in within society, and they have quickly grown accustomed to technology such as computers and automobiles. It is rumored some people have managed to exploit the demons for their own uses.
The Cold Civil War poses an ever vigilant threat to society, and a schism between those living in the cities and the outside areas is bourgeoning out of control. Both sides want the other to die, and would approve of more nuclear strikes to make it happen.
Culture
Since the early 21st century, culture has hit a dead end. Americans constantly want to re-live the days before the nuclear wars and before the depression and before their lived changed forever. All things old, relics of a past that once was, are considered desirable, and new trends and fashions are rarely created anymore. Every American trend from the 1930s onward is vigorously recycled and marketed, whether it is music, cars, movies, or clothes. A dying culture is yet a mere symptom of a world that is also dying.
Music has not evolved since the beginning of the 21st century. Techno music has gained some more popularity, but the most desired music comes from America’s 1960s and 1970s. Rock, Blues, and Disco are all the rage, and are repeatedly droned into the heads of people via satellite radio.
Clothing trends from all decades have seen resurgence. Wealthy businessmen tend to be spotted wearing expensive suits out of the 1950s, housewives generally favor the pastel clothing trends of the 1980s, teenagers and twenty-somethings have favored the youth trends from the 1950s and 1960s, minority groups have begun favoring clothing trends of the 1970s, and outcasts have adopted trends taken by the nomadic tribes that roam America's vast wasteland.
Americans have continued their obsession with the automobile, despite fuel shortages and extremely high fuel costs. Gasoline is reserved for the police, IFPs, various government branches, and military while the masses have to make due with short range vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas. Despite this, lust for horsepower, size, and a retro look have skyrocketed. Cars are frequently fitted with high power V8s, and are huge fuel hogs reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s. The SUV craze of the 1990s and early 21st century has not waned altogether, but has shrunk some. The cars of today have performance not rivaled since the automobile became mass produced. Racing, both legal and illegal, is very common, and people often settle arguments with their cars. Due to declining wages, most families only own one car, but a car is seen as an extension of the family and people labor hard so that they might be able to afford to eek out as much horsepower as they can. Imported cars of the past and present from nations that are now only capable of exporting a few hundred cars a year are sought after items. They are rare and virtually unobtainable. Those lucky enough to own a European exotic often flaunt their good fortune, racking up as many miles as they can, obsessively scouring junkyards for makeshift parts if anything breaks, and would never part with their prizes under any circumstances. The import craze for Asian cars has also surged, with parts often being recycled from other Asian cars and sometimes American cars due to rarity, although most are satisfied to simply have an intact body of a car for which to customize. Other than becoming more dangerous to consume, food has changed very little. Fast food is in as high demand as ever, and greasy spoons modeled out of the 1950s have been popping up like wildfire.
Since travel between the large cities is limited only to the extremely wealthy, the internet is used as a means of communication between family members who were separated during the wars and calamities. Internet access has declined, however, with the monopolization of it by a select few companies. Those that have access to it pay on a per-bandwidth basis, and often face premiums more than ten times greater than what the internet would have cost a mere decade ago. The corporate government has attempted censorship, but has failed, and the internet is a constant source of news not covered by the corporate media, although it is filled with propaganda from all views that is hard to distinguish from reality, given nonexistent travel among the masses. Rebels, anarchists, and those residing outside the cities have used it as a means of publication and have often used it as a weapon against the corporations, hacking into their databases and damaging their servers.
Technology
The internet has evolved little over the course of the decade. The main advancement has become the use of wireless nodes through which to transmit electronic signals.
Battery technology at the turn of the 21st century had evolved to a point in which electric vehicles became viable as a replacement for cars running on gasoline, but the political clout of the auto and oil industries kept this technology away from consumers and still continues to do so to this day. It is not uncommon for a person to convert a car to run on electricity to avoid high fuel prices and the costly maintenance associated with an internal combustion engine, but a person fancying this option must make due with batteries that limit their range to that of the cars running on compressed hydrogen gas, and must also hassle through a bureaucracy that often does not wish to make their car road-legal. Urban legends of those in the know who have been able to make use of advanced batteries exist, but such tales are unproven, even if it is widely known the technology exists.
Medical technology, despite seeing a drastic reduction in its accessibility, has evolved considerably. People with money to burn can have their lifespan nearly doubled by advancements in genetic engineering, and those who were once paralyzed can have their nerve tissue regrown and surgically implanted. However, due to the high cost of medical treatment, most that develop a chronic illness that could otherwise be cured are forced to live with it. Cybernetic implants are said to be in the works, however a consumer product has yet to exist.
Computer processors have hit a stand-still in speed, and it is now common for computers to make use of multiple processors. Cameras have evolved to the point that they can register facial features, heat signals, and body movements and immediately recognize the identification of the people they are recording.
With the collapse of the dollar, currency is now electronic and stored on drivers’ licenses and ID cards. Purchases are often recorded and logged into databases for marketing purposes, without the consent of the consumer.
The military, having been given ample money to burn for decades even before the depression and nuclear wars has developed weaponry that doesn’t need to be commanded. Armed mechanized robots can be seen patrolling airports, oil storage facilities, military bases, and corporations. Within aviation, the military has developed large planes which can carry hundreds of tons of cargo. Due to the toxic landscape, nomadic bandits, and deadly fauna, ground travel has virtually ended, and shipment of goods such as automobiles, weapons, food, water, and crude are done by air. The military has also developed energy-based weaponry. Although standard firearms using chemical explosives are still the norm, battery-powered firearms that use a lightweight energy cell are increasing in popularity. The military has been secretive about the combat vehicles it has developed; it is rumored they now possess aircraft that can go into space and internet videos have been floating around of unwarranted attacks on other nations with these crafts. It is unknown what developments in explosives, chemical weapons, or biological weapons have been made, but the threat of complete annihilation is still present in society. Nuclear war is looking again to see another life.
The Badlands and Gateway City
The Badlands
The badlands surrounding Gateway City contain the Negroponte Air Force Base, the ghost towns of Venison, Schwartz, and Scarborough, the small towns of Menard, Kaskaski, and Clinton, the Illinis Indian Reservation, and the Shantytown of East Gateway City, along with numerous roads, highways, caves, refineries, and industrial parks. The badlands are known for being dangerous, and the highway death toll for this year is over 500. People tread here with caution and those living within the cities rarely venture out into the badlands, with the exception of the Interstate Force Patrol. Those that live within the small towns are cautious, as dangerous scavengers and hellish mutants prowl the scorched land for prey. Toxic rains have made the land incapable of bearing new life, and within 10 years all vegetation will cease to exist.
Menard
Menard is the town you start your journey in. It is home to about 500 residents, the Altana Race Track, fuel refinery, a few restaurants, a radio station, and a junkyard. Residents make claim to mobile homes that actually have running electricity and running water that is mostly safe to drink. Citizens police themselves, and are armed enough to provide a formidable defense should the nomadic gangs decide to one day raid their town or should the private military one day decide to assault them. Two miles to the west is a well-guarded hydroponics dome, property of the Amstar Foods Corporation. The corporation has fended off repeated attacks by the town's residents to gain control of the dome.
Kaskaski
This former indian reservation turned coal mining town is home to about 1,000 residents. They are a corporate town and well-gaurded by the privatized military forces, ever vigilant of fact that the indians they took their land from want it back. This town is a large source of coal for Gateway City providing 20% of all coal consumed. The high sulphur content of the coal blackens the sky around Gateway City when burned, all so that hydrogen may be created for those wealthy enough to burn it in their internal combustion engine automobiles.
Clinton
Clinton is a much larger town than Menard, home to about 2,000 people. Some of the residents have become horribly disfigured after dioxin had contaminated their food supply, but they otherwise enjoy a relatively middle class life. They make claim to the only school within the badlands. Any family with children that do not dwell in the city make an attempt to live here, if they can afford to. Otherwise they make their home in the shantytowns. Clinton has been a relatively peaceful town, undisturbed by the roving gangs on the highways.
Scarborough
This once abandoned mining town is now home to a gang of bandits known as the Pale Horsemen. They are mostly left alone and are free to extract minerals from the earth and trade them for goods; however the vast majority of the town is untouched. Most of it has been flooded and rendered submerged under water.
Schwarz
This town was once home to over 60,000 people. What happened to it remains a mystery, but few dare enter. Two years ago, all communication with the town was mysteriously cut off. The privatized military forces prevented entry and exit, but later fled after too many of their men were lost. This danger zone is duley avoided. Anyone that has been known to have entered has never returned.
Venison
This abandoned town is said to be a favorite hangout for marauders passing through the countryside, where they stop to camp for the night. It is surrounded by a dying forest, which before the nuclear catastrophe was a favorite hunting town during the fall and winter seasons.
Death's Door
The name of this city is not forgotten, but is now rarely referred to. Hit by a nuclear bomb, all of its residents have been killed, its skyscrapers laid to waste. The radiation from the nuclear bomb has mutated the life forms in the area into horrific mutants. Due to the monsters and radiation levels present, it is avoided even by the military.
Illinis Indian Reservation
This Indian Reservation has mostly avoided flight to the cities. People sometimes venture here from Gateway City to view its many tourist attractions, such as a Casino, Amusement Park, and a Historic Burial Mound. It is also the burial site of all those that have been killed on the highways, who had the good luck to be buried as opposed to having been left to the vultures. It is rumored to be a sight of paranormal activity.
Negroponte Air Force Base
No one enters this area. It is home to a paramilitary faction that split from the United States Armed Forces when they became privatized. The national military has left them alone. Those who venture into this territory never return.
East Gateway City
East Gateway City is a Shantytown that is at war with the main city itself, separated by the Mississippi River. It is the constant target of military action by the Armed Forces and is also home to a contingent of dissatisfied rebels, who seek to remove corporate influence from their region. It is composed of what a decade ago were nearby small cities, of having moderately wealthy residents. East Gateway City boasts a pirate radio station, plenty of nightclubs, bazaars, and chop shops, and has a thriving black market. One can gain possession of some of the most advanced weaponry in the world here, while one has just as great of a chance of finding someone attempting to test that weaponry out on them! Drugs of all varieties can be obtained here, but they are a frequent source of conflicts between rivaling gangs. Prostitutes can often be found advertising their wares, but they are often avoided by those from the city due to having diseases that would be fatal. Approximately 200,000 people reside here, in what is barely over five square miles in area. Fires are frequent and have disastrous results on the population, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Disease is rampant. Murders occur daily in this lawless city, and most who reside here have been robbed at least once. It is also Gateway City’s favorite dumping ground for toxic wastes.
