SD2 Nomad

aarrarararararrar I'm-a eatin' deer.

Nomad John Gosling and Marvine Reed

In a timeless struggle of Man versus Wild, cut out your place in the world. Hunt for food, craft tools and weapons, or clothes for protection and warmth. Join a tribe, raid others, or work the more dangerous route between fledgling powers on your own.

• Needs System: Players must balance their time to fulfill the basic needs of survival.

• Expansive World: Snowy peaks to Humid Jungles

• Day/Night Cycle: Different creatures and dangers during night.

• Weather System: Snow, rain, storms, etc., with a real effect on gameplay and tactics.

• Seasons: Different weather patterns and temperatures, or available plants.

• Tracking: Find paths and trails to track down animals or set up traps.

• Visceral Combat: Aimed attacks that do damage and wound according to where they hit.

• Animal AI: Creatures that act according to their needs, hunting in packs for prey, fleeing when scared, etc.

• Character Growth: Skills and Attributes that grow as they’re used.

• Crafting: Create tools , clothing and weapons to improve your skills or open new tactics.

• Tribes: Interact with or join other groups of people in the wild.

Player Motivation The player wants to survive in the world; fulfill basic needs (food, water, warmth), survive encounters with hostile creatures and humans, and improve the avatar’s skills, abilities and items. The gameplay experience is extended based on any emergent goals the player sets up for themselves.

Genre Third-Person atmospheric survival game (Action-RPG)

Target Customer RPG fans looking for something different, Action/Survival players, players who enjoyed the open worlds of the Elder Scrolls, survivalists or hunters, Naturalists, “Arty” types

Competition Limited. This genre is fairly untapped save a few very old games in slightly similar veins like Wasteland or The Lost Tribe.

Target Hardware PC/Windows

Design Goals Educational: Survival in the wild, learn tactics and techniques. Rich: A unique experience, full of awe-inspiring sights.

GAME OVERVIEW Exploration Survival Combat Crafting

COMMON QUESTIONS What is the game? Why create this game? Where does the game take place? What do I control, and how? What is the main focus? What’s different?

FEATURE SET

“SKILLS AND ABILITIES APPENDIX”

“RESEARCH APPENDIX”

"IMAGE APPENDIX"

Goal/Philosophy Exploration To create a wide, open, expansive world in which the core of gameplay is the freedom to pursue the life the player wishes. The player has a wide climate to explore from humid jungles, temperate forests, and frozen mountain peaks. Players will be able to explore farther and more extreme climates as they acquire new skills and items (for example, water stills and skins to travel farther from rivers, or heavy clothing to venture into colder weather).

Survival The player has to fight to fulfill his basic human needs; find water, cook food, build shelter from the elements, create clothing for warmth and protection… All against the whims of nature, violent beasts, or even other humans.

Combat A steady and strategic game in which the player must find traces of animal life, close in while sticking behind cover and in shadows, then take the creature down with quick and targeted strikes, with a variety of weapons.

Crafting Using the elements of the world, the player must utilize resources to construct shelters, traps, weapons, clothing, and a wide assortment of tools to aid in survival.

Common Questions

What is the game? Nomad is a third person atmospheric “exploration/stealth/survival” game, where the player faces against beast and nature to survive in a lush land. The player has to gather food through combat or traps, maintain his health by treating his wounds, and stay hydrated and warm. The player will craft items and learn vital skills to help him in the wilderness, and carve out a life in a violent yet beautiful world.

What is the game genre? Third-Person exploration/stealth/survival; the defining characteristics of gameplay are world exploration, stealth elements, quick intense combat, Sims-like condition management, tribal skirmishing, and resource management/crafting.

What platform(s) is this game for? PC/Windows; this game is aimed at a fairly niche market, and will most likely be distributed online. If there is significant interest in the title, a port to the Wii would be ideal due to the unique control scheme that would blend well with the goals of immersion and interaction. A later port to 360 would be possible, although a thorough market analysis should be undertaken first to see if the demographic is interested in this style of game.

What is the game’s rating, and why? This game is rated Mature. Intense Violence, Blood and Gore: The game shows graphic depictions of violence against animals and humans Alcohol/Drug Reference (?): Alcohol item/food, drugs in shamanistic culture Simulated Gambling (?): minigame, bartering… can be cut. Partial Nudity (?): minimum outfit? Will avatars always have loin cloths? Sexual Themes/suggestive themes (?): Family/breeding

Why create this game? Nomad seeks to reconnect the player with that inherent primal nature, allowing them to test their mettle through the challenges that faced humanity as the species struggled against a vicious nature, as we slowly gained strength and bent our environment to our will. Through facing these challenges, they will be drawn closer to the world and see the true grace and power of nature. Nomad will give access to a world so far in our past that still burns so deep within our being. We crawled across the world from our origins 200,000 years ago, and only as recently as 10,000 years ago began the agricultural revolution. Our many eras as hunters have infused us with a set of primal instincts that we rarely get to exercise. For a wide variety of reasons, we don’t seek to live off the land; it is as dangerous as it has always been. Nomad gives the player a chance to explore his primal memories.

Where does the game take place? The game location is a new world, but based in a sense of reality. The world is mostly an expansive forest, with streams and rugged terrain. The southwest of the world is a beach against the sea, leading into with warmer climes towards the south (more jungle foliage). The middle is filled with temperate forest and a few scattered plains, with a few trickling streams and rivers running down from the hilly north. The north end of the gameworld is steeper, climbing up into high peaked, snowcapped mountains. While there is a shift of warm to cold on the map, all regions will experience a weather shift through seasons appropriate to the region (the beach/jungle area will have typhoons, storms, etc, but no snow. The mountain peaks will range pretty much from different snow types, wind, or clear. Temperate zone will have all ranges of weather, dependent on season, except for the most extreme. All elements of the gameworld are “condensed”; day and night happen within an hour or so, and seasons approach after only a month or two of game time. The geographic layout shows a vast expanse of environments from deserts and jungles to temperate forests and mountains over a (relatively) smaller distance. While the game will still “feel” realistic in setting, it is an exaggerated realism, one that allows for more player choice and gameplay options, while still seeming grounded.

