this sounds really interesting. I can’t wait to play your game. Will you be able to choose if your MC female or male ?
Will there be romance?
@vampierkid222 Thank you I appreciate it.
@Equilibrium Hehe, thank you! Hopefully I won’t disappoint.~ I plan on pumping as much juice into it as I can.
@CrossOver That’s one of the things I was going for. I wanted something unique but not so over the top that people couldn’t understand or grasp it. Thank you~
@Bloodhawkereaper Sweet! Thanks a bunch 
@PurpleMonkey121 Thank you ^^ Yes, you can choose your gender. There will be lots of customization options available, both at the beginning of the game and then later during it as you make your choices, since what you do affects not just the world and other people, but you as well. Kind of like the Fable series, where your actions as either good or evil were outwardly portrayed in your appearance. But here its a bit more ambiguous and varied, beyond just ‘good’ and ‘evil’.
@StarWarsMaster Yep! I’m a fan of romance myself, so there will certainly be options for it. In fact, while not necessarily romance in particular, its highly advisable (for what I have planned later in the story) that you at least get very friendly / close with one or two other characters, because certain parts are very difficult or almost impossible without help, unless you go the darker route, which gives you more power at the expense of your friends.
Also I’ve decided that, since I’m at least decent enough at simple drawings and maybe a bit more, I’ll draw up some WIP sketches for some of the characters and whatnot while I work on this in between, so I don’t lose my muse or get burned out, and give you guys an idea of what some of the things look like.
I bet a lot of people wonder just what these shadowy monsters look like xD
And I hope to have a demo up soon so keep a look out
Well, these few posts have made me curious.
Especially when you say: “you literally shape and dictate the appearance of your surroundings, though its not always clear when you do or how its done, least of all what the outcome will be. You are subject to creating your world just as much as your character. I really wish to emphasize the point that you -create- your story and world; not merely ‘choose’ them, like selecting food from a menu.” Wow, I want to see what you are going to offer us in this area. Because it seems difficult as hell to implement.
And now, the questions:
- “MC has amnesia”. I am not familiar with this so I browsed the web and learnt a little more (thanks to you ^^) but if possible I would like to know what kind of amnesia she/he suffers from. Also, is the memory loss a central axis for the story? Will we be able to play as a MC that does/doesn’t want to recover her/his memories (and can/can’t retrieve them)?
- “And luckily for you, without memories of your own, their powers do not work on you.” It is linked with the question above. If the MC’s amnesia doesn’t affect his/her short term memory, he/she can create new memories, meaning they will have some power on him/her. No ? And if the MC tries to recover what is lost, they will earn more and more power too, I think.
- This leads to the third question about this topic: do the alien creatures have memories?
- “I bet a lot of people wonder just what these shadowy monsters look like xD” Well I guess that I am amongst them, but part of me would also want to know why they have to be shadowy monsters. (To be honest, it was my first instinctive question, but I can understand that a dark threatening form always works for a chosen antagonist. I am just nitpicking.)
“I’ll draw up some WIP sketches. […] And I hope to have a demo up soon so keep a look out.” I look forward to it!
Haha it does seem difficult, but I’ve always been one for a challenge and I do think its possible. It starts small at first, but the bigger decisions have more impact. It’s implemented in a similar way to how your choices affect your character too, which I imagine to be a lot like the Fable series (evil choices give you more of an evil appearance, good choices give you a good appearance, etc, but much more ambiguous and not restricted to just ‘good’ and ‘evil’).
-
The memory loss is definitely a MAJOR central axis for the story. Which is why I don’t want to give too much away, and also that it will change slightly in nature if certain choices are made. I will say it IS possible for the MC to regain their memory in the story, but it comes at a great cost, so you’ll have to decide whether or not the cost is worth knowing the truth behind your past. I will say that the MC has repressed memory retrograde amnesia (that is to say, they cannot remember anything of their prior life before the onset of amnesia, caused by something traumatic in their past). And yes, it is entirely possible that the MC will never recover their memories, at least not fully. There will always be a lingering curiosity of the MC as to the memories, but it is a viable option for them to avoid pursuing the knowledge out of fear of the unknown, or perhaps just wanting to start a new life. You’ll be able to determine this.
-
The creatures’ powers focus heavily on the long term memory, those of our past, childhood and significant events that shape our personalities. They can play with the short term to a lesser degree, but it doesn’t have as much of the effect they are going for, only to just ‘erase’ memories of a certain time so they can get away cleanly. Without your MC’s long term memory intact, and the powers they have, it becomes much easier for them to protect their short term memory, and even as the story progresses and they develop memories, they will become more competent at protecting themselves. (Or they should, provided you don’t get a game over for making some bad choices) But you are wholly correct that the creatures CAN affect your new memories, which is why you cannot depend solely on your powers. They simply cannot unhinge your personality and ‘take you over’ as they’ve done for a lot of other humans.
