tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71607329284592148622024-03-08T03:34:31.410-08:00EQ StudiosEQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-36680496061353940842019-10-15T12:14:00.000-07:002019-10-15T12:14:13.561-07:00We have moved!Hi everyone! Thank you for all the support and interests in TPK. On October 15, 2019, our blog has officially merged with <a href="https://www.eqstudios.com/" target="_blank">EQ Studios' main site</a>. We will still be keeping this page, but newly blogged content won't be posted here. We apologize for the inconvenience, but believe it's a better move in the long run for our fans and us. Be sure to follow us and subscribe to our mailing lists for latest news, free newsletters, and development blogs on the links below!<br />
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EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-66615936598675591112019-10-01T14:23:00.000-07:002019-10-24T14:24:32.486-07:00Postmortem: The Painscreek Killings<div style="-en-clipboard: true;">
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">It’s been over two years since The Painscreek Killings (TPK) launched on September 27, 2017. Prior to that, it took a little over five years to develop. Looking back, TPK struggled in development and failed in marketing, but sold about 40,000 units as of today and somehow was able to keep us afloat as a startup company. Was it all worth it? We would say yes. But that’s not what this article is only about.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">What we hope through this postmortem is that we could share our experience from start to finish with those who are in the same boat as us - indie developers creating mystery investigation games using the walking simulator formula - to take what worked for us and hopefully avoid the pitfalls that we faced.</span><br />
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">First, about detective games…</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">Detective games don't sell. At least that's what we come to realize after releasing TPK and looking at most indie games in the detective genre. Either nobody wants to play them or we failed to create good ones. Unfortunately (or fortunately), we didn't know that. Thus, TPK was born.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">As a quick introduction, TPK is a 3D first-person view, mystery investigation where the player plays a journalist investigator in an abandoned town trying to find a story before it gets auctioned off and bulldozed. What starts out as a leisurely search turns into a full-blown cold case investigation.</span> <span style="-en-paragraph: true;"> </span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">The concept</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">A person was killed. Another person is the killer. Your job is to find out who the killer is. Anyone who have seen the anime ‘Detective Conan’ will know right away what it’s about: there is only one truth and it’s about finding it out. We played quite a number of </span><span style="-en-paragraph: true;"><span style="-en-paragraph: true;">detective </span>investigation games and while they work, none made us feel like a true detective. Either the game handholds us too much, or the game is too linear, or they are impossible to solve without guides. We decided to make an investigation game that we want to play, one that makes us feel like a detective. Since it’s our first time into game development and we did not have a programmer, we decided to keep it simple: it will be a walking simulator, there will be no in-game character models to make, the programming should be kept to a minimum and done through visual scripting, etc. To counter all that limitations, the game had to be immersive. To achieve that, we did the following.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">("The truth shall set you free.")</td></tr>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">When watching any detective film, all the audience want is to know who the killer is. If we could keep players guessing who the killer is until the end of the game, it could just work. That was one of the core design we embraced right from the start.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">Players should be able to decide how they would start their investigation. We did not want a linear game where players are told to progress from point A to point B. To achieve that, we went for an open-world, free roaming experience. Since the goals are player-created and not dictated by the game, it would enhance the overall detective experience.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">We also wanted to encourage players to really look around and search for important clues and items rather than having the items highlighted or outlined. In order not to make it too difficult for players, everything was placed in a believable manner, every puzzle was provided with at least one or more clues, and some puzzles can be solved without finding the hint but through logical thinking. An example in TPK was the slim jim. If you grew up in the 90s, you would probably know that it's a tool used by thieves to unlock car doors. Players might also come across an item that do not make sense at the time they found it, but would make perfect sense later on. One such example was the shovel, which was found in Oliver's Photography store but used in the cemetery.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">When it comes to the puzzles, they have to be logical and make sense, just like in the real world. We didn't want to pull a lever in room A that unlocked a hidden doorway in room B without being informed. If players have to access twelve locations sprawled across a town, then the clues and hints need to be logical for them to proceed. The game can be hard or challenging, but it should not be illogical.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">We also wanted the game to make players find the right clues to proceed. Rather than knocking on every door found in the game, players need to find clues that would lead their investigation in the right direction. Many recent games have players clear one stage before continuing on to the next, knowing that they could not proceed further if they did not clear that particular stage. TPK, on the other hand, introduced the whole town right from the start. Because of that, it’s futile to knock on every door and see which doors can be opened. Instead, what was the first thing that caught their attention while investigating the Sheriff’s outpost? Was it the mansion where Vivian’s body was found? How about the Church where Scott, the suspect, used to work? It’s these kind of clues, whether direct or indirect, that should give the players a nod towards the direction in which to proceed with their investigations.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Can you unlock the locked stairway that leads to the secret basement?)</td></tr>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">The game had to be in 3d to achieve the level of immersion, which was difficult to achieve in 2d. We also decided to abandon any quest markers, game hints, overhead compass, etc. In short, we decided to make an experience that resembles real life. Anything that does not appear in real life should not be in the game.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">One other important factor was getting the atmosphere right. Why do most horror or scary games happen at night? Could a game take place in broad daylight and still make you feel afraid or uneasy? We looked at games, films and TV shows while researching on this topic. There's a movie called The Ring. The American version had a lot of night/dark scenes while the Japanese version had more daytime scenes. The American version had jump scares while the Japanese version didn't employ that technique. When Sadako came out of the television, the American version was scary for that moment, but that moment only. The Japanese version, on the other hand, had me scared for days. So how did the Japanese film have such a stronger impact than the American version? We realize you don't really need jump scares to make a film or game scary. Jump scares are like fluffs with no substance - the impact is there when it happened, but diminishes quickly when it's over. Movies like Sixth Sense and Zodiac created tension and fear in a way that made their audiences remember them long after the movie is over. We wanted to achieve that effect so we focused on building up the tension through music, atmosphere, and most importantly, story hooks. It’s for this reason we decided that TPK will happen during the day.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjViKbPiiowBHB2BUMQHDuiJzj9_QdDosBP-ty8nHQ5ROurLx6f9WqDGxE4GOfNwkD8gd0kuNjApn-WrqrQCIlebctm04D1CSq_E3ANgsrVbD_19TZ49KTLYmwdT3e-47LACM245_DlA/s1600/MS_Courtyard_Back_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjViKbPiiowBHB2BUMQHDuiJzj9_QdDosBP-ty8nHQ5ROurLx6f9WqDGxE4GOfNwkD8gd0kuNjApn-WrqrQCIlebctm04D1CSq_E3ANgsrVbD_19TZ49KTLYmwdT3e-47LACM245_DlA/s400/MS_Courtyard_Back_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The view from the bench behind the mansion shows how TPK tried to incorporate the bleak mysterious atmosphere even though it's in broad daylight.)</td></tr>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">The execution</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">Before developing the game, we tested the Unreal Development Kit (UDK) and the Unity 4 game engine. Although UDK seemed more powerful at that time, we decided to go with Unity for the following reason: we wanted to know everything under the hood. UDK seemed to have everything right from the get go while Unity forces us to create everything from scratch. Although development will seem longer with Unity, it will make us understand the engine better. In addition, UDK had a 25% royalty fee while Unity was free. So we went with Unity.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBmWnwCFztG-2sxp20ore0Nu-16QcQ8e3jJVdHeHkjTow4Gh5XEfhdkQoer0JbKF83onu5y58p2Y0W5j7QG2jvX3_FffU4d4KM9Wve2P27dg-NuLo4JWLx2Zq24Cise4yPzxByioFwhw/s1600/Desktop+4-9-2014+8-28-22+AM-971.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBmWnwCFztG-2sxp20ore0Nu-16QcQ8e3jJVdHeHkjTow4Gh5XEfhdkQoer0JbKF83onu5y58p2Y0W5j7QG2jvX3_FffU4d4KM9Wve2P27dg-NuLo4JWLx2Zq24Cise4yPzxByioFwhw/s400/Desktop+4-9-2014+8-28-22+AM-971.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Early Unity 4 game engine test.)</td></tr>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">We set out to make a detective game right from the start. Instead of coming up with a story first, we structured a mold for it. What would it take to make a detective game that we would want to play? We decided on the following design focuses: (1) it has to hook the players, (2) it has to mimic a real detective experience, and (3) it has to make the players feel smart.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">To hook the players, we focused on both story and characters arcs. We layered our story like an onion for players to peel, revealing bits and pieces of information crucial to unraveling the whole storyline. We also structured the story into 3 acts, with 2 plot-points and a mid-point inserted in between the acts to hook the players and remind them of the goal. As for characters, we decided early on that all the important NPCs will have their own character arcs so how they were portrayed at the start and who they really were by the end will be quite different.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">To mimic a real detective experience, we thought of how would a police solve a case. What we realized was that progression is determined by clues and leads, being perceptive is necessary and that it wouldn’t be easy at all. Our house/workplace was burglarized twice, with the second one involving numerous police officers and a forensic guy who combed through the place picking up bloodstained samples left by the intruders. Three years later, the case is yet to be solved. Thus, we decided on the following: no handholding, logical puzzles that are solved through hints and clues, and a free-roaming open world game.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">To make the players feel smart, we decided on the following: provide multiple but subtle hints for every main ‘puzzle’, a breadcrumb system as opposed to trying to make a Sherlock Holmes out of the player, and let players connect the dots themselves to create their personal ‘Ah-ha!’ moments.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">Along the way, we also solidified our design philosophy: (1) focus on our strengths, (2) go from general to details, and (3) story is the priority and if we have to compromise, compromise the graphics. That became the foundation for the next five-and-a-half years of developing our game.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">We knew the importance of 3-act story structure and how crucial it was to making a film work, but will it work for a game? Googling this topic yields many thumbed down responses and articles. Yet we still went with it because of the influence from films. We needed to have plot-points throughout in order to hook the players and some form of structure for the story to build up from start to finish. Using the 3-act structure also allowed us to re-affirm that the story‘s design was leading somewhere and not just going anywhere. We were able to envision how players might experience the game the way it’s intended to be. It’s not perfect because it limited the free-roaming aspect to a certain degree, but was a necessary compromise for a game like ours.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">Once the story’s structure had been laid out, we moved to design sheets. We decided that the era would be around the late 1990s. There were several reasons for that. First, we were familiar with the 80s and 90s, so it was a no-brainer to go with that era. Second, we could research everything on Google without coming up with new designs. Third, we could implement stories and journals based on our childhood years, which helped to cement the story’s believability and add a certain level of realism to the NPCs’ storylines.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XhU7z32IsFn1oW_MtfwpFIp2hLMpCqTxXmrLeIsWDlWQIUMQN0boV6CC4k09ndWCTnSn_r0JtHFXosIiPJ8SlQRTg-taVlCUbgidfHSH98r31lJ_FjZaCwns96wiCtY1IR4b53VbsDw/s1600/Village_v2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XhU7z32IsFn1oW_MtfwpFIp2hLMpCqTxXmrLeIsWDlWQIUMQN0boV6CC4k09ndWCTnSn_r0JtHFXosIiPJ8SlQRTg-taVlCUbgidfHSH98r31lJ_FjZaCwns96wiCtY1IR4b53VbsDw/s400/Village_v2.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Early village design that would eventually be scrapped for a better layout.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Research done to break up different parts of a building in order to make them modular.)</td></tr>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">After the story was done and while the design sheets were still being worked on,</span><span style="-en-paragraph: true;"><span style="-en-paragraph: true;"> the 3D asset creation phase started</span>. That time, a volunteer who came to learn about game development helped us with asset creation. His arrival helped to free my partner to learn programming, something we didn’t know would be crucial in helping TPK come to fruition. We knew all games need programmers to make, but we thought that with the help of Unity’s asset store, we would not require a programmer to pull the game off, especially when it’s a walking simulator game. We were wrong. Having a programmer was indispensable.</span></div>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">The task of a programmer seemed simple at first due to the nature of our game. As time went on, however, the task list grew and the difficulty challenge rose. Over time, our programmer's skill improved and she was able to pull off most of them. Later, she even replaced plugins bought from the Unity asset store with her own custom made scripts. This was one big step for us because towards the end of development, we implemented some crucial game mechanics, one of them being the in-game journal.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipx6KQvaJ2vFuZ-Q6dVYN2eIOzK11pnPZGm9MI_0KUq_HmTGee1tBwD0bvJ4xH6209O5mGW_4wEZR_05N2i32nV27_EiNRbc6ZDXknQLYEsDOp-5FL-a4jyxWpzgtrCoPNLP7IwI9feeo/s1600/LoadLevel_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="414" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipx6KQvaJ2vFuZ-Q6dVYN2eIOzK11pnPZGm9MI_0KUq_HmTGee1tBwD0bvJ4xH6209O5mGW_4wEZR_05N2i32nV27_EiNRbc6ZDXknQLYEsDOp-5FL-a4jyxWpzgtrCoPNLP7IwI9feeo/s400/LoadLevel_02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Testing uScript at an early stage of development.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWh8O2MeCNnziCYx1okiwBY9Ke8r7M81spQafPkZKkABBi700QxAT9XlXeD0i-DknylWVHOxxz0dZauLh24q52WTnR2h3-Fu3MjOm2tiPPiLCjLC_gU7R83xEyYX4BvHClI5PHVewN8Ag/s1600/WellManual.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="511" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWh8O2MeCNnziCYx1okiwBY9Ke8r7M81spQafPkZKkABBi700QxAT9XlXeD0i-DknylWVHOxxz0dZauLh24q52WTnR2h3-Fu3MjOm2tiPPiLCjLC_gU7R83xEyYX4BvHClI5PHVewN8Ag/s400/WellManual.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Notes provided by the programmer on how to use her custom made script.)</td></tr>