Gateway City
Gateway City itself has doubled in population to over 1 million residents, which have fled the chaotic and economically depressed suburbs and countryside in order to find security or employment. Citizens are almost under constant surveillance and the police forces are second to none. Here, the corporations rule, and anyone deciding to be within the city’s walls must play by their rules. The residents are diverse, and people that once came to America from around the world take residence here, as they mourn the attacks on their motherland and make due with what remains.
Beckwin
This wealthy suburb sits on the outskirts of the city, near the city walls. The vast majority of the residents are white, and it is not uncommon for families residing here to possess multiple cars and garages for which to store them. It is mostly residential, and few businesses exist here, other than gas stations and the occasional shopping plaza. This area is mostly free from crime or gangs, due to being sealed off from the outside. Clearance is required for entry, upon punishment of prison and sometimes death as a result of trespassing.
Claymore
Just to the east of Beckwin and to the west of Gateway Park is Claymore, a wealthy shopping district complete with a mall and home to hundreds of offices. This is where Gateway City’s wealthiest do their shopping. Fancy cars are tragically common in this district, and the police forces do their best to protect the residents from outsiders. A car dealership sells the most desirable cars in the city, sometimes boasting a selection of European imports that are no longer made nor imported since the war. Crime is moderate, but getting more under control. A gang known as the High Rollers conducts their business here.
Downtown
Downtown contains all the wealthiest businesses and is home to numerous corporate headquarters, towering into the sky. Security is strong and traffic is a problem, and attempts to put crime under control have rendered this area a sort of no mans land for any criminal, except the Mafia. Most of Gateway City’s employed residents work within this area. A landmark of this location is the 200-story high tower of the Ishtar Corporation. It reaches 2,500 feet into the sky, and is visible from most of the surrounding areas within the badlands. Those without clearance are denied entry, and it is assumed the cities wealthiest corporate owners live within its walls. Helicopters are seen coming and going from this tower almost constantly. Downtown is also privy to the Bush Stadium, an often visited tourist attraction where its baseball team plays.
Ferrigan
To the north of Gateway Park and just West of Maddox sits the ghetto of Ferrigan. It is mostly African-American and the gangs run wild. Robberies are the most common crime, and gang wars between the Golden Sons and The Fury occur on a weekly basis.
Gateway Park
Just to the west of University is Gateway Park. It boasts some moderately upper class houses, the Gateway City Hospital, and Wildes Park. It consumes a large portion of the city’s water supply in order to maintain its trees and grass. Crime is moderate, but gangs are absent. It is a popular location for street races when the traffic is sparse.
Maddox
North of downtown sits the crowded residential area of Maddox. High rise apartments litter the area, with the occasional business providing a gap in the skyline. The area is mostly upper-class, police protection is top notch, and traffic is a major problem. Common attractions are the riverboat casinos that line the Mississippi River, four and five-star restaurants that offer the best food that can be had, and numerous nightclubs. The Mafia conducts business within this district.
Southside
This is an industrial district just south of Downtown. Blue collar crime is high and police are sparse, but try and enter one of the industrial parks or factories and you will be promptly met with bullets, courtesy of corporate mercenaries. The people that take residence here are mostly homeless, and pollution renders the air almost un-breathable. Due to almost no traffic, this is another popular location for street races. This district is home to many Eastern-European immigrants that came to America before the war, although some people of Asian and Arabic descent have taken residence here. The Mafia, Triads and Ali-Babas reside in this district, and it is a frequent site of gang warfare.
Syciala
This district is composed of people of mainly Italian descent, and the Mafia makes its headquarters here. This region is one of the few middleclass regions left in Gateway City, but crime is high and conflicts with races of Arabic and Asian descent are high. The Triads and Ali-Babas also reside here, and this is a location of constant gang warfare. Syciala is just south of Gateway Park and west of Southside.
Underland
This mostly Hispanic ghetto is home to the Fuegos Locos gang. Just south of the Gateway City International Airport and north of Claymore sits this district. Crime is moderate and the Fuegos Locos and High Rollers have no conflict with each other. The northern section of this district is dangerous. A violent group of marauders have taken control of the interstate highways in this district leading out of the city.
University
Those fortunate enough to be able to afford a college education live and study within this district. Campus riots are a problem for the city, and the corporations that run Gateway City have absolute control over the curriculum covered. Crime is low. No known gangs reside on the campus, but there is rumored to exist a faction of eco-terrorists and political activists that have had armed conflicts with the police forces. The Campus Chapel has been a frequent location of paranormal activity, but is also a favorite hangout among college students wishing to get laid or get high. The University District is just west of Downtown.
Gateway International Airport
This airport has tight security and is located just north of Underland. No longer being a means of travel for all but the wealthiest of Gateway City’s residents, it has partially been converted into a military installation, aside from being an important trade hub for shipping goods in and out of the city.
Gangs
Stationary Gangs
Stationary gangs are those gangs that reside within Gateway City and thrive on the misery that has enveloped the city. Gangs are found of all races, degrees of sophistication, and wealth, and all have their own personal tastes for weapons, vehicles, music, and clothing. They have their own internal politics, and some gangs are favored by different corporations or politicians. They are the main source of crime within the cities, dealing drugs, peddling prostitutes, stealing cars, and offering money to those willing to do their dirty work. On the flip side, they have been known to protect their communities when the need arises.
High Rollers
The High Rollers are a gang composed of young suburbanites, both black and white in race. Of privileged background, they are frequently spotted driving around in expensive automobiles. They usually favor either those sport compacts from Asia, or large American SUVs and stress customization and obnoxiousness. They often favor clothing styles from the 1980s Hip Hop scene, and seem to have a penchant for the rap music of the 1980s and 1990s. This gang is not dangerous, although they have been known from time to time to get involved in the drug trade. The police view them as no threat, and only on occasion do they commit crimes, either for thrill or for revenge. Most are completely unarmed, although some carry handguns. They are spotted cruising around Claymore, and occasionally engage in street races.
The Mafia
The Mafia is split into two factions. The main faction is composed of those of Italian descent, which control both Syciala and Downtown. This faction is immensely powerful and owns some of the most exclusive nightclubs and expensive restaurants in the city, and the entirety of the riverboat casinos lining the river. The main branch of the Mafia has a large amount of political clout only rivaled by some of the city’s largest corporations. They have access to full-auto firearms and some military-grade armor, but rarely flaunt it and are often hesitant to use it. They favor European cars that are no longer made, by the likes of BMW, Jaguar, and Audi, although on occasion are known to use American-made limousines by Lincoln or Cadillac. Their taste in music is generally of the classical variety. They are usually indistinguishable from businessmen, and blend in well with the crowd.
The lesser branch of the Mafia is composed mostly of people of Eastern European descent, and mainly struggles with the Ali-Babas and Triads for control of Southside, although they receive help from the Mafia’s main branch. They take pride in owning the city’s finest of brothels, and prefer rare classic autos from the 1960s by the makes of Volkswagen, although their figurehead is known to drive around in an 8-wheeled electric luxury cruiser fitted with over 800 horsepower. Their taste in music tends to favor the electronically-generated variety, and their clothes vary; the only prerequisite for joining is that you reside in the area and you aren’t Arab or Asian.
Golden Sons
This mostly African-American gang resides within Ferrigan and is at constant war with The Fury. Often financially lacking, members are lucky if they own automobiles. They tend to not have a specific taste in clothing, although their gang colors are red and blue. They prefer the Blues genre of music. They are heavily involved in drug distribution.
The Fury
This mostly African-American gang resides within Ferrigan and is at constant war with the Golden Sons. Often financially lacking, members are lucky if they own automobiles. They tend to not have a specific taste in clothing, although their gang colors are green and yellow. They prefer the Disco genre of music. They are heavily involved in drug distribution.
Triads
The Triads make Syciala, Southside , and East Gateway City their home. This ruthless gang is an expert at employing torture to get what they want, and they are rapidly gaining control. They prefer autos that have come from their home continent of Asia, and have adopted a style of clothing often reminiscient of the early 1990s.
Ali-Babas
This Arabic gang is fiercely patriotic and religious. Ever since the nuclear war, they have been a main faction demanding justice for what has happened to their homeland and have one goal in mind: to destroy America. Frequently involved in attacks on government buildings and corporate high-rises they deem as enemies, the government, through force, has whittled down their numbers drastically, but they are not about to give up on their struggle to gain political power. They make home in Southside, Syciala, and East Gateway City. They are not nomadic, but have been caught raiding oil storage facilities and refineries outside the city. The bulk of their funds come from selling gasoline, as it is worth a fortune on the black market. It is publicized in the news that they are recieving aid from the middle east.
Fuegos Locos
The Fuegos Locos are a mostly Hispanic gang that has formed after the nuclear war. They have no enemies and as a consequence are allowed to grow unrestrained. They are in control of those drugs entering the city that are not brought in by the government, and as a consequence are a frequent target of the FBI. They are fiercely loyal to all things American-built, and drive around in hopped-up muscle-cars straight from Detroit. They have a liking for classical rock of the 1950s and 1960s and have adopted the looks of 1950s outcasts.
The Para-militaries
Shrouded in both secrecy and fear, this once proud faction of the U.S. Armed Forces had split after the military became privatized. The Negroponte Air Force Base is their home, and they are left alone by any marauders or wasteland dwellers. Those that have been unfortunate enough to set foot on their property have never returned. It is assumed that all men captured have been used as labor and all women and children captured have become sex slaves of the resident soldiers. They are said to have conducted secret weapons research and are suspected of having supplied goods and manpower to the Ishtar Corporation.
Pale Horsemen
This gang occupies the mining town of Scarborough, whose original residents had all fled to the city or succumbed to the badlands. All of its members are white and they are known for their racism, although they never leave their location or inflict harm among other towns. They are widely-recognized traders, and frequently supply ore to the various rebel factions thought the wasteland. Often the target of the corporations seeking their land, they have learned to protect it. Marauders have thus far left them alone.
Nomadic Gangs
The nomadic gangs have no set headquarters, and are constantly looting and pillaging to survive. They journey the countryside, seeking food, water, and fuel. Without either, they are dead within days. They often prey on other people passing through, and have made the badlands dangerous. Frequently the target of IFPs after conducting raids within the city or on the delicate oil refineries and storage facilities, they have learned to be resilient. This has also created for them incentive to raid cities only if necessary; they’d rather pick on the poorly guarded small towns instead. They live within the wasteland and have grown accustomed to struggling daily for survival. Due to their elusiveness, they are not known in detail.
Getting Started
Welcome to Police State. Exploring Gateway City and its surrounding badlands and uncovering their darkest secrets can be a thrilling experience. You are given the opportunity to play however you wish. There are multiple ways to progress the game, and the customizability of your characters, weapons, computer equipment, and vehicles allows for a depth not usually seen even within the role-playing genre.
