#gravefire

A few years ago a bad disease hit the town. It made a lot of people sick. A doctor had found the cure for the plague: she had developed an antidote that helped cure the disease in a matter of days. She gained popularity in town because of her noble achievement.

But that popularity wouldn’t last long. A rumour spread that the town’s water supply was tampered with, which actually caused the people to fall sick. The doctor was one of the main people behind the plot, so that she could gain money and fame by her supposed noble deed. She was sent to a distant prison south of the lake to be held captive in solitary confinement.

When the grave fire happened, the prison had burned down and the enclosing steel bars had melted, but the doctor was still alive. She found her lying next to her, but there was something peculiar about it - it emitted a faint green light. She picked it up, and there was a sudden wave of energy that passed through her. Her eyes gleamed, green in colour, and the cane’s head shone bright neon green. She could now see something she hadn’t seen ever before: souls, wandering around, at unrest.

I will also actively blog about the game’s progression this time. 

Inspirations

I have written previously that my previous game Sheeping Around was inspired by Card Thief. GRAVEFIRE, though has a lot of inspirations. The primary ones are:

Meteorfall: Journey by Slothwerks

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series

Slay the Spire by MetaCrit

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)

The first three are a good mix of roguelikes and turn based battle / card games, but you’d ask what does NFS: Hot Pursuit have to do with this genre? That game has a pretty good career mode UI they call “Autolog”, which inspired me to build something like that for my own game. More on that in the later sections of this post.

Platforms and Pricing Model

While Freemium is the reigning king as always and 90% of the new games released are free-to-play, and some devs report earning a good revenue from just ads, it’s just not for me, at least not for this game. I don’t feel very good about the whole economy that works by taking advantage of gamers’ psychology to extract maximum money out of them. “Milking the whales” as it is called.

GRAVEFIRE, therefore will be a premium game, and it will have no in-app purchases to buy extra in-game currency. (It will have in-game currency though, just purely for progression.) It may have IAPs / DLC to unlock extra content for future content updates, but that will not be present on release. I suffered somewhat of a backlash for having IAPs in a paid game for Sheeping Around. Pocket Tactics mentioned in its quite bad review of the game: “Extra supplies can be brought for real-world cash, a feature that is sure to irk many gamers, especially in a paid app.”

I will design the game to work well in portrait mode on mobile and landscape mode on tablets and desktop devices. The primary platform for the game will be PC, and mobile will be secondary. The audience on Steam isn’t very fond of mobile games repurposed / adapted to PC without much efforts. “Cheap mobile ports” as they say. I will make sure that doesn’t happen. It will work like a responsive website on a single codebase.

Pick Your Character

As in most role-playing games, in GRAVEFIRE too, you will be able to pick one of the three characters to begin your journey with. The three characters are: The Necromancer, The Crusader and The Alchemist. Each character will have its own cards and skills that differentiate it from the others. They will also have their own backstory of how they survived the grave fire, and what happens next.

A Burnt World to Explore

You will have a map to explore as you begin your journey. Select a location in the map to begin your game, which will be a mix of tower defense / turn based battle (more on that below). 

The map will have mountains, valleys, pits and other regions. Some thoughts around region names include: Lake of Blood, Mt. Blaze, Scorching Pit, Tree of Death. 

Like in Autolog in NFS: Hot Pursuit, you select a region as it becomes available, and pick an event to do in that region.

An event could be a main story quest, a side quest with rewards, or anything else (more on that later). You can do certain events as many times as you like. Some events may be a combination of one or more events.

Deck Lanes: Tower Defense meets Card Crawler

For GRAVEFIRE, I’m exploring a gameplay mechanic that I call Deck Lanes. Please excuse my lack of art skills:

Each dungeon in GRAVEFIRE will be a set of decks. Initially, it will be just one deck laid out in a 1x3 grid. Eventually the gameplay will get complex and may increase to 4x3 or even a 5x3 grid. Harder games will have a lot more cards in each deck. Possibly upto 50 cards per deck, totalling to a 250 card dungeon if laid out in a 5x3 grid.

