Hey all! This is our first post as TeamTopHat, to start off the year we have undergone a lot of discussion of plans starting from now until the end of development, i.e. 13th May 2022. We will be discussing them throughout the post, future blogs will following a similar structure.
Library Developments:
Within those discussions, our first task was to improve the look and mechanics of the Library room as it is currently in the greybox stage. To start off with, the team made a list of features that the room will include, this is then passed onto the designated roles and work will then commence!
Here is the list was created:
1. Complete Library room.
Assets textures, rework level design for 3rd layer, fix player mechanics
2. Concept room and mechanic for theatre and 1 additional room
3. Rework/Add to existing rooms.
horror elements ,incorporating voice line, changing puzzles
4. Finalise narrative structure intro, ending and story info located in each room.
5. Program and level design overarching level progression. Completing each room gives you an item that you bring back to the main hall (hub) assembling the statue/object will unlock the final room
Based on this list, our artists can focus on the aesthetics and 3d asset development, with our programmers improving existing mechanics, as well as including newer ones and finally, our lead narrative designer will lead the charge on voice lines, story beats and overall level flow.
Gameplay Additions:
As well as working on the Library, we will be developing a new inventory system for the player character, which will allow you to carry multiple items at once, as we felt it would improve the flow of the game.
As well as this, we will be going back to older assets and improving them through the use of Substance Tools, which will drastically improve the texture quality as well as design. This is something we are very excited to jump into and look forward to seeing how they will all turn out.
Finally, we will be delving more into presenting lore to the player and are jotting down ideas of types of voice lines and collectables we can incorporate that will add to the overall narrative.
Project Management:
With the next stage of development comes with new tasks to manage and the presentation of our game in the public eye. To start off with, we will continue to apply the same development methods that we incorporated during the previous development stage which we have found great success in. Furthermore, we will ensure to develop more ways of tracking our development data and better present them, as it vital we do this.
Overall, the next few months are looking positive and we as a team are really excited to see what we can get done during that time! We hope you follow the development of Mad Mansion and are looking forward to what's to come!