Every dusk is a deadline
Daylight is for exploration and preparation. Night brings a visible invading force that grows with every age.
PROJECT / NORTH STAR
The long way home.
Saved locally
CO-OP MYTHIC SURVIVAL BUILDER / 1–4 PLAYERS
Raise the Hearth.
Survive the ages.
After a victorious war, the returning heroes find Ithaca fractured by a divine storm. The last sacred flame protects only a small patch of land. Explore the wilderness, reclaim shrines, build a living settlement, and withstand armies drawn from progressively harsher ages.
♜♜♜
ITHACA / DAY 01
HEARTH BURNS
Build different answers
Heroes can scout, gather, construct, and fight in parallel while every new tower and wall changes the shared battlefield.
Make the wilderness yours
Claimed groves, quarries, and shrines expand the build frontier. Territory is not a score—it is where your settlement can live.
THE FIRST-DAY LOOP
Explore. Gather. Build. Defend.
- 01ExploreDAY
Leave the Hearth and reveal useful land, hostile camps, and resources.
- 02GatherDAY
Bring wood, stone, and food into the shared settlement stockpile.
- 03Build & expandDUSK
Place defenses and claim sacred sites to extend the frontier.
- 04DefendNIGHT
Fight beside your towers until dawn, then prepare for a harder age.
OPEN DESIGN QUESTION
How far dare we build before night?
Protect this loop: explore → gather → claim → build → defend → dawn. New systems should create choices inside it.
CAMPAIGN CHRONICLE / WORLD ATLAS
Choose the next chapter.
A guided mythic opening across Ithaca. Select a glowing landmark, inspect its lesson and stakes, then launch the smallest playable test for that chapter.
GUIDED ODYSSEY6 CHAPTERS
READING · THE LANDITHACA / HEARTH BOUNDARY
Perceive
A glowing signal and bracket label explain what can be selected.
Choose
The brief shows one objective, one reward, and three lessons.
Act
The selected record launches the smallest playable test that teaches it.
Remember
New enemies, rewards, and places enter the codex after discovery.
OPEN WORLD / REGION ATLAS
A kingdom larger than one map.
The MVP begins in Ithaca, but every frontier is a distinct mythology region with its own guardian, economy, build options, and late-game reason to return.
Ithaca & Ionian Coast
Restore the Hearth, reclaim farms, and establish the first defensive road network.
PLAYABLE NOW · BASE EXPANSIONArcadian Wilds
Hunt mythic beasts through forests where paths and tower sightlines keep changing.
GUARDIAN · CALYDONIAN BEASTAegean Isles
Secure causeways and ports to open sea trade between otherwise isolated settlements.
REWARD · TRADE FLEETCretan Labyrinth
Push defenses through a living maze and capture ancient Minoan mechanisms.
REWARD · ENGINEERSMount Olympus
Climb into a divine endgame region where the gods judge the rebuilt kingdom.
REWARD · DIVINE FAVORThe Underworld
Descend beyond the mortal frontier to recover relics and heroes lost in earlier runs.
GUARDIAN · CERBERUSPLAYTEST ZONE / MYTHIC PIVOT
Keep the Hearth burning.
Explore a wide mythic wilderness by day, gather settlement resources, clear hostile camps, claim sacred land, build defenses, and survive progressively harder nights.
CURRENT BUILDMVP 01 · Hearth of Ithaca
Explore, gather, expand, build, and survive one complete day and night.
- 01ExploreRead the land
- 02GatherWood · stone · food
- 03BuildShape the defense
- 04DefendSurvive the night
- 05ExpandFace the next age
ITHACA SANCTUARY
SHIELD120/120
HEARTH160/160
ERA BRONZE
TO DUSK 48s
HERO ACHILLES
HERO HEALTH 100/100
POWER SLASH READYRAIDERS 0ERA FOE RAIDERS
NIGHT RAIDDefend the Hearth
WASD move · SHIFT sprint
QUICK COMMS
DIVINE FAVORS · ONE USE
ITHACA SETTLEMENTTHE HEARTH MUST SURVIVE
- TOWERS
- 0
- LANDS CLAIMED
- 0
- FOOD
- 0
DESIGN MEMORY / AUGUST 2026
What changed, and why
This archive records the playable decisions we have made together. It preserves the reason behind each change so future tuning does not accidentally reintroduce solved friction.
