Sunday, 21 February 2016

Adaptation Part B - Research

For my adaptation I am going to take plagues and diseases and adapt them into vehicles. Each different plagues/diseases will have a different type of vehicle and abilities. There is three plagues/diseases that have stood out straight away which are the Bubonic plague (also known as the black death),  Rabies and the Spanish Flu. The Black Death and the Spanish flu death count put together is in the million's, which seems like they would be the best to plagues to involve in my adaptation as they are well known.

Bubonic plague (Black Death)

The Bubonic plague had three outbreaks and killed around 50 million people, it was also used as a biological weapon. It is said that the plague takes three forms. In the first people suffer an infection of the lungs, which leads to breathing difficulties. Whoever has this corruption or contamination to any extent cannot escape but will die within two days. Another form in which boils erupt under the armpits, a third form in which people of both sexes are attacked in the groin. It also causes the skin and flesh to die and turn black.

Influenza pandemic (The Spanish flu)

Symptoms of Spanish influenza, like seasonal influenza, include fever, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headache and lack of appetite. The severity of these systemic symptoms is proportionate to the degree of immune activation. Spanish flu also cased demonstrated extraordinary damage to the lungs with acute focal inflammation of the airways and soft tissue of the lungs. These changes were associated with massive swelling, bleeding and near-complete destruction of the surface cell layer of the lungs. The first two findings would have resulted in markedly impaired oxygen diffusion, while the latter would have provided the ideal breeding ground for bacteria.


Rabies is a very serious viral infection that targets the brain and nervous system. You can catch rabies if you are bitten by an infected animal and haven't been vaccinated. It's almost always fatal once symptoms develop, but can be prevented if treatment is given promptly after exposure. Symptoms of rabies are fever, headache, feeling generally unwell, feeling scared or anxious and round half of people also experience pain and a tingling sensation at the infection site. Initial symptoms of rabies last for two to 10 days before more severe symptoms start to develop. These typically include aggressive behaviour, hallucinations, agitation and producing lots of saliva.

My plan is to take certain symptoms for each disease and turn them into the abilities of the vehicles or the look of the vehicles. I like be look at all types of vehicles from hovercrafts to boats. Having one type of each vehicle will help give different play type to each of them.  


Flying vehicles

Hover vehicles

Hover bikes


  1. I like this idea, maybe play on the idea of a plague ship, a vehicle that carries dead and diseased people so they wouldn't infect others and be contained.

  2. See link! :)