Developers Update
9/9/09: Due to the switch to XP, a lot of new design decisions have been surfacing. The game is going to feel more like an Adventure game. So with all these new ideas and features, I've overhauled the thread into a newer and improved concept thread. Enjoy!
7/20/09: Whatever development I currently have completed is essentially being thrown out the window. Production in VX has had it's ups and downs, and I am overall fed up with the issues with VX graphics. I thought I could do it in VX, but I can't. As of today, the game will be moved over to XP, where I can guarantee it will look much better.
I will be updating the thread as soon as I have screenshots. This way it can be moved to Project Discussion. The information here isn't necessarily outdated, but some of the story direction and the how the game starts has drastically changed. All of that will be revealed when the thread is updated. For now, this stuff will suffice. It has thus far. :biggrin: I will try and update this little section as frequently as necessary. So thanks to all who voted for us. Now we got a shiny little award to show off. Not bad for a concept that surfaced a day or so before nominations began.
I will be updating the thread as soon as I have screenshots. This way it can be moved to Project Discussion. The information here isn't necessarily outdated, but some of the story direction and the how the game starts has drastically changed. All of that will be revealed when the thread is updated. For now, this stuff will suffice. It has thus far. :biggrin: I will try and update this little section as frequently as necessary. So thanks to all who voted for us. Now we got a shiny little award to show off. Not bad for a concept that surfaced a day or so before nominations began.
on the things I've done, the lives I've ruined, and the sins I've committed. Oh, Heavenly
Father, may I walk with you in the Kingdom of Heaven, and with you watch the chaotic order of this
universe unfold. Will you accept me, Father?"
Gale Alderos sits in the confines of a sanitarium cell, awaiting the death grip of a makeshift poison. As the venom works its way through his veins he begins to weep. His mutterings tell the tale of his life.
Chapter One
Two Montañoso Police enter a rank and defiled condominium. They step aside the door, ushering in a well dressed man. The man is a detective, known by his alias: Boa. He looks around the room. Thin rays of dusty moonlight permeate through the windows, casting awkward shadows around the room. He paces to the foot of a bed where a young and horribly mangled corpse lies. The woman, Rena de Leon, has been brutally raped with foreign objects and strangled. The ground and sheets are damp with her blood.
This is where the player assumes the role of Detective Boa, as he begins to unravel the mystery behind this strange new breed of murder. Through Detective Boa, the player will discover the work of Cervantes and the disturbing man he truly is.
Note: The switch to XP was not entirely brought up by the inability to achieve these features in VX, however some features will be far more improved and possible in XP.
The Classic Adventure Game Feel
When I say I want to create an adventure game, I mean it. In the past few years the adventure genre has seen an overhaul in order to reach a wider audience. The use of cinematic sequences and gimmicky combat systems have tarnished some very promising titles.
WLC isn't going to deploy any of these useless features. The game will be driven by a rich narrative, powerful dialogue, and the essential the gameplay features of the traditional adventure game. Through interaction with the environment, characters, and the mood each scene portrays the player will become immersed. There is no need for flashy cinematics and combat. The goal of WLC is to mimic the feel of great adventure games like Alone in the Dark, The Secret of Monkey Island, and Myst.
That Thing Called the Mouse...
WLC will be played ENTIRELY with the mouse except for three keyboard buttons that prompt menus. Movement within the scenes will be done by clicking the mouse in the desired direction. Cursors will change to show the player how he will interact with what is before him. Menus will be navigated with the mouse, as well. The point and click element of adventure games will be totally present in WLC.
Interaction, Interaction, Interaction!
Okay, so I've said it enough. Interacting with the environment and people within it is the primary focus of any adventure game. By using the mouse the player can click on almost any object and interact with it in someway - whether it's beneficial or not. I mean, you see this drawer, which has the singular purpose to house whatever may fit within it - so...why not open it? Sure, this has been done before, but only when needed, and usually through prompt. The unnecessary things are necessary in WLC, as clues and directions aren't blatantly given. Logic and sense are the only skills necessary to complete this game.
