WEEKLY UPDATE! - furiously writing stuff (Patreon)

It's been a BIG week. Very busy, furiously making the documents (& filling the forms) required to try and get some funding for our next game!

We're not done, and of course everything could still change.

Anyway! Let's get into it!

We're going to be splitting the infos up into 3 segments, this week we'll tell you about the story & the world, next week we'll talk about the gameplay, and the week after that we'll show off the visual ideas we have.

We'll post a screenshot of the page, followed by an english translation.

Let's start at the beginning. The idea came from a cross stitched logo for a game (that itself has probably nothing to do with cross stitch, and neither of us has played it) called "Creature Kitchen".It sparked an idea about a game taking place entirely inside a broken tapestry that refuses to be repaired.

Working title: "Rode Draad"Genre: rpg, story focusedPrice: pay what you want (with suggested price at 12€)(We want to try and keep our creations available to all as much as possible. And what we create is public domain.)Game length: 10-15 hours for the story, 20-25 for 100%Target audience: JRPG & retro RPG fans looking for a shorter experience that has a distinct look.Tools (open source as much as possible): Godot (game engine), Pixelorama / Flosscross (2d assets), Blender (3d assets), Ableton Live / Izotope RX (audio & music), AFFiNE (docs & writing)

What is this game?It's a dive into a wondrous tapestry.Key points:- a world inspired by medieval tapestries- using a classic RPG structure to reveal a double (triple?) reading level (there's the world inside the tapestry, the person trying to repair it, and the player)- it's a metaphor abour healing, and accepting the need for healing.

THE STORY

Tone: dramatic & poetic, with some relief and humor thrown in.

Story recap:In the world of Tapijt, the Heroes are those that fight the Beesten, to protect their realm. From the powerful kingdom of Kruissteek, the consortium of Naaigaren and the clans of Borduur, every realm has their way of raising and training their Heroes.As a young Hero of Kruissteek fresh out of the academy, it's now you and your friends' job to risk your life to protect the people of the realm.But Tapijt is in danger, and this time, the answer might be beyond its borders, in the Buiten, the mysterious world outside of Tapijt. Your little company of Heros will have to travel through the stitched world to find who's attacking your world, and what they want. Even if it means maybe having to confront what your world really is.

Somewhere in a forgotten exposition hall, a huge tapestry has been slowly fading away over the ages. It really needs to get restored. But fixing it won't be easy, especially if the tapestry and its' inhabitants do everything in their power to prevent it.

The story is built inspired by the classic "Kishôtenketsu" 4 act structure where the slow progression and build fits our world better.Our story is built using an Introduction/Development/Twists/Conclusion structure. First you get introduced to the world and the game mechanics, then you're let loose to explore and figure stuff out for yourself. Then the world gets flipped on its head, the rules you thought were true are actually all a lie. There's more beyond the edge of the world. The end reveals the ultimate twist: the world is not being destroyed, but repaired. But will our heroes realize it in time, and will they let the tapestry be repaired?

THE WORLD

All the names in the game are taken from the Dutch language, both because it's unusual, and because it's my (Seb) country of origin. Most terms are taken from embroidery and other fiber arts. But some names are just dutch place names (like Rhenen, which is the city I'm from)

Tapijt ("tapestry"): The world of the game, a giant tapestry, inspired by medieval tapestries with weird perspectives. This magic filled world is divided into 3 realms and the savage "Sierrand" ("decorative border").-Kruissteek ("cross stitch", a monarchy), architecture inspired by Bretagne (brittany?). The Heroes are trained from childhood and deployed by the academy.-Naaigaren ("sewing thread", a consortium): architecture inspired by Mongolia. the Heroes from here are traveling mercenaries-Borduur ("embroidery", a coalition of clans): architecture inspired by art deco & Scandinavia. The Heroes don't move around much, they are perfectly suited to their mountainous home region.

the monsters of Tapijt:-Beesten ("beasts"): the creatures that roam the world. Inspired by all the weird and wonderful critters that are found in manuscripts and other tapestries.-Vreemden ("weird ones/strangers"): the creatures from the outside. Little is known about them. They're not very aggressive but are always accompanied by catastrophies. In reality they're the tools of the restoration work. Visually they'll be distinct from the rest of the game.

Andere kant ("the other side"): the backside of the tapestry. A savage and chaotic world where everything is different. Randomness and danger are everywhere. Sometimes Vreemden roam here.

Buiten ("outside"): the real world that surrounds the tapestry, it's the walls it's hanging from and the tools the people outside use to fix it.Instead of talking about the sky, the inhabitants of Tapijt talk about the "Buiten". When they look up, they see the room.

Wow that was a wall of text. Enough for today. Check back next week to learn how to this game will (probably) be played!

See you all soon!