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<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">A year later, three high school graduates joined our team. Two of them helped with environment/prop asset creation while the third became our level designer. Similar to the first volunteer, the three of them were learning the ropes on game development while helping out at the same time. We also had someone helping out with the design sheets. Now our development team consisted of seven people: one game designer/writer, one programmer, one on design sheets, one level designer and three asset artists. From there on, we implemented some form of project management. Using Trello, we were able to structure our production pipeline more efficiently and help reduce chaos. Later on, we included Moxtra, Asana, Evernote and Microsoft OneNote. They proved indispensable to our workflow and pipeline, and were free to use.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">After creating approximately one thousand props and twelve game locations, it was time to test the game. The lighting wasn’t setup yet, and there weren't any audio. Hundreds of warnings and errors that filled the console window when running the game, and we spent more time experiencing bugs than actually play-testing the game. We did a total of three alpha tests and by the end of it, we could see how the game was shaping into. Almost 60% of the initial build were altered or revised, 20% were scrapped, and only 20% of the original design remained. Nevertheless, we have a functional, playable game on our hands.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">It would take us another year to build upon what we have from alpha - scripting, asset fixing, game re-designing, setting up in-game lights, implementing sound effects, bug hunting and fixing, etc. It was during this time period that we were introduced to the concept of game optimization. Despite understanding its importance, we were unfortunately unable to achieve it and had to abandon the idea of game optimization, which turned out to be a problem post launch.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">Four years after first initiating the project, we entered beta phase. This time, the game was in a pretty good shape for play-testing. There were many factors to consider how the game was faring, but our top few priorities were as follows. First, was the game fun? If it’s not, we returned to the design board to fix it immediately. Second, was the atmosphere fitting? To achieve this, we focused on lighting and background music. At this time, the music used were still commercial soundtrack used as placeholders. But it helped provide the feel of the whole game. Third, were the puzzles logical, with the hints/clues well planted, and was the game well paced? This was where we spent most of our time tweaking. Fourth, were there any assets that were too high in polygon and affecting the frame rate? I believe we spent as many months fixing and re-doing our hi-res assets as we did beta testing. Lastly, were there any game breaking bugs? With each iteration, the game came closer to completion. We did a total of nine beta tests.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">It wasn’t until four months before release that we realize Act 2B (the second half of the game) was not working. How did we miss that all along? The design worked on paper, and it worked in the beta tests (the alpha phase was too rough and too early for us to spot this problem). Yet Act 2B felt like a complete roller-coaster ride. All players had to do was to pick up all the keys, connect the dots, and all the red herrings will fade away with the real killer revealed by itself. We didn’t feel like we were playing detective at all. By then, the release date has been announced and we had to decide fast: to leave it the way it was or redo Act 2B altogether. We went for the latter. So we went back to the design board and spent a few weeks changing the design to the following: each NPC now would possibly have a motive to kill Vivian, and the player is free to suspect any of them. Only by going down that NPC’s path can the player know whether it’s a red herring or not. It took many sleepless nights to accomplish but we believe that was the right decision to make.</span></div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWAJG6AFD1G8pxh55L2lJZobyoyUQlmlT2hHXYt25MRYDEcrSUa1jC99Dd47IjC8brbprTG07zonJ9MALBDq-cwAvTJjHIe9MPm24hOOTnuGYBZ3hsr3hscGVSieB-2lzZwKCTSa4400/s1600/Restructuring+Act+2B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1600" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWAJG6AFD1G8pxh55L2lJZobyoyUQlmlT2hHXYt25MRYDEcrSUa1jC99Dd47IjC8brbprTG07zonJ9MALBDq-cwAvTJjHIe9MPm24hOOTnuGYBZ3hsr3hscGVSieB-2lzZwKCTSa4400/s400/Restructuring+Act+2B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Going back to the design board to fix Act 2B.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">We worked on pre-production and production at the same time, and found ourselves changing the design a number of times, resulting in lots of wasted production hours and hundreds of unused props. If we could turn back time, we could have focused more time on pre-production, then we’d be able to gauge production time much better. The only areas that we didn’t waste time on were lighting, music composing, and the ending cinematic. For those, we planned well before attempting production. The only area that we couldn’t make it work was game optimization and unfortunately, that came back to bite us later on.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">Game launch & post launch</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">TPK was released on September 27, 2017. </span><span style="-en-paragraph: true;"><span style="-en-paragraph: true;">We failed to market the game and there were no press mention. </span>A small number of YouTubers streamed the game during the week’s launch and after that, everything died down. We sold about 800 units in the first two months of launch, which included a Steam Autumn sale. After that, the game sold a weekly average of 50 units. We were artists focusing on making the game as good as it possibly can and didn’t understand the importance of marketing or how to go about it. We assumed that if the game is good, streamers will pick it up, the press will cover it, and gamers will come to buy it. It wasn't like that at all. To make things worse, right after the game launched, we received complaints from gamers about falling-through-the-world, game crashing and not loading, bad frame rate that caused motion sickness, etc. We weren’t sure what to do about it. Prior to releasing, we tested TPK on seven machines, from decent spec PCs to end-of-the line gaming machines. Other than long loading times on a decent spec PC, we didn’t experience any crashing, and took that as an indication that the game was ready to go. But when a number of people experience technical issues with the game, it was a sign for us to look into optimization. Thus, the journey into understanding optimization began.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">It took us nine months to finally complete optimization. Although it was a long time, the results were worth it. The optimization completed right before 2018 Steam Summer sale. The game ran smoothly, the frame rates were running twice better and loading time reduced by up to ten times faster, especially when the game ran on an SSD. Gamer complaints also reduced quite drastically. Although a small number of players still encountered bugs, they were mostly non game-breaking. At last, we could declare that TPK was done. We thought there’s nothing else we can do for TPK.</span></div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71lOn6o7otGARLgq2p3XokYnOGnXRPaM8O0AcOHIWHj5eWyZNhCn92jFVdDhBxwFJdnb9vyJg8vp1-sqv0DMOjr1g2AIy8PE7tUyTInLjBtZ770DdWQW408sOB_o96yaxm_2sO0tIx-0/s1600/TPK+Fully+Optimized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1065" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71lOn6o7otGARLgq2p3XokYnOGnXRPaM8O0AcOHIWHj5eWyZNhCn92jFVdDhBxwFJdnb9vyJg8vp1-sqv0DMOjr1g2AIy8PE7tUyTInLjBtZ770DdWQW408sOB_o96yaxm_2sO0tIx-0/s400/TPK+Fully+Optimized.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">("TPK Fully Optimized" announcement made on Steam.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">Little did we know that three months later, we started tackling localization for the sake of our fans. TPK has a total of over 30,000 words. Finding people to translate it properly was a challenge, mainly due to the small budget we had. Fortunately, the process turned out pretty well.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">One thing that we prioritized since launch was customer service. We knew we had to provide service and feedback to anyone who bought or played our game. We addressed all negative complaints as apologetically as we could, and tried to be positive in the face of troll comments. We tried to understand their situation and put the problems they encountered on our fix list. When players commented on the game’s grammatical error, we asked someone to proof-check our content, which resulted in an almost complete rewrite of the game content. When some attendees at PAX South play-tested our game and expressed that the game wasn’t interesting enough for them to continue playing, we added more interesting content to the beginning of the game. Lastly, we created a demo which included the complete 1st act of the entire game (which is about 2 hours long), so players can try out TPK before deciding whether or not to purchase the game.</span></div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oPkamOx6V0jCXPVrXGs44rlmnD-dLklpDE1X3JhpX2IFJE1y8evVD1we1UoPTGuA8ln-k5nNPswExd7lIZXFRFu_oy6T8XNjBSTCza_v5HKPL9CQEzEQlTUB7opb1HK1zmGUSIeXmrI/s1600/TPK+Demo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="767" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oPkamOx6V0jCXPVrXGs44rlmnD-dLklpDE1X3JhpX2IFJE1y8evVD1we1UoPTGuA8ln-k5nNPswExd7lIZXFRFu_oy6T8XNjBSTCza_v5HKPL9CQEzEQlTUB7opb1HK1zmGUSIeXmrI/s400/TPK+Demo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The demo was launch on Feb13, 2018 for a limited time.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">What went right</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">1. We made a game that makes us feel like a detective</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">TPK was a detective mystery investigation </span><span style="-en-paragraph: true;"><span style="-en-paragraph: true;">game born out of
passion</span>. It was made
because we couldn’t find any other game that makes us feel like a real
detective (there probably are a few that we didn’t know about). We kept that vision all the way till the end and never once had to
compromise. That turned out well and we’re glad that many TPK fans felt the
same way.</span><br />
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">2. The game had as many iterations as it needed</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">Despite working many late nights, we didn’t rush the project out the door just because the deadline was up. We focused on whether the game would play as good as we had envisioned it from the start. </span><span style="-en-paragraph: true;"><span style="-en-paragraph: true;">From the first alpha test to the final release build, we had </span>a total of fourteen iterations. The game evolved quite significantly during a few iterations, making it much better than when it was first conceived.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">3. Refusing to accept compromises</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">When Act 2B didn’t pan out the way we wanted, we went back to the drawing board and fixed it right away. Technically, the game was working. But it was soulless and a departure from the detective experience. Not doing anything to improve it would have been disastrous, and a betrayal to those who bought our game. Even though we couldn’t guarantee a hundred percent that the newer version would hold up, we knew it has to be better and didn’t hesitate to change it. Fortunately for us, the changes were worth it.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">4. Not giving up on the product even if it wasn’t commercially successful</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">When TPK didn’t sell well at launch, we were disappointed, to say the least. It was what the industry considered ‘dead product’. However, TPK garnered 86% positive reviews (from launch till today). At some point, however, we decided not to give up on it. After all, TPK was the only product we have. So we started looking for publishers who would promote our game. Sadly, no publisher would invest in a game that’s already out. We also found out that releasing a game in Q3 and Q4 of the year was a big mistake. Although one publisher eventually took us up for a year, their strategy was to simply have huge sale discounts as many times as possible, and asked us if we even considered lowering our price tag. We agreed with the former but declined the latter. The sale discounts helped in some ways but it wasn’t going to last forever. So we took the initiative to localize our game.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">Our first localization was Japanese, which we did in-house. Because the translator was also one of the co-writer of TPK, she translated the game beautifully. Not long after the Japanese language was released, a Russian translation team, The Bullfinch </span><span style="-en-paragraph: true;"><span style="-en-paragraph: true;">Team</span>, approached us and offered to translate it for free. Not only were they fast and their attitude professional, the translation was very well done. The Japanese and Russian languages accounted for most of our sales outside English speaking countries for quite awhile. We then went on with seven more localization. Today, TPK has 9 languages - English, Japanese, Russian, French, Simplified-Chinese, Traditional-Chinese, German, Portuguese-Brazil, and Hungarian - with Korean language coming out soon. About 35% of our monthly sales now comes from localization.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3IzzOtvvFnimADheDQ_8KpSRkXwo_FbeFxa9_FD3pne_broqQja24SmKZwR0fPiNUvtE0L7epZJcYLgQjk6sSAMObu8OSyJ7PiIhRZJvIVLVuy9Y4YkQScxkAoirbEV1M022JKwmjx8/s1600/Languages.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3IzzOtvvFnimADheDQ_8KpSRkXwo_FbeFxa9_FD3pne_broqQja24SmKZwR0fPiNUvtE0L7epZJcYLgQjk6sSAMObu8OSyJ7PiIhRZJvIVLVuy9Y4YkQScxkAoirbEV1M022JKwmjx8/s400/Languages.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The number of languages currently available for TPK.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">5. Focusing on customer service</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">Another thing that we did was to focus on customer service. Whether the game was buggy at launch or ran smoothly now, we paid as much attention as we can to the gaming community's concerns and needs. It was a lot of work and sometimes stressful. However, we believe that good customer service is necessary in this day and age, and responding to them shows that we care both for them and for our product. Not only does this build trust between the developers and their fans, it also raises the value of the company and show the gaming community who we really are. In short, we want to invest in long-term gains rather than short-term profits.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">What went wrong</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">1. Going into production when pre-production clearly isn’t done</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">This was probably one of the biggest issue plaguing our development. Although the list below does not include everything, they are the biggest contributing factors.</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div>
