Project: Horizon

BCT15021A25/07/2015

Overview: This game idea has drawn inspiration from Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth, Crusader Kings II, Total War and Sins of a Solar Empire. Project: Horizon works as a slow-paced RPG strategy game that will have players take on the role of a ruler on an alien world, who has just begun their journey on founding an empire that will last through the ages. The factions in this game have fled their home worlds in a state of panic for various reasons and consequently have lost their prior knowledge of technology and have only their sense of culture remaining intact. Players will have various races to choose from and play as one of their direct descendants (their Sons or daughters) upon their current characters death. Players will experience many trials and tribulations as they battle to ensure that their civilization and dynasty prosper on this alien planet they hope to call home.

Aim: The goal of this game is to build a civilization and dynasty that can withstand the test of time. The player will attempt to ensure that their empire is the dominant force on the planet. The player will also have to maintain their dominance over other races and their civilization once it has been established for a certain amount of time in order to win the game. When all of the characters direct descendants are killed or are a dead (the sons or daughters) it will be game over. Even if your empire is destroyed as long as one of your children lives you will be able to continue playing as them. This can be achieved through careful diplomatic marriages that will allow you to play as one of your sons or daughters that lives in another empire. In such occurrences you can have your character scheme to re-establish your original empire or you can just try to make the empire you married into stronger. Essentially, dynasty is everything.

Mechanics/Features

. Strategic Turn-Based RPG: Players will pick their Faction/Race at the start of the game, they will have a lot of choice on how they want to play the game, whether it be through clever diplomacy or conquering through war, it will be up to the player to decide.

. Technology Progression: Technological progression will enable players to improve the technology of their empire. Players will invest time and resources researching new technology in order to build and upgrade their empire. The technology web will have various paths to choose from that will cater to the players play style.

. Player Designed City: Players will be able to choose the placement of buildings, roads, walls and various other objects as they build and expand their empire. This allows players to create their own unique looking cities. Architecture will also be unique to every race/faction.

. Adaptable Environments & Cities: The game world's environment will change depending on what's being done to it. War-torn land will be scarred, cities under siege or going through riots/mutiny will show signs of unrest. Empires or large settlements that get destroyed or are abandoned will turn into ruins overtime, which will add to the world's aesthetic appeal as well as provide the player with the choice to send scouts/troops to explore ruins and uncover artefacts, treasure or something much more sinister.

. Different World Types and Terrains: Players will be able build their empire in different Terrain types depending on their races capabilities and technology. For example some races will be aquatic and will exist under sea, some races can survive the harsh cold or the scorching deserts. Players will be able to choose the world size before starting a game and also create worlds so they can play in worlds with Terrain types of their choosing.

. Character customization: Players will be able to customise the look of their character at the start of the game and during it. They will be able to pick their characters race, giving various bonuses depending on that races strengths and weaknesses.

. Character Traits: In Project: Horizon player characters and NPC's all have various traits. Traits determine what characters are good at and how they are likely to behave. Some traits can be debilitating to your character and some can be extremely beneficial. Through carefully planned marriages players can have some semblance of control over how their children or heirs will turn out as traits are based upon a bit of chance and how they are educated or interacted with.

. Marriages: Apart of the players job as a ruler will be arranging suitable marriages for the heirs much like in crusader kings II. Marriages can be used to solidify alliances with other empires and increase your social standing within your empire and the world. Your characters worth and your heir's worth as suitable partners is dependent on how powerful your empire is and how good your relationship is with that empire.

. Culture: Every race/faction has their own culture or religion that they build the foundations of their perspective on. In essence, culture is the faction's way of life.For example, some factions or races are war orientated and their culture revels in battle so that means civilians are likely to be ok with warring with other empires whereas some races are more diplomatic and won't look too fondly on open conflict. Cultures can be changed due to another race or empires influence. If players are open-minded when interacting with other factions of different cultures, then there is potential for them to convert to another's culture or vice versa. Changing culture is a massive change in society, and civilians won't take kindly to such occurrences. Propaganda and other tools of subterfuge can be employed to alter the mind-sets of civilians. Sharing the same culture as other races helps with diplomacy as having the same perspectives on life is a way of better understanding one another. Other empires/factions will be more open to trade and forge alliances if the same culture is shared.

. Moral Alignment: The decisions and actions of players will affect their moral alignment. This influences how people will react to the player and can alter their citizen's perspective of the player and other races. This can be good and bad in the sense that if the player's actions as a ruler anger the people, then mutiny can occur, inciting civil war to occur. If the players moral alignment coincides with the general populace, then more decisions are likely to be available that will have low chance of angering the people. Moral alignment generally coincides with culture.

. Multi-choice dialogue options: Players will interact with NPC's (Such as other rulers and Nobility) through a multi-choice dialogue mechanic. Things players say to NPC's can be beneficial or detrimental to them. Choices made can affect their player's moral alignment.

. Combat Mechanics: In Project: Horizon, combat or battles will play as they do in Total war games. Players will assemble their army on the battlefield and can use formations depending on the circumstance to give them an advantage.

Platforms: PS4/PC