Things have changed.

This isn't an update in the traditional sense. I won't detail every little adjustment or addition I've made, because that is BORING! Really, I just want to write some rubbish about the game that is slightly informative, and perhaps a little entertaining.

The Narrative

I started this game with absolutely zero clue in regards to the story I wanted to tell. No characters, no plot, just a vague idea of themes and tone. It's taken me a little while to actually think of something worth writing about, but I might finally be onto something.

In short, you're this guy driving across the country in the hopes of mending an irreparable relationship. You're desperate, and you're naive. Like any good story, your hopes and dreams of fixing this relationship go pear shaped when your car breaks down in a backwater Texas town. From there, you really just have to pass the time and hope things work themselves out. Do they work themselves out? Probably not, but you're hopelessly in love, and realistic expectations are for suckers.

It's like a world tour of self discovery. You talk to all these people in the town and gain perspective. Your life is small and insignificant. Your woes matter not to the world at large. These people are stuck in their own never ending battles, and they will not pull you from of this romantic black hole you've found yourself in.

There's also the story of town itself. It's all about the past, because there isn't any future. The industry is gone, the people who remain cling onto the image of a place that only exists in their minds. This a lot harder to write about since it has to be conveyed in many small chunks. Perhaps it goes without saying, but I don't want a character to explain all this to the player. It has to be subtle. Never, ever stated out loud. And that's the perfect segue into the next part of this update.

The Art

This game is HEAVY on environment art. I've basically set out to build a semi-realistic small town, and within that town are countless opportunities for environmental storytelling. Stuff like signs, old picture frames, cars. Why is there a tire on the top of that powerpole? Why are all those windows boarded up? Does that street name have any backstory? That sort of stuff is what I love. The best part is that you don't even need to explain most of it. Just throw it out there, sprinkle in some small hints, and let the players work it out themselves.

Here's a look at a space I started working on today.

You can probably tell it isn't anywhere near finished, given all the shelves are empty. Or is that intentional? Perhaps the owners are moving out of town, or shutting up shop. My favourite part of being a writer is coming up with all these silly reasons behind the lack of assets in a scene. Oh, this room is empty? What if I told you the character that lives here can't do any interior decorating because it makes them anxious? What do you have to say about that? HM?

The UI

This is by far the least developed part of the game. I'm still very unsure on where I want to take the visual design. Right now it's really just a variant on the Trail of the Wretched UI, but I want it to be far more than that.

It's serviceable in its current state, but I'll probably redo the whole look. I'm leaning towards something very 1960s inspired. Like all those old oil signs from Shell or Esso. Something new I've already implemented is the conversation titles. You can see the title of the conversation above on the left of the text box. I think it's a fun way to add some extra context to a narrative thread, or just set the tone of what's to come. Something I'm still undecided on is character portraits. I'd like to have them in the game, but the style and presentation is unknown for the time being. I'll think of something eventually, just not right now.

Anyway, that's all I've got to say for this week. Stay tuned. Enjoy your Christmas.

I leave you with this. Goodbye.