We were still developing the story details and working on the design sheets when production started. Not wanting to keep the volunteers waiting, we sent out approved designs to them and have them worked on it. This resulted in more than 400 props that never made it into the final release.</div>
</li>
<li><div>
The story went into numerous revisions, which not only increased the list of unused props but also churned out more props to be made. To make it worse, we didn’t have a standardized guideline on asset creation. Since the volunteers were new to game development, they didn’t know how many polygons is the right number to go with. While they had some foundation in CG and 3d modeling, everyone had their own take of the best approach for creating the assets, including the naming. By the time we imported everything into Unity for testing, the hierarchy was in a mess, the game was running between 5-10 frames per second on a gaming PC, and it took a long time to clean up the project file.</div>
</li>
<li><div>
We switched game engines halfway through production. Going from Unity 4 to Unity 5 based on the promise of a better lighting and rendering resulted in lots of overtime hours and workarounds to fix the problems. We should have done more tests as part of pre-production’s R&D before deciding whether or not it’s beneficial to switch game engines.</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">It all stems from our inexperience as a game developer.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">2. The game was not optimized before launch</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">Although this was not the key reason for TPK’s poor launch sales, it was crucial from the gamer’s perspective. We did not know that games HAVE to be optimized until the game’s disastrous post launch. Although we’ve read on the concept of game optimization such as poly crunching, object merging, texture atlas and LOD creation, etc., we didn’t set time to really test it out. TPK relied on realism and immersion which mimics a real-life detective investigative experience. So when players fall through the world, or when bugs prevented objects from appearing in game, or when the game runs at 15 frames per second, this breaks immersion and frustrates players. Although we spent the next 9 months after launch to optimize the game, it was a bit late.</span></div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_41vARPKuU7c0ZBsijOGKxQFp_U6Usm5rVW5vOeg9TtzgvatsId_wbahpFJm7TP5rDSD7Nx6CfmlTJEuzJ_1Eht7-eKgpEJzPgA2vy93L9dXSCZ6LAND4C_Y6_YfX8LZYPDvMawGXj1U/s1600/Falling+through+the+world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_41vARPKuU7c0ZBsijOGKxQFp_U6Usm5rVW5vOeg9TtzgvatsId_wbahpFJm7TP5rDSD7Nx6CfmlTJEuzJ_1Eht7-eKgpEJzPgA2vy93L9dXSCZ6LAND4C_Y6_YfX8LZYPDvMawGXj1U/s400/Falling+through+the+world.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Screenshot taken by a player who fell through the game world.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">3. There was no marketing plan</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">TPK did not have a marketing strategy, nor did we understand how important that was. Here’s what we did wrong:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div>
We did not hype up the game before launch, nor did we have a social media presence about our product. So when the game launched, it was a game that no one knew.</div>
</li>
<li><div>
We reached out to potential press and game influencers two weeks before the game’s launch, hoping that they would take a look at our game. This was a big mistake because we didn’t consider the number of games they have had to review prior to ours, and we didn’t do follow ups with them because we thought it would be rude. We should have reached out to them months beforehand.</div>
</li>
<li><div>
We launched TPK in Q3 of 2017 simply to push it out into the market as soon as we're done developing. Later, we realized from other publishers that Q3 and Q4 are the worst times to launch a game.</div>
</li>
<li><div>
We invested about $10,000 to prepare for PAX South, but only sold 50 units in return.</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true; font-weight: bold;">In the end...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;">The 5+ years before the game’s launch was us dipping our toes into the world of game development, and the 2 years after the game's launch was us learning the importance of marketing and customer service. If there’s one thing that we got out of this, other than not to repeat the same mistakes as those listed in the ‘what went wrong’ section, is that we were able to leave TPK with no regrets. The reason? We did our very best, and we made a game that makes you feel like a real-life detective. </span><br />
<br />
We are now ready to move on to our next game projects.<br />
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;"><span style="-en-paragraph: true;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="-en-paragraph: true;"><span style="-en-paragraph: true;">If you would like to check out our game, please visit the <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/624270/The_Painscreek_Killings/" target="_blank">Steam page</a>. And you can follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/EQSLV" target="_blank">Twitter</a> as well. Thank you for reading. </span></span></div>
<div>
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EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-88320752657966502572019-02-26T08:21:00.002-08:002019-10-01T10:24:09.887-07:00Rebooting The Johnson FilesOn January 21, 2019, eleven months after the initiation of The Johnson Files and three pre-alpha builds later, we have decided to return to the drawing board and reboot the project. Here's what happened and how we ended up with the decision.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPDi9zgCRJXbQGaiwxYEXvGaHJWGGVFYYdaqCCn_7_OHgzneakxwy7TjVyZz_yreIXmkTEKY2XcPiR2pidUADE4dYmR9TvN4TNTb_6I0L_0Xbo1BaMELUvV9tBQefIjDs_8YGU3odZGQ/s1600/The+Johnson+Files.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPDi9zgCRJXbQGaiwxYEXvGaHJWGGVFYYdaqCCn_7_OHgzneakxwy7TjVyZz_yreIXmkTEKY2XcPiR2pidUADE4dYmR9TvN4TNTb_6I0L_0Xbo1BaMELUvV9tBQefIjDs_8YGU3odZGQ/s400/The+Johnson+Files.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>The initiation of The Johnson Files</b><br />
It was supposed to be a short development project, no longer than a year to pull off. The idea for it first started when we felt TPK needed a demo. After coming up with initial drafts for it, we deemed the process of making a separate game just for a demo time consuming with little return, so we abandoned the idea and decided to make the TPK's act 1 a complete playable demo. With the demo released on Steam shortly after and a possible game idea sitting on the side, we decided to develop it into a DLC. It was then that The Johnson Files was born.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<b>First sign of problem: unable to translate a working story into a game that's fun to play</b><br />
As with TPK, we prioritized story over everything else, focusing our effort on building the 3-act structure which went through a few iterations. Then came the first pre-alpha build. It did not turn out well. The game did not hook us and it wasn't fun. We went back and looked at what might have gone wrong with the story. However, nothing major popped out. The story seemed fine, the 3-act structure built up properly, and the plot-points were all there. It might have been the assets that's missing from the first pre-alpha that needed to be there to make it work (quite a number of important items were not in the first pre-alpha, and you could not play until the end). Yet when the second pre-alpha build was out, the game felt equally bad. We went back to the story, had serious discussions on why it wasn't working and made substantial changes, hoping to improve it. By the time the third pre-alpha build was out and tested, we knew the release product would not be a good game.<br />
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<b>Second sign of problem: limitations of using existing environment and game mechanics</b><br />
As we delved deeper into what could have made The Johnson Files struggle as a game, we realized it's partially the fact that the design stemmed out of TPK, both in terms of the environment and the core game mechanics. Using locations from TPK and running the game with a similar design was actually limiting what The Johnson Files could potentially be. Although it consisted of new locations outside of Painscreek and new game mechanics were added to it, the overall game flow felt a bit too similar - a walking simulator filled with diaries and keys. To make it worse, the game was missing interesting hooks, the open-world feeling, and a clear focus on what players were supposed to do when compared to TPK.<br />
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<b>Third sign of problem: </b><b>in order to proceed, </b><b>we <i>have</i> to find the keys rather than we <i>want </i>to </b><br />
One of the things that worked well in TPK was that it made players want to find out what happened in Painscreek, whether it was the NPCs' backstories or the truth about Vivian Roberts' murder. In The Johnson Files, however, we found ourselves finding keys and codes in order to progress through the game just to find more keys/codes. Although there were NPC backstories to be read and game lore to be found, the whole experience wasn't very fun and playing it felt more like a chore. We found ourselves forcing through the game because we had to, not because we want to. The design became more of a 'how can I go from A to B' rather than 'why would I want to go from A to B'. The self-created-goals that should have emanated from within the players themselves did not happen.<br />
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<b>The decision to reboot</b><br />
After the unsuccessful pre-alpha builds, we went back to the story design phase and reflected on why the game was not delivering while, at the same time, considered different ways to improve the storyline. Time passed quickly and by January 2019, eleven months after its initiation, we realized that The Johnson Files would not work, at least not without reworking it from the ground up. It was then that we decided to scrap everything and start all over again, so that when The Johnson Files is finally released, it can be worthy of the players' time.EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-41487400469595356802019-02-12T08:00:00.000-08:002019-10-01T10:24:32.399-07:00What we have been doing since releasing TPK 14 months agoIt's been a few months since we posted our last blog, and that was before we released the Japanese localization of TPK. So what have we been doing since? Specifically, what have we been up to after releasing TPK? Quite a bit actually.<br />
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<b>September 2017 - June 2018</b><br />
The Painscreek Killings was released on September 27, 2017 and right after that, we realized one of the biggest problem players faced was falling-through-the-world issue. We tried to find out the reason but could not replicate the problem. We did narrow it down to a few possibilities. Nevertheless, it was a big issue and we decided to try and fix it. In doing so, we tackled game optimization, fixed the issue, and made the file size smaller, something which we were unable to pull off prior to the game's release. The good news is that our game can now be played even on computers with decent specs. The bad news is that it took us 9 months to make it happen. By then, we were told that our game was a 'dead product' from a marketing standpoint. Dead product or not, we did not want to give up on our game.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DZrJWgBTZBuYgRcbkFXOZcKm4MwvDUw8i7rJoVrXdCnxEa-MeiXMACFvM6PBOy5nzg-Nzy-7agxLi0nfmAalqouselhYRxu0Sz-FvU22uk_d4Oitqc3BiLY8JQnOk0-_Yup11suNi7A/s1600/Screenshot+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DZrJWgBTZBuYgRcbkFXOZcKm4MwvDUw8i7rJoVrXdCnxEa-MeiXMACFvM6PBOy5nzg-Nzy-7agxLi0nfmAalqouselhYRxu0Sz-FvU22uk_d4Oitqc3BiLY8JQnOk0-_Yup11suNi7A/s400/Screenshot+02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(A player's screenshot showing falling-through-the-world issue.)</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a><b><br />July - September 2018</b><br />
As game optimization approached completion, we started doing localization. A few languages were considered but due to funding and translation costs, we were unable to go forward with it. Instead, we decided to translate to TPK into Japanese on our own. It was a slow process having to translate the 30,000 words and it took us three months to complete. Fortunately, our translator was also one of the story developer, resulting in her being able to translate not just the words but the meaning and emotions of the characters in the game. After release, many Japanese gamers really appreciated the depth of the translation.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24FEYVHTuVtKYyjJPdWu6DS5h8Uc-smBXPdSUGWhzIiCkvDFXX80FwQM55eLncqFfc1YTj119Y3TQJrDypUac0yYl1S-PJH3kWJkNJ8Q5E5f_2PQitFj5muBwKkccm81T4QrWhXZUiXI/s1600/newspaper_Localization.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24FEYVHTuVtKYyjJPdWu6DS5h8Uc-smBXPdSUGWhzIiCkvDFXX80FwQM55eLncqFfc1YTj119Y3TQJrDypUac0yYl1S-PJH3kWJkNJ8Q5E5f_2PQitFj5muBwKkccm81T4QrWhXZUiXI/s400/newspaper_Localization.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Japanese localization finally released in September 2018.)</td></tr>
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<b>October - December 2018</b><br />
