Our ideas are usually drawn from our hobbies, favourite movies, sports and of course video games. We really like games that have nice background stories. This is why this week we are discussing the first part of our backstory.
We love good game mechanics but we believe having lore is the best trigger for immersion and as players we really like it when we can identify with our avatar/hero. In OverCast the player controls a wizard. We came to the logical question: who are they and why do they fight in arenas?
After a careful research into (and inspiration from) other videogames and movies, we decided on our setting: OverCast is set in a world in the aftermath of a great war. The place we imagined consists of city states constantly fighting each other. Anyone able to weave magic can fight their way into nobility and potentially into a city council that controls everyone’s fate at the top of the hierarchy.
As competition between the states escalated over time, new ways of killing enemies emerged, culminating with the invention of homunculi: man-made creatures kept alive by the magic imbued in them. These constructs could range in form from humanoid to anything their creator could dream of. Even though the homunculi could be virtually anything, their humanoid versions kept being most efficient as they were already using the proven ancient design of the gods. It was soon discovered human souls could be imbued into these organic machines. This essentially achieved immortality for the dead as their soul could later be transferred into even another homunculus if their current one failed.
Using homunculi in engagements massively changed the face of battle. The occasional skirmishes and clashes between the city states unfolded into a full-out war, a free-for-all where alliances collapsed faster than the walls protecting a city. That was because the homunculi proved to be more than a match for the spellcasting nobles. The only homunculi weakness was the cost to create them, as well as the constant need for magical energy, they absorbed through black cubical gemstones called Jet. If they did not get their Jet supply, the constructs would lose their memories and individuality over time.
Because of its high demand, Jet eventually grew so expensive that it became the most stable currency in the world.
Please join us next week, when we will be discussing the currency in our game!
OverCast 