PROJECT X: Prototype

This week we wanted to post our PROJECT X prototype, a third-person survival-horror game with a focus on dynamic water simulation.

Inspired by survival horror titles like Resident Evil and Dead Space but with a twist, the total lack of offensive weaponry. Our main protagonist named Fortran, is a scientist and engineer. He is sick and dying, unable to perform heavy lifting or partake in traditional combat. Our gameplay mantra is the following:

PROJECT X is Dead Space without guns

This idea asks the question, “What would Issac (Dead Space) have done as an engineer if he was not allowed to create traditional projectile weapons?” We believe he would have created some truly unique tools, ones that would not only help him trap or disable enemies but also traverse the world in interesting ways.

Because PROJECT X takes place underwater, the core tool that Fortran has created is the Water Manipulation Field. A tool that controls dynamic water simulations using force fields. Fortran can move, split, and drain water from areas while exploring on foot. But doing so comes at a cost. The field has a limited amount of air volume it can maintain, drawing power from a nearby generator. When the generator power hits zero, the player is unable to expand the fields further. This creates interesting problems as Fortran must find ways to progress through areas with this limited resource.

Our prototype process took about a week of documentation and setup and another week or so of production. The project is missing several components from the design and needs a code pass to remove several bugs. But, we believe that the core loop is interesting and can't wait to see where we can take these ideas.

Check out the build zip file here: Build Download