A New World is a text-based adventure game that explores the tough decisions that come with leadership.
FORMAT
Engine
Twine
Team Size
Solo
Development Time
Two weeks during a school semester
DESIGN GOALS
Convey the sense of fear and pressure that leaders feel when forced to make decisions that may have uncertain outcomes or that seem straightforward but inevitably lead to disaster
Tell a heartfelt story following a crew exploring uncharted lands
Attempt to create my first text-based adventure and push my narrative capabilities
DESIGN DISCUSSION
In order to convey the sense of thrill and dread that can come with leadership I made sure to include many decision paths that lead to unexpected tragic and successful events. I made sure to make unsuccessful branches go on long enough to not arise suspicion before suddenly turning bad with no way to go back and forcing the player to live out the disaster that unfolds in every excruciating detail. I also tried to ensure that most of the paths, both good and bad, had the ability to turn back before they came to full fruition to give the player that chance to really doubt.
All of the characters are fairly straightforward archetypal characters and the world is mostly just a mysterious hazard but I did try to ground the story through one core relationship between the player character and a companion to give the player someone to worry about their decisions affecting.