The Long Arm of the Law
Should you attract the attention of law enforcement, you might want to be prepared to choose the options of fight or flight. The long arm of the law has gotten ruthless, and will not think twice about killing someone if they see fit. There are many ways to attract the attention of the police. Speeding will get you pulled over, but you will simply be asked to pay a fee on the spot. Trying to evade the police will bring them in pursuit of your vehicle and they will call in for reinforcements. Police will pull pit maneuvers and set up roadblocks in hopes of disabling your vehicle. Killing or shooting at an officer or a police dog will automatically get a chopper called out and more reinforcements, or if you evade the police long enough without finding refuge, the same will happen. Committing armed robbery of a significant business, corporate sabotage/espionage, or being caught doing illegal computer activity to the detriment of a significant business will automatically raise a red flag to get the police to focus their efforts on killing you. Should you manage to kill multiple police officers, or evade them after committing a major crime against a corporation, SWAT teams will immediately be deployed. If they are unsuccessful, you have caught the attention of the FBI.
Should you escape the city while having a focused city-wide effort on your death made or worse, the Interstate Force Patrol will be called to intercept and kill you in the badlands. Their Interceptors can out-gun, for all intents and purposes, any vehicle on the road, and they make use of gasoline to allow for greater driving range than anyone they are chasing would be capable of. Often, pursuits involving the IFPs have reached speeds in excess of 150 MPH.
Depending on city district, the police cars will vary. They are usually divided into three types, patrol units, cruisers, and interceptors. Patrol Units have the capability of any typical car on the road, but could be out-gunned by a competent driver in almost any vehicle. The cruisers have more power and a sport-tuned suspension to give them the capability to keep up with sports cars and luxury sedans; for chases involving high performance cars the more powerful Interceptors are usually needed to end the chases. Only the most modified muscle cars or most sought-after exotics can outrun standard police interceptors. Should a fleeing criminal escape the city, the IFPs may decide to take pursuit. Nothing can outrun the IFP Interceptors. Anything that can is considered the work of urban legend. SWAT Vans are not normally used for pursuit, but are used for their utility and ability to carry units to a location of interest. Helicopters become involved in most chases.
All police are equipped with body armor, a 9MM Pistol, and other standard police ware. Their cars have hidden within their trunks shotguns should they be needed. All SWAT are given an assault rifle or machinegun of sorts, depending on the unit. All FBI are equipped with both a .50 Magnum and a versatile submachine gun. The IFPs don’t often need to resort to using guns, however they are allowed to carry with them their own preference.
In order to evade the police permanently, one must either hide out for a few hours within various locations, or leave the city altogether. Once pursued, a person will instantly be given a criminal record, and if there are spotted by any officer thereafter, chase will ensue. However, most officers are not trying to identify who people are. There are ways to delete a criminal record, but all of them require knowing some powerful people.
Characters
Not all of the game’s playable characters are listed, however the ones which you will encounter early within the game are listed and briefly explained with their stats provided. Skills are listed with their base value out of the listed skill cap for the character.
John (Name changeable)
Description: A college student in his mid 20s, he fled the city in an effort to escape a military draft. He is now wanted by the government. His knowledge in electronic devices and a healthy array of computer skills may come in handy in his goal of becoming independent from the government. Not at all outgoing, he is a man of few words. When he does speak, he is often outspoken, sometimes callous. In his garage sits a souped up monster of the likes which myths are made of; it's electric!
Attributes:
Strength: 5
Vitality: 4
Agility: 7
Dexterity: 7
Stamina: 7
Constitution: 3
Intelligence: 8
Ether: 7
Charisma: 3
Base Skills:
Firearms: 1/2
Handguns: 1/2
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns: 1/2
Shotguns: 1/2
Energy Weapons: 0/1
Melee Combat: 0/1
Blunt Weapons: 0/1
Bladed Weapons: 0/1
Throwing: 0/1
Explosives: 3/4
Medicine: 0/1
Electronics: 4/5
Computers: 3/4
Lockpicking: 1/2
Metaphysical: 0/1
Negotiation: 0/1
Driving: 2/3
Stealth: 1/2
Matt
Description: Matt was not wealthy enough nor had the scholarships to be enrolled in college, however, he has helped share rent for the apartment him, John, and Jenny live within. Very outgoing, he loves nothing more than three things, to party, to get laid, and to get high. Having ditched fairly satisfying life on a whim, fleeing with his friend who seeks to avoid a military draft, his goal is to eventually return to the city and simply live there, without fear of repercussions.
Attributes:
Strength: 7
Vitality: 8
Agility: 5
Dexterity: 5
Stamina: 6
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 5
Ether: 4
Charisma: 7
Base Skills:
Firearms: 0/1
Handguns: 1/1
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns: 0/1
Shotguns: 0/1
Energy Weapons: 0/1
Melee Combat: 2/3
Blunt Weapons: 2/3
Bladed Weapons: 0/2
Throwing: 2/3
Explosives: 0/0
Medicine: 1/3
Electronics: 0/0
Computers: 0/1
Lockpicking: 0/0
Metaphysical: 0/0
Negotiation: 1/3
Driving: 0/1
Stealth: 0/1
Jenny
Description: Often the butt of jokes due to her weight, Jenny has developed a poor self image of herself. She is fiercely loyal to the friends she has and is willing to do anything to keep them, going so far as to protect them from imaginary threats. She is emotionally skittish, somewhat bipolar, and borderline suicidal and the recent events have made her paranoid. Her and John have been best friends since childhood.
Attributes:
Strength: 4
Vitality: 6
Agility: 4
Dexterity: 4
Stamina: 3
Constitution: 7
Intelligence: 7
Ether: 7
Charisma: 6
Base Skills:
Firearms: 0/1
Handguns: 0/0
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns: 0/0
Shotguns: 0/0
Energy Weapons: 0/0
Melee Combat: 0/3
Blunt Weapons: 0/1
Bladed Weapons: 3/4
Throwing: 1/2
Explosives: 1/2
Medicine: 2/3
Electronics: 0/0
Computers: 0/0
Lockpicking: 3/5
Metaphysical: 1/3
Negotiation: 2/3
Driving: 2/3
Stealth: 1/2
Harold
Description: A chauvinist, a drunkard, and a former survivalist, Harold was never considered a likable person. Rude, angry, and despicable, one wonders how he became the way he is. Of libertarian political leanings, Harold has come to despise this current government and seeks to see it destroyed. He generously provides John, Jenny, and Matt with employment in Menard, and quickly stumbles into the very situation he’d only dreamed would occur before the war ever started. A firearms expert and self-proclaimed Gulf war veteran, Harold may be quite a valuable asset. Few can shoot as good as he can.
Attributes:
Strength: 7
Vitality: 7
Agility: 6
Dexterity: 6
Stamina: 6
Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 6
Ether: 3
Charisma: 6
Base Skills:
Firearms: 5/5
Handguns: 2/4
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns: 2/4
Shotguns: 2/4
Energy Weapons: 0/4
Melee Combat: 1/3
Blunt Weapons: 1/3
Bladed Weapons: 1/3
Throwing: 3/5
Explosives: 2/4
Medicine: 2/3
Electronics: 1/1
Computers: 0/0
Lockpicking: 0/0
Metaphysical: 0/0
Negotiation: 0/0
Driving: 2/2
Stealth: 0/0
Souelle
Description: Resident of the Illinis Indian reservation, this teenage girl has come to know first hand how the government has harmed her race. Having witnessed the death of her parents from the roving bands of marauders, she vows revenge. She is well trained in hand-to-hand combat, and is deeply religious.
Attributes:
Strength: 3
Vitality: 4
Agility: 7
Dexterity: 8
Stamina: 7
Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 6
Ether: 8
Charisma: 5
Base Skills:
Firearms: 0/0
Handguns: 0/0
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns: 0/0
Shotguns: 0/0
Energy Weapons: 0/0
Melee Combat: 2/4
Blunt Weapons: 3/4
Bladed Weapons: 3/4
Throwing: 1/2
Explosives: 0/0
Medicine: 4/6
Electronics: 0/0
Computers: 0/0
Lockpicking: 0/1
Metaphysical: 3/5
Negotiation: 0/2
Driving: 0/0
Stealth: 5/6
Attributes/ Skills
Attributes:
Attributes are qualities a character has that are permanent. They do not permanently change through the course of the game and cannot be permanently raised. They directly influence the effectiveness of various skills, how fast a character can develop the skills supplemented by said attributes, and make some characters better for certain situations than others. Attributes and an explanation of their function are listed as follows:
Strength:
This directly influences damage within hand to hand combat and is a determining factor of the guns one may equip for battle. Strength influences the skills of Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns, Shotguns, Melee Combat, Blunt Weapons, Bladed Weapons, and Throwing and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Vitality:
This determines the overall amount of damage a character receives from physical hazards such as combat and automobile collisions and influences their susceptibility to injury. Vitality influences no skills.
Agility:
This determines the success of a character evading an enemy attack and their maximum movement speed. Agility influences the skills of Shotguns, Bladed Weapons, and Stealth and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Dexterity:
This influences the success of a character landing an attack. Dexterity influences the skills of Firearms, Handguns, Assault Rifles/Machine Guns, Energy Weapons, Melee Combat, Blunt Weapons, Bladed Weapons, Throwing, Computers, Lockpicking, and Driving and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Stamina:
This determines how far a character can sprint at their fastest running speed, how much overall damage a character can take, and is a determining factor of fatigue. Stamina influences the skills of Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns and Driving and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Constitution:
This determines how resistant a character is to status ailments. Constitution influences no skills.
Intelligence:
This influences the success of a wide array of skills. Those skills influenced are Explosives, Medicine, Electronics, Computers, Metaphysical, Negotiation, and Driving and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Ether:
This determines the amount of damage a character will take from a metaphysical source used on them. Ether influences the skill of Metaphysical and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Charisma:
This determines a character’s ability to emotionally manipulate other people. Charisma influences negotiation and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Skills:
Skills are qualities a character has that can be developed. Their maximum value goes to twelve. They directly influence the effectiveness of various operations in and out of combat, and are the determining factors in the effectiveness of a character for almost any given situation. Each skill is raised by a character donig an action related to that skill, but will not raise is a skill cap is present to prevent it from doing so. Experience points must be earned and spent to raise a skill cap. Skills and an explanation of their function are listed as follows:
Firearms:
Firearms determines the accuracy, and therefore overall damage, of all firearms. Firearms is supplemented by 100% Dexterity.
Handguns:
Handguns determines the accuracy, and therefore overall damage, of all pistols. Handguns is supplemented by 65% Dexterity and 35% Firearms.
