Aloha! I want to thank everyone who has supported this project over the last 2 years. With your help, we were able to release our alpha demo exactly 2 years from the opening of this project. There is so much more to do and I am looking forward to working with all of you. Onward to beta!
With the release of our alpha demo, we are looking for volunteers to help move us towards a beta demo. Testers, designers, and 2D/3D artists are most welcome. In fact, you are all welcome! Feel free to drop in and offer advice or ask questions. I will answer any questions you may have about the development of this project, so please feel free to ask.
That being said, allow me to keep this really simple and present a brief game design outline:
The Garden alpha demo <ā click here for access to the executables (178+ MB compressed)
The Garden development files <ā click here for access to the development files
Minimum System Requirements:
OS: Windows or Linux (32 or 64 bit)
CPU: 2.66 GHz or better processor
GPU: 1GB dedicated memory (only tested with NVIDIA)
RAM: 3GB DDR2
HDD: 700MB available space
The Garden is a simple point and click planet exploration game. You play as a lone āhumanā on the ocean planet Kai Nui. The object is for the player to travel the planet and discover everything for the first time to create the Encyclopediaās of Elements, Flora, and Fauna. The main game play is a free roaming scavenger hunt to complete the encyclopedias, with travel abilities gained from element discoveries. There is no exp, combat, weapons, items, or quests.
Art Style
The Garden will follow a cel shaded, non photo realistic art style. A perfect example is the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai games.
Control Scheme
The Garden uses a standard WASD control scheme with mouse look for the main game play and menu navigation.
W: move forward
A: move left
S: move backward
D: move right
F: enter/exit flight mode (walk)
Space: jump (walk), ascend (fly, swim)
Left Shift: descend (fly, swim)
Left Control: toggle run in walk mode, toggle swim fast in swim mode, toggle fly fast in flight mode
Mouse: mouselook/rotate, right click to toggle between 1st and 3rd person
HUD
The Garden has 2 HUD features;
- A āDiscernment Meterā that activates when new discoveries are in range. Available in FP mode only.
- A very simple 2 box menu, vertically split. The left box is the current encyclopedia, with a list of discoveries. The right box is a picture and description of each discovery.
There are no other HUD features, no life bar, no mana bar, no mini map, no hot keys, nothing.
The 6 island groups of Kai Nui.pdf
Encyclopedia of Elements
- Shadow
- Colors: Black & Violet
- Size: 10 cm to 1 m
- Description: Shadow Mana is a natural vacuum that will absorb any matter that gets near it. It has a pitch black core and long black tendril like arms that spiral out from the core.
- Light
- Color: White
- Size: 10 cm - 1 m
- Description: Light Mana is an orb of wispy light. It emanates a soft white glow that carries a variety of healing porperties.
- Fire
- Colors: Red & Amber
- Size: 10 cm to 1 m
- Description: Fire Mana is an orb of raging flames. It emits an intense heat that makes it hard to approach.
- Water
- Colors: Blue & Silver
- Size: 10 cm to 1 m
- Description: Water Mana is a swirling vortex of water and ice. Its swirling waters will freeze over in subzero temperatures or at high altitudes.
- Earth
- Colors: Grey, Green, & Brown
- Size: 10 cm to 1 m
- Description: Earth Mana is a mass of iron, dirt, and grass. It has an irregular shape that will vary greatly.
- Sky
- Colors: Sky Blue
- Size: 10 cm to 1 m
- Description: Sky Mana is a mini storm cloud that surges with raw energy. It can produce hurricane force winds and severe lightning storms.