Realms Studios - Eschaton - An Immersive Spythriller

S

sin-arty

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Team name:
Realms Studios (2003-2006) is an official independent game design and research company.

Project name:
Eschaton - An Immersive Spy Thriller.

Brief description:
Eschaton is a sci-fi first person shooter RPG based on Half-Life2’s Source engine.
Fictionally, Eschaton is set in a near alternate future; it takes place between December 14th 2012, and December 21st 2012.

Conceptually, Eschaton is genre-busting game – part immersive simulation, part-role playing game, part first-person shooter and part adventure game.
Theoretically, I am trying to create both an immersive simulation game in which you are made to feel as if you’re actually in the game world, and at the same time it becomes more like watching a stylish film, cut-scenes set the scene, and us getting to control the protagonist through his exploits, choosing the path of the plot and fighting the fights, figuring out the complexities, but behind willing to often leave him, see events from outside his eyes, and shadowy cut scenes of events on the other side of the world, leading to him.

Ideally, when playing the game, nothing should remind you that you are just playing a game; not the interface, not your character’s back-story or capabilities, not game systems, nothing.
It should be all about how you interact with complex environments in ways which you find interesting, and in the way you move closer to accomplishing your goals.

It is a role playing game in that you play a role and make character development choices which ensure that you end up with a unique alter ego.
You progress throughout the game through a variety of minute-to-minute gameplay experiences in a manner that grows naturally out of the unique aspects of your character.
Every single and possible choice you make is theoretically designed to reflect your own biases and express your own personal characteristic differences in obvious ways in the game world, as much as realistically possible.

It is a first-person shooter because the action unfolds in real-time, seen through the virtual eyes of your alter ego in the game world, and your reflexes and skills play an important role in determining your success in combat.

And finally, Eschaton is like an adventure game in that it’s story-driven, linear in narrative structure, and involves character interaction and item accumulation to advance the plot.
However, Eschaton is designed to “ask” players to determine how they will solve game problems and force them to deal with the consequences of their choices.

Eschaton is not about using the biggest gun to defeat a final boss, not at all.
Eschaton is about making minute-to-minute nerve breaking critical decisions which impact the world, and using the environments to accomplish the tasks set before the player.


Philosophical Point #1

Fundamentally I am trying to achieve something that has never been done before in a PC game while trying to push the boundaries of Source™ technology further.
Eschaton is trying to be as realistic as possible, be it the health system, movement system or firing system, where each system contributes in immersing the player more deeply within the game, and adds overall complexity.
Am I trying to change the world? Not all at once.

Philosophical Point #2

Eschaton, while a game of freedom and choices, the story became too potentially deep for an open game, making Eschaton also somewhat of a movie.
This is more like watching a stylish film than immersing wholly into the character; we're becoming too strongly story driven and complex to hold to the regular, default immersion rules.
Cut-scenes set the scene, and us getting to control the protagonist through his exploits, choosing the path of the plot and fighting the fights, figuring out the complexities, but behind willing to often leave him, see events from outside his eyes, and shadowy cut-scenes of events on the other side of the world, leading to him.
Eschaton is an epic, worldwide scale story, war and disaster, love and hate, divine intervention and no holds barred style.
A perfect balance between stealth, dialogue and diplomacy, then running like hell and fighting.

Main Focus
I think the main focus would be to satisfy the goal of storytelling since it began; to totally immerse an individual (the gamer) in an intimately personal quest; both to hear and see the player’s ways of conduct, and to be the hero oneself.


This is pretty much it.
It is important to note that we are still in pre-production mode, the story grows changes, and new media (artwork, renders, soundtracks) is always being added.

Official Website:
http://www.realmsstudios.com

Development Team: (we are 13 developers at the moment)
http://www.realmsstudios.com/team.htm

Eschaton World; information about the game world:
http://www.realmsstudios.com/eschatonworld.htm



Eye-candy:
Enjoy!

eschaton4small.jpg


terrapol2-1.jpg


mib.jpg


mibface.jpg


strip1.jpg


alw.jpg


oicw1.jpg


oicw2.jpg


oicw3.jpg


ak4701.jpg


piece.jpg


trashcan2.jpg



We are recruiting;
Programmers
Designers, -Consultants-, Writers.
3D Character Modellers
Texture Artists (We've already started working on various maps)
Character and Weapon Skinners
2D/3D Artists
Concept Artists



Contact Info:
Email/MSN: [email protected]
IRC: irc.gamesurge.net @ #eschaton
ICQ: 279849354
Forum: http://www.realmsstudios.com/forums

Thank you for taking the time reading this thread.
Cheers.


-sinarty
 
I see you've toned down the name! GW, keep it up Sin.
 
Looks to me like you're familiar with Chris Taylor's design document template :p

Nice looking concepts. I'll keep an eye on you.
 
Ennui said:
Looks to me like you're familiar with Chris Taylor's design document template :p

Nice looking concepts. I'll keep an eye on you.

Thank you :)
And yeah, Chris Taylor's is a great guy, and his design template idea works very well.

This thread will be updated each time I have new media to release, cheers.
:)
 
Thought this was worth mentioning:
Work has begun on the (HL2's Source) engine, we are currently implementing our original realistic movement and weapon system, NPC convo menu, 3D inventory and many other things.

Unfortunalty, we lack a few key positions on our team, and at this stage of development, these key members are the ones who set the scene.

We desperatly need Animators, 3D modellers and texture artist and character/weapon skinners.
Sound FX artist to create weapon fire, load and reload sounds and general first person related sound effects i.e walking, running, breathing, injury etc.
We could use a few more concept artists too.


Also, for those of you who are curious about our current team structure, here is the list:
Team structure:
sinarty (me) - Founder, Project Director, Lead Design Director, Storyboard/Dialgue/Script Writer, Lead Art Director, Concept Artist, Modeller, Webmaster.

Max "Cooldude" hohenlohe - Advisor.

John Edifice - Consultant, Writer & Designer.

Jason "starbuck" Kielpinski - Programmer.

Richard "Gahro" Pilot - Programmer.

Tor Olav Sorasdekkan - Mapper

Brandon "Shockey" Shockey - Mapper

Andreas Stavaas - Mapper

Vladimir Arkadivich - Music Composer.

Steve Mazzaro - Music Composer.

Alex "Chuk Chuk- Concept Artist.

Francois Cannels - Concept Artist.

Ben "bobthedinosaur" Wilkinson - Concept Artist.

James "Talon" O'Hare - 3D Character & Prop Modeller, Skinner.

Christian "NecEvil" Friess - 3D Character & Prop Modeller, Skinner.

Benjamin "rben" Rosner - IRC Operator, Forum Administrator, Webspace & Domain host and General technical advisor.


Cheers.
 
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