# Cosmic Caravan ## Game Design Document ### Core Concept A roguelike adventure game where players manage a caravan through an apocalyptic world, balancing cozy village preparation with urgent expeditions as cosmic horror threatens to consume everything. ### Genre & Inspirations - **Primary Genre:** Roguelike/Action-Adventure - **Inspirations:** Stardew Valley (village life), Monster Hunter (preparation), Oregon Trail (caravan travel), Dark Souls (combat), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (expedition structure) --- ## Core Game Loop ### Phase 1: Village Preparation **Duration:** Player-controlled, but time pressure increases nightly **Activities:** - Explore home village and surrounding biome - Complete fetch quests and resource gathering - Craft and upgrade equipment - Accept requisitions from local guild - Manage caravan supplies and crew **Mechanics:** - Real-time day/night cycle - Relationship building with NPCs - Crafting system for gear and caravan upgrades - Resource management (food, materials, gold) ### Phase 2: Expedition **Duration:** Variable based on requisition and player choices **Core Systems:** - **Caravan Management:** Real-time movement across procedurally generated wilderness - **Combat:** Action-based encounters with monsters and threats - **Survival:** Resource consumption, weather, terrain hazards - **Problem Solving:** Environmental puzzles (broken bridges, quicksand, etc.) **Requisition Types:** - **Delivery:** Transport goods between settlements - **Hunting:** Eliminate specific monsters or threats - **Scouting:** Explore uncharted wilderness areas - **Urgent:** Combat cosmic horror manifestations ### Phase 3: Decision Point **Options:** 1. **Return Home:** Teleport back to village, process rewards, full Phase 1 reset 2. **Continue:** Accept new requisition from current location - **In Cities:** Full selection of appropriate requisitions - **In Wilderness:** Limited to scouting missions - **In Frozen Zones:** Only urgent requisitions available --- ## Cosmic Horror System ### The Eclipse Timeline - **Night 1:** New star appears in sky - **Night 2:** Star begins to eclipse - **Night 3:** Full eclipse achieved, first frozen circle appears - **Nights 4-6:** Circle expands across map, consuming settlements ### Frozen Zone Effects - **Towns:** NPCs become unresponsive, shops inaccessible - **Monsters:** Increased strength and aggression - **Environment:** Visual corruption, audio distortion - **Progression:** Circle grows steadily, making areas permanently inaccessible ### Victory Condition Players must complete urgent requisitions to fight through frozen zones and destroy the Eldritch horror at the circle's center before the map is fully consumed. --- ## Core Mechanics ### Caravan System - **Mobile Base:** Rolling headquarters with upgradeable components - **Crew Management:** Hire specialists with unique abilities - **Supply Logistics:** Food, medicine, ammunition, repair materials - **Customization:** Armor plating, weapons, comfort upgrades ### Progression - **Character Skills:** Combat abilities, crafting expertise, social connections - **Caravan Upgrades:** Enhanced durability, speed, cargo capacity - **Knowledge Accumulation:** Map data, monster weaknesses, optimal routes - **Reputation:** Standing with various guilds and settlements ### Requisition System - **Difficulty Scaling:** Rewards and challenges increase with distance from home - **Location Dependency:** Available missions determined by current settlement type - **Time Pressure:** Eclipse progression affects mission availability and urgency - **Chain Opportunities:** Strategic route planning for multi-requisition runs --- ## Technical Considerations ### Procedural Generation - **Wilderness Maps:** Terrain, resources, encounters, weather patterns - **Settlement Variation:** Different guild offerings, NPC personalities, local specialties - **Threat Distribution:** Monster spawns, environmental hazards, cosmic manifestations ### Progression Persistence - **Between Runs:** Character knowledge, some equipment, unlocked settlements - **Within Runs:** Caravan upgrades, relationship progress, map exploration - **Cosmic Resets:** Eclipse completion triggers world state changes ### Difficulty Scaling - **Natural Progression:** Distance from home increases baseline challenge - **Time Pressure:** Eclipse advancement creates urgency without artificial timers - **Player Choice:** Risk/reward balance through requisition selection and route planning --- ## Art Direction ### Visual Themes - **Village Life:** Warm, cozy, pastoral aesthetic - **Wilderness:** Varied biomes with realistic but fantastical elements - **Cosmic Horror:** Progressive visual corruption, impossible geometries, color distortion - **Eclipse Progression:** Sky changes provide constant visual reminder of approaching doom ### Audio Design - **Ambient:** Natural sounds in wilderness, village life audio in settlements - **Combat:** Impactful weapon strikes, monster audio cues - **Cosmic Influence:** Distorted audio in frozen zones, building tension through sound design - **Music:** Dynamic scoring that responds to location type and eclipse progression --- ## Success Metrics ### Player Engagement - **Session Length:** 6-night cycles create focused, completable experiences - **Replayability:** Multiple paths through procedural world, various strategies - **Skill Development:** Players improve at resource management, route planning, combat ### Emotional Arc - **Preparation Satisfaction:** Village phase provides calm planning and anticipation - **Expedition Tension:** Travel phase delivers challenge and discovery - **Cosmic Dread:** Eclipse progression creates escalating pressure without frustration - **Victory Relief:** Successfully stopping cosmic horror provides meaningful catharsis