Hello!
I have been a software engineer for about a decade now doing mostly web development. Ever since 2020, I have also been an avid DM/GM in Dungeons and Dragons and Vampire: The Masquerade.
In the past few weeks, I've had the bright idea to combine these passions and make a Tactics Battler.
Story Premise:
It's been 100 years since the first portals opened, since the void came. People believed it was natural. The laws of the world had simply changed, they said. The abyss had opened, and it was simply our time to suffer.
But it wasn't natural. No great reckoning, no divine punishment. It was the byproduct of men dealing with forces they should have never touched. The Aegis Council, great architects of the modern world. In their inhuman calculating, their cold logic, they believed they could control the unknowable.
Their hubris unleashed the Void. But their cruelty... gave them a return. Lux. With Lux as fuel, they forged a new world. Great cities, impervious to the darkness. War machines that held back the
monstrosities they themselves had set free.
Aegis, the great provider. The nameless men in white who supplied the Lahannen Dynasty with the power to keep civilization standing. The void is contained, push to the edges of humanity. There's the occasional incursion, or minor disturbance, but Aegis ensures the world remains bright, clean and orderly.
But how would they feel if they knew the truth? That Lahannen and Aegis aren't just the solution... they are also the problem.
This game will be a prototype and establish the world by following a group of 4 "Void Warriors," people who had the abilities granted by "Lux" before Lux was even a thing. So they know all power comes from the void while the general population does not.
Tactics Gameplay:
Low damage, high zone control. The void will "empower" squares that controlling will be integral to winning. Think abilities that have a delayed effect, unless used from an empowered square, creating an opportunity for a second character to use an ability to knock the enemy into that AoE if it is delayed. Right now I've scoped the game to 4 player characters, each with their own distinct feel. With help I might be willing to move that number. I'm hoping to have more unique win conditions than "kill all enemies" more often than not.
This is where a systems designer would be useful, but is also lowest on my needs, as I feel I can handle this area.
Hopeful Art Direction:
I'm hoping for lots of blues, golds, and purples that create an ominous, oppressive feel by combining steampunk and gothic victorian themes.
In need of basically all art, as I've just bought a large generic art pack to use as placeholder art. Besides direct game assets, ~40 color images will be needed for the 6 "Max Payne" style cutscenes planned for the game.
Music Composition:
I'm hoping for music that conveys ideas of the game subtly. Gothic and Baroque influence should convey the false majesty of Lux. Industrial steampunk percussion conveys "the machine beneath it all." Cosmic horror soundscapes that could convey the truth of the void. And then, for the protagonists, defiant and raw battle themes.
Sorry for the UFC audio in the background rofl, just mute.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post.
If you're interested in talking about the project, please contact `jauvil` on Discord.