Level overview: Trinacria Manor (dev 2 perspective)

the first level of the campaign. And despite John Romero's(or however you spell it) comment on that ign devs play video, the game's first level was not one which we chose to make at the last stage of production. For me, I felt that this game would take a long time. As such, if the story had the chance to organically change from its outset in the interim between the start of development and completion, then that would be desirable. There are other reasons too, of course. But a chronology of the narrative had to be pinned down and I wanted to see some flesh of the story in front of us taking shape as we went. After all, we could always go back to add and amend stuff, as we did - and still may need to - do.

I watched some of a few let's plays of the soulstorm remake back when it came out. Was probably a bad decision that you start off your exciting game after such a build up with a slow, awkward throwing bottles simulator which kills the pace of the invasion that your introductory cutscene had set up. Likewise, after having played a tutorial where you are given the fast paced abilities of boosting all over the map, using spells, the first level slows you down with default equipment that excludes boosts, spells or much interesting weaponry. However, maybe the pace is more reflective of the drudge that you're supposed to be getting here - and going ahead here with. I'd like to hear some of your experiences, obviously. Not your fallible assessments of quality, using redundant words such as 'Good' or 'bad', also obviously. No, I'm joking. But hopefully, if some people play more than the first few levels, you'll see what I mean by that sentence.

The first bedroom. There was a suggestion that a couple should be having sex under the covers there. It wasn't ever realised how that could be feasibly done, mostly due to not knowing what would happen if you shot the couple but did not kill them. Would they remain in bed? Run out naked? The first illustrated frame of the sex didn't go unused as it later appears in a picture in the balnae pensiles gathering.

Other clumsy aspects perhaps include how the press u to speak prompt only appears by the guest when other voice clips are not currently playing, meaning that you will likely miss the introduction of Henry halleck if you listen to hex vibrato's infolink.

Now some fond aspects are coming to my mind as I think of things to refer to in this level. There are many details. Some hilarious. Use an explosive by those sinks in the bathroom. You will notice how the sinks explode and leak water. Yeah, we were going to have many active objects in the background which would serve as destructible scenery around the time we started making levels. We stopped doing that pretty quickly. But any sinks that you see are the few remaining examples of that idea which we implemented.

Lol there is a global award which you can obtain, ripped off from timesplitters 2, if you consume health items without needing to. (Hypochondriac) The bathroom - the first part of the first level - has a medikit next to you, and you start the level with full health. So this global award is likely instantly achieved by every player.

Well, those are the details I can remember about the bathroom and the bedroom next to it... there are probably fourteen other rooms, hallways and corridors along the rest of that level. Have a look and see what you can find. We made most levels with the intention of replayability. So there will be something.