Project H.O.U.N.D

Celtic_Rune · 2013-09-22T16:23:08.000Z

Hi there y’all!

I’ve been lurking around this forum for a while, participated in some discussions, started up various projects only to discard them along the line, but now I’ve found one that I’m pretty sure I’m going to stick with. To get some feedback -and to give myself more of a reason to keep working on it- I’m making a post about it here -obviously- with a bit of a demo.

It is set in a world very similar to ours but with a few extra technological advances that I hope we have not yet made. This technology is only available to very specific organizations. One of the projects working with this technology is project HO.U.N.D., formed by a group of researchers focused on gene manipulation. Specifically, the combination of human subjects with animal DNA.

Your story starts when you wake up after a succesful treatment. The only side-effect is a memoryloss, which may or may not be temporary, according to who you ask. You find out that you volunteered for the project and now are a semi-proud member of the only succesful team HO.U.N.D. has produced so far.

I could tell you more, but that would mean revealing some major plot points, so I’m not going to do that. Instead I’ll tell you that (almost) all interactions with characters will have an impact on how your story develops. There are not any clearly specified love interests, instead I’m aiming to let it happen like it would normally. Not all characters are interested in you, some are maybe a little too interested, and some have certain conditions.

Okay, here’s the link for the demo, and have fun, I hope?
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/181598815/web/mygame/index.html

nine · 2013-09-22T16:34:23.000Z

@Celtic_Rune

Our apologies; there was a 404 error while loading game data. Please refresh your browser now; if that doesn’t work, please email dan at fabulich.com with details.

Happens when I slam the door in Gabriel’s face!

BraveMustang · 2013-09-22T16:36:17.000Z

^^^^ just what I was going to say

Azul · 2013-09-22T16:37:13.000Z

haha same here was just about to post that

Celtic_Rune · 2013-09-22T16:42:58.000Z

Ah, I think that is because the game ends there. I thought it would display the scene after giving an error message (it did in Firefox when I tested it) but apparently it doesn’t. Sorry about that, I didn’t realise that would happen.

MaraJade · 2013-09-22T16:45:16.000Z

Gabriel is a Stalker if he treat touch me again i demand kill him in that moment. It makes me hate a great demo i demand a kick in balls option right now.
Second game needs a Charisma stat

Could i sugest a snake could give infrared vision and poison capacities.
Please fix that stalker character makes demo paintful

Celtic_Rune · 2013-09-22T16:54:43.000Z

@Marajade
Oh wow I didn’t expect him to get such a negative response. He will back off if it gets clear that you, as you expressed, want to kick him in the balls, but that will take some time.

In the original story I had a snake character and I thought about having it as a possibility here -with the ir vision and poison, as well as protection by scales-, but decided against it because of some sciencey difficulties. Snakes with ir vision are almost always blind and sense the world mostly through scent, hearing and infrared “vision”. It would be difficult to incorporate this ability into a human without making it seem weird, also logistically speaking for timing when you choose what animal is your source. If you don’t notice something weird about your vision until after you’ve chosen your source, it would mean that you can turn your ir vision on and off, but from a science point of view that would be weird. If you always have the infrared sort of “layered” over your own vision, it would be weird not to notice it before choosing what your source is, which would be strange as well.

So thank you for your suggestions and I considered them as well, but I will be keeping the animals as they are.

MaraJade · 2013-09-22T17:00:55.000Z

First i pointing that i dont want hold his hand

Then go fucking out of the room and stop look at me

What are you saying about beauty stalker?0 then he touch me

Then do you want i stay with you GET FUCKING OUT OF MY ROOM STALKER €†£$†‡| $«(~}## NO IS A NO

Game is great but all the stalker nasty actitude make me not enjoy it

JLBH · 2013-09-22T17:06:49.000Z

Love the game mate

Carnt wait till next bit, so disappointed when it finished carnt wait

Happy · 2013-09-22T17:07:35.000Z

Woot, my gender is male!

derekmetaltron · 2013-09-22T17:38:37.000Z

I liked this demo, interesting concept, though I think with Gabriel it might be better to make the flirting elements less pronounced unless you had a choice. I mean I get maybe that’s his character but since I was meant to be a straight male I wanted a ‘I’m flattered but I’m pretty sure I’m not gay’ option rather than going between verment hostility and actual flirtation.

