The Time Sweepers' Field Manual

[Marcus]

Hey people!
I've had a bit of an idea

Recently, I've discovered a couple of books which are supposed to be like handbooks, but based on fictional worlds and people. It's kinda hard to explain. As an example, I have a book called the Indiana Jones handbook, which is written in an in-universe style, and contains information and how-to guides as if the reader was an action archaeologist himself. So for a Blinx one, it could be based in the style of like a manual that all time sweepers recive and gives them information on how to do their job, like monsters, maps, equipment, manouvers, time controls, safety rules in the time factory, etc.

I was wondering if anyone would contribute to it, and it could be published online, just as a bit of pointless fun really.

I understand that that may not have been very clear, so I will be happy to explain it more if anyone doesn't understand!

[Zweihander]

That sounds like a great idea :3 I'll be more than happy enough to contribute!

[AngelicHearts]

Sound's like an awesome idea! =P

[Zweihander]

I can tell it's gonna be a really thick book but I'll have fun posting what I know ^^ Lemme know when you want to get started. I'll be busy gathering as much information as humanly possible :3

[Marcus]

Here are my initial ideas!
I know it all sounds very ambitious, but we can start from here, and add bits in and take bits out as we go! It doesn't have to be done in order or anything like that, it would just be great to get as much content as possible and compile it into a fun little book!

So heres my ideas for the sections, with descriptions of each one...

- Welcome to the Time Factory: Welcomes you to new job and a message from the CEO.

- Job description and responsiblities: A section explaining what you will have to do and what you will be expected to do as a Time Sweeper, and how your job will affect the world.

- Guide to your new workplace: An annotated map of the time factory, which can include made up areas,e.g. a cafeteria, meeting hall, locker room, gym, aswell as the areas featured in the game

- Time Handling Safety / Rules and Regulations: Rules for handling and working with the fabric of time, and consequences if time is handled wrongly, including disciplinary consequences if sweepers break the rules

- Jobs availible in the Factory
:- A list of made up 'office jobs' (sorta) that cats could do in the time factory. As this doesn't feature in the game, this will require a lot of creativity from us. Jobs e.g. sweeper placement and management, time flow monitoring, etc. The kinda jobs that the cats were doing on the computers in the opening scene of Blinx 2.

- Jobs availible in the field
:- A list of jobs availible in the field. Primarily Sweepers and the guards from Blinx 2. We could also make up some, e.g. Gold collecters, area inspectors, etc.

- What is your purpose as a field sweeper?: Explaining what it is to be a sweeper, and what a sweeper's purpose is, and how to do the job, etc.

- Manouvers/ Acrobatic skills training: Basically a description/training section about jumping, flipping, acrobatic movements, etc.

- Time controls and how to utilize them: Basically what the title says, a guide to the effects of time controls and how they are collected/ used, etc.

- How to solve/report time glitches: Telling you about what sorts of time glitches occur, and how to correctly catalogue and report them to the time factory.

- Collecting crystals: How to collect crystals, what they do and what combinations you can get.

- World guide, including maps: If we could manage, it would be nice to get a map of all the areas, including sites of interest and we could make up the history of each world and what creatures are common in the area, etc.

- Environmental dangers: A list and description of all dangers found around the worlds (not including monsters) e.g. barrels, spikes, blades, flames, boulders, etc. Also tips on how to avoid them.

- Time Moster guide
:- A comprehensive guide to all time monsters. Not all monsters are featured in the game manuals, so we will have to use our imaginations! We can include different breeds/types of monsters (e.g. the octoballons or keroppers from Blinx 1 and the different ones in Blinx 2). We can also include made up info about their habitat, history, feeding habits and extermination methods!

- The TomTom gang and Space Controls: Information about the TomTom gang, what they do, their whereabouts, their tactics, their history and details of the space controls they use and how to get round them.

- Collecting gold/ other items: Info about gold and how gold can be spent in the shops, treasure chests, etc. Also details on special items to be found around worlds e.g. milk.

- Sweeper models and equipment guide: A guide to all sweeper models, their stats, special abilities, costs, etc. Also include costumes, uniforms, accessories, retry/time holders, goggles, etc.

- Other weapons and weapon guide: Basically the same as the sweeper guide, but for weapons such as the guns and hammers, etc from Blinx 2, as they can be utilized by sweepers too.

- Your team: Info about the sweeper teams, how your team can assist you in the field and in the factory, and about recruiting new members and training them.

- Team sports (possibly): I don't know whether this is a good idea or not, but I thought maybe we could invent some sports that sweepers could play in an arena at the time factory, just as a bit of creative fun. I had an idea of a sort of variation of basketball crossed with rugby/american football in which cats carry the ball by sucking it with their sweepers so it sits on the end of the sweeper, and firing the sweeper to take a shot. But this is only a little idea, so please say if you think it's pointless or stupid.

