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We looked inside some of the posts by projectsettlement and here's what we found interesting.
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Notes Per Post
2
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1
Reblog Per Post
1
Reply Per Post
0
Time Between Posts
19 days
Number of Posts By Type
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16
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1
Last Seen Tumblr Blogs
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Saying Goodbye to Tumblr
Project Settlement is moving away from Tumblr. This has nothing much to do with Tumblr itself, but in an effort to consolidate our public presence, we’re migrating the Developer’s Blog to Blogger under the Google umbrella.
We’ve also brought the site under our projectsettlement.com domain, so that it’s easier to find us. You can visit the new blog at blog.projectsettlement.com.
With GDC coming next week and the 3rd annual Sacramento Indie Arcade in April, you can bet that you’ll be seeing some new updates in the next few weeks, as we start to finalize our major transition to 3D in-game assets. But, make sure you check the new site, not this site, and bookmark the link, so that you can check back often.
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Project Settlement?
As for Project Settlement, we are still actively developing the game. With Indiecade and then the holidays, and then Global Game Jam (not to mention Star Wars,) we have struggled to keep up our pace, but the real issue was that we’re contemplating some major structural changes to the game (secret hint: we may be going 3D,) which will reset a lot of the work we’ve done.
This is still somewhat experimental, as we are prototyping new assets and terrain procedures to see if we like the change, but never fear, we are still fully committed to the game and it’s 2016 release. In particular, we are always big supporters of Sacramento Indie Arcade (tickets now available: http://www.indiearcade.org) and Project Settlement will be featured there. The developers will also be at GDC this year and we hope to have a small presentation of Project Settlement at the IGDA Sacramento meeting (check at the IGDA booth for more information.) We are also contemplating going to E3 this year, although that’s a big commitment, so I can’t say for sure.
Stay tuned, as we will post more when information becomes available.
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GGJ16
For those of you who know what Global Game Jam is, our developers attended this year’s event hosted by UC Davis, and produced a game called “Good God” in just under 48 hours.
You can find more about it on the globalgamejam site: http://globalgamejam.org/2016/games/good-god
A little secret just for our blog followers...All four members of the team are currently talking about completing the game, (as envisioned,) and publishing it for free on Game Maker’s new Player app.
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Indiecade
Anyone excited about Indiecade yet? We are!
As we sift through all of the goodies that Indiecade has to offer, we are realizing two things. 1) we are definitely Indiecade newbies, and 2) We will probably not have the ability to make any official announcements until pretty close to the actual event itself.
With that said, we are definitely planning to be a part of the IndieExchange event on Thursday, Oct. 22nd, and we are very interested in registering for the Gametasting events where we would get a chance to show off Project Settlement. Hopefully, we can make that and much more a reality.
Stay tuned!
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Indiecade!
Well, here it is...Project Settlement will be in attendance at Indiecade in Culver City, CA this October!
Us developers will need to sit down in the next couple of days and plan out our strategy. We had initially planned to have our first playable demo ready in time for an Indiecade release, but our business planning (and other life events) have taken longer than we had anticipated.
However, as those things seem to be wrapping up (or at least winding down,) we may still have enough time to put together something we could proudly call our first playable demo. We will certainly plan another round of marketing events designed to make more people aware of our game, so expect new screenshots, videos, contests, and such, so make sure you are following us on social media.
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Please excuse our absence :)
We realize that we haven't posted any updates in a while, but there is a good reason for that. We do, however, apologize and ask that you forgive our slight lapse in Internet presence.
Truth is, we have put our development on a short pause while we work through some business matters. We're sure you don't care about boring business stuff, so we won't bother to post any details, but rest assured that once we've navigated through the legal and business stuff, we'll be right back at it with even more vigor! promise :)
Stay tuned. We expect an update in time for Indiecade.
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End of Developer Preview Week
We have reached the end of our Developer Preview Week and we just want to say thanks to everyone who participated and shared all of our information about the game and its development.
Keep watching this blog for continuous updates and insider information on the development of the game, including sneak peaks, release dates, and behind the scenes stories. We'll also post any important news and updates on our Twitter account.
