MISSING system the GDD does not cover yet PROPOSAL catalogue to prune: nothing goes in without your approval QUESTION answer it by number
GDD v0.2 has the pillars and the big systems well defined (world, building, combat, animals, social, offline defence). What it lacks falls into three kinds:
About the catalogue: it is written with realism as the guide. Being listed does not mean it must go in; on the contrary, the less there is at the start, the sooner it is playable. What is marked under "Basic" would be the minimum for the first milestones.
| System | Why it is needed | Question |
|---|---|---|
| MISSINGSolo mode | Is it a world of its own in the browser (no server) or the same online world where you play isolated? It changes the architecture and whether progress is shared. | 2 |
| MISSINGCharacter progression | It is not defined whether the character improves (skills through use, strength, trades) or how, or whether there is a cap. | 8–10 |
| MISSINGEconomy and trade | Crops by climate push trade between regions, but there is no currency, no markets and no exchange system. | 27–29 |
| MISSINGSea and river travel | The sea is consistent and separates regions: can you sail it? Boats, ships, ferries, ports. | 23 |
| MISSINGTravel infrastructure | Travelling is hard: roads, bridges, fords, post stations. Do players build them? | 22 |
| MISSINGMap and orientation | In a huge world, is there a map? Is it drawn by exploring (cartography) or complete from the start? Compass, sun, stars? | 21 |
| MISSINGNPCs and hostile wildlife | Apart from the sentries there are no NPCs. Villages, traders, bandits? Wolves, bears, boars that attack? | 24–25 |
| MISSINGDecay and abandonment | In an MMO, the bases of players who leave fill the world forever. It must be decided whether what is built decays without upkeep. | 33 |
| MISSINGItem durability | Do tools and weapons wear out, get repaired, get sharpened? | 11 |
| MISSINGLocks and access | Chests, doors and gates: locks with keys? Permissions by family? | 34 |
| MISSINGWeather and seasons | They affect crops, cold, frozen rivers, muddy roads. Only mentioned as a question. | 19–20 |
| MISSINGFire and light | Night, torches, hearths, fires in wooden structures. | 36 |
| MISSINGCommunication | Global chat, proximity chat, voice, messengers/letters (fits with travelling far). | 37 |
| MISSINGHeraldry and family customisation | Coats of arms, banners, family colours: reinforces the kingdoms side. | 38 |
| MISSINGCharacter creation | Appearance, sex, age, region of origin. | 39 |
| MISSINGInterface without bars | How inventory, load, hunger, wounds and crafting are shown without a classic HUD. | 40 |
| MISSINGIntroduction for new players | A realistic survival game with no guidance drives people away in the first minutes. | 41 |
| MISSINGMonetisation | It is a commercial product with a paid server and there is no business model defined. | 42 |
| MISSINGRules, moderation and cheating | Reports, bans, offensive names, multiple accounts for looting. | 43 |
| MISSINGLanguages and requirements | Languages of the game and minimum computers/phones that must run it. | 44–45 |
| MISSINGSound and music | Not mentioned. | 46 |
| Group | Items | Where | Basic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trees | Oak, pine, fir, birch, beech, ash, chestnut, willow, yew, olive, cork oak. They give trunk, branches, bark, resin (conifers), acorns/chestnuts. | By band: fir and birch in the north; oak, beech and ash in the temperate band; olive, cork oak and pine in the south. | Oak, pine, birch |
| Plants and fibres | Flax, hemp, nettles, rushes, straw (from cereal), wicker, dry grass/hay. | Flax and hemp farmed; rushes on riverbanks. | Rushes, thin branches |
| Wild food | Berries, mushrooms, nuts, roots, wild honey, bird eggs. | Forests and clearings. | Berries, mushrooms |
| Herbs | Medicinal and cooking herbs (yarrow, sage, thyme, wild garlic…). | By biome. | — |
| Stone | Loose stone, flint, limestone, granite, slate, sandstone. | Rivers and slopes (loose); quarries. | Loose stone, flint |
| Earth | Clay, sand, mud, peat (north), lime (from limestone). | Riverbanks, peat bogs. | Mud, clay |
| Minerals | Bog iron, iron ore, copper, tin, lead, silver, salt (mines or salt marshes). | Mountains, marshes, coast. | — |
| Water | Rivers, lakes, springs, rain; built wells. Undrinkable water? | Everywhere. | Yes |
| Animal products (from hunting) | Meat, hide, bone, antler, sinew, fat/tallow, feathers. | Hunting. | Meat, hide |
