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BarthPaleologue authored Nov 5, 2024
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## My vision for the project

Disclaimer: my vision for Cosmos Journeyer does not reflect its current state. It is still a work in progress that lacks
a lot of the features I want to implement.
*Disclaimer: This vision for Cosmos Journeyer is a long-term guiding light and may not reflect the game’s current state. Development is ongoing, and there’s still a long way to go!*

### Themes and atmosphere

Cosmos Journeyer is a game centered on exploration: gazing at breathtaking cosmic landscapes, uncovering strange dimensional anomalies, encountering unexpected friends, and, of course, taking plenty of screenshots!

Unlike many space games where politics and combat dominate, here, the Universe itself takes center stage.

The goal is to evoke the following feelings in the player, in this order:

- The beauty of the cosmos: I want players’ hearts to be filled with wonder at the breathtaking creations of the universe.
- The vastness of the universe: This sense of wonder should be tinged with a subtle awareness of the universe’s overwhelming scale (enough to inspire awe, but not fear).
- A sense of purpose: The game's narrative should give direction to the player’s journey, infusing it with meaning.

### The narrative

The story is all about your personal journey: a young pilot starting their journey as part of an exploration initiative, following the
steps of your father.
You will stumble early on a disturbing message, seemingly coming from the event horizon of a black hole. That's already weird,
but it gets weirder when you realize that the message is coming from your father who died years ago in mission.
This path will lead you to the strangest places in the universe, making you experience the sublime behind the expense of
the cosmos, and touching the answer to the big questions about the nature of reality.
The story is a personal journey: you are a young pilot embarking on your first mission as part of an exploration initiative, following in your father's footsteps.

Early in the game, you intercept a mysterious, disturbing message originating from the event horizon of a black hole. As if that weren’t strange enough, you soon realize that the message is from your father, who disappeared years ago during a mission.

"Everything that could be, is."
This discovery sets you on a path through the strangest realms of the universe, where you’ll experience the sublime vastness of the cosmos, meet fascinating characters, and confront profound questions about the nature of reality.

“Everything that could be, is.”

### Gameplay

Cosmos Journeyer is a game about exploration: watching beautiful cosmic landscapes, uncovering weird dimensional anomalies and of course take a lot of screenshots!
Players primarily pilot spaceships but can also explore the interiors of their ships on foot. The transition between piloting in space and walking on a planet’s surface is seamless, creating an immersive experience.

Spaceships can be upgraded and repaired at space stations in exchange for credits, which players earn by completing various exploration or trade missions as well as through free exploration. Since the game’s focus is not on grinding, mission rewards are intentionally generous.

The gameplay experience is also designed to be relaxing. I plan to incorporate unconventional, calming activities on planet surfaces, such as horseback riding, boat rides, and fishing, to add depth to the sense of exploration and relaxation.

### Main tutorial

Following the example set by the Great Plateau in *Zelda: Breath of the Wild*, the game begins in a self-contained star cluster that players cannot leave until they reach a specific milestone. This could be achieved by designing a star cluster that forms a disconnected graph, isolated from the rest of the universe through carefully chosen distances and a limited initial jump range.

This introductory star cluster would be fully handcrafted to make the best possible first impression on players. The story would guide them through significant locations in a logical sequence—such as space stations, a black hole, and a planet terminator—to introduce the narrative while also presenting mini-tutorials along the way.

The overarching principle is as follows: for every travel you make, it will open new interesting path that you will want to take.
This will be achieved through the narrative which will give you directions, but rarely a fixed path to follow.
You will be free to find your own path through the stars and make interesting encounters on the way to the truth about the universe.
Upon reaching the milestone, the player gains an extended jump range, granting access to the rest of the universe and opening up the game’s full scope.

## Sponsor

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- Martin Molli for his fearless refactoring of the messy code base in its early days
- The people from [BabylonJS](https://www.babylonjs.com/) for their amazing work on the BabylonJS framework and their
help on the forum
- My family for their continuous support
- My family for their continuous support

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