Towards the end of September, we took a small loan and visited Japan in search of a possible location for our next main project. We wanted to create an authentic feel to our game, something that we couldn't do with TPK. So we chose Shizuoka, Japan, hometown to one of our game designer's family. We focused mainly on finding inspiration, searching for possible locations and understanding the Japanese culture. It was a really great experience!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73FPL94Dwyadq3geejTeObqV9aJNbR5nLqHR9T3TzezO9W-1afHFDnk9DDY0KJ268sqTFz4uTDTaKCcWN9LAUQ-4HPS7tSeWxDRLeBSazEQm-DyvkT2MU4NwOdYO-QMXVTrJdML6jJv4/s1600/thumbnail_IMG_5177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73FPL94Dwyadq3geejTeObqV9aJNbR5nLqHR9T3TzezO9W-1afHFDnk9DDY0KJ268sqTFz4uTDTaKCcWN9LAUQ-4HPS7tSeWxDRLeBSazEQm-DyvkT2MU4NwOdYO-QMXVTrJdML6jJv4/s400/thumbnail_IMG_5177.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Visiting Mount Fuji World Heritage Center in Shizuoka, Japan.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQv9v-Bz_eYqzw22S9VrZBLk1BM795a8UI-zJjqh5wB3eENabxzbG1b4ZJlnoguZcQxRFjTktVXo1RbsF1abkdQLAm_AgLisYSSlH-BTBdIdnHM73MIEV2rgGiwPlmJYakGSxwExFBq8s/s1600/thumbnail_IMG_0878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQv9v-Bz_eYqzw22S9VrZBLk1BM795a8UI-zJjqh5wB3eENabxzbG1b4ZJlnoguZcQxRFjTktVXo1RbsF1abkdQLAm_AgLisYSSlH-BTBdIdnHM73MIEV2rgGiwPlmJYakGSxwExFBq8s/s400/thumbnail_IMG_0878.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Gundam, contributing to one of Japan's biggest pop culture, is being showcased in DiverCity, Odaiba.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx7c36_gMMl55YaKe9G7xtoyr-zA5DhvgvghWgmecNZqkubvkV_52jX43cpMJKWBvW-GhbSi8n7dmon8k5dVI1MPA6XKkc5Tnmck2DIp-wf58noRQ0CwBfXghP2nws0BJdxrhBj7GFSY/s1600/thumbnail_IMG_4313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx7c36_gMMl55YaKe9G7xtoyr-zA5DhvgvghWgmecNZqkubvkV_52jX43cpMJKWBvW-GhbSi8n7dmon8k5dVI1MPA6XKkc5Tnmck2DIp-wf58noRQ0CwBfXghP2nws0BJdxrhBj7GFSY/s400/thumbnail_IMG_4313.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Scouting Awashima Island at dusk in Numazu for design inspiration.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-f1QR_gTQFEggi891818fNt0EgWBHpcHcWa11GDOp3npP_q4__tyQJz6znLNv3Fyr3p3vPhO47chNtTfVb8-ew0OR9EvfMy0nmWrBw0g-mjhBEMY4qIo8OOfUr6OJ0RCtjz6qOkRo_4/s1600/thumbnail_IMG_6102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-f1QR_gTQFEggi891818fNt0EgWBHpcHcWa11GDOp3npP_q4__tyQJz6znLNv3Fyr3p3vPhO47chNtTfVb8-ew0OR9EvfMy0nmWrBw0g-mjhBEMY4qIo8OOfUr6OJ0RCtjz6qOkRo_4/s400/thumbnail_IMG_6102.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Passing through a countryside before checking into our resting place at Yoshida, Shizuoka.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPYKkQetEF7B8eQhKyWBS1UTZDLhUdz1k94TtyKkmf2pNXsgIpe71N32iyduL_PCwdSQON-2gRZSwVRZyxkhpth22_JPM1O0mcF5pCsGNehuC-P-nNGI7TXaNoDvczvaxlEIU5Qs-Mpw/s1600/thumbnail_IMG_6146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPYKkQetEF7B8eQhKyWBS1UTZDLhUdz1k94TtyKkmf2pNXsgIpe71N32iyduL_PCwdSQON-2gRZSwVRZyxkhpth22_JPM1O0mcF5pCsGNehuC-P-nNGI7TXaNoDvczvaxlEIU5Qs-Mpw/s400/thumbnail_IMG_6146.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Hatago Inn, a really nice hotel with 10,000 manga to read for free in the lobby.)</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>January 2019 - present</b><br />
We've learned a lot for the past fourteen months and have gained a lot of insight into game development. Our fans have also given us a lot of constructive inputs on how to improve TPK. We could not be more grateful and appreciative to them! 2019 is a new start for us. Although our next project should have been The Johnson Files, we found ourselves having to reboot it, which we'll explain the reason in a later blog. We do, however, have something brewing so not all is lost.<br />
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Stay tuned on our blog for more updates and information!<br />
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EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-62627085439911083462018-09-12T08:00:00.000-07:002018-09-12T13:38:08.129-07:00Japanese language for The Painscreek Killings is almost here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvQX-fVMk6EUWeJUx97x8ssybTCgt-OZWVYDoZtyMCb2xp1fUc_cchyphenhyphenMAmg67L0QIX_O6gF9WGsWNb85fDYWTA3I5vlNdq3ojU541NEZL77QqFSTbVapfyGVeZR7lZRbKRq3IBsc5nzM/s1600/IMG_7503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvQX-fVMk6EUWeJUx97x8ssybTCgt-OZWVYDoZtyMCb2xp1fUc_cchyphenhyphenMAmg67L0QIX_O6gF9WGsWNb85fDYWTA3I5vlNdq3ojU541NEZL77QqFSTbVapfyGVeZR7lZRbKRq3IBsc5nzM/s400/IMG_7503.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We have been hard at work localizing The Painscreek Killings (TPK) into Japanese. It took us a few months to translate approximately 30,000 words and it's almost here! We are currently making sure the game runs without a hitch and at the same time looking for Japanese gaming press who might be interested in taking a stab at it. With the inclusion of the Japanese language, we hope more mystery detective gamers can have the opportunity to play TPK!EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-63504921884910488612018-06-27T08:51:00.000-07:002019-02-12T08:25:19.658-08:00Painscreek Devlog #7: Collaboration Tools Essential To Our Team<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbz_b0qalS5oIk8LFc5p3PTwfat30NxpcYzW5C4uHCDKR1RvxGCzw5UuBPR_QVlhQR-wo9qAG_RdY3rZwSi_xjEbOu42hYZNg-bjEpZclO2MzLd05EJ0NNs5rF57imaa4fzuf24qnvAg/s1600/Trello+-+Document+List.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1600" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbz_b0qalS5oIk8LFc5p3PTwfat30NxpcYzW5C4uHCDKR1RvxGCzw5UuBPR_QVlhQR-wo9qAG_RdY3rZwSi_xjEbOu42hYZNg-bjEpZclO2MzLd05EJ0NNs5rF57imaa4fzuf24qnvAg/s400/Trello+-+Document+List.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(In-game documents categorized inside Trello.)</td></tr>
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Throughout our five-and-a-half years of developing The Painscreek Killings, we designed 9 custom buildings, developed 20 characters, constructed more than 100 documents (consisting of diaries, newspapers, flyers), produced more than 900 props (half of which were not used for the final build), and wrote about 26,000 words. Along the way, our team grew from two to seven members. Yuri, our one and only programmer, worked from Japan while the rest of us were stationed in the United States. Looking back, we could not have managed it without a few, essential collaboration tools. Surprisingly, most of them are free.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>ESSENTIAL TOOLS TO KEEP US PRODUCTIVE AS A TEAM </b><br />
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<b>Realtime Board - An infinite digital white board for brainstorming ideas</b><br />
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The first thing that we needed was a white board. When we started pre-production, we spent a lot of time working out the story acts and its plot-points. While designing the game's storyline, we wrote keynotes on numerous post-it-notes and posted them on a white board. It wasn't long before the board became too small to contain everything needed. So we started looking for a possible white board online that could fulfill the following needs: First, it needed an infinite canvas. Second, multiple people should have been able to access it at the same time. A bonus would have been that we could have a few people simultaneously editing various notes. Third, it needed to support image imports, visual reference is a crucial part of our workflow. We had a high list of demands.</div>
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We were lucky enough to find Realtime Board. Not only did it have the requirements that we needed, it is being updated constantly, and more functions are being added over time. They have a free and paid version. Unlike many unpaid apps that only serve as a demo, the free version of Realtime Board is actually production ready. It contains everything the paid version has, and allows up to three people to work simultaneously. Not only did it solve the physical white board limitation issue, it's great for long-distance collaboration, which turned out to be crucial for our teammate working from Japan. Realtime Board proved so essential for us that we didn't hesitate to upgrade to the premium plan later on so we could have unlimited number of boards and have unlimited guests viewers.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd63tDJ9WlrSoI0w9XMCYEFCLFlG9vKOPaK6yDoEaMaEST_XlmFkMCBxqo-VVPDctOsYWAWNTSv2m7mqnOD7-BcSQ70M4MnVSev8_tuhDhZPo8pGF-6o2fE6XLJi7ZXunECTN267ubg4/s1600/RealtimeBoard+-+Act+2B.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1600" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd63tDJ9WlrSoI0w9XMCYEFCLFlG9vKOPaK6yDoEaMaEST_XlmFkMCBxqo-VVPDctOsYWAWNTSv2m7mqnOD7-BcSQ70M4MnVSev8_tuhDhZPo8pGF-6o2fE6XLJi7ZXunECTN267ubg4/s400/RealtimeBoard+-+Act+2B.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Plotting out the game's story and puzzles on Realtime Board.)</td></tr>
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<b>OneNote, a place to store and share all our notes</b><br />
After the game's story was done and finished we began drafting NPC biographies and diary documents. At that time we needed a place to store all developed content so that they could be shared among other members who were part of the project. It's here that we decided to use Microsoft's OneNote. There were other digital notebooks on the market that were as good or even better than OneNote in certain areas. However, we needed the following for our pipeline: (1) a collaborative note taking platform, (2) be able to support different types of note-taking, including handwriting and annotations when reviewing work, (3) have support for both Windows and iOS platforms, and (4) for it to be free to use. As we had a very limited budget, we had to be careful about our spending. For Realtime Board, we only had two people doing story development at the time so it did not matter much even if it only came with a paid subscription model. For OneNote, everyone from pre-production to marketing needed to access it, so for it to be free helped a lot, and what sealed the deal for us was some of the collaboration functions.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkJyEfrqgiud7YnXzo0ngkx3zziRh7os1IUb178ItOqBkCaCljn4ut61jpNbtRTWxWkxY-f5AfndtNXqzG0YZoHdz4ICKf8n2CUPM71cOhQPzPQSEsLeyHNvHIKhu4QXdEO81EIIkpWk/s1600/OneNote+-+Cemetery+Tombstone+Placement.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkJyEfrqgiud7YnXzo0ngkx3zziRh7os1IUb178ItOqBkCaCljn4ut61jpNbtRTWxWkxY-f5AfndtNXqzG0YZoHdz4ICKf8n2CUPM71cOhQPzPQSEsLeyHNvHIKhu4QXdEO81EIIkpWk/s400/OneNote+-+Cemetery+Tombstone+Placement.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Using OneNote to plan out the location of tPainscreek's tombstones.)</td></tr>
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<b>Managing production visually with Trello</b><br />
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When production went underway we needed a way to manage our production pipeline. We looked at several programs and sites before deciding to go with Trello. Little did we know that Trello would become one of the top essential utilities for us.<br />
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For our production we needed a place where we could categorize our work, such as things that were in progress, those that were being worked on, and those waiting for approval. We needed to assign tasks to teammates, set due dates, import images, comment on people's work, and cast votes on tasks. Trello delivered everything that we wanted in an appealing and intuitive way. It's truly one of the best project management apps available on the market. With what Trello offers, it excels at.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3fI7rv0htnfzM5XAf0X36tmai1Xpd_tttOnh5do_COLhyphenhyphen2wISZ8oT7mEq8wFWEjQ4kIPtIz_H0ryDPLboSfNSLEhE1ITihrcyGQ3klZsvBwEWHPATGjPvhMNpIugpZwW6qfdxUANZrk/s1600/Trello+-+Production+02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3fI7rv0htnfzM5XAf0X36tmai1Xpd_tttOnh5do_COLhyphenhyphen2wISZ8oT7mEq8wFWEjQ4kIPtIz_H0ryDPLboSfNSLEhE1ITihrcyGQ3klZsvBwEWHPATGjPvhMNpIugpZwW6qfdxUANZrk/s400/Trello+-+Production+02.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Using Trello for our asset production pipeline.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Moxtra, our real-time communication platform</b><br />
Our team members were not always working at the same place. Sometimes, some of us snuck away to a cafe to get more inspiration and to just get out. Other times, a teammate might be working from home. And so, we needed a communication tool where we can interact with each other in real-time and get immediate feedback. Additionally, the tool needed to provide private and public chat rooms, share screens among teammates, upload files, store chat history, alert users whenever someone posted/commented on something, and, finally, it had to be accessible on computers and mobile phones. Fortunately, we stumbled upon Moxtra.<br />
<br />
Moxtra just came out and was in beta phase, so we were able to test run the app for free! The more we used it, the more we grew fond of it. Moxtra allows users to create multiple binders which acts as chat rooms, store unlimited chat history (prior to the release of the paid version), import images and pdf files, annotate on them, and initiate meetings. At our workplace, "Moxtra me this" or "Moxtra me that" can be heard quite often. What surprises us most is that messages sent to a mobile phone through Moxtra never fail to alert the user, It's so much more reliable than iPhone's iMessage, and definitely much better than Skype.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOxem0E0aCQbpn8wCFTDdNVZjz_9W4EGuGHEvVa8ie4VwK7d0ixmFMdTr4tAeCpQPaMG5o41RVy0bZ9GfzHfhME_gdebtqn20fCu6d8JstSWa8wfXKkN7PDxpe9A805pC1F7RwoFgG8g/s1600/Moxtra+-+Lounge+Chat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="1600" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOxem0E0aCQbpn8wCFTDdNVZjz_9W4EGuGHEvVa8ie4VwK7d0ixmFMdTr4tAeCpQPaMG5o41RVy0bZ9GfzHfhME_gdebtqn20fCu6d8JstSWa8wfXKkN7PDxpe9A805pC1F7RwoFgG8g/s400/Moxtra+-+Lounge+Chat.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Created 'lounge' as our chatroom inside Moxtra.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Using Skype for group conferencing and multiple screen-sharing</b><br />
And yet, Skype is still one of our essentials tools. Every now and then, we'll need to conduct group conferences and share our screens. This is because we have our members spread across Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Tokyo. Dropped calls are unavoidable and lag does occur, but they are dependent on the bandwidth speed. We are still on the look for a possibly better alternative on group conferencing, but for now Skype is our best option for voice chatting.<br />
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<br />
<b>ESTABLISHING ORDER OUT OF CHAOS</b><br />
<br />
<b>Asana, the indispensable tool for a project manager</b><br />
Despite having all the above tools, we found ourselves having difficulty keeping track of our production. One of the main reasons is the struggle to hit deadlines and be on track with our schedules. We realized that since everyone was busy hitting their goals, someone needed to step back and be able to see the bigger picture. When we first started, we hung wall calendars marked with important dates hoping that everyone would notice it as they come to work everyday. As time went by, however, the wall calendar lost much of its impact and blended in with the working environment. That didn't go well for us. Next, inspired by Unity's roadmap, we implemented a 'Roadmap' column on Trello where each card's headline summarized that particular milestone. It looked great and sounded fine in theory. However, as with the wall calendar, we started to miss deadlines and our schedule was delayed over and over again. And when the deadlines were missed, there were no repercussions. This went on for a few years to the point where missing deadlines was a norm as long as everyone was working hard. It became our bad habit.<br />