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns:
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns determines the accuracy, and therefore the overall damage, of all assault rifles and sub-machine guns. Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns is supplemented by 25% Strength, 15% Dexterity, 25% Stamina, and 35% Firearms.
Shotguns:
Shotguns determines the accuracy, and therefore the overall damage, of all shotguns. Shotguns is supplemented by 35% Strength, 35% Agility, and 30% Firearms.
Energy Weapons:
Energy Weapons determines the accuracy, and therefore the overall damage, of all energy-fired firearms. Energy Weapons is supplemented by 65% Dexterity and 35% Firearms.
Melee Combat:
Melee Combat determines the overall success of hand-to-hand combat, no matter the weapon or in absence of a weapon. Melee Combat is supplemented by 50% Strength and 50% Dexterity.
Blunt Weapons:
Blunt Weapons determines the overall success of combat using blunt objects such as clubs or bats. Blunt Weapons is supplemented by 35% Strength, 35% Dexterity, and 30% Melee Combat.
Bladed Weapons:
Bladed Weapons determines the overall success of combat using bladed objects such as knives. Bladed Weapons is supplemented by 20% Strength, 30% Agility, 30% Dexterity, and 30% Melee combat.
Throwing:
Throwing determines the accuracy of throwing items like rocks, bricks, grenades, or explosives. Throwing is supplemented by 25% Strength and 75% Dexterity.
Explosives:
Explosives determines the damage used explosives do in battle, and influences success of using explosives to destroy cars, maglocked doors, gates, and locks. Explosives is supplemented by 100% Intelligence.
Medicine:
Medicine determines the success a character has in administering a stim patch, medipack, antidote, or other medicine. Medicine is supplemented by 100% Intelligence.
Electronics:
Electronics determines the success of using electronic devices for various purposes, such as hotwiring cars or picking maglocks, and provides a combat advantage against mechanized enemies. Electronics is supplemented by 100% Intelligence,.
Computers:
Computers determines the success of computer hacking. Computers is supplemented by 20% Dexterity and 80% Intelligence.
Lockpicking:
Lockpicking determines the success of physically opening a lock using a set of tools. Lockpicking is supplemented by 100% Dexterity.
Metaphysical:
Metaphysical determines the damage one may inflict using the powers of a fused demon. Metaphysical is supplemented by 20% Intelligence and 80% Ether.
Negotiation:
Negotiation determines the success a character may have in talking themselves out of a situation, or even within intimidation while committing various actions, such as an attempt to steal a car or capture a hostage. Negotiation is supplemented by 10% Intelligence and 90% Charisma.
Driving:
Driving determines the potential a character has to keep control of an automobile as it is being pushed to its limits. Driving is supplemented by 50% Dexterity, 25% Stamina, and 25% Intelligence.
Stealth:
Stealth determines how quiet your character moves, and helps evade detection by the game’s enemies. Stealth is supplemented by 100% Agility.
Through the game, characters will up their skills based on how often they use them. The more a skill is used, the more the skill goes up. However, a character also gains experience points from combat, involvement in car chases, and other things. Experience points can be spent to raise a skill's cap. Every skill has a cap and it must be raised. However, if a character ups a skill without having a high enough experience level for a certain skill to be that high, that skill going up is not wasted. Once the experience level for the skill is raised by spending experience points on it, that skill will take right off to where it would normally have been raised to, if the upped experience level is high enough. If not, it will automatically be placed at a new cap.
Genre: Cyberpunk
Type: Multiple, including action, RPG, shooting, puzzle, and driving elements
Background: It is the near future. Oil shortages, ecocide, disease, famine, nuclear war, and increasing civil unrest have taken the 21st century to a political halt. In an effort to acquire control, the world’s governments and leading corporations have consolidated power and stripped away civil liberties in the name of national security. Those who wanted security flocked to the cities, consolidating the majority of the population within them, and those who have wanted to be free have fled to the countryside in order to escape bureaucratic and corporate tyranny. As the years have passed, restlessness and anarchy have risen. Within the cities, crime is out of control and a form of corporate feudalism has taken hold. In the country, terror thrives on the highways, where the one with the biggest guns and the most horsepower will become a legend, while one foolish enough to venture outside of the cities will not only become their prey, but become subject to the fury of the poisonous land, land which had once bared life but has been rendered near lifeless from exploitation, haunted by mutants that are a mere resemblance to the creatures that used to be abundant. A person fleeing from the cities and wanted by the government has the added problem of being pursued by the Interstate Force, a suicidal collection of the best drivers America’s police had to offer, who claim privy to the most powerful blocks of Detroit iron to ever grace the highways. Nothing can escape their wrath should it be evoked. Welcome to the future. Welcome to hell in a V8. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
Features:
*Explore over 80 square miles of land, encompassing an entire city, multiple towns both occupied and abandoned, poisonous wastelands, and literally hundreds of miles of roads to explore, engage battle on, and push your car to its limits.
*Develop the skills of your characters as you see fit, skills such as electronics, firearms, driving, and computer hacking.
*Learn how to command a wide array of vehicles, from ho-hum economy sedans to the most savage of fuel-injected suicide machines, encompassing over 150 different types of cars, trucks, and police vehicles.
*Customize your weapons as you see fit, with modifications such as laser sight, full auto pins, larger clips, and a variety of ammunition which you can choose from.
*You are granted complete control of the vehicles you acquire. Upgrade them with bulletproof armor, auto-sealing tires, engine modifications, and tear down the road in however manner you want.
*Real time traffic, weather, and pedestrian behavior makes you feel like you’re there.
*Branching storyline allows for five separate endings and a limitless amount of methods through which to play through the game.
*Enjoy an array of missions, ranging from drug smuggling and armed robberies to espionage and computer crimes. Includes over 300 storyline-based missions.
*Wage battle by hand, gun, car, or computer. You choose how you want to wage your war.
*200+ hours of gameplay.
*Do battle with over one-hundred types of enemies, ranging from privatized police forces and hostile gangs to fuel-hungry savages, deadly mutants, and bizarre demons.
*Enjoy hundreds of in-game tracks, from artists both well-known and independent on the game’s built-in radio stations.
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Police State
Contents:
A Brief History of the Future
The World Today
*Politics and Events
*Culture
*Technology
Thrust into a Situation Out of Control
The Badlands and Gateway City
Gangs
*Stationary Gangs
*Nomadic Gangs
Getting Started
The Long Arm of the Law
Characters
Attributes/ Skills
A Brief History of the Future
No one historian or scientist can fully grasp what has happened in the past, but they will tell you that the Earth is a mess, assuming they would be free to say so without threats to their health, family, reputation, job, or life.
It all started at the turn of the 21st century. America, having been the dominant economy, felt its status was threatened. Its leading politicians consolidated political power amongst themselves and gained absolute control over national and international affairs. Conflicts were frequent with nations not willing to comply with America’s goals, and reactionaries within those nations banded together and gained control of them, consolidating those nations into new superpowers in a fruitless effort to rival America. Those new superpowers were the United Capitalist Federation of Mainland Asia, the European Union, the Holy Lands of Arabia, and the United South American States. Wars raged as a result, with the largest corporations in the world at the helm of it all, consolidating their wealth with utter disregard to the rights and lives of anyone that stood in their way. The economy boomed, having been inflated by deficit spending and endless war. Mergers between incorporated entities occurred daily, until only a select few corporations existed. The rich became exponentially richer, the middle class was mostly marginalized out of existence, and the number of poor quickly increased. The police forces, military, and municipal utilities shortly became privatized.
All of it looked as if it were about to come crashing down.
Years before, there were rumors and claims of oil shortages and warnings of an energy crisis. The failure to heed them shortly after sparked wars for this scare resource as prices skyrocketed. Those oil rich nations in the Middle East and elsewhere faced political calamities with suspicious origins, and often invasion, all courtesy of the United States. Not wanting to be outdone, the superpowers that formed shortly after began to fight back. They threatened sanctions on behalf of the World Trade Organization, ceased importing American goods, and eventually participated in armed conflict with the United States.
Meanwhile, in America, things were falling apart. No longer were there any legitamate elections, and some now suspect they haven't been legitamate for some time. Americans, having since the start of the 21st century faced increasing job losses, having drafted their sons and daughters to fight wars for oil, and having had their assets pilfered from them by the nation’s leading corporations, were no longer oblivious to the deeds their government had committed in their name and their outcome. They took to the streets in protest. Martial law was soon declared and the country was thrust into a state of anarchy. America was about to plummet into a second, and even bloodier civil war.
Out of failure to remedy the chaos and America’s greed for scarce resources, the world’s newly formed superpowers turned to the United Nations for help. Conflict resulted, with the United States military assaulting the U.N. headquarters in New York City and capturing the representatives of all the worlds’ nations from within its own borders. Although no one knows for certain, all of those captured were suspected to have been executed via secret military tribunals, in the name of national security. Just one day after, the stock market crashed to a low not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
In the blink of an eye, the situation turned nuclear. The United Capitalist Federation of Mainland Asia demanded that their ambassadors be returned to them and demanded the money which they had invested into U.S. currency to be returned. Not being granted their wish, they sent over 4 agents and attempted to kidnap the president of the United States. The agents, having been discovered and having failed, were soon executed on live TV. Things then turned nuclear. America's president, seeking vengence, launched a nuclear missile at Peking, China, and killed over 20 million people in an instant. Furious, the Asian superpower launched nuclear missiles to New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Miami. One missile was shot down and Washington D.C. was spared. Twenty-five million American citizens were killed. America retaliated, not only against what were formerly Russia, China, and India, but against all nations outside the U.S., launching thousands of nuclear weapons that same day. It is not recorded how many lives were taken outside of the U.S. and travel between the U.S. and elsewhere has ceased entirely. All communication with the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia had been mostly wiped out, aside from internet communications.
It is not recorded how many were killed by the police forces and military in America, but the dissent was widely considered to have been crushed and hailed as a success by the corporate media and the government. Protestors were routinely captured and then executed on live TV on a weekly basis. Despite this, anarchy continued to flourish on a smaller scale.
The landscape, having been permanently scarred with pollution and radiation began to quickly transform into a poisonous desert. Toxic rains and poisonous dust storms halted the possibility of travel among the interstate highways between cities. Food had to be grown within hydroponic domes and clean water became nearly impossible to obtain. The majority of the worlds’ species are now considered extinct. In their place, deadly mutants now litter the badlands and have occasionally been known to make their way into the sewers of the cities. The environment has not seen its worst. Some trees and forests remain, but the land continues to die a fast but painful death. It is projected all outside vegetation will be dead within 10 years.
