As a senior data engineer, I'm intrigued by the technical decisions behind Signet City, an upcoming RPG from Citizen Sleeper developer Gareth Damian Martin. The game's unique blend of horror manga, musicals, and British history presents an interesting challenge in terms of system design. To create a brutalist, monochromatic gotham at the edge of collapse, the development team must balance the game's narrative with its technical requirements. The game's core mechanic, where the player takes control of different human hosts as a parasite, raises questions about data management and entity relationships. By drawing inspiration from various cultural touchpoints, including British social photography and Japanese cult classics like Tetsuo: The Iron Man, the team must consider how to integrate these disparate elements into a cohesive game world. The use of a resource called emotion to affect the actions of hosts adds another layer of complexity to the game's design. To achieve the desired 'overlapping quality' in the game's story, the team has chosen to write the game from two perspectives: the parasite and the host. This dual-perspective approach will require careful consideration of data structures and narrative flow. As the game's development progresses, it will be interesting to see how the team navigates these technical challenges to bring Signet City to life.

Source: Engadget