You can't include images in comments so starting a new post but this is in response to the last post.
Navigation
I think we should categorise the "types" of stuff we see on the screen. The ones (I assumed) we already have decided on are the environment scenes - where you can walk around, go through doors and click on people or items to interact. We need to decide on a visual way to indicate that you can move left or right. Doors are an obvious one but sometimes when there isn't doors, what shall we have? An arrow? A word saying "Left" or "Right"? For path finding I though we could keep to a set number of "walking lines" so we are only walking horizontally or vertically. This makes it easier to animate, as well as making collision easier to manage. (Does that make sense?) This may effect environment sketches.
Another type I think we have decided on but may need confirmation, by clicking on people you bring up the dialogue screen which includes what they say, what you say/do, facial expressions, and some way to end the conversation. Whether that's you saying "bye" or a "back button" or pressing "esc".
I also like the idea of zooming into certain areas like fridge shelves (or desks, or through certain windows). You could automatically scan and add stuff to your journal from there, or take photos. Or look at the scene using your special eye upgrades. As a robot, would you have smell?
Menu System
The menu system needs some thought. What games can you think of that had a really good menu system, and what was good about them? What's better - loads of options or few? What things will we absolutely need to include?
By the way, saving or auto-saving? Pros, cons etc. Also, option to fast travel from main menu or from public teleport machines? (Personally I like this idea better as it's more realistic.)
About navigating left and right - we can either make it obvious where the environment ends (with a wall or something) or add arrows, I am cool either way. I DO find it frustrating when I click my character to the end of a screen and he just stands there like a chump instead of loading the next one so it would be real nice to avoid that.
ReplyDeleteFor pathing, a set number of walking lines would be just fine. It'd be nice to have the option of custom layouts for key areas, like a zoomed out shot if the area is big and impressive, but that's totally optional.
For dialogue, we can have two different kinds of dialogue happen - non important npcs just get a speech bubble or dialogue box but key characters get the new conversation screen. That'll need your dialogue options and I guess an option to show them stuff (can you tell me anything about this bloody knife I found) and yeah, "bye" or just "end".
Machines CAN 'smell' - I wouldn't be surprised if our robot had gotten the sniffer upgrade already so he could fully appreciate his rose garden.
Menus - how many options do we NEED? New game, load, save, settings...? Maybe player profiles?
ReplyDeleteSaving - game should autosave (start of a new section, before a dangerous area) and the player should be able to manual save whenever.
Fast travel - from machines, I reckon. But make them common enough so it's never a slog.
You are right, machines can smell. Incredible, that actually made my day. :D
ReplyDeleteWe could have it so anyone you can talk to brings up a dialogue screen but when you have nothing interesting to say you just click on them and they generate a sound or a bit of text or however we're going to present it. Alternatively we could also have a hybrid. It's not a new screen so much as a popup box that shows a small illustration of their face and the text.
Once we have storyboards roughed out I will look at the walking about system in more detail and come up with an appropriate solution for the game, as it's not really something I want to set in stone before we know how gameplay's going to work. I like the idea of custom layouts and zooming out too, assuming you mean what I think you mean.
As well as fast travel, (to avoid anything becoming a slog) you could also automatically travel to various places like at the end of a level it puts you in the police station or in the area you're meant to investigate. (Post cut scene.)
How many levels are we having?
As for levels, it's a bit too early to tell. We don't want something too long - we could aim for, I don't know, 5 chapters and have a few different locations in each?
ReplyDeleteIf we followed this sort of structure http://www.musik-therapie.at/PederHill/images/Struct1.gif then 5 would work out perfectly.
ReplyDelete