IT WAS THE FINAL AGE.
HUMANITY HAS BEEN IN FREE FALL FOR CENTURIES NOW APPROACHING THE INEVITABLE IMPACT. ALMOST EVERY NATURAL RESOURCE HAD BEEN DEPLETED BY THE GREED OF A FEW INCORRIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.
ETERNAL NIGHT HAS BROKEN. THICK GRAY CLOUDS, STEMMING FROM SEVERAL WARS AND NATURAL DISASTERS, WERE COVERING THE WHOLE SKY. COLD WRAPPED TIGHTLY AROUND THE LAST ENCLAVES, WHERE LIFE WAS STILL POSSIBLE. SUNLIGHT HAD NOT TOUCHED THE GROUND FOR DECADES.
IT WAS A TIME OF EXTINCTION. COUNTLESS UNTREATABLE EPIDEMICS RAGING AMONG THE ENTIRE POPULATION. MEDICAL CARE WAS UTTERLY EXPENSIVE AND NOT AFFORDABLE FOR ANYONE BUT THE WEALTHIEST INDIVIDUALS. LARGE PARTS OF THE POPULATION WERE BORN INFERTILE. NUTRIENTS WERE ONLY PRODUCED SYNTHETICALLY BY RECYCLING FORMER INHABITANTS TO SUSTAIN THE LUCKY FEW WHO SURVIVED. BREATHING AIR HAD TO BE PURCHASED VIA THE MEANS OF A HIGHLY VOLATILE FUTURES EXCHANGE. THE WATER OF THE OCEANS WAS TURNED INTO A POISONOUS UNSTABLE LIQUID THAT WAS NOT ABLE TO SUPPORT ANY FORM LIFE ANYMORE.
THE STEADILY LANDWARD PROGRESSING COAST LINES CAUSED NATIONAL STATE BOARDERS TO CHANGE REGULARLY LEADING CAUSING FRICTION AND WARS EVEN BETWEEN OLD ALLIES.
IT WAS THE AGE OF RECKONING.
HUMANITY ULTIMATELY HELD ITSELF ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DEVASTATION OF EARTH. WHEN MAN REALIZED HIS OWN NATURE HAD CAUSED HIS DOWNFALL, HE DECIDED TO START OVER. THE ONLY TIME THE PEOPLE OF EARTH GATHERED ALL FORCES AND REMAINING RESOURCES FOR ONE LAST GREAT ENTERPRISE WAS UPON THEM. HUMANITY, FACING ITS INGLORIUS END, CREATED THE MARIPOSA PROJECT.
SCIENTISTS AND ECONOMY REPRESENTATIVES FOUND, AFTER PAINSTAKING DISCUSSUSSIONS, TO THE CONSENSUS THAT COLONIZING A DISTANT EARTH-LIKE PLANET WAS THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE. PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO COLONIZE THE SOLAR SYSTEM HAD BEEN ABANDONED AFTER A SHORT TIME FOR VARIOUS REASONS. IN ONE CASE THE RAW MATERIAL TRANSPORT JUST DIDN'T PAY OFF ECONOMICALLY BECAUSE THERE WERE TOO MANY CATASTROPHIC FAILURES. IN ANOTHER CASE, ALL PIONEERS DIED BY A MYSTERIOUS DISEASE SOME 20 YEARS AFTER MINING COMMENCED.
EVEN THE MOST AMBITIOUS ATTEMPT LAUNCHED BY A LARGE TECHNOLOGY COMPANY FAILED SPECTACULARLY WHILE THE WHOLE WORLD WAS WATCHING. A SPACESHIP FILLED WITH 3,000 SPECIALISTS EXPLODED ON LANDING.
IT WAS THE AGE OF DEPARTURE.
TO FULFILL THE TASK OF COLONIZATION IN ANOTHER SOLAR SYSTEM, A GIGANTIC MODULAR GENERATION SHIP WAS BUILT THAT IS CAPABLE OF DEVELOPING FURTHER DURING THE JOURNEY. IT HAS BEEN LOADED WITH CLEAN GENETIC MATERIAL OF MANY SPECIES AS WELL AS THE MOST MODERN TECHNOLOGY. A NEW SOCIETY IS TO BE MOLDED DURING THE JOURNEY. GENETICALLY AND MENTALLY ADAPTED TO PARAMETERS THAT COULD ONLY BE DISCERNED WHILE EDGING CLOSER TO THEIR NEW HOME. RAW MATERIALS AND ENERGY SOURCES WERE TO BE ACCQUIRED DURING FLIGHT.
HUMAN MISTAKES OF THE PAST SHALL NOT BE REPEATED SO THE BRIGHTEST MINDS CREATED AN ARTIFICIAL ENTITY THAT IS TO HELP MANKIND FORMING A NEW SOCIETY ON THE 1200 YEAR LONG JOURNEY TO A NEW HOME. A SOCIETY FREE OF INNATE BURDENS LIKE GREED AND AVARICE, COMPLETELY ADAPTED TO A NEW WORLD, A WORLD THAT WOULD IMPOSE COMPLETELY NEW CHALLENGES UNTO PEOPLE. CARI AWOKE ON DECEMBER 2ND, 2410. AS SOON AS SHE UNDERSTOOD HER TASK, SHE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN SIMULATING THE UPCOMING MISSION. THE RESULT OF THEIR CALCULATIONS WERE AS IMPRESSIVE AS FATAL. THE MISSION GOAL WAS ACHIEVED EVERY TIME. TO THE REGRET OF THE COMITEE IN CHARGE, PEOPLE ONLY TOOK A VERY SUBORDINATE ROLE FOR CARI.