Flight-feel sandbox
Started with momentum, steering, boost, fuel, gathering, recall, and docking in one focused canvas test.
FOUNDATIONForgiving collection
Expanded the resource contact field so close passes feel intentional instead of arbitrarily missed.
KEPTMore decisive boost
Originally made fuel expenditure more legible. Personal fuel was later removed because it discouraged the exploration the game needs.
SUPERSEDEDOne-button docking
Removed precision alignment. Near the carrier, pressing E simply picks up the pod.
KEPTE to Dock prompt
Added a hotkey callout only when docking is available, with a small animated emphasis.
KEPTSimpler pod, rarer glow
Simplified the fighter silhouette and reserved the stronger glow language for radiant, higher-value resources.
KEPTLocator backdrop
Added a soft local backdrop and cyan chevron when the pod crosses the carrier silhouette.
ACTIVEMoving carrier crawl
The full expedition drill now asks the player to leave, gather, answer recall, and catch a moving home base.
ACTIVELevel 01 · First Light
Combined the proven interactions into a timed route with fuel delivery, shared holdings, an attack wave, carrier defense, and a rest stop.
CURRENTFleet stakes and bullet hell
Expanded the sector, added three persistent fleet units, auto-turrets, escalating swarms, booster crystals, and expedition fabrication.
CURRENTUnlimited flight, evolving rewards
Removed fleet-ship fuel, made hull the personal risk, added evolving enemy forms, and turned every kill into a salvage opportunity.
CURRENTBurst drive and reactive shields
Changed boost into a timed impulse, added delayed numeric shield regeneration, animated shield impacts and enemy motion, and moved cargo into a readable side rack.
CURRENTMVP 01 · The Ares Reach
Cross a wide hostile region from the Ithaca sanctuary, clear four guardian strongholds, unlock extraction at 60%, and build automation that pays out after future missions.
CURRENTTEST COVERAGE / HEARTH OF ITHACA
One question per module
Use the smallest child test that can answer the question. Hearth of Ithaca is the integration test; earlier space labs remain archived only as design memory.
| Module | Primary question | Observe | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explore & claim | Can players read resources, camps, and claimable land? | Route choice, E prompt, territory feedback | FOCUSED |
| Build & defend | Does a tower visibly convert daytime work into safety? | Foundation discovery, B use, tower coverage | FOCUSED |
| Hero combat | Can movement and focus fire rescue a weak lane? | Sprint, auto-bow, Space focus | FOCUSED |
| Day-night pressure | Does dusk create useful urgency without busywork? | Return timing, unfinished plans, dawn relief | NEW |
| MVP 01 · Hearth of Ithaca | Does one dawn make you want to protect a larger settlement? | Expansion desire, defensive choices, next-age curiosity | CURRENT |
MVP 01 / HEARTH RULES
Victory and failure conditions
Reach dawn with the Hearth burning. A fallen hero returns at home and loses half the gathered stores; only the destruction of the Hearth ends the settlement.
See another dawn
Keep the Hearth alive through the night raid. Dawn advances the day, introduces stronger pressure, and preserves the settlement you built.
PLAYABLEA hero falls
The hero reforms beside the sacred flame. Half the currently held settlement materials are lost, but no player becomes a spectator.
PLAYABLEThe Hearth is extinguished
If invading forces reduce the Hearth to zero health, Ithaca falls and the survival run ends.
PLAYABLECURRENT MVP TEST
Does the Hearth create a home worth expanding?
The proof connects open-world gathering, guarded territories, free defense placement, one rising night, and a visible settlement that survives into tomorrow.
