Living GDD
One Sentence
Venture into the endless Aether Fields, surviving against abominations and unearthing ancient relics, all while unravelling the mysteries of a dystopian city, in this steampunk and sci-fi themed, action-packed, turn-based survival game.
Two Sentences
Ember Steel is an immersive Real-Time Turn-Based Survival Exploration RPG game set in a vast steampunk and sci-fi world where you play as a relic hunter, facing off against formidable abominations and the unforgiving wilderness. With an arsenal of unique weapons and power-ups, you'll unearth ancient relics and uncover the secrets a dystopian city, engaging in a complex narrative with morally grey choices that shape the fate of your character and the world around you. Castle of the Winds meets Vampire Survivors.
Overview
Set in the The Gearheart Citadel and its surrounding Aether Fields, "Ember Steel" places players in the boots of a relic hunter, scavenging in the vast wilderness for valuable relics and battling horrific abominations. The game blends fast-paced action, intricate turn-based mechanics, and deep narrative elements into an engrossing survival experience, where every choice matters. Unearth powerful weapons and power-ups, engage with compelling characters, and uncover the secrets and conspiracies of The Gearheart Citadel.
Genre: Real-Time Turn-Based Survival Exploration RPG
- Ember Steel combines elements of turn-based strategy, survival, action-adventure, and RPG, creating an innovative hybrid that delivers intense tactical combat, exploration, character progression, and a branching storyline set in a rich steampunk and sci-fi environment.
Target audience:
Age: 12 - 99
Gender: All
Monetization: Premium, with DLC
Platforms & system requirements:
Windows
Xbox Series
Switch
PS4/PS5
Theme and Setting
"Ember Steel" is set in The Gearheart Citadel, a colossal, high-walled fortress city with a dystopian steampunk aesthetic. Towering smokestacks, massive gears, and sprawling conduits define its skyline. The cityscape is a labyrinth of cobbled streets, iron bridges, and copper-plated buildings, with a maze of pipes, cables, and steam vents weaving their way through the urban fabric. Despite its imposing exterior, the Citadel is a thriving hub of human resilience and ingenuity, teeming with citizens, black-market traders, and mysterious factions each carrying their own motives and agendas.
Beyond the Citadel walls lie the Aether Fields, an endless expanse of inhospitable wilderness that is both hauntingly beautiful and treacherously dangerous. The wilderness is filled with ancient relics and remnants of a long-lost civilization now overgrown with vibrant, bioluminescent flora, and inhabited by horrifying abominations, a strange fusion of organic and mechanical elements, their origins unknown. The environments in these Fields are as diverse as they are perilous, from the luminescent Radiant Forest with its towering metallic trees, to rusted ruins, to desolate, fog-filled wastelands.
This world weaves together elements of both steampunk and sci-fi, resulting in a unique hybrid aesthetic. Gears, steam, and analog machinery blend seamlessly with high-tech contraptions, neon lights, and energy-based weapons. It's a world where steam-powered automatons exist alongside advanced AI systems and nanobot technologies, all presented in a gritty, atmospheric setting that oozes with mystery and intrigue.
Project Scope
Our team
Dev: @Joshua Devine
Music: @Joshua Devine
Design: @Adyn Blaed
Story: @Adyn Blaed
Art: Both AI & Humans
Budget
Spend Type
Planned
Assets
- $100/month
Music
- $100/month
Guiding Principles
Less is more.
- The dialogue is <= 3 lines. The world building is 90% in the players head. Some Images and some music will hint at the larger story.
The player is powerful often.
- The player should progress quickly
90% of the game should be playing.
Only expand on existing mechanics.
No new mechanics. No base building, no simulation elements, no crafting beyond simple mechanics for weapons and gear, no 3D elements.
Only 9 buttons (8 Directions + An Action)
Timeline
Task 1: Basic Game Mechanics and GDD
Character Movement: The player character can move in 8 directions, controlled by 4 (or 8) buttons.