<br />
Then came Asana.<br />
<br />
When we came across it two years ago, it was neither intuitive nor appealing, and there was a steep learning curve compared to Trello. We gave up on it very quickly. It wasn't until recently that we gave it a go again and stumbled upon the calendar view that we realized it was perfect for keeping track of our production deadlines. We could also assign a project manager to keep tabs on the progress and have everyone be on track with the schedule. Lastly, we turned to a goal-based system while keeping a 9-5 base schedule and it made a difference in achieving our goals. With the help of Asana, even with a heavier workload, we were able to be on schedule more consistently.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9UcoERZz5VgNyFgK0Cd36KSQsqKW60XohFVo1qnJp0ST9K4FMBEamjsVk4KSuBPQJq-yC-1CBLAdGec87riYKWqh3mVlvycorogl-x3Uh39bPzu8yVIKG9PMsohNIR9ATo71x4sqLQ4/s1600/Asana+-+June+Goals+%2526+Deadlines.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="1600" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9UcoERZz5VgNyFgK0Cd36KSQsqKW60XohFVo1qnJp0ST9K4FMBEamjsVk4KSuBPQJq-yC-1CBLAdGec87riYKWqh3mVlvycorogl-x3Uh39bPzu8yVIKG9PMsohNIR9ATo71x4sqLQ4/s400/Asana+-+June+Goals+%2526+Deadlines.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(June's goals and deadlines shown in Asana's calendar view.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Quick Plan Pro, Gantt chart on the cheap</b><br />
(Okay, so this isn't free, but our game director got it when it was on sale for $5.99, so here we go.)<br />
<br />
Gantt chart is a productivity tool that looks amazing and yet had little impact on our productivity. Someone once said that the Gantt chart will be remembered as the most important, useless tool in history. And yet, we tried it. Why?<br />
<br />
The Gantt chart was a way to measure how much time each task would take. Taking account into all the tasks' estimated time, a calendar graph was charted to informs us of the estimated time needed complete the whole project. It could work if each task was completed on their respective due dates. The problem was that the further the task was from completion, the harder it was to estimate or maintain anything. From our experience, the most we could track our progress, without slipping too much or guessing wrong, was one quarter of a year. Anything longer than that would be almost impossible to keep track of.<br />
<br />
When we start using Asana, we were able to keep ourselves on track on a weekly basis by focusing on the deadlines. With that, we found confidence in hitting our milestones. Armed now with our better understanding of game production and improved skill set that we cultivated, we came to a better estimation of how much time was needed to accomplish a certain task. This is where the Gantt chart came back into play, we could now more accurately plot the project's timeline. Other Gantt chart apps available on the market have a pretty steep price and the free ones are often cumbersome to use. Asana has a timeline system in their paid version, which acts as a Gantt chart. However, the free version that we are using doesn't have that function. So we used Quick Plan Pro on the iPad instead. It's extremely intuitive and user friendly, and provides enough essential tools for the way we work. When the time comes where all our team members needs to use a Gantt chart, we'll probably upgrade the free Asana to a paid version.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixyCSWXbahH7AqzTdzxPESVi-cRWMBO1KpPH-SpVdHp-6SXnEN-SpD8rRZ_Iwhmro9Oulv2ypvNVS0AXj4WVU4wTjqLTgRkBvQcMtIssku_gvGd1YzbVOtxKsF6vbUPZlo3MZaor7CyU/s1600/Quick+Plan+Pro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1280" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixyCSWXbahH7AqzTdzxPESVi-cRWMBO1KpPH-SpVdHp-6SXnEN-SpD8rRZ_Iwhmro9Oulv2ypvNVS0AXj4WVU4wTjqLTgRkBvQcMtIssku_gvGd1YzbVOtxKsF6vbUPZlo3MZaor7CyU/s400/Quick+Plan+Pro.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Planning our 2018 roadmap. using Quick Plan Pro.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>WHAT WE REALIZED</b><br />
We are living in an era where many things are very affordable or even free. There are probably many productivity tools available on the market that others find more suited for their work. Throughout these years of working on The Painscreek Killings, despite having all these wonderful tools to keep the production moving, we've realized that the most important thing was the group of people that we've worked with. For that, we feel extremely blessed.EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-56192787234950656802018-06-21T18:00:00.000-07:002018-06-22T17:32:35.322-07:00Painscreek 6/21/2018 Patch Notes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHw8MM8o1Sb-d1YP07IdtF3Dxtsm4sgM5a9D2Q7EObcKwxM9DEf0QoGNOJBVQfBwi29GVJP5yEaMCQsZdmHDvGTlyKw9OvueByv8WbNo_LoglAOn1rHMJeUo9UoTpKFiz7b-ynbVHa9sw/s1600/Patch+Notes+-+20180621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHw8MM8o1Sb-d1YP07IdtF3Dxtsm4sgM5a9D2Q7EObcKwxM9DEf0QoGNOJBVQfBwi29GVJP5yEaMCQsZdmHDvGTlyKw9OvueByv8WbNo_LoglAOn1rHMJeUo9UoTpKFiz7b-ynbVHa9sw/s400/Patch+Notes+-+20180621.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hi everyone. As of today, we've finally finished optimizing the game. This includes the Mansion, which is the heaviest scene in the game, as well as all other smaller and medium-sized scenes which were not originally part of the optimization but we decided to include them as well. Improvements to the game are as follows:<br />
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1. Reduced the game's file size from 18GB to 10.6GB, a reduction of about 40%.<br />
2. Reduced RAM usage by approximately 40% when accessing the Village scene.<br />
3. Reduced RAM usage by approximately 30% when accessing Mansion and Hospital scenes.<br />
4. Improved Unity's batching process by about 40%, which is the number of files needed to be read by the CPU, especially when accessing the Mansion and Hospital.<br />
5. Improved load times when switching between scenes during gameplay.<br />
6. Improved prop textures for some locations.<br />
7. Lowered the system requirements to run the game (as shown below).<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>MINIMUM (updated):<br />
OS: Windows 7/8/10 64-bit<br />
Processor: i3-2120 @3.3GHz<br />
Memory: 8 GB RAM<br />
Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 745 (or AMD equivalent)<br />
DirectX: Version 11<br />
Storage: 11 GB available space<br />
Additional Notes: *Subject to change after updates<br />
<br />
RECOMMENDED (updated):<br />
OS: Windows 7/8/10 64-bit<br />
Processor: i5-2500 @3.3GHz<br />
Memory: 8 GB RAM<br />
Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 770 (or AMD equivalent)<br />
DirectX: Version 12<br />
Storage: 11 GB available space<br />
Additional Notes: SSD for faster loading time<br />
*Subject to change after updates<br />
<br />
Disclaimer on system requirements:<br />
We have updated our minimum and recommended specs so the game can gaming PCs with moderate (or even slightly lower) specs. However, you may face small freezes when exploring the Village scene. This is due to the way the game now loads only necessary props and unloads the rest. Although some players might find this slightly jarring, we feel it is a necessary trade off to improve the overall loading times. If the game is installed on an SSD, this issue should be non-existent.<br />
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Since releasing the game on September 2017, we spent nine months fixing the bugs and optimizing the game. During this time period, we learned a lot about game optimization in general and the Unity game engine. We also stumbled upon an amazing community with mature and helpful players, and are extremely grateful for their patience, help and support. Now that The Painscreek Killings is officially done, the next thing on our list are localization, console and VR ports. We've never attempted them before and thus do not have a set release date yet. However, we will make effort to accomplish them within the shortest time possible. In the meantime, you can follow us on our blog, Facebook or Twitter for more updates and information!<br />
<br />
http://eqstudios.blogspot.com/<br />
https://www.facebook.com/EQSLV/<br />
https://twitter.com/EQSLV<br />
http://eqstudios.com/<br />
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EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-12366362805921724392018-06-12T08:58:00.001-07:002018-06-12T09:04:42.441-07:00Painscreek Devlog #6: Designing The Menu & UI<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtn4_eF_vQPJy-zIVicOOZ4i4uci1aJJ4i4nylWMASB9JhxaKt9M905QxTWPDAo-EP7CnrymjhUkbJ0clRhYqqslIJ9p3gQIss9phGaUra6KV9qdkKEC8mxl047VjW3eSMC7v2zxUJbo/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtn4_eF_vQPJy-zIVicOOZ4i4uci1aJJ4i4nylWMASB9JhxaKt9M905QxTWPDAo-EP7CnrymjhUkbJ0clRhYqqslIJ9p3gQIss9phGaUra6KV9qdkKEC8mxl047VjW3eSMC7v2zxUJbo/s400/14.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(An early design of the Painscreek's grading system. Background image taken from 'The Secret World'.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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When first designing the user interface, we decided to go with a minimalist design, for a number of reasons. First, we couldn't understand how to use Autodesk's Scaleform. Second, we were new to Unity and didn't want to spend a lot of time on implementing a complicated UI. Third, we thought that an immersive experience meant placing on the screen only what was mandatory. Fast forward 5 years later: Although more UI elements were added as the development progressed, our end-product embraced much of what our original design set out to be. It was rough in areas, but it got the job done.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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Here's the design process we went through when coming up with the UI for The Painscreek Killings: What should we include/exclude? That was one of the first things we decided to focus on. What would be essential to players? We definitely needed a start menu and an options menu. A dot in the center, a reticle, to inform the players what they were focusing on. An action alert, a text prompt, to notify players what they could do when certain objectives aligned. An inventory system that would hold all of the important items gained on the journey. And finally, the camera. We wanted players to capture everything they wanted to as they explored the game. All of these were considered the bare essentials.<br />
<br />
(Note: Some of the background images shown here were googled and taken from the commercial games, such as 'The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter' and 'The Secret World'. They were solely used for prototyping during the design phase as the images resemble our game's atmosphere.)<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>THE ESSENTIALS</b><br />
<br />
<u>The Action Icon</u><br />
One of the essential features of the UI was, again, the Action Icon/Reticle. We'd decided early on that it'd be a white dot in the middle of the screen to guide players on what they were focusing on during game-play. However, when it came to accessing items or objects we didn't know what would work best. We tested text prompts and image icons, and we favored the latter. But the icons used during prototyping were amateurish. And for each type of action, a different image had to be created, such a book icon for reading a document, an eye icon for inspecting stuff, and a hand icon for picking up collectibles. We just didn't know how many would be needed for the whole game when everything was finished, and so we eventually scrapped the idea of images and settled on using just text.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6QwqJ4AT1WKzK5O6NOfn4BrJBYoV0jqw5tG5L8S1u2AN8KtZ_wz1HOloFlbbqEGliPBFoWGQT-oAZKM1M_iNvAfZJDYqG77kRaX3AT-L7XZko8ZmNy3au7ylT01upiFevnu8kopQgp0/s1600/Menu_Read_Icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6QwqJ4AT1WKzK5O6NOfn4BrJBYoV0jqw5tG5L8S1u2AN8KtZ_wz1HOloFlbbqEGliPBFoWGQT-oAZKM1M_iNvAfZJDYqG77kRaX3AT-L7XZko8ZmNy3au7ylT01upiFevnu8kopQgp0/s400/Menu_Read_Icon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">(An image-based action icon.)</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlg-XWjKv0mW9N1TR9zW4L5i8fdF0sbYYG6at325EFpU5PDSwh5631D_SFC2h3wxTiQVEh-IkI-t_ZiQjFjElZgRWpdRlJYWkA0ZLggxpUlyEOjChxGZ6AbFmSdgqT4hq6YfJpMODPa9g/s400/Menu_Read_TextIcon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(A text-based action icon.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlg-XWjKv0mW9N1TR9zW4L5i8fdF0sbYYG6at325EFpU5PDSwh5631D_SFC2h3wxTiQVEh-IkI-t_ZiQjFjElZgRWpdRlJYWkA0ZLggxpUlyEOjChxGZ6AbFmSdgqT4hq6YfJpMODPa9g/s1600/Menu_Read_TextIcon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<div>
<u>The Inventory</u></div>
<div>
We spent quite some time thinking how we wanted the Inventory to look. What we wanted was a simple UI, with the left part of the screen showing what items the player had, and the right side of the screen providing information or additional hints about the item that was currently selected. There were a number of inventory plug-ins on the Unity Asset Store, but we just couldn't find them to our liking, they just didn't fit our design. In the end, our self-taught programmer found a way to script it all up.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMQ53710jWilkd2MKH9Qwp255V_mXjk0JOCa3aOfNmTaoYwFzortZedrUN3L5MpfaS-sQmoKeDh7NcRD26h_vocnh_k_mKFQug8UBI4rpXAY9PjonoyGGaSoD_oRkzZbSjgnTxD2rKO8/s1600/10_Inventory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMQ53710jWilkd2MKH9Qwp255V_mXjk0JOCa3aOfNmTaoYwFzortZedrUN3L5MpfaS-sQmoKeDh7NcRD26h_vocnh_k_mKFQug8UBI4rpXAY9PjonoyGGaSoD_oRkzZbSjgnTxD2rKO8/s400/10_Inventory.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Early design of the inventory.)</td></tr>
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<div>
<div>
<u>The Camera & Photo Album</u></div>
<div>
When designing the Camera's UI we wanted players to feel a certain authenticity when using the feature, so we mimicked the look of a 90s digital camera's viewfinder. For the photo album we prioritized function over aesthetic by implementing the view and delete buttons, and by allowing unlimited photographs. We wanted players to be able to snap as many photos as they wanted to, and for them to delete anything they considered useless, and we wanted all of this accessible in-game. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1Uboq49drzFql_YzSvojySrs32ZfjqTpF8xJi1WXiODUGZ1KDEmn_lv2TDzWUtaTVJ3TNmAF05Nbp4aPxAiqAZeTPUR1yPlMNrp9wcvL22xqxeEBeDRxH_kLEha8O2Mw3EjMLIs46mE/s1600/16x9_DigitalCamera_View_Example.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1Uboq49drzFql_YzSvojySrs32ZfjqTpF8xJi1WXiODUGZ1KDEmn_lv2TDzWUtaTVJ3TNmAF05Nbp4aPxAiqAZeTPUR1yPlMNrp9wcvL22xqxeEBeDRxH_kLEha8O2Mw3EjMLIs46mE/s400/16x9_DigitalCamera_View_Example.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Early design of the camera's viewfinder. Imperfections shown here were discarded for the final build.)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRyHrRPUXNmM02gMuH5xB6HSCuTl03pE09sRU4GzHqPNxnmINYdc2MbZIuWWpUSK2GmMgjF06kK8lHbubMbfgSkn1xItmLc48W-dd7WnUztKjDGBop4bva3TiqeKIkxzenCXL9nlakzw/s1600/16x9_DigitalCamera_Album_1c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRyHrRPUXNmM02gMuH5xB6HSCuTl03pE09sRU4GzHqPNxnmINYdc2MbZIuWWpUSK2GmMgjF06kK8lHbubMbfgSkn1xItmLc48W-dd7WnUztKjDGBop4bva3TiqeKIkxzenCXL9nlakzw/s400/16x9_DigitalCamera_Album_1c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabaEHwh7cudaUH8v0QIo4s9dcmHNYEF2BNDeZDlvDfZ70pQraYhhmZgKNZMD-FyuRFQEl-MHNTzYAn_FC3VwrsjD12wKR7PZ5d5a_8IRlVOgxH0ibB-2y3HrvJcyLVdscMkXZZfq0tI8/s1600/16x9_DigitalCamera_Album_2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabaEHwh7cudaUH8v0QIo4s9dcmHNYEF2BNDeZDlvDfZ70pQraYhhmZgKNZMD-FyuRFQEl-MHNTzYAn_FC3VwrsjD12wKR7PZ5d5a_8IRlVOgxH0ibB-2y3HrvJcyLVdscMkXZZfq0tI8/s400/16x9_DigitalCamera_Album_2a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Coming up with different types of layout for the photo album.)</td></tr>