Each dungeon deck has a set number of cards. In the most basic kind of event Survive, your objective is to survive until all decks run out. If you die in a dungeon, you lose and your game is reset to the last save / last event completed. The whole game isn’t entirely roguelike, only each event is: some people would call it roguelike-like or roguelite. 

Each dungeon deck can have monsters, skills for you to use, items and gold. Each turn, monsters advance one turn forward towards you, unless there is another monster ahead of it. If there is an item or a skill next to a monster and it wants to move forward, it will destroy the item and move forward anyway. So pick up any items before a monster comes your way. However, keep in mind, picking up items costs energy, so think wisely.

When you tap on the Necromancer, it shows cards you have in your hand. Each turn you draw 3 cards, and you can only hold a maximum of 8 cards in your hand. In the first turn you draw 5 cards. At the end of the turn, the cards you use are discarded in your discard pile. Using a card or picking up an item costs energy, indicated on the card. Each turn, you get 3 energy points to spend. The energy you have to spend will increase as you progress.

There will be lots of different types of attack / defense cards, skill cards that can impact the rest of the event. Items like potions can only be used once and they will disappear forever. Certain skills also can be used only once and then they exhaust, meaning they can not be used again for the rest of the event, but you will get them back in the next event.

Each monster in the lowest row has an intent to either attack or defend. (Or do more things like poison you or burn you, or it could bluff as well.) You must play your cards based on the intent of the monsters.

All of this is very similar in nature to Slay the Spire, but with the exception that everything is a card. Also the tower defense type ascension of monsters in deck lanes allows for some interesting gameplay design options.

Later during the game, you can also tame monsters and add to your team. It works a lot like befriending Pokemon in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. You cannot control them (they will move on their own), but you can use moves and skills to help boost their strength. If they die, you lose them permanently, so if a monster is really precious to you, you’d want to reset to your last save.

Event Types in GRAVEFIRE

Events will play a key role in GRAVEFIRE. Each region you unlock on the map will have various events that you can do. Like in Autolog in NFS: Hot Pursuit, each event could be a race, hot pursuit, preview, interceptor, etc.

Or like in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, each mission could be a rescue mission, or a mission to find an item, or to battle a legendary.

Events in GRAVEFIRE could be one of the following in the list, or a combination of two or more events:

Survive: The most basic type of event. Just explore a dungeon and survive until the dungeon decks run out. Your typical dungeon crawler. Each dungeon would have its own set of monsters and specific items or skills to acquire. You can explore a dungeon as many times as you want.

Soul Liberation: GRAVEFIRE has caused a lot of souls to be trapped, and they want to be free. Explore a dungeon, and find a soul stuck in one of the dungeon decks (most likely at the bottom of it) and use your special skills to liberate it.

Soul Searching: Some bodies have risen from their graves but have no purpose without their soul. They are harmless, but also aimless. Escort them to their soul stuck in one of the dungeon decks (most likely at the bottom of it). The key difference here is that the undead creature sits besides your primary character’s cards and the dungeon monsters can attack it. You must use your skills to protect yourself and the undead until it finds its soul. In return, they will reward you with some powerful skills and moves.

Soul Capture: In certain dungeons, monsters have become all powerful because of presence of a lot of wandering souls. Places like the Tree of Death are key areas for such events. In this kind of event, you must battle monsters and can also capture their souls and add to your team. They will be on your side starting your next turn. If they survive the deck, they will stay by your side in future battles too.

Find an Item: Much like soul liberation, there is a special item that you need to find. Explore a dungeon and find the item stuck in one of the dungeon decks (most likely at the bottom of it). Once you get to the item, acquire it.

Situation: A situation is choice driven event, where you are in a story based event and are given between 2-4 options to proceed. A situation may have between 2 - 5 steps that may happen based on your choices. The outcomes will result in you obtaining a few cards and skills to add to your deck, or to raise your HP or strength or even lose a few cards in your deck. The outcomes may be good or bad, depending on the type of situation you are in and your choices.

