"Recuced Activity during Rain" - I see how it follows rules of resemblance and logic. I like the idea that its easier to hunt for prays in their nests while its raining or entering the cage to be suprised by a flock of predators in there. This has a lot of potential but how would you introduced that to player?
Introducing to the player via NPC would be a way or players could experience it and they may start to think that okay caves could be dangerous to enter. Which I think that this is always the case in most of the games. If you entering inside a cave, you could find smth great and you may face enemies that could kill you. I think players could create the connection between these.
This mechanic is mostly know form hunting simulators. Additionaly many players tend to play games while listening to something. Lastly, It comes with readability issues. We would need tho have special "Listening" animation for each mob to make it readable, unless we going to communicate it via UI (we won't).
Sole idea of alert state is good, but in here we need to marge it with vison. So it applies to overall detection range etc.
But we can't say that the creatures will not react on environment sounds that comming from nearby places. This may ruin the immersion. I understand that we shouldn't be relying on audio but I guess that we should also leave a space for creatures for reacting the environmental sounds that could hint to the creatures that smth is approaching. Maybe we could solve this reducing the sound cue range, that hints the creature smth is approaching.
There is a minor issue. I see what you ment by Rainy or foggy. But i would not go with hard naming rain or fogy. Name it low visbility & bad. You know if we decide that we would like to have a dessert layer then bad weather still aplies but rainy not very much.
I see what you mean I will adapt according to it. However I think we should also plan the weather events that could occur in the game world. For instance when you say dessert layer I started to think that will we have smth like a sand storm.
First of all it affects navigation, and if we are making game about resources scaristy it could be more deadly then predators by themself. I see how much it may be dependant by visuals of the fog but its high risk.
Second, it's efectivly enforcing sneaking meachnics. Don't you think that forcing player to reduce the movemnt speed at effectivley entire map is could be radically affecting game pacing?
However, i like the idea of "I am traveling thourgh fog, and hapens to stumble upon pray that is suprised as much as I am"
I think problem lies in the fact that you give double advantage to mobs; 1 - player can't see them 2 - they will hear player before they can be seen.
How would you prefer to approach in here? I think that the fog creates a great layer in here to create tension.
I think we could solve this issue with changing the dependencies. We could reduce the fog density, and we could reduce the predators activity which the player may encounter a predator in rare ocasion and if they stumble upon each other the prey could act suprised or scared which will create a gap for the player to be prepared to fight against the predator.
Definetly, since we will have specific creatures, they will leave their own spesific marks on the environment. If that's okay I will try to discuss this with the narrative team bc they could inform us about how they imagined what kind of marks they could leave on the environment.
Well, we can't do that. This is a system that will affect food source for the player as well as is not directly introduced by the player. It must be consistant, it may be more complex by introducing new actors into it. But rules, conditions and dependecis must stay conistant thrught out the entire game.
Since we will have different creatures in each layer, what about using the experience level system which also affects the players interaction with the world. For instance, let's say as the player levels up the creatures also levels up like their HP will increase, their armour will increase, prey's damage will increase, etc. This will help us to maintain the challenge while the PC getting stronger.
First of all, good job. I like how you managed to make the system quite simple yet make it sensibly advanced. There are few problem that we must adress.
First problem being that current system realys too much on audio. I see and i like how it plays and what is that role. Unfortunetly, if we decided to go with it we are making few assumptions. Biggest assumption is that peaople will actualy be listening to our game. Why? Big thing about survival game is that player set's their progression pace how they pleas. Many player don't like to rush them and sweat only when they decied to. That means when they are grinding resources, or just exploring they usually listening to something, podcast music or just yt. Next assumption is that they are using a good headphones, or eaven headphones. What i mean by that audio can't be a main driver of player actions. You may use it to help player but not force them to relay on it.
Second, i like the enviromental conditions based on elevation and water distance. However, i feel like you scratched surface with those hint's. I see how event director could be introdeced. Some events that can be triggerd automaticly or if conditions are met, for examples:
- Player leaves a dead body of animal: they wait and scavengers appear. - PC is bleeding for a longer time? Predator that smeels blood apprears - player travesers world and if time and weather are correct they may hear a noises of fight and see birds flying away form there. If they go there they see a predator and prey fighting. (Here i don't condratic myself because it is optional and is visual component is added).
Let me know if i expilained my point here well.
Overall great job! Good start with great potential with only few quircks.
Review the document apply my remarks as well as preapare raw draft of this event director. Once both are ready, let me know!
Mainly i desined this document to focus on the creatures behaviours. So main focus in here is not PvE more likely EvE like how creatures will engage with each other. Like where the creatures will rest, what they will react to, how they behave, etc. These information could be used by the player to learn the creatures behaviours but i don't think that it is heavily rely on audio.
Since this is a survival game, I think that we could also benefit from the sense of hearing. Yes, some players will not going to listen the environment audio but some will do it. Also, if we focus on the people who'll listen podcast while playing, we may lose the immersion elements, where the people who listens the game audio will be sad about it. Some gamers prefers immersion in survival games.
For the environmental conditions you are completely right, it is just a scratch at the surface and I think that instead of implementing in this document it should be another document for the event manager. Which you send me the event manager reference video to me which I will look at it.
I was more likely thinking about the idea that if there are no preadators around prey could use it as a shelter. And this will create a suprise moment for the player bc they could not know if there will be preys or predators in here.
"Recuced Activity during Rain" - I see how it follows rules of resemblance and logic. I like the idea that its easier to hunt for prays in their nests while its raining or entering the cage to be suprised by a flock of predators in there. This has a lot of potential but how would you introduced that to player?