What do I control, and how? The player has control over an on-screen avatar, and a third person camera centered on the avatar. While the player will be able to work with one or two other characters, there will be a limited amount of influence on them, through suggestions and general commands, which the character may choose not to obey. The player controls the avatar movement with the WASD keys. Shift and control alternate the player between stances (combat/running). The number keys are assigned to quick-items that the player has equipped: belt items, back mounted, weapon… ‘E’ lets the player interact with the environment. ‘Q’ lets the player communicate with anyone nearby. The mouse movement controls the camera’s path around the avatar (thus directing the crosshair/avatar’s facing). The scroll wheel can adjust the camera’s zoom level. The left mouse button selects menu choices, or attacks at the crosshair’s location. The right mouse button makes an alternate attack.

What is the main focus? The player wants to survive in the world; fulfill base needs (food, water, warmth), survive encounters with hostile creatures and humans, and improve the avatar’s skills, abilities and items. The gameplay experience is extended based on any emergent goals the player sets up for themselves. Such extended goals are: • Find a partner to hunt with • Find a mate • Begin a family • Grow a family tree into a tribe • Befriend or even join an existing tribe • Gain position in a tribe, defend against or lead raids on other tribes, expand • Stay on the edges of societies as a robber, feeding off other’s success • Create a homestead out in the wilderness with a strong advanced shelter, fire, tools, crops, etc. • Wander across the world, sleeping wherever your feet stop. • Survive in the harsh snow covered peaks, or the humid heat of the jungle • Create an elaborate trap maze • Make the clothing you find aesthetically appealing, the highest quality, the strongest, the warmest, of a particular species (wolf fur, etc.) • Customize your tools and weapons with personalized carvings • Maximize a trade skill, or many trade skills • Maximize a statistic, or many statistics • Fight a bear. Bare-handed. And Naked. And on the highest chilly peak. In winter. While it’s snowing. While injured.

What’s different? No one is currently attempting this in the market. The closest comparison is actually comparing different gameplay elements to existing methods in top games. The Sims: The closest comparison would be Will Wright’s The Sims, in that the player’s primary concern is in maintaining his hierarchy of needs. Unlike The Sims, these needs are harder to sustain, they affect more than just “mood”, and they influence how the character performs in the world around him. And clearly, the tone and setting is radically different than plush suburban life. Thief: Combat in Nomad is fast and visceral, composing of three parts; tracking, stalking, and attacking. Tracking is when the player is following tracks and other clues of the animals motions, Stalking is when the player is positioning and moving in closer when in visual range of the creature, and combat is when the player quickly engages the enemy and tries to bring them down as fast as possible. The Stalking portion has the closest parallel to Thief, in that the player must close in on his prey while staying out of eyesight and down wind, using cover and shadow to hide. Combat is quick, like Bushido Blade, except with a health system to keep the player from being killed in one hit or making the game too easy.

Oblivion: the visuals are similar to oblivion’s landscape, with the weather modification. All of the visuals are slightly exaggerated though, giving a more majestic appearance. Feature Set General Features

• Expansive world, ranging from freezing snowy peaks to humid jungles • Day/night cycle: Different creatures are out at different times of day, night hunting can be more difficult and dangerous. • Full weather system: snow, rain, storms, etc, with a real effect on the player, gameplay, and strategies. • Seasons that alter the weather, plant cycles, and temperature. • Tracking; the player finds clues and “breaks in nature” to find creatures or people. Footprints, broken leaves, paths, and common meeting areas. • Visceral Combat; aimed attacks that do damage and wound according to where they hit. • Advanced AI; creatures act according to their needs, hunt in packs, and know to flee when scared. • Needs system; players must balance their time to fulfill the basic needs of survival. • Statistics and skills that grow as they’re used, and slowly degrade when they’re not. • Complete crafting system with a full tree of items, tools, traps, weapons, clothing, and shelters. • Tribal societies; players can interact and join with small communities of other humans; even gaining position and favour. • Modern 3d graphics: Shaders, depth maps, HDR lighting. • Emergent animation: Animation is based on how the form interacts in the world, not preset animation sequences (Indiana Jones, Spore). • Speedtree for dense and detailed forests • Havok for full physics (mostly used for traps) • Player Controlled Aesthetic: Woodcarving, hide styling, tattoos

Possible Features: • Randomized Environment (only if creature AI and pathfinding can still work) • Custom traps and structures(physics enabled items, if it is easy enough to set up and use)

Multiplayer Features

• Co-op; players can join the other’s world (entering through the tribal huts?), join in the hunt or help build traps/shelters with their partner • Multi-player invites: Like co-op play, but extending to multiple players (16?) in which the players can form a tribe, or fight among each other. • Once the multiplayer code is implemented (if it can be), players will be able to join servers with either pre-set equipment and stats, or through saved characters on the servers (with simple stats/items log files). Bringing single player characters to a multiplayer server would cause cheating/security issues. • Players can communicate through voice or text • Players will be visible on the map (default, can be changed in server settings) Editor

• No built in editor • The title built for ease of modding, will release proper tools for the modding community. • This game will have a much greater lifespan if its gameplay is placed in different settings and themes with the modding community. Could easily become fantasy, post-apocalyptic, etc.

Gameplay

• Hunting, trapping, stalking, fighting, crafting, traveling, exploring, surviving, improving • Find a partner to hunt with • Find a mate • Begin a family • Grow a family tree into a tribe • Befriend or even join an existing tribe • Gain position in a tribe, defend against or lead raids on other tribes, expand • Stay on the edges of societies as a robber, feeding off other’s success • Create a homestead out in the wilderness with a strong advanced shelter, fire, tools, crops, etc. • Wander across the world, sleeping wherever your feet stop. • Survive in the harsh snow covered peaks, or the humid heat of the jungle • Create an elaborate trap maze • Make the clothing you find aesthetically appealing, the highest quality, the strongest, the warmest, of a particular species (wolf fur, etc.) • Customize your tools and weapons with personalized carvings • Maximize a trade skill, or many trade skills • Maximize a statistic, or many statistics • Fight a bear. Bare-handed. And Naked. And on the highest chilly peak. In winter. While it’s snowing. While injured.

The Game World

The Physical World

Map

See Attached Images: Map

Overview The gameworld is an abstraction of a vaguely Central European wilderness, set at the end of the Neolithic revolution, about 8,000 years ago. While there are established cultures, tribes, religious customs, and an agriculture, tribes are still fairly transient. There are established agricultural civilizations, but only a few currently exist in the world, and none exist within the scope of the gameworld. This is the beginning of human culture and civilization, although the player experience is more in the wild. The landscape ranges from mountain peaks to temperate forests to humid jungles to sandy beaches.

