The Game
So...the game! It's early in development but I'm happy to finally start talking about it. I'm not sure what the best format is, so I'll just dive in and you can let me know if there's a better way. :) The Core
At its heart the game can be summed up as follows:
"The adventure of Star Wars meets the gameplay style of FTL"
What does that mean? Let me break it down:
Star Wars & Adventure - The main theme for the game is about going on an amazing adventure. Star Wars captured that by creating an imaginative universe filled with interesting characters, ships, and worlds. I'd like to do the same!
FTL & Gameplay Style - For those who didn't play it, FTL was an indie game that released a few years ago. Built using simple mechanics, and a 2D "top down" perspective, the game provided a fun experience. Even with a minimalistic style it managed to capture the feeling of space exploration. This approach also allowed the game to be created by a small team. I would like to follow a similar path.
With this in mind, you can probably guess that the setting for my game will be sci-fi. I've always wanted to make a space game and, for those who know me, the phrase "space combat" will sound very familiar. In addition to having ships that you can fly around, the game will focus heavily on the characters. I'm a big fan of games like Elite or EVE Online, but the thing that always feels missing is the ability to get out and run around. From a project perspective this hugely increases the scope, but for me it's an important ingredient. After all, where would the Millennium Falcon be without Han Solo? :) Gameplay
There are a lot of things I'd like to include in the game. As alluded to above, it's very easy for the scope to get a wee bit out of control. To help counter this, I'm starting small and trying to focus on key features first. If that goes well, then I can add MORE AWESOMENESS™ later on. Currently, the first handful of features have focused on core gameplay like combat, hacking, and exploration. Setting and Story
I'm going to keep this one under wraps for now. :) Stay tuned! What's next?
The project's off to a good start. I'm in the middle of the third milestone and things are rolling along. One of the best decisions I made early on was to use the Unity engine. This has allowed me to get a number of systems up and running early. At the moment, I'm currently trying to get the first version of combat finished. I'm very excited to be at this point, and as soon as it's done I'll be looking for some brave volunteers to test it out. As with everything in game development, this will be the first iteration of many.
Wish me luck! Shawn
"There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the Millennium Falcon. You are free to use any methods necessary but I want them alive - no disintegrations!"
<wait, was that a hint?...>