With each playable character you meet in Causeway, we want you to experience something unique and special.
The most diverse subject we've found for drawing inspiration is 'People'! We make several human qualities central to our design process.
Positive and Negative Traits
The first quality we look to are human needs. We imagine that for each character, one of their human needs is being met in abundance, while another is never met.
For example, one character might give a player a strong feeling of Presence, while challenging them on their need for Space.
This creates a unique tension in the character — which we explore in many ways. It affects how they present themselves, traces deep roots through their lore, and it transforms their gameplay through their Pledge.
The Pledge ability contains a positive-and-negative trait pair which is unique to that character.
Here are some examples:
Way of Life
Passively, friendly units within a radius of Messiah cannot die; they will be left with at least 1 life.
Also: Messiah cannot bring enemies below 1 life.
Nothing to Waste
Activate to cause Jaiyana to swoop to a target Item and heal a percentage of her missing health.
Also: Jaiyana will swoop to any enemy unit that dies near her and heal a percentage of her missing health. This behaviour is involuntary.
Infamy
Passively, Rasputin blocks enemy vision like a wall, so they can't see past him.
Also: Rasputin is visible to enemies through fog of war at all times.
These traits ensure each character is distinct and irreplaceable, even as the cast grows.
Leadership Potential
In Causeway, we focus on characters who are 'leaders' of some kind. They might be guiding a nation, connecting an industry, or nurturing a family. In all cases, they are people who can be mindful of others.
Here are the eight leadership styles which our characters use. These aren't intended to inform "roles" within a team, but you might find a certain style becomes a favourite for you.
Continual Expression
Flexibility and meaningful choice are a big part of Causeway. In this spirit, the game has:
- No stuns (as these remove interesting choices – more details)
- No randomness (it does not test any improvable skill)
- No 'out-of-mana' (but further casting incurs penalties)
Choice is deeply ingrained in character abilities. Instead of binary "hit-or-miss" outcomes, Causeway abilities aim to produce a gradient of outcomes depending on how they're used.
For a simple example:
Attract
Stars fall from the sky along the dragged line (of variable length/direction). The stars deal more damage the less area is covered.
Gradient Abilities allow players more opportunities to create variance in fights: turning around ganks, or innovating mid-combat with clever and unexpected ability usage.
Combined, these features change how fights develop. There aren't any '1-shot' assassins, or chain-stunning to take characters out of a fight early. Engagements involve more dialogue between players, and have time to let the game's deep interactions unfold.
Meet the Cast
Here is a list of publicly announced characters who are playable in the Causeway alpha:
- Jasper — Inclusion without Authenticity
- Rasputin — Presence without Space
- Jaiyana — Sustenance without Choice
- Tempest — Harmony without Shelter
They are of course subject to change, and more will be announced over time.
