NFTerra is a game concept and pre-production design project. Descriptions of gameplay, ownership, geolocation and blockchain systems below describe the planned concept, not released or playable functionality.
Planning the game concept
We previously introduced the landing page of our game concept NFTerra.Online.
The design work also includes:
- Logo & Graphic Design
- AI image generation
- Prototyping and Sketching
- Visual presentation
- Content creation
- Game concept planning
- World & Character creation
This post explores the game concept and the visual design work behind it.
Gameplay and concept development
The NFTerra.Online concept brings together MMORPG ideas, a fictional world and proposed smart technologies. The work described here focuses on the setting, characters and visual direction.
A central design question is how these elements could work together in a coherent game.
The concept work explores that question; it does not establish that the proposed systems have been implemented or tested.
Designing the world and its inhabitants
The concept includes eight fictional species or character classes, each intended to offer a different role in the world of NFTerra.Online.
We developed backstories for the species to give the setting context and provide a starting point for future character stories and adventures.
We used AI-assisted prompts and images to explore avatar concepts, including faces, armor and the visual identity of each species.
The designs also explore RPG attributes and bonus skills. These are proposed gameplay differences, not evidence of tested balance in a playable game.
A pantheon in AI-generated pixel art
The NFTerra.Online concept includes four gods: Gilgamech, Ishthore, Hermethot, and Hermadite.
The proposed design gives each god different blessings and requirements for followers.
Gilgamech represents strength, Ishthore charisma, Hermethot intellect and Hermadite dexterity. The concept uses these differences to explore how a patron could influence a character.
The concept also includes an option to follow no god, using the label “Heathens.”
In-game item concepts
We developed item concepts alongside ideas for skills, attributes and magical effects. These designs explore how objects could fit into the game world.
Examples include the consumable concepts Spice Terrange and Spicy Roll. Their proposed effects are part of the design work, rather than released gameplay features.
The visual direction combines pixel art with a futuristic setting, drawing on the look of older games while exploring a new fictional world.
Learning through the project
The project gave us an opportunity to learn more about game design and development.
The proposed architecture combines Unity, geolocation and blockchain-related systems. Implementation and release remain separate from the design work described here.
