Project "Nonfi Nis" - Week 1

For about two decades I have been dreaming of creating my own video game. An adventure game that lets you explore a solar system with exotic locations and different alien cultures, with a flexible story that adapts to your choices and various characters to befriend (or not).

But as it turns out, such a project is much more complex than teenage me expected. I've been fleshing out this world for years, and dabbled with the Unity game engine for the past two of them, but it still seems so far out of reach. Especially for a private project that I need to do in my spare time.

So after consuming a lot of helpful advice from various sources, I've decided to start a first practice project. A small, feasible game that lets me experiment with some of the mechanics, hone my skills and chip away at that enormous task ahead of me. And to make sure I really follow through with this project, I'm inviting you to come along.

Now, the first question to answer is: What kind of game do I want to make?

Brainstorming the Concept

The Fundamental Mechanics

Based on the advice to start small, I first thought about making a casual puzzle game. I thought it would be neat to simulate the kind of matter-transforming abilities that Those Who Know have - redirecting radiation energy to alter the configuration of atoms and later molecules. And then I could add some kind of cutscenes to show how the species evolved around that form of magic. A bit like "Breakout" meets "Doodle God".

But something did not feel right about that concept. It was too different from the big vision that I have for the "real" game, more like a weird minigame that would annoy players if it popped up in an epic adventure. I also thought: If I want people to get interested in the long-term project, wouldn't it be better to aim for consistency? Give them a taste of what they can actually expect once I'll get to making the "true" game? And most importantly: What skills do I want to practice?

So I took a step backwards and asked myself: What is supposed to be the core mechanic of my big dream game? And the answer is: Interacting with different characters and making meaningful choices to influence the story. And with this, I settled on the idea of a story-centric adventure game.

The Plot Hook

So, now I needed an interesting bit of story to tell through that game. For this, I turned to my worldbuilding notes and examined the various events I had mentioned here and there.

There were the recent events that set the stage for the "big" game - I couldn't use those because I would need them for the main story later. So what about the history of this world? At some point I had gone off on a tangent and started fleshing out the history of the Nimýric Imperial Bloodline. But the problem with those events was - their outcome was already determined. As a player, I would feel kinda cheated if I tried out a different path than the canonical storyline and then I'd be told "nope, that doesn't count".

That left me with the parts of history that were not yet defined clearly. Such as the aftermath of the Final War that made the Rilsu into who they are today. And that idea finally felt right. Because it meets two important criteria: It is useful for developing that culture's background, but I can focus the story on a handful of survivors whose actions will not change the overall path of history.

This leads me to the working title: "Nonfi Nis", which translates as "Empty Night" in Rile, my conlang for the Rilsu. Said "empty night" is the night immediately following the final wave of attacks in my world's lore, and therefore the starting point for this game's story. (By lucky coincidence, it also resembles the words "non finis", which is kinda poetic because this is indeed not the end of Ranul's civilization.)

Solidifying the Concept

Sketching the Plot

By settling on the basic mechanic - making decisions to change the path of the story - I now know that the story should be my main focus. So I started by writing down the major plot points. Where would the story start, and where would it go?

These are my three acts.

1. The survivors in one shelter realize that the fighting has ended, but they lost contact with everyone else.
2. The survivors manage to establish contact with another shelter, but it's from the enemy side.
3. The survivors encounter the group from the enemy shelter.

Well, this outline does not sound too original yet - but that's just fine for a small practice piece.

Next, I added in the major branching points, where the player's decision might influence the outcome.

For example:

• Which side of the war do they blame, once they realize how bad the situation is now?
• Do they actively seek out the enemy group, or try to avoid meeting them?
• What are their intentions towards the other group when they actually meet them?

Now I have a rough idea of what paths the story can take. I'm forcing myself not to write down too many choices at this point - this will get complicated soon enough, and I can probably add in more choices once the prototype is done.

Limiting the Scope

Next, I decided what locations and characters I would need. Here, the decision to focus on small bomb shelters pays off - I won't need large, complicated environments because the shelters will likely be cramped and functional. As for the outside world, a single path through the mountains will probably do. That is, if I even show it in the end - I might just as well skip to the point where one of the parties has traveled to the other shelter. We'll see.

As for the inhabitants, the shelters will be very close to the border between the two factions. It's highly unlikely that anyone of historical importance will live there - which is exactly what I want, so that I don't mess up the overall timeline for my main story. So it will be two civilian families. This gives me a single digit number of people per group.

And the protagonist? Well, they need to be someone in the middle of the hierarchy - important enough that the family will listen to them, but not powerful enough to just force their decision on the rest of them. Otherwise the game would be over within a few minutes.

I'm tempted to add multiple POV characters at this point, to let the player choose one they identify with. But remember, my goal is to keep it simple right now - if things go smoothly, I can add more features later.

Wrapping Up

So, this is what my concept looks like in a nutshell.

It is an adventure game which tells the story of two enemy families in the wake of a devastating war. The player's choices will determine how their family approaches the other group, and how well this encounter will go.

(And already, part of my brain is itching to slap on RPG mechanics, personality models, combat sections and what have you. Shush, brain. Let's take one step after the other, right?)

Over the next few weeks, I plan to figure out some of the characters and maybe sketch a conversation or two. My goal is to post updates here at least once a month.

Feel free to let me know what you think about this concept!