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<div>
<u>The Maps</u></div>
<div>
At a point we found it necessary to add a Map feature. Players would likely get lost when running around in the village. And we didn't want the players to be burdened with having to take photos of maps they might see. Providing a map would dramatically decrease the chance of loosing yourself in a smaller alley or side street. We decided that a simple click of the 'M' key would give us a pop up image with the map of our choice. Although it broke the 'realistic UI' rule, it was a necessary step in making things a little easier for players.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusKLnDNknCWG6eNKjpL6DLN1RyHu8SCc-N-3DZP6bk1L9lE0DnwdZnXexwf1SHSVTnG91HGUdm3TwljEzGQ5FH1uD8k_vLpLPpUMoMUzGwTqvsoVHpAJUKg7gQgqCbA5M6mCHp-2LxWc/s1600/12_Map-Village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusKLnDNknCWG6eNKjpL6DLN1RyHu8SCc-N-3DZP6bk1L9lE0DnwdZnXexwf1SHSVTnG91HGUdm3TwljEzGQ5FH1uD8k_vLpLPpUMoMUzGwTqvsoVHpAJUKg7gQgqCbA5M6mCHp-2LxWc/s400/12_Map-Village.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Different looks for different type of maps. Here's what the village map would look like.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoPEFNeG6PbQk3NJ4pJbL1bTu9nDeOhVxLDwjuEABSqCPtLPWccnTycLSam7d2-WrPWL5vBdoY6BwNPkW6eO8_m3Ft-qiaSkLF-heHGP9xLS_MD11exQeMGPTZHOAzcum7B4MdHn2Zas/s1600/13_Map-Mansion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoPEFNeG6PbQk3NJ4pJbL1bTu9nDeOhVxLDwjuEABSqCPtLPWccnTycLSam7d2-WrPWL5vBdoY6BwNPkW6eO8_m3Ft-qiaSkLF-heHGP9xLS_MD11exQeMGPTZHOAzcum7B4MdHn2Zas/s400/13_Map-Mansion.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Here's what a building's map would look like, which resembles a blueprint.)</td></tr>
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<div>
<u>Choosing The Font</u></div>
<div>
During the UI design phase, one key factor that is subtle, but massive, is fonts. We played around with several variations, from conservative fonts to typewriter fonts to contemporary fonts. We had to see if these could work on a game title, in options menus, in readable documents. For every font we looked at we considered the two important factors. First, it should support the overall look of the gamer rather than stand out like a sore thumb. Second, it had to be easy for players to read. Although we favored the typewriter font initially, we decided to go with contemporary fonts by the time the game was published.</div>
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<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pbs-Ygn7O0RIMwBbS6vv0sPhj1TjeGobQVay-xTa00qxpp8VVsKLQuE4LZyt3ZXP63ukcrdJ-cgZp3NR1AmoxPCvtbTK9BH22giS9Z-e3kmTUKlFqJkwAr1RSF_N8aURIl4w8nDoyq8/s1600/ThePainscreekKillings_Mom%2527sTypewriter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pbs-Ygn7O0RIMwBbS6vv0sPhj1TjeGobQVay-xTa00qxpp8VVsKLQuE4LZyt3ZXP63ukcrdJ-cgZp3NR1AmoxPCvtbTK9BH22giS9Z-e3kmTUKlFqJkwAr1RSF_N8aURIl4w8nDoyq8/s400/ThePainscreekKillings_Mom%2527sTypewriter.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The Start Menu with the 'typewriter' look.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFmpII-ORIfuswRuqk9W2WwUgBLe5ICorLOrCHWlBBgFlDnJUkFDQD3Y71QOqakvcupQL9nq0DCfHpJ1u02pWHuB-742-waA8o9SZaKy5l_D_one8GwKLqLIvrFmcFpPE7dz16jnfAQo/s1600/ThePainscreekKillings_BigNoodleTitling-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFmpII-ORIfuswRuqk9W2WwUgBLe5ICorLOrCHWlBBgFlDnJUkFDQD3Y71QOqakvcupQL9nq0DCfHpJ1u02pWHuB-742-waA8o9SZaKy5l_D_one8GwKLqLIvrFmcFpPE7dz16jnfAQo/s400/ThePainscreekKillings_BigNoodleTitling-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The Start Menu with a contemporary look, which has a better appeal and still works.)</td></tr>
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<div>
THE UNNECESSARY THAT BECAME NECESSARY</div>
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<div>
<u>The Journal System</u></div>
<div>
Some game testers complained that there were too many documents to read and to memorize. Although taking a photo of the pages was an option it just wasn't an ideal method when there's about a hundred documents in the game, and some of these can contain up to several pages. So we decided to look back at a journal system. It was something that we'd wanted to have when we first designed the game, but it was dropped when we found no 'on-the-shelf' plugin that could do what we had in mind. When we figured out that this sort of feature would be nearly necessary for players we were entering our internal beta testing. Fortunately our programmer had a basic foundation with C# by that point, and she felt that it could be done. Since we had so many NPCs with their various documents that covered decades we needed a system that could get us to where we needed to be, when we wanted to be. To further help players keep track of a system that could still be confusing we had to make sure everything was in alphabetical and chronological format. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UZw8YIC8JEt0iqmSvJay1lYFdBHvItg-gZaP199ppglx_6OOkzKlx-VzTM4C5z-6e7lwOKD5XBVyIxzMa17aq5uD-gE0LhojdWqEEzpv0HeJixoLJPRF-RWeTCSqxecKG4pqY3VA6-s/s1600/11_Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UZw8YIC8JEt0iqmSvJay1lYFdBHvItg-gZaP199ppglx_6OOkzKlx-VzTM4C5z-6e7lwOKD5XBVyIxzMa17aq5uD-gE0LhojdWqEEzpv0HeJixoLJPRF-RWeTCSqxecKG4pqY3VA6-s/s400/11_Journal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(An early design of the player's journal, with a focus on the overall look. Despite the nice look to it, we did not know how to implement it into the game.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZFKo0rcmG8X56FZIljQKHoyd8qMfuc0Huui7MLaTZyI3_gz1qlaTUccU8Dys6JBawMmO1CfwUy7yVJZGUKh-GoWPHrqp77dofSCE7NINaY7wbpfSckCw2mfcNk-U4PZKd0EltYbNkvE/s1600/InvestigationNotes_A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZFKo0rcmG8X56FZIljQKHoyd8qMfuc0Huui7MLaTZyI3_gz1qlaTUccU8Dys6JBawMmO1CfwUy7yVJZGUKh-GoWPHrqp77dofSCE7NINaY7wbpfSckCw2mfcNk-U4PZKd0EltYbNkvE/s400/InvestigationNotes_A.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">(A second version of the player's journal. We went for a minimalist look this time.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpx24EtuAe_KzKwPcBbc_MFw6qdn2a-k6_6T2qdyEAdhdIw6sLdhqZYD3sughQ0AlGdP7-k1WnJ95OlMR83TqBI4zaKFGx1NbmptNh_0i2iq3KcNEvKIH9sfZ9BVnRlXmCFRVCwSHb2k/s1600/Player+Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpx24EtuAe_KzKwPcBbc_MFw6qdn2a-k6_6T2qdyEAdhdIw6sLdhqZYD3sughQ0AlGdP7-k1WnJ95OlMR83TqBI4zaKFGx1NbmptNh_0i2iq3KcNEvKIH9sfZ9BVnRlXmCFRVCwSHb2k/s400/Player+Journal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">(The final version listed alphabetically as seen in-game.)</td></tr>
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<u>Video & Audio Options</u></div>
<div>
One of our previous developers mentioned the need to implement individual video settings for players to tinker with. We thought that was a luxury we couldn't achieve at the time, going instead for a global setting choice of fantastic, beautiful, or good. After launch, however, players were asking for the possibility of tweaking the game the way they prefer rather than what the developers wanted them to experience. Some players even wanted to separate the sound effects from the BGM. To fulfill what they wanted we started to take time to individualize as many settings as possible.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVaXSADluRBnQwFzWQfFzCyfSXQ7n7tdV2y3XF5C_K_qbmoVxHYgXJ1cyW_erfrFYSmAKYavi7J4XmiNbqTFiNpDT4hQTDm6e1V0hNhRS1Rio3uqXuo_FqJH7ZXG51O3yqWtk60op6Yc/s1600/GameFont-05b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVaXSADluRBnQwFzWQfFzCyfSXQ7n7tdV2y3XF5C_K_qbmoVxHYgXJ1cyW_erfrFYSmAKYavi7J4XmiNbqTFiNpDT4hQTDm6e1V0hNhRS1Rio3uqXuo_FqJH7ZXG51O3yqWtk60op6Yc/s400/GameFont-05b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(An early depiction of what would be included in the video options.)</td></tr>
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<div>
THE LUXURY</div>
<div>
Our original design for the start menu had a static, but appealing, background with the menu options sitting at the bottom right hand corner for players to access. This served us well enough and was easy to implement. Somewhere during development we chose to go with an animated background instead, not only showing off the game's environments, but helping create an atmosphere of what was to come by having the music playing in the background. Although we viewed it as a luxury rather than a necessity, we felt that it was a good choice at the end of the day.</div>
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Unity 5 made UI implementation much easier than before. Issues such as resolution scaling, centering, or corner locking became easy tweaks. </div>
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CONCLUSION</div>
<div>
It's the design of the UI that can help make or break a game. Although a minimalist UI might be functional enough, it should always be appealing to the players. For future games, we'll go with something more suited for the current era while still maintaining a suitable UI</div>
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EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-13202030850234003922018-05-31T11:03:00.000-07:002018-06-12T09:04:16.558-07:00Painscreek 5/31/2018 Patch NotesHi everyone. We've finished optimizing the Hospital, which is the second heaviest scene in the game, and revamped textures for a number of props. Improvements when accessing the Hospital are as follows:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Reduced Hospital loading time.</li>
<li>Reduced RAM usage.</li>
<li>Slightly reduced GPU usage.</li>
</ol>
<br />
We are currently working on the Mansion, which is probably the heaviest scene in the game, followed by a full game optimization shortly after. Once that's done, the game should run much better. More information on that later.<br />
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<br />
<u>Hot Fix 1:</u><br />
Some users were having issues on loading into the game after the latest patch. The problem was hunted down and the game should be stable now. We're sorry for any inconveniences this may have caused.<br />
<br />
We're going to be doing an additional fix very soon to patch another small problem.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Hot Fix 2 (June 1, 2018):</u><br />
Certain UV maps had some issues. These were sorted out.<br />
Some objects were missing their colliders, and others were accidentally made hidden. All of these have been fixed.EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-16943121568905957082018-05-29T08:00:00.000-07:002018-06-08T10:47:50.353-07:00Painscreek Devlog #5: Who Is Steven Moss?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzecLOdY_sY32boR-yYJ6xLw5fCbDbScHvIpz4lnL8aWEi6WhCtHKhOsN8a0dweYBXpzGAj_6JQbvU_kR3x85ULBPCc17sKaLXzxx1ec0vI21CjGU1RuiKbaHZUsO5aIcniXaYaO0Gx0M/s1600/PIStevenMoss_ID.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="813" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzecLOdY_sY32boR-yYJ6xLw5fCbDbScHvIpz4lnL8aWEi6WhCtHKhOsN8a0dweYBXpzGAj_6JQbvU_kR3x85ULBPCc17sKaLXzxx1ec0vI21CjGU1RuiKbaHZUsO5aIcniXaYaO0Gx0M/s320/PIStevenMoss_ID.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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When a game has no quest journal, no hint system, a playtime average of over 10 hours, and it requires players to trek over twelve locations, is there anyway to prevent people from getting lost? Hints are important in entertainment. A hint system is found in nearly all 'hidden object' games. In more modern games, important items either have a glowing aura around them, or the main characters have a heightened vision that makes the important items stand out from the background. Both of these are useful techniques and helps to ease the players' frustrations when they get stuck. However, we felt that the above methods would break the immersion of our game. But, even though we didn't want to break the immersion we still had to consider the following: how can we prevent players from simply getting stuck? Would the systems mentioned earlier cheapen the whole feel for everything? Would they ruin a detective game that attempts to mimic real life? What could we do that wouldn't be in-your-face? Could we use an in-game person?<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
Our original idea was an author who was researching the death of Vivian Roberts. Through him, players can uncover more of the town's backstory, material that would be awkward to deliver through the NPCs' diaries. Halfway through, we changed him into an NPC's younger brother who had visited Painscreek in the mid 80s. He was interested in interviewing people and collecting a great deal of his own notes. All he wanted was to get to the bottom of everything. But why would he want to know the truth? What was his purpose? By the time the game reached alpha testing we scrapped the idea. Still, we wanted someone from outside Painscreek, someone who could provide an outsider's perspective. Someone who could give us information that no normal citizen would just list off needlessly.<br />
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These two people, and their sole purposes, eventually evolved into the P.I. Steven Moss. He was a private investigator hired to find the truth behind the murder of Vivian Roberts. His role was to guide Janet at certain points in the game, as a unique form of giving hints. In a way, Steven Moss' progress sets the path that Janet will tread.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXF_Qe8TtV3Gu8bWTXHth2Jpf_BBi2YHSStgkZ8Isn6mC1V7iYfEw1XaZUPl4BRHaGqyPQjvZXN6KOn8qpRXTOkbDZBY3kgOph9p9UuunTqSUJ3zMSoH-h0r1DwQ6gQ2sGHgpDp_blYVs/s1600/shiver_vanishinghitchhiker-creepy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXF_Qe8TtV3Gu8bWTXHth2Jpf_BBi2YHSStgkZ8Isn6mC1V7iYfEw1XaZUPl4BRHaGqyPQjvZXN6KOn8qpRXTOkbDZBY3kgOph9p9UuunTqSUJ3zMSoH-h0r1DwQ6gQ2sGHgpDp_blYVs/s400/shiver_vanishinghitchhiker-creepy1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Players who do not know what to do can use the hint system found on the left-hand corner of the screen.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What kind of hints can Steven Moss offer players? First are the codes found in his notes. These are secrets that seemed natural in a private investigator's notepad, secrets that just would feel odd if they were found in an NPC's diary. Second, the photographs. These show various locations that players should find to be important. Nothing that Steven Moss kept was unimportant. He wasn't one to keep junk. The third and final type of hint Moss would give was to relay to the players that there was someone stalking the town. Moss' own investigation is found to have come to some unfortunate ending, showing that the mastermind doesn't want the secrets exposed. That the closer the player comes to the truth, the closer the killer is to making sure Janet won't leave.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MyUXcN3io4Lm1uClBuY3MSHKMrwROMKG72QIoiHZY6JKdPTYwtEs9C67DD6Cvh5ArnCfYCkjgm3vB5h-WobgF4zuoiAaq9ZtamKGfAMfsdOE9o2Ezqnpfma7vMzUkSCR3b0acr2WVtY/s1600/INN_Random.avi_snapshot_01.20_%255B2018.05.24_19.32.45%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MyUXcN3io4Lm1uClBuY3MSHKMrwROMKG72QIoiHZY6JKdPTYwtEs9C67DD6Cvh5ArnCfYCkjgm3vB5h-WobgF4zuoiAaq9ZtamKGfAMfsdOE9o2Ezqnpfma7vMzUkSCR3b0acr2WVtY/s400/INN_Random.avi_snapshot_01.20_%255B2018.05.24_19.32.45%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(PI Steven's notes about his investigation reveals the path that he went through.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4wrMOCDz1RtFFxQmB5RNebQtFhFpOvIGVqwn0w9kn5ChCxeOLV91LrKBj1l9taf-xmRd8g5El0RzwsQEHItMe-AiOrhwVetcX1qtqYQB8wori5e9yjJ4mMKYVgQUkKi8-iR7AeB-Mzo/s1600/INN_Random.avi_snapshot_00.53_%255B2018.05.24_19.57.22%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4wrMOCDz1RtFFxQmB5RNebQtFhFpOvIGVqwn0w9kn5ChCxeOLV91LrKBj1l9taf-xmRd8g5El0RzwsQEHItMe-AiOrhwVetcX1qtqYQB8wori5e9yjJ4mMKYVgQUkKi8-iR7AeB-Mzo/s400/INN_Random.avi_snapshot_00.53_%255B2018.05.24_19.57.22%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(This photo shows someone on top of a building. Where is this location? And who is on top of the roof? These are questions we hope will lead players to the location where they might find something important.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Although he serves as a unique hint system in the game, players don't have to rely solely on what he's left behind. The clues are, however, interesting because of the questions they'll lead the players to consider. Things to look into, places to revisit. Most of the time there will be a reward for pursuing that path, such as looking into the hospital after finding a unique photo.<br />
