I understand that the following is extremely ambitious, but it would be a very cool game.
Title: Escape From Earth 2
We finally did it. We found the perfect planet for relocation. Kepler 452b. It took us 50 years to study the composition of Earth 2. It had everything we needed - oxygen, vegetation, liquid water, and several different biomes. The satellites we sent to orbit and study this exoplanet sent back very promising data.
And so it was decided - we would take the risk and make the trip. Since the first datasheets were collected, we were working tirelessly to design a ship that would make the 1400 light year trip there and back. Many private companies as well as governments began the new space race.
On April 16, 2068 the Space Explorer corporation had a breakthrough in space propulsion technology which would allow the trip to be made in a mere 1.5 years. Their ship would hold a crew of 15 and enough supplies to last 5 years - just in case. It was also fitted with a cargo bay with a 12000 ton capacity. It would carry a rover and an exploration taxi vehicle to the planet, and hopefully some samples to return to Earth.
So, on August 1, 2071, Kep 1 was launched into the unknown. On February 28, 2073 we had finally arrived to orbit around Earth 2. We landed on the surface March 15, 2073. This is the story of the crew of Kep 1.
Game Synapsis:
I would like to create a game that not only has a goal of start to finish, but also other goals within the game. In the first few levels, the crew should be gathering resources from the planet to return to Earth with (soil samples, minerals, flora, and potentially fauna). It should become clear around level 4 that the planet is hostile. An initial crew of 3 will be in the shuttle, while the other 12 have set out to explore. The main objective will be to collect/save all crew members and return to the orbiting ship. Secondary missions will become to collect samples. This will be accomplished by collecting fuel and avoiding/destroying obstacles in order to survive the planet’s homicidal tendencies.
Features:
CORE: We must have a spaceship, a Starting position, and a End position to take us to the next level.
FEATURE 1: We must have obstacles. At minimum, the obstacles must be anatoment objects that require the player to strategize positioning and thrust. I would like to see obstacles that include weather that induces thrust differential possibilities, natural disasters - volcanoes, tornados, exotic and hostile creatures.
FEATURE 2: We should consider fuel consumption. If included we can add some strategy including the decision to retrieve samples.
FEATURE 3: We should consider Tech upgrades such as a shield and a couple of types of weapons.
FEATURE 4: We should consider multiple exit points to create a simple maze in order to find all of the crew members. Each exit point will transport the crew to different starting positions.
FEATURE 5: As an optional feature, we could designate each crew a class which would add positive effect to other features - Engineer would lessen fuel consumption, Pilot would make controlling the shuttle easier, Scientist would lessen the cooldown of weapons, Navigator would have the ability to see the next level before committing and the map, Officers would know where to find the crew members.
FEATURE 6: We should consider a Map feature accessible only at the start locations, but only if Feature 5 is utilized.