Healing: A healing event will never occur standalone on its own, and will most likely occur before an Elder Battle, GRAVE Battle or GRAVE Survival, or something really troubling. It is a special kind of Situation which only results in good outcomes. It will let you regain HP, boost your strength or gain special skills that will help you in the upcoming battle.

Elder Battle: Elders are special monsters that take between 2-4 entire deck lanes. Ordinary deck lanes will keep on moving forward as usual. you must defeat the elder to win this event. 

GRAVE Battle: A GRAVE Battle is a special kind of Elder Battle, where there are no ordinary deck lanes. There is just one massive Elder occupying the entire screen. You must defeat the monster to win this event. There will be only one GRAVE Battle in GRAVEFIRE and that comes towards the end. This special Elder is a monster that caused the grave fire. Battle and defeat it to beat the game and unveil the final secrets of GRAVEFIRE.

GRAVE Survival: The Elder that caused the grave fire will appear many times, but you will never be able to beat him until towards the end you acquire the skills to defeat him. In GRAVE Survival, you must only survive the battle against this Elder for a certain number of moves. This event will occur many times throughout the game, and each time you survive, you will unlock something rare and powerful and learn more about the backstory of GRAVEFIRE.

Suggestions?

In the coming few weeks, I will come up with a prototype, and also talk about the team behind the game, and progress updates including exploration of the art style, choice of music, and some UI designs.

If you have read so far, and like the concept, do let me know your thoughts in the comments.

After the grave fire, the lake had disappeared and all that remained was a large crater where the water used to be. The centre of the crater had turned all black. It would seem that they were the ashes of what remained, but they weren’t. It was The Shadow, born from the ashes of the grave fire. It had no body and no face, it was just pure darkness. Its eyes sparkled, hungering for all the wandering souls around it.

There lived a homeless man on the street, shivering due to the recent uptick in the cold weather. A woman appeared from the corner, dressed in all black, with an overcoat and some food in her arms. She put it in front of the homeless man. The man felt grateful, but before he could say anything, the woman had disappeared.

Blade was a servant of the poor, swift on her feet. She snuck around at night, stole from the ones who she thought had more than they deserved, and gave it to the more deserving. She saw herself as the maintainer of the balance.

When the grave fire happened, the town had burned down and there was no balance left to maintain. Fear and anxiety clouded her mind as she knew not what to make of what she saw. Her dagger lay besides her, but it emitted a strange lavender light. She picked it up, and her eyes shone bright. She could now see something she hadn’t seen ever before: souls, wandering around, at unrest.

But rumour has it he started practice occultism and dark magic and the town folk believed he would do more harm than good for the people. So, he was banished from the town, sent away to live in an abandoned fort like structure near the woods.

When the grave fire happened, everything burned and the town he once lived in turned to dust. But the fort like structure he stayed in, though now all black because of the fire, stood still as if nothing had happened. The hermit was still alive, surprised at his luck. Like the walls of the structure, his body had turned all black because of the fire.

By his side lay a scythe. He had never seen it before, how did it end up there? He picked it up and he felt energised by it. His eyes gleamed, red in colour. He could now see something he hadn’t seen ever before: souls, wandering around, at unrest.

Wrongly accused of treason by his own fellow mates, he was exiled from the kingdom and forced to spend his life by himself. But, what does it matter anymore? The kingdom has turned to dust and he is the only remaining survivor.

Even though he survived, his body was reduced to a mere skeleton. His vital organs did not exist, but he was breathing anyway. His sword was still by his side, as if untouched by the fire. Perhaps it was the reason for his survival? He picked it up and he could feel a sudden wave of energy rushing through his body. His eyes turned blue and now he could see something he had never seen before: souls, wandering around, in unrest.

The Knight

An exiled ex-general of the army of a distant kingdom, The Knight is a warrior that spent his days before the grave fire in a small cottage by the lake, training alone. Wrongly accused of treason by his own fellow mates, he was exiled from the kingdom and forced to spend his life by himself. But, what does it matter anymore? The kingdom has turned to dust and he is the only remaining survivor.

