About Red Dawn

The changes in Game Development Workshop have resulted in more strict guidelines as to the type of game you can do as well as the requirements needed to fulfill making the game. Fortunately it hasn't affected our plans too much and we've been able to keep a lot of the features we wanted to implement in the game. To start off, here is a Game Design overview of our game.



 

Please note that a lot of features here may change such as gameplay elements and stories due to time or scope limitations. This post will be updated in the future or a new post will be added when details are finalized.



Introduction

The sea is yours to sail and discover as Captain of a pirate ship.  Battle other pirates and mythical creatures on land or sea, in action packed combat or ship to ship combat. Unravel a plot to raise ancient powers from the depths that threaten control of the seas around the globe.



Key Features

    - Swashbuckling combat with swords and guns
    - Fast paced, strategic ship to ship combat
    - Board other pirate ships and take their crew
    - Explore the seven seas on a your mighty pirate ship and visit exotic locales
    - Manage your crew to make them stronger to help you command  the ship and fight in battles
    - Upgrade your ship and weapons to fit your play style

Genre: Third person action adventure (PIRATES)

Platform: PC (with Xbox 360 controller)



Gameplay Features

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Exploration
You play as Ashara, Captain of a pirate ship (name of ship to be determined) and sail the seas with a crew of other pirates. The game takes place in an another world where you get to decide where to sail your ship. There will be numerous ports and key locations where story will progress but there will also be a variety of other islands that contain loot and enemies to fight.



​Ship as a Hub
In the sea, the ship is your hub where you can interact with crew mates on board and find out more about their personalities and stories.  You can also partake in mini-games with crew mates  At any time you can take the helm of the ship to sail towards land or further in sea. There is a chance you can run into other pirate ships that may try to board you vessel and attack you.



​Ship to Ship Combat
This begins our ship to ship combat system. It will be a balance between positioning your ship with the wind and firing the cannons on the sides of your ships. (However this combat system has not been fully decided yet. It will most likely use the cannons on ship which can be upgrade). During ship to ship combat, you can also be boarded by the other pirates or you can board their ship. This will transfer over to our close combat system



​Close Combat
Close combat will be our most refined combat system and will draw inspiration from games such as Devil May Cry and Kingdom Hearts. You will be able to use a light attack and heavy attack, which in combination can be used to perform combos. A ranged attack using your gun (pistol) can be used for long range attacks as well as timed into combos.  You will also be able to dodge attacks as well as use blocking to deflect and parry an opponent’s moves. Further details about the combat system are still being worked out.



​Town, Resource System and Upgrades
In the pirate game you will be able to obtain a variety of resources that will important to juggle to get the most benefit in the game. These can all be used in town which will be your main hub besides your ship. You can get the following resources, food, wood, metal and RUM.



Food is used to feed your crew so having an ample supply of food will keep their moral and strength up. This will affect their ability to help you in both ship to ship and close combat. Different foods will also provide different benefits, such as high protein giving more attack but less health, high carbohydrate foods giving more health but less attack, sugary foods giving more speed, etc.



Wood will be used primarily for upgrading your ship and weapons in port towns. Wood is needed more so for ship upgrades but are sometimes needed for weapons as well. Ship upgrades include increasing sailing speed, upgrading the hull to withstand cannon fire, and upgrading your cannons for more damage.



Metal is used primarily for upgrading weapons and your ship in port towns. Weapons upgrades can increase the damage of the weapons and speed.

Rum is not used for upgrading but for aiding in combat instead. Rum can be consumed before or even during battle (This takes a several seconds though) and will provide temporary bonuses to your character. This includes healing, increasing health, increasing damage, and increasing speed.





​Summary
All of these systems are subject to change but these are some of the core ideas we plan to use. The ideas will be iterative and be subject to testing and change to gauge their usefulness and overall contribution to the game. The goal is to make this a fun piratey game and any aspects that detract from that will be changed or removed by the end.



This is Scorching South Studios, signing out.