[hr][/hr] [table noborder=1 equalcells=1] [tr] [td][<] Previous: #0[/td] [td] [/td] [td] [/td] [td]Next: #0.3 [>][/td] [/tr] [/table] [hr][/hr] Before diving deeper into the evolution of the game, let's outline a few core principles we intend to uphold throughout development. Understanding these will clarify why certain features exist or indeed, why some don't. Some design choices can be easily modified or expanded later, while others must remain firmly in mind from beginning to end to ensure a functional game and avoid costly dead ends. We'll avoid technical details in this entry, but future devlogs will explore some topics listed below in more depth.

Top-Down Camera View:

We've experimented with top-down perspectives in several previous projects. Some were mentioned in the last retrospective, but there were other side projects where we also tested similar camera angles and positions.
(Image: Project G.A.C) This viewpoint might seem unusual to some, but deciding early on what and how we want to present to players is crucial. We also wanted to avoid comparisons with other pirate-themed games that utilize first- or third-person views. Many complex systems like controls, optimization strategies, level design, and decoration rely on this decision, making it essentially "set in stone." Plus, we genuinely enjoy games like this.

Using Physics:

Early on, we realized relying on physics for throwing items or moving other objects (such as player characters or boats) could lead to numerous bugs and glitches, especially in an online multiplayer game. Synchronizing physics-based data online is far more challenging than dealing with local, single-player physics calculations.
(GIF: Uncursed - One of the earliest versions) Sometimes it's tough to accurately display or predict object positions and rotations due to network latency. You'll notice that some games (like Lethal Company or Sea of Thieves) avoid using physics-based object throws entirely and likely for good reason. Still, we decided to use Unitys built-in physics system (nothing extraordinary) and implement some custom synchronization because it makes gameplay significantly more fun.

Simple Combat System:

To ensure easy learning and intuitive controls, simpler combat systems (like Sea of Thieves, again) are our reference points. We don't want combat to distract from the joy of exploration, aiming instead for easy-to-understand and quick-to-master mechanics. Making this engaging and fluid is a substantial challenge. To counterbalance simplicity, we'll create numerous items, each serving distinct gameplay purposes.
(GIF: Sea of Thieves)

Not (Completely) Open World:

The bigger the game world, the harder and more time-consuming it becomes to fill it with meaningful content. Often, huge, freely explorable maps offer little to discover besides empty, interaction-free areas. We aim to avoid this pitfall while maintaining the pirate lifestyles essential sense of freedom and endless exploration.
(Image: Uncursed - Travel concept) This approach significantly affects gameplay experience and technical design, making it one of the most debated decisions throughout development. Future devlogs will elaborate more on these solutions.

Online Co-op:

Getting lost in the dungeon is exponentially more fun when shared with a crew. When Lethal Company provided the final push to begin development, we knew online co-op gameplay is essential for our game. Besides allowing players to gather items, rescue souls, and drink the revenue together, we must consider real cooperative elements. Although the game will be playable solo, some puzzles and challenges will naturally be easier or only possible to solve as a team. After some research, we've also found co-op adventures have significantly greater marketing appeal.
(GIF: Uncursed - Cooperative bowel function) Currently, there's no plan for local couch co-op in Uncursed, though we'd love to develop such a game sometime. It requires completely different planning from the online version. Nevertheless, we haven't ruled out Uncursed eventually getting couch co-op mode in the future.

PvE Only, No PvP:

Several arguments convinced us not to include PvP gameplay. One major factor is combating cheating. Even AAA games spend considerable resources on this, yet determined players always find ways to cheat. Once shared publicly, it's just a matter of time before such "pirates" spoil the experience for everyone. Without PvP, any cheating would at most simplify the cheaters own gameplay, causing minimal harm for others. Though, interestingly, some games explicitly embrace this.
(GIF: Cheaters Cheetah)

Final Thoughts

These decisions represent just a few pillars of Uncursed's development. Sticking to these principles is crucial to overcoming future challenges, but we're always open to community feedback, ideas, and suggestionssomething you can actively participate in via the idea box forum on our Discord server. In upcoming logs, we'll show how these principles shaped the project. Until next time, fair winds, pirates! To be continued [hr][/hr] [table noborder=1 equalcells=1] [tr] [td][<] Previous: #0[/td] [td] [/td] [td] [/td] [td]Next: #0.3 [>][/td] [/tr] [/table] [hr][/hr]

[ 2025-05-28 02:08:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

The side project of the side project of the side project

Every developer knows the feeling of jumping from one idea to the next, spawning countless side projects. It was no different with Uncurseds ancestors. Almost all of them were built around ship travel and exploration, but none of them got further than steering the ship and landing on shore. Aside from the pirate theme, they all shared a top-down or isometric perspective. None of those early projects had a strong concept behind them or any real intent to finish them, so they remained as prototypes for testing mechanics and eventually gathered dust on a virtual shelf.
Being side projects, they naturally had clich, two-word names like Pirate Heart or Legendary Sails. Thats why Uncursed's original working title or codename was (Yet) Another Priate Game. And yes, I wrote it right it really was Priate for quite a while. I made a typo when creating the project and we just stuck with it until the actual name was decided. In fact, the Unity project still shows that title to this day (as a reminder, not out of laziness seriously!).

Artificial Inspirgence

In late 2022, publicly available and free-to-try large language models and generative artificial intelligences began to surface. Like everyone else, we immediately started playing around with them. Before long, we found ourselves asking it to write pirate-themed stories and trying to stitch them into something coherent.
Of course, the raw output wasnt really usable in any medium where quality mattered. After a while, you start to get fed up with AI-generated content even with diverse prompts, the recurring motifs wear thin. But it was great for sparking creativity and planting idea-seeds in our minds. Only we could shape them into something coherent. We started pinning tiny bits of story, the main characters personality traits, motivations, and a few gameplay mechanics onto a whiteboard. For weeks even months we added new ideas, with decreasing intensity, until the board was full.

Winter Child

On December 6th, 2023 St. Nicholas Day in Hungary as a gift we bought Lethal Company for a fun, scream-filled evening. After a few hours of gameplay, we realized the game was built on simple but entertaining features stuff we could totally put together ourselves. And hey, we already had a pirate idea just waiting to be made real (side note: were huge Sea of Thieves fans but you probably guessed that already). That was the moment the idea for Uncursed took root in our minds and weve been working on it ever since. The very next day, we created the Unity project (under the name Another Priate Game), set up the Git repository, and uploaded it to one of the online version control platforms.
December 7th: Uncurseds birthday.
To be continued

[ 2025-05-21 21:10:25 CET ] [ Original post ]