Hello all and welcome to the Blog posts of Rabbit Hole Productions!
Preliminary Research
We have been working to determine a preliminary set of research into what we believe will be our themes and genre of our game for the pre-production package.
We have looked into making the pitch for a Action RPG with a Steampunk setting with Mythic/Deity overtones for our interactions of the worldbuilding. Our preliminary research included making a reference board for these three main topics looking at various media to gain inspiration. We have been taking a look at Hades, Genshin Impact, and God of War to see how these games handle an active deity in their world building. We have been looking at Arcane, Dungeons and Dragons: Eberron and Victoriana, Bioshock Infinite, and Dishonored for inspiration for the steampunk life and setting. Finally, we have been looking at Elden Ring, Diablo, and Middle Earth: Shadow of War for inspiration on the Action RPG gameplay style.
From these references we were able to draw some conclusions for the art style side and the gameplay side.
Art Style Initial Takes
From an architectural standpoint, the steampunk and emphasis on deity overtones lead to a few traits that overlap between the styles. They both have high verticality and an emphasis on drawing your eye upward. Both tend to associate with the higher one’s person is, the more power, space and freedom that person has. Conversely, the lower someone is, they tend to be poorer, rougher, and are generally oppressed in some way. Both styles have high decoration, though it is usually motivated by cultural or religious significance or iconography. Moreover, they also tend to have a sense of depth by using an intricate center piece with repeated side assets. Both have high interiors and tend to have symmetrical outlining.
Gameplay Initial Takes
From the analysis of the game designers, they have narrowed down the method of building one’s character through an Action RPG to be mainly tied to one of two factors. These two factors are via grinding or combat and the other is through milestone leveling via the narrative. However, based on the discussions this week, we have decided to move forward with a mixture of these two, using a deity, shrine locations, combat, collecting items, forging, and puzzle solving to increase the power level of the protagonist. We also decided to move forward with a 3rd Person Camera, to allow for more cinematic angles and storytelling.