01 · Overview & Pillars

Status: Skeleton · Owner: TBD · Updated: 2026-09-23

Purpose

Define what the game is, who it is for, and the 3–5 pillars that every later decision gets tested against.

#	Pillar	What it means in practice	What it rules out
1	Your dynasty matters	Faction choice changes units, buildings and play style, not just a flag colour	Cosmetic-only factions
2	The alliance is the game	Best content is unreachable solo	Fully solo endgame
3	Thinking beats spending	Counters and timing can beat raw power within a band	Pure power-number combat
4	TBD

The two source games pull in opposite directions. Whiteout Survival is asynchronous, timer-gated and tuned for 5-minute check-ins. Age of Empires is synchronous, attention-heavy and tuned for 30-minute matches. You cannot have both in the same moment. The usual resolution is layering: an async city layer (timers, upgrades, gathering) plus an opt-in synchronous battle layer (short, skill-expressive, scheduled). Decide the split now — it determines your server architecture, your monetisation and your art budget.
Who is the audience really? Lapsed AoE players who want strategy on mobile, or existing 4X mobile whales looking for a new server? They want different games and will review-bomb you for being the other one.
Device spec is a design constraint, not a tech detail. 200 units on screen in real time excludes a large share of the Android install base in the markets where this genre earns. Settle the floor before combat is designed.
Write the anti-pillars. "No pay-to-win" and "no 12-hour timers" are design decisions with revenue consequences. Better to reject them loudly now than to discover the game became that anyway in month nine.
Pillars must be able to lose an argument. If a pillar has never killed a feature you liked, it is a slogan, not a pillar.

#	Question	Blocks	Owner
1	Async-only, or async city + sync battle?	Combat, tech, scope
2	Primary audience: AoE lapsed or 4X native?	Marketing, UX, monetisation