When the small 64x32 pixel desk isn't enough to convey the image of a cluttered desk full of notes and sketches, the game will zoom in and provide a fully interactive "snapshot". You can click on each note and read it. You can choose to log it into your journal, or discard it because it is meaningless. With zooming interaction you are no longer limited to a message window that simply tells you what you're doing and that you've just collected a box of matches. Interaction shouldn't be so simple.
The primary medium for interaction is the mouse, and more specifically the appearance of the mouse cursor. Noticing how the cursor changes as you hover over interactive elements will be essential to making the right decisions. They will appear as so:
• Arrow: normal cursor, not hovering over an interactive element, used to navigate menus
• Pointing Hand: something can be interacted with, used for less specific elements
• Open Hand: element can be moved or altered, a switch or lever be used
• Slightly Clenched Hand: something can be grabbed, an item can be obtained
• Clenched Fist: an action will be taken upon interaction, such as jumping and climbing, or using an item
• Speech Bubble: dialogue with any character
• Thought Bubble: appears over character when an important thought prompt can be accessed
• Magnifying Glass: further examination is required, zoom interaction
The player can collect items and use them within the environment. A match lights a candle, for example. You can also take two objects and combine them to form another. Oily cloth plus thick tree branch equals torch.
A Way with Words
Alongside interaction with your surroundings, interacting with humans or products of psychosis(such as an hallucination) is also a necessity to progressing through the game. WLC uses a unique approach to dialgoue progression. Instead of giving the player three or four things to say, you simply choose from a series of broad dialogue directions. Do you want to say something positive or negative? Do you want to ask a question or give a command? This will allow dialogue to be less predictable and the outcome of a decision must be weighed more on its type rather than what is actually being said. For example, instead of choosing "Yeah, I'll let you show me the way." or "Fuck off, I can find my own way." from a choice prompt, you will be presented with a '+' in a speech bubble or a '-' in a speech bubble. You don't entirely know what the outcomes will be. Obviously saying Yes will get you what you want, and saying Fuck Off won't. With dialogue contexts you can reel and deal and not be confined to linear conversations.
Just having these images doesn't make the difference. The difference lies in how fast you respond and even if you choose to respond at all. Dialogue in WLC flows realistically. You never have to wait for someone to speak, you can cut them off without knowing what they were going to say(which will change how the conversation progresses). The same goes for not reply so quickly. If you show you may have to think of an answer too much, it may be received differently on the other end. The player will never be physically timed, so not to force wrong decisions, but to allow more freedom and flow in a realistic conversation. Although it's going to be the toughest feature to implement, it will be one of the most rewarding experiences WLC has to offer.
The Scene
Almost like a movie, WLC uses scenes. There will not be any massive sprawling maps. Every map will be default size, representing the immediate area of the player. This way the player can move about the scene and not have to worry about what may be off screen. It's a simple concept, that I feel will help keep the player involved in their surroundings(and also allow me to pull of amazing cosmetic effects with ease :wink: ). The scenes will all seamlessly link together, however.
Graphics and Polish
WLC will indeed use the RMXP RTP. However, it will be heavily edited with plenty of addons and unique little things. The most significant change will be the use of filters on the graphics. The game will appear very grungey and have a dark painted quality to it. Everything will cast realistic shadows and lights will provide atmosphere.
All the menus will have unique graphical looks. The journal will appear to be a tattered and worn notebook, the inventory screen will be like a backpack, and the menu screen will be themed as well. The game will feature a HUD that shows currently equipped items which are displayed as being held by individual hands, or by both hands.
As of 9/9/09, I do not need any immediate assistance with graphics or scripts. Development is not slated to begin for another month or so. However, I do predict I will require some help with optimizing my mouse and dialogue systems. So in the future, I may call for some RGSS gurus to lend me a hand.
• Release Date: Chapter One: Early 2010, Technical Beta: Late 2009
With Love,
Mundane
I cant wait to see the finished product. I hope its as engaging as you make it sound to be.