Lambeer.uproject currently declares EngineAssociation: 5.8. Treat 5.8 as the verified current project version and reconcile the source GDD.Production context
GDD/README.mdVerified implementation evidence
- Not verified for this documentation pass.
Relationships
FEAT-WEAPON-CUSTOMIZATIONFEAT-WETNESS-RAINFEAT-BOSS-ZOMBIESFEAT-CRAFTING-PROGRESSIONGDD-SCOPE-CONSTRAINTSPROD-RISK-REGISTERGDD-COREREF-GAMESFEAT-CORE-LOOPFEAT-PLAYER-CHARACTERFEAT-COMBATFEAT-SURVIVALFEAT-BUILDINGFEAT-INVENTORYFEAT-CHARACTER-CREATIONFEAT-BLOOD-VISUALFEAT-WORLD-DESIGNFEAT-VEHICLESFEAT-ZOMBIE-DESIGNTECH-NETWORK-ARCHTECH-SERVERS-HOSTINGFEAT-CLANS-SQUADSFEAT-PVP-RAIDING-TRADINGTECH-STACK-ENGINEPIPE-CPP-BP-GUIDELINESTECH-FOLDER-STRUCTURETECH-SOURCE-STRUCTUREPIPE-PROJECT-SETUPART-DIRECTIONAUDIO-DIRECTIONPIPE-ROADMAP
Document contract coverage
Use these required Project Overview areas during review. The imported GDD below is canonical; items not stated explicitly remain unresolved.
- ReviewProject Snapshot
- ReviewGame Pillars
- ReviewMajor Systems
- ReviewProduction Conventions
- ReviewHigh-impact TBDs
Canonical GDD content
Genre: Zombie / Shooting / Survival / Third-Person / Base-Building Engine: Unreal Engine 5.7 (C++ primary, Blueprint where appropriate) Mode: Open-world PvPvE, persistent server world Platform: PC (Windows) client, Linux dedicated server Business model: Buy-to-play Scope: Small commercial / Indie
This GDD is the single source of truth for the design and technical direction of Lambeer. It is split into focused documents under numbered folders. Start here, then read by section.
Design summary
| Topic | Decision |
|---|---|
| Player mode | PvPvE (cooperate or fight other players while surviving zombies) |
| World structure | Open world, large map, World Partition streaming |
| Setting / theme | Modern post-apocalyptic |
| Camera | Third-person over-shoulder, ADS aiming |
| Character creation | Curated, cosmetic-only: pick preset (male/female) + hairstyle/skin/eye color; editable at a barber. No body-size change (fixed PvP hitbox) |
| Combat | Balanced gunplay + melee; firearm attachments; Tarkov-like mag/chamber (01-Gameplay/09-Weapon-Customization.md) |
| Survival | Full simulation (health, stamina, hunger, thirst, temperature) |
| Building | Free-form (Rust-like), grid-snapped pieces |
| Persistence | Persistent server world; bases survive logout and are raidable |
| Death penalty | Full loot drop (hardcore) |
| Progression | Gear/loot + crafting tech tree + boss-tier weapon crafting & permanent buffs |
| Enemies | Zombies as primary threat, multiple types + bosses |
| Vehicles | Drivable vehicles (fuel/repair) |
| Day/Night & weather | Dynamic sky; day/night cosmetic for survival decay. Rain applies wetness (visual + optional temperature hook) — 01-Gameplay/11-Wetness-and-Rain.md |
| Social | Full clan + squad systems |
| Player interaction | Full base raiding; player trading via drop-trade only |
| Servers | Both official-dedicated and player-hosted; ~40–60 players/server |
| Art | Photoreal (Nanite / Lumen), MetaHuman characters |
Signature feature: Boss loop
Boss zombies are the centerpiece of progression:
- Boss zombies drop tier-specific crafting components. Higher boss tiers unlock more powerful craftable weapons.
- The first time a boss is defeated on a server, every player who participated receives a permanent account/character buff (server-wide milestone reward).
See 03-Enemies/02-Boss-Zombies.md and 01-Gameplay/07-Crafting-and-Progression.md.
Scope warning (read this)
PvPvE + open world + persistent, raidable, server-hosted bases is the Rust / DayZ problem space — one of the most expensive genres to ship. For an indie team this is high risk. This GDD intentionally separates v1 (shippable core) from later phases and flags every "big-cost" system. See 00-Overview/02-Scope-and-Constraints.md and 07-Production/02-Risk-Register.md.
Document map
00 — Overview
01 — Gameplay
- 01-Core-Gameplay-Loop.md
- 02-Player-Character.md
- 03-Combat-System.md
- 04-Survival-System.md
- 05-Building-System.md
- 06-Inventory-and-Items.md
- 07-Crafting-and-Progression.md
- 08-Character-Creation.md
- 09-Weapon-Customization.md
- 10-Blood-Visual.md
- 11-Wetness-and-Rain.md
02 — World
03 — Enemies
04 — Multiplayer
- 01-Network-Architecture.md
- 02-Servers-and-Hosting.md
- 03-Clans-and-Squads.md
- 04-PvP-Raiding-and-Trading.md
05 — Technical
- 01-Tech-Stack-and-Engine.md
- 02-CPP-and-Blueprint-Guidelines.md
- 03-Content-Folder-Structure.md
- 04-Source-Code-Structure.md
- 05-Project-Setup-Steps.md
06 — Art & Audio
07 — Production
Conventions used in this GDD
- [CONFIRMED] — decided with the project owner.
- [RECOMMENDATION] — proposed by design; needs owner confirmation before it is built.
- [TBD] — open question, not yet decided. Do not implement until resolved.
- [RISK] — flagged cost/feasibility concern.
Anything not explicitly marked CONFIRMED should be treated as not-yet-final.