Vale

Game Design Document

Core Concept

A roguelike adventure game where players embark from Vale, their mountain sanctuary hometown, on epic expeditions where they must effectively balance strategic and action oriented gameplay to deliver their world from a cosmic threat known as The Quiet, before time runs out.

Genre & Inspirations

Primary Genre: Roguelike/Action-Adventure with Heroic Mission Structure
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: The Omen

## Duration: Player-determined - Time does not pass during this phase

The start of each loop is often emphasized by a brief moment of peace where players can explore their world in relative safety. This phase ends just before dawn of the third day (or when all players choose to skip), when an ominous star appears above the horizon in a random direction.

Phase 1 Systems:

Explore Vale and discover loot in the surrounding meadows, lakes, forest, quarries, farms
Interact with NPCs by completing errands and chores
Craft and upgrade equipment
Advance your Guild Rank by completing side quests and requisitions
Stock provisions

Phase 2: The Expedition

## Duration: ~10 in-game days (assuming a 24 minute day/night cycle)

Phase 2 Systems:

All of the activities of Phase 1 remain available
When players are ready, they embark on an Expedition towards The Omen
Vale becomes inaccessible after starting an Expedition
Exploration: Discover unique and high value rewards outside the planned expedition routes
Combat: Defeat bandits, monsters and cosmic horrors through real time action combat
Survival: Survive weather, disease, curses, and starvation
Puzzles: Environmental puzzles and cosmic anomalies
Settlements: Visit trading posts, taverns, or villages, each with their own characteristics facilities
- PIPE DREAM: Implement a "building" system and integrate other players' customized villages seamlessly into your map

Phase 3: The Quiet

## Duration: Player-determined

A circle of corruption known as "The Quiet" radiates from the point directly below The Omen. As time progresses, this circle increases in size, claiming more and more of the available playable world. To progress, players must fight their way to the center of The Quiet and defeat the powerful stewards of The Omen. Doing so will purge the world of its influence and satisfy the current game loop's Victory Condition.

Phase 3 Systems:

All of the Expedition systems remain available, but any settlements, camps, vendors inside The Quiet will become inaccessible to players.
Players must adopt new survival strategies to resist the harmful effects of The Quiet, such as:
- Scouting ahead in search of natural natural safe zones (e.g. Dark Souls bonfire)
- Consuming rare resources to produce protective auras and wards
- Defeating powerful enemies to replenish rare resources
Reach the center of The Quiet before The Omen touches the ground
Defeat The Stewards
Travel back to Vale**

**Players will not need to make the entire journey back to Vale manually.

The game world uses a graph/node based loading system.
Upon defeating the stewards, the apocalyptic mists will fade and through some smoke and mirrors, the journey to Vale will be shortened to roughly ~5 minutes
Players will also be granted a "Return to Vale Immediately?" dialog upon finishing the Rewards Processing screens