-
That’s a secret! They don’t necessarily have memories, but they are connected to them. I just can’t say how. It would ruin the story. >.> But you’re onto something!
-
And I’m glad you brought up the shadowy monster bit. For one, this description is how everyone perceives them, because that is all their human eyes can perceive. They are not actually comprised of shadows or anything, its just a vague description to describe an even vaguer creature. Some of them take on the guise of humans, though they have to be significantly powerful to do so, because it involves absorbing ALL of a human’s psyche, and then they just inhabit the shell. Scary thought, isn’t it? But suffice it to say that the MC will be able to, soon enough, see past their murky exterior. Their appearance is actually partially connected to the above answer. :3
Thanks for your comprehensive little quiz~ I love when people do these things, gets me brainstorming for more stuff and helps me more firmly settle on others. ^^ And I appreciate the interest!
@Tehani I also wanted to add (but edit time ran out):
Gaining memories for more power is definitely one of the major concepts of the story, for the more memories you regain, the stronger you become – and they don’t have to be just your memories either. For a less moral route, you have the option of seizing memories and stolen psyches, and instead of returning them, absorbing them yourself for additional power, which is part of the whole ‘how alike are you to these monsters?’ question. But the more memories you gain, yours or not, also make you more susceptible to the monsters’ powers, so you have to strike a balance, depending on how strong you are not just with your abilities, but in other areas too.
Never played Fable :-" but I get the idea.
Wow thanks a lot for the insightful answers, it was worth reading! It always feels good to see that the author knows where he/she wants to go and I like what you have in store for us. 
Hehehe, I guess it will be hard to find the good balance between all the possibilities that are likely to appear in the character development, so the “game over” screen will certainly become a good friend of a lot of players, but this is exciting.
I’ll stay tuned for the demo.
I love how this sounds. Looking forward to seeing it when it’s out!
sounds interesting
Sounds like a great WIP
@Tehine well you could get the jist by reading up on it too. it explains the mechanic pretty well I think, but that’s just if you wanna understand it more. And you’re welcome. ^^ But its questions like yours that help me more solidify my grip on my story and where I want to go with it. Y’know, when you have it more in writing instead of just in your thoughts? It seems clearer, more concrete and crisp. Set in stone kind of. But yes I think the game over screen will probably show up a bit for some xDD but its a learning experience!~
@gkkiller Thank you ^^ I’ll try to get the demo out ASAP! I’m excited to see people play it too.
@Azraeldrake9 Thank you, I’ll try not to disappoint with the demo C:
@jcsunshine_3 Sweet, glad you approve ^^
Very sorry for my long absence and lack of updates on this. I had gallbladder surgery last month and have been busy in between recovery and then other things, including trying to find a job after finally getting my college degree, attending my SS hearing and all that entails, etc.
Anyway, I will have a very detailed update for you very soon (within the next 24 hours), so look for it in the coming day! <3
@Skyler
I’ve half-read, half-skimmed through your older posts, and this WIP seems very ambitious (interpret that as you will), yet interesting as well. I’m looking forward to seeing what you will do with this,
Okay peeps! I got some juicy more info for you, though unfortunately not the demo yet (due to surgery and other things suddenly going BAM in my life not long after I made this post and started working on the demo) but it should definitely tide you over with what I’m planning and offering in the game. I DO plan to have the demo out this month however, that’s definitely a goal and one I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to make. In the following posts I’ll also give you some rough drawings (by moi, so they aren’t going to be entirely ‘wow’ or anything LOL) of le characters and, most importantly, your enemies. >:3
-
Skills/stats in the game are: Purity/Corruption,
Persuasion/Intimidation, Fortitude/Agility, Intuition/Intelligence, Respect/Fear, Amnesia/Memory, and Psyche. -
Purity/Corruption: This doesn’t measure your own alignment, but rather the objective balance of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ in the world. Its affected by your choices, as the actions you take will influence the world and people around you. Your morality dictates not only your own appearance, but that of your surroundings, and like a child observing its parent, the world learns and reflects the decisions you make and the person you become.
-
Persuasion/Intimidation: Do you prefer to use well-chosen words and your natural charm to win people over, or do you shake them into submission with your piercing gaze, commanding voice and inclination for violence?
-
Fortitude/Agility: Are you built for strength, or for speed? Can you knock a man on his back with one solid punch and take twenty of his, or are you much better at dodging his attacks, waiting until you can maneuver behind him and stab the poor bastard in the back?
-
Intuition/Intelligence: Do you rely on the world around you to give you the answers you need, drawing upon your experiences and honed talent for perceiving and understanding that which others might do not? Or do you, instead, find the source of your information from inside, your superior knowledge built upon the study of books, logic and reason, things proven rather than unknown?
