americanmcgee
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Down The Rabbit Hole (of BD)
🕑 Added 2019-07-15 06:26:19 +0000 UTCDear Insane Children,
Last week I took multiple people + Lulu to the hospital (multiple times) (different hospitals) plus tried to stay on top of the usual business of updates, design work, streaming, etc. All of which meant a pretty insane week with not a lot of time left for all the things on my to-do list.
This week I'd like to devote some time to catching up on everything so...
No Design Session and No Live Stream this week!
That will give me a chance to provide full attention to a number of key to-do items related to moving things forward on our Alice efforts.
Sadly all of this Business Development work is currently under numerous NDAs so you'll just have to wait patiently... No juicy updates or interesting tidbits to share when all is said and done. But...
Fear Not! At Least Not for Long!
We'll be back to our usual schedule the week of the 22nd.
Expect a Crowd Design Session at the regular time (9AM on Tuesday - Shanghai time).
And a YouTube Live Stream at the usual time (9AM on Thursday - Shanghai time).
Links and info on those will go out this time next week.
That is the Final Version of "Surprise Guest" and the one we'll convert into an art print.
What do you think?
And a nifty "head in sand" design concept from Jen (who also provided the pixel art of Alice seen above).
The End of Denial
It's looking like we're nearing the end of the tunnel on initial design work for Denial. Next up, we're moving into Anger. Rawr!
Can't wait to see what our team (including YOU) come up with for the story, design, and art contained in the Kingdom of the Queen of Hearts.
Harmony in Discord
Hey, just because I am taking a week to focus on BD tasks doesn't mean the Insane Children have to take a rest from Crowd Design efforts.
Check out our Discord Server and feel free to organize a meeting of the Insane Children to discuss final elements you'd like to see in Denial before we head into the next domain.
One of the key concepts we still need to nail down is the narrative and nature of the Enemy Characters we'll deal with in Denial.
Here are some guidance points...
It's probably a good idea that this character be one that makes sense for Denial but can also be used as we continue to progress into later stages of the game.
One thing to think about in terms of the psychological reality of PTSD is that these phases are rarely divided along perfectly crisp borders. You can suffer Denial and move into Anger only to return to Denial or maintain hints of Denial while also being fully embroiled in Anger.
From that perspective it would be natural that an enemy we primarily associate with the concept of Denial might continue to follow us through the game - all the way until the end. Of course once we've beat "Denial" as a stage we might also have (mostly) mastered the art of overcoming Denial as an enemy NPC when we encounter it in later stages of the game.
So... a character based on Denial who:
- Is initially quite difficult to fight and defeat.
- Neatly represents the nature of Denial in shape, sound, and function.
- Is (more) easily defeated once we progress past the Denial stage.
- Feels at home in the later stages of the game as a fodder enemy.
- Establishes a logical arch of enemy design/development as a model we can copy to enemies designed around future stages of trauma.
Take a stab at that over on Discord and in the Comments below.
I look forward to catching up with everyone to see what sort of Insane ideas you've come up with ... next week!
From Shanghai with BD on the Brain,
-American
Comments
Hope you have a productive week and somehow find some time to relax between all the chaos. The final poster looks great :).
I still support you!
First I like the suprise guest!! You take your time mister mcgee on all what's going on. Suggestion: For this enemy that could go with denial I have a couple, clowns could do and come with different styles for reappearance in each levels and or a group of circus freaks that have escaped
I don't know why, but I think the Carpenter would be cool as a villain on the Denial stage? Denying that he is a sadist, he disguises it as an artist?
i painted it forever and i didn't see that. thanks!!
thanks! fixed.
It looks like there's a D missing in "Tweedle" at the bottom, in the "Written by..." line.
Sarah Heist
There is an XI missing, but I think once that gets added in the rest of the clock will fix itself. Good spot. (Remember kindness in critiquing is always preferred. 😊 )
Richanne Matthews
I am HERE for the ostrich slide. The "head in the slide" metaphor is a perfect fit for the stage. And the poster is easily my next favorite.
Make Nine Inch Nails great again
Dodo is the essence of Denial because it's supposedly extinct. I guess the proving is an important matter in fighting Denial. Denial needs a black swan too.
Gregor Hähnel
Am I the only one who see the wrong counting on "Special Guest"? In the red circle in the background I miss a XI, the numbers going forward I, II, III, ..., V, ... VIII, IX, X, XII. By the way if it should resemble a clock opposite to 3 should be the 9 not the 8...
Definitely not Adam Driver
Tak your time! The fact that there isn't gooing to be a livestream before next week is good for me because I'm working my summer job at the moment, so I don't have tome to tune in to the live streams, but my last day is the 22nd ^^
I think a great idea for a Denial enemy would be a massive blob of enemies, batched together with multiple heads and appendages, each head having a separate attack. This would be similar to that one enemy in Madness Returns, where in the beginning it's fresh and unknown, so it makes it harder to fight it. But as you procedually continue to fight it, muscle memory and upgraded weapons allow you to make the fight much easier. As for the Denial theme, I'm thinking it's an amalgamation of people close to Alice, reminding her of the fire and bringing out that sense of Denial. 😋
Taking your time is always better than rushing things so... I'm cool with a no streaming week.
