Note: The engine here is going up fast and seems to be a lot more interesting than merchant's, so I'm probably going to merge the two projects. This seems like it would have better lore as well.
Text-based questing game. Precursor to Courier (and presumably Merchant -- should be easier to build since there's "shortcuts" rather than explicit routes).
Layered procgen ultimately terminating in the eponymous The Wheel -- a collection of twelve star systems with astrological names.
Progressive questing -- you start at the lowest level and quest within that space. As you progress you gain reputation and can move through higher levels, which makes your pay go up. Transport network prices also scale with size, though you can still do the short one, it'll just cost more time.
That's it, that's the whole game. Largely just making this for me, though if I see the opportunity to make more of a game out of it I will.
The layers here have been borrowed from Zenith, the Universe of Babel and Eldritch Library:
The wheel -- 12 systems assigned astrological names. This sets the font.
Solar system -- Here you pick a gas giant. There can be between 3-10, whose colors will range across the hue spectrum (or black or white). This sets the color scheme.
Gas giant skein -- Each gas giant has a size, and there's this recursive fractal thing that decreases the size of orbital bodies until you arrive at the size of terra planets. Planets are assigned a language.
Continent -- Each planet has 5-8 continents named in that language.
Nation -- Each continent has 5-20 nations -- this will also generate some nation data pulled from a wikipedia list so they're more distinct.
Province -- each nation has 4-7 provinces which correspond with biomes pulled from a wikipedia list.
City -- Pick a city out of the table. Population density is generated and change its appearance. The biome also dictates the population density.
District -- Each city has 5-10 districts pulled from some list or whatever. The amount is dictated by population density.
Roads -- districts have horizontal and vertical words which are words related to that district. Each district has 5-20 on each axis.
Building -- Each road has X buildings on the horizontal and Y buildings on the vertical. Uses the driller algorithm to seed an x or y. The amount is 2-7.
Floor -- you take an elevator and go to a floor. Each building has 20-70 floors, set by the city population density.
Office -- each floor has 20-100 offices, where you get quests. Depends on population density. These are organized into sections somehow.
Floors let you move around manually or you can use a Person Chute to go somewhere specific.
Floors require you take the stairs, or you can use the elevator for a fee.
Building -- You can walk from building to building on the same road, but it takes a couple seconds of wait time. With a rented bicycle it's faster.
Roads -- Bicycles can traverse roads, but it's slow. You can call a taxi to take you somewhere specific at speed however. You can also walk but it takes significantly more time.
District -- You can call a taxi to take you to another district, but it's slow. It's better to take a bus. You can also bike or walk, but it isn't recommended.
City -- To swap cities you need to take a maglev, which takes a few seconds. You can use a bus but it's slow.
Province -- To switch provinces you take a plane. A maglev is possible but you'd have to make a lot of jumps.
Nation -- Use a VHST to switch nations. You can take a plane but there's a lot of hops.
Continent -- Use a Transporter to swtich continents, or do it slower with the VHST.
Gas giant skein ++ -- at these levels you have a spaceship and it has to do with your hyperdrive capability. Upgrading it takes money and there's a fuel cost.
