To expand on the concept statement, the player will be faced with many choices throughout the game on how they want to interact with NPCs (from the way they talk to them, to if they harm/kill them). Each of these choices/interactions will carry a weight - a hidden "good-will" point system - and depending on how many points the player has, will determine what ending they receive. If the player solely follows the critical path through the game and doesn't exercise goodwill, then they shall receive the minimal ending, in which they can only save one person with the cure. If the player is constantly choosing the harder or longer route of 'being nice' they will achieve more points and will be able to unlock a better ending.
The Player
The player is able to experience the game world solely as Ordinous. When the game starts, the player knows that they are married to Celeste and is aware of their past with Malum and the King. However, they never learn that the King has fallen to the same poison as Celeste until they have returned home with the cure.
States
Idle
Wander
Converse
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Cut-scene
Failure
End
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Combat
Assemble
Puzzle Solving
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Outer Loops | Inner Loops
Below, we see the outer loop for the entire game and the inner loops that exist within that outer loop. These set the basic premise and system for the game and levels and the transition between states. The text on the arrows depict the state/activity the player can be in; the grey boxes show the different types of that heading; the dashed line implies that the player might not need to follow that path as it is dependent on other factors (optional or to repeat the loop).
Goals
The player's primary goal is to cure Celeste of her illness and the secondary main goal is to find the Healer. The primary goals are part of the linear structure and to progress to each goal, the player must interact with NPCs and complete goals. However, they have the option to partake in side quests which will lead to sub-goals. The main choice that the player makes is if they decide to kill the Fera. This will impact the player's sub-goal as they will then be tasked with attempting to improve their reputation/good-will. Similar things could be said for the New Game+ option, as low reputation/good-will leads to this additional goal to be a
do-gooder.
do-gooder.
Good-will
Good-will refers to the hidden point system that dictates the ending the player will receive. Throughout the game, players will be rewarded Good-will points through completing compulsory and optional tasks. If they excel at certain tasks, they will be awarded additional Good-will. The only time we see a deduction of Good-will, is through the player's choice to kill the Fera.
Ending one:
- Completing no/some additional Good-will objectives, and killing the Fera
Ending two:
- Completing no/some additional Good-will objectives, but sedating the Fera
- Completing all the additional Good-will objectives, even having killed the Fera
Ending three:
- Completing most (6% under from all) of the additional Good-will objectives, choose to sedate the Fera and praise the gardener to receive an extra Sana Lily
- Completing no/some additional Good-will objectives, and killing the Fera
Ending two:
- Completing no/some additional Good-will objectives, but sedating the Fera
- Completing all the additional Good-will objectives, even having killed the Fera
Ending three:
- Completing most (6% under from all) of the additional Good-will objectives, choose to sedate the Fera and praise the gardener to receive an extra Sana Lily
Gameplay
Tutorial:
Collectable:
Short-term goals:
Long-term goal:
The Witch Doctor:
Collectables:
The City of Haven
Collectables:
The Healer Level:
Collectables:
The Ingredients
The Ending
Ending 1 | Up to 60% Good-will Easy
Ending 2 | Between 61-94% Good-will Medium
Golden Ending | Above 95% Good-will Hard
- The player will learn the basic controls and mechanics during this first level. They will learn how speech craftworks and gain a basic understanding of how their reputation works and affects the game world.
- They will also be introduced to the in-game currency system after receiving their income and making a purchase.
- In addition, the player also learns the basic loop of talking to NPCs, then putting together data collected from NPCs to solve/move towards the main goal.
Collectable:
- £500 in-game currency
Short-term goals:
- Drop off presents to the in-laws Easy
- Buy bread for dinner (will need to collect allowance first) Medium
- Find a white rose Easy
- Deliver the knight's sword and collect payment Easy
Long-term goal:
- Find out what is wrong with Celeste and someone who can help
- Critical = 10%
- Additional =
- By the most expensive bread (+2%) Easy
The Witch Doctor:
- This level introduces the player to the time mechanic. They learn that some NPCs can only be interacted with at certain times of the day in the game world.
- Moreover, the use of diegetic sound as data collection is re-enforced and made more difficult for the player as they must now use diegetic sound cues to track the Witch Doctor, Morris.
