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Old 01-04-2011, 05:54 AM   #61
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Very valid point. I don't think it's a problem having lots of items with no use in progressing the game, as long as you don't have it so an item starts off as an ambient item and later becomes a usable item. Gray Matter did this a few times and it really bugged me as it meant that every chapter you had to click on things you'd already clicked on just to see if they were now usable.

You could do something as simple as have the avatar say something to himself after getting information that seems of more importance like "hmm, i think i'll take a note of that" or "that could prove useful later.." and have a log where he keeps track of his progress including codes and such he gets from computers. The audio cue will register in the player's subconscious making that info feel more relevant than the bits without an audio cue, and the log file will prevent backtracking when you forget a code or something.

As for puzzles with multiple solutions, i'm all for that but i think you have to be careful not to make one solution easier than the other, or you'll have some people feel cheated by the experience. So if you have one puzzle where the player has to make a magnet, then you should have a similarly difficult puzzle involved in the player finding the key to open the locker containing the ready made magnet.

And as for a cluttered inventory. The setting of your game makes for some good possibilities to unclutter the inventory at regular intervals as part of the story. Perhaps your character gets caught in an area of the ship with a hull breach and some items get sucked out of his pockets, or perhaps there's an area of the ship with a metal detector and won't let him pass with certain items, or a bio filter which won't let him pass without dropping some items of an organic nature. Of course they would have to be choke points otherwise it'd be possible for the player to lose items they might need later on.
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Old 01-04-2011, 06:37 AM   #62
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Nay-there are no 'this isn't use full now, oh wait it is' items. MOST items found per chapter can be used in that chapter. There wont be a significant item found in room A, that is only useful in room Z.
This also goes against my philosophy of really trying to constantly push the player forward. I don't want backtracking to take place, unless it is pivotal to the story.
From a design point, I want the puzzles to have an almost MacGyver feel to them. MacGyver never picked up a paper clip and a rag, for 'just in case'. No, when he needed them, he would find something like a paper clip, and a torn off shirt strip. When obstacles need to be passed, I want the player to look for inventive ways to pass that obstacle...not look for things that could be used to pass something in the future.
I think that this is in keeping with Maracheck. He is there on a job. He isn't going to stop, dig through the trash, and take a bottle for later. He is going to need a container, and dig in the trash for something.

As for puzzles with multiple solutions, i'm all for that but i think you have to be careful not to make one solution easier than the other, or you'll have some people feel cheated by the experience. So if you have one puzzle where the player has to make a magnet, then you should have a similarly difficult puzzle involved in the player finding the key to open the locker containing the ready made magnet.

Well you see-thats the rub. Is putting in 'bypasses' like that really helpfull to the player? Or just something to make the game easier? I want them for atmosphere reasons....but is this going to end up hindering the gameplay? Honestly, the puzzles arent 'that' difficult. I want to make this a game that will hopefully introduce people to adventure gaming-not just be for the hardcore adventurers who want to break out engineering manuals when they get stuck.

And as for a cluttered inventory. The setting of your game makes for some good possibilities to unclutter the inventory at regular intervals as part of the story. Perhaps your character gets caught in an area of the ship with a hull breach and some items get sucked out of his pockets, or perhaps there's an area of the ship with a metal detector and won't let him pass with certain items, or a bio filter which won't let him pass without dropping some items of an organic nature. Of course they would have to be choke points otherwise it'd be possible for the player to lose items they might need later on.

I like the idea of certain detectors not allowing certain items to go past. I have designed the game to have natural 'choke points' (Ive called them BLOCKS) which are ways that stop the player from moving backwards. These have all been put in places that ensure that inventory items that haven't been picked up will not be needed to continue the game.
In really looking at the practical nature of the puzzles, I've kept inventory hording to a minimum.

I really like the audio cue idea to signify pertinent pieces of info....
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Old 01-04-2011, 07:09 AM   #63
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With regards to your puzzle bypasses, taking the idea of the magnet as an example, you said you can make a magnet which is an inventory puzzle or you can find a magnet which is a research puzzle, which encompass two different types of adventure games, your Monkey Island style game, and your Sherlock Holmes style game, which is no bad thing as it could then appeal to both sets of fans, however it'd be a lot of work because I suppose you need to somehow close off one avenue of investigation when the other is taken to stop confusion over having two magnets, and you have to make each route complicated enough to appeal to those fans, for instance if you found a log on a person it probably couldn't simply have the locker code, it'd have to have some sort of 'treasure hunt' that leads you to the locker code via a couple of other clues. It's a very ambitious project but you don't have a publisher ramming a deadline down your neck so i say go for it!

And with regards to your object use, I don't know if this sounds like a good use of inventory, but I sometimes think about making a zombie survival adventure game where you'd be in a room and there'd be objects you could pick up, but each object would have real world uses, taking a cue from Resident Evil Outbreak. So if you picked up an axe you could use it to break down the door to the next room, or you could smash up a table to then use to barricade the window, or you could use it to kill a zombie who'd gotten into the room, but at some point it'd break so you'd then have to find some other way to do one of those three puzzles. I figured it'd be a nightmare to code but i think that would be an ideal adventure game in many ways as you'd rarely ever get the "i can't do that" for something that in the real world you could actually do which is the holy grail of adventure gaming.

anyway i've gone off on one a bit now
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Old 01-05-2011, 03:50 PM   #64
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Both Penumbra and Amnesia did the idea of items well. They both added to the story and helped progress the game with information. I think finding the balance is key here, however, I believe there is always more to an adventure game that offers up a unique glimpse into the world. I think it is possible to both inform the player about the world and allow progression. Perhaps this information will describe a malfunction, adding a part of the puzzle to a later scenario. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to connect all the pieces, there is definitely a place for both, and I personally think what separates adventure games from other genres is the complexity in the story and that "universe" where it takes place.