| Fishing | River and sea fish, shellfish. | Rivers and coast. | — |
| Chain | Steps |
|---|---|
| Wood | Trunk → (axe) short logs → (saw/wedges) planks, beams, posts, stakes → (carpenter's bench) fine pieces. Branches → firewood, rods, handles. |
| Charcoal | Firewood stacked and covered (charcoal clamp) → charcoal. Needed for the forge. |
| Rope and textiles | Flax/hemp/nettle → retting and drying → fibre → (distaff/spindle) thread → (loom) cloth. Fibre → rope. Wool → yarn → woollen cloth / felt. |
| Leather | Hide → scraping → tanning in vats (oak bark, lime) → leather. Leather → hardened (armour). Hide with hair → furs. |
| Iron | Ore → (bloomery furnace + charcoal) bloom → (forge) wrought iron → bars. Steel: a more advanced process. |
| Bronze, lead, silver | Copper + tin → bronze (bells, parts). Lead (roofs, weights). Silver (coins, if there is an economy). |
| Ceramics | Clay → shaping → drying → (pottery kiln) pots, roof tiles, bricks. |
| Lime and mortar | Limestone → (lime kiln) lime → + sand + water → mortar for stone walls. |
| Dressed stone | Quarry block → (chisel, mallet) ashlars. |
| Wax and tallow | Honeycombs → wax (fine candles); animal fat → tallow (cheap candles, greasing). |
| Glass | Sand + ash + very hot furnace → glass (windows, advanced). Does it go in? |
| Station | What for | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Campfire | Cooking, warming up, fire-hardening points, drying. | Start |
| Log work surface | Basic wood and stone work. | Start |
| Drying rack/line | Drying meat, hides, fibres, herbs. | Start |
| Carpenter's bench | Furniture, handles, wheels, fine pieces. | Early |
| Clay oven / bread oven | Bread, roasts. | Early |
| Charcoal clamp | Charcoal. | Early |
| Tanning vats | Leather. | Early |
| Distaff/spindle and loom | Thread and cloth. | Mid |
| Pottery kiln | Pots, roof tiles, bricks. | Mid |
| Bloomery furnace | Iron from ore. | Mid |
| Forge + anvil + whetstone | Tools, weapons, horseshoes, nails, armour. | Mid |
| Lime kiln | Lime. | Mid |
| Hand mill / watermill / windmill | Flour (and other uses in the watermill). | Mid → advanced |
| Press | Oil and wine. | Mid (south) |
| Smokehouse, salting | Preserving food. | Early–mid |
| Beehives | Honey and wax. | Mid |
| Well | Water next to the house. | Early |
| Armourer's / mail-maker's workshop | Mail, plate (if the period allows it). | Advanced |
| Siege workshop | Rams and engines. | Advanced |
| Shipyard | Boats and ships (if there is sailing). | Advanced |
| Level | Tools |
|---|---|
| Primitive (stone, wood) | Hammerstone, flint flake (knife), stone axe, digging stick, fire-hardened wooden spear, sling. |
| Iron — wood | Felling axe, hatchet, crosscut saw (2 people), handsaw, adze, wedges, mallet, brace, chisel, drawknife. |
| Iron — earth and stone | Pick, shovel, hoe, stonemason's hammer, chisel, crowbar. |
| Iron — field | Sickle, scythe, pitchfork, plough (animal-drawn), rake, threshing board. |
| Iron — trades | Hammer, tongs, knife, awl, needle, shearing scissors, hide scraper. |
| Utility | Rope, pulley/block and tackle (lifting beams and stones), bucket, torch, lantern, tinderbox (flint and steel). |
| Type | Weapons |
|---|---|
| Improvised | Throwing stone, stick, club, tools used as weapons (axe, pitchfork, mallet). |
| Polearms | Spear, cavalry lance, bill/halberd (by period), staff. |
| Short | Knife, dagger, rondel dagger (late), long knife. |
| Swords | One-handed (arming) sword, hand-and-a-half sword, longsword, single-edged war knife. |
| Blunt | Mace, war hammer, hand flail. |
| Axes | One-handed war axe, two-handed Dane axe. |
| Ranged | Sling, javelin, self bow, longbow, crossbow (stirrup, cranequin by period). |
| Shields | Round plank shield, kite, triangular (heater), buckler, pavise (crossbowmen). |
| Type | Pieces |
|---|---|
| Clothing | Shirt, tunic, hose, smock, cloak, hood, hat, fur coat, mittens, boots/shoes, belt. |
| Padded | Gambeson (the base for everything else), padded coif. |
| Leather | Hardened leather for arms and legs, gloves. |
| Mail shirt, coif (hood), mail chausses. | |
| Plate (by period) | Kettle hat, great helm, bascinet, breastplate, brigandine, gauntlets, greaves, separate pieces. |
| Horse | Saddle, bridle, horseshoes, caparison, barding (horse armour, advanced). |
Clothing should matter for the cold of the north and the heat of the south, and armour should weigh for real within the load system.
