June 11th, 9:00 AM. Chris's bedroom, no longer a spaceship command center, was transforming into a…haunted research lab? The whiteboards were filling with sketches of dimly lit corridors, flickering monitors, and unsettling scientific equipment. Gone were the colorful spaceships and explosions; in their place were shadows, question marks, and a palpable sense of dread.
"Okay, team," Chris said, his voice adopting a suitably somber tone. "Horror game. Let's nail down the basics."
For the next 45 minutes, the room was filled with a hushed, intense discussion, punctuated by the scratch of markers on whiteboards and the occasional nervous chuckle.
Setting: They settled on a remote, abandoned research facility, but with a twist. It wouldn't be on Earth, or even in our solar system. It would be on a distant, desolate Kepler planet – a potentially habitable world that had, for some unknown reason, failed. This added a layer of cosmic horror to the mix, a sense of isolation and the unknown vastness of space.
Story: The player would take on the role of a lone space investigator, dispatched to the Kepler planet to uncover the mystery of the abandoned research facility and its connection to the planet's desolate state. As the investigator delved deeper, they would uncover a darker, more complex mystery, blurring the lines between scientific inquiry and cosmic horror, with heavy doses of psychological torment.
Gameplay: They reiterated the core mechanics:
First-Person Perspective: For maximum immersion.
Exploration: The facility would be a labyrinth of interconnected rooms, corridors, and labs, filled with clues, puzzles, and…other things.
Puzzle-Solving: Environmental puzzles, logic puzzles, and code-breaking would be integral to progressing through the story.
Limited Combat: The focus would be on suspense and atmosphere, but there might be some form of combat, perhaps against…distorted creatures or malfunctioning robots. Resource scarcity would be key.
Resource Management: Ammunition (if any), batteries for a flashlight, medical supplies…the player would need to carefully manage their limited resources.
Sanity Mechanic: A unique and crucial element. As the player encountered unsettling events, discovered disturbing information, or faced terrifying creatures, their sanity would decrease. This would affect their perception of reality: visual and auditory hallucinations, distorted environments, unreliable narration…
"This is…dark," Max said, a mixture of apprehension and excitement in his voice.
Tyrone, surrounded by sketches of unsettling creatures and distorted environments, nodded. "It's going to be intense."
Chris grinned. "That's the idea. We want to make players feel the isolation, the dread, the…unraveling of reality."
With the core concept solidified, they moved on to the next crucial step: planning.
"We need a Game Design Document," Max said, ever the pragmatist. "A detailed blueprint for this whole…nightmare."
They decided on a two-week sprint, focusing on creating the GDD and a basic prototype:
Project Kepler (Working Title: Kepler Descent) - Sprint 1: Blueprint of Fear (June 11th - June 24th, 2025)
June 11th - June 17th: Game Design Document (GDD).
Detailed story outline, character bios, setting descriptions.
Gameplay mechanics, puzzle designs, enemy concepts.
Level layouts (at least for the initial area of the facility).
Art style guide, sound design notes.
June 18th - June 24th: Prototype Development.
Basic first-person movement and interaction.
A small, playable section of the research facility.
Implementation of the sanity mechanic (basic visual effects).
Placeholder sound effects and (maybe) some basic enemy AI.
"Kepler Descent," Chris said, testing out the working title. "It's…ominous. I like it. But we can always change it later."
They were stepping into uncharted territory, leaving behind the familiar comfort of spaceships and explosions for the unsettling embrace of psychological horror. It was a daunting challenge, but they were ready. They were NebulaNauts, after all. And they were about to explore the darkest depths of their creative imaginations.