#2 The Dev Lab: Interface and basic gameplay

Ok, so this post contains some exciting info.

On my previous post I mentioned briefly what our first game is about. Today I’m going to show you.

Ready? Ok.

This is what our interface is starting to look like:

game's interface

Our main interface prototype.

And with that it is time for me to explain you the game more thoroughly. And sorry, I still can’t tell you the name (but that announcement will happen sooner rather than later).

This game is an RTS where you will take control of a greek god. You see, the ancient gods don’t like the fact that they have been downgraded to “mythology” and that humans no long worship them so, as one of them, your goal is to convert mankind to your faith.

That will be done through “powers” that you can summon (floods, wars, richness, miracle cures for diseases, etc). Those are the buttons you see in the left (the icons are also temporary).

Initially there are 13 gods to choose from, all greek (at least for now).

Selectible characters

That’s the screen you will select which god you’ll be.

Each god has a certain group of attributes called “Traits”. For example (those values will change until the game is released):

Picking a strategy that fits your god is extremely important. After all, if you pick Hades you can’t really expect him to perform good deeds as well as Hermes.

You’ll also be able to upgrade these traits spending “faith points”. You’ll gain these faith points using your powers and converting people to your faith.

There will be a talent tree where you can choose how to build your god and, at certain points, the talent tree will give you the option to acquire a new power or even a secondary god. We are still working on how the talent tree will look, so I still can’t give you a preview yet.

Through the talent tree you can completely change the god you picked. Even a benevolent god can turn evil if you upgrade the right traits (and who knows? Maybe you’ll discover that the extra effort is worth it).

In due time I will explain what each trait means and show you more about how it relates to your actions. But the basic idea is that you get points from converting people, spend them on traits or to acquire new powers (good or bad), use them and gain more points.

One of the game’s main characteristics is that it is highly important that the player understand the political and social environment of each country that he wishes to convert. Initially, you will get a scenario very close to real life but as the game progresses you should see some weird stuff going on (that footer will keep scrolling interesting news during the game) and ultimately create a completely unique scenario.

Because we want to make this game true to life, every country will also have its own set of attributes that will allow you to use your powers the most effective way. For instance, using a richness-inducing power will be much more effective in poor regions of the planet than in a country that is already wealthy. Same goes for wars, diseases, etc.

We do that calculating the base conversion ratio for each power through 9 attributes for each country. For instance (values may change):

So as you can see, there are many, many different paths you can take. You can take a “good” god and turn it evil, you can take any god and play it to its strengths (or play it completely 50/50). You can keep making rich countries richer and manage to convert them (not the smartest build, but hey, it’s your call) or go for the optimum strategy based on your specific scenario.

And of course, mankind will not just accept everything you do as proof of your divinity. Events will pop up that will change things up (maybe a scientific discovery disproves you or maybe a new cult has started to spread).

 

Ok, so that was a lot to take. Hopefully you got the idea. And if it stills sounds a bit confusing, don’t worry, it will be easier to understand once we get a gameplay video out there.

I hope that next time we get to talk I can tell you the name for the game. And some more screenshots.

For now, follow us on TwitterFacebook and Instagram. And subscribe to our mailing list! (on the sidebar).

See you soon!

Ivan