- Morale boosters: again this is just a little fun idea. I thought maybe we could have some lines, or captioned pictures that suppossedly boost the the sweepers' morale in the field. It's kinda hard to explain, but they're sort of jokes, try searching 'motivational poster' in google images, to see what I mean, but obviously Blinx related!

- Conclusion: a final summary of being a sweeper, and some helpful words and advice, as well as a wish of good luck, from the CEO.




Good golly, that was long!

Feedback would be lovely, any criticism, ideas, anything.
If you are going to talk about a certain section of what I've written, please say so I know what you'r talking about when I read the feedback.

Any extra ideas, or things to add in or remove would be fantastic!
And if you feel you can contribute specifically to a certain part, then that's brilliant, just be sure to say what you want to do.

I know it's a lot of stuff and it's very ambitious, but it would be a great ongoing project to show our loyalty as members of the very small Blinx...fan...community..thing!

[Zweihander]

Whoa... that's very impressive!
For the Guide to your new workplace, I was thinking of a bar of sorts where the cats can go to sing karaoke and drink for a spell after a mission or to relax.

Jobs available in the field: Spy (monitoring Tom-Tom activity, Intel gathering, etc.) Chronos Knights (full fledge Sweepers' who, like security, carry shields and heavy armor alongside hammers and other heavy weapons who's sole purpose is undergoing the most intense missions available.) Snipers (taking out pigs from a safe distance and monsters alike). I'll be sure to post more once my brain works again.

Team sports (possibly): Training hall were sweepers can spar with other sweepers and become stronger.

The Tom-Tom gang and Space Controls: Utilize whatever technology they're using against them and return it to the factory for further study.

Your Team: Just for the heck of it, I'll post on what I learned from the sweeper teams:
Blinx's team will try an hit you fast and hard. Pretty much a spear-head formation.

Pelons group is unyielding and wild as they tend to scatter and attack you from all angles (depends on the field of battle)

Picaro, like Blinx, will try to rush you but stays on the defensive, goading you for an attack. The butt of his sweeper is devastating. Prefers melee attacks. Very arrogant, too.

NecoJi's squad will utilize attacking from a distance using every advantage point possible. Again, this depends on the battlefield. A tactitionist, if you will.

Chron may be the weakest of the 5 but he never gives up. He should prove little challenge.

Ah. Let me know if any of this helps ^^ I've been playing this game non-stop now picking up every little detail I see fly across my screen. This is actually pretty fun :3

[Marcus]

Brilliant stuff!
I love the idea of a bar!

And the field jobs you suggested are fantastic!
It would be great if maybe you could do a little job description (maybe a little paragraph) for the Spies, Knights and Snipers, detailing what their role is, equipment, etc. Are you any good at drawing? If so, then you could do a little illustration of each job. But if not, then you could give me the details of what each one looks like and I could see what I can come up with.

The team information should be very helpful aswell!
I was thinking of doing a little guide for the sweepers on how to assemble a team and use one, and we could use the teams and tactics you gathered as examples in the book. We could even do little diagrams of attack formations and tactics and everything!

Thanks ever so much for the information!
I'm going to be writing out loads myself, and when I've done certain parts, I'll post them to get feedback and improvements, etc.

If this all goes to plan, this project will turn out great! But there's no pressure or anything, we can do it in our own time, after all, it's meant to be fun!

I'm going to be busy writing up some of the jobs in the factory, aswell as perhaps gathering some info on the monsters, etc.

Thanks again for your information!

[Zweihander]

Here goes.

Snipers: Snipers are the backbone of the force, being able to swiftly take down targets without being seen or heard. They're equipped with the Widow-maker sniper rifle fitted with silencers and powerful scopes for more accurate aiming. Wearing all black and sometimes camo, these felines are a force to be reckoned with. Like spies, they rarely speak, preferring to let their rifles do the talking for them. They, too are deployed by the CEO. They always wear red trendy goggles for optimum efficiency.

Chronos Knights: The most elite of sweepers who have gone under extensive training both in body and mind. They utilize heavy melee weapons opposed to sweepers and time controls. Outfitted with heavy armor and shields, these knights are invulnerable to direct damage. They uphold pride and honor over everything else. It is rumored a single knight can disable a tank without the aid of a weapon. Their movement speed is low but pure defense and offense far make up for it. Knights are easily identified by their bulky armor and helmets with a mirror polish, used to conceal their identities and massive shields. They're far more built than a normal feline. Their leader is a cat named Grandal.

Spies: Stealth units deployed by the CEO himself to monitor Tom-Tom activity and radio in intel. Like their distant relatives, the Snipers, they prefer to stay hidden in the shadows and strike only when it is necessary but to maintain a high level of mobility, they only carry small pistols taken from fallen swine as their only and last resort. As such, they do not speak to their ilk and undertake missions with machine-like disinterest. Some spy units carry poison-coated shrunken and iga blades. Said being able to kill without ever drawing a single spurt of blood. They're identifiable by the large overcoats and hats they wear. Far fetched by sweeper standards.


