Hey guys, I posted something before about this but the idea has changed completely. This is my first time really coming up with a thorough back-story for a project beforehand, and it’s already making a huge difference in my level of commitment to the project. I think the reason I have so many unfinished projects is because none of them ever had such a definite direction and purpose!
I also threw together a piece of concept art (see below) by compositing some images together using the exact style and setting I envision for the game. The concept art is just about a perfect representation of what I hope to deliver. This is also the first time I’ve ever created concept art for a project before.
I spent the last couple of days refining the back-story, with the help of some lovely people on /r/gameideas, and the concept art really helped my imagination. I will still probably tweak it going forward. Overall, I’m extremely excited to be doing things the “right way” and to have the ability to truly visualize the finished product in my brain. Can’t wait to see where it goes!
Project Citadel GDD - Vicinity Concepts
Genre: Action Role-Playing Game, 3rd-Person Fixed-Camera (STC)
Target Audience: M for Mature
Controls: Mouse & Keyboard, or Controller
Thematic Setting: Post-Apocalyptic Earth/Underground
Tech Stack: Unity 5.x, Blender, Photoshop, Ableton Live, Audacity
Platform: PC (Steam)
Game Moment: Your acquaintance, an old engineer and weaponsmith, has asked you to retrieve his last experiment from the ruins of a nearby town. He claims it is a device capable of manifesting a blade out of pure energy. Enter the ruins, locate the device, and try not to die in the process.
Game Summary (STC):
On February 27th, 2093, the replicants staged a global uprising. The war raged for decades, leaving death and destruction across the globe. Hidden in the remote hills of Iceland, humans built a massive fortress-city known as Citadel. This project was spearheaded by former Prime Minister Benjamin Caine, who resigned 5 years into the war after watching the replicants decimate the British Isles. It was the last bastion of hope for our species, and it was here that the final battle would take place.
In the winter of the year 2121, with 99% of the human race exterminated, the last surviving replicants launched a focused attack on Citadel. We fought gloriously, and the replicants suffered significant losses, but their strength was too great. The fortress-city was falling. When our defeat was all but certain, Benjamin Caine initiated the evacuation. The survivors, who thought Citadel was our last defense, followed in confusion as Caine led their retreat through a long passageway beneath the city. Their 5-mile journey under the earth ended at the orifice of a massive gateway, through which they entered a remarkable facility. They watched as the blast door descended behind them. The earth shook as 500 tons of controlled explosives were detonated, sealing the passageway for good.
This underground facility was constructed years before the war as a long-term shelter for the world’s elite in the event of a global catastrophe. At that time, it was climate change that threatened our species. The project was codenamed Chrysalis, and it was no accident that Citadel was built almost on top of it. Chrysalis was beyond top-secret. Benjamin Caine was one of just twelve people who knew of the facility and its purpose. By the time the replicants reached Iceland, Caine was the only one left. This became our new home, although many refer to it as “the Tomb”.
The remaining replicants did not pursue us. They, like us, were on the brink of extinction. They instead became determined to leave the planet as soon as possible and settle elsewhere in the universe. They converted what was left of Citadel into a massive factory and research center, where they’ve spent the last 10 years conducting tests and experiments to develop a colonization vessel capable of carrying their species to a fertile planet in a neighboring star system.
Since then, we humans have been clinging to life. A decade of fervent emotion and palpable tension has divided us into two conflicting ideologies. One faction, who call themselves the Senshi, demand that we prepare an attack on the ruins of Citadel, risking the very survival of the human race, in order to bring an end to the replicants once and for all and ensure they can never leave Earth. The other faction, the Serva, call this a foolish risk, and insist we allow the replicants to finish their research and escape, leaving us free to reclaim the surface. However, almost nobody questioned the leadership of Caine. It was his unifying presence that maintained the balance in Chrysalis.
Your chapter begins on the day of the death of Benjamin Caine. With the benevolent leader of the human species gone, the delicate balance has been disrupted. The conflict between the Senshi and the Serva is at risk of boiling over. A new leader must emerge to mend the division, and unite us in a common mission. Everyone wants to survive, but is that enough? Will we simply exist, or will we persist? The shape of our future hangs in the balance.
Core Player Experience: Vulnerable, survival, strategic
Central Theme: New beginning, second chance, metamorphosis of humanity
Design Pillar: Willpower system (STC)
Anticipated Remarkability: Memorable soundtrack, emotional story
Anticipated Steam Early Access Launch Date: Q1 2019 (STC)
Comparative Products: Fallout 3 & 4, Mad Max (Movie), Metro 2033, The Last of Us
Feature Development Priorities:
- Real-time combat
- Levelable character stats and abilities
- Inventory and usable items
- Survival mechanics and willpower system (STC)
- City-building mechanics for managing and upgrading base (STC)