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[oahda]

I'm sorry for your loss. I've been through it far too many times. Everybody reacts and handles things like this differently and you being less extroverted about it does not make your grief any lesser than theirs. That's not what it's about. It's about finding one's personal way to cope.

You said you didn't want to talk about this, tho, so I won't dwell on it. I just want to make sure you don't waste your energy on feeling bad about something that is perfectly normal and in no way wrong.

As for the game, I'd say I agree about the static face in your animation, but other than that, I really do feel you are getting your message through fairly well, what with the constant motion, scratching the hand and tapping the foot. Maybe trembling lips or the like might be what you need to add to the face.

How are you planning on presenting the conversations, and what options will the player have to be an active part of it, if any?

[oldblood]

@Princessa: Thank you for the feedback on my situation. I have a doctor for situations like this, but it felt relevant to my rambles here which is the only reason I mentioned it. I also appreciate the feedback on the animation, glad to hear the overall mood is correct-- it just needs some additional features. I will definitely be going back to add in some blinking, basic mouth movement etc.

Regarding conversations-- these will be a very key part of the game. I’m currently working on a dialogue tree system that’s mostly in place but needs to be tested. I don’t know how it will be visually presented yet, but I do know it will be a big part of the game. I have a future devlog planned around talking about this in more detail.

***

DEVLOG 17.

The dominoes are falling…

Prepare for a more boring technical read…

I’ve been working on a large number of “behind the scenes” features that feel like they’re taking forever but are important cogs in the game. Swapping over to the FSM format a few weeks back added some time to transition but has already saved me a LOT of time in revisiting all these features. I think going forward, the use of the state machines will have a dramatic impact on my ability to quickly put together fairly basic features.

This week, a few key projects fell in place:
● Progression System: This has been WIP for awhile and in some ways, it’s still WIP but for the most part-- it is feature complete. It’s not a matter of lining up all the key progression points throughout the game and getting them into the new state machine.
● Highlights & Exits: Revisited the exits and highlight system that I had shown in previous GIF’s here: http://giant.gfycat.com/OffbeatRecklessGalapagosmockingbird.gif. The new system now just highlights the edges of the sprite and I can assign colors for a variety of tags such as Exits, Item, NPC, Locked areas etc. Reference the video below to see this in action.
● Inventory System: We now have a functioning inventory system where you can collect items, reference them in Inventory and use them. This was a fairly complicated system but I won’t bore you with details.

***

Below is a video that shows some of the new features I’ve just discussed. A few notes on this:

● This is clearly a WIP on features and visuals.
● The “old tv” effect doesn’t look as good on a small video as it does in full screen HD, so take that effect with a grain of salt.
● I’m really unhappy with how the exit system of roads looks and feels. I need to find a way to improve the interaction of how you pass from one room to the next.
● I'm all ears on feedback for any aspect you see...

[oahda]

I unfortunately had to watch it without sound, but I have to say that it looks amazing. Nothing wrong about the TV effect even at this screen size. The outlines on clickable things are a very nice touch.

While somewhat static, I think these parallax layers, the falling snow and general sense of depth and ability to move around a bit in every scene makes a huge different as opposed to some games of the escape genre I've been playing recently – they've had falling snow and some simple animations too but have been mostly static and the camera has definitely been completely static (except in The Room, but that's a pure 3D game). It's all looking quite fantastic, and I haven't even seen a scene with characters in it yet!

Can't wait to hear the sounds too.

Great atmosphere.

[oldblood]

I unfortunately had to watch it without sound, but I have to say that it looks amazing. Nothing wrong about the TV effect even at this screen size. The outlines on clickable things are a very nice touch.

Great to hear! Although speaking of hearing-- there is no SFX in that video as I haven't put any into the game other than the initial "insanity SFX" I showed last month. I will however have SFX in the alpha demo I hope to put up here in the coming weeks. But yes, some ambient bg music and SFX will hopefully add a lot to the atmosphere.

Glad to hear you're liking the look. I've debated going in and animating backgrounds but the scope starts going up very quickly and art is already my biggest bottleneck. I want to try and have animated pieces within every room so its not too static but it'll be a catch-22 on how much I can get in without dumping too much onto my plate.

[oahda]

You could probably put in some programmatic-style animations really quickly if you want to, tho, kind of like the slowly rotating grass in my cat game, if you can think of any place where that kind of animation would fit. But even without that, just the parallax effect and the falling snow feels really good.

