Posted October 25, 2025 by Banngaus
#multiplayer #asymmetric #deduction #horror #unity #c# #indie
Summary: Two weeks ago, my friends and I started working on Haunted Lie — a psychological digital board game about deduction, deception, and growing mistrust. The prototype already includes key mechanics: asymmetric roles, a strategic 2D map, and the basic round system.
Finalized the concept and logline of the game.
Implemented the main roles: 3 Investigators and 1 Traitor, each with basic abilities.
Built the 2D strategic map — the main field where all player actions take place.
Added the core gameplay loop: 3 rounds × 180 seconds, with phases Silence (Investigation) / Accusation (Discussion) / Voting.
The game features cooldown timers that carry over between rounds: they pause during the discussion phase and resume only during the investigation phase.
Created an early UI prototype for distributing the pool of 6 tools (2 per player) — basic layout and interaction logic.
Technical Notes
The three-round format with limited time (180s) keeps the pace tight and encourages risk–reward decision-making.
Carrying cooldowns between rounds gives meaning to previous actions and encourages players to plan ahead.
Asymmetric roles create social tension — the Traitor knows more and can manipulate the investigation.
The 2D map focuses the gameplay on decision-making and interaction instead of unnecessary movement.
Cooldown desync: plan to move cooldown authority to the server and replicate remaining time to clients.
Timers not stopping during discussion phase: added an explicit phase flag to pause all local counters.
Tool balance: some tools were too strong; temporarily increased cooldowns. Future A/B testing and “activation cost” mechanics are planned.
So far, I’ve only run solo tests to check how tools and timers behave.
Full multiplayer testing has not yet been conducted.
Implement a fully functional and stable multiplayer system (cooldown replication, voting, synchronization).
Give each ghost a unique ability or characteristic.
Design and polish the full UI — indicators, hints, visual feedback.
Begin multiplayer playtests with external players.
Run A/B tests for balancing tools.
Add and test a new tool.
Record a short teaser (15–30s) for social media.
Do you like the concept of the game so far? What would you add or change?
Do you have ideas for new tools or ghost traits? Feel free to share — some of them might make it into the game!
If you’d like to discuss the project, help with testing, or share your feedback — leave a comment or reach out. I’m always happy to talk and connect with others!