new Generation()

| in-progress mock-up for the game's title screen, as created for RPGmaker

Project Re://hack, as I originally called it before deciding on a more unique working title, was originally conceived as an homage to a game series that was very important to me as a kid: .hack. Some of you may be familiar with the title. The premise is a tired one these days: people (trapped or otherwise) playing in an MMO world with real-world stakes. At the time, however, the concept was relatively new. Things like Sword Art Online or Log Horizon weren't around yet; or at least they weren't on my radar. To me, .hack was the first of its kind. And it sort of died in obscurity, which has always made me sad. 

I don't want to spend this entire document talking about another game series, though. I don't intend this to be a fan game or even a re-skin. But the influence will certainly be felt as I try to iterate on what I feel were the strengths of the setting and gameplay, and as I try to innovate on what I felt the game was lacking. I'll mention several other titles in my dev-logs probably, as I pull from various sources, and my own inspiration, to solve the problems I will surely face while adapting the concepts in my head to the game. In truth, the project has already begun to mutate into its own entity during my first month of working on it. 

This page is meant as a Dev-log for the time being. As the game reaches milestones I'll probably replace this text with more market-directed content. For now, I'd like to outline some of my goals with this game, as well as the basic premise. 

| Working in-game logo

In new Generation(), The player is sitting at their computer, interacting with a  desktop. From there they can play the MMO (Currently titled "Fragment Tale"), read the news, check email, and a few other things. While the player's primary focus will of course be playing the game, they'll also have access to emails which will be the window into their party members' real-world lives, as well as their news feed which will give them access to things happening in the real world, providing context to rumors or situations encountered in the game.  

Because of the confusing nature of the setting, I will be referring to events, characters, and story content as being part of the "in-game" narrative or the "meta" narrative, or both. The Meta-narrative being the story overall, the in-game narrative being the default setting of the game "Fragment Tale", as it was constructed and intended for players to experience. 

The nature of the story will be following the characters as they discover that the world they've come to enjoy playing in is evolving. Some of the game's NPCs are "waking up." As these "Emergent AI" begin to develop their own goals and personalities, players may find that they experience the game differently, either for better or for worse.

Goal One: Simple Core Game Loop

I want to strike a balance between gameplay and story. Obviously, the gameplay will mimic that of an MMO to a certain extent, considering the setting. As such, you'll run around town gathering supplies, head into dungeons, come back to town and apply the loot you gained to upgrade, trade, and resupply in order to take on tougher dungeons. The game loop is meant to be the backdrop for characters to experience the story, and a simple game loop means that when something shakes up the status quo, it will have more impact. Simple doesn't mean easy necessarily. I'll seek for depth over breadth of mechanics.

Goal Two: Independent NPCs

While the other "players" playing the game aren't real people, I want it to feel plausible that they could be. Party Members you rely on often may not always be online, forcing you to invite less used party members sometimes. Email exchanges may explain these absences as well, giving opportunities for character growth. Each character will have their own independent inventory, which they will stock with items to their own preference. Rather than the entire party using a shared pool of items, your allies will use the items they brought with them. A party member can be given gifts, and may choose to equip said gift if they find it favorable. And even non-party members will have static inventories that can be traded with in hub towns. 

Additionally, party members will act independently of the player character. I may choose to include a system to direct them to take specific actions like .hack had, or maybe some kind of system like Final Fantasy 12 had where you could program complex decision parameters. But my hope is to create NPCs that have smart enough and opinionated enough AI that the player can rely on them to "be themself" in combat. A character who is underprepared when it comes to health potions isn't someone you'd pick to be a healer, but they have other strengths which make them valuable. Another character may rely a bit too much on healing, which balances out the scales. This feature will need the most development, but it's important to the feel of the game. 

Goal Three: Compelling, but concise Story

Bold as my ambitions may be, I'm an indie dev and I can't hope to create a four volume triple A quality game. I'm just hoping to create a game with a compelling story that makes people feel things. And hopefully have fun along the way. Depending on how the base game is received, I'd like to release DLC with new characters and side quests to enjoy, but I'm trying not to look too far into the future. 

Goal Four: Enjoy the Journey

As I'm sure I'll mention many times, this is not the first time I've tried to make a game. But it is the first time when I've felt that I have the right amount of passion in the base concept that I can really follow-through. Rather than just making a game because I want to make one, I feel like this project has something to say to the world, and I can't wait to help deliver that message as best I can. I welcome any feedback to this, or any of my posts. Thanks for reading my first midnight rant.

~ Featherwalk