Hello!
I finished up my level sketch tonight! Just in time to hit the sack before work tomorrow. It’s certainly not the greatest but the sketch really helped me visualize how I would like the level to flow.
I’ll start by listing my intentions & requirements:
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Intentions
- Theme: Dynamic
- Experience: Heroic
- Design Pillar: Active
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Requirements
- Dynamic Quest & Obligations Systems
- Action Combat
- Movement
- Abilities
- Responsiveness
- Tags & Elements System
- Character Progression
- Class Build System
- Test camera, scaling, and world space
- Enemies
- Event-based Spawns
This seems like a large undertaking, but the game won’t work without a number of these systems being created. They will be in a basic form, but my hope is that it will be indicative of what the game would feel like. Excite the player, make them feel heroic, and ensure that things don’t feel “samey”.
I’m going to be building a starting area prototype that demo’s some of the core systems that make up the game’s experience. The art is not the best, but hopefully it’s good enough to convey the idea 
The game is similar to Torchlight 2 in that there’s an element of open world feeling to it; It won’t be procedurally generated, but the NPCs, Quests and Events (i.e. the content) will be.
Legend:
- Single House: These are single buildings that are home to NPCs or Enemies
- Campfires: Encounter areas. These areas will consist of Enemy NPCs that have an active event ready to be conquered!
- Crosses: These are enemy NPC areas. Usually either a mini-stronghold or just some boars.
- Multiple Houses: Village or Base area.
- Boat: Dock area; Could be under attack or could be looking for heroes to help out with some fishing?
- Mine: Cave or Mine, available at random intervals… don’t get trapped!
- Green Stars: Player starting points.
The colours that break up the icons are used to indicate “obligation areas”. This mechanic is a way in which you can complete 1 or more events in the area (number available will change based on time of day or your influence on the area as the player), it’s a bit like a reputation bar but has negative effects if you choose to forego helping areas in need - areas can be overrun or relatively quiet upon each world reload or time you spend away from it.
My goal with this prototype level is to really showcase this system in particular and allow the player to really understand their obligations, and the consequences of their actions on the world that is truly alive!
I’ve spoken a little bit more about the game, more than my GDD & ADCD docs have really explained; My mindmap and level sketch really helped piece together some ideas.
Long post, and I really admire your tenacity it if you made it this far! Thank you for reading.