Project C
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Contact:
Alexander_Floden@hotmail.com
+46 73 645 49 45
Project C
Target Platforms: PC, Playstation 4 / 5, Xbox One / Series X, Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch / Nintendo Next Gen
Target Audience: Wide Mid & Hardcore Audience between 15-40 years old
ESRB Rating: E10+
Tools: Unreal Engine 4.26, WWise
State of the Prototype
Value Proposition
Revenue Streams
Benchmarks
Road Map
Funding
Supporting the Community
Epic Mega Grant
Meet the Team
Contact
Portal Meets Braid Meets The Last Guardian
Project C is a Narrative Driven First-Person Puzzle Platformer with a Time Manipulation Mechanic that plays like a blend of Portal, Quantum Conondrum, Braid and The Last Guardian which has the players solving Physics-based puzzles by Slowing, Pausing and Rewinding the flow of Time.
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The game takes place in Old Ancient Ruins beneath a Great Mountain where a Young Girl has arrived in search of something important.
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Its First Ruin Section is complete with 14 Levels designed to naturally teach the player the Mechanics and Components of the game while keeping both their wits and skills challenged.
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The prototype has a heavy focus on the Story and Character, to set the game apart from others in the genre but also to keep players invested and to alleviate puzzle grind.
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The Prototype has a Strong Foundation in its Design, Story and Tech.
State of the Prototype
Complete Walkthrough
(Art, SFX, VFX, Music and Animations etc. are all placeholders.)
Highly Recommend playing it first!
Slow Down Time for puzzle solving and platforming
Pause Time to move and manipulate Objects and use them Platforms.
Rewind time to traverse the environment.
Slow Down Time for puzzle solving and platforming
(Hover Over for More)
(Hover Over for More)
Art
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The game takes place in Ancient Mysterious Ruins on a Great Mountain.
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Aims to Appeal to a Large Mid and Hardcore Audience where fans of Zelda and Journey should find the game visually interesting.
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Will offer variety in its atmosphere where it might be warm and inviting in the beginning but have darker and moodier tones as well.
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The Majority is in White box stage and can be considered a Blank Canvas which might be easier to shape an Art Style over.
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The Environment will tell the background and story of the ruins and what has transpired there using murals and hand placed props.
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Variation in Themes where the first section is the Secret Entrance, The Tombs & Courtyard. The Second is Research & Mining Facilities, and the Third; Living Quarters & Temples.
Design
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First Section with 14 Levels Designed, White boxed, Tested and ready to be replaced with real Art.
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Future Puzzle Components and Alterations to the Mechanic is planned for constant variety in terms of game play and puzzles.
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Established and proven Approach to Level Design that Introduces and Re-iterates Puzzle Components & Mechanics for easy learning.
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The Narrative Design that gives direction to the structure of sections and how the story will be told in ways to alleviate puzzle grind fatigue.
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Designed to be Episode based if partial funding is acquired where the Ruins is divided into three Sections.
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Offers different Game play Styles where you can play fast by using Slow and Pause less to get a better time, or play it safe by using them more.
(Hover Over for More)
Story
Almost all cut scenes in the first section has a First Pass on them with placeholder assets and sound.
She finds herself in a state of waiting as she sees the ruins that she has passed from a new perspective. This is to give the player a better overview of the size of the ruins but also a feeling of accomplishment. When she is in this state we can more easily transition to her memories and can explore her mind.
Picture of her Brother she brought with her on her journey.
Almost all cut scenes in the first section has a First Pass on them with placeholder assets and sound.
(Hover Over for More)
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Complete Story that has been revised 3 times so far, each time adding more polish such as improved pacing and characters motivations.
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Character Driven Story where we slowly uncover her past, her inner conflict and what has driven her to the ruins.
Side characters will be used to add some light playfulness to the game, to it give more "Zelda Feels".
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Complete Narrative Design detailing How the story will be told in ways to keep players invested and to alleviate puzzle grind fatigue.
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Will Actively differentiate itself from storytelling tropes such as test chambers, in-game narrators and first-person only cut scenes.
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The Story features interesting twists and time paradoxes that may not have been done in games before.
Tech
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About 30% Tech Debt where we aim to transfer the most heavy logic in C++ but keep much what we can in Blueprint to keep costs down.
