Proof of Life #112: Very Barebone 1st Build
Added 2022-02-01 03:42:30 +0000 UTCHello dudes and dudettes, and sorry for being late with this PoL! This one's a bit special, since it's a very early build of my upcoming game, HC3.
There isn't much to do in there but for some sightseeing around the new map. As you will see, it's not even halfway done, as I need to fill up a lot of empty space, but there's already a few things to see.
Of course, even among the things that are already there, there will be changes. For example, the ponds will be improved, a lot of small details will be added here and there, etc... But you can already let me know what you think.
There will be more empty spaces than I expected in the city. Empty spaces, as in spaces without buildings. I've a few ideas to fill them up, like parks and such, but I'm still hesitating for some of them. If you have any idea on what you would like to see/what you think would look good, don't hesitate to share! : )
If you don't want to see an uncomplete map and would rather wait for the final version, you don't have to download this version and can simply wait for the first playable build.
Also, you can play your first match of Triple Triad, renamed as Triple Trident in HC3. A few things need to be tweaked, like menu screens still showing "Triple Triad", but the minigame itself is complete and entirely playable, I simply need to make more cards and add new opponents. Whether you win or lose, you won't gain or lose any cards. But if you want to change your starting deck, you'll have to restart the game. Lastly, the AI has been set up on the lowest difficulty, so don't be surprised if your opponent is a bit dumb in their decisions. The difficulty will be cranked up as the game progresses ; )
I think that's about all I wanted to say. I look foward to hearing what you think!
Have a wonderful week,
N_Taii
PS: The document on HC3 in the pinned post has been updated with new portraits (priestess/nun and red-haired childhood friend) and new card skins
Comments
I highly doubt there will be more than 10 accessible house/buildings in the finished version. Besides, I will try my best to have the heroins' room be close to the window facing the MC, so the player can spot potential scenes/freeroam events from outside. What's more, as I've said, I want to add some fast travel option so it's easier to walk around. All in all, it should be fine. Also, just wanna point out that the main map is actually smaller than HC2. HC2's map was 75x75 tiles, while HC3 is 55x65. Arguably, there is going to be more possible places to visit in HC3, but that should bring the overall size to about the same.
N_taii
2022-02-02 00:50:56 +0000 UTCI mean, I know it's a city, I'm just afraid the map becomes confusing/convoluted with too many houses, which has definitely been a problem in other games. The glowing doors are a good idea imo. The main focus should still be the scenes, not trying to find them. That's all I'm saying :) I mean I definitely spent a lot of time searching for some scenes in HC2 and I assume the map of HC3 will be much bigger. I'm just afraid that walking on the map could take away the fun of playing the game if it's too big. If there are like 10 houses you can actually enter, that's probably managable, but if I think about freeroam scenes in the open, I think missing those becomes more and more likely the bigger the map becomes
Snowman9712
2022-02-01 21:49:43 +0000 UTCYou mean the main square? I actually wanted to add more stuff there, but then I thought of possible "public events" (wink wink) that could be held on the wooden platform, with a crowd in front of it. The crowd would need an empty space to gather, which is why I purposefully left it empty. I'll add more stuff around though, and fill up most other empty spaces you've seen in other part of the district. Forgot to make the monument impassable, thanks for letting me know ; ) Also, I'm glad you liked the mini-game. I had a ton of fun making the cards, although I only have 1/6 of them currently ready.
N_taii
2022-02-01 21:44:08 +0000 UTCActually, this is just a district of a bigger city, which means I can be more flexible with it. Not that many houses? Well, we can just assume most of the population lives in other districts : ) As for houses, the player won't be able to enter all of them. I'm thinking of adding a faint yellow glow on doors that can be opened, so the player will know exactly which houses can be entered.
N_taii
2022-02-01 21:39:26 +0000 UTCAll in all, I'd rather sacrifice some of the visual aspects in favour of convenience and accessibility. Not that the map will be ugly in the end (I hope)^^
N_taii
2022-02-01 21:37:07 +0000 UTCHmmm, I could add a few houses here and there, but I don't want to add too many either for several reasons: -As Snowman mentioned below, having a city too saturated with houses could make it a bit confusing, especially when walking around looking for freeroams, Triple Trident opponents, etc... -Too many houses would certainly make the map crowded, which would make it easier for NPCs to possibly block the path when walking around, also making going from A to B a bit too bothersome when having to go around every single building. On the topic of going from A to B, more houses would mean more walking behind stuff. Even if made transparent, I think that constantly having a wall or a roof in front of the MC could end up being quite annoying. -Since most houses were commissions, they were made in a certain style. If I want lots of houses, I'd have to commission them, and that would take a good chunk of the budget I could allot somewhere else. -This is a fantasy town, which means it doesn't necessarily have to fit the stereotypes of a "typical" harbor district. The idea I had in mind was to make it a "leisure district", where people from other more populated districts come to hang out and relax. This way, it could still be bustling without being crowded with big buildings : )
N_taii
2022-02-01 21:34:16 +0000 UTCI agree with what Snowman9712 says about the number of houses being about right, and I really like the design and layout of the city you've developed. I do think that some of the empty spaces are quite large and should be filled with something, especially directly up from the spawn point. That area is really big for having nothing there. I also did find a minor bug I guess, where I was able to walk through the monument a little to the left of the spawn point. It seems like the kind of thing I shouldn't be able to pass through! I do like how walking behind buildings makes them transparent, that worked nicely. Triple Trident was fun! Did not notice any issues in the few games I played. I'll spend some more time playing it later and provide more feedback, but I like it so far!
Birchowl
2022-02-01 20:22:48 +0000 UTCThings to fill open places could be a market, a fountain, a big old tree, etc. I hope that the game contains enough houses for a city to be believable, but not too many for it to become confusing. Maybe you can let a few houses face in different directions, so that they don't look like you can enter them. If there are like 15 houses to visit, I feel like it could become tedious to check all of them for new scenes every day
Snowman9712
2022-02-01 14:06:10 +0000 UTCthere are so many good movies and games out where they show beautiful cities with loads of inspirations for such unique places. Maybe think a bit ahead of what kind of scenes at which places could be hot
Pete
2022-02-01 13:31:29 +0000 UTCI really would like to see many, many more houses. As the harbor district of the city it should be buzzing with life and there should be a lot of places where the middle class and the poor people live. What remains as free space, can be used to create different unique and hidden places that are later used for a variety of hot and unique freeroaming scenes. E.g. a place surrounded by poorer houses where all the people hang their cloth to dry and there should be enough space in between so that you can fit some hot scenes there.
Pete
2022-02-01 13:29:04 +0000 UTC
