Hi
My name is Alberto, I'm from Chile, and I think I have a great idea for a video game, but I've been struggling to make a decent GDD for it. Also, after I draft a decent GDD, how should I proceed in other to make the game come true? is there any company known for being particularly perceptive with this kind of sources?
any help would be appreciated, here I'll leave a GDD I've been working with Copilot AI, not sure if this is ok or not
# **Game Design Document for Permanent Damage**
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## **1. Game Overview**
**Title**: Permanent Damage
**Genre**: Sandbox Multiplayer Exploration and Civilization Builder
**Platforms**: PC and Next-Gen Consoles
**Target Audience**: Players (aged 15-35) who relish open-ended exploration, deep crafting and building systems, skill-based mechanics, emergent multiplayer conflicts, and a continuously evolving universe—those who are passionate about creating legacies and engaging in collaborative competition.
**Core Themes**:
- **Evolution & Transformation**: Emphasizes growth—from raw energy into physical forms and from primitive civilizations to advanced societies.
- **Legacy & Permanence**: Every action, structure, creature, or technology you create may become a permanent part of the game lore (canonized), influencing future generations.
- **Cosmic Exploration & Discovery**: Venture deep into space and diverse worlds, uncovering hidden lore and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
- **Survival & Adaptation**: Players must manage scarce resources (energy, materials) in a realistic physics-driven universe—learning through trial and error while overcoming harsh environments.
**Elevator Pitch**:
*Permanent Damage* is a dynamic, player-driven sandbox where you start as waves of solar energy and transform into creators of civilizations. Explore procedurally generated solar systems, conquer hostile planets through epic dungeon challenges, and craft technologies from simple tools to spacecraft. In a universe that evolves with every canonized achievement, every player’s legacy permanently reshapes history—culminating in a hidden, ultimate challenge at the Sun’s core.
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## **2. Core Concept & Vision**
*Permanent Damage* blends physics-based exploration, skill-driven crafting, and emergent multiplayer interactions into an ever-evolving universe. Starting as pure energy ejected from the Sun, players learn to harness energy, master dash mechanics, and gradually gain the power to explore diverse planets. As they carve out their legacy by claiming planetary ownership, forging alliances, and building civilizations, players ultimately work towards uncovering the deepest secret of the universe—the ultimate dungeon hidden in the Sun’s core where a divine final boss awaits.
Key ideas include:
- **Total Player Agency**: No artificial restrictions on creativity. Every visible change—from individual avatars to entire planets—is shaped by the players.
- **Generational Progression**: Early player advancements become permanent canon, benefiting future generations.
- **Dynamic, Multi-Layered Gameplay**: Core loops (space travel, planetary survival, dungeons, crafting) interweave with social and PvP dynamics, resulting in a living, breathing universe.
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## **3. Gameplay Mechanics**
### **3.1 Primary Gameplay Loops**
#### **A. Space Travel**
- **Core Actions**:
- **Aim**: A simple control where the player directs the front of an energy avatar.
- **Dash**: The fundamental movement; by holding the dash button, players accumulate impulse and spend between 1 to 5 units of energy. Upon release, the avatar shifts trajectory toward the aimed direction.
- **Energy Management**:
- **Direct Sunlight**: Recovers energy at 1 unit per second.
- **Indirect (Shadowed)**: Energy regenerates slower—1 unit every 3 seconds.
- **Environmental Interactions**:
- Gravitational fields of astral bodies alter speed and trajectory.
- Hazards such as meteor showers, cosmic storms, and gravitational wells add risk.
- **Player Goals**:
- Master the delicate balance of energy expenditure, recover efficiently and use momentum to reach new solar systems.
#### **B. Planetary Gameplay**
- **Exploration & Survival**:
- Upon landing, players survey diverse biomes (from barren hot planets near the Sun to lush Earth-like environments and advanced outer worlds).
- Combat and stealth elements are in place as players fend off hostile fauna, environmental hazards, and potentially PvP encounters.
- **Resource Collection**:
- Players gather materials such as wood, stone, rare ores, flora, and energy crystals. The environment is reactive, and each biome offers distinct resources.
- **Building & Customization**:
- Construct shelters, fortifications, and later, entire civilizations. Buildings and structures can be fashioned from the materials you harvest, with their durability and function reflecting the physical properties of those materials.
- Avatar customization evolves depending on the material used—players can become water golems, stone giants, or even craft multiple avatars to operate concurrently through automation.
