Friends, my name is Peter and I want to tell you about my experience in developing an indie game - Tenebris. Work on the project began in May 2019, it was then, having only a rough concept and a wild desire in my head, began to assemble a team.
Pretty soon a friend joined me and together we began to think over the mechanics.
How it all started
Today, a specific situation has developed in the RPG and RTS genres. Talented studios, which at one time won the love of players, thanks to the creation of high-quality and, as a result, commercially successful projects, were absorbed by major publishers. The company has completely reoriented itself to a younger audience, significantly simplifying its games to please marketers and mobile market trends.
Due to problems with copyright holders, series such as HoMM and Disciples deteriorated and lost popularity. Among modern games, it is difficult to find something comparable to them in depth and mechanics. I myself would very much like to play a game similar to Disciples 2 but with modern mechanics and capabilities. Unfortunately, there was no such game.
Simply put - we are tired of waiting for a new cool game, so we decided to make it ourselves.
How to discourage the desire to make games and anything in general
In parallel, I took a game design course. As I went through the training, I received a feedback in the form of an assertion - “the idea is cool, but you still won't succeed” (then there was a larger list of why it didn't work out).
However, I was not going to convince anyone otherwise, which I advise you.
Here, it should be noted that almost the entire information field of the domestic gamedev, with enviable persistence instills a defeatist ideology.
When undergoing training, newcomers are diligently discouraged from creating their own projects, instead offering to go to work "for an uncle."
On YouTube, things are no better. The Russian segment of game development is literally crammed with whining, bad-looking young and not so people, telling how hard it is to create games (they would have worked at a construction site for a couple of months).
This contrasts especially strongly with Western business culture, where the desire for success and self-realization is cultivated and in every possible way encouraged.
Of course, you need to be prepared for difficulties, but if you enjoy the process, success is inevitable. The main thing is to do your job in stages moving towards the goal.
About the game
We chose 2D and Unity for rendering, as we were inspired by such games as the old HoMM, Darkest Dungeon and Disciples 2. In addition, the whole team just adore Sci-fi and, accordingly, the setting was fantastic.
For ourselves, we have made the following definition of our game.
Tenebris is a hardcore RPG with turn-based combat in a sci-fi setting.
The first concepts of the game looked like this.
When forming the team, I initially laid down the strategy that Sam Walton told about in his book “How I Created Walmart”.
The idea is how, not having the financial resources to compete with the networks, Sam offered a stake in his business. However, at the same time, he assembled a team, exclusively of initiative and loving people.
I believe that when working on a game, it is very important that the team members are fans of the genre in which the game is being created. In our case, the whole team loves Disciples 2, HoMM and XCOM. Thus, everyone enjoys the creation process.
After about six months of work on the prototype of the game, we formed the backbone of the team and first of all decided to redo the graphics.
By showing the sketches of the game to people, I came to the obvious conclusion - people love with their eyes. Whatever great ideas and mechanics are, they won't be taken seriously until the visuals are pleasing. But surprisingly, even people from gamedev with extensive experience are subject to this paradox.
An example of a hero graphics upgrade is Miles.
One of the ship's crew members is Aurora Nakayama.
An example of a search for visual style. We settled on a style similar to the Mass Effect series.
Plot connection
The plot of the game takes place in the distant future. A transport ship with colonists on board, sent to conquer the planet, goes astray and is in distress on an unknown and extremely unfriendly planet. People find themselves in a situation where they are forced to survive.
Combat locations in Tenebris are implemented in a similar way to Darkest Dungeon. We actively use parallax.
Game process
The player controls a squad of tough Space Marines, explores the planet and fights with disgusting monsters, hoping to save the expedition.
Gaining experience, characters are enhanced by discovering new skills and talents. This makes it possible to create combinations of characters and perks for different game tasks and play styles!
With the help of resources, the ship is improved and additional functionality of the compartments opens.
Ship « the Solaris » , serves as a central hub where the player can engage in micro-management unit and continue to plot an adventure.
Here you form a detachment of fighters who will go on the next sortie, equip them and supply them with everything they need.
Ship sketches and final render
Emphasis on variability
Also, at the stage of creating a general concept, we decided to focus on the variability of wagering - to give the player the opportunity to create his own unique team.
So, as he levels up, out of 5 basic archetypes (marine, attack aircraft, sniper, medic and engineer), the player will have access to more advanced classes.
Below is the prototype of the class - Phoenix.
Talent trees allow you to create unique builds. New abilities can drastically affect your battle strategy.
Boss battles are one of the most intense and interesting things in the game. Combat tactics with them must be carefully sought out by trial and error.
For defeating monsters, the game actively encourages valuable loot (hello Diablo), which can then be sold from the seller in the arsenal.
Team atmosphere
Rational use of time is one of the key factors in project management. Especially when time is very limited (main job, children, etc.).
It is necessary to streamline the work so that all team members understand each other perfectly.
To do this, we try to follow several rules:
- maximum openness within the team;
- respectful attitude towards all participants;
- search for compromises among different opinions and solutions.
Backbone of the team
Now the team has 5 people. Lead Game Designer, Animator, Unity Developer, Illustrator and me. I also do game design, design interfaces and coordinate all work on the project. We want to expand our team to ten people, now we need artists and programmers.
At the moment, the game is in alpha stage. The release is planned for the end in 2021 in Steam.
Write, we will be glad to cooperate and simple human communication!