USS Calliope

About the Game

USS Calliope is an isometric narrative survival horror game with RPG elements, set aboard a space station overrun by an alien infection. Built as a group project at Forsbergs Skola using Agile methodology, with a full Game Design Document, Technical Design Index covering 15+ systems, and Test-Driven Development practices.

You play as a Belter — born in the outer stations, considered politically expendable by the Earth-Mars consortium. Your mission: enter the USS Calliope, assess the situation, and report back. No rescue order. No extermination order. Just information. What you find is worse than anyone anticipated.

Story

Three centuries ago, humanity created AIs based on cultivated human neurons. Then, during a mining mission in Jupiter's system, alien cellular remains were discovered beneath the ice. When integrated into neural structures, these cells could think for themselves — five times more processing power than a human neuron, capable of generating their own objectives.

Corporations thought they had found the perfect controllable conscious AI. They were wrong. These cells behave like an intelligent cellular virus. They colonize living tissue, rewrite motor and sensory functions, and spread through electrical networks and EM fields. In less than 12 hours, the USS Calliope was compromised. After 3 days — silence.

Gameplay Features

• Isometric survival horror with RPG progression
• Resource management — limited ammo, strategic use of consumables
• Stealth system with noise mechanics and enemy hearing ranges
• Infection system — your health bar corrupts as infection progresses
• Shop system — spend health (blood) to buy permanent stat upgrades
• Quest and objective tracking system
• Save/load with checkpoint system
• Full HUD — health, stamina, ammo, inventory, minimap

Infection Phases

• Phase 1 — Latent (0–49% infected): Still human in appearance. Aware of their condition and terrified. They retreat, beg, or flee silently. 30% chance to scream and attract advanced infected.
• Phase 2 — Active (50–99% infected): Hunched posture, bioluminescent eyes. Patrol routes, 2× human hearing sensitivity, basic thermal detection. Coordinate via low-frequency clicks. Chase for 30 seconds before returning to patrol.
• Phase 3 — Advanced (100% infected): 2–2.5 meters tall, elongated limbs. Active hunter with 180° motion vision, 4× hearing, and chemical detection. Pursues for 2 minutes. Temporarily blinded by bright lights.

Controls

• WASD — Move
• Mouse — Aim / rotate camera
• Left Click — Shoot
• Right Click — Aim down sights
• Shift — Sprint
• Ctrl — Crouch / Sneak
• E — Interact
• Esc — Pause

Development

Group project — Forsbergs Skola Game Programming course.

My contributions: Main story and lore (USS Calliope universe), full enemy AI system architecture — FSM state controller, perception system (vision cone + raycast), infection phase controller, enemy coordination system, ranged projectile spawner, data-driven ScriptableObject design for attacks, infection phases and patrol zones.