Static Dev Blog #2: The First Signal

Breaking the Silence

One of the things I've been working on recently is the opening sequence for Static. It's a relatively small part of the game, but it's also one of the most important. These are the first few moments the player will spend in this world, and I want them to establish the atmosphere and mystery without giving too much away.

Static takes place in a world that has fallen silent.

Long before the events of the game, humanity received a radio transmission warning of something approaching. Something they came to call The Silence.

In anticipation, people retreated underground, leaving behind a network of towers and machines on the surface.

The protagonist, known only as The Listener, was given a simple task: remain at their tower, monitor the radio frequencies, and listen for further transmissions.

None came.

The Listener

When the game begins, The Listener is still at their post.

We don't know how long they've been there. We don't know how much time has passed since The Silence arrived, or even what happened to everyone else.

What we do know is that The Listener has continued their routine, sweeping through the radio frequencies in search of something, anything.

The opening introduces us to Frequency Sweep 8 of 12.

The previous seven have been silent.

And then, something changes.

A pulse.

For the first time, there's something out there.

That single signal is what sets the entire game in motion. The Listener leaves the relative safety of their tower and ventures into a world they know almost nothing about.

Showing, Not Telling

I've been playing What Remains of Edith Finch recently, and one of the things I really admire about it is how naturally it tells its story through the environment.

I want to borrow some of that philosophy for Static.

Rather than opening with a lengthy explanation of what happened to the world, I want the player to piece things together themselves. The opening gives them just enough information to understand who they are, what they've been doing, and why they're about to leave.

The rest is something they'll have to discover.

There are plenty of mysteries surrounding The Silence, the towers, and the people who lived here. I want the player to feel curious about those things rather than have all the answers handed to them.

Finding the Atmosphere

One of the biggest challenges has been making the opening feel appropriately lonely.

Static is a game about absence. The absence of people, sound, colour and life.

The opening needs to communicate that before the player has even taken their first steps.

I'm experimenting with restrained text exposition, environmental details and sound design to create that feeling. The radio itself plays a particularly important role. It's both the reason The Listener is still here and the first indication that the world might not be quite as dead as it seems.

I also want the transition from the cinematic into gameplay to feel natural. Rather than watching a lengthy cutscene and then suddenly being handed control, the idea is to make the opening feel like the beginning of a continuous journey.

A First Look

Here's the current version of Static's introduction.

It's still a work in progress, and I'm sure plenty will change as development continues, but I'm pleased with the direction it's taking.

There's something quite satisfying about finally seeing the beginning of a game you've spent so long imagining.

Now I just need to build everything that comes after it.