Future Project: Science Fiction Spiritual Successor to TLS (Patreon)

This post isn't going to be quite like the others, before or after, because it's about something I intend to do instead of something I've started. I love what I did with The Last Sovereign and I would like to do it again: another very long game with complex decisions and political/economic variables.

I already did a huge fantasy game, though, so what appeals most to me is tackling the same appeals in science fiction. I have been accumulating notes about this potential project for a long time, though it isn't really something I'm ready to launch into. The title might be "The Final Void" but I'm undecided, so I'll just keep referring to it awkwardly. =P Yes, I realize the title is similar to The Last Sovereign, but the meanings of the titles are very different and some similarity in two similar games doesn't bother me.

TLS was about change and having an impact on the setting, and the successor would definitely have similar elements. In this case, one idea that excites me is a much longer timeline: not years passing but decades. This wasn't really possible with TLS because I would have needed an insane number of new assets to cover all the characters aging, but starting a new project with more resources, I think I could handle it, which would allow me to tackle some different themes.

One of those would be technological change, and here I want to do some things I haven't seen done often in science fiction. The player's actions would have a major impact on the setting, changing both society and means of warfare. There definitely wouldn't be a harem of 30+ people (as I've said, that was unwieldy in TLS) but I could handle all the characters in greater depth, which I hope would lead to complexity that appeals to fans of TLS without just replicating the same thing.

The setting will be a galaxy merger in which multiple species are reverse engineering technology from dead civilizations, which leads to a technological split. Fully understood technology is called "white box tech" and will follow the known laws of physics. "Gray box" technology is somewhat understood and allows some cheats, such as fusion reactors with good enough efficiency to allow for interstellar travel, and I have some interesting ideas for how to tackle how these work practically. "Black box" technologies are the riskiest because their mechanisms aren't understood at all.

(These are in-world terms, and here's a key detail: the classifications will not remain the same throughout the game's storyline. What happens when the principles of a black box technology start to be come understood and how does that affect society? Scientists worry about things like a "light gray scenario" and many other fun wrinkles.)

At this point I'm tempted to tell you about all the species, characters, and tech ideas I have, but that would probably be premature. No point teasing a project that is still in the nebulous future. Okay, one tease: one of the characters is a sapient gray goo paperclip optimizer!

All of this excites me... but there are very good reasons why I'm not launching into such a big project just yet. One is that I am a bit tired after such a long endeavor, plus I'm still putting a lot of work into polishing and concluding TLS properly. Another is that I need to make huge foundational decisions about the project, ones that could have a massive impact on my life for potentially another decade, and I'm not sure I'm in the right position to make those decisions yet.

For example, what engine do I use? I could use RPG Maker MZ and try to fancify it a bit - you guys all followed me for an RPG Maker project, so that wouldn't be the end of the world. However, if I could build the game in something with a wider appeal, I hope that it could be a real step up. Unfortunately, doing that would commit me to a lot of asset commissions, and I don't know what level of game I can afford to fund.

I can do complex decisions and consequences in just about any engine, but choosing fundamental gameplay is a foundational element of a project. I could modify RPG Maker for science fiction combat, but it would have limitations, and I've never felt that personal combat is a good choice for science fiction.

There's also the huge question of what NSFW elements to include. Obviously the idea of crazy alien sex appeals to me, but would positioning this project too deep into the NSFW space handicap its potential? I don't personally feel that adult content limits a story, but it does limit your audience. Maybe I could create a project with sex playing a limited role: Mass Effect got away with it, after all, and Baldur's Gate 3 got to be super horny all the time. But this is another example of a major question I want to be confident in before I move forward.

So this post is more of a promise than a plan. I want to create more games on the scale of TLS in my life, but overlapping them would be too much for me . My intent is to give TLS all the support/polishing it deserves while finishing some smaller projects. Hopefully at the end of that period I will be refreshed, have more resources, and be able to make the decisions to launch into something massive again.

Hence 

This is why I'm going in multiple directions: I need to test my resources and limitations. If I want to go for something bigger, I need tried and trusted collaborators. This isn't a random project like TLS was when it started, it's my career, and I want it to be a flourishing one.

So on that note, the DStP Kickstarter! It has been out less than a week and we are over 250% with 100+ backers, which puts us in view of the first stretch goal. If you haven't been keeping up, that's the one that lets Annikath animate all the scenes in the game!

It's premature to draw too many conclusions yet, but it seems like the KS will at least fulfill my base goal: getting a successful campaign in my portfolio. I'm not sure when I'd return to the platform, but this will put me in a stronger position for that time.

And since KS is no longer a platform where people just show up, I couldn't have done it without you guys. My supporters here are over half the current backers, and I definitely see you, from those who have been surprisingly generous to every familiar name pledging $1 and boosting the project's legitimacy to others looking in. I hope to keep moving upward so the project is in a strong position by the final stretch. Thank you all. ^-^

Whew, this post is long enough. Thanks for everything and please look forward to the future!