This step-by-step guide to the System Generation Sheet for ReBoot. I will explain each question, genertating a sample system with you. Remember, you do not need to answer every question right away. Mainframe, for instance, existed for some time before Bob ever showed up. Mainframe's battles with Megabyte and Hexadecimal had been going on a long time before Guardian 452 arrived to tip the balance in the Mainframer's favor. But for awhile, question number 7 would have had a "No", until Bob came.
Here we go.
1. System theme: This is a good start. What kind of system do you want? A business-based system, like Mainframe? A western-town? A Mad-Max-like system? Look around you at your town or city. Watch movies and T.V. Read books (any books will do: Comics, hardback, paperback, even children's books). Even games can give you ideas (Remember "Bad Bob", the episode with the Mad Max-like game?). Your system theme can come from just about anywhere. The theme can even help you with the other questions.
For the theme for the Children's System, I thought of Peter Pan and Neverland, a classic story by author Sir James Matthew Barrie. Question #1 would look like this:
1. System theme: Children's System. Peter Pan and Neverland.
Sometimes it helps to write down what inspired you.
2. System Name: What to name the system? The western town might be called ReBoot Hill or Rawbitmap (Rawhide). The Mad Max system could be called the Forgotten System or Nowhere System. Look to your theme for inspiration. What does a western, or post-nucluar nightmare suggest? For the Children's System, Question #2 would look like this:
2. System Name: NeverSystem.
Children's System. Peter Pan and Neverland. Neverland suggests NeverSystem.
3. Current COMMAND.COM (sprite or binome?) and gender: Who runs your system? Male or female? Is he/she a sprite or a binome? We know that by Season 3, Mainframe's COMMAND.COM is Dot Matrix, a sprite, and definatly female. Who do you want running your system? The western town might have a retired Guardian as its COMMAND.COM. The Mad-Max system might have a king or queen, and may be cut off from the rest of the Net. Your system theme may suggest something. As for the COMMAND.COM being a sprite or binome, that is for you to decide. For beginners, I suggest a sprite, since they are more human. Question #3 might look like this:
3. Current COMMAND.COM (sprite or binome?) and gender: Ruby, female sprite.
To use the chart from question 11:
a) Name and gender: Ruby; female.
b) Skin color: Red.
c) Hair color: Bright pink.
d) Eye color: Green
e) Speech pattern: A child of 12 trying to act like an adult.
f) Function: COMMAND.COM
g) Other: She has a sword hanging from her left hip, and a laser pistol at her right.
4. Other Known COMMAND.COMs (sprite or binome?) and gender: This question is really optional, or you can save it for later. Former COMMAND.COMs are not always known. Mainframe, for example, has had at least three COMMAND.COMs: Phong; the COMMAND.COM that ran the system during Seasons 1 & 2; and Dot Matrix. And of those three, only Phong and Dot are named. For Mainframe, Question #3 would read like this:
4. Other Known COMMAND.COMs (sprite or binome?) and gender: Phong, male sprite.
For NeverSystem:
4. Other Known COMMAND.COMs (sprite or binome?) and gender: None.
The "None" entry does not mean there was not other COMMAND.COMs, just that the names and natures of the other COMMAND.COMs are unknown. If I come up with some names for this, I'll change the entry.
5. Principle Office Shape: What form does the Principle Office take? Is it a fort, a castle, a pyramid, or a square? Mainframe's Principle Office is a sphere. The western's might be a western fort or a old west city hall. The Mad Max system might have a PO made of bits and pieces of things, like the western fort but more ragged-looking, suggesting that it was built out of anything the inhabitants could find. Question #5 might look like this:
5. Principle Office Shape: A tall tree.
In Peter Pan, Peter and the Lost Boys lived underground, and the only entrance to the house was through trees. Later, Peter lived in the treetops. A tree-shaped PO for NeverSystem seems to fit perfectly with the theme of the system.
6. System Shape. What shape is the system? Mainframe is round, with many layers. The western system could be shaped like a star. The Mad Max system could be irregularly shapped, fitting in with the ragged look of the theme. For NeverSystem:
6. System Shape: Irregular Tropical Island.
In Peter Pan, Neverland was an island, though all climates were represented.
7. Guardian(s): Yes or No. If "Yes", how many?: Does your system have a Guardian? Or more then one? Mainframe started out with no (known) Guardians, added Bob, added Enzo (1st), lost Bob, lost Enzo, then gained Bob and Enzo (Matrix) back. This is an optional rule, but highly recomended, especially if your system has viruses. The western might have a Guardian that dresses in western gear, like a sheriff or a marshal. The Mad Max system might have a road-warrior type for a Guardian. (Remember Bob in, "Bad Bob"?) Incedently, from what I have observed, only sprites can be Guardians. Anyone find a binome as a Guardian, other than in the Mainframe Strolling Players, let me know. For the NeverSystem:
7. Guardian(s): Yes or No. If "Yes", how many?: Yes. One.
8. Name(s) of Guardian(s) and gender(s). If more than one, who leads? Include numbers, if possible: Peter Pentuim, male sprite.
Using the chart from #11:
a) Peter Pentuim, male
b) Skin color: Light green (like Dot's, Matrix's, and Enzo's)
c) Hair color: Neon red (Like Mouse's)
d) Eye color: Brown
e) Speech pattern: 12 year old boy.
f) Function: Guardian
g) Other: Keytool: Tink.
As you may have guessed, Peter Pentuim is based on Disney's Peter Pan. Green has always been a color linked to Peter Pan. In the book, he is dressed in leafs. In Disney's movie, he is dressed in green tights and a light-green tunic and a light-green cap with a red feather. Since he will probibly be dressed in the regular Guardians' uniform, I decided to make his skin green.
9. Resident Virus(es): This is a tricky one to answer. Mainframe had Megabyte and Hexadecimal. The Super Computer has Deamon. The western one might have an outlaw gang (like the Hole in the Wall Gang, or the Dalton Gang). The Mad Max may have something simular. What kind of of virus(es) would fit the theme? For the NeverSystem:
9. Resident Virus(es): Captain CON, pirate.
I went for puns on this one. CON in my book of computer terms means: "Refers to the keyboard and monitor in DOS and OS/2. Also, another way to refer to a PC console." CON is short for convict, and is used in referance to a criminal. Peter Pan is known to fight Captain Hook, a pirate.
10. Type of Virus(es): This one is really tricky. The only way to answer this one is to read Black Angel's Viral Classes as they appear in her/his story, "Darus' Game". I have the list on my computer, as well as the one for Web Creatures on my computer, if you need them. E-mail me, and I'll send them to you. For the NeverSystem:
10. Type of Virus(es): Class 3: Program Controler; finite influenece; constantly active; methodical (infectious)
This, by-the-way, is the same class as Megabyte. I chose to make him infectious in order to give him a pirate crew. Like Captain Hook and his crew, the pirates live out in a cove area that I think I will name Pirate's Port.
11. Other sprites of note: This is for the other sprites besides the COMMAND.COM (if the CC is a sprite) and the Guardian. This could be anyone the others know or work with. Again, let the theme guide you. Besides Dot and Bob, Mainframe has AndrAIa, the game sprite; Mouse, the hacker; Ray, the Search Engine; Matrix, the Renagade; and Little Enzo. For NeverSystem:
11. Other sprites of note:
Dara, female, purple-skinned and black-haired.
Lena, female, deep blue skinned and blond-haired. Five hours old.
Lime, male, light green skin and blond hair.
Jade, female, light green skin and blond hair. Lime's twin.
Rosa, female, rose-pink skin and deep rose hair.
Frost, female, white skin and light blue hair.
Ivory, female, yellow-white skin and black-hair.
These are all child-sprites. Theme the sprites to your system. Is there ranchers and saloon-keepers in the western town? What about other road-warriors for the Mad Max system?
12. Other binomes of note: This is the listing for special binomes, like Al, his waiter, Mr. Pearson, and Captain Capasitor in Mainframe. Like the sprites, theme the binomes to your system. For the NeverSystem:
12. Other binomes of note: None.
I did not plan on binomes when I first wrote the story. Any binomes in the NeverSystem will be either children or infected adults. This gives me a little history, which I will write for Question #14: Addtional Information.
13. Ports to the Net? How many, and where?: Does your system have ports to the Net? How many and where are they located? Mainframe has a least one port, and it is located in Kit's Sector. It might be a good idea to indecate whether or not the link is up or down. Mainframe's Port might be down because of the Deamon crisis. For the NeverSystem:
13. Ports to the Net? How many, and where? Yes. One Port, in Pirate's Port. It is down to prevent Captain CON from accessing other systems. Ruby is trying to put up another one somewhere else, away from CON's control.
14. Addtional Information: This is for anything you might want to add. A short history is recommended. For the NeverSystem:
14. Addtional Information: The NeverSystem was like any other prosperous system on the Net, until the coming of Captain CON. The pirate-virus infected all the adult sprites and binomes, leaving what he thought was defenceless children. He learned rather quickly that the children were anything but defenceless. Ruby, the daughter of the COMMAND.COM and the system's Guardian, rallied the children together to beat back Captain CON. Temporarily declaring herself COMMAND.COM until her parents were released from Capatian CON's infection, Ruby began to rebuild NeverSystem. Peter Pentuim, a young Guardian, and his keytool, Tink, was sent to NeverSystem by Turbo, just proir to Deamon's take-over of the Guardians. Tink had two extra powers that other keytools did not have: She could make others fly, and she could stop the aging proccess. Peter has not aged past the the age of 12 hours. The children of NeverSystem are also affected thus. None will age past the age of 12 hours, staying children until Peter and Tink leave the system. The NeverSystem has an emergency link to Mainframe.
There you go. The NeverSystem created step-by-step. The rest is up to you. E-mail me if you have any questions or comments. Your imput is grately appreciated.