#### **C. Dungeons as Ownership Gateways**
- **Underground Dungeons**:
- Every planet contains hidden dungeons that serve as tests to claim ownership. These dungeons have several challenge modes:
1. **Boss Encounters**: Engage colossal creatures with unique energy-based projectiles, massive health pools, and specific vulnerabilities. Defeating a boss rewards large energy deposits.
2. **Puzzles**: Solve physics-based contraptions—think pulleys, timed explosive triggers, and circuitry puzzles—to unlock hidden passages or mechanisms, revealing lore or advanced technology blueprints.
3. **Mazes**: Navigate complex, trap-laden corridors filled with false paths and environmental hazards (collapsing floors, unstable walls) to find valuable loot and rare crafting materials.
4. **Hordes**: Combat waves of smaller, numerous creatures in massive, RTS-like battles. Tactical coordination here leads to rewards in mixed resources and technological insights.
- **Planetary Ownership**:
- Completing these dungeon challenges grants players (or alliances present in the final chamber) the ownership of the planet.
- Ownership carries a **permanent energy reserve** that stops a player from ever losing control (and being reset to the Sun) on that planet.
- Ownership also reveals secret knowledge: optimal resource locations, active population data, and potential sites for further expansion.
#### **D. Technology and Crafting**
- **Interactive Crafting Mechanics**:
- Every crafting action is active at first: for example, cutting wood is a dynamic mini-game where players physically aim and release a swing (using a tool like claw-shaped appendages) to chop trees. Precision in these actions improves yield and efficiency.
- Refining materials (such as smelting ore) requires players to adjust parameters like heat input and timing to achieve the desired product.
- **Automation & Skill Mastery**:
- Once a task is mastered manually, players can record a loop to have automated avatars replicate the action with varying efficiency, echoing a “programming” mechanic within the game.
- **Progression Through Crafting**:
- Early (Primitive) Level: Simple tools and materials (wood and stone) prevalent on hostile, unrefined planets.
- Intermediate Level: Introduction of gears, pulleys, and early engines—as learned from dungeon puzzles and NPC blueprints.
- Advanced Level: High technology emerges, enabling spacecraft construction, energy-based tools, and sophisticated structures that transform entire solar systems.
#### **E. Ultimate Challenge – The Sun’s Core**
- **Hidden Overarching Plot**:
- Buried deep in the game’s lore and gradually revealed through exploration is the secret to the Sun’s core—a final, mythic dungeon.
- **Preparation and Requirements**:
- Players must gather rare resources, research ancient blueprints dispersed within outer planets and ruin dungeons, and eventually collaborate to construct the ultimate spacecraft—one robust enough to navigate the Sun’s intense heat and gravitational forces.
- **The Final Boss**:
- At the core, a divine being exists—a cosmic entity that embodies creation and destruction. Defeating this boss requires mastery of all previous systems (combat, resource management, coordination) and will enable players to submit unlimited canon changes for that solar system.
- **Outcome**:
- Conquered solar systems become etched into the game’s permanent narrative, marking a turning point for the universe while liberating new realms for exploration.
---
## **4. Multiplayer Features**
### **4.1 Social Dynamics & Interaction**
- **Alliances and Factions**:
- Players can organically form alliances to share resources, build shared structures, or co-claim planets. Alliances are voluntary and dynamic—friendships, rivalries, and betrayals drive emergent narratives.
- Factions may eventually dominate entire solar systems; their influence alters trade, technology sharing, and interstellar politics.
- **Full PvP Environment**:
- Any non-permanent structure or resource can be contested. This ensures that every encounter holds the possibility of conflict.
- Energy avatars lost in combat will be reset via a cinematic “jump to lightspeed” sequence (detailed below).
### **4.2 Energy Reset & Communication**
- **Reset Mechanic**:
- If a player’s total energy depletes to zero, a flashy cutscene reminiscent of a “jump to light speed” unfolds. Stars and astral bodies stretch into brilliant streaks, whisking the player’s avatar instantly back to the Sun’s surface to begin anew.
- Despite the reset, players retain learned knowledge and any canonized creations or NPC contributions.
- **Communication Systems**:
- **AI-Moderated Communication**: Players can type or speak using AI that translates in real time and moderates content to maintain a non-offensive, inclusive environment.
- **Long-Distance Communication**: Advanced tech (such as signal towers or galactic comms devices) can be unlocked, facilitating diplomatic negotiations and trade across vast distances.
### **4.3 Shared Challenges and Trade**
- **Cooperative Dungeons and Large-Scale Events**:
- Special seasonal events are designed to draw multiple players together: e.g., Void Aberration invasions or massive cosmic storms that require collective defense.
