Back again for the fourth week! Up until this point, Sack Investigation has been more of a sandbox rather than an actual game. So this week I focus on adding a soft “objective” to the game. Eventually this games gameplay will feel like a mash up of Phasmaphobia and Lethal Company, chaotic environment’s where players need to deduct clues to find a way to exit each area. Therefore, I wanted to give a puzzle players need to solve to reveal a “cursed object”. The puzzle was also designed to be randomise to slowly work towards making a replayable experience.

The Medieval Black Light

Investigating for clues can be a very fun mechanic, especially when it uses interconnecting systems. Here I am using a black light shader where images will be revealed when the lantern is close enough. The images that are revealed are the ingredients that player is required to place into the cauldron. These images will randomly change with each play through and if the wrong ingredient is placed into the cauldron. Its important to me I make the puzzles randomised so in the full context of the game, no two runs play the same. However, whilst no two bowls of oatmeal are never the same, at the end of the day they are just oatmeal and as bland as each other. I want the game to feel randomised but if I want the game to have replayabilty then each playthrough needs to feel distinct.

Brewing Concotions

Because the cauldron was going to be a pretty big focus for this weeks update, I wanted to update some of its visuals. The swirl was achieved with a twirl node linked to a Voronoi noise The particles were made using meshes for the bubbles and just the standard particle material for the mist. An issue with adding objectives to any game, is you need to also add tutorialisation or feedback. That’s why I also added a particle system that would emit green smoke when the player places a correct ingredient into the cauldron and red smoke when they place the wrong ingredient in. Its important that the player knows when they have done something wrong or right or else they might just feel like they are talking to a brick wall.

Following The Fun

Even though I do want to make this game into a commercial product, I still prioritise having fun. When creating the models for the ingredients, I chose random objects that still made sense in a funny way. When witches are creating potions, they often use some kind of root and technically root beer is still a root. The Jello pack was also a great addition because a witch would possibly use it to thicken up their concoction. However many of meaning behind these funny gags will be lost in translation in the actual game. Therefore in the future I want to take time to hopefully find ways of making them more clear to the players without forcing it. One of my friends recomended placing an icon of a root onto the glass of the root beer. Either way it will require some player testing.

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