Those who wanted security and jobs fled the small towns to live in those big cities spared from nuclear disaster, cities which were soon walled off. Mobility between the inside and outside of the cities became limited. Those who wanted freedom fled the cities for the few remaining small towns and fortifications, but often became prey to scavengers seeking loot, or to the poisonous hazards that now litter the Earth along the way.
Most disastrous of all, gasoline, of which was used to ship goods across the nation, had become impossible to obtain due to a mass reduction of the world’s oil reserves. All gasoline was from then on reserved to the government and the private military and police forces. Vehicles used by ordinary people quickly became converted to run on compressed hydrogen gas, a fuel dependent on burning coal to produce it, but in much greater supply. These vehicles were severely limited in driving range, with between 20 and 30 miles maximum range. They were suitable for use within the cities, but from then on travel outside the cities became an utter impossibility for those without gas. Worse still burning coal to produce the hydrogen took an even greater toll on the environment. Black clouds of smog hover over the cities blocking out natural light.
Gasoline became the ultimate prize to be sought for by the gangs. Having formed a vast network, they often looted and pillaged refineries and storage facilities, only to burn their prize in high powered muscle cars, seeking their next target. The Interstate Force Patrol was quickly formed to combat them. Composed of the best drivers in the police forces, they were equipped with machines that were rivaled by none. They frequently overtook fleeing nomads in pursuits often exceeding 150 MPH, and in the lawless regions outside the cities, were effectively rendered judge, jury, and executioner. They ruthlessly hunted down and killed anyone deemed a threat to the availability of the dwindling oil supply. IFPs began to wind up dead or captured, with the lucky gang member that killed them being rewarded with a fortune in gasoline. Within the cities, where the gangs are stationary, the police put an abrupt halt to oil sabotage. They raided the headquarters of various gangs and cartels, and killed thousands of members. But this did not eliminate the gangs from the cities altogether. They went back to the professions they were known for in the 20th century, after nearly being wiped out. In the badlands, however, the gangs are mobile enough to survive, and continue to pose a threat to the oil supply to this day.
The corporations of the large cities began taking land from within the countryside that could be suitable for mining, drilling, or agriculture. They have been met with a fierce resistance from those within the country, fueling the civil war even further.
The World Today
Politics and Events
It is sometime around the year 2010, give or take a few years. As of today, the United States is officially controlled by a select few number of corporations. Companies each are granted territories over which they are allowed to exploit their labor and resources, in exchange for vowing to aid the state in purging the nomads that roam the highways and the rebels that reside within small towns and fortifications. Sometimes, companies war amongst each other for a plot of land or for another’s territory. It is not uncommon for a corporation to draft some of its citizens to fight their wars, although the use of hired and paid mercenaries is the accepted norm.
Contact with lands outside the United States continues to remain scarce, and mostly limited to the internet. It is known that over 2 billion people were killed worldwide in the nuclear exchange.
Dissent is still widespread, although underreported. On college campuses and within city centers, protests are held almost daily, just as they have been since the start of the 21st century. Since martial law was declared, the dissent has died back down to pre-depression levels, but it is a constant threat to the status quo and on a whim, force may be used to end it.
The main enemy portrayed within the media and among the population are the rebels holding out in the small towns and fortresses, and the savage nomads that are constantly seeking fuel. There used to often exist conflicts between the military, private police forces, and these perceived enemies, but they have died down. The conflicts are now mostly limited to capturing or killing one who has committed a terrorist attack within one of the major cities. If a person escapes the police inside the cities, the Interstate Force Patrols will give pursuit and hunt them down within the badlands.
As corporations have consolidated power, they have virtually eliminated all constitutional protections. The corporations who take claim to a territory have full authority to track the whereabouts of anyone they choose, complete control over the media, complete ownership of the police and military, and have absolutely no restraints whatsoever. Labor strikes are often met with well-armed soldiers and usually end with the death of the participants. The corporations presiding over a region can claim any property they choose to at will, and it is also not uncommon for a person to be dragged out of their home in the middle of the night and never heard from again. Elections have long been corrupted, with the use of computerized voting machines that can be manipulated at will by the vote counters, everyone knows it, but few dare mention it in public. Large lists of banned literature, movies, videogames, and other media exist, enacted in a day when the religious right was gaining power, but the ban is rarely enforced on an individual basis, and the religious right has become marginalized and forgotten by the corporations, an ally which had once served its purpose. Those that present banned media to a large audience, however, are eventually hunted down and killed, if they can be gotten to without too much conflict. Firearms have been banned ever since martial law was declared, and only the government branches and privatized police forces are legally allowed to possess them, although the law is never enforced towards corporate-hired mercenaries and guards, and gangs have had no problem obtaining firearms and they are frequently used. Those living in the countryside often stockpile guns, and use them as a source of currency thanks to the gangs willing to buy them.
The unemployment rate within America’s cities is in excess of 40%. Those fortunate to have a job typically work 70 hours a week for about half the pay per annum they would have received a mere decade ago. Those without work are usually homeless, and have become a pariah of sorts.
With the virtual elimination of the middle class, four main classes exist. At the top are the corporate owners and the politicians, who technically own everything within the cities, all property, and some say, persons. They write the laws and attempt to control everything the people are allowed to see on TV, and hear on the radios. They have not been able to gain control of the internet, despite their best efforts. Far out of reach from danger, they live enclosed in domed communities up within the mountains that they reach by helicopter, or within the tallest buildings in the cities. It is rumored that the elite of society meet each year in a secluded military bunker and make their decisions within there, but no evidence exists, and no exact location of where this may occur is known. On the next tier are the doctors, engineers, managers, scientists, lawyers, media persons, athletes, and police or military forces. They generally live within gated communities, and are content to enjoy a life similar in living standard to the middle class of a mere decade ago. Their communities are protected by armed guards, and clearance is required to enter them. Trespassers are detained on sight. Their children are fortunate enough to have the money to attend secondary schools, and if the child shows potential, universities. The vast majority of the population are on the next tier. They are found living in dangerous crime-infested ghettos, and struggle to make ends meet. The water they drink, air they breathe, and food they eat is poisoned, and sickness is rampant. Tap water is often cited as a source of mercury, lead, and arsenic poisoning, while processed meat and dairy products a source of a deadly and incurable prion infection. Medical care, however, is a luxury, and most are left to live with their ailments until they die. On the lowest tier are the homeless, those who have fled the cities, and those that have piled around the cities and live within hazardous shantytowns. The homeless and shantytown dwellers struggle to survive, eating food out of dumpsters and using sewage as a source of water. Those who have fled the cities live a life similar to their ancestors of the 1800s, farming what they can and protecting themselves from nomads, although some say their living standard is close to that of rural dwellers in the middle 20th century.
Recently, what can only be described as paranormal phenomena has occurred within the United States. Strange demons have begun appearing within the countryside and have occasionally managed to enter cities. This all occurs after what is described as a Fire Pulse. One has never been recorded on video, as such a pulse renders useless all electronics subjected to its light. Not all places have witnessed this, but once the demons arrive, they wreak havoc among the population. They have been said to be able to wake the dead and manipulate entire cities, some even have gained political positions and have taken over institutions and corporations. It is not uncommon for a demon to blend in within society, and they have quickly grown accustomed to technology such as computers and automobiles. It is rumored some people have managed to exploit the demons for their own uses.
The Cold Civil War poses an ever vigilant threat to society, and a schism between those living in the cities and the outside areas is bourgeoning out of control. Both sides want the other to die, and would approve of more nuclear strikes to make it happen.
Culture
Since the early 21st century, culture has hit a dead end. Americans constantly want to re-live the days before the nuclear wars and before the depression and before their lived changed forever. All things old, relics of a past that once was, are considered desirable, and new trends and fashions are rarely created anymore. Every American trend from the 1930s onward is vigorously recycled and marketed, whether it is music, cars, movies, or clothes. A dying culture is yet a mere symptom of a world that is also dying.
Music has not evolved since the beginning of the 21st century. Techno music has gained some more popularity, but the most desired music comes from America’s 1960s and 1970s. Rock, Blues, and Disco are all the rage, and are repeatedly droned into the heads of people via satellite radio.
Clothing trends from all decades have seen resurgence. Wealthy businessmen tend to be spotted wearing expensive suits out of the 1950s, housewives generally favor the pastel clothing trends of the 1980s, teenagers and twenty-somethings have favored the youth trends from the 1950s and 1960s, minority groups have begun favoring clothing trends of the 1970s, and outcasts have adopted trends taken by the nomadic tribes that roam America's vast wasteland.
Americans have continued their obsession with the automobile, despite fuel shortages and extremely high fuel costs. Gasoline is reserved for the police, IFPs, various government branches, and military while the masses have to make due with short range vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas. Despite this, lust for horsepower, size, and a retro look have skyrocketed. Cars are frequently fitted with high power V8s, and are huge fuel hogs reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s. The SUV craze of the 1990s and early 21st century has not waned altogether, but has shrunk some. The cars of today have performance not rivaled since the automobile became mass produced. Racing, both legal and illegal, is very common, and people often settle arguments with their cars. Due to declining wages, most families only own one car, but a car is seen as an extension of the family and people labor hard so that they might be able to afford to eek out as much horsepower as they can. Imported cars of the past and present from nations that are now only capable of exporting a few hundred cars a year are sought after items. They are rare and virtually unobtainable. Those lucky enough to own a European exotic often flaunt their good fortune, racking up as many miles as they can, obsessively scouring junkyards for makeshift parts if anything breaks, and would never part with their prizes under any circumstances. The import craze for Asian cars has also surged, with parts often being recycled from other Asian cars and sometimes American cars due to rarity, although most are satisfied to simply have an intact body of a car for which to customize. Other than becoming more dangerous to consume, food has changed very little. Fast food is in as high demand as ever, and greasy spoons modeled out of the 1950s have been popping up like wildfire.
Since travel between the large cities is limited only to the extremely wealthy, the internet is used as a means of communication between family members who were separated during the wars and calamities. Internet access has declined, however, with the monopolization of it by a select few companies. Those that have access to it pay on a per-bandwidth basis, and often face premiums more than ten times greater than what the internet would have cost a mere decade ago. The corporate government has attempted censorship, but has failed, and the internet is a constant source of news not covered by the corporate media, although it is filled with propaganda from all views that is hard to distinguish from reality, given nonexistent travel among the masses. Rebels, anarchists, and those residing outside the cities have used it as a means of publication and have often used it as a weapon against the corporations, hacking into their databases and damaging their servers.
Technology
The internet has evolved little over the course of the decade. The main advancement has become the use of wireless nodes through which to transmit electronic signals.
