The Cursed Quest (working title) Unto this were all the knights sworn of the Table Round, both old and young. Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur Table of Contents Summary 2 Game Goals 3 Key Features 3 Target Demographic 4 Game Structure 4 Main Characters 6 Art Direction 8 Production Plan 10 The Team 11 Oualline The Cursed Quest | Page 1 Summary The Cursed Quest is an isometric single player RPG set in Camelot during the Reign of King Arthur. The player will embody Sir Cederic, a Knight of the Round Table who, after completing his last task for King Arthur, accepted a monetary reward thus breaking the Code of Chivalry. Because of his greed, he has been cursed by Merlin with conditional blindness: he can no longer see the castle of Camelot and, therefore, cannot take his seat at the Round Table. As Sir Cederic traverses seven strategy-based quests, he must weigh his decisions carefully, for he is constantly being weighed by the “Scales of Chivalry”. This is a game that calls the player to make the chivalrous choice over all else in order to regain honor, lift the curse, and be welcomed back to the Round Table. In each of the seven quests, Sir Cederic will receive the aid of other key figures from Arthurian Legend: Queen Guinevere, Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, Sir Perceval, Sir Galahad, Sir Bedevere, and Merlin. They will also face some of the great villains of Arthurian Legend as they encounter Morgan Le Fay, Mordred, the Green Knight and the Black Knight. In each quest, Sir Cederic, along with his companion, will play an important role in many of the key moments in Arthurian mythology. As he traverses the English countryside, Sir Cederic will also find chivalrous opportunities to aid other NPCs in distress. At times, he must choose between strategic approaches: stopping to help a villager or staying focused on the primary quest; storming a castle or entering through a secret passageway; outwitting an adversary or confronting an adversary in battle. In instances where battle is necessary, the game will utilize a turn-based tactical combat system in which the player will organize their characters on the grid and strategically decide when and how to attack. Sir Cederic must carefully weigh each decision; likewise, his choices will be weighed on the three-tiered “Scales of Chivalry” to determine his virtue, wisdom, and bravery. Each choice that Sir Cederic makes will determine whether he is truly worthy of a seat at the Round Table. Players who reach the end of the game will view one of two possible cut scenes based on the “Scales of Chivalry”. If the Scales are unbalanced, if Sir Cederic successfully completes his quests but fails to fully develop each of the three categories of chivalry, then he will view a short animation showing Sir Cederic laying his sword on the Round Table with the other Knights and Merlin followed by closing credits. If, however, the Scales are balanced and all three categories of chivalry have been fully developed, then the player will see the full cut scene showing Sir Cederic welcomed back to the Round Table and offered the Siege Perilous, the place of honor reserved for the knight who finds the Holy Grail. Because he has shown himself to be truly worthy, Sir Cederic will be tasked with leading the Round Table until King Arthur returns. Oualline The Cursed Quest | Page 2 Game Goals MORAL INSTRUCTION The best RPG experiences are those that create an immersive experience. My problem with most RPG games is that players are often tempted to run through town murdering anything in their way. To combat this issue, the main goal of The Cursed Quest is to create that immersive narrative that will not only entertain the player, but also give the player a sense of moral instruction. It is our goal that by encouraging the player to make the chivalrous decision in game, they will develop a sense of chivalry and moral turpitude outside of the game. EDUCATIONAL In addition to encouraging personal growth, the game will also teach the player some of the primary elements of Arthurian Legend. While this game will take certain liberties, the quests and the game structure itself are set up to mirror the source materials as closely as possible so that a player who becomes truly interested in the Arthurian mythology might be drawn to explore the works of Thomas Malory and other poets in the Arthurian canon. DEVELOP PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS In order to be successful, the player must sometimes think outside of the box. It is not always best to choose the obvious path. By challenging the player to consider the different options and weigh the consequences of each decision, we are also reinforcing problem-solving skills. Our overarching goal is to create a game that is both educational and entertaining. Key Features IMMERSIVE STORYLINE The immersive story based on Arthurian legend is the driving force of this game. The player will experience the excitement and responsibility of being a knight in King Arthur’s Camelot. They will learn that all decisions and actions come with consequences and, therefore, they must think through their options and decide which is the most chivalrous in that situation. Most challenges in the game have multiple solutions for the player to choose between. Whether the player is deciding how to access a location or deciding how to respond to an NPC in a dialogue tree, all of their decisions will be weighed and affect their outcome. THREE-TIERED SCORING SYSTEM The “Scales of Chivalry” are a key feature in this game. This scoring system will be continuously collecting data based on each of the player’s decisions. Was the decision virtuous or dishonorable, wise or foolish, or brave or cowardly? At the end of each quest the player will receive a weight in each category ranging from one to five. If any of the scales are below a three, the quest must be played again. On the quest completion screen, in addition to the scales, the player will see a populated list of their individual actions that affected that scale. The player will be able to use this knowledge to improve performance on future quests or as they replay a previous quest. The player’s overall value at the end of all seven quests will determine which ending they experience. TACTICS-BASED COMBAT SYSTEM ORIGINAL ART STYLE Oualline The Cursed Quest | Page 3 Target Demographic It is our aim to reach a wide age range of PC gamers, from the younger ones who are just getting started to the older gamer who doesn’t typically have as much time as they used to due to work and family life. Our story and combat will be both engaging and entertaining to a wide audience. There will obviously be a pull for those players who have an interest in Arthurian Legend, but the gameplay will also appeal to the RPG gamers that are intrigued by a good, immersive story. The game will be designed for ages 12 and up and will be built for the PC which will initially limit our market to the PC gamer. According to Geoffrey Zatkin (Electronic Entertainment Design and Research), Steam has quickly risen to command a huge portion (41%) of the total share of video games that were sold in 2015. Our goal is to tap into that growing PC market share. Game Structure The game will progress through seven different quests. As previously mentioned, the player will always be accompanied by a fellow Knight of the Round Table. The pair will traverse through the current quest attaining items and conversing with NPCs to gain clues as to what they need to do next. There will be opportunities for the player to assist NPCs with other types of tasks while they learn more about the current quest that they are on. At times, the player will find themselves in battle situations where they must employ tactical decisions to overtake their adversary. We chose this turn-based tactical combat system because it is simple enough for an RPG player that isn’t looking for battle but is strategic enough to engage a player who enjoys the thrill of the fight. If a player fails to reach the end of the quest or realizes that they would like to employ a different strategy, they will have the ability to restart the quest from either their last save point or from the beginning of the quest. At the end of each quest, the player will discover how they measure on the “Scales of Chivalry”, which will determine if they must attempt the quest again or move on to the next quest. Below is a brief plot synopsis of the storyline and quest breakdown. The game begins with a typographical cut scene with hand-drawn graphics portraying the story: In his first mission as a Knight of the Round Table, Sir Cederic retrieves a stolen flock of sheep for a family in a nearby village. When offered a reward of fifty silver, Sir Cederic happily accepts. Upon returning to Camelot, Sir Cederic is greeted by an angry Merlin. Because he has accepted pecuniary reward, he has broken the sacred Code of Chivalry. As punishment, Merlin curses Sir Cederic with conditional blindness: he can no longer see Camelot and, therefore, is unable to return to the Round Table. In order to break the curse, Sir Cederic must pass seven tests of virtue and honor, each based on the Code of Chivalry.