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Many Back-End and Game play Systems are developed and future proofed since the first section demanded it in its various situations.
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Flexible Debugging Tools that allows quick testing for designers and artists.
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Time Manipulation is a C++ Based Plugin where you can drop a component on any actor that should get affected.
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Vertex Data Detection C++ Plugin that can detect what vertex colors are painted on a mesh, for example puddles and grass.
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WWise and a future proof Sound System has been implemented for the time manipulation effect.
Featured in the Time Manipulation Plugin is a component can be dropped on any actor and it will enable it to get affected by Time Manipulation. Several Settings are possible to customize its behavior, for example if you wish to override its C++ code with BP script.
Stress test of the Time Manipulation Effect on regular Meshes that has the Component.
Debug Tools where you can easily set which level to start from and with what abilities
Featured in the Time Manipulation Plugin is a component can be dropped on any actor and it will enable it to get affected by Time Manipulation. Several Settings are possible to customize its behavior, for example if you wish to override its C++ code with BP script.
(Hover Over for More)
You can read in more detail about the game, its inception, design, narrative and systems HERE
Value Proposition
MULTI-PLATFORM
AIMS TO BE OPTIMIZED TO RUN ON PC, PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, XBOX SERIES X, NINTENDO SWITCH & NEXT-GEN NINTENDO
TARGETING A GLOBAL RELEASE WITH SUPPORT FOR MANY LANGUAGES FOR MAXIMUM REVENUE STREAM POTENTIAL
GENRE REBOOT
ART STYLE WITH AN APPEAL TO A WIDE AUDIENCE AND A FOCUS ON STORY AND CHARACTER RATHER THAN JUST PUZZLES
HAND PLACED ART IN LEVELS AND IN TRANSITIONS BETWEEN LEVELS TO AVOID REPETITIVENESS COMMONLY SEEN IN THE GENRE
INNOVATIVE MECHANIC
THAT ALLOWS SMOOTH FLEXIBILITY OF TIME MANIPULATION THAT HAS PLAYERS THINKING FORWARD AND BACKWARD IN TIME SIMULTANEOUSLY
TIME MANIPULATION IS ON THE RISE AS OF LATE WITH RECENT HITS SUCH AS AVENGERS, TENET AND PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME REMAKE
Revenue Streams
KICKSTARTER & PATREON
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LAUNCH ON KICK STARTER AND PATREON ONCE PROTOTYPE HAS BEEN REMADE WITH NEW ART
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EARLY ACCESS RELEASE ALONGSIDE KICK STARTER CAMPAIGN SO THEY CAN ALL SUPPORT EACH OTHER
Product
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DIGITAL & RETAIL
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STEAM, EPIC GAMES STORE, GOOGLE STADIA, PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, XBOX SERIES X, NINTENDO SWITCH & NINTENDO NEXT-GEN
Downloadable Content
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DLC EXPANSION
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SOUNDTRACK
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PLUGINS
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ASSETS
Benchmarks
Targeted for a Large Mid and Hard Core Audience that enjoys Puzzle games with Narrative such as Portal, The Talos Principle and Zelda.
Titles with similar Mechanics indicates that the genre has an established fan base and can reach both Mid and Hardcore Audiences.
NOTE: These sales numbers are from Steam sales only and are from Spring 2018 when Steam Spy could show more specific numbers.
Portal 1 / 2
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First-Person Puzzle Platformer
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Wide Mid & Hardcore fan base
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59 950 / 162 904 Overwhelmingly Positive Steam Reviews
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10M+ / 10M+ Sales
The Talos Principle
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First-Person Puzzler
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19 413 Overwhelmingly Positive Steam Reviews
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850k+ Sales
Braid
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2D Platformer with Time Manipulation Mechanic
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4937 Very Positive Steam Reviews
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1.1M+ Sales
Quantum Conondrum
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First-Person Puzzle Platformer with Time Manipulation and Gravity Mechanics
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1340 Very Positive Steam Reviews
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250k+ Sales
Super Hot
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First-Person Shooter with Time Manipulation Mechanic
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15 223 Very Positive Steam Reviews
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800k+ Sales
Antichamber
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First-Person Puzzle Platformer
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10 437 Overwhelmingly Positive Steam Reviews
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1M+ Sales
Road Map
This Road Map is what we would like to have if enough Funding is acquired during the fall period to at least Complete the Prototype and Prepare for the next Section.
