I started work on a horror/suspense game a few weeks ago; the game is set in the victorian era and begins with the protagonist receiving a mysterious letter from a solicitors firm informing them of the death of their estranged grandfather, as the only surviving member of the family, the main character is entitled to the possessions of their grandfather Ezekial Stillbourn along with a small manor house in the isolated coastal village of Stillmoor.
Currently i’ve finished coding the initial train journey to the nearby town of Thorpton (since unfortunately the modern railway has yet to reach Stillmoor), although there is still some placeholder text in place, and an optional scene where the main character is confined to a Thorpton jail (this occurs if certain criteria are met in the train scene) and has the opportunity to question a local member of the constabulary. Hopefully I should be able to place a demo of the first game segment up by the end of this week (once placeholder text has been removed and a few bits of the coding have been tweaked) and would be interested in any feedback.
Sounds cool and original for a cog. It will be gender locked? And it will involve moral decisions who save etc. The story sounds cool in a good era to ambient a terror game
Character name and gender are chosen at the start of the game, social class and other starting stats are determined by a number of situations that arise during the train journey. The character has been provided with a train ticket to travel to Thorpton, most of the journey takes place in the first class carriage (although I am considering allowing the player more of a free rein to explore the train) and there are a number of other characters that can be met and conversed with who are sharing the same carriage.
Currently the social status is determined by questioning the player at a certain juncture, however I am tempted to re-write this so that it is determined by which carriage the player gets onto at the start of the game; this would then allow the game to branch out and the first segment of the game to unfold differently depending on what class of carriage the player was riding in and could also be used to prevent different opportunities for situations and determining statistics.
@Largejo The social role of the character will determine the actitude of the npcs? For instance a lady or lord vs a simple commoner or a street rat .
The victorian age was a cast society who determine all the indidual life, with a iron grip some choices or info could be certain social background that add replay hability. If you want more feedback pm me.
Huh! I’ve been working on something superficially similar, that is to say, a (Gothic) horror storygame set in a Victorian-esque setting. Definitely eager to try this out. =D
@MaraJade: Thank you for the offer, i’m fairly well read up on the victorian era, but if I do need any further information then i’ll let you know At the moment, the social class affects certain choices that can be made, it also affects related stats such as the amount of money you begin the game with; many of the lower class were also unable to read which will have an effect on the game (although not so much in this early stage). The game should be playable in any of the three social classes (upper, middle or lower).
At the moment I have gone back and added an additional section with the players travelling the fog-shrouded streets of London to get to the train station, this includes interaction with a small group of npcs whose attitude is coloured based on the MCs social class; there will also be different classes of carriage on the train roughly analogous to the social classes.
@dreamshell: Many thanks - i’m quite a fan of the horror genre so i’ll look forward to trying your game too
@irule934: Unfortunately I can’t provide a definite date at the moment, it depends entirely on how much free time I get to devote to it - at the moment the first section is nearly complete (running up to the MCs arrival in the town of Thorpton) with just a few bits of placeholder text and a couple of optional encounters to complete.
Once I have the first section completed (hopefully within the next couple of weeks), i’ll post a link to a demo version in this thread so that people can test it and provide feedback.
Currently about finished the lower class options up to the point where you board the train, looking at dropping in some additional options for the middle and upper classes. Considering a bit of a rewrite/trim since it feels a bit choppy ATM and I think the focus could do with being shifted more towards memorable NPCs and narrative, whereas it’s a bit location/task based ATM
@Largejo Character and narrative focus definitely sounds good. I think pacing is a good thing to focus on, too, since building up suspense and a general mood of unease is crucial in horror stories.
Thanks i’m currently shifting the focus of the plot to be more on London, moving the inheritted property to the countryside surrounding the city & am drawing out an amended plot outline diagram featuring main NPCs & locations.
Currently getting close to releasing a demo of the first day of the game; at present you can play as the following:
The aristocratic Lord or Lady Horton
A member of the Horton household
A member of the working class (inc. lawyer, navvy, etc)
A man/woman of the cloth
A veteran of the Crimean War (either a penniless ex-soldier or a well off retired officer)
A vagrant or mudlark
Various types of criminal
I have a few of the branches that I have still got to iron out/complete before releasing a demo; given a break for Christmas I am hopeful that a demo will be released in January.
On the first day of the game, the MC finds him/herself drawn into the strange events surrounding disappearances by the Thames. What really happened eight years ago when Lord and Lady Horton drowned? What lurks in the bowels of the city and can the MC stay ahead of the corrupt peeler PC Willie Gedge long enough to find out?
At the moment, the social class affects certain choices that can be made, it also affects related stats such as the amount of money you begin the game with; many of the lower class were also unable to read which will have an effect on the game (although not so much in this early stage). The game should be playable in any of the three social classes (upper, middle or lower).