<br />
So what happened to Steven Moss after he fulfilled his role? This was an open-ended question that we decided to leave in, believing that players could have fun with the various potentials. We only left enough for guesses and assumptions. However, we may step in and tie up as many loose ends as we can, possibly with a DLC somewhere down the road.<br />
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EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-14007931899496477452018-05-10T21:35:00.001-07:002018-05-11T09:46:50.886-07:00The Painscreek Killings Rated Excellent By AdventureGamers.com!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51z3LPx7yaaRKLKOxPdO6cCnSAaRZVtoFUaGtf8pPQ3ZAyghL_qQYUXoSlxtN-YUUqvQRsd9aBmlZTnU7jiUMQQgGx36mYF1apAk9A0GVhnBsDOYfIXIusPlr2IewmKZ-iQe__-1DaYY/s1600/painscreek30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1440" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51z3LPx7yaaRKLKOxPdO6cCnSAaRZVtoFUaGtf8pPQ3ZAyghL_qQYUXoSlxtN-YUUqvQRsd9aBmlZTnU7jiUMQQgGx36mYF1apAk9A0GVhnBsDOYfIXIusPlr2IewmKZ-iQe__-1DaYY/s400/painscreek30.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
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<a href="http://adventuregamers.com/" target="_blank">AdventureGamers.com</a> recently reviewed 'The Painscreek Killings' and rated it excellent with a score of 4.5/5! Here's their verdict:<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
<i>"The Painscreek Killings is an engrossing, complex, challenging murder mystery that makes you feel like a real investigator. Dig out your notepad; it’s time to uncover the secrets this sleepy, abandoned town is hiding."</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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Click <a href="https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/35007" target="_blank">here </a>to read the full review.</div>
EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-81140331743313692992018-05-09T09:16:00.000-07:002018-05-10T22:12:29.781-07:00Painscreek 5/9/2018 Patch NotesHi everyone. Here’s a list of things that were patched/implemented:<br />
<br />
1. Optimized the village, one of the three heaviest scenes in the game. This includes optimizing the terrain and improving the terrain textures, which helps with reducing the RAM and GPU usage, and the loading times,.<br />
<br />
2. Proof-read all documents (U.S. English).<br />
<br />
3. Updated the disclaimer at the beginning of the game, informing players of the reload option should they encounter technical issues during gameplay.<br />
<br />
4. Fixed incorrect dates which caused inconsistencies in the story's timeline.<br />
<br />
5. Minor bugs fixes listed by players posted in the Steam community forum.<br />
<br />
6. Removed AA option since the game uses Unity 5.3.4 engine which does not support that feature.<br />
<br />
7. Implemented full Steam Controller support.<br />
<br />
8. Made changes towards the end of the game to improve the player's experience during gameplay.<br />
<br />
We thank the community for their support and being patient with us. Currently, we are working hard at optimizing the Hospital and the Mansion, which are the remaining heaviest scenes in the game. Upon completion, the game's frame rate and loading time should improve considerably.EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-8576230744713525352018-04-18T10:15:00.000-07:002018-05-10T22:15:54.138-07:00Patch To Fix The Tutorial Achievement1. Fixed a bug concerning the Tutorial Complete achievement preventing users from unlocking it. (If it doesn't unlock automatically you may want to wait to complete the game so you can start a new one. This achievement should be unlocked after you complete all the tutorials, the last being the one on sprinting after you unlock and enter through the front gate of Painscreek.)<br />
<br />
2. (This update was released earlier but wasn't significant enough to have it's own patch note post.) Re-added the invert mouse option, as after the Controller Update the invert axis function in the Calibration settings only worked for controllers and not the mouse.<br />
<br />
4/26/2018 hotifx :<br />
3. Fixed an issue where the Best Friends Forever achievement was being unlocked incorrectly.<br />
<br />
Thank you!EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-85045198327037266112018-03-19T10:09:00.000-07:002018-05-10T22:11:29.377-07:00Controller Support For TPK Now Available<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tUGCzwRl3xe5pHUNCchTyFo8HYL4_o7IemCD0J7mSQiycK8jVc8jlMjhcaHkabMty0mH1hLDMmqyRJSnE5KJ6Iys0b3imq2_5z3ojoGgb-RtQ268oiL2Un_BBFvP7ZEuZM7u56PeHvs/s1600/Controller+Support.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tUGCzwRl3xe5pHUNCchTyFo8HYL4_o7IemCD0J7mSQiycK8jVc8jlMjhcaHkabMty0mH1hLDMmqyRJSnE5KJ6Iys0b3imq2_5z3ojoGgb-RtQ268oiL2Un_BBFvP7ZEuZM7u56PeHvs/s400/Controller+Support.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Hi everyone!<br />
<br />
This one took a while, but we are pleased to announce controller support for The Painscreek Killings. Most major controllers are supported and feature full customization. These changes will be added to the demo as well so feel free to try before you buy. Also if you encounter any bugs please post them on the Steam discussion page for our game and we will get back to you as soon as possible.<br />
<br />
Here’s a list of things that were patched/implemented:<br />
<br />
1. Implemented Controller Support for most major controllers<br />
<br />
2. Implemented Lense Dirt slider in the video options so that now you can adjust it to your liking rather than just on/off.<br />
<br />
3. Implemented Sprint Toggle setting to Control Settings to make it so that you can toggle sprinting on and off instead of having to hold the Sprint key to run.<br />
<br />
4. Added support for a few more resolutions (namely Ultrawide 3840 x 2160)<br />
<br />
5. Fixed typos in Act 1<br />
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6. Fixed an issue where controller settings would reset after closing.<br />
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Hope you enjoy :)EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-7180157347039828452018-02-16T10:13:00.000-08:002018-05-10T22:14:16.577-07:00Painscreek 2/16/2018 Patch notesHere’s a list of things that were patched/implemented:<br />
<br />
1. Implemented a Reload button in the pause menu for players who fell through the world or got stuck behind furniture. It has a wait time of 2 minutes, after which the player will respawn to the entrance of the location. Any items picked up prior to this and photos taken will still be in your possession.<br />
<br />
2. Implemented FOV slider in the video options.<br />
<br />
3. Dirt lense removed.<br />
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The following were part of the demo, but implemented in the paid version as well:<br />
<br />
4. New props were added to some locations and a few items were shifted around to accommodate a better experience for new players.<br />
<br />
5. Additional audio content were added to a few key locations that gives reason for players to visit certain locations.<br />
<br />
6. About 25% of the game content received proof-reading and grammar check.<br />
<br />
7. Players can continue their save game from the demo version to the paid version so they do not have to replay the beginning part again.<br />
<br />
We understand that some players are still affected by the low frame rate, long loading time and game crashes. We have recently found out the problem and are in the process of fixing it. Unfortunately, it’s an issue that needs quite some time to fix. We will post updates on its progress from time to time.EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-32893939039093174562018-02-13T22:45:00.000-08:002018-05-10T21:13:51.078-07:00The Painscreek Killings Demo Now Available On Steam!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/624270/The_Painscreek_Killings/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMF-cuaEUk031E2eqJpwGoSQcfhSPO8BUAliEPFhEAlrG3edrusLh_qEN7zg_5P6BFOMYFVJxIVFFq8qmvnV6qCJG_uiBBFW-280cgrfbKulwI_xUijRotjnB32oJMyRNwy4zgRezTWU/s400/Demo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Painscreek Killings demo is now available to download! It contains the complete Act 1 and the playtime runs between 1 to 3 hours, depending on the player’s play style. The full game will run between 10 to 20 hours for most players. Click <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/624270/The_Painscreek_Killings/" target="_blank">here</a> to access the Steam page.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
A few changes were implemented during the creation of the demo that affected the release game permanently but do not break the game. They are as follows:<br />
<br />
1. New props were added to some locations and a few items were shifted around to accommodate a better experience for new players.<br />
<br />
2. Additional audio content were added to a few key locations that gives reason for players to visit certain locations.<br />
<br />
3. About 25% of the game content received proof-reading and grammar check.<br />
<br />
4. Players can continue their save game from the demo version to the paid version so they do not have to replay the beginning part again.<br />
<br />
With the demo, players can see if they like The Painscreek Killings for what it is - a hardcore whodunit detective game that does not handhold the players and forces them to think like real-life detectives. Due to the high specs required by the game, players can also use the demo to test and see if their computers can handle it.<br />
<br />
If you love stories, give our game a try!<br />
<br />
Enjoy :)EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-15979602327882988702018-01-25T20:08:00.000-08:002018-05-10T20:44:17.465-07:00PAX South 2018: Recap / Reflection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-RkRbrxSkEr8oeBgzHmfiEL7O0yYzWV3syDlCw1zJtehF_JLKXdhyphenhyphendPCdyp02n_47MyqM3fOXYttj1C43NWnzoqE_Krw1nr0usRNPYIQVSJOg60kwtR40Yts-rWfF-fIkHuxmxzKJIM/s1600/PAX+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-RkRbrxSkEr8oeBgzHmfiEL7O0yYzWV3syDlCw1zJtehF_JLKXdhyphenhyphendPCdyp02n_47MyqM3fOXYttj1C43NWnzoqE_Krw1nr0usRNPYIQVSJOg60kwtR40Yts-rWfF-fIkHuxmxzKJIM/s400/PAX+sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We had an amazing time at PAX South 2018 and we loved
meeting all our fans! Whether you came
to try out The Painscreek Killings demo or have already been a fan since the
beginning, we just want to say THANK YOU! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">PAX South was the best event we as EQ Studios could have
ever experienced to kick-start 2018. It
was our first expo and we were extremely nervous because we didn’t know
what to expect. Few days before PAX, we had
to make an 18 hour, 1277 mile road trip from Las Vegas, Nevada to San Antonio,
Texas. </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32XxtjZmvDEh7dqoiWGIi8XnrUkaGw3_Oc9iOKzzxNCMJ9AJf5Zfz5WbI42DDktxJ5ZSauSMkTOejFLfu69eTeOBMvkOOCu24eL1DLKnBNsUA5bo8jfIKuhFn1hiroWKEHd8ZnG4O0jw/s1600/Booth+setup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32XxtjZmvDEh7dqoiWGIi8XnrUkaGw3_Oc9iOKzzxNCMJ9AJf5Zfz5WbI42DDktxJ5ZSauSMkTOejFLfu69eTeOBMvkOOCu24eL1DLKnBNsUA5bo8jfIKuhFn1hiroWKEHd8ZnG4O0jw/s400/Booth+setup.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We arrived a day before the event and spent the entire time
setting up our booth and making last minute adjustments. After multiple trips to Office Depot and
Walmart for more supplies, we went back to the hotel, and brainstormed the elevator
pitch for our game until 3 </span></div>
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<b>DAY 1</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our day started 3 hours prior to PAX official opening to
prepare for the press, who were allowed early access into the exhibit
halls. With only a few journalists
stopping by, we grew anxious to the thought of how the public will think. Despite our worries, in the first few hours the
turnout was incredible, and the feedback from visitors were overwhelmingly
positive. We were shocked to see what
kind of audience were interested with the game. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWP51l5_cAZkv1IwwuIX3CMVkK6oCDoIHp2G3PRh5jcPpalA2Jz4OV5XNVDU8iVh-rTDWzX_HIIokzwR_0TAxpDEAgcTEVrW7QgT5IMjom_7ac-S1Pgffa2IlWZAYy_58th3z1zMMelJ4/s1600/Day2+people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWP51l5_cAZkv1IwwuIX3CMVkK6oCDoIHp2G3PRh5jcPpalA2Jz4OV5XNVDU8iVh-rTDWzX_HIIokzwR_0TAxpDEAgcTEVrW7QgT5IMjom_7ac-S1Pgffa2IlWZAYy_58th3z1zMMelJ4/s400/Day2+people.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We had forensic scientists, lawyers, IT engineers, software
developers, and even parents who never play video games but were eagerly
interested in our game. We realized that
our fans were an older audience that were not necessarily gamers but loved
stories and murder mysteries.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNLwZ5DdSLjeExq9ADv_ltIqGLagkC8ie425_Q7GXCaWoSd5n8_YTuqXirMMEcB7_URgBGI-jlSA_S_qmwjdYToZyWDjqVBqV9jZlFObiQbJ7ro-7maPTdKg_1uoYeb997mL32cGBEGk/s1600/Day+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNLwZ5DdSLjeExq9ADv_ltIqGLagkC8ie425_Q7GXCaWoSd5n8_YTuqXirMMEcB7_URgBGI-jlSA_S_qmwjdYToZyWDjqVBqV9jZlFObiQbJ7ro-7maPTdKg_1uoYeb997mL32cGBEGk/s400/Day+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Because of the unexpected number of visitors in the first
few hours, we ran out of pins and flyers to give out. We even had to send one of our team members to
rush to the nearest UPS store and print 1000 more flyers for the rest of the
event. Even with a few last-minute
adjustments, we managed to make things work out. By the end of the day, our team was super
exhausted and frustrated that there were so many things we could have done
better. (In retrospect, we did the best
we could, considering it was our first PAX).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>DAY 2</b></div>
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We arrived as early as the first day because we wanted to
make small changes to the booth and demo.