Battery technology at the turn of the 21st century had evolved to a point in which electric vehicles became viable as a replacement for cars running on gasoline, but the political clout of the auto and oil industries kept this technology away from consumers and still continues to do so to this day. It is not uncommon for a person to convert a car to run on electricity to avoid high fuel prices and the costly maintenance associated with an internal combustion engine, but a person fancying this option must make due with batteries that limit their range to that of the cars running on compressed hydrogen gas, and must also hassle through a bureaucracy that often does not wish to make their car road-legal. Urban legends of those in the know who have been able to make use of advanced batteries exist, but such tales are unproven, even if it is widely known the technology exists.
Medical technology, despite seeing a drastic reduction in its accessibility, has evolved considerably. People with money to burn can have their lifespan nearly doubled by advancements in genetic engineering, and those who were once paralyzed can have their nerve tissue regrown and surgically implanted. However, due to the high cost of medical treatment, most that develop a chronic illness that could otherwise be cured are forced to live with it. Cybernetic implants are said to be in the works, however a consumer product has yet to exist.
Computer processors have hit a stand-still in speed, and it is now common for computers to make use of multiple processors. Cameras have evolved to the point that they can register facial features, heat signals, and body movements and immediately recognize the identification of the people they are recording.
With the collapse of the dollar, currency is now electronic and stored on drivers’ licenses and ID cards. Purchases are often recorded and logged into databases for marketing purposes, without the consent of the consumer.
The military, having been given ample money to burn for decades even before the depression and nuclear wars has developed weaponry that doesn’t need to be commanded. Armed mechanized robots can be seen patrolling airports, oil storage facilities, military bases, and corporations. Within aviation, the military has developed large planes which can carry hundreds of tons of cargo. Due to the toxic landscape, nomadic bandits, and deadly fauna, ground travel has virtually ended, and shipment of goods such as automobiles, weapons, food, water, and crude are done by air. The military has also developed energy-based weaponry. Although standard firearms using chemical explosives are still the norm, battery-powered firearms that use a lightweight energy cell are increasing in popularity. The military has been secretive about the combat vehicles it has developed; it is rumored they now possess aircraft that can go into space and internet videos have been floating around of unwarranted attacks on other nations with these crafts. It is unknown what developments in explosives, chemical weapons, or biological weapons have been made, but the threat of complete annihilation is still present in society. Nuclear war is looking again to see another life.
The Badlands and Gateway City
The Badlands
The badlands surrounding Gateway City contain the Negroponte Air Force Base, the ghost towns of Venison, Schwartz, and Scarborough, the small towns of Menard, Kaskaski, and Clinton, the Illinis Indian Reservation, and the Shantytown of East Gateway City, along with numerous roads, highways, caves, refineries, and industrial parks. The badlands are known for being dangerous, and the highway death toll for this year is over 500. People tread here with caution and those living within the cities rarely venture out into the badlands, with the exception of the Interstate Force Patrol. Those that live within the small towns are cautious, as dangerous scavengers and hellish mutants prowl the scorched land for prey. Toxic rains have made the land incapable of bearing new life, and within 10 years all vegetation will cease to exist.
Menard
Menard is the town you start your journey in. It is home to about 500 residents, the Altana Race Track, fuel refinery, a few restaurants, a radio station, and a junkyard. Residents make claim to mobile homes that actually have running electricity and running water that is mostly safe to drink. Citizens police themselves, and are armed enough to provide a formidable defense should the nomadic gangs decide to one day raid their town or should the private military one day decide to assault them. Two miles to the west is a well-guarded hydroponics dome, property of the Amstar Foods Corporation. The corporation has fended off repeated attacks by the town's residents to gain control of the dome.
Kaskaski
This former indian reservation turned coal mining town is home to about 1,000 residents. They are a corporate town and well-gaurded by the privatized military forces, ever vigilant of fact that the indians they took their land from want it back. This town is a large source of coal for Gateway City providing 20% of all coal consumed. The high sulphur content of the coal blackens the sky around Gateway City when burned, all so that hydrogen may be created for those wealthy enough to burn it in their internal combustion engine automobiles.
Clinton
Clinton is a much larger town than Menard, home to about 2,000 people. Some of the residents have become horribly disfigured after dioxin had contaminated their food supply, but they otherwise enjoy a relatively middle class life. They make claim to the only school within the badlands. Any family with children that do not dwell in the city make an attempt to live here, if they can afford to. Otherwise they make their home in the shantytowns. Clinton has been a relatively peaceful town, undisturbed by the roving gangs on the highways.
Scarborough
This once abandoned mining town is now home to a gang of bandits known as the Pale Horsemen. They are mostly left alone and are free to extract minerals from the earth and trade them for goods; however the vast majority of the town is untouched. Most of it has been flooded and rendered submerged under water.
Schwarz
This town was once home to over 60,000 people. What happened to it remains a mystery, but few dare enter. Two years ago, all communication with the town was mysteriously cut off. The privatized military forces prevented entry and exit, but later fled after too many of their men were lost. This danger zone is duley avoided. Anyone that has been known to have entered has never returned.
Venison
This abandoned town is said to be a favorite hangout for marauders passing through the countryside, where they stop to camp for the night. It is surrounded by a dying forest, which before the nuclear catastrophe was a favorite hunting town during the fall and winter seasons.
Death's Door
The name of this city is not forgotten, but is now rarely referred to. Hit by a nuclear bomb, all of its residents have been killed, its skyscrapers laid to waste. The radiation from the nuclear bomb has mutated the life forms in the area into horrific mutants. Due to the monsters and radiation levels present, it is avoided even by the military.
Illinis Indian Reservation
This Indian Reservation has mostly avoided flight to the cities. People sometimes venture here from Gateway City to view its many tourist attractions, such as a Casino, Amusement Park, and a Historic Burial Mound. It is also the burial site of all those that have been killed on the highways, who had the good luck to be buried as opposed to having been left to the vultures. It is rumored to be a sight of paranormal activity.
Negroponte Air Force Base
No one enters this area. It is home to a paramilitary faction that split from the United States Armed Forces when they became privatized. The national military has left them alone. Those who venture into this territory never return.
East Gateway City
East Gateway City is a Shantytown that is at war with the main city itself, separated by the Mississippi River. It is the constant target of military action by the Armed Forces and is also home to a contingent of dissatisfied rebels, who seek to remove corporate influence from their region. It is composed of what a decade ago were nearby small cities, of having moderately wealthy residents. East Gateway City boasts a pirate radio station, plenty of nightclubs, bazaars, and chop shops, and has a thriving black market. One can gain possession of some of the most advanced weaponry in the world here, while one has just as great of a chance of finding someone attempting to test that weaponry out on them! Drugs of all varieties can be obtained here, but they are a frequent source of conflicts between rivaling gangs. Prostitutes can often be found advertising their wares, but they are often avoided by those from the city due to having diseases that would be fatal. Approximately 200,000 people reside here, in what is barely over five square miles in area. Fires are frequent and have disastrous results on the population, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Disease is rampant. Murders occur daily in this lawless city, and most who reside here have been robbed at least once. It is also Gateway City’s favorite dumping ground for toxic wastes.
Gateway City
Gateway City itself has doubled in population to over 1 million residents, which have fled the chaotic and economically depressed suburbs and countryside in order to find security or employment. Citizens are almost under constant surveillance and the police forces are second to none. Here, the corporations rule, and anyone deciding to be within the city’s walls must play by their rules. The residents are diverse, and people that once came to America from around the world take residence here, as they mourn the attacks on their motherland and make due with what remains.
Beckwin
This wealthy suburb sits on the outskirts of the city, near the city walls. The vast majority of the residents are white, and it is not uncommon for families residing here to possess multiple cars and garages for which to store them. It is mostly residential, and few businesses exist here, other than gas stations and the occasional shopping plaza. This area is mostly free from crime or gangs, due to being sealed off from the outside. Clearance is required for entry, upon punishment of prison and sometimes death as a result of trespassing.
Claymore
Just to the east of Beckwin and to the west of Gateway Park is Claymore, a wealthy shopping district complete with a mall and home to hundreds of offices. This is where Gateway City’s wealthiest do their shopping. Fancy cars are tragically common in this district, and the police forces do their best to protect the residents from outsiders. A car dealership sells the most desirable cars in the city, sometimes boasting a selection of European imports that are no longer made nor imported since the war. Crime is moderate, but getting more under control. A gang known as the High Rollers conducts their business here.
Downtown
Downtown contains all the wealthiest businesses and is home to numerous corporate headquarters, towering into the sky. Security is strong and traffic is a problem, and attempts to put crime under control have rendered this area a sort of no mans land for any criminal, except the Mafia. Most of Gateway City’s employed residents work within this area. A landmark of this location is the 200-story high tower of the Ishtar Corporation. It reaches 2,500 feet into the sky, and is visible from most of the surrounding areas within the badlands. Those without clearance are denied entry, and it is assumed the cities wealthiest corporate owners live within its walls. Helicopters are seen coming and going from this tower almost constantly. Downtown is also privy to the Bush Stadium, an often visited tourist attraction where its baseball team plays.
Ferrigan
To the north of Gateway Park and just West of Maddox sits the ghetto of Ferrigan. It is mostly African-American and the gangs run wild. Robberies are the most common crime, and gang wars between the Golden Sons and The Fury occur on a weekly basis.
Gateway Park
Just to the west of University is Gateway Park. It boasts some moderately upper class houses, the Gateway City Hospital, and Wildes Park. It consumes a large portion of the city’s water supply in order to maintain its trees and grass. Crime is moderate, but gangs are absent. It is a popular location for street races when the traffic is sparse.
Maddox
North of downtown sits the crowded residential area of Maddox. High rise apartments litter the area, with the occasional business providing a gap in the skyline. The area is mostly upper-class, police protection is top notch, and traffic is a major problem. Common attractions are the riverboat casinos that line the Mississippi River, four and five-star restaurants that offer the best food that can be had, and numerous nightclubs. The Mafia conducts business within this district.
Southside
This is an industrial district just south of Downtown. Blue collar crime is high and police are sparse, but try and enter one of the industrial parks or factories and you will be promptly met with bullets, courtesy of corporate mercenaries. The people that take residence here are mostly homeless, and pollution renders the air almost un-breathable. Due to almost no traffic, this is another popular location for street races. This district is home to many Eastern-European immigrants that came to America before the war, although some people of Asian and Arabic descent have taken residence here. The Mafia, Triads and Ali-Babas reside in this district, and it is a frequent site of gang warfare.