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Story Elements
Final Tutorial Quest, 6 of 6:
“{Data recorder} Excellent! Your hydroponics bay and kitchenette will provide you with an endless supply of nutrition, so long as you continue to harvest vegetables and plant new seeds. You are now self-sufficient and should be able to survive until the next shipment arrives. Our last order of business is to setup the satellite dish and establish communications with headquarters. You will find the satellite dish in the equipment locker on the landing craft. Place it anywhere within your settlement just as you did with the atomizers and water extractors.”
The player must now go back to the landing craft, enter, and click on the equipment locker to pickup the satellite dish. Once the player has the dish in their inventory, they must go back outside and place it anywhere on the ground within the settlement’s limits. Once placed, the satellite will automatically deploy (with animated effect,) and after a short while the player will receive a new type of dialogue (probably something simple like a different colored message box and new ‘Headquarters’ title)
“{Headquarters} Settlement A215, this is headquarters, do you read me?...”
[pause]
“{Headquarters} Captain, It’s good to hear from you. We are establishing a data-link to you now. We should be able to upload and review your information in a few minutes…”
[pause with data-link sound effects]
“{Headquarters} Captain, we have your data. Congratulations! It appears you are off to a good start. We see that you have setup your atomizers and extractors and have started growing your own food. That’s good news. Now you are ready to start your first mission. Initial surface scans indicated that your sector has a high chance of iron deposits nearby your settlement. Your mission is to explore the area around your settlement in search of a good location for an iron mine. Once located, radio back and we will instruct the space station to dispatch a mine pod to that location. As per our agreement, 50% of the iron mined will be sent back to the space station and shipped back to earth. The other 50% will belong to your settlement. Your settlement will receive intergalactic credits for the iron we receive. You can use those credits to purchase items for your settlement on your next earth supply shipment, to trade with other settlements, or to finance your settlements local economy.”
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Story Elements
Tutorial Quest 5 of 6
“{Data recorder} Great! Now we can fire up the hydroponics bay and plant some seeds. You can initialize any of the systems in your habitation capsule by going to the control panel and enabling that system. You now have two systems that you can start; the kitchenette and the hydroponics bay. Go to the control panel now and click the <enable> button for each system.”
The player must now enter the habitation capsule, and go to the control panel near the entrance. They must click on the control panel and click on the enable button for the kitchenette, and also the enable button for the hydroponics bay. Once both are complete they will get a second message.
“{Data recorder} Good job. Now both systems are up and running. The kitchenette…{info about kitchenette} To produce food, we need to plant some seeds in the hydroponics bay. [MegaCorp or United Earth Government] has provided you with several varieties of earth seeds to start your garden. The seeds can be found in your seed storage unit in the hydroponics bay. To plant seeds, simply select an empty plot in your hydroponics bay while you have a seed selected in your tool belt.”
It is not necessary to complete the sub-quest here, but if the player were to go to the seed storage unit, pick up some seeds, and plant them in an available slot in the hydroponics bay, they would receive an additional message regarding their accomplishment and possible further instructions regarding the hydroponics, such as care of the plants and harvesting
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Story Elements
Tutorial Quest 4 of 6
Quest (004)
“{Data recorder} Now we need to start extracting water from the planet’s surface. To extract water, you will need to place a water extractor near your capsule and connect a hose between the extractor and the capsule. This will provide a constant water supply to the capsule in order to get your kitchenette and hydroponics bay started. To place a water extractor, pick them up from the equipment locker in your capsule and place them the same way you placed the atomizers. To place the hose and connect the extractor to the capsule, click on one and then the other while you have the water hose selected in your toolbar."
