Why develop Plan B: Terraform?
Today, I would like to go back a bit to the origin of the game.
It all started with Factorio. What an incredible game (the best game in the world? or is it Subnautica? no, it's Outer Wilds of course)!
No subscreens everywhere, no transports complicated to set up (hello Transport Tycoon). Everything is visual, you can follow the resources from the beginning to the end... really great! But also so grey, so sad...
Add a bit of Mini Metro (for transports creation simplicity) and Cities Skyline (for its simple and efficient level structure), and you have the main inspirations for the game.
So, 4 years ago (and after working for 5 years on Dig or Die), I started this new game, Plan B: Terraform.
A "factorio but more pleasing to the eye, more chill" was only one aspect of what I wanted:
- After Dig or Die, I wanted to use my water cycle simulation engine again, but in a context that would perhaps make more sense: the terraformation of a planet. My interest was to have a progressive, slow terraformation, where influencing some parameters would naturally modify the world, relying only on the simulation. Just the opposite of an instant, artificial, "upgrade button" type of terraforming.
- I also wanted a very, very large terrain. Frustrated by some games where you build trains to connect cities that are 100 meters apart, I wanted to give an impression of gigantism, of vast landscapes to cross. An almost infinite playground, which would not be intended to be exploited to the maximum, but to convey this impression of gigantism, and the scale of the terraforming project.
- Finally, I wanted to insist on the "scale up" aspect of the population, of the industry. I wanted a game where the orders of magnitude at the end were really different from the start.
This goes hand in hand with the two previous points, to give the player the impression of a real evolution during the game, of a complete change.
And thanks to the income from Dig or Die, and a help fund from the CNC in France, I was able to start this project serenely, being accompanied (among others) by a 3D artist during two years, and a composer. I'll come back to these talents in another blog post.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for my bad english. And ok, ok, now I go back to the updates!
Gaddy
It all started with Factorio. What an incredible game (the best game in the world? or is it Subnautica? no, it's Outer Wilds of course)!
No subscreens everywhere, no transports complicated to set up (hello Transport Tycoon). Everything is visual, you can follow the resources from the beginning to the end... really great! But also so grey, so sad...
Add a bit of Mini Metro (for transports creation simplicity) and Cities Skyline (for its simple and efficient level structure), and you have the main inspirations for the game.
So, 4 years ago (and after working for 5 years on Dig or Die), I started this new game, Plan B: Terraform.
A "factorio but more pleasing to the eye, more chill" was only one aspect of what I wanted:
- After Dig or Die, I wanted to use my water cycle simulation engine again, but in a context that would perhaps make more sense: the terraformation of a planet. My interest was to have a progressive, slow terraformation, where influencing some parameters would naturally modify the world, relying only on the simulation. Just the opposite of an instant, artificial, "upgrade button" type of terraforming.
- I also wanted a very, very large terrain. Frustrated by some games where you build trains to connect cities that are 100 meters apart, I wanted to give an impression of gigantism, of vast landscapes to cross. An almost infinite playground, which would not be intended to be exploited to the maximum, but to convey this impression of gigantism, and the scale of the terraforming project.
- Finally, I wanted to insist on the "scale up" aspect of the population, of the industry. I wanted a game where the orders of magnitude at the end were really different from the start.
This goes hand in hand with the two previous points, to give the player the impression of a real evolution during the game, of a complete change.
And thanks to the income from Dig or Die, and a help fund from the CNC in France, I was able to start this project serenely, being accompanied (among others) by a 3D artist during two years, and a composer. I'll come back to these talents in another blog post.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for my bad english. And ok, ok, now I go back to the updates!
Gaddy