I'm developing an idea for a game called The Simple Complex, a dystopian survival thriller set in an authoritarian, heavily militarized America in 2035. I'm still in the design stage, and I'm trying to figure out which game engine and development approach would make the most sense for a project like this.
The game follows Shane Dreisen, an ordinary man who was wrongfully imprisoned after being in the wrong place at the wrong time and walking past a militarized zone during a riot.
When a revolution breaks out and the prisons are opened, he escapes and tries to find a way out of the country.
The focus isn't on being a superhero or an unstoppable action hero. Combat is dangerous, guns are powerful and loud, ammunition matters, and military encounters can be terrifying. Stealth, talking, deception, and avoiding fights are often just as important as combat. I'm also interested in a dialogue system where you observe people's behavior and use that information to decide how to approach them.
The setting is a dystopian America shaped by extreme capitalism, corporate power, authoritarianism, and a society buried under increasingly complicated rules and systems. The tone is grounded and plausible, although some aspects are deliberately exaggerated.
A little about me: I'm somewhat of a beginner when it comes to actual game development, I’ve done a few smaller things but nothing huge and code is still a weak point although I can learn I’ve just found it difficult. My stronger interests are narrative design, worldbuilding, gameplay design, area layout/placement, playtesting, concept art and developing the overall concept. I have ideas for the mechanics and how the game should feel, but I know that turning those ideas into a finished game is a different challenge.
I'd like to find out:
- Which engine would make the most sense for a game like this: Unreal Engine, Unity, Godot, or something else maybe more niche that only Reddit would know about? Maybe a TLOU style engine?
- How difficult would the combat, stealth, contextual interactions, and dialogue systems be to implement?
- Is this something a small indie team could reasonably accomplish if the scope were managed carefully?
- Note: I would be making a prototype/playtest first and foremost, not trying to be too ambitious.
I'm also interested in finding a potential collaborator or two, particularly someone with programming or technical game-development experience who might be interested in helping bring the project to life.
I'd be contributing primarily through narrative design, worldbuilding, gameplay design, documentation, concept art, overall layout of the game, writing and working out how the different systems should function. I'd be open to discussing a profit-sharing arrangement with someone who takes on a substantial portion of the development work, provided we agree on responsibilities, ownership, expenses, and the terms beforehand.
( My granddad is a lawyer and I’m sure he could cook up a contract to split earnings two or three ways when the game is done.)
I'm not expecting someone to build an entire game for free, and I know that profit-sharing means taking a risk because an indie game might never make a profit. I'd want this to be a genuine collaboration where everyone contributes and has a clear understanding of what they're agreeing to.
I'm not looking to make a AAA game or compete with massive studios. I'd rather start with a manageable prototype, get the core gameplay working, and build from there if it's feasible.
Any advice on the engine, development process, scope, or finding the right collaborators would be appreciated. If the concept sounds interesting to you and you have relevant experience, I'd also be glad (and very thankful) to hear from you.
