We want this game to be complete and completable before piling on with features and content. We want to avoid scope creep and focus on a small piece of story to prove that we are able to deliver a coherent gaming experience.
The player should be able to build different characters and experience the game differently, depending on his character and choices. We don’t want to force the player into situations he didn’t get into himself. We want to reduce the occurrences of “Why can’t I do that?” to a minimum. The player should be able to roleplay in a good or evil way and somewhere in between.
Every main quest must at least support a fighter, avoider or manipulator play style. This extends to the ending, there should be multiple possible endings, representing the different possible outcomes.
We want no easy solutions and no clear dividing line between good and evil. Instead we are depicting a dystopian world of grays. Some situations cannot be resolved in a “good” manner, because any outcome will be objectively undesirable, so it could be a choice about the lesser evil. The player will face consequences for his deeds.
The world and the characters in it should react to the player’s character and his choices. The world should change to represent the influence the player has on the development of the story.
The player should have a main goal but multiple ways of achieving it. The story is small and focused on telling a specific arc, without taking away player agency.
Failing or even critically failing at a task should result in interesting consequences. They may be harsh but should let the player keep playing and dealing with those consequences.
We don’t want huge empty spaces or vast procedurally generated landscapes. Instead we will focus on locations that allow for a maximum amount of choice and story-telling. Filling the world densely with interesting characters, quests and locations.
Can be found in this google doc.