Key Locations There are no “Key locations”, as the tribes in the game continually shift location depending on resources and battles. The player chooses where to settle or hunt in the landscape, making his own key locations. There are notable landmarks in the terrain that may become key locations depending on how the tribes interact with them or player preference. A few examples of this are bronze veins, highest peaks, rivers, edible plant groves, caves. A few tribes will be unique and will be a Key Location, but they may not stay in the same area as all tribes are transient. These tribes are detailed in the Game Characters section.

Travel Players spend most of their time walking through the world on their own. There is a quick travel option, where players select land they’ve already explored on the map and quickly travel to that location (think: line in the Indiana Jones movies). However, travel in this manner will still affect statistics and energy according to the time passing (trekking a whole day will only take a few seconds but will significantly increase the players thirst and hunger and reduce their stamina). Also, encounters with hostile creatures or humans will cancel quick travel.

Scale Scale is smaller than “real”, but exaggerated where aesthetically appealing. While hiking down a mountain takes significantly shorter time than in real life, trees still appear tall and cliffs still appear steep. Scale is slightly smaller than in oblivion. As in most games, structures will be slightly bigger on the inside than on the outside, for ease of view.

Objects See the “Objects Appendix” for a list of all the objects found in the world.

Weather There will be a full weather system that will have a direct affect on gameplay. • Spring: The weather warms up, rain/storms and other severe weather is more common. • Summer: Hottest season. Many fruits and plants are in full growth at this time. • Fall: Weather begins to cool and become greyer, while the trees become lush with color. Most plants are harvested now. Most of fall is spent preparing for winter. • Winter: The harshest season in temperate climes, the cold cannot be survived without proper shelter and fire, food is scarce (many animals hibernate or hole up for the season), water sources are frozen over… Without preparation, winter can be lethal to the strongest of Nomads.

 Snow: Snow is simply rain in cold enough climates will cause snow. Snow severely reduces stamina when walked through, severely reduces body warmth, and slows movement.  Fog: Fog can severely limit visibility, and is usually associated with wet and/or cold weather. The limit of visibility can work both for and against the player, limiting his view but also limiting the prey’s senses.  Rain: Rain is vital for crop growth and replenishing standing water, but is hard on nomads without shelter, preventing sleep and reducing body warmth. Being wet also increases weight which speeds up stamina reduction, and severely reduces comfort.  Strong Winds: Strong Winds can destroy feeble shelters and traps, as impair the senses of the player and creatures. Winds also render ranged weapons useless. On the plus side, it reduces the chance of a creature smelling the player before they are in range.  Storms: Storms are strong winds combined with rain. This dramatically increases the adverse affect of rain.

Day and Night The day and night system is fully incorporated and makes a large difference on the game. Animals and people have different routines depending on the time of day, certain actions are easier when it is light out, and hunting at night is a different experience…

Seasons Seasons occur every one-two months in game. This progressed time allows the player to experience a wider variety of weather and situations, makes agriculture a more viable option, and generally expands the game experience.

Time Time is on an adjusted scale, just as seasons and the world size is. 24 in-game hours can pass in about 2 “Real” hours (adjusted for gameplay). It should be noticeable enough where the player has to concern himself with what he can accomplish in one day, but not enough to make the setting seem unrealistic.

Game Engine

Real AI The Game Engine will be able to process groupthink for clusters of animals, making sure they are always seeking to fulfill their needs. The further the player is from the creatures, the more abstracted and general the AI runs. This will keep animals and tribes moving to new locations and new resources, instead of starving to death in an area with no food.

Database Information Most game information is stored in easy-to-access databases, in the form of XML spreadsheets. This will make it easier for the modding community to edit and change game elements such as animal aggression and number, weather patterns, etc.

Landscape The landscape will be built using the speedtree middleware, to quickly and reliably fill the world with genus appropriate flora.

Physics The engine will use the Havok Middleware to quickly and reliable render object physics.

Shadows The Game Engine will support dynamic shadows, allowing for different stalking and hiding possibilities throughout the day, and more atmospheric traveling at night.

Water The Game Engine will show beautiful streams and waterfalls, rippling, flowing, and reflecting. The water will be limited to a beach the player cannot swim too far into, and many small streams and a few rivers in the game world.

Rendering System

Overview The rendering system must show the wide and epic landscapes throughout the world, but still be able to draw the close details such as rocks, branches, shrubbery, and other details. The feel will always be an exaggerated reality, with snow pouring in and tinting the world blue, humid heat casting yellow waves and slight heat distortion…

2D/3D Rendering Built on Gamebryo(rendering engine), Havok(physics), and Speedtree(trees); this combination was used in Oblivion, which is a good foundation for the visuals that will be attempted in Nomad. It needs to show MASSIVE expansive environments, no real opportunities for loading transitions (load-on-the-fly), with detailed close environments down to the shrubbery. Another possibility is the new Crytek engine, the interaction and visuals are exactly what we hope to accomplish, while still maintaining a certain level of malleability and creature AI. This engine has not been tested, however, and appears much more power-intensive than the gamebryo engine.

Camera

Overview The camera is a 3rd person view centered on the avatar, but with some float (for aesthetic reasons). The avatar is always in the center of the screen, but not specifically the DEAD center. If the player scans the view right the avatar will be a bit more on the left side of the screen, and vice versa. The player may zoom in an out, but the scale is set to prevent “cheating line-of-sight”; far enough to give the player a sense of presence in the world and prevent unknown attacks.

Special Circumstances When the player switches to a menu view, the game pauses, and the camera view changes.

• Combat: The camera will zoom in closer during combat, while the distant world becomes less noticeable. This creates a more intimate and immediate emotion within the combat mode, simulates an avatar’s “tunnel vision”, and allows the player to better aim his attacks. • Death: On death the world slows down and fades to heavy burgundy tints, while the camera shows a more cinematic angle of the player’s death. The camera slowly rises upwards while focusing on the avatar and fades to black. • The camera has an active role in the menu views, which is detailed in User Interface: Character, Health and Inventory Menus.

