From ff92240c7332b1dc847c5738e47baeb7989c2adc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: David Kotnik Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2026 22:09:48 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Add episodic release strategy with 5 releases over 2.5 years and early access pricing model --- docs/game_design/GAME_BIBLE_2.md | 232 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 232 insertions(+) diff --git a/docs/game_design/GAME_BIBLE_2.md b/docs/game_design/GAME_BIBLE_2.md index 5242c3778..6e772529e 100644 --- a/docs/game_design/GAME_BIBLE_2.md +++ b/docs/game_design/GAME_BIBLE_2.md @@ -1277,6 +1277,238 @@ Anvil, Forge, Furnace, Kiln, Loom, Spinning Wheel, Workbench, Crafting Table, Al **Status:** πŸ”΄ **BLOCKED** - Need to start asset generation NOW! +--- + +## πŸš€ RELEASE STRATEGY - EPISODIC DEPLOYMENT + +**Model:** Early Access / Episodic Releases +**Goal:** Release content incrementally, build community, fund development +**Platform:** Steam Early Access / Itch.io + +--- + +### πŸ“… **RELEASE TIMELINE & CONTENT** + +#### **RELEASE 0: KICKSTARTER DEMO** 🎯 +**Date:** February 10, 2026 +**Price:** FREE (demo) +**Duration:** 10-15 minutes +**Purpose:** Prove concept, attract backers + +**Content:** +- βœ… Tutorial (Zombie Control) +- βœ… First Memory (1/50) +- βœ… Town Discovery +- βœ… First Survivor (Population: 0 β†’ 1) +- βœ… Chernobyl hook + +**Goal:** Kickstarter funding + Community building + +--- + +#### **RELEASE 1: EARLY ACCESS - ALPHA 1** πŸ”₯ +**Date:** Q2 2026 (April-June) +**Price:** $9.99 (Early Access Discount - 50% off final price!) +**Duration:** ~5-8 hours gameplay +**Status:** Production starts after Demo + +**Content:** +- βœ… **Story:** Prologue + First 10 Memories (10/50) +- βœ… **Biomes:** 4 Normal Biomes (Grassland, Forest, Desert, Swamp) +- βœ… **NPCs:** 40 Biome NPCs + 20 Town NPCs (60 total) +- βœ… **Creatures:** Wild Animals (15), Farm Animals (10), Chernobyl Mutants (10) = 35 creatures +- βœ… **Town System:** 1 Town (Tutorial Town) - Population cap: 50 +- βœ… **Farming:** 20 crops, basic farming cycle +- βœ… **Combat:** Basic melee + 3 weapon types +- βœ… **Quests:** 20 main quests + 15 side quests +- βœ… **Crafting:** 50 basic recipes +- βœ… **Buildings:** 10 farm buildings, 8 town buildings + +**What Players Get:** +- Full zombie control mechanics +- Town restoration (first town only) +- Memory collection (first 10) +- Basic farming & combat +- Foundation for future content + +**Early Access Note:** "This is ALPHA 1 - expect bugs, missing features. Your feedback shapes the game!" + +--- + +#### **RELEASE 2: EARLY ACCESS - ALPHA 2** ⚑ +**Date:** Q4 2026 (October-December) +**Price:** $14.99 (Early Access - still discounted!) +**or:** FREE UPDATE for Alpha 1 buyers! 