Good news! The first draft of the new Microbe Stage Game Design Document is done:
http://thrivegame.wikidot.com/microbe-stage-gdd
…except it’s not. Anyone who wishes to read through will find one section completely empty: simulation specifics. Some of the simulation-related aspects are discussed elsewhere in vague terms, but I chickened out of writing up the exact mechanics behind everything. I’m afraid someone else will have to at least guide me through that part, or even write it themselves. Even worse, they have to make sure it complies with the rest of the document.
For all other sections, preliminary explanations are at least in place. There are lists of things in the appendix, detailed descriptions, and I even took the liberty of Americanising everything for the benefit of most of the team. Hence why there are so many z’s and not enough u’s.
In total it runs to over 27,000 words, even without the simulation specifics section. Something tells me it needs a thorough editing at some point.
Unfortunately I’ve had to make a few assumptions and invent mechanics myself for some parts, which I feel a little guilty about. This way though, the entire document is at least (as far as I can tell) self-consistent, which is more than can be said for the scattered concepts throughout the forums beforehand. I’ll run through some of these areas in a minute.
Everything in the document is subject to change. Some things more than others obviously – thermoplasts could be removed entirely, googly eyes will absolutely not be added for as long as I and many other people here are on board. Spelling and grammar (as well as clarity of expression) are also flexible, as right now I haven’t even read through anything again after adding it.
Here are a couple of the places I’ve made educated guesses or invented things, in order of where they appear in the document (I fully expect people to tell me at least one of these is completely backwards, and don’t be afraid to do so):
-
Straight off, the tagline in the summary, ‘Write your own saga of life’. This was based on a few pieces of promotional material we’ve created so far, and really was just added to make the GDD seem more GDD-like. We don’t necessarily even need one.
-
The entire game screen architecture didn’t exist anywhere other than what we already have in the current build. I think it’s mostly common sense and most people would agree it’s what was ambiently planned anyway, but you’re free to say otherwise.
-
Most of the options in the game setup interface have been briefly mentioned by people but never expanded upon. Getting those written up is one example of where the GDD is exceptionally useful: it’s forced me to consider parts of the game in implementable detail which had previously been glanced over. Obviously there are things I’ve missed or done incorrectly (NPC evolution rates and variance spring to mind, which, tied to the CPA simulation, require a theorist’s approval).
-
Free edit mode. This had been mentioned before and sidelined to a non-issue, but I’ve included it anyway. Essentially it gives the player an option to experiment freely in the editor with no MP restrictions, but they can’t use their creations in-game except under strict circumstances. Both the concept of free edit mode and the way it ties into the real editor are up for debate.
-
Some parts of the extras and tools pages have already been discussed, but never really set in stone. They’re still pretty bare in the document’s concept.
-
Every single control except those which are already in the build. These need to change based on QA feedback, but at least this gives a list which can be implemented and tested.
-
Weirdly, I’d found previous concepts which assumed the existence of rocks and surfaces, but never have I seen them ever discussed. Mostly this was the idea for lamellipodia, which I’m all for. They do require something to climb on though, which is why I added surfaces and rocks as environmental elements.
-
Some of the combat mechanics hadn’t been mapped out exactly, so I made a few tweaks (most notably the option to extend pili as an active attack method, rather than just passively swimming into something). @tjwhale since you’re the expert on combat, I’m mostly waiting for your input.
-
Everything about creating agents comes from responses to this thread and a bit of common sense. It’s never been a particular solidly defined concept.
-
Agent resistance is based entirely on the last few posts of this thread, and truth be told I don’t think I’ve entirely understood it. Feel free to correct me.
-
The agent list is a mish-mash of real compounds and imaginary ones. Gameplay-wise this might be the best choice, as it gives the player a wide variety of abilities (just as long as it doesn’t go overboard).
-
Reproduction was heavily glanced over due to its ties with the CPA system. Player reproduction is fairly straightforward, but otherwise it’s a little vague and probably not fully accurate.