Objectives

Overview There are no normal mission structures in Nomad; much like in The Sims, the player chooses what his objectives are. The player can create his own missions; How far can I travel without settling? I need to hunt and kill the Great Bear of the Forest! Should I begin a full out attack to purge the violent tribe to the north? The objectives in Nomad are created through the gameplay. The players objectives will center around satisfying his immediate physical needs, attempting to satisfy his higher functions (community, art, etc), and forming his own goals within the tribal societies, and the nexus of tribes within the world.

Hierarchy of Needs (Game-Tracked)

The main course of this game is that of a harsh wilderness survival, so all of the needs that will be satiated will be Deficiency needs. Self-Actualization and Transcendence will have to wait for a different title. The game will actively track and display the Physiological needs; if the avatar is thirsty the player will know this and will know to sate that need. The rest of the needs are more implied objectives. While there will not be a little bar showing the ‘security’ need, the player will know that sleeping out in the open in a dangerous area is not the best idea, and will seek to improve the Avatar’s condition without being directly told. There is an intentional cross at some points between the Player’s own Needs and the Avatar’s (Esteem, Cognitive, Aesthetic). This encourages the player to relate to the Avatar, further immersing them into the world. Those familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy will notice sex has been removed/merged with the social needs (family); this game focuses on the player’s life, not the continuation of the species. In addition, many needs have been removed that do not mesh with the game (security of employment/revenue/mental/moral, sexual intimacy, the self-respect and inferiority complex aspect of Esteem Needs). Instead of growth needs, the player has the option to choose his own motivations and goals for his personal self-actualization; many examples of this are listed in the ‘gameplay’ examples mentioned previously.

DEFINITIONS Decrease/reduced: Reduce the % in any amount. Increase: Increase the % in any amount. Fulfilled: Need is at 1% or higher. Deprived: Need is at 0%. Sate: Need is at 100%

FORMAT Need Group  Need TRACKED (if the need is manually tracked or a player’s mental need)  Descriptor  Priority  How this need is displayed/communicated  How this need is decreased  Effects of Reduction  Effects of Zero  How this need is increased

Physiological Needs  Health TRACKED  Description: Before the player can worry about thirst, hunger, or anything else, the immediate need for living takes priority. This is addressed through immediate personal safety; is the player being attacked? Is the player bleeding to death? Is the player drowning? Is the player (due to neglect of other needs) dehydrated/starving to death?  Priority: This need is above all others, although if a Player’s stamina is reduced enough to cause passing out, a player may pass out regardless of his healthy condition (which will often lead to the player bleeding to death).  Communicated: This need is displayed on the avatar by the amount of fresh/bandaged wounds, as well as a red tint around the borders of the screen for fresh damage, proportionate to the amount of damage (old or treated damage is a grey tint. Any fresh or untreated wounds take priority). The player may hear the avatar grunt, growl, or yelp in pain when hit. The avatar may also groan or whimper when suffering from low health. The avatar acts normal when this need is sated.  Reduction: This need is depleted from damage. This is usually in the form of attacks on the player, or environmental damage (falling, traps, etc). Health is also reduced if the thirst or hunger needs are deprived, as those needs will begin to take their usual reductions out of “health” until they are fulfilled.  Effects of Reduction: Health reduction leads to a proportionate reduction in stamina and agility. The scale is 1%:100% Health, 60%:100% Agility and Stamina. Note that this does not stack with other need reductions; the highest reduction applies.  Effects of Deprivation: If this need reaches zero, the player dies.  Increase: This need slowly refills itself if there is no condition decreasing it (Thirst/hunger deprivation, bleeding wounds, poison/ailments). Note the heal rate is dependent upon some skills/abilities (health, medical), and proportionately tied to the player’s comfort. This need can be substantially increased by treating fresh wounds, bandaging bleeding wounds, and by sating the other needs. In order of healing effect: Comfort, Thirst, Hunger, Sleep.

 Stamina TRACKED  Description: Humans cannot run continuously, and no matter how strong or well taken care of every person needs to sleep.  Priority: While usually a fairly passive need, if left unfulfilled too long the need to sleep can dominate all others, even the need to live (the player can pass out in a dangerous situation).  Communicated: This need is displayed by the physical animations and audible noises of the avatar; he will stumble and slouch, or the player may hear a yawning, and grumbling. When this need is sated the avatar’s actions seem a bit faster, and his combat sounds seem a bit more aggressive.  Reduction: This need is slowly reducing as long as the player is awake. Strenuous activity (fighting, crafting), severe weather or temperature, need deprivation (see Effects of Reduction in other needs), and injury (health reduction) all increase the rate at which stamina is reduced.  Effects of Reduction: As stamina reduces, all skills are proportionately decreased; attacks vary farther from the crosshair, crafted items fail or are if inferior quality, etc.  Effects of Deprivation: If this need reaches zero, Agility beings to rapidly reduce to zero. When agility reaches zero from Stamina deprivation, the player begins to have a rapidly increasing chance of passing out, until shortly, the player has 100% chance of passing out. This causes the avatar to collapse and sleep until a portion of his stamina is recovered (around half, modified by chance and factors that may potentially wake any sleeping person).  Increase: This need can be increased by sleeping. It increases faster based on the avatar’s shelter (and improvements), and comfort. Eating or drinking decreases the rate at which stamina is reduced, but does not increase it. Encountering a hostile gives a temporary boost to stamina (only once every few hours. Repeated encounters do not all give boosts) due to adrenaline. There are certain herbs, drinks, and foods which give large boosts to stamina (although usually temporary before increasing the rate of stamina reduction).

 Thirst TRACKED  Description: Water is vital to any living organism, and humans are no exception. An otherwise healthy human can die in three days without water.  Priority: This need is above hunger and comfort.  Communicated: This need is displayed by the physical animations and audible noises of the avatar; he will stumble and slouch, or the player might hear panting, or whimpering. The avatar acts normal when this need is sated.  Reduction: This need is always slowly reducing. Strenuous activity (fighting, crafting), severe weather or temperature (wind or heat), need deprivation (hunger), and injury (health reduction) all increase the rate at which thirst is reduced.  Effects of Reduction: Thirst reduction leads to a proportionate reduction in stamina and agility. The scale is 0%:100% Thirst, 70%:100% Agility and Stamina. Note that this does not stack with other need reductions; the highest reduction applies.  Effects of Deprivation: If this need reaches zero, then all further reduction to the thirst need is instead applied to the health need. All modifiers of thirst reduction apply (for example, strenuous activity will increase the rate at which health is lost).  Increase: This need can be increased by drinking. It increases faster based on the liquid consumed, and comfort. Eating slightly increases the thirst need. Note that the player can choose to drink “rain” during such weather.