Mythic Hearth rules ↗- Claim one named sacred territory before dusk.
- Build at least one Apollo Tower from gathered materials.
- Survive the night and note what you want to change tomorrow.
GAME CODEX / STABLE RECORDS
Know the land and its ages.
One searchable directory for invading civilizations, heroes, resources, sacred lands, defenses, and core systems. Stable IDs connect gameplay, MotionDeck, SoundDeck, and future save data.
21TRACKED RECORDS
RECORDS
No matching records.
enemy/ares-raider
Raider of Ares
Bronze Age host
PLAYABLETIER 0
Stable ID · gameplay data · asset manifests · discovery state
SHARED PROJECT / VERSIONED SOURCES
Fleeting asset registry
Every sound, song, graphic, and motion keeps a stable gameplay ID, an editable source in its specialist tool, and a runtime handoff. This is the bridge that lets the game and both creative sites improve together.
SOUNDDECK / FLEETING PROJECT
Mythic audio palette
fleeting/mythic/hearth/fire-loopHestia Hearth FireCURRENT
fleeting/mythic/world/dawn-stingerFirst Light StingerMAPPED
fleeting/mythic/world/dusk-hornDusk War HornMAPPED
fleeting/mythic/build/apollo-towerApollo Tower RaisedMAPPED
fleeting/mythic/resource/wood-pickupOlive Wood PickupMAPPED
fleeting/mythic/resource/stone-pickupMarble PickupMAPPED
fleeting/mythic/combat/shield-impactBronze Shield ImpactPLANNED
fleeting/mythic/music/hearth-odysseyHearth Odyssey ThemePLANNED
fleeting/archive/space/*Earlier Space PaletteARCHIVED
MOTIONDECK / FLEETING PROJECT
2D, 3D & motion pipeline
2D RUNTIME ARTThree heroes, Hearth, four sacred territories, resources, Apollo Tower, and two Bronze Age foesCURRENT
3D PRODUCTIONModular Greek ruins, olive groves, tower kit, hero silhouettes, and civilization armor setsPLANNED
MOTION & VFXBow release, shield hit, tower build, claim pulse, Hearth damage, dusk, dawn, and Divine FavorsMAPPED
fleeting/mythic/hero/atalanta-2dAtalanta RangerPROTOTYPE
fleeting/mythic/world/hearth-2dHearth of IthacaPROTOTYPE
fleeting/mythic/defense/apollo-tower-2dApollo TowerPROTOTYPE
fleeting/mythic/enemy/ares-host-2dBronze Age WarhostPROTOTYPE
fleeting/archive/space/*Earlier Fleet AssetsARCHIVED
SELF-IMPROVING LOOP
1Game brief→2Editable source→3Runtime export→4Playtest evidence→5Reusable template
Fleeting-specific learning becomes an optional SoundDeck or MotionDeck template only after it proves useful. The source recipe remains attached to every runtime asset.
ARCHIVED MODEL / SPACE PROTOTYPE
Earlier expedition balance lab
This calculator preserves the assumptions behind the retired space-escort direction. It remains available for design history, but it no longer defines the current Hearth MVP.
FUEL 100SCRAP 18HULL 100%STABLE
Drag the pod markers to test risky gathering positions.
GENERATED LEG
Encounter timeline
MODEL READOUT
Stable expedition
Current assumption
One defender contributes 17 power. A scavenger contributes resources, but is unavailable during the recall window.
SYSTEM MAP / MVP 01
Every dawn should reveal a stronger home
Every current feature must strengthen exploration, gathering, territory, building, or night defense. If it touches none of them, it waits outside the Hearth MVP.
SHARED PURPOSEKeep the Hearth
burning
burning
EXPLORERead the open landpossibility ↑
GATHERCarry useful storesoptions ↑
BUILDShape the defensesafety ↑
DEFENDEarn another dawnterritory ↑
ECONOMY
Physical settlement stores
Wood, stone, and food are found in the world and converted into visible structures. Future workers automate claimed groves and quarries.
