The Game · Design documents
The plan, in the open
The documents the game is built from: the story, quests, zones, enemies, items and skill trees of Act 1, the first boss, the rules every area follows, and the plan for porting the game to Unreal Engine. They are the working files, so they read like working files. The story pages contain spoilers.
The game plan
Read online · 10 min
The game plan (version 2)
The one-page picture of the whole game: scope, pillars and what is in Act 1.
Read online · 17 min
Embers of Olympus — The Full Development Plan
The gated plan from the first cube to the first playable act.
Read online · 16 min
Act 1 — The Blight of Eleusis
The story of Act 1, chapter by chapter. Contains spoilers.
Read online · 12 min
Act 1 — Quest Scripting
Every quest of Act 1 with its steps and rewards.
Read online · 9 min
Act 1 — The Two Zones (layout & encounter flow)
The zones of Act 1: layout, mood, landmarks and enemies.
Read online · 9 min
Act 1 — Enemy Roster Spec
Every enemy, elite and mini-boss in Act 1.
Read online · 11 min
Act 1 — Item & Affix Pool + the Signature Relic
Items, rarities, affixes and the first unique pieces.
Read online · 15 min
The Three Skill Trees — Hoplite · Huntress · Oracle
The skill trees of the three classes.
Read online · 11 min
Boss Encounter — Polydegmon, the Intake at the Ploutonion
The first boss: design, phases, telegraphs and the fairness contract.
Area redesign
Read online · 2 min
Boss Area: Gemini suggestion vs ours, and the redesign plan (2026-10-29)
Gemini's boss-area suggestions set against ours, and the redesign plan that came out of it.
Read online · 2 min
Zone B (Sacred Grove): Gemini suggestion vs ours, and the redesign plan (2026-10-29)
Gemini's Zone B suggestions set against ours, and the redesign plan.
Read online · 5 min
The rules every area follows
The period rule (5th century BC, nothing later), how the builders and tests work, and what to watch for.
Engineering
Read online · 3 min
Embers of Olympus: plan to recreate the game in Unreal Engine 5
The plan for porting the game to Unreal Engine, built to be run by a local AI.
Read online · 2 min
Ground rules for the Unreal port (read by the local model with every task)
The ground rules for the Unreal port.
Read online · 4 min
Phases, milestones and who does what
The phases of the Unreal port, from empty project to playable.
Read online · 3 min
Decisions to make, and the risks
Open decisions and risks of the Unreal port.