 Hunger TRACKED  Description: Food provides human with the protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and energy needed to perform and survive. An otherwise healthy human can die in 1-2 months without food.  Priority: This need is above comfort.  Communicated: This need is displayed by the physical animations and audible noises of the avatar; he will slouch and grab his stomach, or the player might hear a stomach growl, grumbling, or whimpering. The avatar acts normal when this need is sated.  Reduction: This need is always slowly reducing. Strenuous activity (fighting, crafting), severe weather or temperature, need deprivation (thirst), and injury (health reduction) all increase the rate at which hunger is reduced.  Effects of Reduction: Hunger reduction leads to a proportionate reduction in stamina and agility. The scale is 0%:100% hunger, 80%:100% Agility and Stamina. Note that this does not stack with other need reductions; the highest reduction applies.  Effects of Deprivation: If this need reaches zero, then all further reduction to the hunger need is instead applied to the health need. All modifiers of hunger reduction apply (for example, strenuous activity will increase the rate at which health is lost).  Increase: This need can be increased by eating. It increases faster based on the food consumed, and comfort. drinking slightly increases the hunger need.

Safety Needs  Comfort TRACKED  Description: People always strive to feel secure in their surroundings, by building shelters and fire, communities, decorating their surroundings… This need is an abstraction of all safety needs, and combines physical comfort. While it doesn’t have as dire an effect as the other needs, it has a constant effect on about everything. An uncomfortable person will tire faster, get sick more often, and just generally devolve into a mess. Comfortable and happy people are invigorated by work and their progress, and feel they have found their right place in the world.  Priority: Comfort has the lowest priority, but a player would be unwise to ignore this need.  Communicated: This need is displayed by the physical animations and audible noises of the avatar; he will slouch, may occasionally look over his shoulder, itch, seem a bit jittery, and look at the ground more often. The avatar may make short alert noises as he looks over his shoulder, grumble, whimper, or quietly sob. When this need is sated the avatar will stand up straight, smile, and look up more often. The avatar may audibly hum or idly whistle, or occasionally laugh.  Reduction: This need is stable, but is reduced by strenuous activity (fighting, crafting), severe weather or temperature, injury (health reduction) or old wounds, sleeping exposed or in inferior shelter, sleeping in unexplored or unsafe lands, proximity to enemy tribes, new clothing(or clothing of uncomfortable material like wood, bone, thatch, etc), etc. Need deprivation continually decreases comfort. Note that not performing spiritual rituals does not decrease comfort.  Effects of Reduction: Comfort reduction leads to a proportionate reduction in stamina and agility. The scale is -50%:50% Comfort, 90%:100% Agility and Stamina. Note that this does not stack with other need reductions; the highest reduction applies. Comfort reduction will also increase the rate at which other needs decrease (hunger, thirst, health), lessens the chance of skill success, reduces the effect of sleep (sleeping takes longer), and reduces the disposition of people the player interacts with. Comfort it on a -50/+50 scale, so sating comfort will reduce the rate at which other needs decrease (hunger, thirst, health), Increase the chance of skill success, increase the effect of sleep (sleeping takes less time), and increases the disposition of people the player interacts with  Effects of Deprivation:  Increase: Comfort is increased by casual activity (fishing, farming), temperate weather and temperature, treating or fully healing wounds, sleeping (further increased by better or improved shelters), sleeping in explored or safe lands, proximity to friendly tribes, wearing tailor-made clothing (or clothing of comfortable materials like fur, linen, etc), building a fire, performing rituals, etc. Sated needs continually increases comfort.

 Agility TRACKED  Description: Agility is less so a need, and more of an essential to human action. Agility is mostly used to keep humans alive; dodging attacks, and placing well aimed strikes against the aggressor. Agility’s primary role is as a “shield” to protect the generally frail human from injuries, as even the smallest scrape can become a problem (let alone a gaping wound).  Priority: Though vital to the success of the player’s actions, this need is not included in the standard priority list, as the importance of agility will differ depending on play styles.  Communicated: This need is displayed by the physical animations and audible noises of the avatar; When agility is low the player’s actions will be clumsier, slower, and less accurate. The avatar will occasionally make the “whoa” sound if he begins to stumble. The avatar moves slightly faster, more accurately and appears more “on his toes” when this need is sated.  Reduction: This need can be temporarily decreased by strenuous activity, severe weather or temperature, need deprivation (see Effects of Reduction in other needs), and injury (health reduction). The second biggest reduction in agility is when the player attacks (which can be reduced more if the player misses, as the avatar is thrown off balance). The biggest reduction in agility is when the avatar dodges an attack.  Effects of Reduction: Agility is the “shield” for the player, so if his attacks or dodges lead to his agility decreasing faster than it can restore, he proportionately increases his chances of being hit, and proportionately increases his attack radius (decreasing the chance of hitting the target)  Effects of Deprivation: If this need reaches zero, the player can no longer dodge attacks, and has a large attack radius. Every time the player deprives his agility (whether though repeatedly attacking/missing, or dodging/being hit) he has an increasing chance to trip. This chance of tripping decreases within a minute or so. Tripping is more of a concern when sustaining a barrage of attacks (or delivering them).  Increase: Agility rapidly increases on its own. This rate can be temporarily increased by performing a casual activity (sitting, sleeping, eating, etc.).

Hierarchy of Needs (Player-tracked)

These needs are considerations that the player will have to make within the game space. By transferring his own mental needs into the gameworld (aided by caring for base needs in the gameworld), this can increase player immersion

FORMAT Need Group  Need  Descriptor, questions on how the player can gauge this need mentally.

Safety Needs  Physical Security  An extension of the “Need to Live”, this is with a broader time frame. Will the player be attacked soon? Is the player in a dangerous location (wolf den, Cliffside, etc)? Is the players health in a poor state?  Resource Security  Is there access to Water and Food nearby? Can I get to these resources easily and without obstruction or danger?  Property Security  Is my camp secure? Do I need to worry about robbers or animals invading my location?  Family Security  If I have a family, partner, or tribe, then are they safe? Are all of their physiological and safety needs met, as well?

