The Asura horde has reached the very threshold of the great Aryan nations as part of its outrageous gambit to take control of the three realms.

The Gods, bound by an oath of non-intervention are only able to assist the mortals indirectly. They unite the mighty Vanaras, holy Brahmins, fierce Kshatriyas and the mysterious nature spirits – Apsaras and Gandharvas - to form the Allied Army.

Brave and skilled as they are, the Allies cannot hope to match the sheer number of the ferocious Asuras or to stem their endless flow through the gates of the underworld. The Gods, in their desperation, bestow great power upon a few chosen warriors to help them fulfill their dharma of defending their people, homelands and their very existence.

With the land in ashes in the wake of the Asura invasion, the chosen few walk boldly into the heart of darkness where awaits He who’s name must not be spoken…

Screams of the UniverseMMORPG concept by Harshal Chheda

OverviewPlatform Flash (PC)

Genre MMORPG

Target Audience Mature, Casual

Target Market EU, USA

View 3D Isometric

Universe Ancient India

A Flash-based MMORPG set in ancient India, Screams of the Universe seeks to breathe new life into the genre by introducing Western audiences to the rich realm of Indian mythology through an easily accessible, authentic, innovative and engaging medium.

Feel the power of the Gods flowing through your veins as you are face-to-face with evil itself in the eternal dance between order and chaos. All you can trust in is cold metal and the stalwart allies at your side. All you know is that your actions will be legend, as tale after fantastic tale unfolds in your headlong rush towards destiny.

Universe & Plot

Set an unknown number of millennia in the past, in the time of the great epic, Ramayana, Screams of the Universe is a dark and gritty world that fuses modern storytelling, gameplay and visuals with classical Indian lore.

The lands of ancient India are diverse, with mountains, valleys, plains, deserts, swamps and forests inhabited by creatures as varied as the land itself. All is now ashes in the wake of the Asura invasion.

The best surviving warriors from the remotest tribes and races have gathered in Ayodhya (literally meaning ‘unconquerable’), the last bastion of Aryan power, to marshal their resources and prepare for the inevitable siege that will decide the fate of mortals.

Meanwhile, a chosen few, blessed and under the guidance of the Gods, launch a counter-offensive towards Lanka, the heart of the Asura Empire, with the impossible goal of vanquishing the heart of evil that resides there, only spoken of in whispers, with a name that no one - god or mortal - dares to utter.

Treatment

• The general ambiance of the game is grim, dark and gritty; with the populous in dire straits because of the Asura invasion

• In-game graphic style is minimalistic because of the limitations of the platform

• The geography, buildings, and people are authentic-looking; and interface panels look worn and gouged in keeping with the theme

• The masses are subdued and resigned to their fate while the martial community is bitter and battle-weary; humor in the game is highly prevalent and of the ‘dark humor’ genre

• The plot is driven by cutscenes, the style of which is inspired by manga, with high levels of detail and voice acting

• In-game and cutscene background music is a fusion of Indian classical, heavy metal, industrial and trip-hop

• Sound effects, character animations and spell effects have a high level of detail

ClassesAt the outset, you get to pick one of six classes depending on your playstyle and aesthetic preferences. You pick your character’s gender, give it a name, and then customize its appearance by choosing facial features, skin colour, hair style and accessories.

Vanara WarriorRole: Tank, Melee DPS, Buff

A mighty warrior of the monkey-people ruled by Hanuman. Vanars depend on their brute strength and size in combat.

Brahmin RishiRole: Healer, Caster DPS, Buff, Debuff, Dispel

A holy priest of the Brahmin caste. These pious men and women abhor violence but find themselves needed for their impressive healing capabilities and vast knowledge.

ClassesKshatriya AssasinRole: Melee & Mid-Range DPS, CC

A feared killer of the martial Kshatriya caste. Dependant on stealth in PvP situations, with the capability to devastate an opponent in seconds or cause massive sustained damage to a single target.

Kshatriya ArcherRole: Ranged DPS, CC, Debuff

Accomplished marksman of the Kshatriya caste. Adept at attacking from range with arrows imbued with fire, lightning or poison.

ClassesApsara (Female Only)Role: Caster DPS, Debuff, CC

Angel and temptress that mesmerizes opponents with her beauty and attacks when they are most vulnerable with powerful debuffs.