🎁 +**Duration:** +10-15 hours (total: 15-23 hours) + +**New Content:** +- βœ… **Story:** Memories 11-25 (25/50 total) + Ana's Story DLC starts! +- βœ… **Biomes:** +4 Normal (Mountain, Snow, Wasteland, Tropical) + 2 Magical (Dino Valley, Mythical Highlands) +- βœ… **NPCs:** +80 Biome NPCs, +50 Town NPCs (190 NPCs total) +- βœ… **Creatures:** Dinosaurs (15), Mythical Creatures (20), Worker Creatures (6) = +41 creatures +- βœ… **Bosses:** First 6 bosses (T-Rex, Dragon, Nessie, etc.) +- βœ… **Town System:** 2 more towns (3 total) - Population cap: 150 +- βœ… **Railway System:** 10 stations unlocked +- βœ… **Zoo & Breeding:** Basic breeding for 30 species +- βœ… **Museum:** Collectibles system (100 items) +- βœ… **Advanced Crafting:** +150 recipes (200 total) +- βœ… **Quests:** +40 quests (75 total) + +**What's New:** +- Dinosaurs! (Dino Valley unlocked) +- Dragons & Mythical Creatures +- Boss fights (6 bosses) +- Railway fast travel +- Animal breeding +- Ana's Story begins (separate campaign!) + +--- + +#### **RELEASE 3: EPISODE 1 - "THE SEARCH"** πŸ—ΊοΈ +**Date:** Q2 2027 (6 months after Alpha 2) +**Price:** $19.99 (Full Episode) +**or:** FREE UPDATE for Early Access supporters! 🎁 +**Duration:** +15-20 hours (total: 30-43 hours) + +**New Content:** +- βœ… **Story:** Memories 26-40 (40/50) - Kai remembers Ana fully! +- βœ… **Biomes:** +6 Magical (Loch Ness, Catacombs, Egyptian Desert, Amazon, Mexican Cenotes, Witch Forest) +- βœ… **NPCs:** +100 NPCs (290 total) +- βœ… **Creatures:** Mythical Creatures (remaining 19), Chupacabra (3), Aquatic (20) = +42 creatures +- βœ… **Bosses:** +10 bosses (Sphinx, Kraken, Quetzalcoatl, Baba Yaga, etc.) = 16 total +- βœ… **Towns:** +10 towns (13 total) - Population cap: 500 +- βœ… **Railway:** All 27 stations unlocked! +- βœ… **School System:** Unlocked (teach NPCs skills) +- βœ… **Capital City:** Discovered (not yet accessible) +- βœ… **Quests:** +50 quests (125 total) + +**Major Features:** +- All 6 new magical biomes! +- Underwater exploration (Atlantis preview) +- Mythical creature taming +- School system (NPC education) +- Boss rush mode unlocked + +--- + +#### **RELEASE 4: EPISODE 2 - "THE TRUTH"** πŸ” +**Date:** Q4 2027 (6 months after Episode 1) +**Price:** $24.99 (Full Episode) +**or:** FREE UPDATE for Early Access supporters! 🎁 +**Duration:** +15-20 hours (total: 45-63 hours) + +**New Content:** +- βœ… **Story:** Memories 41-50 (50/50) - **FULL MEMORY RESTORED!** +- βœ… **Biomes:** Atlantis (full unlock) + Chernobyl (accessible but not final area) +- βœ… **NPCs:** +90 NPCs (380 total) - Almost all! +- βœ… **Bosses:** +6 bosses (Sea Serpent, Leviathan, etc.) = 22 total +- βœ… **Towns:** +14 towns (27 total - ALL TOWNS!) - Population cap: 1000 +- βœ… **Ana's Story:** Fully playable! (15 hours campaign) +- βœ… **Capital City:** Unlocked! +- βœ… **Politics System:** Unlocked (town governance) +- βœ… **Nomad Raiders:** Enemy faction introduced +- βœ… **Quests:** +75 quests (200 total) + +**Major Features:** +- Full memory restored! (Emotional climax!) +- Ana's Story complete! +- Capital City unlocked +- Politics & governance +- Preparation for final battle + +--- + +#### **RELEASE 5: FINAL EPISODE - "THE RESCUE"** πŸ”₯ +**Date:** Q2 2028 (6 months after Episode 2) +**Price:** $29.99 (Complete Edition) +**or:** FREE UPDATE for ALL previous buyers! 