Social Needs  Friendship and Acceptance  Once the player has established his own life and is healthy and secure, he can expand his world and explore, attempting to meet other people. The first contacts the player makes with other humans will sate this need, but this level of contact is transient at best. Beginning with passing trade, this can evolve into a temporary hunting partner. However, social contact runs the risk of a hostile engagement (and humans are often far more dangerous than animals), as the human might simply want to finish its own task, is nervous, or is actively seeking to harm the player.  Community  The player may seek to befriend and even join an existing tribe. This network of people allows for greater security; there is a group of people to trade with, they could help the player in times of need, and there is a greater defense against animals or robbers. However, being in a tribe carries certain emotional and logistical responsibilities to that tribe, and you may be caught up in tribal warfare that you otherwise would have avoided, and will have to consider the tribes needs (from base food and water, to safety) as you progress in authority.  Family  The player may seek to begin his own family, either for a “Strength in numbers” or for the player’s own emotional needs and connections. However, Families require the player to provide for anyone who is unable to provide for themselves (children), expose the player to worrying about his own security as well as his family’s, and generally makes a nomadic life more challenging (reestablishing shelters for multiple people, finding and carrying food for long treks, safety concerns).

Esteem Needs  Authority  The player may wish to extend his Social needs once he is incorporated into a tribe by attempting to climb the tribal authority ladder. This is covered in the section below Needs in Tribal Leadership.  Competence and Confidence  This would be a need sated only in the player’s mind. As he begins to gain control over nature around the avatar (and understands the rules of the game), his confidence will increase with his competence, encouraging him to try other things and expand ever farther from the base needs.

Cognitive Needs  Learning Skills  The Player will wish to expand the skills of his avatar, thus sating the Avatar’s “cognitive needs”, while also sating the player’s cognitive needs expressed through the desire to be better at current skills, increase the options those skills provide (more craftable items, new attacks), and broaden his abilities to incorporate a breadth of different skills for different situations and strategies.  Improving Abilities  This is a bit of a mix of Esteem and Cognitive Needs (and a bit of physiological, on the Avatar’s side). The player will wish to expand the abilities of his avatar, potentially increasing the characters strength, agility, or intelligence.

Aesthetic Needs  Visually Pleasing Imagery  This can be achieved by the player’s own definition. They might want to collect a full suit of grey wolf-hair garments, or carve their outfits and weapons with elaborate symbols.

Tribal Leadership

The player may wish to incorporate themselves within a tribe. To do so, they must follow a certain route; sometimes there is a clear point of progress (when the Tribe members no longer attack you for entering their camp), other times it is a more gradual process. There is often a rite of passage or a ritual that needs to be accomplished for the higher ranks.

Title Reputation: reputation out of -100 to 100 • Tribesmen response to the player. • This is how the player achieves this title. • Any benefits this position bestows. • Any responsibilities or consequences this position entails

Adversary Reputation: -50 • Tribesmen will attack or flee from the player on sight. • This is achieved by repeatedly attacking tribesmen, raids the tribal camp, or being allied to an opposing tribe. • You gain reputation with the tribe’s enemies. • The player will be unable to talk or trade with an enemy tribe, and will be actively attacked and pursued if he approaches the tribal camp. The tribe may occasionally send out war parties if they have seen the player in an area repeatedly.

Enemy Reputation: -20 • Tribesmen will attack or flee from the player on sight. • This is achieved by attacking tribesmen, or being allied to an opposing tribe. • This position has no benefits. • The player will be unable to talk or trade with an enemy tribe, and will be passively attacked if he approaches the tribal camp.

Foreigner Reputation: 0 • Tribesmen will generally avoid the player, and might threaten him if he approaches while wielding a weapon. Distressed tribe members might approach the player, as will more outgoing personality types. This is adjusted based on the personality of the tribe, as well. • This is the neutral position in tribe relationships. • This position has no benefits. • Player has no responsibilities to the tribe.

Trader Reputation: 10 • Tribesmen will approach the player, and some outgoing personality types may be willing to travel with the player. • This is achieved by trading with tribesmen, helping distressed tribesmen, or fighting against the tribes enemies. The player must have traded a certain amount to achieve this rank. • The player is allowed inside the tribal camp, can persuade a few to travel with him, and can receive aid from tribesmen if distressed (this will reduce his overall favor though, as it can begin to appear as “mooching”) • Player has no responsibilities to the tribe.

Clan-Friend Reputation: 20 • Tribesmen will approach the player, and most tribesmen will travel with the player. • This is achieved by trading with tribesmen, helping distressed tribesmen, or fighting against the tribes enemies. The player must have a very good reputation with at least one tribe member, who will “vouch” for him to the others. • In addition to previous benefits, the player can sleep in the camp, but only on the ground or in open shelters. Most tribe members will travel with him. • Player has no responsibilities to the tribe.

Tribal Member Reputation: 30 • Tribesmen will approach the player, and any able tribesmen will travel with the player. • This is achieved by trading with tribesmen, helping distressed tribesmen, or fighting against the tribes enemies. There is a special ceremony before a player is “officially” recognized as a tribal member, usually a specific hunt or other test of character, followed by a celebration. Different tribes have different Rites of Passage. • In addition to previous benefits, the player can build any shelter within the camp, can begin a family within the camp, and can use a few shared resources (food, water). • Player is now responsible for the defense of the tribe.

Tribal Craftsman Reputation: 50 • Tribesmen will approach the player, and any able tribesmen will travel with the player. • This is achieved by trading with tribesmen, helping distressed tribesmen, or fighting against the tribes enemies. This is a special position when the player becomes the most skilled tribesman in a particular craft skill. • In addition to previous benefits, the player has access to the tribe’s building resources. Players can upgrade existing tribe tools or buildings. • Player is expected to use his abilities to improve the tribe’s tools and shelters, improving the abilities and comfort of the tribe as a whole.

Tribal Warrior Reputation: 50 • Tribesmen will approach the player, and any able tribesmen will travel with the player. • This is achieved by trading with tribesmen, helping distressed tribesmen, or fighting against the tribes enemies. This is a special position when the player becomes the most skilled warrior in a particular weapon skill. • In addition to previous benefits, the player has access to the tribe’s weapons. Players can upgrade existing tribe tools or buildings. The player can form raiding parties; he gathers a few warriors and can attack hostile tribes. • Player is expected to use his abilities to lead raids against the enemy and defend the camp, improving the security of the tribe as a whole.