- **Trade and Resource Sharing**:
- A dynamic interstellar economy enables players to trade rare resources, blueprints, and technologies. Automated trade routes and NPC trading hubs in advanced civilizations foster a vibrant market.
- **Ownership & Factional Influence**:
- When multiple players claim a dungeon final chamber, shared planetary ownership is granted—solidifying alliances and paving the way for joint projects.
---
## **5. Lore and Narrative Threads**
### **5.1 Cosmic Origin and Myth**
- **The Primordial Sun**:
- At the genesis of the universe lay the Primordial Sun—an infinite, radiant source whose energy fragments birthed stars, planets, and life. The Sun’s fiery whispers hint at a grand destiny for those who dare to harness its power.
- **The Void and Aberrations**:
- Opposing order is the chaotic Void—a realm of nothingness from which strange and malevolent entities (Void Aberrations) emerge. These aberrations embody entropy and hunt energy relentlessly, serving as both a narrative antagonist and gameplay hazard.
### **5.2 The Fallen Ancients**
- **Ancient Civilizations**:
- Eons ago, the Ancients mastered the energy of the Sun and built wondrous civilizations across the galaxy. Their ruins are scattered throughout planets and dungeons, offering lore-rich artifacts, blueprints, and clues to lost technologies.
- **Legacy and Hubris**:
- The downfall of the Ancients—due to their own hubris and catastrophic conflicts with the Void—serves as a cautionary tale, inspiring current players to balance ambition with wisdom.
### **5.3 Player’s Personal Narrative**
- **Emergence from the Sun**:
- Players begin their journey as pure energy, guided by the Sun’s enigmatic whispers which foreshadow their ultimate destiny.
- **Creating a Legacy**:
- Every structure, avatar, or technological breakthrough can be submitted for canonization, transforming temporary achievements into permanent lore—the player’s contribution to the universe’s story.
- **The Ultimate Revelation**:
- The hidden quest to reach the Sun’s core weaves together every narrative thread, promising enlightenment and the power to permanently reshape a solar system’s destiny.
---
## **6. Visuals and Aesthetics**
### **6.1 Art Style and Tone**
- **Cosmic and Vibrant**:
- A bold color palette combines the deep blacks of space with radiant hues—fiery oranges and yellows for the Sun, lush greens and blues for habitable worlds, and cool metallic tones for advanced, outer planets.
- **Energy Effects**:
- Dynamic and fluid—energy flows, dashes, and explosions are rendered as pulsating streams and luminous flares that correlate with gameplay actions.
### **6.2 Environmental Design**
- **Planetscapes**:
- **Hot Planets**: Molten landscapes with shimmering heat haze, volcanic activity, and rugged, scarred surfaces.
- **Balanced Planets**: Richly textured terrains with lush forests, expansive oceans, and diverse weather systems.
- **Outer Planets**: Futuristic, gleaming environments blending natural beauty with technological marvels.
- **Underground Dungeons**:
- Dark, claustrophobic corridors lit by bioluminescent flora and mysterious artifact glows. Dungeons pulsate with tension and hidden dangers.
- **The Sun’s Core**:
- A surreal, ethereal realm radiating almost divine energy. Golden, ever-shifting textures and chaotic plasma flows create an atmosphere of wonder and danger.
### **6.3 User Interface**
- **Minimalist HUD**:
- Clean, translucent overlays with glowing icons for energy, resource counts, and health.
- **Feedback Effects**:
- Dynamic visual cues provide instant feedback – dashing leaves ephemeral trails of light, and successful crafting triggers brilliant flashes that celebrate accomplishment.
- **Environmental Cues**:
- Subtle hints (like softly pulsing markers or shimmering surfaces) guide players toward uncharted or critical points of interest.
---
## **7. Player Journey**
### **Phase 1: The Sun’s Embrace (Tutorial / Starting Zone)**
- **Objective**: Learn the basics of control, energy management, and the dash mechanic.
- **Experience**:
- Surrounded by the roaring, radiant plasma of the Sun, players experience a serene yet intense introduction. The Sun “whispers” hints of its grand cosmic origin as players experiment with movement.
- **Milestone**: Achieve mastery over dash and energy recovery, setting the stage for launch into space.
### **Phase 2: Frontier Exploration (Early Game)**
- **Objective**: Escape the Sun, navigate space, and land on your first planet.
- **Experience**:
- Players navigate a vibrant, hazardous void. They encounter gravitational slingshots, light energy bursts, and basic astral hazards.
- Upon landing, players gather primitive materials, create their first simple avatars, and test basic crafting mechanics.
