homeisnowhere

homeisnowhere is an explorative card game where you play as a family of aliens hopping from planet to planet, searching for a new home after their home was destroyed. You can trade Item cards to get the ideal collection of Items to Settle down with on a new planet.

While we did not have a playable build by the end of the 48-hour Global Game Jam 2019, we had the components.

Exposition

"Meldrana: Home to middle-class families living the suburban life in the Astromedon Galaxy, complete with neighborhood barbecues during the sunny season along streets dotted with perfect little houses with perfect little white-picket fences. It was idyllic.

It was idyllic. Until Meldrana collapsed, sending countless families fleeing to the expanses of space to search Astromedon for a new place to call home.

Bringing with you only what was most important from Meldrana, your family is on a journey to find home among the stars.

Planets you travel to are willing to help by trading Items with you. Items let you Move and make other Trades. Collect the ideal hand of Items in order to Settle on a planet.

You may click the Settle button any time you feel you are ready."

Planets

Delphie is essentially a political hub of the Astromedon Galaxy. Home to political figures (and their families) from a variety of planets, the residents of Delphie are exclusively higher-class, often highly-regarded individuals. As this planet serves as a sort of gathering place for political figures, many people have a tendency of moving to this planet only for as long as their careers require it. However, some families make a life here with more permanent intentions. Most regions of the planet are chilly year-round, with light snow during one quarter of the year.

Indrusta is an industrial planet with an economy focused on the design and manufacture of machinery. There is an upper-class region with company headquarters to design products such as holomaps, holophones, and handheld gaming systems. These devices are then manufactured in the working-class factory district, then exported across the galaxy. Indrusta has moderate to chilly temperatures and perpetual thunderstorms on the entire surface of the planet, though thanks to modern technology these storms are artificially halted in cities and surrounding peripheral regions.

Argentia is part of the shopping district of the galaxy, birthplace of the galaxywide phenomenon of Stardust Coffee. The residents are high-class, appreciating an economy based on luxury goods and high culture. In particular, Argentia is known for its art, theater, and fashion industries. For most of the year, the weather is quite temperate, though one season is rather chilly (allowing for the inhabitants to make use of their bearcoon fur coats).

Saldia, an agricultural planet, features primarily families tending to fertile farmland. This planet is characterized by a calm atmosphere, with a welcoming people known for their kindness and hard work. Saldia has warm temperatures, with a rainy season in the third quarter of the year.

Plaepala has an economy based on the design and manufacture of toys and other forms of entertainment, such as amusement parks and movie production. Life moves very quickly on Plaepala, as the whimsical, joyful atmosphere of the planet only exists due to the cutthroat business lifestyle of the inhabitants. This planet has moderate to warm temperatures, and is known for clear skies and tall trees with long palm fronds.

Ukea is a member of the KEA planet enterprise. This chain provides everything an Astromedon family could ever need -- furniture, home appliances, starship repair parts, and so much more! Many people come to Ukea just to visit, stock up on fuel and Nordic Meatspheres, and then be on their way. But some decide to stay and become part of the KEA community, living in one of the housing complexes in the residential district. Come visit Ukea today!

Faltier. Home to cattle ranchers looking for some peace and quiet on the outskirts of the galaxy and young scoundrels searching for adventure. Most people get around on stellions, riding into town with blasters on their hips. The climate is dry and often uncomfortably hot -- but the residents are used to it, using the local saloons as an escape from the sweltering heat.

A’Palacia is home to a lower-middle-class population, with some agriculture and a lot of artisan trades, such as woodworking. The people of this planet are kind but reserved, preferring the peace and quiet of mountain life to the busy bustle of big cities. Depending on the elevation, the climate can range from comfortably warm to a biting cold, with significant snowfall in the higher peaks.

Glacien is an ice planet, with frigid temperatures and year-round snowfall. The population is clustered in the more habitable regions, avoiding the unforgiving cold of the northern region. Glacien features some large, impressive cities with structures like caves built into existing landscapes.

Al-Seva is home to all social classes, but in highly segregated regions. The whole planet is highly questionable in terms of safety and unsavory qualities of the inhabitants, with lower-class regions in particular that are known for the dangers of city nightlife. This desert planet is horrifically hot with no moisture to be found, which the residents compensate for by brewing and importing large quantities of “colorful” drinks.

Meldrana: Home to middle-class families living the suburban life in the Astromedon Galaxy, complete with neighborhood barbecues during the sunny season along streets dotted with perfect little houses with perfect little white-picket fences. It was idyllic.

The Family

Mother - Diania

Diane grew up an only child in a wealthy family on Meldrana. Her family ensured she had access to the best education and all the opportunities she needed to be successful. When she completed her education at university, she was invited to travel to the planet Delphie as a representative of Meldrana. While traveling back to her home planet, the ship experienced minor malfunctions, causing the crew to sidetrack to the nearest planet for a pitstop. Stopping on Indrusta, the ship quickly found the repairs it needed -- and Diane found Mikanon, the mechanic.

Father - Mikanon

Mike was from a working-class family on Indrusta. One of many children, Mike worked alongside his brothers as a mechanic in his family’s shop for many years to help provide for the family. When a Meldranan diplomat’s ship stopped on Indrusta for repairs, Mike met Diania, a beautiful and educated young Meldranan who would soon become his wife.

Daughter - Valuera

Val is the oldest child of Diane and Mike. A young teen, she’s certainly not happy to be stuck in a starship with her entire family for an indefinite amount of time. Val misses home more than she’d care to admit, so when hard times strike her family in space and she’s forced to trade away her locket -- her only remaining artifact from Meldrana -- she’s forced to reevaluate what home really means.

Son - Thoddeus (Thodd)

Baby - Finnasus (Finn)

Stardust Coffee

Food Item

Example Items

Galilei™ Heels

Valuable Item

GameKid

Toy Item

The Item cards have five possible suits, each coordinating to one member of the family: Diplomatic, Machine, Valuable, Toy, and Food. The cards have special abilities that impact mechanics such as player movement from planet to planet, as well as flavor text in the form of cryptic clues encouraging the player to discover the ideal collection of Items with which to Settle. The (contradictory) clues allude to a variety of potential ideal hands, including all cards of the same suit, one from each suit, all of the Ukea cards (one from each suit), or a completely unique combination.

Chess Set

Diplomatic Item

Holo-Comm

Machine Item

Ukea Stuffed Ursa Minor

Toy Item

Finale

"The family Settles happily on [PLANET NAME]. Looking back fondly on their adventures exploring the galaxy, they are relieved to be home and Settled at last."

The game ends with a window looking out at the landscape of the planet you Settled on. No matter what planet, no matter which Items, you always Settle happily - while home is now here, it does not make a difference where you end up because home is nowhere, home is where your family is.

Contributors to homeisnowhere:

Ryan Ward - Design, ProgrammingEric Kim - ProgrammingSamantha Shieh - ArtBrandon Liu - ArtBen Nguyen - ProgrammingJennifer Siino - WritingChase Taylor - Audio

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