| Type | Items |
|---|---|
| Carried | Bundle tied with rope, satchel, back basket, frame pack, belt pouch, waterskin. |
| Storage | Sack, basket, barrel, large jar, chest, shelf, granary, hayloft. |
| Wheeled or dragged | Log sledge/drag, wheelbarrow, two-wheeled cart, four-wheeled wagon. |
| Animals | Saddlebags, pack saddle (donkey/mule), horse or ox team. |
| Water (if there is sailing) | Raft, rowing boat, sailing ship. |
| Group | Pieces |
|---|---|
| Early shelters | Branch lean-to, hide tent, mud-and-straw hut. |
| Structure | Stone foundation, post, beam, sill beam, plank floor, staircase, ladder. |
| Walls | Wattle and daub, planks, logs, timber framing, rubble masonry, ashlar masonry. |
| Roofs | Straw, rushes, shingles, tile, slate, lead sheet. |
| Openings | Door, gate, shutter, window (with glass if it goes in), trapdoor. |
| Defence | Palisade, palisade gate, ditch, earthwork bank, stakes, stone wall, tower, battlements, wall-walk, portcullis, drawbridge, watch posts. |
| Interior and decoration | Bed, table, bench, chair, fireplace, hearth, shelf, tapestries, banners, rugs, candelabra. |
| Field and farm | Fence, pen, henhouse, pigsty, cowshed, stable, water trough, feeder, hayloft. |
| Infrastructure | Paved road, wooden/stone bridge, jetty, mill. |
| Type | Animals | What for |
|---|---|---|
| Riding and draught | Horse (several breeds by region/biome), donkey, mule, ox. | Riding, carrying, ploughing, carts. |
| Farm | Hen, goose, duck, pig, goat, sheep, cow. | Eggs, meat, milk, wool, leather, feathers. |
| Other domestic | Dog (guarding, hunting, herding), cat (pests), bees. | Help, honey, wax. |
| Small game | Hare, rabbit, partridge, pheasant, wild duck. | Meat, feathers, pelts. |
| Big game | Red deer, roe deer, wild boar, chamois/ibex, elk (north). | Meat, leather, antler. |
| Predators | Wolf, bear, lynx, fox. | Threat; pelts. |
| Water | River and sea fish, shellfish. | Food. |
| Crop | North (cold) | Temperate | South (warm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rye | Good | Good | Poor |
| Oats | Good | Good | Poor |
| Barley | Good | Good | Good |
| Wheat | Poor | Good | Good |
| Flax | Good | Good | Poor |
| Hemp | Poor | Good | Good |
| Turnip, cabbage, onion | Good | Good | Poor |
| Peas, broad beans | Poor | Good | Good |
| Chickpeas, lentils | Unviable | Poor | Good |
| Apple, pear | Poor | Good | Poor |
| Grapevine | Unviable | Poor | Good |
| Olive | Unviable | Unviable | Good |
| Fig, almond | Unviable | Poor | Good |
| Hops | Good | Good | Unviable |
Rough classification based on the climate of real Europe; it gets adjusted to whatever design you decide.
It fits combat without bars: each wound is treated with its own remedy.
Answer them by number whenever you like, in whatever order you like. Those in blocks A and B are the ones blocking the first milestone.