NOTE THIS ROAD MAP IS QUITE OLD AND OVER AMBITOUS, WILL BE REWORKED SOON!
EPIC MEGA GRANT
APPLICATION
PROTOTYPE ALPHA
PROTOTYPE BETA
RELEASE EARLY ACCESS & LAUNCH KICK STARTER
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
PITCH
PREP PROJECT
PLANNING
PRE-PRODUCTION
FULL PRODUCTION
MARKETING
PLAY TEST & POLISH
PRE-PRODUCTION
PRE-PRODUCTION
IMPLEMENT CHARACTERS
FINALIZE LEVELS
FINALIZE CUT SCENES
RELEASE
-Pitch Presentation
-Pitch Build
-Apply for Epic Mega Grant
-Reach out to Publishers
-Make a Wiki and Document Current Systems
-Build Tools and Expand Systems for a future Team
-Prototype Future Puzzle Components
-Acquire Funding to Complete Prototype with New Art
-Register Company
-Find an Office
-Start building a Team with a mix of Seniors, Juniors & Interns
-Review Milestones and Prep Favro with Tasks
-Review and Plan Budget depending on Funding acquired
-Review Section 1 Levels Again
-Complete Art Bible detailing the planned Art Style
-Paint Overs of Each Level in Section 1
-World Concept Art
-Character Concepts Art
-Version Control & Automatic Builds
-Script with Dialogue and Direction for VO
-Move into an Office
-Introduce Project and Create Workflows with the Team
-Puzzle Components Concept Art
-Intro and Level 3 Cutscene Storyboarded
-Motion Capture Workflow
-First Drafts of Section 2 Levels Implementation
-Remake Cavern Levels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4
-First Drafts of Side Characters
-Tower Elevator and Section 1 End Cutscenes Story boarded
-Remake Tomb Levels 5, 6, 7, 8
-Intro Cutscene Re-Edit with new Character
-Level 3 Cutscene Re-Edit with new Character
-Implement the new Character Models
-Main & Pause Menu Art & Implementation
-Memory #1 Storyboarded
-Gameplay SFX
-Cavern Levels Music
-Memory #2 Finalized with Art and Audio
-Statue Room & Tower Cutscenes SFX and Music
-Transition Levels Remade with Hand placed Art
-Cutscene Voice Overs
-All Cutscene Reviewed and Finalized
-Branding Research
-Prep a Simple Kick Starter Campaign
-Marketing Material
-Game Web Page
-Performance Play Tests with Dev Kits on Target Platforms
-Polish Levels
-Concept Section 2 Art Theme
-Puzzle Components SFX
-Section 1 & 2 play tests with Target Audience
-Polish Mechanics & Game Feel
-Polish Levels
-Polish Cutscenes
-Fix Bugs
-Paint Overs of Each Level in Section 2
-Release on Steam & Epic Games Store Early Access
-Launch a Simple Kick Starter Campaign
-Launch Patreon Page
-Reach out to Publishers/Investors for further funding if needed
-Tweak Section 1 & 2 Levels based on Feedback
-Remake Levels in Section 2
-Storyboard Section 2 Cutscenes
-Remake Ruin Levels 8, Statue Room, Level 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
-Memory #1 Finalized with Art and Audio
-Memory #2 Storyboarded
-Intro and Level 3 Cutscene SFX and Music
-Statue Room Cutscene Re-Edit with new Characters
-Tower Cutscene Re-Edit with new Characters
-Puzzle Components VFX
-First Drafts of Section 2 Levels Design
-1 level in each of the different Section 1 Environments remade with the new Art Style
-First Draft model of Main Character
-VFX Time Manip Mechanic Solution
-Level 6 and Statue Room Cutscenes Story boarded
NEW HIRES / INTERNS
-Producer & Designer
-Environment Artists
-Freelance Character Artist
-VFX Artist
NEW HIRES
-Marketing
Funding
We are primarily looking for Project Funding since it is a Linear Single Player Game with one DLC Expansion planned, but we are open for Equity investments as well.
