The surface of Earth no longer belongs to us. It belongs to the logic of the Machine. In the world of Metal Throne, human activity has been erased, replaced by an endless cycle of automated machines maintaining other machines. This is the starting point for our development journey: a dystopian industrial simulation where the player must navigate a landscape that was never meant for human eyes.
Our story follows Jake Jackson, a survivor infiltrating a high-security fuel yard for petroleum vehicles . This isn’t just a simple stealth game; it is a battle to save humanity - the machines you encounter aren't just normal machines—they are "alive" with their own agenda.
The Vision: City 17 Aesthetic
Visually, I am drawing heavy inspiration from the brutalist, weathered atmosphere of Half-Life 2. I want the fuel yard to feel oppressive—rusted corrugated metal, grime-streaked concrete between buildings.
The layout is currently a 70×70 meter industrial hub. While it currently exists as graybox geometry, the skeleton of the world is there: three massive fuel storage tanks and four key utility buildings that create the "lanes" and "hiding spots" essential for our stealth mechanics.
"The dreams of yesterday are the hopes of today and the reality of tomorrow. In Metal Throne, the reality of tomorrow is a cold, mechanical throne built from the scrap of human civilization."
The Machine Lords
The fuel yard is patrolled by three distinct enemies, each serving a specific role and powered by a unique mission:
- The Patrol Bot: A high-speed go-cart that maintains a strict perimeter.
- The Maintenance Bot: A forklift that wanders the facility, susceptible to social engineering.
- The Guard Bot: A drone providing constant aerial surveillance and raycasted line-of-sight detection.
A look at the 70x70m fuel yard layout—the heart of the game level.
The Road Ahead
I am currently in the A-Frame.js prototyping phase. This allows me to rapidly iterate on the AI logic and the "Pause/Resume" event system before we begin the long-term migration to Godot for our 2027 Steam release. The goal is simple: collect the detonators, plant them on the tanks, and escape the blast radius before the AI realizes its kingdom is under threat.
The journey is just beginning. As I polish the sky shaders and build Jake's enemies, I invite you to follow along as we build the Throne, one rusted block at a time.
Project documentation by Scott Grocott