Moves Of The Diamond Hand is a first-person narrative RPG. It's set to the backdrop of a surreal dystopian jazz-drenched city. It builds on the gameplay of Cosmo D’s previous game, the award-winning Betrayal At Club Low. At the same time, it returns to the first-person perspective of Cosmo D’s previous games. Its dice-driven gameplay is deeper, the plot is richer and the scope is grander than ever.
A new day dawns in Off-Peak City. The legendary Circus X, an actual circus and artist crew of the highest caliber, is somehow back in town. And they’re ready to put on the show of a lifetime. You’ve arrived on the scene, ready to become a part of it and mint your destiny. But Circus X isn’t hiring, and there’s plenty of people who want a piece of the Circus X magic (and money). To become part of this elite crew, you’ll need to figure out a way in. Sure, you have some leads, but you also have trouble.
This trouble arrives during the strangest Mayoral election in the city’s history. One of the candidates isn’t even a real person, he’s the clone of a Mayor from a hundred years ago! The company that created him is betting on his success, but two rival candidates plan to stop him at all costs. To add to all this, someone called The Diamond Hand is playing all the sides against one another. No one knows who this Diamond Hand is or why they're causing trouble. But somehow you become enmeshed in this drama. Are you a potential collaborator, or a pawn in the Diamond Hand's game? Sure, you may be new to the neighborhood, but the Diamond Hand underestimates you. They all do.
A full embrace of the spirit of tabletop RPG gaming
Moves Of The Diamond Hand evokes the feel of a multi-session tabletop RPG experience. Your stats are all represented as dice. These dice offer opportunities for drama and strategy. Items are dice. Conditions are dice. Disguises are dice. These dice are all customizable in a myriad of different ways. Still, players have control over which dice to use, how to upgrade them and which ones they want to roll or keep close.
A tight narrative full of twists and turns
The story unfolds over four chapters of dubby jazz noir mystery. And you, along with your dice, will determine how it all plays out, right up to the very end.
Choices and consequences aplenty
Three very different mayoral candidates offer stark points of view and personality. But their race for The Key to the City is as close as it gets. You will help determine the outcome of their contest. Your choices will shape your own destiny in the neighborhood, too. The game lets you decide who to side with, who to help and who to hinder.
A city of personalities
This game’s setting immerses players in a surreal lived-in neighborhood. It's full of odd characters, each with their own agendas, perspectives, and secrets. Many of them have connections to previous Cosmo D games, but knowledge of those games is not required.
A vibe like no other
Cosmo D games put a premium on head-nodding music and thick atmosphere. This game continues to elevate the approach.
A collaborative, transparent approach to release
Given the depth and breadth this game, we’re opting for an Early Access model, releasing each chapter one at a time. The Chapter 1 is free for all to experience and will release as a demo. We plan to have Chapter 2 go on sale as part of the Early Access release. We plan to have future chapters released later throughout the Early Access period. Anyone who buys this game in early access will gain access to all released content as soon as it’s ready. During the Early Access period, players can also opt-in to try or test content ahead of schedule.
We aim to keep the development process transparent and open to player feedback. All players will have access to a bug reporting and feedback menu in-game. Bug fixes, balance adjustments and quality of life improvements will be continuous. Your patience and trust in our process will help get this game finished on schedule and as good as it can be.
🕹️ Partial Controller Support
🎮 Full Controller Support
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I\'ve arrived at the point in my development work where a lot of what I\'ve been doing over this past year is coming together. The various areas that I\'ve been playtesting internally in discrete sections are getting connected through a hub zone. Specifically, its a street scene reminiscent of what I did in Tales of Off-Peak City Vol. 1, but its much more dense and meant to evoke the classic street hub levels from games past. Think Santa Monica from Vampire Bloodlines or Detroit from Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Any of the Deus Ex street levels, honestly. Ive come to realize that the street level is quite unique in its technical and design needs. It serves as a portal to other more descreet challenge areas, but it also has its own distinct zones and unique mission design opportunities.
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Question: Do all the shops in the hub world get clustered one place?\nAnswer, for now: I\'m spreading them out to offer variety, but not too much so it feels like a slog to get across the map just to partake in a particular type of transaction. At best, I can offer shortcuts and alternate transactional locations which are thematic appropriate.
Question: Is the space meant to be totally safe, or have zones of danger and challenges?\nAnswer, for now: I mix up the danger and the safety. Just to keep it interesting and players on their toes. It should feel like you\'re flowing through a dense space, filled with purpose.
Question: Do I give players an in-game map? Or do I let them use their own natural sense of direction and land-marking to find their way around?\nAnswer, for now: No map for now. I think the space is intimate enough and dense enough that players can use real-life direction finding skills to get around.
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Question: because of the connective nature of this space, as well as its density, how do I manage the technical load?
Answer, for now: Loading in discrete zones for the different areas. This is a tried and true technique I\'ve done with all my games, but this area is promising to be one of my most elaborate.
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The scene collection has a lot of unrelated things going on in tandem. One moment youre sneaking by a wandering guard - the next, youre making a pizza on a balcony nearby.
Other strategies Im thinking about to address these design challenges:
Moving through the hub world in a cyclical nature. Ideally I want to create a space that players can flow through and meet all their needs / desires, like wandering through a bazaar or carnival.
[/*]Anywhere you look, theres something enticing from any angle. Neon signs abound.
[/*]The variety of spaces that are distinct from one another visually, as well as functionally.
[list]Shopping.
[list]The newsstand that also sells booze on the sly
[/*]A kiosk allows you to sell items back.
[/*]
Challenge and rewards,
A local lair where a vagrant creature hoards his treasures. At first he\'s docile, but if you want his treasures, you\'ll have to face his ire.
[/*][/*]Simply learning about the world.
Circus X, your ultimate destination, is right in the middle of everything. It serves as your ultimate destination, but also a reminder of how far you have yet to go.
[/*]Like in previous games, I\'ve created layered sky-boxes so that you see what exists beyond the immeidate street life, while also learning about the city\'s layers of history and lived-in feel, (the graffiti, the architectural details)
[/*][/*]Differences in height to give players a sense of verticality,different activities and zones of importance exist on different actual vertical planes.
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All of these elements are coming together to create a distinctive hub world that offers its own challenges, mysteries and opportunities. Its taking a lot of work, but it feels dense, alive, carnival-esque. I look forward to having you traverse it.
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Minimum Setup
- OS: Any Ubuntu. Debian. or SteamOS-derived Linux US
- Processor: Intel i5. AMD Ryzen 3.0GhzMemory: 8 GB RAMStorage: 5 GB available space
- Memory: 8 GB RAMStorage: 5 GB available space
- Storage: 5 GB available space
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