Dead Reefs Developer Diary – Part 1

“… the story about the shore pirates and the ships that were caught on the island’s reefs gave birth to the title of the game ‘Dead Reefs.’ ”

It is a mystery that involves secrets of the past and a horrifying presence. That the game is also based on true history is a bonus and provides the perfect plot device upon which to begin the tale.

The game is Dead Reefs, from Streko-Graphics Inc. and DreamCatcher. According to the press release: 

“The island of Dead Reefs was infamous for the wicked pirate inhabitants that would lure passing ships into the reefs, slaughtering their crews and looting their cargo as the ships would sink. One stormy evening, while on a fateful mission to a neighboring island, an ancient order of monks decided to set anchor on Dead Reefs to take refuge – only to fall victim to the vile pirates led by the corrupt island ruler, Baron DeSantra. After murdering the ship’s captain and searching his body, the Baron would discover an old relic far more evil than any of them could ever imagine!

“Since that fateful night, a horrifying madness has been infecting the minds of the island residents, resulting in a murder every nine years. Believing that the massacre of the monks had cursed their island, the residents ended their pirating ways – but the deaths continued! Days before the anticipated 11th death was to occur, a descendant of the wicked Baron DeSantra mysteriously died. You are the ingenious investigator Amadeo Finvinero, and you have been sent by the King to discover the source of all the evil plaguing the island of Dead Reefs!”

The following development diaries will chart the course of this title toward its projected release date, which is later this year.

Dead Reefs Development Diary – Part 1
Alexander Balashev-Ugo
St. Petersburg development company – Parallax Arts Studio

Alexander Balashev-Ugo was invited to join in the development of a mythical-style quest game in April 2005. His resume included 3 previous years of experience in developing plots for computer games, publications of fantasy-style scenarios, assisting in directing fantasy movies (for example ”Portal – 2005”) and a great knowledge of different folklores and mythology.

Our first impression of Alexander was that he was very creative and talented – an experienced professional. He showed interest in our project, we worked out the details, and Alexander got to work. Alexander will describe the process of developing the game in his own words.

The developers have given me an interesting task to work on – creating a plot for a quest/detective-style game that includes elements of mystics and is set in the 17^th-18^th century. Before this project, I worked on games that were usually set in futuristic cybernetic worlds. The idea of working on a plot with mystical realism seemed very exiting.

For starters, I had to determine exactly what the game would be about. I suggested several ideas to my colleagues. Some of these ideas included investigating the mysterious disappearance of settlers from the colony “Raonak 16,” where there was nothing left except for a strange sign that read “Kroten;” a sailor, who after several hundred years, walked off a ghost ship called “The Flying Dutchman,” the search for a lost family treasure that was supposedly cursed resulting in a series of mysterious deaths. We chose to work on the latter idea with a minor modification: the treasure was replaced with an ancient relic that possessed supernatural powers.

The relic became the object around which all the events in the game would revolve: murder, investigation and mystical events. Why was it so special that it was worth killing for?  What mystical events would be involved and how would they tie in with the relic?

The answers, in my opinion anyways, tied perfectly into the three main aspects of the game plot.

• Historical realism: Shore pirates, who light signal fires on shore and loot the ships attracted by those flames, did actually exist – it’s a historical fact. This way, the player understands how the relic originated on the island, where all the events take place. According to the plot, a ship that was transporting this relic was looted by the inhabitants of the island, and the relic ended up in the hands of the island’s owner. 

• Mystical events. The stolen relic possesses deadly supernatural powers. Once every nine years this relic forces somebody on the island to either commit murder or commit suicide. The mystical element makes the game significantly more difficult and more interesting – the player not only has to solve the murder case, but must also learn about the deadly powers of the relic, and how to destroy these powers.   

• Detective plot. The relic belonged to an ancient order of Necromancers, who are a mysterious group. After a hundred or so years, its members finally track down the relic to the island and send one of their own to find it.  After the Necromancer arrives, a murder occurs on the island and a detective is called in to begin the investigation.

I must add that the story about the shore pirates and the ships that were caught on the island’s reefs gave birth to the title of the game “Dead Reefs.” This is also the name of the island where all of the game’s events take place.

I have written the synopsis of the game in accordance with the approved plot. After working out all the necessary major elements of the game, I began working on the design documents which included detailed descriptions of all the locations, characters, player’s actions, all the necessary objects and devices, dialogues and monologues, riddles and puzzles, and all the traps and pitfalls that the player will have to go through.

The preparation of the design document was broken up into several stages and sub-stages. After every sub-stage was completed, the document would be sent for approval to the developers and any unclear parts were then worked out. The leading game designer, Sergey Nartovich was of great help in this part of the development process, so many thanks to him!

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