. Related posts include:- Crazier Critter Cage
- Flight of the Dream Turtles
- Turtle Graphics With Crush
- Goo Properties
Steampunk Origins
How might the Wasteland from Epic Mickey be realized in Disney Infinity? "Goo Properties" describes a similar mixup with Mickey and how Goo mechanics could be incorporated. But what about that cool Steampunk artistic style? You can find Steampunk versions of nearly anything online, from class Disney characters, to Star Wars, to Marvel superheroes. Any character can go there. I also think it has a retro, almost nostalgic quality that relates to Imagineering's history of audio-animatronics at the parks (don't think those Imagineers are done with that technology by the way - just check out the YouTube video, "Computational Design Of Mechanical Characters"). Some of the earliest Steampunk drawings from Warren Spector were released long before Epic Mickey was available, and the game itself did not contain them; he explained later in an interview that his artistic style is to push the boundary, step over it, and see where things go. I don't think there's any need to push such boundaries in the Toy Box; I think there's something that fits much better: wind-up toys. Story-wise, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit could be one of the few toys that was fully realized for the first release of Disney Infinity, but it was ultimately decided to keep him in that secret Play Set, the Wasteland, with all the discarded 3D renderings and computer programs from the Disney Infinity team. He became quite sad & lonely. He traveled throughout the Wasteland, hoping to find some other fully drawn Disney Infinity characters. Eventually, he meets up with Cast Member Maurice from Beauty & the Beast. Maurice is one of those indelible, albeit quirky Disney inventors, and Oswald convinces him to attempt to recreate all of the toy friends who have left them. Maurice cannot recreate fully polished toys when only the early renderings remain, but uses his knowledge of gears & the power of steam the best he can. With the help of Cogsworth, he builds Wind-up Steampunk versions of all the Disney Infinity toys. They do not have much spark, but they are better than nothing, and Oswald is grateful. He even refers to the Wasteland as his "Mechanical Kingdom".
Top It Off With Topiaries
Another park immersion potential for Disney Infinity is the topiaries. It seems fitting on this first day of Spring to include them
. The ones that were available for the initial Disney Infinity release are nice, but I was hoping for them to depict the characters. I was also hoping that in this magical virtual world, they could get up and walk around, be part of the gameplay. Back to the Wasteland storyline, what if Oswald also met up with one of Tinkerbell's faery friends from Pixie Hollow? In his attempts to regain lost friendships, Oswald is pleasantly surprised to find Fern, a garden faery. Although he likes his new Steampunk friends, Oswald observes that they can "get more than a little cranky", that "they can get really wound up sometimes" . He wonders if topiaries would be "a little more down to earth". He convinces Fern to grow topiary versions of all his friends as well. They do bring new life to the Wasteland. Oswald and Fern are both pleased, but he still hopes one day to be reunited with his friends in the Toy Box. Or perhaps, one or more of their friends could come visit them in the Mechanical Kingdom?Battle of the Goo Monsters
Oswald is a little resentful of all the friends who left him, especially Mickey. He does not understand the nature of the Goo, and it just reminds him of Mickey's mistake and ultimate departure. The Goo, in its empathic attempt to somehow make things fun for Oswald, takes on the form of Goo Monsters. They fling globs of their own Goo at Oswald and his makeshift friends. Oswald in turn wages war against the Goo with his collection of Steampunks and Topiaries, even though there is no way for either side to ever really win. At times the Goo travels through memory leaks in the system that no other toy can breach. The Goo enjoys the Toy Box because it is a happy place, even a laughing place
. Oswald eventually discovers this, becomes more resentful, and fights all the more.The Dreamfinder's Crossover
Here's a fun Steampunk crossover: the Dreamfinder and his flying machine. What if it was constructed by Maurice? Or what if the Dreamfinder taught Maurice the science of Steampunk? What if Figment and the Dreamfinder can cross over between the Toy Box and the Mechanical Kingdom with ease, and allow those Toy Box friends to visit Oswald and his constructed facsimiles? He could also be responsible for sharing the blueprints of Maurice's inventions with the Toy Box, along with Fern's botanical artistry. When Oswald asks to be brought to the Toy Box, the Dreamfinder warns him that he will no longer be king. There is no clear ruler over the Toy Box; some say it's Mickey. Some say it's Elsa. Others say it's Figment. Some feel that it's not a kingdom at all. But more importantly, the Dreamfinder tells Oswald that he must forgive his friends for leaving before he himself can visit the Toy Box. Further, he must forgive Mickey for the mistake of the Goo, that everything happens for a reason, and that friendship is far too important to be so easily discarded. One day Oswald ventures over, but at times he revisits his own imaginary world, with a special place in his heart for discarded virtual toys.
Game mechanics...
I'd love to see both a Steampunk Generator & a Topiary Generator for the Toy Box, eventually with alternative versions for all of the Disney Infinity characters. These Steampunk & Topiary categories could be programmed as Enemies for attacking or Cast Members for quests. They could be moved via Dream Turtle toys, and even taking part in Rube Goldberg contraptions. Imagine how well Steampunk versions of the Infinity characters would fit into the post-apocalyptic Wall-E customizations. Imagine quests there to find the first topiary that could grow there. Imagine all of those topiaries in some Alice in Wonderland hedge maze or defending Cinderalla's Castle or presenting a moving Garden Festival around the Epcot ball. The Steampunk theme especially fits well with the Creativi-Toy's computer science abstractions. Maybe the Steampunks & the Topiaries go on opposing blue & yellow teams. The Wasteland could be an actual Play Set or simply another virtual mode to enter. Every character could eventually get two chests there, one for their Steampunk double and the other for their Topiary double. You might even need to spend an "Infinity Spin" to unlock these special chests. There could be a Steampunk Switch & a Topiary Switch as well, where you could have your character become that double (along with a "Normality Switch" to go back - Gray Goo would not reverse these transformations). Maybe they would support tools & packs, or maybe they'd stick to their respective Steampunk/Topiary themes for weaponry. Plus, you could have wandering Goo Monsters flinging all colors of Goo at you. If Play Set specific triggers get added to Disney Infinity, the Wasteland could get two - one with gears and the other with shrubbery.
Fun.