Syciala
This district is composed of people of mainly Italian descent, and the Mafia makes its headquarters here. This region is one of the few middleclass regions left in Gateway City, but crime is high and conflicts with races of Arabic and Asian descent are high. The Triads and Ali-Babas also reside here, and this is a location of constant gang warfare. Syciala is just south of Gateway Park and west of Southside.
Underland
This mostly Hispanic ghetto is home to the Fuegos Locos gang. Just south of the Gateway City International Airport and north of Claymore sits this district. Crime is moderate and the Fuegos Locos and High Rollers have no conflict with each other. The northern section of this district is dangerous. A violent group of marauders have taken control of the interstate highways in this district leading out of the city.
University
Those fortunate enough to be able to afford a college education live and study within this district. Campus riots are a problem for the city, and the corporations that run Gateway City have absolute control over the curriculum covered. Crime is low. No known gangs reside on the campus, but there is rumored to exist a faction of eco-terrorists and political activists that have had armed conflicts with the police forces. The Campus Chapel has been a frequent location of paranormal activity, but is also a favorite hangout among college students wishing to get laid or get high. The University District is just west of Downtown.
Gateway International Airport
This airport has tight security and is located just north of Underland. No longer being a means of travel for all but the wealthiest of Gateway City’s residents, it has partially been converted into a military installation, aside from being an important trade hub for shipping goods in and out of the city.
Gangs
Stationary Gangs
Stationary gangs are those gangs that reside within Gateway City and thrive on the misery that has enveloped the city. Gangs are found of all races, degrees of sophistication, and wealth, and all have their own personal tastes for weapons, vehicles, music, and clothing. They have their own internal politics, and some gangs are favored by different corporations or politicians. They are the main source of crime within the cities, dealing drugs, peddling prostitutes, stealing cars, and offering money to those willing to do their dirty work. On the flip side, they have been known to protect their communities when the need arises.
High Rollers
The High Rollers are a gang composed of young suburbanites, both black and white in race. Of privileged background, they are frequently spotted driving around in expensive automobiles. They usually favor either those sport compacts from Asia, or large American SUVs and stress customization and obnoxiousness. They often favor clothing styles from the 1980s Hip Hop scene, and seem to have a penchant for the rap music of the 1980s and 1990s. This gang is not dangerous, although they have been known from time to time to get involved in the drug trade. The police view them as no threat, and only on occasion do they commit crimes, either for thrill or for revenge. Most are completely unarmed, although some carry handguns. They are spotted cruising around Claymore, and occasionally engage in street races.
The Mafia
The Mafia is split into two factions. The main faction is composed of those of Italian descent, which control both Syciala and Downtown. This faction is immensely powerful and owns some of the most exclusive nightclubs and expensive restaurants in the city, and the entirety of the riverboat casinos lining the river. The main branch of the Mafia has a large amount of political clout only rivaled by some of the city’s largest corporations. They have access to full-auto firearms and some military-grade armor, but rarely flaunt it and are often hesitant to use it. They favor European cars that are no longer made, by the likes of BMW, Jaguar, and Audi, although on occasion are known to use American-made limousines by Lincoln or Cadillac. Their taste in music is generally of the classical variety. They are usually indistinguishable from businessmen, and blend in well with the crowd.
The lesser branch of the Mafia is composed mostly of people of Eastern European descent, and mainly struggles with the Ali-Babas and Triads for control of Southside, although they receive help from the Mafia’s main branch. They take pride in owning the city’s finest of brothels, and prefer rare classic autos from the 1960s by the makes of Volkswagen, although their figurehead is known to drive around in an 8-wheeled electric luxury cruiser fitted with over 800 horsepower. Their taste in music tends to favor the electronically-generated variety, and their clothes vary; the only prerequisite for joining is that you reside in the area and you aren’t Arab or Asian.
Golden Sons
This mostly African-American gang resides within Ferrigan and is at constant war with The Fury. Often financially lacking, members are lucky if they own automobiles. They tend to not have a specific taste in clothing, although their gang colors are red and blue. They prefer the Blues genre of music. They are heavily involved in drug distribution.
The Fury
This mostly African-American gang resides within Ferrigan and is at constant war with the Golden Sons. Often financially lacking, members are lucky if they own automobiles. They tend to not have a specific taste in clothing, although their gang colors are green and yellow. They prefer the Disco genre of music. They are heavily involved in drug distribution.
Triads
The Triads make Syciala, Southside , and East Gateway City their home. This ruthless gang is an expert at employing torture to get what they want, and they are rapidly gaining control. They prefer autos that have come from their home continent of Asia, and have adopted a style of clothing often reminiscient of the early 1990s.
Ali-Babas
This Arabic gang is fiercely patriotic and religious. Ever since the nuclear war, they have been a main faction demanding justice for what has happened to their homeland and have one goal in mind: to destroy America. Frequently involved in attacks on government buildings and corporate high-rises they deem as enemies, the government, through force, has whittled down their numbers drastically, but they are not about to give up on their struggle to gain political power. They make home in Southside, Syciala, and East Gateway City. They are not nomadic, but have been caught raiding oil storage facilities and refineries outside the city. The bulk of their funds come from selling gasoline, as it is worth a fortune on the black market. It is publicized in the news that they are recieving aid from the middle east.
Fuegos Locos
The Fuegos Locos are a mostly Hispanic gang that has formed after the nuclear war. They have no enemies and as a consequence are allowed to grow unrestrained. They are in control of those drugs entering the city that are not brought in by the government, and as a consequence are a frequent target of the FBI. They are fiercely loyal to all things American-built, and drive around in hopped-up muscle-cars straight from Detroit. They have a liking for classical rock of the 1950s and 1960s and have adopted the looks of 1950s outcasts.
The Para-militaries
Shrouded in both secrecy and fear, this once proud faction of the U.S. Armed Forces had split after the military became privatized. The Negroponte Air Force Base is their home, and they are left alone by any marauders or wasteland dwellers. Those that have been unfortunate enough to set foot on their property have never returned. It is assumed that all men captured have been used as labor and all women and children captured have become sex slaves of the resident soldiers. They are said to have conducted secret weapons research and are suspected of having supplied goods and manpower to the Ishtar Corporation.
Pale Horsemen
This gang occupies the mining town of Scarborough, whose original residents had all fled to the city or succumbed to the badlands. All of its members are white and they are known for their racism, although they never leave their location or inflict harm among other towns. They are widely-recognized traders, and frequently supply ore to the various rebel factions thought the wasteland. Often the target of the corporations seeking their land, they have learned to protect it. Marauders have thus far left them alone.
Nomadic Gangs
The nomadic gangs have no set headquarters, and are constantly looting and pillaging to survive. They journey the countryside, seeking food, water, and fuel. Without either, they are dead within days. They often prey on other people passing through, and have made the badlands dangerous. Frequently the target of IFPs after conducting raids within the city or on the delicate oil refineries and storage facilities, they have learned to be resilient. This has also created for them incentive to raid cities only if necessary; they’d rather pick on the poorly guarded small towns instead. They live within the wasteland and have grown accustomed to struggling daily for survival. Due to their elusiveness, they are not known in detail.
Getting Started
Welcome to Police State. Exploring Gateway City and its surrounding badlands and uncovering their darkest secrets can be a thrilling experience. You are given the opportunity to play however you wish. There are multiple ways to progress the game, and the customizability of your characters, weapons, computer equipment, and vehicles allows for a depth not usually seen even within the role-playing genre.
The Long Arm of the Law
Should you attract the attention of law enforcement, you might want to be prepared to choose the options of fight or flight. The long arm of the law has gotten ruthless, and will not think twice about killing someone if they see fit. There are many ways to attract the attention of the police. Speeding will get you pulled over, but you will simply be asked to pay a fee on the spot. Trying to evade the police will bring them in pursuit of your vehicle and they will call in for reinforcements. Police will pull pit maneuvers and set up roadblocks in hopes of disabling your vehicle. Killing or shooting at an officer or a police dog will automatically get a chopper called out and more reinforcements, or if you evade the police long enough without finding refuge, the same will happen. Committing armed robbery of a significant business, corporate sabotage/espionage, or being caught doing illegal computer activity to the detriment of a significant business will automatically raise a red flag to get the police to focus their efforts on killing you. Should you manage to kill multiple police officers, or evade them after committing a major crime against a corporation, SWAT teams will immediately be deployed. If they are unsuccessful, you have caught the attention of the FBI.
Should you escape the city while having a focused city-wide effort on your death made or worse, the Interstate Force Patrol will be called to intercept and kill you in the badlands. Their Interceptors can out-gun, for all intents and purposes, any vehicle on the road, and they make use of gasoline to allow for greater driving range than anyone they are chasing would be capable of. Often, pursuits involving the IFPs have reached speeds in excess of 150 MPH.
Depending on city district, the police cars will vary. They are usually divided into three types, patrol units, cruisers, and interceptors. Patrol Units have the capability of any typical car on the road, but could be out-gunned by a competent driver in almost any vehicle. The cruisers have more power and a sport-tuned suspension to give them the capability to keep up with sports cars and luxury sedans; for chases involving high performance cars the more powerful Interceptors are usually needed to end the chases. Only the most modified muscle cars or most sought-after exotics can outrun standard police interceptors. Should a fleeing criminal escape the city, the IFPs may decide to take pursuit. Nothing can outrun the IFP Interceptors. Anything that can is considered the work of urban legend. SWAT Vans are not normally used for pursuit, but are used for their utility and ability to carry units to a location of interest. Helicopters become involved in most chases.
All police are equipped with body armor, a 9MM Pistol, and other standard police ware. Their cars have hidden within their trunks shotguns should they be needed. All SWAT are given an assault rifle or machinegun of sorts, depending on the unit. All FBI are equipped with both a .50 Magnum and a versatile submachine gun. The IFPs don’t often need to resort to using guns, however they are allowed to carry with them their own preference.
In order to evade the police permanently, one must either hide out for a few hours within various locations, or leave the city altogether. Once pursued, a person will instantly be given a criminal record, and if there are spotted by any officer thereafter, chase will ensue. However, most officers are not trying to identify who people are. There are ways to delete a criminal record, but all of them require knowing some powerful people.
Characters
Not all of the game’s playable characters are listed, however the ones which you will encounter early within the game are listed and briefly explained with their stats provided. Skills are listed with their base value out of the listed skill cap for the character.
John (Name changeable)
Description: A college student in his mid 20s, he fled the city in an effort to escape a military draft. He is now wanted by the government. His knowledge in electronic devices and a healthy array of computer skills may come in handy in his goal of becoming independent from the government. Not at all outgoing, he is a man of few words. When he does speak, he is often outspoken, sometimes callous. In his garage sits a souped up monster of the likes which myths are made of; it's electric!
