I finished working on how you'll enter the final "lair" of the game. There are a few things missing (the fights you can get into still don't have their final stats, because I'll need to test them first, and they don't trigger an ending if you lose, because I am considering if the ending should be the same if you lose here or elsewhere during the quest, or if I should have more variations, so I decided to not work on them until I take a decision, to avoid possibly wasting time on endings I won't use, and I wasted several hours listening to tracks I can use as background music, but ended up not being happy with any of them), but the structure is there, the choices are there and the mechanics are ready.
Some of it will affect what happens inside, so I haven't finished working on all the consequences just yet, but that's to be expected, It would be weird to go back and forth between areas, I like to finish them one by one and move on, when there is a need for everything to kind of "work together" as a whole. I think there are enough interesting things to do already, but I have to figure out if I want to do something more when it comes to the stealth options available (right now you might need a little too much hindsight to get on the optimal stealth path, maybe I need to make available an extra approach to the situation). Also, I'll probably have to figure out if I want to reward exploration and how (since it's the end of the game, giving out items isn't as good, unless they can be used right away in this section).
Maybe I'll have some items you can find open up new routes, killing two birds with one stone, but as much as it's a staple of every game ever, the "find red keycard to open red doors" gameplay loop is kind of bland, so I'll have to consider some ways to make more palatable and less straightforward.
Well, that's about it for this week. It's not a huge step forward, but I am making good progress nonetheless. Just pop up next week, if you want to know how things are going, because we are done for now! Bye! ^_^
>(right now you might need a little too much hindsight to get on the optimal stealth path
ReplyDeleteAre you implying we might need to replay the game several times ? Oh well, if we MUST, I'm sure I'm not the only one who'll make an "effort". ;)
>Also, I'll probably have to figure out if I want to reward exploration and how
I'm pretty sure I'm stating the obvious here, but have you considered the old reliable :
Lore, maybe finding a journal or computer explaining a few point of Master's plan that you think are not flowing correctly in the discussion. (if so, it will be seen as hints for part 2, whether or not they are). Or maybe a couple of funny entries (which f course may or may not fit with the vibe there) ...
Sexy stuff (I said obvious)
Cosmetic stuff : I assume you have an extensive collection of pictures of lily, err Celeste I mean. Maybe there's stuff you don't think can be used elsewhere, and maybe the storyline gives her some time to try out a fancy new dress she found ....
Ultimately, you seem to be wondering how exploration can be rewarded in terms of mechanical advantage, but I'm not sure it has to be. Finding useless stuff can be it's own reward ...
Well, thanks to my development schedule, I assume most of my fans have a "marathon" approach to playing by now. :p
DeleteThere will be some stuff to read here and there, but I generally would like a tangible reward for taking risks, rather than getting some extra text for it, especially since the extra lore becomes pointless on a second playthrough (unless I mindwipe everyone after the game ends :p).
Some sexy content will be there (I mean, it was going to be there anyway ^_^). Conserving good sets is a worry, as I have an entire chapter 2 to do, sooner or later, but I am not that desperate yet.
Basically I assumed most of your suggestions would be in the quest to begin with, and I am concerned with risk/reward beyond that (I feel like not giving something to use might push players to go only for super-safe game decisions, while weighting pros and cons of your moves should be more interesting, instead).
"I am considering if the ending should be the same if you lose here or elsewhere during the quest, or if I should have more variations" - you mean like if you lose a fighh, rather than game over you take a huge hit to your mental resistance instead? Say maybe have Alice take advantage of Celeste's weakened/unconcious state to submit her to further hallucinations, dream sequences. etc?
ReplyDeleteSomething like "should being defeated by a random mook, the final boss, or one of the traps in the final areas all get you the same ending?" is what I have in mind. On one hand, it would make sense to have them all converge to one ending (there is no reason why you would get treated differently in the specific situation), and I would have to work less while using less pictures, on the other hand, I wouldn't want to have the final quest be too simple either. It's a tough choice, actually. :/
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