I believe that years of enjoying post-apocalyptic fiction in general have an effect on you in some way. I fell in love with the Fallout series in 1998, but the very concept appealed to me even before that. Mad Max was my favorite back then, and Fallout was the first to let me experience everything for myself. So yeah, I want to make a post-apocalyptic game. I believe that creating a game is the ultimate medium for fully expressing yourself. So, let me explain my concept and we'll evaluate it together so I don't waste your (and my) valuable time on something you won't be interested in.
Listen to this article!
The Game Idea
First of all, play this video to get a feeling about the concept and listen to the music while reading (very early concepts).
I've already mentioned Mad Max and Fallout, but there's another influence for this game: Waterworld, a 1995 action/sci-fi post-apocalyptic film with an interesting twist on the apocalypse - a world without land. But first, let me tell you about yet another game influence, one that has nothing to do with the apocalypse, which influenced the actual look and feel as well as the game genre - the Monkey Island series. Monkey Island 3 was my first point-and-click adventure game with a Disney-esque aesthetic, which many still consider to be the best in the series. When you combine all of these elements, you get a one-of-a-kind, story-driven, post-apocalyptic action-adventure game. But we'll get back to that shortly after I reveal the base story.
When it comes to game-making skills, I have those too. I know coding, 3D modeling, animation, sprite creation, sound, video, music, FX, UI—you name it - I've done it all to some extent. So why didn't I create a game already? Not sure, to be honest, but it's not like I never wanted to. I know the scope of creating a game as a solo developer, and I've never had everything come together as well as it does now. So let's touch on the story first, then we can get a bit technical in the end.
The Game Story (lore)
Since I can't reveal much of a story spoiler, I'll drive you mostly through the lore. The Old World ended in a few catastrophic months in 2033. A desperate global climate-control experiment went horribly wrong. It triggered chain reactions that melted the polar ice caps in months. People literally had one month to prepare for the worst-case scenario, and not many have succeeded. Entire continents and almost all of humanity drowned overnight. By the time the waters stabilized, the planet was (99.9%) one endless ocean. Now, the year is 2055. Survivor groups have struggled to survive ever since, and the memories of the Old World slowly fade away despite it being only 22 years ago—the chaos erased calendars, clocks, history records, and most of the technology. No one knows what happened (or why) exactly, or even the exact year anymore.
So now the Earth is a bright, sunny water world. The mountain-peak islands are still out there somewhere (considered a legend). Almost every place people live is handmade: floating raft villages, atols, container-ship towns lashed with ropes, and cruise-ship decks turned into rooftop gardens. The sky is almost always blue. Rain is a party. The pre-Melt 2030s had a unique retro-futuristic feel: consumer gadgets never really moved past the 2000s styles (cassettes, CD disks, CRTs, LCDs, Walkmans/Discman, radios, solar, walkie-talkies, etc.). Military tech was the only advanced stuff. After the flood, almost everything was gone, so whatever tech remains is ultra-rare. Rain barrels and dew collectors are a must. Soil is rare and traded like gold. Tiny gardens grow tomatoes, corn, and beans mostly. People survive mostly on the fish, veggies, fruits, and water.
So, in the game, you play as Echo, born six months after the Melt, now 21 years old. You’ve never known anything but the ocean—cranking and repairing sails, fishing, swimming, diving, scooping soil, and listening to half-broken mixtapes that make the elders laugh and cry. Never knew your father, and the mother is in her late 50s. Your love interest is Mya, a 19-year-old from the Triple M (Max Media Mix - one of the factions). You’ve been quietly in love with her for years—the classic slow-burn adventure romance: shared mixtape nights, stolen glances while fixing sails, and dark-humor flirting. She believes in finding the “lost islands” as much as you do. Of course, things go south in the most horrible way, and that's where the adventure starts.
This is critical information, and there is so much more I could write a book about; however, I cannot reveal too much for a variety of reasons. In fact, I have enough material to create two games (which I hope to do eventually). I also considered writing a book, but that's for another post.
The Game Tech
Now that you have the idea of what it's all about, let's get to the most important part - how it will be made. I decided to produce the game in the Godot Game Engine. It's a totally free, open-source, light, cross-platform game engine capable of 2D and 3D, with the use of custom shaders. Some of the games made with Godot are Slay the Spire 2, Brotato, Road to Vostok, Dragon Gate, Dogwalk, Ballisticards, Zombies & Bullets, and so many more awesome 2D and 3D games of every genre. Simply put, this engine will give me the most freedom to express my ideas, and the game will be 100% mine.
Here are just a handful of games made with the Godot Engine:
So what exactly is a one-of-a-kind, story-driven, post-apocalyptic action-adventure game? It is a mix of a 2D & 3D (it's mostly referred to as "2.5D") point-and-click adventure game, but also an action game, platformer, card game, shooter, and whatever I want it to be, depending on the situation/puzzle/narrative. Imagine a level that begins as a standard PNC adventure game, changes into a platformer section, and concludes with a shift to first-person view. At least that's the idea I'm about when it comes to that "one-of-a-kind" game. I believe the Godot is capable of providing that freedom to do what I want and how I want it. But that's why I want to validate the idea before even starting it for real and potentially wasting years of my life on a failed project.
Like I said, it all clicked for me. So now, I want to focus on a demo that I will present on the game's Steam page, hopefully this year. I want the game to be cross-platform as well, but I'll deal with that when the time comes. I want a hard critic now so I can deliver the best possible product, and for that I need your help along the way. I'm not asking for money, not until I finish the demo. Then, we will see the best possible scenario to continue with the project.
Also, I might consider a helping hand(s) if someone is good with the Godot Engine or any other aspect of game development. For starters, you can tell me what you think so far about the whole concept of the Sea of Static game. I would really like to hear from you, no matter if it's a good or bad critique, idea, or even simply words of encouragement. Join the Fallout Hub's Discord for now, and if this project becomes a real deal, I will eventually make a special server for it. Also, you can comment your thoughts here if you want; I will read and respond to all related comments. Thank you for your time!
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