The Floating World

[Vector]

Hello all, I am proud to show you a little game I've been working on with my team. We are currently developing a prototype, that will be released as a demo, before we move on to main game development. This is to ensure that the development of the core systems found in The Floating World are understood & tested and so



The Floating World is a game about being confused. Clement Barbour, the player character, has washed ashore of Edo-period Japan. Although fluent in English, all those around him can only communicate in Japanese. Clement must learn to communicate with the locals in order to return home. Featuring beautiful hand drawn art based upon ukiyo-e and real world locations, The Floating World aims to transport the player to a time and place unique to a video game world. Utilizing a three Act story, The Floating World will be released in three installments.

Edo Japan was a beautiful place. The art and culture were so vastly different than the rest of the world. The Floating World recreates Edo Japan using the ukiyo-e art style. A style not commonly used outside of its traditional implementation, ukiyo-e is the perfect encapsulation of Edo period Japan. Featuring unique hand drawn art based upon real world locations and custom animation, The Floating World breathes life into a, formerly still, art style.


-We're currently running a Kickstarter.


-We have a Steam Concept page.




-Ukiyo-e Inspired Art:
Our artist, Mario Nunes, has slaved for hours in order to create original artwork that emulates ukiyo-e. Ukiyo-e, translated as "pictures of the floating world", is an art style of woodblock prints that were popular in Japan from the 17th through 19th centuries. Rarely featured in video games, The Floating World seeks to use this beautiful art style to create a atmosphere that is both familiar and foreign.

-Episodic (Three Acts):
The Floating World is set to be released episodically as a Three Act game. Act 1 takes place in the mountain village of Yamadera. In Act 2, the player travels to the prefecture's capital of Yamagata during the Hanagasa festival. The finale, Act 3, is set as Clement makes his way down the road to Edo and through the streets of Edo in order to find passage home. With enough funding, The Floating World can be released as a single release.

-Custom Animation:
We have decided to deliberately restrict the frames of animation as it better fits with ukiyo-e. Each piece of animation is specifically crafted by Spencer Lipscomb. We wish to bring the land of The Floating World to life.

-Day/Night Cycle:
Each area will feature day, night, dusk, and dawn. These are not just cosmetic but characters will appear in different areas or not be available depending on the time of day. Some gameplay aspects are only available to the player during specific times. As the player completes a full day/night cycle, the game will log it into a database. How quickly can you get Clement back to jolly old England?

-Real World Locations:
The three acts of The Floating World are all set in real locations. Act 1 takes place Yamadera; a sleepy mountain village known for its idyllic vistas. Act 2 is set in Yamagata during the Hanagasa festival; the capital and seat of power of the prefecture during Edo period Japan. Act 3 takes place on the road to Edo and in Edo itself; featuring seedier side of ukiyo-e such as brothels and sumo matches.

-Inspired by History:
Cory McQuhae has a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of British Columbia and uses what he learned in to vet each piece of art, word, and music. The Floating World will strive to be historically accurate. If history gets in the way of fun, Cory throws a dart at a wall that is labelled "Fun" and "History".

-Unique Gameplay Mechanic:
The Floating World features a unique mechanic that handles the players, presumptive, inability to understand Japanese. The player is able to "circle" nouns in the environment. These nouns, and their Japanese translation, are stored in a limited word bank. When the player encounters an NPC and the player has stored the correct word that word is permanently translated in all subsequent conversations. In this way the player begins to understand what NPCs are asking Clement to accomplish.

-Varying Styles of Puzzle Solving:
The "circling" mechanic is not the only mode of gameplay. The player must defeat small children at a board game, Sugoroku, in order to learn interrogative words. Basho is traveling the countryside and he needs help translating his haiku. By helping Basho, the player is able to learn all other words. Each Act also features different mechanics that will only be seen in specific sequences and story events.

*A lot of the info here was written for the Kickstarter and is replicated for the Greenlight Concept page and the Kickstarter. Apologies for the repetition. The Kickstarter page has a many more images and more video for your viewing pleasure*

I really look forward to hearing your comments and thoughts.




Here's a short gameplay video
Mock-up of the menu system (video).


Development Progress (Prototype):

Story: 100% (story for the prototype has been completed and translated)
Scripting: 0% (my programmers have proven to be unreliable and we are currently searching for another solution to this problem)
Graphics: 100% (all art assets for the prototype have been created)
Animation: 80% (all key animations have been finished, several non-essential background animations have not yet been compeleted)
Sound/Music: 10% (We have a theme but sound effects and further music have not been started yet)

Expected completion date (prototype): August, 2014

Development Diary:

Apr. 29th, 2014
-menu mock-up completed; revision needed but graphics finished

[Darth Mandarb]

1) Is this being made with AGS?

2) You need two in-game screenshots (please review the forum rules and update the first post)

3) Ignore #2 if the answer to #1 is "no"

[Vector]

1) Maybe. We are currently going through various engines and AGS is high on our list. When I was linked to the forum, it was clear that this was a forum specifically for an engine but rather an adventure game forum. In my haste I misread the "AGS Games in Production" as "Games in Production".

2) I interpreted the main character as an in-game screenshot but I'll happily add another screenshot.

[Frodo]

Looks an interesting game 

Since it's drm-free, how do you plan to distribute it?  Will it be on GOG?

[Vector]

Desura as I have gone through their distribution service before. Once we have a prototype working, we'll start an actual Greenlight page. We'll also be looking at Amazon and GOG.

[Frodo]

Desura - great.  Thanks Vector.  Don't like drm-steam. 

[Darth Mandarb]

1) Maybe. We are currently going through various engines and AGS is high on our list. When I was linked to the forum, it was clear that this was a forum specifically for an engine but rather an adventure game forum. In my haste I misread the "AGS Games in Production" as "Games in Production".

Okay, this doesn't technically meet the forum guidelines/rules then.  I'm going to lock it for now.  If/when you decide to use AGS for the production let me know (PM) and I'll unlock it for you.

In the meantime you might consider posting in the adventure related board(s) if you're looking to generate some interest in the project (kickstarter, steam, etc).