Vision
It has been really long since the last update but I wanted to focus on a major update that improves every aspect of the game since the initial version of the game was quite far off from my original vision.
You now may ask what this original vision is and quite frankly it is all about story and atmosphere. So that is what I focused on. Right from the start you will get an impression of who you are, why you are there and what you are trying to achieve.
Story
I not only expanded but also reworked every area as well as added new ones which are now split into chapters to give some kind of deeper meaning to where you are going.
There are also various side-stories that will give further insight of what other people experienced in this area.
On top of that the main story will revolve around the Crystal Woods rather than just the castle - intertwined with the story of the protagonist.
Overall Changes
The game is also becoming more gritty and dark which is also due to making hundreds of new assets to fill the world.
The game now features a set of different ways to push the narrative. First of, visual story telling - everything has a meaning, every object tells a story as well as being a part of the history.
Notes can be found throughout the game mostly giving additional information about side stories but also help to understand the whole. There are tons of events that help the atmosphere, probablby ten times as many as before.
The gameplay is more diverse and not just finding the right key to open a door. And last but not least the voice over.
The entire game will be voiced which mostly revolves around the protagonist but also has a twist regarding how the story is presented. Saying that the voice over will focus on giving a feeling of having an actual protagonist.
Thoughts, feelings and more, which also creates the problem that their might just be too much, so it is up to me to find the right balance what is the right amount of voice lines in which situations because at the end, it still is supposed to be a horror story and should support and bring everything together rather than distract.
Scenes
The shown pictures are not entirely finished but relatively close. I'm currently adding even more vegetation as well as optimizing it. So it most likely will become more lush.
Comparison of the old and new starting path. First two are the old right followed by the new version.
In the new version there is a lot more going on and it feels more like being in the woods. I also decided to start out with warmer colors, lighting in this case which will change later on in the game.
This house will play a major role in chapter 1.
I still liked the blue lighting from the initial build, it gives a really cold and uneasy feeling so it will be there too, just not directly at start.
The update will be ready in a few weeks.
I will also post more frequent, not necessarily every friday but I will try to give more insight on what is going on.
Cheers,
Drace