The player must then go back to the equipment locker in the habitation capsule and pick up the water extractor and hose. He or she must then go back outside and place the extractor near somewhere within their parcel limits. Once the extractor is placed, the player must then connect the hose. To do this, the player must have the hose in their toolbar and it must be selected. They must then click on either the habitation capsule or the water extractor to start connecting the hose, where they will then see the hose dragging behind them as they walk away. To fully connect the hose and complete the quest, the player must click on the other end of the connection (whether that is the habitation capsule or the water extractor)
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Story Elements
Tutorial Quest 3 of 6:
Note: This quest only comes up once the habitation capsule is fully constructed
Quest (003):
“{Data recorder} Fantastic! You now have a humble abode to call your own. Your next order of business is to place atomizers to produce a breathable atmosphere around your capsule. Atomizers have a limited range and should be placed near your capsule, so that you can safely leave the home without wearing your space suit. Caution! If you step outside the range of your atomizers while not wearing your suit, you will suffer from the effects of oxygen deprivation. To place an atomizer, go to the equipment locker in your habitation capsule and pick up an atomizer. Equip the atomizer in your tool belt, select it, and you can then place the atomizer on the ground wherever the highlighted square is green (a red square indicates the area is blocked and you cannot place an item there until the area is cleared.) Atomizers have a 7 block range and should not be placed too close together. Try to maximize your placement of atomizers in order to produce the most effective area of breathable atmosphere.”
The player then goes to the habitation capsule, enters, and clicks on the equipment locker were he or she will find the atomizer. They must pick up the atomizer, exit the capsule and place the atomizer on the ground in the settlement area to complete the quest. Once complete, you will receive the following additional dialogue
“{Data recorder} Great! Now you have a breathable atmosphere and can work within the range of the atomizers without wearing your space suit. Don’t forget that you will still need to use your space suit and oxygen canisters if you ever travel outside their effective range. You can see their effective range by clicking on an atomizer, which will show a light blue circle indicating the range of effective atmosphere that atomizer produces. If you ever step outside of that range when you are not wearing a spacesuit, your oxygen indicator will go down. You will start suffering from oxygen deprivation within a few seconds, and your health and stamina will start to decline. If your oxygen level depletes to zero, you will pass out. You can use the atomizers to refill empty oxygen canisters by clicking on the atomizer when you have an empty oxygen canister selected in your toolbar.”
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Story Elements
Continuing with our tutorial quests...
Quest (002):
“{Data recorder} Great, you now own a piece of Planet X! This parcel is all yours. You can use this land to build a house, farm, or whatever else you wish. Before you can use it, though, you must first place your habitation capsule that [MegaCorp or United Earth Government] has provided you. To place your habitation capsule, go to the equipment locker in the landing craft and pick up the materials to build your habitation capsule. Then go to your parcel and place your habitation node anywhere on your property. This will begin the automated build cycle, and construction bots will handle the rest.”
The player must then walk back to the spaceship, board, and walk to the equipment locker. After clicking on the locker to open it, the player's inventory screen will open allowing the player to pick-up the habitation capsule in the locker.
Once picked up, the player must then walk back to their property location and place the habitation node on the ground by either double-clicking on it in the inventory, or selecting it from the tool bar and pression the action key. The player will then be able to select the location on the ground where they wish to place the habitation capsule. It must be within their property area. Once placed (action button) a framework of the habitation capsule will show on the ground and construction bots will arrive from off-screen and hover over the framework. They will then cycle through an animation where they "build" the placed building and the player will see the building in several stages of construction as it nears completion. This will take approximately 1 - 2 minutes to complete.
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Story Elements
After your cinematic intro and initial greeting, you will be given several initial tutorial quests in order to establish the core functions of your settlement. These quests denote what we consider to be your "early game" where you are essentially learning the ropes and figuring out the basic elements of survival. We plan to use the quests to guide you through these initial steps, although we're not yet sure how restrictive or liberal the ordering will be.
This is the first of those quests:
A quest helper dialogue pops up
"{Data recorder} Welcome to Planet X! If all went well, you have safely landed in the alpha quadrant, sector 125. The atmosphere will be thin there, and you will need to wear your spacesuit to travel outside of the landing craft until you can establish a breathable atmosphere. Your landing craft has been packed with a few of the bare essentials to getting your settlement started. Use these carefully, as the resupply shipments are expensive to send and will only occur once every year. You have been provisioned with enough food, water, and oxygen canisters to last you 30 days. You will need to build the essential equipment to produce more of these resources before your supply runs out. So let’s get started!"