Attributes:
Strength: 5
Vitality: 4
Agility: 7
Dexterity: 7
Stamina: 7
Constitution: 3
Intelligence: 8
Ether: 7
Charisma: 3
Base Skills:
Firearms: 1/2
Handguns: 1/2
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns: 1/2
Shotguns: 1/2
Energy Weapons: 0/1
Melee Combat: 0/1
Blunt Weapons: 0/1
Bladed Weapons: 0/1
Throwing: 0/1
Explosives: 3/4
Medicine: 0/1
Electronics: 4/5
Computers: 3/4
Lockpicking: 1/2
Metaphysical: 0/1
Negotiation: 0/1
Driving: 2/3
Stealth: 1/2
Matt
Description: Matt was not wealthy enough nor had the scholarships to be enrolled in college, however, he has helped share rent for the apartment him, John, and Jenny live within. Very outgoing, he loves nothing more than three things, to party, to get laid, and to get high. Having ditched fairly satisfying life on a whim, fleeing with his friend who seeks to avoid a military draft, his goal is to eventually return to the city and simply live there, without fear of repercussions.
Attributes:
Strength: 7
Vitality: 8
Agility: 5
Dexterity: 5
Stamina: 6
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 5
Ether: 4
Charisma: 7
Base Skills:
Firearms: 0/1
Handguns: 1/1
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns: 0/1
Shotguns: 0/1
Energy Weapons: 0/1
Melee Combat: 2/3
Blunt Weapons: 2/3
Bladed Weapons: 0/2
Throwing: 2/3
Explosives: 0/0
Medicine: 1/3
Electronics: 0/0
Computers: 0/1
Lockpicking: 0/0
Metaphysical: 0/0
Negotiation: 1/3
Driving: 0/1
Stealth: 0/1
Jenny
Description: Often the butt of jokes due to her weight, Jenny has developed a poor self image of herself. She is fiercely loyal to the friends she has and is willing to do anything to keep them, going so far as to protect them from imaginary threats. She is emotionally skittish, somewhat bipolar, and borderline suicidal and the recent events have made her paranoid. Her and John have been best friends since childhood.
Attributes:
Strength: 4
Vitality: 6
Agility: 4
Dexterity: 4
Stamina: 3
Constitution: 7
Intelligence: 7
Ether: 7
Charisma: 6
Base Skills:
Firearms: 0/1
Handguns: 0/0
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns: 0/0
Shotguns: 0/0
Energy Weapons: 0/0
Melee Combat: 0/3
Blunt Weapons: 0/1
Bladed Weapons: 3/4
Throwing: 1/2
Explosives: 1/2
Medicine: 2/3
Electronics: 0/0
Computers: 0/0
Lockpicking: 3/5
Metaphysical: 1/3
Negotiation: 2/3
Driving: 2/3
Stealth: 1/2
Harold
Description: A chauvinist, a drunkard, and a former survivalist, Harold was never considered a likable person. Rude, angry, and despicable, one wonders how he became the way he is. Of libertarian political leanings, Harold has come to despise this current government and seeks to see it destroyed. He generously provides John, Jenny, and Matt with employment in Menard, and quickly stumbles into the very situation he’d only dreamed would occur before the war ever started. A firearms expert and self-proclaimed Gulf war veteran, Harold may be quite a valuable asset. Few can shoot as good as he can.
Attributes:
Strength: 7
Vitality: 7
Agility: 6
Dexterity: 6
Stamina: 6
Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 6
Ether: 3
Charisma: 6
Base Skills:
Firearms: 5/5
Handguns: 2/4
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns: 2/4
Shotguns: 2/4
Energy Weapons: 0/4
Melee Combat: 1/3
Blunt Weapons: 1/3
Bladed Weapons: 1/3
Throwing: 3/5
Explosives: 2/4
Medicine: 2/3
Electronics: 1/1
Computers: 0/0
Lockpicking: 0/0
Metaphysical: 0/0
Negotiation: 0/0
Driving: 2/2
Stealth: 0/0
Souelle
Description: Resident of the Illinis Indian reservation, this teenage girl has come to know first hand how the government has harmed her race. Having witnessed the death of her parents from the roving bands of marauders, she vows revenge. She is well trained in hand-to-hand combat, and is deeply religious.
Attributes:
Strength: 3
Vitality: 4
Agility: 7
Dexterity: 8
Stamina: 7
Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 6
Ether: 8
Charisma: 5
Base Skills:
Firearms: 0/0
Handguns: 0/0
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns: 0/0
Shotguns: 0/0
Energy Weapons: 0/0
Melee Combat: 2/4
Blunt Weapons: 3/4
Bladed Weapons: 3/4
Throwing: 1/2
Explosives: 0/0
Medicine: 4/6
Electronics: 0/0
Computers: 0/0
Lockpicking: 0/1
Metaphysical: 3/5
Negotiation: 0/2
Driving: 0/0
Stealth: 5/6
Attributes/ Skills
Attributes:
Attributes are qualities a character has that are permanent. They do not permanently change through the course of the game and cannot be permanently raised. They directly influence the effectiveness of various skills, how fast a character can develop the skills supplemented by said attributes, and make some characters better for certain situations than others. Attributes and an explanation of their function are listed as follows:
Strength:
This directly influences damage within hand to hand combat and is a determining factor of the guns one may equip for battle. Strength influences the skills of Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns, Shotguns, Melee Combat, Blunt Weapons, Bladed Weapons, and Throwing and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Vitality:
This determines the overall amount of damage a character receives from physical hazards such as combat and automobile collisions and influences their susceptibility to injury. Vitality influences no skills.
Agility:
This determines the success of a character evading an enemy attack and their maximum movement speed. Agility influences the skills of Shotguns, Bladed Weapons, and Stealth and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Dexterity:
This influences the success of a character landing an attack. Dexterity influences the skills of Firearms, Handguns, Assault Rifles/Machine Guns, Energy Weapons, Melee Combat, Blunt Weapons, Bladed Weapons, Throwing, Computers, Lockpicking, and Driving and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Stamina:
This determines how far a character can sprint at their fastest running speed, how much overall damage a character can take, and is a determining factor of fatigue. Stamina influences the skills of Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns and Driving and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Constitution:
This determines how resistant a character is to status ailments. Constitution influences no skills.
Intelligence:
This influences the success of a wide array of skills. Those skills influenced are Explosives, Medicine, Electronics, Computers, Metaphysical, Negotiation, and Driving and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Ether:
This determines the amount of damage a character will take from a metaphysical source used on them. Ether influences the skill of Metaphysical and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Charisma:
This determines a character’s ability to emotionally manipulate other people. Charisma influences negotiation and how fast a character can develop those skills.
Skills:
Skills are qualities a character has that can be developed. Their maximum value goes to twelve. They directly influence the effectiveness of various operations in and out of combat, and are the determining factors in the effectiveness of a character for almost any given situation. Each skill is raised by a character donig an action related to that skill, but will not raise is a skill cap is present to prevent it from doing so. Experience points must be earned and spent to raise a skill cap. Skills and an explanation of their function are listed as follows:
Firearms:
Firearms determines the accuracy, and therefore overall damage, of all firearms. Firearms is supplemented by 100% Dexterity.
Handguns:
Handguns determines the accuracy, and therefore overall damage, of all pistols. Handguns is supplemented by 65% Dexterity and 35% Firearms.
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns:
Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns determines the accuracy, and therefore the overall damage, of all assault rifles and sub-machine guns. Assault Rifles/ Machine Guns is supplemented by 25% Strength, 15% Dexterity, 25% Stamina, and 35% Firearms.
Shotguns:
Shotguns determines the accuracy, and therefore the overall damage, of all shotguns. Shotguns is supplemented by 35% Strength, 35% Agility, and 30% Firearms.
Energy Weapons:
Energy Weapons determines the accuracy, and therefore the overall damage, of all energy-fired firearms. Energy Weapons is supplemented by 65% Dexterity and 35% Firearms.
Melee Combat:
Melee Combat determines the overall success of hand-to-hand combat, no matter the weapon or in absence of a weapon. Melee Combat is supplemented by 50% Strength and 50% Dexterity.
Blunt Weapons:
Blunt Weapons determines the overall success of combat using blunt objects such as clubs or bats. Blunt Weapons is supplemented by 35% Strength, 35% Dexterity, and 30% Melee Combat.
Bladed Weapons:
Bladed Weapons determines the overall success of combat using bladed objects such as knives. Bladed Weapons is supplemented by 20% Strength, 30% Agility, 30% Dexterity, and 30% Melee combat.
Throwing:
Throwing determines the accuracy of throwing items like rocks, bricks, grenades, or explosives. Throwing is supplemented by 25% Strength and 75% Dexterity.
Explosives:
Explosives determines the damage used explosives do in battle, and influences success of using explosives to destroy cars, maglocked doors, gates, and locks. Explosives is supplemented by 100% Intelligence.
Medicine:
Medicine determines the success a character has in administering a stim patch, medipack, antidote, or other medicine. Medicine is supplemented by 100% Intelligence.
Electronics:
Electronics determines the success of using electronic devices for various purposes, such as hotwiring cars or picking maglocks, and provides a combat advantage against mechanized enemies. Electronics is supplemented by 100% Intelligence,.
Computers:
Computers determines the success of computer hacking. Computers is supplemented by 20% Dexterity and 80% Intelligence.
Lockpicking:
Lockpicking determines the success of physically opening a lock using a set of tools. Lockpicking is supplemented by 100% Dexterity.
Metaphysical:
Metaphysical determines the damage one may inflict using the powers of a fused demon. Metaphysical is supplemented by 20% Intelligence and 80% Ether.
Negotiation:
Negotiation determines the success a character may have in talking themselves out of a situation, or even within intimidation while committing various actions, such as an attempt to steal a car or capture a hostage. Negotiation is supplemented by 10% Intelligence and 90% Charisma.
Driving:
Driving determines the potential a character has to keep control of an automobile as it is being pushed to its limits. Driving is supplemented by 50% Dexterity, 25% Stamina, and 25% Intelligence.
Stealth:
Stealth determines how quiet your character moves, and helps evade detection by the game’s enemies. Stealth is supplemented by 100% Agility.
Through the game, characters will up their skills based on how often they use them. The more a skill is used, the more the skill goes up. However, a character also gains experience points from combat, involvement in car chases, and other things. Experience points can be spent to raise a skill's cap. Every skill has a cap and it must be raised. However, if a character ups a skill without having a high enough experience level for a certain skill to be that high, that skill going up is not wasted. Once the experience level for the skill is raised by spending experience points on it, that skill will take right off to where it would normally have been raised to, if the upped experience level is high enough. If not, it will automatically be placed at a new cap.
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