Development

Discipline is being developed within a 6-month time frame. This short deadline is primarily to force myself to complete a project, therefore learning project management skills along the way. Hopefully the finished game will provide something that produces some income in the future while I move on to other things; however, even if the game ends up being a flop, the learning experience will still have been well worth it.

Discipline's development will cease on August 1st, 2021, followed by a 1-month marketing and promotional sprint, and a September 1st release day. There will be absolutely no extensions; either the game will release on-time, or it will be cancelled early. In order to meet the 6-month requirement, my plan is to divide development into 6 one-month sprints, and take time at the end of each sprint to assess how the month went, what went well, what could be improved, and whether the project is still going to be able to hit its deadline. The scope of the game may end up being reduced to hit the deadline while still publishing something, even if it is not my original vision. However, I will make every effort to avoid this situation. I would rather spend money hiring someone else to do some of the work if possible than to publish a game that is significantly less than what I want it to be. Currently I am planning to work on every aspect of the game myself, possibly purchasing some pre-made assets to speed up development.

Engine

Discipline is being developed using the Godot and Rust via the GDNative bindings for Rust. I'm using a custom fork of Godot 3.2 with a few slight modifications and bug fixes.

Mechanics

Combat is based on character abilities with cooldowns, in addition to typical twin-stick shooter gunplay. There will be various game modes with different objectives, always pitting two teams against each other. Some modes will consist of symmetrical goals, maps, and mechanics for each team, while others will be asymmetrical (e.g. Attackers vs. Defenders).

While the game is rendered in 2D, every map has 2 different sides that it can be viewed from, one for each team. The camera is not rotatable, therefore obstructions on the map have the ability to block line of sight to enemies, while allowing players to always see themselves and their teammates behind cover. This stealth aspect can be countered by certain character abilities and strategic play.

Multiplayer

Discipline will feature online multiplayer gameplay. This will be an excuse to learn certain networking technologies, as well as a way to test out some ideas I have had regarding how to craft a fun competitive experience. While the pricing model is still to be determined, I am considering the concept of having a free-to-play mode that utilizes peer-to-peer connections for minimum overhead, while a competitive mode would be server-authenticated, and therefore have a subscription model to cover the costs of the servers plus profit. This would increase development complexity due to having essentially two entirely separate network architectures for the same game, but the benefits are very appealing. This decision should be made within the first month of development.

Lore

The story of Discipline takes place on a far-away planet with advanced alien species that resemble races and creatures from High Fantasy fiction, such as Elves, Golems, Ents, Faeries, Dwarves, etc. Any effects that appear to be magical are explained by scientific advancements rather than mystical influences.

Factions

The people of this world are starting to divide themselves into three factions, roughly defined by their perception of the word "Discipline": The Structuralists, The Volunteers, and The Boundless. Previously people that agreed with these philosophies coexisted peacefully with mutual respect, but tensions have been rising and they are now on the brink of a civil war.

Structuralists

Structuralists desire order and regularity in society. They believe that it is the role of the government to enforce order by law, and by disciplining those who do not comply with the law. Structuralists disagree strongly with Volunteers, believing that people are inherently selfish and cannot self-govern. They believe that structure, regulation, and explicit rules are the best methods to preserve and protect every individual's freedom from being threatened by another person's misconduct. They point to the chaotic Boundless as archetypal examples of what will go wrong if order is not enforced.

Structuralists are likely to assume their convictions are obvious to others, and should be enforced by law. They are oblivious to the fact that they are often the most privileged in society, having no experience of what it is like to be subject to the harsh punishments that they promote. Some structuralists also tend to take matters into their own hands when they do not feel like the government is doing a good enough job.

Volunteers

Volunteers are apprehensive of a powerful and forceful government, preferring to improve society via solidarity, education, and self-discipline. They believe restrictions will only lead to resentment, and violence will only lead to retaliation. Volunteers expect everyone to be altruistic, selfless, and to uphold a strong sense of morality. They may believe in karma, or some form of eternal punishment and reward for actions taken during life. Volunteers expect force and mandatory restrictions to be ineffective or even counter-productive ways to affect change in society, even though they fervently believe that every person will or should be judged according to very restrictive standards.

Volunteers are likely to be very vocal about their beliefs, and will lecture those that behave in ways incompatible with those beliefs. They are often called preachy, judgemental, arrogant, cold, naive, overly optimistic, and oblivious to the struggles and motivations of others.

Boundless

The Boundless prioritize freedom and autonomy above all else. They do not value discipline whatsoever, whether extrinsically enforced or self-imposed. They do not want to be "preached at," much less forced to behave in a certain way or believe a certain philosophy. They want to be left alone, and will usually leave others alone in return. Many don't even bother to identify themselves with the faction or make any effort to further its cause, unless they are motivated by something that they perceive to be a threat to their own freedom.

Some Boundless can have a tendency to be selfish and greedy, exploiting others for personal gain. These members expect others to do the same, therefore they have no regrets about using what is available to them to improve their own lives. Most Boundless are simply apathetic towards others, contributing very little to their community, and consuming whatever resources they desire.