ProtoMasons

Overview

ProtoMasons was a multiplayer sandbox game. Players could create miniature virtual worlds for the purpose of social interaction and roleplay.

The game is based in an Earth-like, 2D side-scroller world. The player controls a human 'Protomason', a fictional "multi-purpose engineer". There is no storyline or predefined goal. Unlike crafting games, players create objects using "industrial minigames".

Gameplay

Players can construct buildings, manufacture products, and assemble materials through minigames. A player must also keep their character healthy, by satisfying day-to-day needs (such as hunger and thirst) and combating illnesses.

The game has various tools and systems to support role play. For example, a player could choose to build a restaurant and use the cooking minigames to serve food, or could create a doctors office and focus on the medical tools and minigames to cure other players. Alternatively, a player can simply join other servers to view what other people are making.

Development

An early alpha of the game was announced in July 2014 in the form of a Steam Greenlight page, which was later 'greenlit' for release in January 2015. It stayed in development until October 2017, where it was then released under the Early Access programme. The final update (v1.0.5) was in March 2018.

Retirement

The developer announced the game would be retired from the Steam store in April 2019, citing a lack of players and "resource constraints."