Project Summary

Create a low-poly, first-person, server-authoritative multiplayer survival game where player interaction drives progression and danger.

Player Promise

• Start with very little and earn everything through play.
• Risk travel and combat to gain better resources and loot.
• Build toward safety in a personal vault and team progression.
• Experience a world where server progression is shaped by players.

Long-Term Direction

• Build a strong core loop first.
• Expand depth after the core loop is stable and fun.
• Integrate with Steam ecosystem for account and networking support.
• Maintain a clear documentation-first workflow for team and AI agents.

Loop Summary

• Spawn with minimal equipment.
• Gather resources and basic loot.
• Learn and unlock useful items through progression systems.
• Travel to markets to buy, sell, and trade.
• Move loot back to vault safely.
• Repeat in higher-risk areas for higher rewards.

Risk & Reward Structure

• Safer areas offer low-tier rewards.
• High-value zones require greater travel risk and conflict exposure.
• Market routes create natural PvP opportunities.
• Successful extraction and return to vault is a core success condition.
• Risk does not end at log-out — offline characters remain in the world and can be looted or killed. Where you log out is part of survival strategy.

Future Loop Extensions

• Raidable vault mechanics (future phase).
• Expanded faction and team systems.
• Richer late-game objectives and contested control zones.

Island Structure

• Outer edge — Markets and low-tier resource access.
• Near beaches — Tier 0 areas with basic starter loot.
• Mid zones — Tier 1+ starter bunkers and improved loot.
• Inner zones — Larger bunkers, higher loot value, higher player threat.

Bunker Concept

New players begin from starter bunkers in lower-risk progression zones. Bunker value and size scale as players move deeper into island progression. Travel between bunker and market creates natural conflict routes.

Zone Design Goals

• Encourage movement, not static camping.
• Make progression visible by region difficulty.
• Ensure every zone tier has clear purpose.
• Make player encounters feel expected, not random.

Progression Model

Players start weak with limited capability. Progression is earned through gathering, combat, trading, and successful extractions. Better zones and bunkers unlock stronger opportunities and risk.

Research Direction

• Unlocks reflect real player effort and server activity.
• Team collaboration accelerates knowledge and capability.
• Server culture and player choices shape progression speed.

Economy Direction

• Markets allow item sales and purchases.
• Trade routes between bunkers and markets create conflict and opportunities.
• Economy rewards specialists: gatherers, crafters, traders, and PvP hunters.

Anti-Stagnation Goals

• Prevent a fully safe late-game.
• Keep reasons for travel alive at all progression stages.
• Maintain catch-up opportunities for newer or weaker players.

Core Pillars

• Server authoritative gameplay.
• First-person combat and interaction.
• Low-poly visual style.
• High replayability through emergent player interactions.

Server Scale Target

Minimum 100 players per server. The goal is a living server community, not a small-group lobby. Dedicated servers handle all state — they do not render, so server-side 100-player load is achievable.

Offline Player Persistence

When a player disconnects, their character remains in the world in a distinct offline pose. Offline characters are fully exposed to other players and can be interacted with in two ways:

• Looted — items stolen from their inventory; character survives and player logs back in with whatever remains.
• Killed — character dies normally; player logs back in to a respawn screen.
• Safe pocket slots are always protected and cannot be taken through either offline interaction.

Social Dynamics Goals

• Create meaningful solo and team paths.
• Reward coordination without making solo play impossible.
• Encourage tension around transport, trade, extraction, and log-out location.

Product Principles

• Fun loop first, feature count second.
• Risk creates value.
• Progression must be understandable.
• Player interaction should drive memorable moments.

Engineering Principles

• Server authority for competitive integrity.
• Build clean systems that can scale.
• Document decisions immediately when they change.
• Prefer simple solutions that can be tested fast.

Production Principles

• Keep scope realistic for timeline.
• Do not build future systems before core loop is validated.
• Ship milestones that are playable, not just partially coded.