Dev Blog 6 –A Short-Term Pivot Into the Shattered Bounds Ecosystem

TLDR

• I’ve taken a short-term pivot away from direct game development, but the work is still focused on building the Shattered Bounds universe.
• Right now I’m developing two connected side projects: the Shattered Bounds CCG and the LivingNPC-Engine.
• The Shattered Bounds CCG helps visualize the world and gives players a physical piece of Shattered Bounds they can take anywhere.
• The LivingNPC-Engine is moving toward beta and is being built to power meaningful, evolving NPC interactions over time.
• Both projects are designed to support the long-term future of Shattered Bounds.

Short-Term Pivot

My ADHD has pulled me into a short-term pivot away from direct game development for a little while. Even so, the work I’m doing is still closely tied to the larger Shattered Bounds vision.

The two projects I’ve been focused on are the Shattered Bounds CCG and the LivingNPC-Engine. Both play an important role in the future of the Shattered Bounds universe.

Shattered Bounds CCG

This card game serves two main purposes.

First, it helps visualize the world of Shattered Bounds. It gives me a way to bring characters, factions, creatures, and ideas into a format people can see, hold, and understand more easily.

Second, it provides a piece of Shattered Bounds that players can take with them anywhere. Long before the full experience exists at scale, this gives players something physical and personal that connects them to the world.

At this early stage, I have several decks planned. Right now, the only completed deck is the Free Learning Deck, which focuses on the Guild.

Once I finish a proper rules page, the print-and-play version will be available to download alongside the next worldbuilding article.

Future decks will eventually be made available through an online store, with links to come later.

Long term, I see one of two possible directions for the card system:

A set of NFC-enabled physical cards used on a smart board

A smart board system that integrates with a personal Adventurer Card containing all purchased decks

At the moment, I’m leaning toward the second option. It would let players access their decks without needing to buy the same content twice. That said, I also know some people will still want physical cards, so that remains part of the broader vision.

LivingNPC-Engine

Progress on the LivingNPC-Engine has been exciting. At this point, I’m roughly a month away from beta testing.

The LivingNPC-Engine is a custom-built middle layer between a database and an LLM, designed to shape and maintain a character’s personality over time.

The first public phase will allow users to create characters and place them into custom situations where they can interact with one another. The exciting part is that these characters will be able to remember, learn, and grow over time, making each interaction more meaningful than a one-off conversation.

The second phase will turn the system into an API that users can integrate into their own projects, including games and other interactive experiences. That opens the door for the LivingNPC-Engine to grow far beyond a single demo or tool.

The long-term goal is to build this engine into the foundation for Shattered Bounds itself, eventually powering the NPCs that inhabit the world.

Why This Still Matters for Shattered Bounds

Even though this is a pivot away from direct game development in the short term, it is not a step away from Shattered Bounds.

The CCG helps define and communicate the world.

The LivingNPC-Engine helps build the kinds of characters and systems that can make the world feel alive.

Both projects move the larger vision forward, even if they do it from a different angle than the core game build.

If progress on the main game slows for a little while, I want to be clear that the world is still being built.