Gandharva (Male Only) Role: Hybrid Tank, Healer, Melee DPS

Nature spirits with the ability to shapeshift, Gandharvas can adapt to any situation, be it to protect or heal their allies or wreck havoc amongst foes.

Objective• Screams of the Universe is a game of character progression,

strategy, resource management, combat and teamwork• The objective of this game is to make your character stronger by

reaching ever higher character levels and gathering the best available equipment while developing a network of friends that will help you take on very hard content later in the game

• As a your character and equipment level increases, you can access proportionally higher level content

• End-game begins at level 50 (which is the maximum character level) it features the hardest PvE and PvP challenges in the game, with the best rewards

Interface

• Screams of the Universe is played in isometric view, similar to the game Diablo

• All interface panels are modular, movable and, in some cases, resizable

• The player position remains constant in the centre of the screen while the world map moves to simulate player movement

• Your Action Bar can hold upto 8 abilities, which can be activated using the 1-8 keys by default

Game FlowPvE (Player vs Enviornment)

• Quests– Screams of the Universe features a quest helper tool that indicates the

direction in which the quest objective lies and tracks quest objectives

• Dungeons

• Storyteller– This is a feature for solo-play and to enable players to explore the

fables in Indian mythology independent of the main storyline and even the timeline

– It consists of an NPC that teleports the you into the shoes of a character in a fable and lets the you get involved in the story’s unfolding

– Each mission is a mix of alternate gameplay, mini-games and combat lasting about 15-30 mins

• Deity System– Pick one of four patron gods to gain access to unique, powerful skills!

Game FlowPvP (Player vs Player)

• Guild Wars– Different guilds clash in separately instanced maps with traditional

objectives such as Capture the Flag, Base Defense, Deathmatch, etc; as well as new types of maps

• Arena– Lets you pit your skills against the best opponents on the realm in 1v1,

2v2 and 3v3 combat– Arena, like Guild Wars, takes place in separate, instanced maps and is

the pinnacle of PvP in Screams of the Universe

• Player-given Quests– After level 20, players can give generic quests to other players and the

categories include:– Supari (Bounty) : E.g. Kill player abc and you will receive item xyz and

n gold– Item farming : E.g. Collect n units of item abc and receive x gold

Reward Chart

Social FeaturesYou can interact with other players in many ways• Chat• Mail• Guilds• Group-maker• Emotes

Economy• Money is usually spent to upgrade and maintain gear

• Trading– Player-to-Player– Trade Channel– Bazaar

• Professions– Players can pick 1 of 3 professions

• Blacksmith: Can craft metal weapons and heavy armor, shields and weapon augments

• Wood & Clothworker: Can craft light armor, special ammunition and armour augments

• Scroll & Potionmaster: Can create various potions as well as scrolls that provide temporary bonuses or utility augments

Business ModelScreams of the Universe is free-to-play and revenue will be obtained mainly through the following sources• Banner advertisements placed discreetly on loading screens• Premium content that only includes items/other content that

does not affect gameplay , i.e. fancy clothes, pets, better looking mounts, etc

• Web advertising on the official website and forums• Merchandise• Item-based advertising (Experimental)

– Using in-game items with branding, e.g. ‘Nike Sandals of Speed’– Creation of lore to support the notion i.e. ‘These sandals were made

by the highly secretive Nike tribe living in the mountains’

USPs• The Flash platform is highly portable and accessible, requiring no

client download• The Indian mythological theme is fresh, with a tremendous amount

of personality, scope and depth – and its public domain• Dark and gritty ambiance that is very different to most renditions to

do with Indian mythology – adding to immersion and the ‘cool factor’• Storyteller feature that lets the players explore all the portions of

Indian lore that they wish to, while being involved in the story• Strong focus on storylines and authenticity, ingrained in every

element of the game and driven home by spectacular cutscenes• A multitude of class/specialization/deity/gear combinations that lead

to excellent replayability• Innovative combat system with engaging PvP modes• Mini-games and alternate gameplay features add to variety of play• Player-given quests to spice up the game

Artwork references taken from various sources on the web, especially the comic Ramayana 3392 AD. There are screenshots from Diablo 2 and World of Warcraft as a couple of slide backgrounds.

For detailed information on this concept, please refer to the Core Design Document

Author: Harshal ChhedaGame Designer, SupInfo Game / UBIsoft

The ideas contained in this presentation are strictly confidential.