An Industrial Frontier Mining RPG – From Claim to Empire

GoldClaim: Starfall Nuggets is a top-down industrial frontier mining RPG that blends geology-driven resource gathering, economic systems, and frontier town expansion into a single event-driven evolving world.

This page documents the introduction and ongoing development of the game. “From Claim to Empire” is the guiding principle – a journey from hand panning and makeshift sluices to large-scale multi-claim operations in a lore-driven RPG – your own frontier legacy.

Index

  1. Formal game introduction
  2. First milestone – resource engine
  3. Platform support

1. Game Introduction

First of all, thank you for visiting the landing page of GoldClaim – an indie top-down frontier mining RPG game I’ve designed to combine the best of three worlds, resulting in: A cozy RPG with narrative stories, quests, and puzzles – layered with an event-driven world, deep economic mechanics, and social power struggles: Create your own legacy.

A full introduction of the game can be found by clicking on the button below.

GoldClaim: Full introduction

Partial reveal of GoldClaim’s world – the land called Valaenia

Map of Valaenia, partially revealed

2. Milestone #1: Resource generator (core system reveal)

jerboa holding a gold nugget

The resource engine is part of the claim engine, and one of the main pillars which defines GoldClaim. It’s a long read, but it has awesome visuals on the game’s progress, explaining the core capabilities of the game. Click the button below to view the full page.

Claim engine: The resource generator

3. Platform support

The following platforms will be supported:

  • PC – Steam (modest h/w requirements)
  • Steam Deck (all gens)
  • Nintendo Switch (gen 1 + gen 2)

You can infer from the supported platforms that you won’t need a serious rig to run the game, as should be expected from an indie-game. Especially with the memory-availability which leads to inflated h/w prices, performance is prioritized.

The Nintendo Switch is also considered. Usually games are first released on consoles, but I can safely state it will be a PC + Steam Deck release first right after the MVP. Alpha/beta versions are a separate case and I yet have to decide whether there will be open beta-pilots, as it will shift the MVP.

More platform support? Xbox and Playstation, mobile versions? These are to be considered post-MVP.

Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch

I could’ve communicated more clearly on the frontpage what platforms will be supported and I actually wanted to display the Steam/Steam Deck/Nintendo logos on the main page and promo art, but I am not allowed without the appropiate licenses. I first need to setup contracts with them, or in Steam’s case, create a store page. It’s too soon for that though, as the identity of the game is still taking shape.

Just to show the commitment and counter the market’s scary developments (Steam Decks are scarce nowadays), I can truthfully state the Steam Deck is right here in my hands – I will natively support the Steam Deck from scratch. This image will have to do for now:

Regarding the Nintendo Switch: I must state that I need to order a specialized development station from Nintendo. It’s too soon for this stage, but the engine’s being developed with the Switch Gen1‘s specs in mind. I will optimize the game not in a conservative way (cutting down textures and such), but by adding support for streaming chunks of the world and resources. You’ll hardly notice it’s there and it actually only takes a little longer to develop to minimize the graphical trade-off.

The Switch release will take place after the release of the PC + SteamDeck release, which is a bundled release.