[Clockwise]

I have the tiniest comment about the description of the aged key. At the risk of sounding pedantic, it should be "its bow and blade" instead of "it's." I see this mistake all the time, and I'm only pointing it out here because I care about this game

For reference: http://www.its-not-its.info/

[oahda]

Right, I was going to mention that, but got too caught up in the other stuff~

[oldblood]

I have the tiniest comment about the description of the aged key. At the risk of sounding pedantic, it should be "its bow and blade" instead of "it's." I see this mistake all the time, and I'm only pointing it out here because I care about this game

For reference: http://www.its-not-its.info/

Nothing wrong with being a pedant from time to time! I just got the inventory pop-up in last night and modified the placeholder text before recording the video so I was definitely rushing to make the video. Will definitely get that corrected, appreciate you pointing that out.

This game will be pretty text-heavy so this is a good reminder to be careful.

On a more visual note-- I've had this unshakeable urge to get Father into the game. I've had some rough pieces done that I want to revisit. I know what my next devlog will be about...

[Zizka]

I really liked the video. To be honest, it's a lot more convincing to see things in motion like that than using static screenshots. It's good to see a bit of gameplay too.

Is the font final?

[oldblood]

@Zizka: Thanks. Its all still WIP but with the big items starting to fall in line, starting to feel more like a game.

And NO, the font is not final. Really, very little is actually "final". I originally went with an old dev/dos type font to go with the old tv effect but I'm not really happy with how it all looks. Will need to play around with all that.

I was working on this last night and posted it on my Twitter, figured I'd share it here as well...

He always hated you...

Final coming soon.

[oldblood]

DEVLOG 18.

Some people create "father issues", others are born with them.

An angry man. A drunken man. A violent man. But-- a man who was perhaps more sane than the rest of us. To appreciate the man and his anger, you have to understand his situation: His wife (of a dramatically lower age) suffered from multiple personalities and both visual and aural hallucinations. A genetic trait which she passed to most of her children. His eldest and most "normal child" died at a young age. His 2nd son was so masochistically violent, that he was confined to a straight-jacket and mask in his early teenage years. Then there is you, his 3rd son. A meld of all of the characteristics. Your father's sadistic violence, your mothers hallucinations, your brothers masochism... You are complete in your depravity.

Father.

Father hated mother for being crazy. Father hated that he lost his favorite son. Father hated your brother for mutilating himself. But most of all, Father hated you.

Detail.

[oahda]

Heh. I wrote a drunken father character recently. Already dead by the time of the narrative, tho.

How/where/when is he going to appear in the game?

[oldblood]

@Princessa: You will meet all of the family early into the game to help set the stage for understanding your surroundings and situaion. I'm currently working on the Mother and your brother so expect to see art for them in next week or so.

DEVLOG 19.

The game need's less static images. One thing I'm doing to help combat this is including a few "rooms" that utilize flowing water. A creek.

To keep things simple and in line with the other visuals, these creeks are created with 3-4 water layers that can be looped and an automated parallax system that moves each sprite at a varying speed. You can add additional layers between the water sprites such as rocks that do not move which creates the allusion of water flowing around the rocks.

LARGE GIF WARNING:


It's rudimentary at best, but seems to work with the fairly basic visuals the game has. I may be able to incorporate some particle effects into it all but not sure if that will work. Open to suggestions on improvement.

***

I made a big (and expensive) decision to upgrade my animation tools from Smooth Moves to Spine Professional. If I plan on making other 2D games, I need to improve my animation and Spine is quickly becoming the industry standard for 2D.

My initial reaction is how powerful this is. However, with so many features and functionality-- I'm not sure how long it will take me to get up to speed on this tool. I have aggressive goals for my deadlines with Masochisia, so do I continue animating in Smooth Moves where I know I crank out animations very quickly or do I try and refactor to Spine?

My gut is saying I need to stick with Smooth Moves and use my down-time to familiarize myself with Spine.

[oldblood]

DEVLOG 20.

Your Mother loves you. Your Mother hates you.

She loves your Father. She fears your Father.

Case 01.

Diagnosis: Suffers from both poles of bipolar disorder with acute depressive and manic episodes. Aural and visual hallucinations, believed to be hereditary.

[Zizka]

Also suffers from a chin difformity! 

Very creepy. I like how the mom looks kind but she actually hates the character (unless the words in italics is the schizophrenia talking).

Will you keep the "cutting" mechanic? To be honest, don't take it the wrong way this is just my belief, I think it might be pushing the envelope a bit too much.

In GTA 5, at one point you torture a guy. I thought that was sick and totally unnecessary and I almost stopped playing.

I'm not saying the cutting mechanic will be the same but, yeah, maybe just ponder whether it's essential to your project. I'm saying this to help out here. I think the schizophrenia is very potent and really great to add in a game.

I just think adding that aspect (self-mutilation) might possibly end up being detrimental to your project in the long run.