-
Respect/Fear: How other people see and react to you. Unlike your Purity/Corruption stat, which represents the world’s alignment, this is a personal reflection of you and you alone. It doesn’t necessarily dictate good or evil. Having high enough Respect will give you a bonus to Persuasion checks, while having high Fear gives a bonus to Intimidation.
-
Amnesia/Memory: How much of your own memory you have recalled. Naturally, Amnesia starts off at 100%. The more that the MC remembers, the stronger their Psyche (seen below) becomes, thus increasing their strengths, but on the flipside, opening new weaknesses. The Umbra can access and affect all memories, but are most focused on long-term memory, for they are the strongest and most significant to any Psyche. The MC’s regained memories will first be short-term, but the more they remember, the greater significance and power their memories begin to hold. Be warned, however: the more you gain, the more you have to lose.
-
Psyche: The health and depth of your mind. Naturally, you want this as high as possible. Your Memory affects the amount of health your Psyche has and how much damage you can inflict, but also its vulnerability and the range of damage able to be done to it. The ‘depth’ of your mind is the reservoir of your power and your experience using it. Doing so saps this reservoir, as does being attacked. Your Psyche will gradually heal itself over time. Absorbing the memories (and in some cases, Psyches) of others can increase both your Memory and Psyche stats simultaneously, along with refilling it to the max, but you will gain Corruption for doing so. There is a cap on how high your Psyche can be raised.
-
One of the main encounters you’ll have in the game are people
whose memories have either been completely stolen/obliterated, or
severely fragmented and tossed into disarray. When facing the
former, you can either: retrieve and give memories back
(+Purity), or retrieve and absorb them yourself for more power
(+Corruption). Alternatively, you can do nothing (which also
gives you Corruption, but to a much smaller degree than
absorbing their memories). The latter will first have to be faced in
combat (unless you have a high Persuasion/Intimidate skill), as
their broken Psyches make them incredibly hostile, paranoid and
violent. These are also stronger and more difficult opponents than
those who have erased Psyches. After you beat them (which will result
in you knocking them unconscious), you will enter their fragmented
Psyche, and once again be presented with a choice of options:
piece their Psyche back together (+Purity, +Memory), absorb their
Psyche into your own (+Corruption, +Memory, +Psyche), or erase
the fragmented Psyche (+Memory, a neutral option since the person
would no longer be suffering, but also no longer have their original mind
and essentially start off a blank slate). -
Carrying on from the above, an integral part of the story/adventure
(and the MC’s abilities) is entering others’ Psyches. Experiencing
memories and personalities from within adds a deeper meaning
beyond simple battle mechanics. There is a bit of ‘detective’ work
to be done as well within certain Psyches, including puzzles to solve
and questions to answer. It’s also just as dangerous (perhaps more so)
within another’s Psyche, for in the physical world, you are essentially
defenseless, with your mind in someone else’s. Also, if the person
isn’t as defeated as you thought or has a particularly strong Psyche,
especially hostile ones, it can break your own. Against the Umbra,
they can absorb your Psyche if you aren’t careful, particularly when
you have a significant amount of Memory, as it gives them the opportunity
to use your own weapons against you. Nevertheless, important parts
of the story take place in and because of Psyches. -
To add to replayability and flavor (among other things), even
if/when you are defeated and get a game over, it won’t be
entirely ‘over’. Yes, you will have to start over, but before
that, you won’t get a traditional ‘Game Over’ screen or anything
like that. Depending on when, how and where you fail, you will
get a scene describing such; a specific ‘Prologue’ detailing your
defeat and afterwards, your fate. The further you are into the story,
the deeper certain revelations will be, and there are certain
things about the story that you can only learn by being defeated
(both literary-wise and game-wise). I won’t spoil anything, but
at least for your character, a game over isn’t necessarily a game end…
Take it as you will.
1 Like
This sounds very interesting. I’ll be following along with its progress. Good luck!
Strangely enough, the first thing out of my concept art for this game isn’t
any of the characters or enemies, but instead a setting… which were never
my forte. But I’m proud of it and I hope it gives the game more flavor and hype
while I work on the demo and spitting out concept images to help grasp the game
better (both for me and for you guys!). I’m not going to spoil the game by revealing
too much about exactly what this piece is or what it symbolizes, other than this is
where the Umbra come from. Since the Umbra themselves are such vague
creatures, this piece too is meant to be vague, and like the game, I instead let you
draw your own conclusions and theories about them and this piece. :]
You can view the full res version here
2 Likes
I’m certainly confused but hyped.
I’ll absorb everyone’s memories, which is what they’ll be in the end.