What We Need
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New Art Style that aims to appeal to a wide audience of players.
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Characters and Animations that plays a vital role in the Narrative, Player Engagement and for Marketing.
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Story Board Cut Scenes and review them with Characters and Voice Overs.
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Visual FX with future proof solution for the Time Manipulation Mechanic.
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Music and Sound FX befitting the new Art Style.
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Re-vise the Level Design with the new Art so it isn’t as structurally repetitive with the Doors but where transitions in-between levels is more fluent like in The Last Guardian Ruins, with unexpected paths opening up due to destructibility.
Preliminary Budget
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Desired for Completing a Minimum Viable Product for the Prototype (Only Main Character and Environment, No new SFX, Music, VFX, Flashback Memories or Designs for the next Section of Levels etc.)
1M kr / 115 k USD + Office, Hardware, Licenses -
Desired for Completing the Prototype for an Early Access Release (Including Preparing Designs, Storyboards etc. for the next Sections, Marketing Research)
2.5M kr / 295 k USD + Office, Hardware, Licenses -
Desired for Complete Development (Including Localization, QA, Porting to Platforms)
5.5M kr / 650 k USD + Office, Hardware, Licenses
Keeping Costs Down
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Save Costs on Licenses by using Blender for all things 3D.
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Designed so it could be developed by a team of Juniors with a couple of Seniors giving direction.
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Support New Talents by accepting interns during the Spring Term that the Seniors will mentor, then offer employment.
Supporting the Community
We believe in supporting the community as much as possible and to give back to those who have helped us come this far.
We aim to do that by releasing Plugins and Starter Kits we've built as well as schedule weekly support sessions.
The C++ Based Plugin that was developed for the project where the player can Slow, Pause and Rewind the flow of Time.
Is designed to be user friendly so Artists can use it when blocking out levels. Simply drop a Time Manipulation Component on actors or characters that should get affected. Its behavior can be overridden and customized greatly.
Will be released at the Epic Games Store if funding is acquired and could possibly be made Free if a Mega Grant is received or if we get sufficient funding.
WEEKLY SUPPORT SESSIONS
Employees will Allocate 2 Hours per week to give Support back to the Community in their area of expertise.
Epic Mega Grant
The Grant would be used to Push the Prototype into a Polished and Presentable State with new Art Style, Characters, Sound and Visual Effects using the latest in UE5 Tech such as Niagara, Chaos, Nanite and Lumen, to increase the chances of getting recognized by a Publisher as well as getting a successful Kick Starter Campaign, Patreon and Early Access Release.
The Grant would thus help us come closer to a Minimal Viable Product for the Prototype, and lay much of the ground work needed for the future Sections of the game as well since they use much of what will be produced in the first section.
When the Prototype is in a Polished State we're hoping that Epic Games might recognize the potential of the project and consider publishing it themselves.
What We Will Give Back
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The Time Manipulation Plugin
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Weekly Community Support Sessions
Meet the Team
The Available Members of the Team has many years of experience studying and working in their area of expertise which ranges from Game, Level, Tech and Sound Design to 3D Environment and 2D Concept Art.
Some members that have contributed have throughout the years gotten employment and are no longer available if funding is required.
We also have been in talks with Prospect Games about a possible partnership where they could share their experience with us. They have many years in the industry and have released several multi-platform games and can help us avoid early missteps.
Joakim Johansson
Sound Designer
Prev. Teacher at School of Audio Engineering.
Currently Owns & Manages We Are Machine Media while developing his Game and Level Design Skills at Futuregames.
Unavailable
Alexander Flodén
Game Director & Designer - Project Manager - Programmer - Writer
Prev. Tech Designer at Coffee Stain North.
Currently Employed at a small Startup.
Available
Concept Artist
Prev. 3D Artist at Ubisoft Romania & Head 2D Teacher at Futuregames.
Unavailable
Philip Bretschneider
Environment Artist
Currently Employed.
Unavailable
Johanna Petterson
Concept & Character Artist
Currently Employed.
Unavailable
Armin Johansson
VFX Artist
Currently Employed.
Unavailable
Alexander_Floden@hotmail.com
+46 73 645 49 45