Dead Dreams

[gunsage 161]

I'm still thinking about having random encounters, but I'm not sure. The way it's set up now is fine, but it involves a steady stream of eventing and no real backtracking, thus is why I need to start working on the training center next. Without it, there may come a time when you just can't get past an area because you haven't leveled up enough. I've been working hard on making sure that doesn't happen, but I also don't want it to be too easy. My biggest problem right now is there's almost too much variance.

 

In Hana's dream, for example, it's entirely possible to take out a ghost in 2 turns. However, if he uses phase distortion and whacks you around a couple of times, it may take more like 5-6 turns. Therefore, when you're fighting 2 ghosts...well, it gets a little tricky. The idea is with the faster enemies, use the teleport fist technique because it throws 3 slightly weaker than your normal strike attack at an enemy. So if you only need about 1.5 attacks or just 1 good attack but the enemy's too fast, then it's perfect.

 

I think adding in the ability to upgrade and mutate abilities later will really help, too. This is because inner healing is virtually useless by the time you get to Hana's dream. Yeah, it will recover a little HP and all negative statuses, but it's a waste of a turn, especially since (so far) the ghosts don't cause negative statuses (I was considering adding a stun effect, but after seeing how much variance there is, I'm not sure).

 

Welp, off to work on it! I just popped in to see if there was response.

[gunsage 161]

Hana's dream will have 3 floors and that said, I'm finished with almost 2 of them.  I say almost because there are final touches and add-ons I want in there to spice it up a little, but I think I'm catching the overall atmosphere very well.  It's a haunted house with a lot of traps and a storm picks up halfway through, knocking out the power and causing all sorts of mayhem...mweehehehehehee.  In this chapter, retries don't force you to start a whole section over OR harm Josiah himself, but in later chapters it will (and it's already been set up to do so).

 

I also have Hana's backstory ready and planned out as well as why she's having the haunted house dream to begin with.  Suffice to say, the haunted house itself is not why she's having the bad dream...and the real reason why is very...uncomfortable.  I also have Miles' backstory planned out.  Yeah, Miles is a staff member, so you won't be jumping in his dream, but you will see a darker side to his sarcastic/misogynistic personality that will give you a new-found respect for Josiah and Miles as well as the Zetherfords in general later in the game.

 

I've started to think through how I want Tyler and Derrick's backstories to work, possibly even having them intertwined.  Aria's backstory will also be interesting, as her and Josiah used to have an office romance going on.  I've also set up a "monster zone" that occurs during the second floor, but goes away when the power comes back.  I might use this tactic for a few dungeons, because it allows you to see and bump into enemies willingly, then it gets turned off via progression.  I still have a lot to get done, but I have about 30+ minutes of game time so far.

[gunsage 161]

Got a brand new video done!  This one highlights more of Hana's dream and yeah, it's about to get way darker. 

[Rikifive 3,411]

Spoilers, spoilers - now I know how to avoid that rock. =P

JK, it looks really good! Simple, but great!

Keep it up! =3

[gunsage 161]

Well, the idea is there will be times when you're confronted with trial and error puzzles.  You have to use good judgment, but the correct answers are not always obvious.  You can also choose to walk away from that one and you'll avoid the rock as well.  There was something kinda like that on the previous floor, but there was no penalty for trying again.  One thing I like to reinforce is how a specific element works, then use it as a puzzle.  For example, the switch wouldn't stay pressed, so you had to have a boulder on top of it.

 

Okay, but in the second example, you could hit the top button all day and more and more boulders would keep sliding into the abyss.  Meanwhile, if you throw the bottom switch, it locks a boulder in place just below the switch.  Then you use the top switch, it knocks into the bottom boulder and stays in place right on the switch. What I didn't show was you needed that one pressed or there's another door to the left that won't open.

[Rikifive 3,411]

I think the video explains everything =)

[gunsage 161]

Hana's dream level 1 is completely finished.  I've decided that I'm going to have a system where as you raise affinity with different patients, you can delve further into their dreams.  Hana's dream level 1 is a haunted house, but it could be something completely different for level 2, for example.  I also have Hana's affinity auto-level up after the first mind jump, so it's possible to jump right back into her to approach level 2.  However, as you delve deeper into the dreams, not only is it tougher, but it's more dangerous.  When you go to delve into the dreams later in the game, you receive real world damage if you're desynchronized.

 

The damage is greater the deeper you are in the dream.  I'm also thinking of allowing the damage to be shared to people that are working with you, meaning that if it has a base damage of 10 (instant death), then it could conceivably be shared as 3 to Josiah, 3 to staff member 1, 2 to staff member 2, 2 to staff member 3, or something of that nature.  Or I might even have it where the higher your affinity with certain staff members, they will take the brunt of the damage, meaning Josiah lives, but they'll probably die.

 

I've also started setting up mini-dates you can go on with coworkers.  Nothing racy or whatever for the moment, just simple talking over food and that's it.  I've also further testing the idle/working/resting status.  I found that using a state for this doesn't work as your staff members are not part of the party and as a result when the game goes to check if the person holds and idle state, it doesn't work.  I've had to set it up with variables instead, where 0 is idle, 1 is resting, and an entirely different formula is used for dead or working.

 

Dead is just 5, but there's also a switch to back that up (might remove that later though since I've already documented the 5 as being death).  The way working works is the variable contains both the patient number and the position that person is working within the room.  For example, 13 would be patient 1, position 3.  101 would be patient 10, position 1.  Other ideas I'm tossing around include a side mission system as well, but for the most part I'm trying to concentrate on developing both patients and staff members alike so that they have actual personalities, fears, and so on.

 

No video this time around, but that's mostly because I'm trying to focus on the writing and backend stuff.

[KainLightsworn 63]

This game and its concept really, really intrigue me! I always love games set in some kind of future setting, especially dystopian or mildly dystopian settings. I haven't watched the videos yet but I will very soon and just from screenshots and your description, I am highly interested in what this project has in store! I'm following this topic to keep myself updated for new info.

[gunsage 161]

Well, with the exception of certain flashbacks, you might not see that much futuristic stuff.  Most of the interactions occur within the lab or dreams.  All the same, some of the flashbacks will take place outside the lab, so there is that.