Whew... I hope that was enough >.> I'm gonna write up more though. FAR more :3 As for drawing, I'm no good at it but I hope the descriptions are enough. I'm still coming up with ideas on how everything will fall into place. Glad to be of help, by the way ^^

[Marcus]

Wow! You're a very good writer!
Thanks for those descriptions!
Tonight I'll come up with a few rough sketches of them, scan them in and post them and you can tell me which bits to change, etc. Oh, and what kind of hats would the spies wear?
I'm quite busy with school and everything at the moment, but I am trying to get as much stuff down as possible, and in thw Christmas break, I'll be able to get loads done!
I'll try and get the pictures up by tommorrow.
Thanks again zweihander *hugs*

[Zweihander]

The spies would wear hats like those old time detectives with their collars cuffed upwards to conceal their faces. Cold but effective they are. I'll be waiting for the sketches :3

[Marcus]

Ok!
Here is the first picture of the sniper. I did a drawing, scanned it in and went over the lines and added colour in paint. Is this anything like you wanted? If there are small details or colours you want changed, then that'll be easy to correct, or there may be some major features or even the whole picture is nothing like you had pictured then that's fine, it's easily re-done. If you are happy with this picture then I'll obviously add more detail and colours for the finished thing.


And I had a few ideas about Time Sweeper recruitment and job applications to add to the 'Jobs in the Field' section.

Now this is only a little idea, but (as far as I know) neither of the games explain where all these cats actually come from. I thought maybe we could make up our own background information, and I had an idea that maybe every year, Time Sweeper scouts could venture out into a variety of worlds all across the universe and take in stray/ orphaned kittens and train them to be sweepers.

But thats only an idea, so feel free to tell me what you think.

I also had a few ideas about the different ranks of sweeper jobs.

Time Sweeper Worker Level 1:- Low risk missions, clearing minor
time glitches, gathering crystals.

Time Sweepr Worker Level 2:- More risky missions, clearing larger glitches, locating and eliminating small numbers of time monsters, dealing with time leakages, etc.

(after becoming a level 2 sweeper, workers may apply to be a guard, patrolling and protecting the Time Factory and other important Sweeper controlled locations)

Time Sweeper Worker Level 3:- Dangerous missions, time monster infestations, major glitches and large time leakages.

Time Sweeper Team:- A group of Level 3 Time Sweepers may register a team with their sector's shopkeeper/ team officer, but must first pass a team exam. Teams can be deployed in high-risk, very dangerous special missions, such as battles with TomToms, clearing worlds crawling with Time Monsters or entering TomTom controlled territory to retreive items, etc. However, they may also be assigned to more routine missions if needed.

Specialised roles:- After at least 2 years experience in a sweeper team, an individual sweeper can apply for a specialised role (Sniper, Spy, etc). However, these have extremely tough training programs that can often last months, and very few cats make it through.



So, those are just a few of my ideas! As always, feedback is much appreciated!
;D ;D

[Zweihander]

That's a good observation. I really like the sniper design. By the by, bear with me on this one. This occurred to me while driving home from work; Dragoons. Sweepers specially trained to combat Tom-Tom aircraft carriers. Wielding lances infused with time crystals, they can cause a variety of negative time effects in battle. Cats of this class must be physically conditioned in aerial combat and have no sense of vertigo. They support Chrono Knights by nullifying any and all avian threats. Fleet of foot, these cats are truly dangerous to unsuspecting victims.

It sounds goofy, I know but since cats can already jump high, why not make use of this gift?
More ideas will be written shortly :3

[Marcus]

The Dragoon ideas sound great. I'm currenty working on the Chronos Knights and Spies designs, and I'll do some drawings of the Dragoons aswell sometime. Would they have any special equipment to aid them in aerial combat (e.g. jetpacks, etc) and what sort of clothing would them wear?

I'll try to get a few more drawing up soon (hopefully:D)!

[Zweihander]

Well, the Dragoons would use large lances with clock faces towards the handles. The lances themselves would be pretty large. Their armor would resemble a dragon modif emitting time strains from it. The sweepers themselves would be slender and tall, almost 6'0" in height.

[Marcus]

I'm still working on those drawings! It's just finding the time to actually do them. I'm been rather busy lately with Christmas and whatnot. I've also got a little notebook that I've been jotting ideas into, that I will hope to get typed up shortly. The ideas I have include;
Time Factory Canteen,
Sweeper Apartments,
What to do if Sweepers are Injured/ Ill whilst working,
Jobs for cats in the medical service (doctors,etc)

and a few more.