- **Milestone**: Secure a foothold on a planet and build initial shelters and tools.
### **Phase 3: Growth and Expansion (Mid-Game)**
- **Objective**: Explore your solar system, claim planetary ownership, and refine your abilities.
- **Experience**:
- Traverse balanced planets and hot planets. Engage in dungeon challenges—whether defeating a boss, solving a mechanical puzzle, navigating a maze, or surviving a horde—to obtain rare materials and unlock intermediate blueprints.
- Collaborate or compete with other players, forming alliances to jointly claim ownership.
- **Milestone**: Claim your first planet and unlock intermediate technology. Establish shared ownership to gain permanent energy reserves and insider knowledge of planetary resources.
### **Phase 4: Outer Worlds and Advanced Lore (Late Game)**
- **Objective**: Venture beyond familiar territories into outer planets rich with obscure lore and advanced technology.
- **Experience**:
- Navigate dangerous, distant planets where the challenges increase. Solve puzzles infused with ancient technology, face evolved enemies, and trade with intelligent NPC civilizations.
- Develop advanced avatars and craft sophisticated vehicles (land and space) to traverse vast distances.
- **Milestone**: Accumulate the rare resources and knowledge necessary to unlock the path toward the ultimate challenge.
### **Phase 5: The Ultimate Confrontation – The Sun’s Core (Endgame)**
- **Objective**: Assemble the ultimate spacecraft and journey back into the heart of the Sun.
- **Experience**:
- Through years of exploration and collaboration, players unlock secret blueprints and gather the exorbitant resources needed for a near-impossible task.
- The spacecraft is built collectively or individually, designed to survive the Sun’s ferocious heat and gravitational forces.
- Inside the Sun’s core, players encounter an ethereal final dungeon and a cosmic final boss—an embodiment of divine energy and chaos.
- **Milestone**: Conquering the final boss canonizes an entire solar system. Victorious players gain the ability to submit unlimited canon changes for that system, forever etching their legacy into the game’s history.
### **Phase 6: Beyond – The Ever-Expanding Universe (Post-Endgame)**
- **Objective**: Continue exploring new solar systems, with each completed system adding layers to the universe’s history.
- **Experience**:
- Players migrate to untouched solar systems where each region offers novel challenges, lore, and opportunities for creative expression.
- The legacy of past achievements informs and accelerates new progress—establishing a cycle of continuous evolution.
- **Milestone**: The universe remains dynamic, as every generation of players writes its own chapter in the vast, evolving saga of *Permanent Damage*.
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## **8. Additional Systems & Motivational Elements**
### **8.1 Energy Reset & Player Persistence**
- **Reset Mechanics**:
- If a player’s energy depletes to zero during space travel, a cinematic “jump-to-light-speed” sequence instantly returns them to the Sun’s surface, ensuring minimal downtime.
- **Retention of Progress**:
- Although energy is lost on reset, personal knowledge and any canonized contributions remain intact—reinforcing that true progress lies in learning and legacy.
### **8.2 Multiplayer & Economic Systems**
- **Interstellar Trade**:
- A dynamic economy supports player-to-player trade, resource exchange, and large-scale collaborative projects.
- **Factional Dynamics**:
- Alliances and factions naturally emerge, influencing solar system politics, shared resource distribution, and large-scale PvP conflicts.
- **Communication Technologies**:
- AI-moderated, real-time translation systems ensure clear in-game communication regardless of language. Long-distance communication tools require energy investment but enable diplomacy and strategic coordination across solar systems.
### **8.3 Legacy and Canonization**
- **Permanent Contributions**:
- Players’ major achievements—be it an innovative avatar design, a monumental building, or a groundbreaking technology—can be submitted for canonization.
- **Shared History**:
- A dedicated online archive chronicles these permanent contributions, building a living history that evolves with every season. This archive fosters a deep sense of community and incentivizes risk-taking and creativity.
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## **9. Conclusion**
*Permanent Damage* is more than a game—it is an evolving universe built by its players, where every moment, every decision, and every legacy shapes the cosmos. Our design emphasizes freedom, creative authenticity, skill-driven progression, and a collaborative spirit that carries forward across generations. By combining immersive exploration, advanced technology and crafting mechanics, complex multiplayer dynamics, and a deep, layered narrative, *Permanent Damage* aims to redefine interactive storytelling and legacy-building in gaming.
Aspiring to capture the epic scale of galactic legends and the intimate, personal journey of growth, *Permanent Damage* invites players to leave their permanent mark—transforming chaos into creation and potential into history.
