Documentation Version: 1.1
Project Status: Preproduction / Vertical Slice Preparation
This repository contains the complete design documentation and development structure for ROT, a narrative-driven survival horror game set in the coastal town of Blackwater Cove.
ROT focuses on biological horror, ecological mutation, and exploration-driven storytelling. The world is being consumed by a mysterious biological system known as the Rot, which restructures living organisms and environments into new ecological forms.
This repository serves as the central reference for development, documenting every major aspect of the project, including:
- gameplay systems
- enemy design
- level design
- narrative lore
- engineering architecture
- production planning
The documentation exists to ensure design consistency, clear development direction, and long-term maintainability.
ROT is a narrative survival horror game built around exploration, environmental storytelling, and tactical survival.
Players explore the abandoned coastal town of Blackwater Cove, uncovering the truth behind the Rot ecosystem and the research conducted by the mysterious Halcyon Initiative.
The game emphasizes:
- survival tension
- ecological horror
- exploration-based progression
- narrative discovery through environment and collectibles
The Rot is not a traditional infection.
Instead, it behaves like a biological restructuring system, reorganizing life and environments into a new ecological structure.
ROT is designed around several core pillars.
Resources are limited.
Combat is dangerous.
Players must carefully manage health, stamina, and contamination.
The Rot behaves like a living ecosystem.
Creatures, environments, and structures become integrated into a biological network that reshapes the world.
Players progress by exploring the world, discovering new locations, unlocking shortcuts, and uncovering narrative fragments.
The game encourages curiosity and careful observation of the environment.
The story of Blackwater Cove is discovered through:
- abandoned locations
- collectible documents
- environmental clues
- Halcyon research records
Players reconstruct the history of the outbreak by piecing together fragments of information.
The repository is organized into several main sections.
ROT/
│
├─ docs/
├─ game/
├─ CONTRIBUTING.md
├─ DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md
└─ README.md
Contains all design documentation for the project.
Documentation is divided into two major areas:
docs/00_franchise/
docs/01_games/00_rot/
Location:
docs/00_franchise/
Defines the broader ROT universe and creative rules.
Topics include:
- franchise vision
- worldbuilding
- Rot ecology
- visual identity
- creature design rules
- environmental storytelling
- franchise production strategy
These documents guide all projects set in the ROT universe.
Location:
docs/01_games/00_rot/
Contains all game-specific design documentation.
| Folder | Description |
|---|---|
| 00_overview | High-level overview of the game |
| 01_game_design | Core design documents |
| 02_core_systems | Gameplay systems |
| 03_enemy_design | Enemy design and AI |
| 04_level_design | World and exploration design |
| 05_progression_balance | Balance and progression |
| 06_engineering | Technical architecture |
| 07_pipelines | Asset production pipelines |
| 08_testing | Testing and QA procedures |
| 09_tools | Internal development tools |
| 10_lore | Narrative and world lore |
| 11_production | Production planning |
The game/ directory will contain the actual game project and source code.
Typical contents may include:
game/
├─ source/
├─ assets/
├─ configs/
└─ build/
This folder will be populated as development progresses.
For a full documentation index see:
docs/README.md
This file acts as the table of contents for the entire documentation system.
If you are new to the project, start with these documents.
DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md
Provides onboarding information for developers joining the project.
docs/01_games/00_rot/00_overview/game_overview.md
High-level explanation of the game concept.
docs/01_games/00_rot/00_overview/gameplay_pillars.md
Defines the core design philosophy of the game.
docs/01_games/00_rot/01_game_design/gameplay_loop.md
Main gameplay cycle:
explore → scavenge → survive → uncover story → progress
docs/01_games/00_rot/02_core_systems/systems_overview.md
Explains how gameplay systems interact.
docs/01_games/00_rot/04_level_design/world_map.md
Defines the structure of Blackwater Cove.
docs/01_games/00_rot/10_lore/timeline.md
Describes the events leading to the Rot outbreak.
ROT follows several core development principles.
All systems follow consistent terminology and design philosophy defined across the documentation.
Gameplay systems are designed to be modular and expandable.
This allows the project to scale without major architectural changes.
The world should encourage curiosity and reward exploration.
Not every aspect of the Rot is meant to be fully understood.
Some mysteries remain intentionally unexplained to reinforce the horror themes.
All documentation files include a version identifier.
Current documentation version:
ROT Documentation – Version 1.1
Version numbers are updated when:
- major structural changes occur
- gameplay systems are redesigned
- documentation architecture changes
Minor edits do not require version updates.
When editing or adding documentation:
- Maintain consistent formatting across documents
- Follow the established folder structure
- Avoid duplicating information across multiple files
- Update version numbers when major revisions occur
- Add cross-references between related documents
Full contribution rules are defined in:
CONTRIBUTING.md
This repository contains design documentation and development materials for the ROT project.
All content is part of the ROT intellectual property.
Use, reproduction, or distribution of this material outside the project requires permission from the project owner.
Project Status: Preproduction
Next Milestone: Vertical Slice
Documentation Version: 1.1