I like the idea of using the environments to help with inventory. I wish I could offer a bit more. I'm going to stew on the issues you're having so I can maybe add more to the conversation. Just some generalizations, because I've always truly appreciated games that really pull you in.
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Old 01-06-2011, 12:15 AM   #65
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Ill do a proper reply to you guys this afternoon, but thanks for the input here. Really helping me order things 'in my head'.
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Old 01-07-2011, 02:14 AM   #66
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New video showing INVENTORY INTERACTION:

http://vimeo.com/18526920
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Old 01-07-2011, 02:51 AM   #67
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I think the logs in this game go some way to achieving the same sort of living background that you are looking to achieve. The partial file corruption (which renders entries partly unreadable) is also a good additioh or realism (indicating damage to computer memory) but may not be for you.
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Old 01-07-2011, 03:43 AM   #68
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Nice looking inventory GUI. I'm definitely digging it. Watching your video in HD/Fullscreen is a pleasure see. Definitely liking the animation too. So far it looks and sounds great.
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Old 01-07-2011, 03:59 AM   #69
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stepurhan

Thanks for that! Ill take a proper look when I get a chance, but I love the partial file corruption idea. Im sure I can work that into a puzzle or two, or perhaps even into a larger game mechanic. Gotta go get my notebook now...

Monolith,

Thanks mate. Im really working on the sound to get it just right. I think that sound is half the battle when it comes to atmosphere. You can almost forgive bad visuals as a stylistic choice, but bad sound can completely ruin a cool experience.

Im trying to keep the interface as dead simple as possible. From a design POV, this is literally the only interface interaction you have 'in game' (with the obvious exception of interfacing with the Groomlakes computers-but that will occur on a separate screen).
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Old 01-07-2011, 04:04 AM   #70
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I like the way you implemented the inventory. I can only recall one instance where a game directly addressed the issue of how characters are able to hold so many inventory items at the same time. Ironically, it wan't an adventure game! It was Star Trek: Elite Force, an FPS. Characters would store weapons in a transporter pattern buffer (which was used in a very non-canon way). Other games (like Monkey Island) would approach the issue in a satirical way (remember how Guybrush slipped the wooden pole in his pocket at the beginning of MI3? Easy!), but considering this is a sci-fi game with a serious theme, it's nice to see a serious explanation!
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Old 01-07-2011, 08:56 AM   #71
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ZeframCochrane,

Thanks man. I've never liked the bottomless bag idea-although I know that its kinda impossible to get around the logistics of it! So throwing in a bit of tech that kinda explains it I think is a nice way around that.

I loved Elite Forces. The level design in that game is just awesome!

The HYPER STORAGE DEVICE in Stasis is also woven into the story, as a piece of tech that was actually developed at Groomlake.
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Old 01-11-2011, 11:43 PM   #72
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Hey guys,
David Bruggink wrote a fantastic preview of STASIS for ISSUE 14 of ‘Indie Game Magazine’.
Head on over to http://www.indiegamemag.com/issue14/#comments to get your copy!
-Chris
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Old 01-13-2011, 05:57 AM   #73
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A look at how I've been designing the puzzle of STASIS, aswell as a look as a cool gadget that you will have at your disposal...

http://www.stasisgame.com/a-quick-look-at-puzzle-design
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Old 01-13-2011, 07:42 AM   #74
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I have to say I am SO looking forward to this Pyke. And thanks for all the updates and info. Now just hurry up an finish the dam thing!
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Old 01-13-2011, 11:14 AM   #75
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Amazing work Pyke

Looking forward to playing it
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Old 01-13-2011, 11:54 PM   #76
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Thanks guys! Im hard at work on it. Adding in the XRay goggles has altered some of the puzzle design-but in a good way!

Now that the inventory is done, and interactive conditions are all set up, moving forward with actually putting it all together should be quite smooth.
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Old 01-17-2011, 02:10 AM   #77
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Coming along guys! Ill be uploading a new video and some new screens by the end of the week.
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Old 01-21-2011, 09:45 AM   #78
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Pyke I keep checking back and keep getting incredibly excited for this! Really impressed with your progress and love all the media and blogs you put up. Keep it up, can't wait to see the new video!
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Old 01-25-2011, 06:35 AM   #79
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Thanks donatelli (and anyone else who checks this thread!).

No new screens yet. I've been busy with all the back end things. I suppose I could post screenshots...but they would be boring as hell! I'm trying to get certain aspects of the game to not only run smoothly, but also be easy to implement later on, with different puzzles and game play elements.

Until then, here is another blog post about the aesthetic design of the game, and how I've divided up the different architectural styles I'm going to be working around! As well as something about holograms....

http://www.stasisgame.com/future-aesthetic/
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Old 02-02-2011, 08:17 AM   #80
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Yes! I am not dead!
Hey guys, Im still here! I got a little bogged down in the mechanics of one of the puzzles, but now that its done, I can get on with the fun stuff.

There is a blog update explaining the entire sordid tale here:

http://www.stasisgame.com/keep-it-simple-stupid/

And for those that done feel like reading, here are the screens.





-Chris
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