Tempus

Tempus

I am currently working with a small group of experienced game developers on a game demo known as Tempus. The demo is being created using the Unreal Development Kit.Tempus is played in the first person - but it's no shooter.

Tempus incorporates time travel as the basis of all gameplay and story. Cause and effect become real tools that the player uses to solve "4D" puzzles and influence the outcome of events. The demo is intended to act as a showcase project for all involved - artists, designers, animators, writers and programmers alike.

The demo is also a showcase of the game game as a concept, in its own right - like a demo for a game that does not yet exist. During play, the player should have the sensation of actually traveling through time - environments and characters age and change over time, just as you would expect. Most importantly, the players actions are not meaningless in Tempus - every action has a consequence - the majority of consequences are relatively small but some player actions change the future in fundamental ways. Will you undo your mistakes?

We are currently concentrating on:

1. Refining a prototype of the central time-jump mechanic in UDK
2. Creating prototype environments from various time periods
3. Designing & building environmental puzzles (with a temporal twist)
4. Establishing the basic pillars of the characters and back-story
5. Creating "timeline" diagrams intended for internal team communication

Below are some screenshots from the first prototypes and mechanics test environments: