I intend to enter with my first-ever released game.
Whether or not I make the deadline is another story. I have been working on this, flat-out, since mid-December. We’ll see how it goes lol.
I don’t want to say too much, but I can say what’s currently in the code already. It will be a horror-lite game with a fully-dynamic AI antagonist who is trying to hunt you down. It’s all based on a recurring nightmare I have.
Sound waves will propagate through the map, get muffled, travel through walls, etc, which requires the player to both listen and be silent.
The antagonist uses an observation-expectation-suspicion system, which allows him to observe and track changes you make in the environment, and put together clues to aid in hunting you down. Again, this system is already implemented at this time.
A parkour system turns navigation itself into a series of mini-puzzles, allowing the player to uncover hidden routes to other rooms.
Most of all, the game is meant to be a replayable challenge. I’m intending it to be short, as IF goes, and the starting conditions are scrambled. You can casually load up this game now and then to test your stealthy skills against the antagonist, as his reactive behavior will give you a nuanced experience each time you play.
Part of this means that the player will begin with access to a full map, which is accessed as a tool in the game. Only the parkour routes will be hidden. The in-game map will be screen-reader-friendly, just like the rest of the game. I am making my nightmare a problem for everyone.
The game will also feature a tutorial mode where you play as a cat, as well as a “tutorial-plus” mode with fewer training wheels attached, and the normal player character. This is to help ease in new players to the mechanics, including player new to IF as a medium.
I will post the title and cover once we get closer to the deadline.
Wish me luck.
