Hello compeers,
welcome back to our little Autonomous Social Center, where we generally take ourselves a bit more seriously and shed some light on that chimera known as Glasshouse. In recent months, the collective has accelerated development thanks to a paradigm shift in our production structure. With pre-production now completed, I've officially handed over the reins of project management to Gianmarco, leaving me more time to focus on the script and the artistic/creative direction of it. Gianmarco, who has been a Game Designer on Glasshouse since 2022 and has gained valuable experience managing Handmancers (a parallel project developed by 58Blades), proposed that the collective adopt the "Agile methodology": In essence, we have replaced Trello with Notion, embracing a more systemic approach to development based on flexible sprints, instead of rigid deadlines. We have also increased the number of weekly meetings, and now each department is fully autonomous, which is a result of past decisions to create windows, not walls, toward each other's work. If Glasshouse is a collective stream of consciousness, then FLAT28 is a social funnel channeling it.
Today, for the first time, we will show you the Combat System prototype, but we will also take a look at the Sidescroll sections and the new residents who will join soon Dorm 73B.
EARLY COMBAT SYSTEM PROTOTYPE
Against all production-commercial logic, the combat system in Glasshouse is designed to be in ludonarrative harmony. The goal is to create non-repetitive combat instances that exist only when they make narrative sense. If we think of the pacing of the game like an electrocardiogram, we want Glasshouse's combat to be a fleeting peak, not a flatline between narrative beats. For this reason, we decided that there will only be six combat encounters in total, two of which are entirely optional.
The combat system in Glasshouse is inspired by the classic turn-based combat of Final Fantasy, with a touch of puzzle-game logic à la Fear & Hunger. Each turn, you can choose to attack the enemy, talk to them, or change your equipment. If "Attack" involves a dice roll (which varies based on the equipped weapon) that damages the enemy's health bar, "Talk" offers a path of negotiation through dialogue lines that scale based on your Political Compass. Just like you, the enemy also has their own Political Compass, and if you manage to "strike the right chord," you can severely damage their Threat Bar. This is a holistic value that determines the degree of influence you can exert on the opponent: if your Threat Bar is higher than the enemy's, you can attempt to make them surrender. Changing equipment, on the other hand, allows you to sacrifice a turn to select different weapons (which influence Wealdmaer's Threat Bar), heal, or even alter the outcome of the battle in unexpected ways.
What you're seeing here is an early in-development prototype and does not represent the final stage of this mechanic, especially in terms of UI, SFX, and VFX, where we've relied primarily on functional placeholders.
SIDESCROLL SEQUENCES
As we mentioned in the last Devblog, we've been working for months on the new sidescroll sections that will make their debut in Glasshouse. While remaining a primarily isometric cRPG, we've decided to introduce sidescrolling sequences (where you can still move in three dimensions) in cramped rooms and decaying corridors with the aim of changing perspectives in level and quest design, favoring a more varied and stimulating exploration pace. Additionally, for us, it's also a way to immerse you even further into the claustrophobic environments of Glasshouse, and maybe even hide some easter eggs for the sharp-eyed players.
THE GIRL FROM DORM 72
Victim of events or architect of circumstances?
Lia is officially ready to enter the modeling phase, and above you can see the turn-around concept.
THE DORM LEADER
Valerio, our 3D Character Artist, shows us the completed texturing of Makenna. Soon, she will be rigged by Federico and will be ready to exercise her democracy in Dorm 73B.
Today's devblog was an experiment: showing you early development material (like the Combat System) allows us to gather feedback that, at this stage, can truly make a difference. Help us shape the Glasshouse you want to play, especially now that we don't have a publisher and can do what we want.
Thanks everyone, see you soon compeers!
Giacomo Montagnoli, Creative Director
FLAT28 Collective