Collectables:
- Knowledge of the Healer
- The location of the City of Haven
- The path - follow the blue lilies (memory challenge)
- The starting point - the Hidden Valley (inventory = image)
- Find the Witch Doctor Medium
- Find a Nightshade Easy
- Find out how to get to the City of Haven
- Talk to the baker's mother (path) Easy
- Find the Merchant's journal (starting point) Medium
- Help Celeste
- Find the Healer
- Critical = 10%
- Additional =
- Choose a simpler speech style when talking to the baker's wife (+3%) Medium
The City of Haven
- Here the player must engage with a 'matching puzzle' where they must find the starting point of the path by matching the image they have received from the merchant's journal to the correct location in the game world.
- Following entering the Hidden Valley, player's must then engage in a memory challenge as they must remember the hint the Baker's mother gave them (follow the blue lilies).
- This level provides the player with the opportunity to severely affect their reputation by gaining or losing "good-will" points.
- If the player decides to kill the Fera, their "good-will" points will be deduced by 40%, to the point where it will be near impossible for them to achieve 95% of total "good-will" and unlock the golden ending.
- If the player decides to sedate the Fera, their "good-will" will be boosted by 40%, getting them closer to the golden ending.
- To get passed the Fera, the player will be reintroduced to a sound challenge.
- If the player chooses to kill the Fera, they will need to sneak around the palace undetected by listening out for buzzing.
- If the player chooses to sedate the Fera, they must remember the tune of the sedation song and recreating it using small sound samples and arranging them in the right order.
Collectables:
- Entry into the City of Haven
- Fera ink now available
- x1 if killed
- x2 if sedated
- Make it through the Hidden Valley Easy
- Find a way across the water Medium
- Find a way to get passed the Fera
- Find the diamond arrow to kill the Fera Medium
- Find the pieces of the song to sedate the Fera Hard
- Help Celeste
- Find the Healer
- Kill the Fera = -40% Medium
- Sedate the Fera = +40% Hard
The Healer Level:
- During this level, player's will need to work on improving their reputation so that the islanders will point them in the direction of the Healer.
- This introduces the player to the fact that their decisions have an impact on the game world
Collectables:
- The ingredients list for the cure
- Find the Healer Medium
- Help Celeste
- Create the cure
- Critical = 10%
- Additional =
- Help the Shepard find his lost sheep (+5%) Medium
- Choose 'love-sick' speech choices when talking to the female islander (+3%) Easy
- Donate 85% of their in-game currency to rebuild the Hospital (+10%) Medium
- Help train the warriors of Haven (+5%) Medium
The Ingredients
- This level allows players to explore the City of Haven in whatever order they choose whilst collecting the ingredients.
- They will partake in riddles to find the Helia cup; memory mini-games to coax the baby Fera out of hiding, and speechcraft to gain a Sana Lily.
- The ingredients to make the cure
- Can be x2 depending on if additional good-will is earned Hard
- Collect all of the ingredients Medium / Hard
- Help Celeste
- Create the cure
- Critical = 10%
- Additional =
- If Good-will is above 28% + Fera is dead = help the baby Fera come out of hiding (+30% & ingredient) Hard
- If Good-will is above 80% = choose 'praising' speech choices when talking to the gardener (+3% & additional ingredient) Hard
The Ending
Ending 1 | Up to 60% Good-will Easy
- The player is forced to hand over the cure to save the King by order of the knights or risk being charged with treason.
- Boss fight with Malum. However, Malum destroys the cure before he escapes.
Ending 2 | Between 61-94% Good-will Medium
- The player is forced to hand over the cure to save the King by order of the knights or risk being charged with treason.
- Boss fight with Malum, but he escapes.
Golden Ending | Above 95% Good-will Hard
- The player saves both the king and his wife.
- Boss fight with Malum where he is defeated.
Level Flow
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Side Quests
Help free the land from Malum's magic | 8 parts
Player's must defeat the minions/feral animals that roam the land whilst wandering/exploring the world.
Gather your army | 6 parts
The player is granted the opportunity at various points in the game to recruit and/or train people that he will be able to seek aid from in the final battle.