Just some food for thought.

[oldblood]

Will you keep the "cutting" mechanic? To be honest, don't take it the wrong way this is just my belief, I think it might be pushing the envelope a bit too much....I just think adding that aspect (self-mutilation) might possibly end up being detrimental to your project in the long run.

Thanks for the honest feedback Zizka. To clarify, I never said there would be "cutting". Although I did say there would be some form of "self-mutilation" and that term was perhaps not the correct usage. The player suffers from sadomasochistic tendencies, the masochism side stemming from extensive use of needles which they believe offer salvation from danger... So yes, the player will hurt themselves-- but not via cutting. More on that later.

I'm not attempting to push an envelope deliberately here. There may be some elements to the game which are not tasteful and that will likely be very detrimental to the reception, but as I said from the very beginning:

(1.) This is based on a true story. I won't sugar coat the reality behind this game. Likely, this will be detrimental to people's reaction to it...
(2.) This is a "game" in the loosest of terms. Yes, there will be puzzles and scares and dialogue trees... But, at it's root, its just a dark tale (rooted in reality). GTA is meant to be fun-- so a torture scene could definitely throw off a player. Masochisia isn't designed to be fun. I'm hoping it will be more of an uncomfortable experience.
(3.) I have no real expectations for this game as a commercial product so it's hard to be nervous about its features negatively impacting consumers. Will I try to put it on Greenlight? Likely. Why not? Do I anticipate a commercial release? I'm not sure. There is no Kickstarter, this is all being funded myself because I no one else would fund it...

The whole thing is a big risk on my part and it could all blow up in my face, but doing what we want to do is the whole point of being an "indie developer" right? Let's push some boundaries...

[ephoete]

Your chara-design is fantastic, breathtaking. I really like the way you speak about the game, seems in fact very sincere... first autobiographical video game ever?

[oahda]

It's nice to see such consistency between the characters, when it comes to the style.

Her feet pointing downwards and the dress seemingly blowing a bit in the wind makes it seem like she is floating in mid-air. Is this intentional?

[oldblood]

Your chara-design is fantastic, breathtaking. I really like the way you speak about the game, seems in fact very sincere... first autobiographical video game ever?

It's nice to see such consistency between the characters, when it comes to the style.

Thanks ephoete & Prinsessa. The characters are all sort of "geometrically inspired". With the exception of The Guardian (bear), the characters have all been able to use geometry to sort of tie them all together. Lots of lines and shapes that add a bit of abstraction. Originally, I was inspired by "cubism" that was far more abstract than these character finals but never really got the look down. That said, I'm really happy with how these characters are turning out.

As far as autobiographical, I think at some level- all video games are. As developers, we cant help but leave various parts of ourselves into our games.

***

DEVLOG 21.

I'm currently about half-way through with all of the characters in the game. I'm beginning to feel very tired and burned out. This is common with me. I have bursts of development where a lot is accomplished in short windows of time, followed by bouts where even being alive is a challenge.

I can feel the ambivalence creeping into my mind and the lackadaisical tendencies rotting into my work ethic. But, this too shall pass.

I created the IndieDB page for Masochisia which was approved yesterday. No real content you haven't already seen here, but linking regardless: http://www.indiedb.com/games/masochisia

***

Walter. Your eldest brother. He is a lot like you, but in many ways-- he is nothing like you.

Your entire bloodline has been blessed with various illnesses, Walter is no exception to the genetic rule. His gifts are quite manifest. Like you, he struggles with masochistic tendencies, but unlike you- he has no control over them. From a very young age, Walter has been self-destructive. Your earliest memory of him, is when he repeatedly stabbed his own leg at dinner with a fork. After Father dragged him screaming from the room, you finished your supper. With his fork.

Now as a adult, Walter has been confined to a straight-jacket for his own safety (and potentially yours). Without it, he would have killed himself many years ago. More recently, Walter was also given a mask after he attempted to eat his own face. Or at least, as much of his lips as his teeth could reach.

"Am I my brother's keeper?"

[oahda]

I'm currently about half-way through with all of the characters in the game. I'm beginning to feel very tired and burned out. This is common with me. I have bursts of development where a lot is accomplished in short windows of time, followed by bouts where even being alive is a challenge.

That's not too dissimilar from me, but hey, we're both getting stuff done! It doesn't have to be at a constant pace. Allow yourself to relax too.

But, this too shall pass.

It shall indeed.

Now as a adult, Walter has been confined to a straight-jacket for his own safety (and potentially yours). Without it, he would have killed himself many years ago.

Yugh, I'd prefer the latter.

You're definitely not failing to set a very specific mood with these characters, that's for sure.