Introducing to the player via NPC would be a way or players could experience it and they may start to think that okay caves could be dangerous to enter. Which I think that this is always the case in most of the games. If you entering inside a cave, you could find smth great and you may face enemies that could kill you. I think players could create the connection between these.
Well this is very problematic.
This mechanic is mostly know form hunting simulators. Additionaly many players tend to play games while listening to something. Lastly, It comes with readability issues. We would need tho have special "Listening" animation for each mob to make it readable, unless we going to communicate it via UI (we won't).
Sole idea of alert state is good, but in here we need to marge it with vison. So it applies to overall detection range etc.
But we can't say that the creatures will not react on environment sounds that comming from nearby places. This may ruin the immersion. I understand that we shouldn't be relying on audio but I guess that we should also leave a space for creatures for reacting the environmental sounds that could hint to the creatures that smth is approaching. Maybe we could solve this reducing the sound cue range, that hints the creature smth is approaching.
I assume it's general Tranistion diagram, not examplatory one right?
Well then I have troubles understanding it. It can't go form resting to alert? Maybe my assumption is wrong.
There is a minor issue. I see what you ment by Rainy or foggy. But i would not go with hard naming rain or fogy. Name it low visbility & bad. You know if we decide that we would like to have a dessert layer then bad weather still aplies but rainy not very much.
I see what you mean I will adapt according to it. However I think we should also plan the weather events that could occur in the game world. For instance when you say dessert layer I started to think that will we have smth like a sand storm.
Quite opposite, patterns are more diversed therefore sunny weather is worst for pattern reaptability
Well this is a major issue.
First of all it affects navigation, and if we are making game about resources scaristy it could be more deadly then predators by themself. I see how much it may be dependant by visuals of the fog but its high risk.
Second, it's efectivly enforcing sneaking meachnics. Don't you think that forcing player to reduce the movemnt speed at effectivley entire map is could be radically affecting game pacing?
However, i like the idea of "I am traveling thourgh fog, and hapens to stumble upon pray that is suprised as much as I am"
I think problem lies in the fact that you give double advantage to mobs;
1 - player can't see them
2 - they will hear player before they can be seen.
How would you prefer to approach in here? I think that the fog creates a great layer in here to create tension.
I think we could solve this issue with changing the dependencies. We could reduce the fog density, and we could reduce the predators activity which the player may encounter a predator in rare ocasion and if they stumble upon each other the prey could act suprised or scared which will create a gap for the player to be prepared to fight against the predator.
What do you think?
I thing you are to precise, what about old buildings? they seem similar that they are good shelters.
We will need more of those + some diegetic higliter to help player notice them
Definetly, since we will have specific creatures, they will leave their own spesific marks on the environment. If that's okay I will try to discuss this with the narrative team bc they could inform us about how they imagined what kind of marks they could leave on the environment.
Well, we can't do that. This is a system that will affect food source for the player as well as is not directly introduced by the player. It must be consistant, it may be more complex by introducing new actors into it. But rules, conditions and dependecis must stay conistant thrught out the entire game.
Since we will have different creatures in each layer, what about using the experience level system which also affects the players interaction with the world. For instance, let's say as the player levels up the creatures also levels up like their HP will increase, their armour will increase, prey's damage will increase, etc. This will help us to maintain the challenge while the PC getting stronger.
Well, change it to direct coumniation via npc. notes, paintings etc.
First of all, good job. I like how you managed to make the system quite simple yet make it sensibly advanced. There are few problem that we must adress.
First problem being that current system realys too much on audio. I see and i like how it plays and what is that role. Unfortunetly, if we decided to go with it we are making few assumptions. Biggest assumption is that peaople will actualy be listening to our game. Why? Big thing about survival game is that player set's their progression pace how they pleas. Many player don't like to rush them and sweat only when they decied to. That means when they are grinding resources, or just exploring they usually listening to something, podcast music or just yt. Next assumption is that they are using a good headphones, or eaven headphones. What i mean by that audio can't be a main driver of player actions. You may use it to help player but not force them to relay on it.
Second, i like the enviromental conditions based on elevation and water distance. However, i feel like you scratched surface with those hint's. I see how event director could be introdeced. Some events that can be triggerd automaticly or if conditions are met, for examples:
- Player leaves a dead body of animal: they wait and scavengers appear.
- PC is bleeding for a longer time? Predator that smeels blood apprears
- player travesers world and if time and weather are correct they may hear a noises of fight and see birds flying away form there. If they go there they see a predator and prey fighting. (Here i don't condratic myself because it is optional and is visual component is added).
Let me know if i expilained my point here well.
Overall great job! Good start with great potential with only few quircks.
Review the document apply my remarks as well as preapare raw draft of this event director. Once both are ready, let me know!
Mainly i desined this document to focus on the creatures behaviours. So main focus in here is not PvE more likely EvE like how creatures will engage with each other. Like where the creatures will rest, what they will react to, how they behave, etc. These information could be used by the player to learn the creatures behaviours but i don't think that it is heavily rely on audio.
Since this is a survival game, I think that we could also benefit from the sense of hearing. Yes, some players will not going to listen the environment audio but some will do it. Also, if we focus on the people who'll listen podcast while playing, we may lose the immersion elements, where the people who listens the game audio will be sad about it. Some gamers prefers immersion in survival games.
For the environmental conditions you are completely right, it is just a scratch at the surface and I think that instead of implementing in this document it should be another document for the event manager. Which you send me the event manager reference video to me which I will look at it.
I was more likely thinking about the idea that if there are no preadators around prey could use it as a shelter. And this will create a suprise moment for the player bc they could not know if there will be preys or predators in here.