Hey everyone!
Welcome to another dev log for Alchemic Beasts! Lately, I've been working on a system that personifies(?) the beasts that you capture. All of the beasts have a personality and come with some traits that make them who they are. They can interact with other beasts and with you! Any time a social event happens it will be displayed in the beast's life log as well as in the menu as their latest social event.
When they interact with other beasts in your party, they may form a bond making it more likely that they breed into something with much better stats and give a better outcome for variants and transmutations if they are compatible for that type of thing. Otherwise they just become friends or enemies.
(Not actual player options, also don't mind all the test stuff! This is my testing room)
These interactions don't happen on the map, as cool as that would be, but they happen in text. The system is in its very early stages, but it is mostly working. Whenever a beast interaction happens, you can choose to acknowledge it which interrupts gameplay or ignore it and continue playing because it ain't your business.
If you acknowledge it, you'll be given some options to affect the beasts even further, like if their feelings got hurt, you can comfort them, or if they were being a jerk, you can discourage them from doing that behavior.
Depending on the beast's personality, you might further upset them or they can have a specific reaction to your meddling. This will be displayed as icons next to the option (current placeholder is a green eyed crazy face). You can only choose one reaction of the bunch, so you'd want to choose carefully.
This is a system I've been dying to put into the game since we started. It gives it such a digimon/tamagotchi feel and I feel like it helps you become attached to the beasts to see their whole journey from capture/birth to death in their life log.
Say the kringle in this scenario pictured above is your best beast. He's been loyal the whole time, has some strong moves and great stats, and he's welcoming to all the other beasts that may join the team. Then this happens and you have jerkface Hookwinger laughing at his misfortune.
Would you high five Hookwinger and commend that behavior or would you join Hookwingal, and offer him encouragement. Tell him he'll get it next time? The choice is yours... And the choice will affect his growth in some way, shape, or form!
It has been so fun making this system and seeing the beasts interact with each other... well not actually SEEING it, but picturing it in my mind.
You get some really funny interactions sometimes, but it can also be because the system is being janky, haha. Those are the things that I need to iron out.
We hope you like it so far!
If you’d like to support us as we continue to forge our world, the Celestial Tear, check out our Patreon! Stay tuned for more!
- Yin & Rell