A Witch Kid's Halloween [WiP]

[Cecilia_Rosewood]

I’d like to keep expanding on my entry of the Halloween Game Jam, aiming for a release at next year’s Halloween. For that I’d like to gather more input, commentary, and suggestions from the community.

Keep in mind that this game is aimed at kids from around age 10-14, but should be a fun read for older kids, teens, and adults too, so if the language comes across as a little plain and the action as a bit cartoon-ish that might be intentional.

For the full version of the game I want to add, among others, more costumes, events, a map in the stats screen (because people seemed to get lost in the jam version,) NPCs, character interactions, achievements, and chapter headers. (I can’t draw to save my life, so probably no additional artwork.) I’ll also try to make the events going on in the background of the game clearer, and polish and rewrite what’s necessary to really make it shine.

If you’ve got suggestions for any of these things, remarks about the game jam version/demo of the game, or something else, leave a comment below or send me a PM.

Here’s the link to the Game Jam version of the game:
https://dashingdon.com/play/cecilia-rosewood/a-witch-kids-halloween/mygame/

If things go according to plan I’ll run a closed alpha test of the expanded and improved game in early March. Further information will also be posted on this thread.

(Please note that the gender choice is implied, not an actual choice in the game. That stuff always gets clunky somehow. You can choose a name for the MC, and no-one will ever call them by any kind of pronouns.)

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Costume options in the expanded version of the game

• Witch
• Ghost
• Fairy
• Knight
• Pumpkin
• Skeleton
• Pirate
• Vampire
• Zombie
• Werewolf
• Minotaur
• Super Hero
• Ninja
• Firefighter
• Police Officer
• Doctor

[UnknownCharacter]

Interesting premise. I liked the descriptions of the various places, really gave a good feel.

Just found one code error:

[Cecilia_Rosewood]

Oops. I can’t really fix it in the playable version, I don’t really have access to those files anymore, but I will for the alpha version. Thanks for pointing it out

[poison_mara]

I am really happy you are doing this and expanded the game this can become a very fun game that kids can love…

[Cecilia_Rosewood]

I hope so. Of the few choice/hosted games aimed at kids that I know of most take place in a school setting (and I hate school settings,) so hopefully this’ll become a nice addition

[poison_mara]

My main advice is, you should be very clear of where the player can go and where is in the city map that shoud be placed on stats- If not people will be confused specially the kids.

[Cecilia_Rosewood]

I’ll try to make it clear. I can’t exactly make an unlimited amount of city maps to account for all the places you might or might not have seen yet, but twelve (one for each intersection) might be doable.

(Also not good at drawing, so that’ll probably be one of the last things to do before the Alpha test )

[poison_mara]

Anything you need, or ask you know where I am and I will try help you out.

[Cecilia_Rosewood]

Thanks for the offer, Mara.

[Cecilia_Rosewood]

Had a not really in the right head space for writing day, so I made a to-do list for this project instead. I also kinda want to participate in the Valentine’s Day game jam, but progress on this is still way too slow to be able to justify jumping to another project

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To do:

• Read through the Gimp tutorials

• Rewrite pet store section

• Edit/rewrite Cerberus encounter

• Edit/rewrite tower section

• Create an alternative branch for heading to the church for after Amber blasts the Gargoyles to pieces

• Edit/rewrite petting zoo section

• Check non-dialogue section of police officers segment

• Write activities and conversations to be had with the other two members of the group in the playground

• Add Minotaur encounter

• Make taking a coin or not after the bridge watcher’s house a choice, and send the bridge pixies (who were also responsible for the magical graffiti) after the MCs who take more than one

• Rewrite the pool section

• Add text for the Unicorn encounter

• Add the Minotaur branch to the hedge maze

• Rewrite the ending

• Write the MC’s house branch

• If interesting enough, write Delilah’s house branch

• If interesting enough, write Jenny’s house branch

• Write the creepy neighbor’s house branch

• Write the werewolf pack branch

• Write the appartment block branch

• Write the garage/car repair shop branch

• Write the shortcut/vampire branch

• Write zombie encounter

• Add achievements

• Rewrite intersection descriptions to reflect the added locations

• Remove "probably"s

• Remove "mostly"s

• Remove all vague descriptors like “no doubt.”

• Give the witch who stayed behind to watch the little kids and hands the MC a towel a name.

• !Stop adding vague subjective remarks that don’t add to the content, like for example “It’s more than worth the effort.”!

Done:

• Play to the original version of A Witch Kid’s Halloween and take notes
• Fix stats screen
• Fix the maze bug where you can take an unlimited amount of candy
• Read Gimp tutorial for image resizing, cropping, mirroring, and rotating.
• Add new costumes
• Write the time-based version of the corner store branch.
• Write The Ring girl costume branch
• Write Headmistress’ house branch
• Figure out how to add a word string variable to another word string variable in between non-variable text for the Headmistress’ house branch
• Hide instead of grey out the pixy candy options after you’ve picked those. And the fountain coin as well. It clutters.

[poison_mara]

You always can do that your Halloween protagonists go absorbed by a time portal and ended up in Chicago 1928 or something like that.