-
Ah, good old osmoregulation. I was adamant from the start that it should be included as the method of health measurement and death, but it was only once I read the associated thread that I realised how complex it really is. Even @Moopli lost faith by the end of the discussion. However, I managed to keep it in the GDD in a somewhat intuitive way by combining it with the organelle health system. I say somewhat because it’s actually quite complicated, but makes sense after a while thinking about it. Unfortunately the player can’t afford to spend a while thinking about it, so this system probably needs some tweaking. I think it should still be included, just modified to make it less confusing.
-
The method of creating colonies was a little vague everywhere I saw it. Signal agents…bonding agents…???..colonies! The GDD’s description is just my best guess at how it might work, but as I’m not one of the theorists my opinion on it really means nothing.
-
Organelles were about the only thing fully described in the old GDD, so the rules for adding and using them were pretty easy. Each organelle type had some description, but not much, and rarely was it anywhere near rigorous. I think I’ve achieved that here (possibly overly so), but I did end up making a lot of assumptions which you’re free to contest.
-
The appearance tab in the editor seemed a little unloved, given that the membrane won’t be editable as we originally thought. I added some detail, but probably not enough.
-
Disasters have always been an assumed feature, but for the microbe stage especially they’ve never really been discussed in detail. In my opinion they should be left until everything else has been added as they’re incredibly low priority. Still, their effects on populations and the evolution processes in play should be interesting to say the least.
-
The tutorial is all my creation, but then again I’ve had its concept in the back of my mind for ages now. I think we need some sort of tutorial for both the environment and microbe editing in as soon a release as possible, but the final tutorial is completely subject to QA feedback.
-
The entire visuals section feels a bit brief, but I guess it’s up to the people actually creating all visual assets to work out the details. Adding extortionate detail would just stifle them.
-
Audio is completely fine other than a few unknown sound effects. But hey, what did you expect when you have a musician writing it?
-
The opening cutscene description is redundant but included anyway, as we already have one. Credits, on the other hand, is massively vague as nobody has much of an idea what they’ll look like. Again, it’s up to the animators.
-
Do we need more Easter eggs? Or is even considering one at this point too much?
-
I only came up with three biomes, and even then one doesn’t feel right (shallow ocean). Microbial biomes are hard to come by.
-
All the appendices are incomplete to an extent, as there are likely to be many more elements we haven’t yet considered. Agents, compounds, processes and sound effects especially.
Now, this all sounds good, but I’m still worried this won’t help progress much at all, In fact, it could even hinder it. As @tjwhale has said, he doesn’t want to make the blueprints for a building and expect other people (programmers and artists) to build it for him. This entire document is a prime example of that – I fear that by writing this I’ve become the ultimate ideas guy, which was never what I set out to do. Even more so considering the simulation specifics are non-existent right now.
Programmers could look at this and see an impossible list of things they need to do with no scope for their own input, and that’s not good by any stretch of the imagination. On the other hand, it’s better than an amorphous blob of concepts that we ambiguously wave towards and say, “Make this game, my minions!”
It also answers this set of questions at least. And that’s really what I set out to do.
I wanted to show that we did have a solid concept, it just needed to be gathered together and organised properly. Truthfully, very little of the document is my own work, I just had to make a few tweaks here and there so no concepts would go stepping on each other’s toes. Hopefully now we can use this in outreach in answer to anyone who says we don’t know what we’re doing, because from my own experience speaking to people here, everybody very much does.
Also I suggest that, if everyone agrees, we post this to all our outreach channels as proof we’re still alive (maybe once the simulation stuff has been written up). Perhaps a new website devblog and a copy on the community forums, and they could also include some explanations of what we’ve done with the forum structure and new application system.
Anyway, sorry for the massive post and even massiver GDD I’m asking you to read through.
Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll take a break from Thrive stuff for the next week or so. I’m shattered.