Aquila · 2013-09-22T17:43:49.000Z

I like the game so far. Will there be more options to further ignore, humiliate or even punish Gabriel later in the game? It may be because my character doesn’t remember anything about that Gabriel, but he’s being a little too entusiastic and his hands are everywhere around me, and this makes me uncomfortable.

MaraJade · 2013-09-22T17:48:51.000Z

@Aquila i agree i want kick him in the balls or poison him . I feel he came to rape us while we are sleep without memorythen he discovers we are awake but he still touch us aggggghhhh ! Why a great game has to start with a lewd psycho the rest is amazing :((

derekmetaltron · 2013-09-22T17:54:02.000Z

@MaraJade What is with you and your fondness for Poison?

But yes, the fact that your memory is missing does make the sequence feel slightly unsettling. I think the game has the right idea in just having characters appear and developing them before romance comes up, and I like the different animal options (part of me thought that fox and wolf were a tad similar but I quickly realised you were empathising certain elements of the personality we project onto such creatures).

817819 · 2013-09-22T20:18:19.000Z

Gabriel definitly needs to learn about personal space perhaps a back the F off option is called for

TheCourier · 2013-09-22T20:47:19.000Z

two quick things
1.if your a guy when Gabriel does the whole wink thing and everything please make an option to punch him in the face.(actually add that to girls to)
2. for some reason I didn’t like the way you did your DNA (maybe its because iv been playing way to much videogames) but maybe instead of wolf and cheetah etc. you could use mythical creatures I don’t know that’s just what I would do. just to make things more interesting.

Nihils · 2013-09-22T21:12:46.000Z

So much hatred for Gabriel. I don’t like him either however that means he may be an good character to keep. Although the idea of visceral conversational decisions (i.e. ball kick), does have an appeal. I liked the demo, but the animals to symbolize the DNA enhancements seemed off. Wolf for strength? I wouldn’t want to fight a wolf but I’d Immediately die to something like a tiger.

Bloodhawkereaper · 2013-09-23T02:22:25.000Z

I’m getting the same error as nine. But cool game so far

stsword · 2013-09-23T03:09:10.000Z

Well the animal options seem a little wonky to me, one doesn’t get genetic advantagss from mythological attributes with science fiction.

The cunning of a fox? I’d buy enhanced intelligence from a dolphin or a whale or something that might actually be pretty intelligent, but not a canid.

The strength and agility of a wolf? Now apes are known for agility, and heck some of them are strong enough to grab a guy and make a wish if they want, but wolves are pack hunters for a reason.

As for cheetahs, when you mean hunting, do you mean stealth?  From what I understand cheetahs find prey by sight, then use stealth and speed to get it, but when I see "hunting" in relations to animals I think more along the lines of scent or some other form of superior sensing ability.

As for the NPC, since the MC is a vulnerable amnesiac, he’s coming across as pretty creepy. If you dropped the amnesiac bit, so the introduction is actually a “As you know” thing so the player finds out what’s happening and not the MC, then he’d just be a huge flirt, which is far better than sexual predator.

If you need the MC to forget something for the sake of the story, make it an isolated side effect, so it's "Oh by the by some memory loss is a normal side effect, so if you find gaps in your memory don't freak out, they'll come back in time"

andymwhy · 2013-09-23T08:00:10.000Z

As much as I loathe the character Gabriel, and I think most, if not all people will feel the same, I suggest you keep him in as he is. Whether he was intended to come across as a creep or not, that is how he is perceived. It’s not unreasonable to think that a character like him could exist and his presence makes the whole opening feel genuinely disconcerting - enhancing the feeling you would have with amnesia.

The animal choices are a little odd but don’t go for mythical creatures - they would destroy the believability of the game.