[gameidea] STASIS

eons ago, an ancient civilisation existed. this is the only thing that's known about it, and even then, it is only known because of the SHIP.

months ago, a SHIP appeared - which in time was shown to be orbiting around the Earth. after some careful analysis, it was decided that the SHIP must be boarded to find out more information, as an external view doesn't grant much insight - beyond the fact that the SHIP's exterior used an alloy with foreign elements not yet discovered.

weeks ago, astronauts were sent on a mission to investigate the SHIP. but first, they'd stay in close proximity to try and get more information. the most they could find is that the ship seems to be in some kind of "emergency mode", due to the power readings seeming excessively low - however this is just a guess before they can deduce the SHIP's method of energy storage and usage. this theory is bolstered by the fact that the ship is emitting signals which are failing to reach earth, but successfully meet the astronauts. the signals are split in two - one in presumably their own language, and the other in partially translated English.

"WE ??? KNOW ??? YOU ??? END"

translators cannot begin to understand the other signal, even with the hints that the translated signal provides. however they have deduced that the message could either be a warning, or a threat. whoever left the message either couldn't, or chose not to translate the full message. there are theories that the structure of the translated message implies that the senders were pressured into translating the message before it was too late - due to the evident rush job and how the core parts of the statement convey a whole enough picture, even if vague. other theorise that this is a threat - and the other side either wanted to do some psychological warfare with an incomplete message, and/or allowed it to degrade. more people are skeptical of this, since the SHIP has seemingly been emitting these signals on repeat over the past month while remaining there.

the astronauts began plannings for boarding the ship, and eventually decided that the wisest choice would be to send two people over, and let the rest remain on the station to act as a sort of relay Command, between Earth and the SHIP.

a few minutes ago, the first astronaut boarded the ship - and Relay Command received an emergency message. the second astronaut couldn't make it in. the door was open, but they couldn't see anything through it. they confirm that the first astronaut made it in, but soon afterwards realised that no matter how much they moved towards the SHIP, they remained in place.

seconds later, the connection cuts entirely.

Relay Command begins to report back home that something has gone wrong, but they only get one word in before the connection cuts.

Earth Command desperately tries to re-establish connection, and begin trying to look for information gathered via satellites and sensors, only to realise that they have been disconnected as well.

a few seconds ago, Earth Command was the most hectic place on earth. an instant later, it was still.

you play as the first astronaut to enter the SHIP. you immediately forget about the second astronaut.

the first thing you notice is that it's extremely linear. there's one path from the entrance to another room, and it's really long. much longer than makes sense considering the SHIP's geometry. once you make it to the other side, you open the door to find a control room - and a body slumped over the controls. you do a good job staying calm, or at least you think so before your hands begin to visibly shake infront of you. to maintain composure, you look at the console, and notice that most of it is shut off, save for a small screen in the center which shows a centered text in a script you've never seen before, but below it are numbers. Arabic numerals.

0 8 2 3

conveniently, there's a number pad below the console - but when you put the numbers in, the SHIP begins to shake, and everything goes blurry.

0 / 1000

DSOICXMXSKS SDLPX3#1MP S0XO

an incremental game where everything is encoded in a language you cannot understand, and the only way to learn is by doing, or progressing far enough that the language begins to click.

you are piloting the STASIS. good luck.

(if im honest the incremental bit feels like it's the wrong genre, but i also don't know how this could be executed more satisfyingly without vastly expanding the amount of effort and skills required to execute it)