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TIGSource ForumsCommunityDevLogsWhy Am I Dead At Sea
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Peltast
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« on: November 06, 2013, 01:38:56 AM »

Why Am I Dead At Sea

Twitter  |  Dev Blog






You are on a boat at sea.  Also, and more importantly, you are dead.  
 
To figure out why, you will need to inhabit the other residents of the ship and use them
to investigate what led to your untimely demise.  Each combination of characters
leads to a unique conversation based on the relationship those two characters have.  
Understand what makes your shipmates tick, and uncover the secrets that they hold.


Trailer!






Other media!

« Last Edit: April 21, 2015, 07:39:17 PM by Peltast » Logged

jO
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Adventure awaits!


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« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2013, 02:50:29 AM »

Oh man, your pixelwork is really nice.
Also, EarthBound

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AD1337
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« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2013, 03:07:14 AM »

SeaBound!  Blink
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clockwrk_routine
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« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2013, 07:31:50 AM »

good ness
 Well, hello there!
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Nuprahtor
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« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2013, 10:42:38 AM »

I'm here because of Earthbound too. Subscribed.
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Thank God For The Rain - a magical neo-noir JRPG - devlog, tumblr
Peltast
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« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2013, 01:52:58 AM »

Oh man, your pixelwork is really nice.
Also, EarthBound

 Gentleman

Thanks, I really love the art behind The Curious Expedition, so that means a lot!  Smiley

Quote
SeaBound!   Blink
Quote
good ness
  Well, hello there!
Quote
I'm here because of Earthbound too. Subscribed.

What is this "Earthbound" game people keep talking about every time I bring up my game?   Durr...?

Haha yes the art is of course heavily influenced by the Mothers series.  I think, to a lesser extent, the tone of the game and its sense of humor are also influenced by Earthbound as well.  I'm always happy when people can immediately point out the link.



Also, I'm currently looking for people to help me test out the game in a closed beta.  If you're feeling particularly awesome, please fill out the following short and painless questionnaire to [email protected] .

At this point a lot of the work is writing/scripting, which is a bit hard to make look cool in updates.  I often do little graphical/control tune-ups as a way of giving myself a break though, so maybe those can help spice things up.  Undecided
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zachstronaut
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« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2013, 08:54:36 AM »

I am quite fond of your demon cat.
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ZeppelinCaptain
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« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2013, 11:20:54 AM »

Wow, this concept sounds intriguing, can't wait to see how this turns out. Consider me subscribed!
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Udderdude
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« Reply #8 on: November 07, 2013, 11:22:38 AM »

I like the concept, but will the people remember when they were being possessed?  Will there be some sort of "memory hole" or amnesia?
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AD1337
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« Reply #9 on: November 07, 2013, 02:19:46 PM »

I like the concept, but will the people remember when they were being possessed?  Will there be some sort of "memory hole" or amnesia?

It could be that they remember everything and think what they did was of their own will. Humans actually do this very well (as tests with split-brain patients show).
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Peltast
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« Reply #10 on: November 11, 2013, 10:58:02 PM »

I like the concept, but will the people remember when they were being possessed?  Will there be some sort of "memory hole" or amnesia?

Actually, both.  There are two degrees of possession in the game: a weaker form in which you are influencing the character, but they still retain some autonomy and can't be made to do/say things that would never occur to them in the first place, and a stronger form in which you completely take over them.  In the former, they remember everything but attribute their actions to their own will (in some cases they might feel like they weren't acting themselves, but have no other explanation).  In the latter, they remember nothing that happens while they are fully possessed.

This serves to separate the narrative voice of the characters and the ghost, allowing for a lot more possibilities with dialogue and character interactions.

I was hoping to have a nice update with visuals and everything by now, but instead I decided to get an ear-infection so working on the game is enough of a challenge for me right now.      Hand PencilTired
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Uykered
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« Reply #11 on: November 11, 2013, 11:33:18 PM »

It very looks cool. I think the low opacity of the spirit looks a bit inconsistent with the rest of the style though.  
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Peltast
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« Reply #12 on: November 19, 2013, 05:42:19 AM »

It very looks cool. I think the low opacity of the spirit looks a bit inconsistent with the rest of the style though.  

Hmm, it does mess with the "purity" of the pixel art admittedly, but I personally find the ability to pass through other characters and see through the spirit to be worth that cost.  I'll make it opaque and compare, but I will probably end up keeping it transparent.

I took a detour from writing dialogue to make a really rough intro area that precedes the first real environment, as a way of giving the player a small space to familiarize themselves with the fundamental controls before jumping straight into the game's first conversation.  The idea is that it's the path between death/life.  I've used an all-black tileset with a simplistic drawing slapped on top to give it a more distinct and non-grid appearance, although there is still grid-based collision-detection along the path.

Like I said, it's rough!  I would like to add some more visual effects to it, but that can wait for now as I really want to get back to adding more dialogue.

And just because, he's a a screencap of some newish dialogue in effect.
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migrafael
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« Reply #13 on: November 19, 2013, 08:32:01 AM »

This is going to be good. Really like the concept of the game.
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On STEAM ยป
Konidias
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« Reply #14 on: November 19, 2013, 09:46:55 AM »

Looks great! Is there any plan for any variation in gameplay... like puzzles or action elements? Right now it just looks like jumping around bodies to get through dialogue trees. Is that the extent of the game? Not that there is anything wrong with that. It could still be quite fun with good dialogue and an interesting story.
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BomberTREE
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« Reply #15 on: November 19, 2013, 11:41:56 AM »

 Blink watching <3
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Peltast
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« Reply #16 on: November 19, 2013, 08:18:26 PM »

Quote
This is going to be good. Really like the concept of the game.

Thanks, I'm glad you think so!  It kind of all hinges on the concept.   Smiley

Looks great! Is there any plan for any variation in gameplay... like puzzles or action elements? Right now it just looks like jumping around bodies to get through dialogue trees. Is that the extent of the game? Not that there is anything wrong with that. It could still be quite fun with good dialogue and an interesting story.

There is a small amount of more conventional adventure-game puzzling, but most of the game really does revolve around body-hopping and conversation.  It is definitely demanding on the player's patience and desire to read, I think, but I'm confident in the story and characters I have to carry the experience.  I also think poorly implemented/designed action mechanics would just be dead-weight, and I don't think I'm strong on that front right now.

Very good question!
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Peltast
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« Reply #17 on: February 27, 2014, 02:29:49 AM »

I'm slightly overdue on an update.  About...three months.

Ooops.

So the first three chapters of five have been pretty much completed!  Woo!  That means a metric buttload of dialogue and scripted cutscenes and puzzles!

I don't think I've mentioned it before in this thread, but before you can hop into someone's mind, you have to understand it a little bit.  Basically, you have to "unlock" them for possession.  At the point that I've developed up to, seven out of nine characters can be possessed and have dialogue.  Up to this point, a lot of the progression of the game has had to do with figuring out how to unlock a character, who you need to possess in order to do something.  Once all characters are open for possession, the game will become more non-linear and the means of progressing will be less clear to the player.

Screenshots for funzies:

A cutscene that happens near the early-middle of the game


Some ambient dialogue at the middle of the game
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Beaulamb1992
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« Reply #18 on: February 27, 2014, 03:10:37 AM »

Awesome! that pixel art is super nice :D
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TimBeek
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« Reply #19 on: February 27, 2014, 03:20:46 AM »

Really like that sun in the first picture. :D
I am following this topic now Smiley
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