"{Data recorder} To establish the essential equipment necessary for sustainability, you will need to claim your property, place your habitation capsule, place atomizers to produce a breathable atmosphere, place [condensers or extractors] to produce a source of water, grow food in your hydroponics bay, and place the satellite dish to establish communications with headquarters."
Quest (001):
"{Data recorder} Your first order of business is to claim your property. [MegaCorp or United Earth Government] has granted you a 20 sq. acre parcel land claim title. You can claim your land anywhere within the settlement limits. To claim your land title, open the map interface by pressing M and click the "claim land" button. Select a parcel that suits you."
Once a parcel is selected in the map interface, the player’s character is seen moving to the location of the parcel and plants a flag. This flag and other NPCs flags will display the owner’s name when clicked on or mouse hovers over.
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Story Elements
Today we're going to post the draft script for the beginning of the game (in several parts.) This part of our story design is to introduce the character's story and get the player familiar with the gameplay, essentially, your tutorial quests. It starts with this post, which will cover the prologue. This picks up where the game's cinematic intro ends and gameplay begins, so there is an element of the story that has already been told at this point (see previous post an story background.) You may notice the inclusion of several other NPC settlers in the original prologue. This reflects the original idea that you would play competitively with other NPC settlers in your group. We've simplified our gameplay designs a bit since then, but haven't quite abandoned the idea of competitive NPC players.
Prologue
Scene 1 (Landing): {planet exterior}
Your spacecraft is seen descending to the planet surface. It fires its retro rockets and comes to a safe landing.
Scene 2 (waking up): {spaceship interior}
You are inside your spaceship. The cryotube(s) is/are visible in the foreground and blinking lights and sounds are evident as the machines begin the process of waking you [and potentially settlers]. Each cryotube opens in turn and one of the NPC settlers gets out as each one opens. NPCs walk to the locker, don a spacesuit and exit the craft, in turn. Last, but not least is the player, whose tube opens and our character exits the cryotube.
-Player now has control of the character
Hints pop up instructing the player to go to their locker, take the spacesuit, and equip it. Once the spacesuit is on, the player must walk to the door and exit the craft.
Scene 3 (embarking): {spaceship exterior}
All of the NPCs are seen exiting the spaceship and momentarily mill about outside of the spaceship before wondering off.
The player is then seen exiting the spaceship
-Player now has control of the character and the gameplay begins
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Did you know?
The original setting for our game was the old west? That's right. The concept that was pitched at the first of the progressive game jams was an action-adventure game set in the wild frontier of the old west where you arrive by stagecoach and carve your fortune out of the untamed wilderness and settle a town.
Even though the team has decided to go with the space theme, don't be surprised if someday you see a prequel released in the old west setting.
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Game Elements
Buildings
As you are building the first human settlement on an alien planet, it stands to reason that you should be building structures. We have envisioned an ability to build many different buildings in several main categories.
The first category is Government, which is the main category, similar to the central building in many RTS games that limit and control the growth of all of your other buildings. In Project Settlement, this may start out as a Settler's Office with upgrades to a Town Hall and finally a Capitol. The other categories are city infrastructure, economy, industry, agriculture, and private.
Industry has to do with the gathering of resources and will offer buffs to your gathering and other perks. Some examples would be quarries, mines, lumber mills, water condensers, forge, etc.
Agriculture buildings will allow you to grow your own vegetables and raise your own animals. Examples would be animal enclosures, aquaponics bay, farms, etc.
The remaining categories would be specialty categories that offer unique gameplay options. The private category, for instance, is the player's abode, which starts out as a meager living pod, but can be upgraded to a house and then an estate.
The city infrastructure and transportation categories enable certain gameplay elements that may or may not make it in the final game...consider them stretch goals. Transportation buildings would enable some sort of network play with your friends, such as visiting other players properties or even trade between players. City Infrastructure would go hand in hand with competitive gameplay with NPCs (the other settler's that arrive with you and are helping you build the sector.) While NPCs have always been a part of the design, it has always been considered a far reach goal, to be discussed further once the core game elements have been developed.
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