Post by leftshoe18 on Jul 31, 2014 10:49:12 GMT -6
Development Journal Week One:
We have just finished our first week of pre-production! So far we've made some progress on character designs, the beginnings of the story and even a couple monster concepts.
From a development standpoint, we have the inventory pretty much mapped out. As we continue, the look may change a bit but it's nice to have the starting point for that. This week I plan on getting our character running around and using weapons. Expect a new build with the beginnings of the gameplay to be released some time next week.
Here's where we are so far:
Story:
Our protagonist is Amber Diane Hamilton. She's a 17-year-old girl suffering from depression who is on vacation with her family to Silent Hill. Her father is a police officer who has taught her a thing or two about defending herself including the use of some guns and whatnot.
Our game will begin with a nightmare sequence similar to the beginning of SH, SH3, and SH:H which will end with the protagonist's death leading to her waking up in the car with her family on the way to Lakeside Amusement Park - the first stop on their vacation agenda.
While at the amusement park, Amber sneaks off to have a cigarette in the bathroom. When she leaves the bathroom, she finds the park deserted and the proper beginning of the game ensues.
Some ideas that have been kicked around also include Amber bullying a classmate to the point where her classmate commits suicide and possible drug dependencies. I'm not sure how I feel about either of these things because I fear they may make Amber an unlikeable character. How do the rest of you feel?
Monsters:
Gossip: a monster description suggested by the user humangravy led to the development of a concept for this creature. This monster would attack with a piercing shriek similar to the screaming monsters from Downpour but would have no way of dealing damage directly to the player - much as gossip itself can deal no harm to somebody but may distract them from more important things (in this instance - the other monsters that can deal damage to the player).
We also have concepts for a crawler enemy by becomebatman and a depression-inspired monster by becomebatman's girlfriend. The depression monster is described as "big and it would...literally [crush] you...it would scream and have huge teeth and...appear before any cutscene where you talk to people."
Head on over to the concept art section to view images of all these creatures.
Level Progression:
The beginnings of the level progression are also underway. We have already determined that the game will begin with the amusement park and head to a hospital by way of Jack's Inn or Riverside Motel.
Scenario 1: (Nightmare) -> Lakeside Amusement Park -> Trailer Park/Jack's Inn (city exploration A) -> Brookhaven Hospital ->
-> Nowhere
Scenario 2: (Nightmare) -> Lakeside Amusement Park -> Sewer/Riverside Motel (city exploration A) -> Alchemilla Hospital -> -> Nowhere
The problem I see with scenario 2 would be an over-reliance on areas that were previously explored in Silent Hill 1 (sewers, amusement park, Alchemilla). Scenario 1 would provide a new area (Trailer Park) as well as a combination of areas not seen in the same game before. We could also go in a different direction entirely as the possiblity of Lakeview Hotel has also been suggested.
Music:
Very little has been dealt with in regards to the music so far. We have a few users willing to provide music and have come to the conclusion that we should have one person do all the mixing and mastering to create a cohesive sound for the entire soundtrack.
Overall Progress:
So we obviously still have a long way to go but I like where we're at after one week. We've got the story beginning to take shape a little bit and a couple of monsters in the beginning stages of their designs.
We have just finished our first week of pre-production! So far we've made some progress on character designs, the beginnings of the story and even a couple monster concepts.
From a development standpoint, we have the inventory pretty much mapped out. As we continue, the look may change a bit but it's nice to have the starting point for that. This week I plan on getting our character running around and using weapons. Expect a new build with the beginnings of the gameplay to be released some time next week.
Here's where we are so far:
Story:
Our protagonist is Amber Diane Hamilton. She's a 17-year-old girl suffering from depression who is on vacation with her family to Silent Hill. Her father is a police officer who has taught her a thing or two about defending herself including the use of some guns and whatnot.
Our game will begin with a nightmare sequence similar to the beginning of SH, SH3, and SH:H which will end with the protagonist's death leading to her waking up in the car with her family on the way to Lakeside Amusement Park - the first stop on their vacation agenda.
While at the amusement park, Amber sneaks off to have a cigarette in the bathroom. When she leaves the bathroom, she finds the park deserted and the proper beginning of the game ensues.
Some ideas that have been kicked around also include Amber bullying a classmate to the point where her classmate commits suicide and possible drug dependencies. I'm not sure how I feel about either of these things because I fear they may make Amber an unlikeable character. How do the rest of you feel?
Monsters:
Gossip: a monster description suggested by the user humangravy led to the development of a concept for this creature. This monster would attack with a piercing shriek similar to the screaming monsters from Downpour but would have no way of dealing damage directly to the player - much as gossip itself can deal no harm to somebody but may distract them from more important things (in this instance - the other monsters that can deal damage to the player).
We also have concepts for a crawler enemy by becomebatman and a depression-inspired monster by becomebatman's girlfriend. The depression monster is described as "big and it would...literally [crush] you...it would scream and have huge teeth and...appear before any cutscene where you talk to people."
Head on over to the concept art section to view images of all these creatures.
Level Progression:
The beginnings of the level progression are also underway. We have already determined that the game will begin with the amusement park and head to a hospital by way of Jack's Inn or Riverside Motel.
Scenario 1: (Nightmare) -> Lakeside Amusement Park -> Trailer Park/Jack's Inn (city exploration A) -> Brookhaven Hospital ->
-> NowhereScenario 2: (Nightmare) -> Lakeside Amusement Park -> Sewer/Riverside Motel (city exploration A) -> Alchemilla Hospital ->
-> NowhereThe problem I see with scenario 2 would be an over-reliance on areas that were previously explored in Silent Hill 1 (sewers, amusement park, Alchemilla). Scenario 1 would provide a new area (Trailer Park) as well as a combination of areas not seen in the same game before. We could also go in a different direction entirely as the possiblity of Lakeview Hotel has also been suggested.
Music:
Very little has been dealt with in regards to the music so far. We have a few users willing to provide music and have come to the conclusion that we should have one person do all the mixing and mastering to create a cohesive sound for the entire soundtrack.
Overall Progress:
So we obviously still have a long way to go but I like where we're at after one week. We've got the story beginning to take shape a little bit and a couple of monsters in the beginning stages of their designs.