Tribal Official Reputation: 70 • Tribesmen will approach the player, and any able tribesmen will travel with the player. • This is achieved by trading with tribesmen, helping distressed tribesmen, or fighting against the tribes enemies. The player must have participated in at least three raids or defenses. There is only one Officer for every five tribesmen. If there is no available slot and the player has the appropriate reputation, he may challenge an existing officer for his position in a fight for authority. • In addition to previous benefits, The player has access to the tribe’s building resources and weapons, and can upgrade existing tribe tools, buildings, or weapons and can form raiding parties (if he hasn’t already achieved these benefits through the special rank of craftsman or warrior). The player also receives better deals when bartering with tribal members. • Player is expected to defend the tribe, improve tools and shelters, lead raids and defenses, and make sure the tribe has enough food and water.

Tribal Shaman Reputation: 90 • Tribesmen will approach the player, and any able tribesmen will travel with the player. Certain spiritual tribesmen will pray to the shaman. Tribesmen will actively protect the Tribal Shaman. • This is achieved by trading with tribesmen, helping distressed tribesmen, or fighting against the tribes enemies. This is a special position when the player becomes the most spiritual tribesman. • In addition to previous benefits, the player can alter the overall disposition of the tribe. The player can make the tribe xenophobic or open, hostile or friendly, or even spiritual or neutral. The player can claim any shelter in the camp. • Player is expected to defend the tribe, improve tools and shelters, lead defenses, and make sure the tribe has enough food and water. If the player leaves the tribe, the loss of their spiritual leader can severely impact the tribe.

Tribal Leader Reputation: 100 • Tribesmen will approach the player, and any able tribesmen will travel with the player. Most tribesmen will acknowledge the Tribal leader with a gesture of recognition. Tribesmen will actively protect the Tribal Leader. • This is achieved by trading with tribesmen, helping distressed tribesmen, or fighting against the tribes enemies. The player must have participated in at least ten raids or defenses. There is only one Tribal Leader. If there is no available slot and the player has the appropriate reputation, he may challenge the existing leader for his position in a fight for authority. • In addition to previous benefits, the player can alter the overall disposition of the tribe. The player can make the tribe xenophobic or open, hostile or friendly, transient or grounded, hunters or trappers or planters. The first two influences conflict with the shaman’s influence; if a tribe is more spiritual they may listen to a shaman over a leader. The player has access to all tribal resources. The player can claim any shelter in the camp. The player has influence over the camp priorities: Hunting, crafting, planting/harvesting, fighting, defense. • Player is expected to defend the tribe, improve tools and shelters, lead raids and defenses, and make sure the tribe has enough food and water. The player is responsible for where the tribe travels to, which can impact which resources are available, if they will be in more conflicts for territory, and what extremes of climate they may have to contend with. If the player leaves the tribe, the loss of their tribal leader can severely impact the tribe.

The Avatar

Overview The Player has control over the Avatar, a character who is really a shell for whatever the player wishes to create. The abilities, skills, gender, appearance, and even his “insertion” role can all be modified by the player.

Appearance The modifications to the player’s Body and Face. Model this after City of Heroes, but with more limits on the extent of the anatomy; the player can be tall and lithe or short and stout, but must still look human. They can adjust height, weight, musculature, proportions, shoulder/hip width. Skin tone, texture, scars or tattoos They can modify the face much as they can in The Sims; Hair style and color, eye color, face proportions, width, height, jawline, brow, cheekbones, etc. There is the addition of scars or tattoos (instead of glasses, hats, makeup).

Abilities Abilities define who the player is, what he is good at, and even what he looks like.

FORMAT • Base Group (Mind/Body) o Ability  Description  Visual affect on character  Gameplay affect  Recommendation Definitions: Strength=might=power, Vitality=health=constitution, Agility=dexterity=speed, acumen=intelligence

• Body o Might  Pure brute force. This is the most basic human ability and has been used to crush the enemies of mankind for ages. This is the avatar’s muscle mass and strength  Visually this bulks the character up with muscles, definition  This is the dominant stat for weapon skills, and increases weapon damage, with a contribution to stamina, and some resistance to damage and temperature.  Good for anyone who will rely on hitting hard o Vitality  The sister ability to Might, Vitality is the Avatar’s fortitude and resistance to the harshness of nature.  The skin becomes tough and rough, males become hairier.  This is how healthy the character is. Vitality is the dominant stat to determine your total stamina, resistance to damage, poison, ailments, extremes of weather and temperature. Vitality also slows the reduction of all your needs.  Good for rugged survivalists who expect dire conditions, and fighters. o Speed  The speed and reflexes of the whole body. From dashing from cover to cover, the writhing out of the path of blows, to the fine detail work of crafting.  Visually this “leans” the character, thinning and heightening the avatar.  Speed’s primary function is to determine the avatar’s amount of Agility. In addition, Speed is the primary skill for stealth, and aids with a few combat skills. Speed also  Good for anyone, as this is the main “armor” of a character, and also helps with stealth. • Mind o Acumen  This skill is about human perception, pattern recognition, and the ability to process thought.  All mind abilities have visual affects. The character stands more upright, his jaw shifts from hanging open to sternly clenched (think “evolution of man” poster).  This is the root for many skills, and greatly increases player’s ability to develop and improve existing techniques and items. This skill also slightly increases reputation when you trade, and with higher promotions.  Recommended for survivalists who want to be the best at some skills. o Creativity  This skill is about human creativity and inspiration. This is the spark that has led humanity to invention, and gave him the power to alter nature to fit his needs.  All mind abilities have visual affects. The character stands more upright, his jaw shifts from hanging open to sternly clenched (think “evolution of man” poster).  This is the root for many skills, greatly increases player’s ability to discover new techniques and items. This skill also slightly increases overall reputation, and reputation as shaman.  Recommended for survivalists who want to be good at many skills. o Perception  This is a combination of the player’s sense of sight, smell, and sound, and his ability determine the difference between different elements.  All mind abilities have visual affects. The character stands more upright, his jaw shifts from hanging open to sternly clenched (think “evolution of man” poster).  Perception’s primary role is increasing weapon accuracy and some skills (notably the tracking skill). Higher perception is also the secondary ability for stealth.  Recommended for survivalists who want to be good at many skills.