Player's must defeat the minions/feral animals that roam the land whilst wandering/exploring the world.
- Tutorial - defeat the feral spider that is roaming Peperit
- The Witch Doctor - defeat the feral boar in the woods
- The Witch Doctor - defeat the feral bear that is attacking a knight
- The City of Haven - defeat the feral and enlarged Venus fly traps during the path through the Hidden Valley
- The City of Haven - defeat the enlarged and feral Queen bee at the underground palace
- The City of Haven - defeat the feral bear that roams the abandoned village
- The Healer - defeat the feral fox that is kidnapping the Shepard's sheep
- The Healer - defeat the feral ape that has trashed and taken over the west wing of the hospital
Gather your army | 6 parts
The player is granted the opportunity at various points in the game to recruit and/or train people that he will be able to seek aid from in the final battle.
- Recruit Sir Muse after by helping him train (combat challenge - players will learn basic combat moves)
- Recruit Sir Meyrick after saving him from a feral bear by talking to him afterwards (speechcraft - be modest)
- Train the captives kept at the underground palace (combat / memory challenge - players will have to remember the self-defence fighting style described in the merchant's journal then teach/show them the corresponding button combinations/sequences then proceed to engage in combat with them.)
- Recruit the doctors from the City of Haven by giving funds to help restore the Hospital (Good-will)
- Train the warriors from the City of Haven (combat / memory challenge - players will have to remember the Haven fighting style described in the merchant's journal then teach/show them the corresponding button combinations/sequences then proceed to engage in combat with them.)
Rewards | Punishment Systems
Throughout the game players will be rewarded and punished dependent on the results of their play. The outer reward/punishment system is shown through the ending the player receives. If they actively engage with all the elements of play and demonstrate good will, they will be rewarded through collecting the 'golden ending' (3). Otherwise, they are punished through the inability to save Celeste.
Inner rewards include praise from NPCs when they successfully complete speech craft; good-will points which will be totalled up to determine the ending; additional resources which will be available when the player excels at a task or speech craft.
Inner punishments include shaming from NPCs when the player is untoward during / fails speech craft; termination of play through death when the player fails to complete combat tasks or loses all their health; setbacks in the form of a 'time-out' - meaning players that have failed speech craft or have angered the NPC must wait 3 in-game hours (10 minutes to 1 in-game hour) before they are able to interact with them again.
Inner rewards include praise from NPCs when they successfully complete speech craft; good-will points which will be totalled up to determine the ending; additional resources which will be available when the player excels at a task or speech craft.
Inner punishments include shaming from NPCs when the player is untoward during / fails speech craft; termination of play through death when the player fails to complete combat tasks or loses all their health; setbacks in the form of a 'time-out' - meaning players that have failed speech craft or have angered the NPC must wait 3 in-game hours (10 minutes to 1 in-game hour) before they are able to interact with them again.
Speech Craft
Speech craft refers to the dialogue choices the player can make whilst interacting with NPCs. Below is a break down of the speech craft options. Rounds refers to the amount of times the player must make speech craft choices/the length of the conversation. Options refers to how many tones that will be available to the player per round - tone options can change per round in one speech craft interaction.
Easy = 3 rounds | 4 options
Medium = 5 rounds | 5 options
Hard = 10 rounds | 6 options
Tones:
Neutral | Angry | Friendly | Demanding | Business | Praising | Love-sick | Inspiring | Aggressive | Simple
Easy = 3 rounds | 4 options
Medium = 5 rounds | 5 options
Hard = 10 rounds | 6 options
Tones:
Neutral | Angry | Friendly | Demanding | Business | Praising | Love-sick | Inspiring | Aggressive | Simple
Timing | Pacing
Tutorial | Approx. 45 minutes
The Witch Doctor | Approx. 90 minutes The City of Haven | Approx.150 minutes The Healer | Approx. 60 minutes The Ingredients | Approx. 90 minutes End | Approx. 45 minutes Total Critical gameplay = Approx. 480 minutes | 8 hours |
Side quests | Approx. 80 minutes
Additional Good-will quests | Approx. 100 minutes Total additional gameplay = Approx. 180 minutes | 3 hours |