Beta Tester...not hiring just yet...wait a few weeks... Thanks for the Beta Tester offers, if you want to PM me, I'll save your beta offers and then see if your still up for Beta Testing closer to the game completion. Or when a rough version is ready...
Ok, Massive Spoiler Alert! ..Story scripts and puzzle layout.. below... Right ok, I've made the decision to share the game story (version 1) for anyone who may want to read it and feedback with ideas and impressions on the story. MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT, THIS WILL RUIN THE GAME FOR YOU It includes how all the puzzles play out and are connected. I'll let you make your own decision as to whether you want to read it through. IF YOUR SURE! Heres the link to download the text document. Download top secret 'Dark Asylum' game story and puzzle layout. If anyone does decide to take a look, i'd love some feedback, on whether you feel it will be scary enough, the puzzles engaging enough and the overall story cool enough. Apologies for any poor grammar, or spelling. I've been working on it solidly for 2 nights, and I've just proof read it again. But my minds a little tired. This is version.1 I guess so open to some major changes if needed. i.e. bigger gameplay area, but then that will increase the time before release. Then there's the constant weighing up, of is it worth putting tonnes of time into the game if its a flop, but the more time put in the better the game. I want to push it so the game is very good. thanks.. Jon from stormystudio.com
Is this a room escape game?! I know when to keep my eyes on an app! Just make it easier for us to tell in which direction we are turning as demomstrated in your demo lol. In any case, blood, foreshadowing, dark areas and spiders make horror games That, and noises.
Don't know if it is something you would implement but have you thought about the playable character having mental issues himself? You could have them as a schizophrenia sufferer. You might be thinking "that would make it obvious to the player" but people with schizophrenia don't know they have it, it is in their mind to ignore it and believe that people are "out to get them". Therefore make absolutely no mention of it in the game and you can toy with the players head a lot. For example: There could be a part in the game where a character you meet is telling you "kill the demon, kill it before it hurts anyone". And you must kill the demon. However it was the schizophrenia making you think that. The person you meet (a young lady) was actually saying help my brother. And because of the illness, you had killed their brother and thought it was the right thing to do. Have the demon's body stay there throughout the game... Then have a section where you must back track and when you come across the demon's body it is actually that of a young boy. The player will think "What? It wasn't like that before" and be confused why the body has changed. Do not make it a cutscene of noticing the body change! It will be obvious, leave it for the player to notice on their own. Have lots of these little changes happening to confuse the player throughout. You could also go for a classic ending with that idea too. You could escape the asylum and then wake up at morning for work. Making it seem like a dream. Then have it so that when you walk into the bathroom to wash the dead body of the young boy is in the bath tub - but again, make no cutscene of it. Just leave it for the player to notice. After washing you could go to your closet to get clothes, have the clothes as the ripped ones you wore in the asylum but make the character put them on like nothing is wrong with them. When driving to work everything is sunny and lovely you could pass a sign outside your home that says "Home Sweet Home". Then you could go into work and the receptionist could be the young lady who you met in the asylum and could be talking to you like everything is normal. Some crazy twisted deformed failed experiment from the asylum could be more normal looking and even be your boss! After messing around in work a bit you could get into your car and drive home but on the way home it slowly gets darker and the roads quieter. Blood trails start to appear on the road, make the bright sunny world change into a dank dark atmosphere. You could drive up to the sign from earlier that now says "The Asylum" and have your home as the asylum from earlier in the game. You could end the game very open. Was the asylum and horror part all a dream while you have a nice job and house? Was the nice job and house a dream and you really are a lunatic? Was it all a dream and you have yet to wake up? It will be up to the player's interpretation of what is happening based on their own thoughts and reactions to the images throughout the game. It is very late so apologies if this doesn't make sense.
@ritchie blackmore I like those ending ideas. ... How about depending on what puzzles you complete and fail, will change the selection of puzzles you will have to complete from that point forward... and in which would lead to multiple different endings. Many of the endings leave you dead. 1 happy ending and a few endings that have you bonkers out of your mind at the end. and 1 ending where you are the villain the whole time. This would definitely add immense amounts of replay value to a game like this. ... where like trading cards, you gotta collect them all . And an additional idea on top of that. You guys can release these like updates. Maybe an update will add a new route. That way you guys won't be in development for too long before releasing the app to the public lol. Release like the initial path first... and then release more forking paths in the story as updates roll out hahaha. That way you'll keep your fanbase interested for a long time coming.
hmm...nice idea @ritchie blackmore, nice write up there, I'm trying to take the game in a similar line, crossing reality with schizo ideas and interpretations. Part of the problem our end would be creating the car scenes with the game engine we are using ( and can afford to use ). But some aspects could certainly be borrowed.. @TowerDefence, I do like the idea of different endings and paths. Especially like the idea of releasing the game with one and adding more. Look forward to your story version.1 feedback.
Oh I sent my initial review of it to your private messages. I'll send another once I get some feedback of my own lol. Note that I sent that PM before I came up with the idea above lol.
would it being annoying never to escape the lift? The more I think about my first version of the story, the more I keep want to change ideas, simplify some. I'm not 100% sure, but for those of you that have read the 1st version of the story. I'm contemplating, changing it so there are no cut scenes, as generally cut screens are annoying in games and you just want the story to evolve as you play. Also I think it might be annoying if you never actually escape the lift. So possibly changing the story alot. Make it so you can escape the lift through the ceiling hatch, solve some puzzles, get clues from ghosts etc, get full power back to the lift, then you're able to open the lift doors and explore different rooms on the 8 different floors. Maybe only having a few rooms available at launch and then add the remaining ones with updates? Could still link to being in an asylum. By actually being in an asylum rather than mixing between reality and insanity. ..Although I like that... 'reality to insanity....'.... hmm.... Also aware that I don't want to make the game massively taxing on our part, only for it to be a flop. Maybe you solve the lift puzzles, get to the lift roof, solve more puzzles, back in lift, turn power on, look around the building (8 rooms), solve more puzzles, the higher you move up the building, the more insane it/you get... Hmmm...just thinking out loud... this is only our 2nd full game production.
Thanks to the moderator for changing the title of this thread... We now have the new title. 'Dark Asylum' as the thread title... Woo. Hoping to get a lot done on the game over the next 2 days, so expect some new screen shots or videos in the coming days.
woow so the game if finally called dark asylum wow can't wait so the game is supposed to be finished in developing and submitting to apple when?
I'm going to get a Promocode for suggesting that name when its released, right? Lol, jk, I will love to support You so you can continue to make cool games
Martin, assuming your still keep a look out for when the game is released, I'm sure you've earnt yourself a promo code...
Seriously? Cool. However, I'll bet this will be worth my money even if i buy or get the code (I will probably gift it to all my friends, lol)
please gift it as much as you like... Just working on the first lot of puzzles now. Whilst a the same time, re designing the game structure in my head... more caffeine is going to be needed...
Dark Asylum...name might have to change :-( BAD NEWS... Just been to register the name 'Dark Asylum' (should of checked this earlier), But the name has already been registered, there's no game out with it, but someone has claimed the name for a future game. I think their claim to the name runs out after a year. So we shall see if its available closer to release. Quite annoying...to say the least...