Skills The player relies on skills to survive in the world, these are learned methods for fighting, crafting, and many other vital techniques.

1. Combat a. Knives, Daggers and Swords b. Clubs, Axes and Hammers c. Spears d. Bows and slings e. Thrown f. Shield 2. Crafting a. Shelters (large craft) b. Traps (large craft) c. Weapons (medium craft) d. Hideworking (medium craft) e. Tools (medium-small craft) f. Fire (small craft) g. Metalworking h. Woodworking/hidestyling (decorative) i. Painting/Tattooing 3. Travel a. Weather Knowledge i. Forecast the weather, slight aid to pathfinding, agriculture b. Climbing i. Used to scale higher peaks, trees, etc. c. Swimming i. Swim faster and longer with less stamina reduction, hold breath longer d. Pathfinding i. This skill reduces chances of encounters when quick traveling, and increases speed in bad weather e. Tracking i. Increases spot range for tracks, find older tracks, more information from tracks 4. Food and Health a. Medical i. Treat wounds, bandage bleeding wounds, set bones, treat diseases/infections/poisons b. Foraging and Plant knowledge i. Find edible plants and medicinal herbs c. Agriculture i. Plant seeds and properly care for the plants d. Fishing i. More results from fishing e. Cooking i. More meal options, more filling, less waste 5. Social a. Commander i. Improves abilities of hunting partners and parties b. Charisma i. Better results from interactions c. Spiritual i. Know more rituals, perform better.

Avatar Feats Each player can be further specialized or enhanced with feats. A few examples:

Winter Wolf – You are much stronger to cold climes and snowy weather. Stealth is enhanced, especially in snow conditions. Perception is increased. However, you can’t stand heat very well and humans like you slightly less.

Eureka! – increases creativity, increases new item discovery craft, more tattoo options. However, you find it harder to improve on your initial ideas.

Man’s Best Friend – you instantly have a more positive reaction to canines. Dogs go from cautious to neutral, wolves go from hostile to aggressive, winter wolves go from vicious to hostile. Felines have a much more negative reaction to you.

Go for the Jugular – Your attacks take much more agility to target, but are more precise.

Scum and Villainy – Your attacks on humans deal more damage, you find more supplies from tribes if you are attacking them. However, your reputation is lowered everywhere to Enemy, and you can never rank higher that Clan-Friend.

Role Sliders Role Sliders are a setting of adjustments the player can make at the beginning of the game. As there is no preset story, this give the player an opportunity to make their own story, and adjust the “first scene” to their taste. In gameplay terms, this gives the player an edge towards the style of gameplay they want (combative, tribal life, hunter, survivalist), but doesn’t have any dramatic consequence. In addition, there will be a small set of “preloaded” settings, with a title and descriptive text. These will offer players an easy choice when picking a role, or a guideline as to what the settings are for. Default options are underlined.

Role sliders: Distance from a Tribal Camp: Inside a camp < near a camp > Far from civilization. This setting places the player inside a tribal camp at the far left, or far off in the wilderness at the far right. The scale between options alters how far the player is from a camp.

Nearby Tribal Status: Friendly status with Tribe < Neutral status with Tribe > Enemy status with Tribe This option is activated when the distance slider is on Near a camp or closer. This option sets the attitude of the closest tribe. The player is a Tribal Member at the far left, or an Enemy at the far right. There is no scale between the three options. This option, coupled with the above option, can set the player up in a safe home or a violent battle. Note: Neutral Status players will start immediately outside the camp to prevent the player from upsetting any tribesmen by invading the camp.

Other Humans: None <> One <> Two <> Three This option allows the player to enable nearby humans. There is no scale between the four options. This option, coupled with the below option, can set the player up with a raiding party, a hunting group, or even in the middle of a robber attack. With the above option, this can make the group a defense party or a raiding party in the wild.

Status: Friendly < Neutral > Aggressive This option is only activated when the Other Humans slider is set on a number above none. This option sets the attitude of the nearby humans. There is no scale between the three options.

Health Condition: Healthy <> Injured <> Severely Wounded This option sets the player’s physical condition. At the far left the player is at full health. At the far right the player has many serious injuries that may kill him if not immediately treated. This option can be scaled, with less severe injuries depending on where the slider is set. This option can up the starting difficulty if the player begins the game wounded. This can suggest a story in which the player has just escaped from a battle or a hunt gone horribly wrong.

Equipment: Well Equipped < Basic Gear > Unprotected This option sets the player’s starting equipment. At the far left the player has decent protective clothing, one or two weapons, a knife, two or three basic tools, and a supply of food and water. At the far right the player has nothing at all. At the middle setting, the player will have two or three clothing pieces (pants, tunic, and one random piece), a knife, one weapon (whichever type the player is most skilled in), and a filled water skin. This option can be scaled, with better and more gear provided as the slider moves towards “well equipped”. This option can adjust the difficulty, and can set the player as an Established trapper and adventurer, or a meager runaway or scavenger.

Season: Spring <> Summer <> Fall <> Winter Time of Day: Midnight <> Morning <> Noon <> Evening <> Midnight These two options set the season and time of day when the player begins the game. These options can be scaled. If the player chooses between summer and fall, then he will begin at the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Similarly, The player begins at whatever time is indicated on the Time of Day slider. These options can adjust setting and difficulty. If a player chooses a combat situation with the above sliders, then starting in a night setting would make the combat more intense. Everything is more difficult in winter, especially if the player is only beginning the game with improper gear. This can begin the player’s game in the new dawn of a glorious spring, or stranded in the bitter cold and darkness of winter.

Preset Sliders The player can select a set of preset Role Sliders that are titled to give the player a sort of “back story”.

The Trapper Flavor text: “” Distance from a Tribal Camp: Inside a camp < near a camp > Far from civilization Nearby Tribal Status: Friendly status with Tribe < Neutral status with Tribe > Enemy status with Tribe Other Humans: None <> One <> Two <> Three Status: Friendly < Neutral > Aggressive Time of Day: Midnight <> Morning <> Noon <> Evening <> Midnight Season: Spring <> Summer <> Fall <> Winter Equipment: Well Equipped < Basic Gear > Unprotected

- The player is provided with extra traps and only one basic weapon**