Prerelease Post 5 (Patreon)

A bit later than I had planned but I hope anybody that reads this is as relaxed as MJ is during this holiday season! Renders are coming along well, the one I posted was the one I just finished. I'm near the end but I swear I seem to be adding renders to the scene... it might end up being around 70+ renders. I like them though, I hope you'll like the improved intro too. Soon!

MZ wise, the museum is more or less finished. There are a few areas I need to add but they aren't critical to the game. For now I plan on finishing up the intro quest, I had stopped while working on the museum, then moving back to the museum and starting on the next part of the main quest. I plan to re-render the entire scene and add a lot of new renders for the museum overall, so unlike my previous plan to include the old scene until the new scene was ready, I'm not going to do that and just won't let the player start that event for now. You will be able to walk around and check out the museum if you like though, time will be locked in the game during the intro.

The Map To Your Destination

Honestly, I've never really had a problem with my maps. Hell, I still don't have a problem with my maps. If anything, I'd say that my maps were to small and tame. *shrugs* That said, my maps left a lot to be desired as well. Incoming shameless plug here, but if I had to say a game that had the ideal kind of map I wanted to make I'd have to go with My New Life by Beggar of Net. Check that out if you haven't. Check it out if you have and haven't played in a while. Nope, I didn't get paid a thing for that promo. 

So, that game has a pretty large and lifelike map. The city seems vibrant and NPCs are all over the place doing all sorts of stuff. But they aren't very reactive. Most can't be interacted with at all. So it looks nice but it's a false front. My goal is to get the lifelike feel that game provides visually and layer it with some minimal social actions. I'm not trying to make every NPC able to tell you their life story but I do want to create a game where you can interact with the world. NPCs included. To that end I'll be making smaller, compared to theirs, maps with less on said maps but everything can be interacted with. All while making travel efficient and fun, maybe. Also, my maps might be smaller by comparison but I plan on having at least 4-5 stores/buildings per city  zone.

If you can see it, you can click it.
Well, assuming the character can actually make it to the spot on the map. One of the things I started implementing in the old game was the player could literally activate everything. In some cases it just told you what the item was but depending on what the player activated they could get random inconsequential things. I never got the chance to flesh that out but I'll be bringing that back from the beginning.

Aside from the function I just explained, clicking on things will take time off the clock. If you stop to look at a chair, and maybe find a dollar, you'll find that you lost a minute for that dollar. Assuming you found the dollar, you might've just lost a minute. Maybe you click on a bush and a dog jumps out, showering you in mud, thus lowering your charisma. Maybe the dog is clean but chases the player around for 10 minutes. Essentially, every item in the game will come with a basic event that just comments on the item, a lucky event that gives the player something, and an unlucky event that somehow effects the player negatively.

It might sound complicated or overly ambitious but it's honestly really easy and simple to implement. However, it's something best done early on and I just so happen to be early on in development. Heh.

Ain't nobody got time for all that walking!

First of all, that's why you're fa.... fast. That's why I added fast travel to the game to keep up with fast thinkers like yourself. Some people can't deign to walk 4 feet, and in some games, the player really does seem to be endlessly walking..... I ain't saying no names tho. But hey, that's what fast travel is for. The fa.. st people. Yeah. But seriously, sometimes you just want to get from point A to point C, point B be damned! I get it. So every map that consists of multiple largish maps will have a fast travel system. Once you've gone into every, or the majority of every room in a location you'll unlock fast travel for that location. Hit a button, I'm not sure what key yet, and a list will open with all the places you can go. 

Please note that "fast travel" is not necessarily faster than walking somewhere normally. All fast travel will take the same amount of time, 2 minutes, plus a random variable amount depending on if something happened during your fast travel. That's right, events can and will take place during fast travel. Nothing major, similar in concept to object/map events. Different scenarios will be available based on location. So you wont get the same types of things happen when fast traveling at home that you would at the museum. Savvy?

Fast travel, what about distance travel?

You want to go halfway across the map but you're too lazy to walk there? Have no fear, we, me, here at Dope games have you covered on that front as well. Dope now has access to, A BRAND NEW CAR! Dun, dun , dun dun! Dunnn! Duunn! Dun, dun, dun, dun! Dunnn! Dunnn! Ok, enough of that. So, yeah, Dope will get a car. You'll be able to upgrade/get a faster one if you like. Eventually. To use the car, go to it at Dope's house, or at the Garage he left it at so REMEMBER where you leave it. (The game will tell you if you forget) Anyway, from the car you can go to any public garage in the game. Maybe I'll add a few other locations as well. 

But wait, there's more! Van Nuts is now the proud owner of a new, state of the art.... bus system! Marvel at its wonder as Dope waits at bus stops for a city bus, powered on sweet solar energy, to shuttle him to his destination. What that means is there are now bus stops at the game, you go to them and catch a bus to wherever there are bus stops. The game takes a random amount of time for the bus to arrive and a set amount of time depending on distance traveled + a variable amount to get to the destination. It's more or less instant for the player though.

I think that's about all that I need to say about maps and fast travel. If not, of well, that's all for now. OH! Current planned release is Jan 1, which is on a Friday so it works perfect for me. Stay tuned!

Ah, I hope you like the preview of the museum. The last two are the old "museum". Ok, seriously gone this time. Take care! Happy holidays!