Even though he survived, his body was reduced to a mere skeleton. His vital organs did not exist, but he was breathing anyway. His sword was still by his side, as if untouched by the fire. Perhaps it was the reason for his survival? He picked it up and he could feel a sudden wave of energy rushing through his body. His eyes turned blue and now he could see something he had never seen before: souls, wandering around, in unrest.

Special Skill: Combo Boost: Every time The Knight repeats his last move, the damage of his move increases by 50%. For instance, if he does 3 attack moves with 4 damage each, they will do 4, 6 and 8 damage instead.

The Necromancer

On the other side of the lake, by the woods, lived a hermit. He used to live in the town nearby working as a medium not so long ago, helping people communicate with the other side to settle their griefs of loss of loved ones. But rumour has it he started practice occultism and dark magic and the town folk believed he would do more harm than good for the people. So, he was banished from the town, sent away to live in an abandoned fort like structure near the woods.

When the grave fire happened, everything burned and the town he once lived in turned to dust. But the fort like structure he stayed in, though now all black because of the fire, stood still as if nothing had happened. The hermit was still alive, surprised at his luck. Like the walls of the structure, his body had turned all black because of the fire.

By his side lay a scythe. He had never seen it before, how did it end up there? He picked it up and he felt energised by it. His eyes gleamed, red in colour. He could now see something he hadn't seen ever before: souls, wandering around, at unrest.

Special Skill: Decoy Summon: At the start of each turn, The Necromancer will summon a decoy that the enrages certain enemies and they will attack the decoy instead. The decoy will take damage and disappear, keeping the necromancer safe until it exists.

The Alchemist

A few years ago a bad disease hit the town. It made a lot of people sick. A doctor had found the cure for the plague: she had developed an antidote that helped cure the disease in a matter of days. She gained popularity in town because of her noble achievement.

But that popularity wouldn’t last long. A rumour spread that the town’s water supply was tampered with, which actually caused the people to fall sick. The doctor was one of the main people behind the plot, so that she could gain money and fame by her supposed noble deed. She was sent to a distant prison south of the lake to be held captive in solitary confinement. 

When the grave fire happened, the prison had burned down and the enclosing steel bars had melted, but the doctor was still alive. She found her lying next to her, but there was something peculiar about it - it emitted a faint green light. She picked it up, and there was a sudden wave of energy that passed through her. Her eyes gleamed, green in colour, and the cane’s head shone bright neon green. She could now see something she hadn’t seen ever before: souls, wandering around, at unrest.

Special Skill: Brew Potion: After the end of every turn, The Alchemist will brew a potion that gets added to the discard pile for use when the next time it is shuffled in the deck. The potions can be used only once and are temporary. They get discarded after the battle.

The Nightblade

There lived a homeless man on the street, shivering due to the recent uptick in the cold weather. A woman appeared from the corner, dressed in all black, with an overcoat and some food in her arms. She put it in front of the homeless man. The man felt grateful, but before he could say anything, the woman had disappeared.

The Nightblade was a servant of the poor, swift on her feet. She snuck around at night, stole from the ones who she thought had more than they deserved, and gave it to the more deserving. She saw herself as the maintainer of the balance.

When the grave fire happened, the town had burned down and there was no balance left to maintain. Fear and anxiety clouded her mind as she knew not what to make of what she saw. Her dagger lay besides her, but it emitted a strange lavender light. She picked it up, and her eyes shone bright. She could now see something she hadn’t seen ever before: souls, wandering around, at unrest.

Special Skill: Double Attack: The first attack that the Nightblade does that costs 1 energy hits twice.

The Corruption

After the grave fire, the lake had disappeared and all that remained was a large crater where the water used to be. The centre of the crater had turned all black. It would seem that they were the ashes of what remained, but they weren’t. It was The Corruption, born from the ashes of the grave fire. It had no body and no face, it was just pure darkness. Its eyes sparkled white, hungering for all the wandering souls around it.

Special Skill: Soul Absorb: At the end of every turn, The Corruption absorbs the soul of the monster it is facing if the monster reaches less than 1/4th of its HP, and brings the monster to its side, making the monster battle for its side.