I’m excited to share Great Gate Island, a game I’ve been developing solo. It’s a story-driven adventure set on a mysterious island, blending territory expansion, resource management, and combat in a world shaped by light and shadow.
New Video – A Closer Look at Sun Expansion Relays! This video explains an important mechanic of the game: expanding the Sun’s reach to push back the Eternal Night and unlock new areas. (More details on a post below.)
Gameplay Overview Video For a more complete look at the game, here’s the full 10-minute gameplay overview:
Expanding Light: The Sun’s Area of Influence Mechanic in Great Gate Island
Hello everyone!
I’d like to share a key mechanic in Great Gate Island that plays a central role in the gameplay: The Sun’s Area of Influence. This mechanic ties directly into the game’s themes of territory expansion, exploration, and survival, and I’d love to hear your thoughts or feedback!
What Is the Sun’s Area of Influence?
In Great Gate Island, the Sun is more than just a source of light—it represents safety, growth, and the player’s ability to expand their territory. The world is divided into two key zones:
The Day and Night Zone: Areas within the Sun’s reach, where light cycles between day and night.
The Eternal Night Zone: Areas outside the Sun’s influence, cloaked in darkness and filled with greater dangers.
Your mission as the player is to gradually expand the Sun’s area of influence into the Eternal Night, making new territory safe for exploration, resource gathering, and building.
How Does It Work?
The Sun Extensions:
To expand the Sun’s influence, you must build Sun Extensions—special structures that act like relays, projecting the Sun’s light farther into the Eternal Night.
Each extension requires specific resources to construct, and their placement must be strategic to maximize coverage.
The Expansion Process:
New Territory: As you place a Sun Extension, the surrounding area transitions from Eternal Night to a day-and-night cycle, unlocking new resources and opportunities.
Base Control: Some critical bases and resources can only be accessed after they’re brought into the Sun’s influence.
Defending the Extensions:
Expanding the Sun’s reach isn’t without risks. Shadowy creatures called Mind Distortions are drawn to Sun Extensions, attempting to destroy them and push you back.
To defend these extensions, you’ll need to build walls, towers, and light-based defenses to keep the shadows at bay.
Why Is This Important?
The Sun’s Area of Influence is integral to the game’s progression. Without expanding it:
You can’t safely explore deeper into the island.
Key resources and bases remain inaccessible.
The Eternal Night remains an ever-present threat.
This mechanic creates a dynamic balance between exploration, strategic planning, and defense building. Players must weigh the benefits of expansion against the increasing risks.
Challenges and Questions
I’m iterating on this mechanic, and I’d love your feedback:
Does this mechanic sound intuitive and engaging?
What are some ways to enhance the player’s sense of accomplishment as they expand the Sun’s influence?
Any suggestions for balancing the risk and reward of territory expansion?
Thanks for reading! I’m excited to hear your thoughts. Feel free to share your ideas or ask any questions. I’ll keep posting updates on Great Gate Island as development progresses!
Demo Now Available!
The Great Gate Island demo is live on Itch.io! Access it through the Discord server and share your feedback to help shape the game.
Just wanted to share a new video I put together about the Sun Expansion Relays in Great Gate Island! This system is all about pushing back the Eternal Night, expanding territory, and making new areas safe… until the shadows start creeping in.
In the video, I go over: How Sun Expansion Relays work Why you should stick to the light when fighting at night How to avoid messing yourself up with bad relay placement
Would love to hear what you think! Any feedback is always appreciated.
New Video – A Closer Look at Sun Expansion Relays!
This video explains an important mechanic of the game: expanding the Sun’s reach to push back the Eternal Night and unlock new areas. (More details on a post below.)
Want to play the demo and share your feedback?
Access it through the Discord server and share your feedback to help shape the game.
How Sun Expansion Relays work
Why you should stick to the light when fighting at night
How to avoid messing yourself up with bad relay placement
