61 - Run Prototypes

[Grabthehoopka]

In keeping with the diegetic interface this game has, what if, in addition to the breathing, the "light levels" reduced and the cross-hatchy darkness sort of crept inwards with your lowering stamina?
On a somewhat related note (I was just curious and didn't think it warranted starting a new thread), how do you feel about the cross hatching effect? Is the drifting, "foggy" effect it has now pretty much how you envision it being, or is it just a placeholder?

[matt]

I'll definitely consider it. I just worry that darkening the lighting effect might make the game more challenging if you can't see things as clearly.

I'm pretty happy with the lighting effect. Nothing is ever set in stone, but I don't want to spend too much time on things that are good - at least not at this stage in development.

[Stefan8000]

Great. The first game impressions since the demo, wow. I am happy to be part of it. I like the idea of this boost running. The sound aspect with the asthma is so good and the break with the bend-over is great (i like the animation of the bend-over very much). I think, the whole aspect is good for the game.

Oh yeah, give us an alpha build for running;-). I really want that.

An idea for you in the futere. I am so interested in that game, i collect every piece of it, so that i have it in future. Maybe there is a possibility to make the a few prototypes downlaodable for backers, when the game is finished. so we can burn them on a dvd and have it as a part on the history. I really like steam, but every new build will erase the one before. I am a little bit sad of that. I want to have a lot of the builds from the beginning to the end.

It is great to be on board. Thanks Matt.

Best wishes,
Stefan

[matt]

I will probably hang onto old builds, so I can see about making them available later. That's a good idea!

[Grabthehoopka]

Random idea. The first few times the player runs the character into an asthma attack, as part of the animation, the character pulls out an inhaler and takes a dose from it. After those first few times, the inhaler is empty and the character throws it away in frustration, and all times after that the animation plays out like it does in the video. I don't know how you feel about that, and I know it would be a not-inconsiderable amount of extra work.

I was trying to think of an obvious way to convey asthma, because as it is in the video I can't help but think of an episode of The Simpsons where Homer ran like 10 feet before collapsing and gasping for breath (I hope everyone knows which particular joke I'm talking about, I can't find a video of it). You could indicate it in the final voice acting by making the breathing sound really gnarly, but I'd be afraid of whoever ends up providing those sounds hurting themselves.

[miumiaou]

Yes I think It'd be funny

[matt]

The problem with inhalers is that I'm not sure they had them whenever the game takes place. I haven't quite decided on a time period, but I'm thinking 1906.

[Grabthehoopka]

The problem with inhalers is that I'm not sure they had them whenever the game takes place. I haven't quite decided on a time period, but I'm thinking 1906.

Do-ho. I didn't know that. I figured you were going for a sort of timeless feeling, with the house and presumably other environments just being ambiguously old.

[matt]

Well, my original plan was for it to be anachronistic, but I felt like committing to a time period would make more sense. I think it'd seem weird for everything to be lit by candle-light and then have modern technology. I was toying around with the idea of inhalers for a bit though before I felt like choosing a time period would benefit the mood.