Implement basic player movement and controls (keyboard inputs for 8-directional movement).
Implement a basic turn-based system (hold key to move, release to pause).
Entity: This script could be attached to all entities in the game (including the player) and would contain basic information like health, position, and the ability to take damage or be destroyed.
Task 2: Weapons and Power-ups
Day 4: Implement the "WeaponManager" and "PowerUpManager" classes.
Day 5: Create a few sample weapons and power-ups (e.g., the "Nanobot Swarm" and related upgrades).
Day 6: Test the weapon and power-up system, make necessary adjustments.
These scripts manage the player's weapons and power-ups, allowing them to be used, upgraded, and swapped out.
Task 3: Enemy AI and Level Design
Implement basic AI for enemies (movement towards player, basic attack patterns).
Create a simple level/environment (implement "The Radiant Forest").
Implement spawning system for enemies and relics.
Basic Geometric patterns for spawning. WaveData and WaveManager (control of LevelManager)
Task 4: Story Integration and NPC
Implement dialogue system for interactions with NPCs (e.g., Professor Elias Quark).
Implement the narrative choices (rebel vs company) and their impacts on the gameplay.
Test the dialogue and narrative systems, make necessary adjustments.
Generate art using Midjourney prompt set.
Task 5: Music and SFX
Write music
Generate SFX
Task 6: Polishing and Debugging
Conduct thorough testing, identify bugs and issues.
Debug and polish game mechanics, level designs, and narrative elements.
Details
Ember Steel is a turn-based survival game that combines elements of steampunk and sci-fi in a dystopian world. The player embodies a character known as a Relic Hunter, tasked by Vorik & Stroud Salvage Co. with foraging in the dangerous wasteland known as the Aether Fields. The gameplay loop involves scavenging for relics, facing off against grotesque creatures, dying, and being reborn to continue the cycle, all while slowly unraveling the mysteries of the world.
Target Audience: The game targets players who enjoy strategy, exploration, survival, and narrative-driven games. It caters to those who appreciate moral complexity and decision-making in games.
Gameplay: Players will navigate their character through the hazardous Aether Fields, facing a variety of enemies. Movement triggers turn-based actions, with player and enemies alternating turns. Interactions include combat, relic collection, and using power-ups. Deaths are a key part of the gameplay loop, with each rebirth offering new insights into the world and story.
Combat & Weapons: Combat is automatic and continuous during player movement. Weapons (such as the Nanobot Swarm) and power-ups (like the Thermo Boost) provide diverse combat strategies. Each weapon and power-up can be upgraded along branching paths, allowing for a unique combat experience.
Narrative: The narrative is driven by the mysterious Vorik & Stroud Salvage Co. and their pursuit of the "Engine of Creation". Players learn about the city's time loop and Vorik & Stroud's control over it. They interact with NPCs, like the knowledgeable Professor Elias Quark, and encounter a rebel faction opposing Vorik & Stroud.
Setting: The game takes place in the fortified city of The Etherium Citadel and the perilous Aether Fields. Both areas are filled with steampunk and sci-fi elements, reflecting the city's past glory and the dystopian world outside.
End Game: Players eventually find the Engine of Creation. The game culminates in a decision for the player: Use the Engine to restore the city under Vorik & Stroud's control or give the power to the citizens, breaking the company's monopoly and possibly plunging the city into chaos.
Moral Ambiguity: Neither Vorik & Stroud nor the rebels are strictly good or bad. Both factions have noble intentions but employ questionable methods. This moral grey area influences the player's decisions and the eventual outcome of the game.
Art and Music: The game will feature stylized steampunk and sci-fi inspired art to create a visually engaging world. The music will capture the dystopian and mysterious feel of the game, with both haunting and mechanical tones.
Technology: The game will be developed using Unity, utilizing custom-made "TurnForge Engine" to handle turn-based survival gameplay mechanics.
Monetization: The game will be sold as a premium title with possible additional DLC for extra story content and weapon/power-up expansions.