COMBAT
Civilization eras
Each era introduces a new army doctrine rather than only larger health bars: raiders, flankers, archers, siege lines, then mythic giants.
PROGRESSION
Heroes & Divine Favors
Heroes specialize movement and combat. One-use godly favors create dramatic recoveries without replacing preparation.
WORLD
Sacred territorial expansion
Cleared camps become named lands with resources, foundations, and future paths. The settlement grows into the open world instead of resetting.
LOSS
Recoverable heroes, vulnerable home
A fallen hero returns at the Hearth and loses half the stores. The run ends only when the sacred flame is destroyed.
COMPANIONS
Settlers & mythic allies
Recruits can gather, repair, or guard a lane, filling absent-player roles while four humans remain the expressive center.
CONTENT RULE
Territory reward triangle
| Land | Immediate reward | Long-term value | Primary cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grove | Large wood cache | Renewable timber and healing herbs | Wide, exposed border |
| Quarry | Stone and tower plan | Walls and durable upgrades | Distant daylight travel |
| Ford | Food and route access | Trade and water control | Multiple enemy approaches |
EDITABLE SCOPE
Feature board
Keep the first playable honest. Move features as the design proves itself, and capture ideas without letting them quietly become commitments.
LEARN, DON'T JUST PLAY
Playtest log
Each session needs one question, one observable signal, and a decision. Notes without a decision become lore.
SESSIONS
Evidence archive
NEXT TEST / SUGGESTED
Does one dawn make you want to expand?
Play one full loop, claim at least one land, build an Apollo Tower, and survive the first night.
- Ask whether resources were readable at a glance.
- Record the first moment dusk changed the plan.
- Notice what the player wants to build on day two.
Pass signal
The player understands the day-night loop, deliberately chooses where to expand and defend, and can name a desired next settlement upgrade.
MVP COMMAND CENTER
Prove one day worth defending.
The immediate finish line is one readable solo day-night loop with a meaningful expansion decision and a settlement that visibly changes. Story spectacle and four-player networking wait until this loop earns them.
PLAYABLE PROOF
Hearth of Ithaca
One open land, three heroes, four territories, gathered materials, buildable towers, and a rising first night.
- Readable resource language
- Meaningful build placement
- One satisfying dawn
SETTLEMENT DEPTH
A reason to expand
Add walls, one worker, renewable claimed resources, structural damage, and the second civilization doctrine.
- Hestia Brazier
- Territory workers
- Amazon flankers
VERTICAL SLICE
The Last Siege to first dawn
Build the victorious battle tutorial, the wounded homecoming, first claim, first tower, and first defended night.
- Heroic power fantasy
- Hestia's last flame
- Settlement transformation
PRODUCTION
Co-op mythic campaign
Move proven rules into the production engine, then add online co-op, civilization-era content, Steam, and mobile.
- Host-authoritative co-op
- Godot content pipeline
- Platform packaging
COMMITMENT PLAN / DEFINITION OF DONE
Seven gates from idea to stewardship
0Product truthWorkbook + pipeline
1Hero feelMovement + combat
2Hearth heartbeatBuild + defend
3Vertical sliceLast Siege → dawn
4Content factoryGodot + tools
5Platform betaSteam + mobile
6StewardshipLaunch + learn
STANDING PROMPT
Build the smallest playable proof of Fleeting’s central promise. Work in vertical slices, measure every test, and expand only when the current loop meets its written acceptance signal.
ENGINE DIRECTION
Godot 4, data-first
Godot gives this 2D co-op game a clean path to Steam and mobile, strong scene tooling, an open runtime, and an approachable scripting layer. Keep rules in deterministic, data-driven modules so this web lab can mirror the production economy.
GAMEPLAYGodot scenes + GDScript/C#
↓RULESPure simulation modules
↓DATAResources / JSON content
CREATIVE PIPELINE
Connect your tools
TECHNICAL RISKS TO PROVE EARLY