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OWN - Game Brief

Written by: Akram Taghavi-Burris | © Copyright 2024

Status: In Development

Overview​

Title: One Wild Night
Genre: Casual Survival Crafting
Platform: PC/Web
Target Audience: Players who enjoy survival and crafting mechanics with a relaxed pace, aged 13+

Game Concept:​

One Wild Night is a casual yet engaging survival game where players explore a dynamic wilderness while managing survival needs like food, water, warmth, and stamina. The gameplay emphasizes crafting and resource gathering, with occasional threats from wildlife requiring strategic use of non-lethal tools. The game aims to provide a balance between peaceful exploration and brief moments of tense action, offering a rewarding survival experience in a beautiful, ever-changing forest environment.

X-Statement:​

Squirrels, raccoons, and bears, oh my! Can you craft your survival and make it through to sunrise, to tell the tale of your One Wild Night?

Game Premise:​

The player takes on the role of a lone adventurer stranded in a sprawling forest. The objective is to survive the wilderness by gathering resources, crafting tools, and managing basic survival needs like hunger, warmth, and health. The player will encounter various wildlife, some of which pose a threat, requiring clever use of non-lethal defenses to remain safe. The game combines calm exploration and crafting with occasional strategic combat, offering an immersive survival experience.

Game Level Requirements:​

  • Minimum of 2 levels: One focusing on early survival (gathering food and basic shelter), and another for exploration and resource management in more dangerous areas with hostile wildlife.
  • HUD: Displays inventory, health, crafting progress, and hunger/thirst levels.
  • Third-Person Controller: Standard third-person view for navigating the environment.
  • Randomly Generated Resource Locations: Adds replayability by varying the resources in each playthrough.
  • Tutorial Section: Introduces crafting, survival mechanics, and essential gameplay elements.
  • Menu and End Scenes: Includes a main menu and a results screen showing survival progress, crafted items, and objectives completed.

Game Objects:​

  • Resource Nodes: Wood, stone, berries, water sources.
  • Crafting Tools: Flint, sticks, rope, flare guns, slingshots.
  • Wildlife: Animals such as deer (non-hostile), wolves, and bears (hostile).
  • Shelters and Campsites: Temporary shelters the player can build for resting and crafting.
  • Health and Status Items: Bandages, food, and water to maintain survival stats.

Game Controls:​

  • Movement: WASD for movement, mouse for camera control.
  • Interact: E to pick up items, interact with objects.
  • Crafting Menu: Tab to open inventory, right-click to craft items.
  • Combat: Left mouse click to use non-lethal weapons (e.g., slingshot, flare gun).
  • Pause/Inventory: ESC to pause, view inventory, and map.

Game Flow and Mechanics:​

  1. Start Screen:

    • Splash screen with game title and background music.
    • Button options: Play, Options, Quit.

  2. Main Gameplay:

    • The player begins by exploring the forest to gather resources like wood, food, and water.
    • The game includes a day/night cycle, with nighttime posing additional survival challenges (e.g., lower visibility, cold).
    • Players craft tools and shelter to survive and defend themselves against hostile wildlife.
    • Randomized encounters with animals provide variety and challenge.

  3. End Screen:

    • Displays the player's survival score, crafting achievements, and game stats (e.g., longest survival time).
    • Option to restart or quit the game.

Game End Conditions:​

The game ends when players reach a significant survival milestone (e.g., crafting the ultimate shelter) or after a set period. Players win by successfully surviving the entire experience and crafting the ultimate defensive tool or potion.