Cosmic Cowboy
Wield full control in this sci-fi tactical turn-based game, featuring skill progression. Create the ultimate build, specialise in different ability classes, and overpower your enemies. Take control of the charismatic mercenary, Cowboy in the far future as he brings down an insidious corporation.
Turn-based combat inspired by XCOM and the original Fallout, Cosmic Cowboy brings a strategic and thought-provoking twist to this combat genre, with various abilities and enemy types for these mechanics to interact with.
With a fusion of neon and Western aesthetics, Cosmic Cowboy aims to bring a bold new visual flare to the turn-based genre, with a carefully curated appearance.
Design Intentions
The level I designed for this project was set on a cargo/passenger train where Cowboy (the player) boarded the train as it was leaving the previous level. Cowboy starts at the rear of the train their goal is to get to the front to stop it before the corpo hit squads get to him.
The level was designed with the intention of getting to the control centre as soon as possible because the longer the player hangs around dealing with the already present enemies, the more they then need to deal, ultimately ending with the player being over run and killed so the player is presented with a gamble where they can run past the enemies but risk being hit and losing health but will have less resistance waiting for them ahead.
When I began work with Summit Studios they explained to me how the levels should be laid out with the inclusion of items that can be used as cover. They proceeded to inform me that just like in some X-COM like games if the player is behind cover it will act like cover but will still take damage. The only way to avoid damage was to use the Cover action during the players turn, while using up all of their Action Points it would keep the player safe when the enemy usually moved close and attacked.
With this mind I had to consider the placement of assets as the player and enemy AI would both be using them as make-shift cover. I didn't want to make cover scarce but at the same time I didn't want to make it impossible to traverse.
When designing the train I took inspiration from various sources, mainly USA military cargo trains for the cargo hold and its contents, luxury Passenger liners for the Sleeping Quarters and Dining/Kitchen carriages.
I also took inspiration from CD Projekt Red's 2022 RPG Cyberpunk 2077 as Cosmic Cowboy is also set in a cyberpunk world, it only felt natural to use concept art for inspiration.