🎁 +**Duration:** +10-15 hours (total: 55-78 hours) + +**Final Content:** +- βœ… **Story:** ENDGAME - Storm Chernobyl, save Ana, confront Dr. KrniΔ‡ +- βœ… **Chernobyl Reactor Level 7:** Final dungeon (7 floors!) +- βœ… **Final Bosses:** Giant Troll King (3 phases), Dr. KrniΔ‡ (final form) +- βœ… **ALL 109 Creatures:** Complete bestiary! +- βœ… **ALL 24 Bosses:** Complete boss collection! +- βœ… **ALL 388 NPCs:** Every single NPC generated! +- βœ… **Multiple Endings:** 5 different endings based on choices! +- βœ… **New Game+:** Replay with all powers unlocked! +- βœ… **Endgame Content:** Boss Rush, Arena Mode, Speedrun Mode +- βœ… **Achievements:** 100 achievements to unlock + +**COMPLETE GAME:** +- Full story (all 50 memories) +- All 20 biomes +- All 27 towns +- All systems unlocked +- 5 different endings +- 55-78 hours main story +- 100+ hours completionist + +--- + +### πŸ’° **PRICING MODEL** + +| Purchase Timing | Price | What You Get | +|-----------------|-------|--------------| +| **Kickstarter Backer** | $15 (Early Bird) | ALL future updates FREE forever! 🎁 | +| **Early Access (Alpha 1)** | $9.99 | ALL future updates FREE! 🎁 | +| **Early Access (Alpha 2)** | $14.99 | ALL future updates FREE! 🎁 | +| **Episode 1** | $19.99 | Episode 1 + All future updates FREE! 🎁 | +| **Episode 2** | $24.99 | Episode 2 + Final Episode FREE! 🎁 | +| **Final Episode (v1.0)** | $29.99 | Complete game | +| **Complete Edition (Lateral)** | $39.99 | Buy any time after v1.0 | + +**Early Supporter Benefit:** Buy EARLY, get EVERYTHING! πŸŽ‰ + +--- + +### πŸ“Š **CONTENT PROGRESSION** + +| Release | Biomes | NPCs | Creatures | Bosses | Hours | Price | +|---------|--------|------|-----------|--------|-------|-------| +| **Demo** | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.25 | FREE | +| **Alpha 1** | 4 | 60 | 35 | 0 | 5-8 | $9.99 | +| **Alpha 2** | 10 | 190 | 76 | 6 | 15-23 | $14.99 | +| **Episode 1** | 16 | 290 | 118 | 16 | 30-43 | $19.99 | +| **Episode 2** | 18 | 380 | 124 | 22 | 45-63 | $24.99 | +| **Final** | 20 | 388 | 109 | 24 | 55-78 | $29.99 | + +--- + +### 🎯 **DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY** + +**Why Episodic?** +1. βœ… **Funding:** Each release funds next development +2. βœ… **Feedback:** Community shapes the game +3. βœ… **Quality:** More time per episode = better quality +4. βœ… **Hype:** Regular releases keep momentum +5. βœ… **Testing:** Catch bugs early, fix before final +6. βœ… **Loyalty:** Early supporters get lifetime value + +**Release Cadence:** New content every 6 months +**Total Dev Time:** ~2.5 years (Feb 2026 - Q2 2028) +**Community Involvement:** Discord, Reddit, Surveys between releases + +--- + +### πŸ” **COMMITMENT TO EARLY SUPPORTERS** + +**Promise:** Anyone who buys during Early Access (Alpha 1 or Alpha 2) gets **ALL FUTURE UPDATES FREE FOREVER!** + +This means: +- Buy for $9.99 in Alpha 1 +- Get $29.99 worth of content by Final Episode +- **LIFETIME SAVINGS: $20!** 🎁 + +**Why?** Because you believed in us when we had nothing! ❀️ + +--- + +**Status:** βœ… Release strategy defined and locked! + +--- + #### **πŸ”₯ PHASE 1** (Alpha 1 - Core Gameplay) **Target:** Playable first 10 hours **Includes:**