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Game Design Document
This is a work in progress document to keep the goal aligned with everyone on the team and with the players, to know the ambitions and goals of the project.
- Title: Saltborn
- Platforms: PC
- Game Engine: Unity
- Monetization Strategy: One-time purchase (with in-app cosmetic purchases)
- Development Model: Open Source (in version 0.1, to be discussed later)
- Distribution Platforms: Steam, itch.io
Saltborn is an open-world, multiplayer pirate game set in a dynamic and immersive naval world inspired by the Age of Sail. Players take command of their own ships and crews, exploring a vast ocean filled with rival factions, dynamic weather systems, and trade routes bustling with NPC activity. With a mix of PvE and PvP gameplay, players can engage in naval and land-based combat, build their fleet, trade goods, undertake faction missions, and rise through the ranks of reputation.
The game emphasizes faction-based worldbuilding, including Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, Dutch, merchant guilds, and pirates, each with distinct advantages, ship designs, and territorial control. Environmental realism plays a central role, with ocean currents, tides, storms, and rogue waves affecting navigation and strategy.
Whether sailing solo or with friends, players can raid cities, form alliances, steal ships, and shape their own pirate legend through exploration, combat, and high-seas diplomacy. Saltborn aims to blend the chaos of the sea with the strategy of empire-building in a living, breathing maritime world.
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- Realistic ocean physics inspired by Sea of Thieves and Black Flag
- Wind system (navigation affected by wind direction and strength)
- Tides (potential for water level manipulation)
- Ocean currents (influences navigation and strategy)
- Rogue waves (random environmental hazard)
- Swim
- Dive
- Jump
- Run
- Attack (sword/dagger, pistol/musket)
- Distinction between merchant and warships
- Each faction has unique ship models and colors
- Between 10–20 different ship types
- Ships can take damage
- Ship upgrades available
- Players can form a fleet (up to 2 ships including the one they command)
- Melee and ranged combat (sword, knife, pistol, musket)
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- Sell cargo
- Complete missions
- Plunder other ships
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Gambling
- Faction-specific missions
- Global events (e.g., pirates raiding a city, factions ambushing enemy fleets)
- Reputation system with factions
- Choice of starting faction grants unique advantages
- Faction alignment influences who attacks or allies with the player
- Merchant ships and warships
- Cargo ships in the player’s fleet can complete missions autonomously
- Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, Dutch, Merchants, Pirates
- Alliances and wars between factions
- Each faction controls certain parts of the map
- Whaling ships present in some factions
- NPC fleets roam the world
- Trade routes — some sea paths are more traveled than others
- NPC navigation between islands (preferably between friendly factions)
- Dynamic ocean system (storms, fog, rain, rogue waves)
- Environmental effects like wind, tides, and currents
- Day cycles, with sun, stars and dynamic weather
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(Co-op, PvP, PvE)
- Steal ships from other players' fleets
- Hire ships from other players
- Team deathmatch
- Domination
- etc…
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