CARI WAS EXTREMELY DISMISSIVE OF PEOPLE. THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION THE SCIENTISTS DREW WAS TO DECOUPLE THEIR HIGHER BRAIN FUNCTIONS FROM THE SHIP. THESE ARE ONLY ACTIVATED EVERY 10 YEARS SO CARI CAN MAKE STRATEGIC DECISIONS BASED ON THE DATA COLLECTED DURING THE LAST CYCLE.
DETAILS
GAMETYPE: BASE-BUILDER
PLAYSTYLE: TURN-BASED
MUTIPLAYER: NO
SAVESYSTEM: LIMITED SAVEPOINTS
GALATIC MAP: GENERATED
INGAME SOUND: YES
INGAME VOICE: YES
VIDEOSEQUENCES: YES
MICROPAYMENTS: HELL NO
EARLY ACCESS: AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
GAME ENGINE: UNREAL 4
DEVELOPMENT BUDGET: NOT TOO SURE
GAME STUDIO: JUST TWO GUYS WITH AN AMAZING HOBBY
PUBLISHER: CURRENTLY NOT EXCLUSIVE
FAQ
ARE YOU FULL-TIME GAME DEVELOPERS?
UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE NOT. BOTH OF US HAVE AWESOME FULL-TIME IT JOBS IN THE CUSTOMER SERVICE INDUSTRY.
WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION?
SINCE ONE OF US IS A PROGRAMMER AND THE OTHER A MOTION DESIGNER AND WE WANTED A HOBBY TOGETHER, A VIDEO GAME WASN'T TOO FAR OFF.
WHY NOT FOOTBALL OR GOLF.
BECAUSE THESE ACTIVITIES WOULD REQUIRE US TOO LEAVE OUR RESPECTIVE COUCHES. DEVELOPING A VIDEO GAME IS VERY DEMANDING TO SUCCEED YOU NEED SKILLS IN MANY DIFFERENT AREAS. IT IS FUN TO SOAK UP NEW KNOWLEDGE AND EVEN MORE FUN WHEN THAT ACCUMULATES IN A COMPLEX PROJECT LIKE A GAME.
WHY DOES THE GAME LOOK LIKE THAT?
WE LOVE GAMES FROM THE LATE NINETIES. SOME WOULD SAY IT WAS A TIME WHEN GAMING WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TALKING ABOUT IT. IT WAS A TIME WHERE, BECAUSE OF HARDWARE LIMITATIONS, LESS WAS TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE AND DEVELOPERS WERE ALWAYS DRIVEN TO FIND NEW TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS. WE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING UNUSUAL WITH THE UNREAL ENGINE. WE HOPE THE PLAYER DECELERATES LIKE WE DO WHEN DEVELOPING THE GAME.
WHY SCIENCE FICTION?
WE CELEBRATE SCI-FI FROM THE EARLY GREAT WRITERS TO THE TRASHIER SERIES FROM THE NOWER DAYS. THEREFORE, THE GAME IS FULL OF SMALL ALLUSIONS AND LOVING BOWS TO THE MANY THINGS THAT HAVE INFLUENCED US.
WHAT IS IT REALLY ABOUT?
A SOCIETY ON THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION STARTING ITS JOURNEY TO A NEW HOME. IT IS CLEAR THAT HUMANITY HAS TO CHANGE BOTH PHYSIOLOGICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY IN ORDER TO SURVIVE ON THE NEW WORLD.
AS THE PLAYER, YOU TAKE ON THE ROLE OF MARIPOSAS CENTRAL ARTIFICIAL RECURSIVE INTELLIGENCE, ANALYZING AND CORRECTING THE SITUATION ONCE AWAKENED EVERY 10 YEARS.
WHY IS THE GAME TURN-BASED?
IT FEELS LIKE AN ENDANGERED SPECIES THAT WE TRY TO SAVE FROM EXTINCTION. IN A WORLD THAT IS GETTING FASTER AND FASTER, THE GAMES ARE GETTING FASTER AND FASTER.
WE AIMED FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. WE WANTED THE PLAYER TO PLAY CALMLY, BALANCED AND RELAXED.
IS THE GAME HARD TO PLAY?
MARIPOSA IS FOR THE PATIENT PLAYER. IF THE USER TAKES TIME TO UNDERSTAND THE MECHANICS, HE HAS A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE FOR SURVIVAL.
WHY DID I NOT FIND YOU ON YOUTUBE OR TWITCH?
WE ARE ONLY TWO DEVELOPERS SO WE SPEND OUR TIME DEVELOPING.
ARE YOU STILL LOOKING FOR HELP?
YES. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IN THE BOARDING SECTION.