Even from 8 am there were people lining up, patiently waiting to be the
first group to enter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVBFpmWLIloXCYoCUKwfbuR_y48OxL_zixiV1Qx3S-z7okpZ8Pyk5Eldk5jly1F1gooVFQq1BKHSWbwI7_mZ79aNKax58v79nsNnstVZ0vCLgzSQNwQwAKjWgKybV0VqMnck-y6MAmIU/s1600/Line+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVBFpmWLIloXCYoCUKwfbuR_y48OxL_zixiV1Qx3S-z7okpZ8Pyk5Eldk5jly1F1gooVFQq1BKHSWbwI7_mZ79aNKax58v79nsNnstVZ0vCLgzSQNwQwAKjWgKybV0VqMnck-y6MAmIU/s400/Line+up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As soon as the crowd was allowed in, there were a lot of
people visiting us early to have a chance at our demo booth. We were also happy to see familiar faces from
the day before and some coming back to say hi.
In the morning, so many visitors were lining up to test our demo that we
had to set a time limit per player to accommodate everyone. During what felt like a busy farmer’s
market, we were thrilled to have streamers, Youtubers, and bloggers approach us
for an interview or to play the demo. A
few of them asked us about EQ Studios’ history and were genuinely impressed
with The Painscreek Killings as our first game.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>DAY 3</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our approach to the last day drastically changed when we had
a morning meeting before PAX. The plan
was, as usual, meeting with fans at our booth, but we realized that this event
was also the best place to meet other indie game companies. As a team, we agreed that we should take this
opportunity to network with other developers and publishers. By taking turns staffing the booth, some of
us were able to go out and meet with other indie game companies. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pctucZ3o7l6Zc4W9qAkKq9dCkBWVcyuHzeS7lQLF2JrFa6ZGh9HEVag5vC72c9v8F3TqOu-j_0j_OUPQ1b6jwcRw_glPL8kxGbVymQOzHVVYhM9TSvg0_EGuUJGGIKQztT8XxEuk0HI/s1600/Kongregate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pctucZ3o7l6Zc4W9qAkKq9dCkBWVcyuHzeS7lQLF2JrFa6ZGh9HEVag5vC72c9v8F3TqOu-j_0j_OUPQ1b6jwcRw_glPL8kxGbVymQOzHVVYhM9TSvg0_EGuUJGGIKQztT8XxEuk0HI/s400/Kongregate.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Throughout the day, we were so determined to learn as much
as possible from other developers that time flew by quickly. At the end of the day, we managed to meet a
lot of developers and publishers who were more than happy to share their
experiences and offer their piece of advice to us. It taught us that relationships with other
people in the industry is just as important as with fans.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">_________________________________________________________________________________</span></div>
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<b>TEAM REFLECTION:</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Q) What were your expectations going to PAX?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>To
be honest, I didn't know what to expect. All I knew was that I had to be
presentable as much as possible because, in a way, this was going to be our
debut as EQ Studios to the public. We were going to show our faces for the
first time to potentially our fans and the press. </i><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>I was
hoping to get more exposure for our game, as well as get covered by the press.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>I expected
that EQ Studios could network and make some new contacts and friends and come
back inspired.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Q) What did you enjoy most at PAX?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>I
loved the fact that I was surrounded by developers who shared the same passion
as me. They were able to share their struggles and victories and it allowed me
to feel less alone knowing that I too went through the same experience. Additionally,
hearing all the positive feedback for our game, made it feel that all those
hours of being sleep deprived and pushing myself beyond my limit was all worth
it. </i><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>I enjoyed
talking with publishers and meeting with other indie developers most. As it is our first game, we had no clear idea
the tactics used for game publishing.
Through meeting them, we learned quite a bit.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>I enjoyed
meeting the fans and seeing like-minded indie developers.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Q) Is there something you felt that could have been done better?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>Since
this was our first expo, we were bound to have hiccups and issues we weren't
expecting. But to our relief, our issues weren't anything major. Mainly
small things like realizing the extra things we could have added to our booth,
printing more fliers, and realizing how to run things more efficiently. </i><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>We
should have provided game sales for those who wanted to buy the game on the
spot. We should have provided a real demo build, more demo stations, and
prepared press kit/folder for the press when they visited us. Lastly, we should
have come up with something that can attract people to our booth, such as
giveaways, raffles, etc.</i><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>I believe
we did the best we could given our circumstances<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Q) Was PAX South worth going too?
Even if it’s the smallest PAX event.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>I
think it was worth it since it’s our first time exhibiting our game at PAX. We
learned a lot through PAX South. However, I’ve also come to realize that PAX
South is meant for developers who already have a solid sale record and are
there to cater to gamers. For those whose goal is to get their game covered by
press, PAX South is not the place to invest.</i><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>It
was worth it. The size was perfect for our first experience and most Twitch
streamers preferred PAX South to Twitch Con because PAX was bigger.</i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<i><o:p></o:p></i><!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><i>Absolutely!
There was so much valuable information we were able to learn. We received lots
of amazing feedback, from learning tips and marketing techniques from other
developers, to receiving constructive criticism from play testers. In fact, it
was better that we used the smallest PAX as our testing ground. We are now able
to better prepare for the much bigger expos.</i><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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</div>
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Again, thank you all for the support and we look forward to
seeing you soon!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-58312034066207569552018-01-05T22:18:00.000-08:002018-05-10T21:07:26.943-07:00A Thank You Video Dedicated To Our Fans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XSx56QYWqj0" width="480"></iframe></div>
<br />
The Painscreek Killings have received many positive reviews from the community, and we decided to dedicate this week to them! We weren't able to put everyone's reviews in it, but rest assured we appreciate them all :)<br />
<br />
Thank you all for your love and support! Have a wonderful 2018!!EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-46369553135096676612017-12-27T22:35:00.000-08:002018-05-11T16:25:44.420-07:00Painscreek Devlog #4: Making A Narrative Work For Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUP5Tt8hYOLS9rtKyKFb7H5dTQmXqDOlAh0Xsb7Thqa29vR1bqV2KewORumCqMhIRnjLVGTCCKk-L-YJzy6iJCa-JwW85-b3BS4cP15VlQ9nX9AfPMzhj5F3BZcI544dOjXwIZCEDJRrI/s1600/StoryBoard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="795" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUP5Tt8hYOLS9rtKyKFb7H5dTQmXqDOlAh0Xsb7Thqa29vR1bqV2KewORumCqMhIRnjLVGTCCKk-L-YJzy6iJCa-JwW85-b3BS4cP15VlQ9nX9AfPMzhj5F3BZcI544dOjXwIZCEDJRrI/s400/StoryBoard.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Instead of discussing the menu and UI design as originally planned, we’ve decided to take this opportunity to explain a bit further how we utilized the content in the past two blogs to make the narrative work in The Painscreek Killings. We hope anyone finding themselves wondering if they can make a story work without it being forceful or too linear can benefit from this article.<br />
<br />
<i>Prior to sharing this blog with everyone, we want to emphasize that this is neither the best method nor the only method to create a game like ours. Instead, we just want to share what worked for The Painscreek Killings and hope it benefits others creating a similar type of game.</i><br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<b>WHERE TO FIND INSPIRATION?</b><br />
To design a murder mystery game, where does one start? For us, we decided to look for inspiration outside games. Why? Because if we look at games for inspiration and reference ours to theirs, then our game can only be limited to what we referenced from and less. Not more. Instead, we have to go outside of games and bring something that is lacking in games. For that, we looked at films, one of the most successful visual media to date.<br />
<br />
For the story, we looked at films and TV shows. One of the biggest influence is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637727/" target="_blank">The Killings</a>. It’s probably the only show that puts the audience in the shoes of a detective and think “where should I investigate now?” It is this strong sense of detective work and feeling at a lost when leads turn to red herrings that compels us to make The Painscreek Killings the way it is.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryaP9fHHv560pyN1Or-wWPml7RzKG6ER3bgGleqoozC8UoIDsVSdbVzNhV99M1YI9XBbDiYSi4PS3GEaM656TwV2G0Mm5y0KV4wFvHoIm-Oqci9Tr308E0IrVc_Iy_TWiLgl57iZDUTQ/s1600/The+Killing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryaP9fHHv560pyN1Or-wWPml7RzKG6ER3bgGleqoozC8UoIDsVSdbVzNhV99M1YI9XBbDiYSi4PS3GEaM656TwV2G0Mm5y0KV4wFvHoIm-Oqci9Tr308E0IrVc_Iy_TWiLgl57iZDUTQ/s400/The+Killing.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The Killing - probably the best detective TV show in recent years.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For music, we went for everything that might work. When trying to find music suitable for TPK, we realized that the ones we love actually did not work. Instead, we had to find music that can play in the background without distracting players from their investigation. In the end, we went with music similar to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119174/" target="_blank">The Game</a>. (Note: there's some controversial as for the final composed music, but it's a topic for another day.)<br />
<br />
For atmosphere, we looked at references that brought out a mysterious feeling. The genre did not matter. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094525/" target="_blank">Agatha Christie’s Poirot</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119644/" target="_blank">Fringe </a>provided us an external reference, which contributed to the game's lighting. Japanese detective shows, on the other hand, provided us a more internal reference, contributing to the game's overall feel . Using both, we were able to create an uneasy feeling despite the game taking place during the day.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1ppeTz7CpEE5jASb6oZEdtfc93aB-K0FPAnjbNikkp1JFT8BdxlBQuJSTukhNzPzy6MWFL2q4pSWg_VbElReuwsXN1HPEN_9qxasEe8808hv_v4nF9ohwcd8zY4opelS22PJ2Jgfci0/s1600/ClothOverFurniture2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1ppeTz7CpEE5jASb6oZEdtfc93aB-K0FPAnjbNikkp1JFT8BdxlBQuJSTukhNzPzy6MWFL2q4pSWg_VbElReuwsXN1HPEN_9qxasEe8808hv_v4nF9ohwcd8zY4opelS22PJ2Jgfci0/s400/ClothOverFurniture2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(One of the shots from Fringe inspired us to create a similar look in our game's interior scenes.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1L0uQjkvsS9AADqKbH4EJrrK_wYnNCVrVjF22wX6DrvdvUvxhOHpdQijDMWFTouRghRQN-eA4drdxPpmwMegqt8NMPgSBLGEWyV5iukf2Mu9fEFlr_gShmyOlv5DDX7rD81-GE-VuhY4/s1600/Church-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1L0uQjkvsS9AADqKbH4EJrrK_wYnNCVrVjF22wX6DrvdvUvxhOHpdQijDMWFTouRghRQN-eA4drdxPpmwMegqt8NMPgSBLGEWyV5iukf2Mu9fEFlr_gShmyOlv5DDX7rD81-GE-VuhY4/s400/Church-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(In-game screenshot of the Church interior.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Despite using films for most of our references, we also looked at games when designing TPK. We turned to <a href="https://www.secretworldlegends.com/" target="_blank">The Secret World</a> to study how the story missions were constructed. We also mimicked a few of the game mechanics which worked well for TPK. The difference is that each mission in The Secret World is short while in TPK, the mission of solving Vivian’s murder might require over ten hours to complete.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdr2Or5rb2LQlcL90x1VzZjj3uG4jh_1j2T29wPSY0i0jispOvYymLy6MgWxFh2JVdTLlXialIS-wE2ZaYIFTuBOJbXkfITZjoaf6q1oh3typaIvvYPOKFkbhn6hDRo8OknuJZ9VxQOo/s1600/TSW+-+Kingsmouth+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdr2Or5rb2LQlcL90x1VzZjj3uG4jh_1j2T29wPSY0i0jispOvYymLy6MgWxFh2JVdTLlXialIS-wE2ZaYIFTuBOJbXkfITZjoaf6q1oh3typaIvvYPOKFkbhn6hDRo8OknuJZ9VxQOo/s320/TSW+-+Kingsmouth+Map.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The concept of using a map to navigate around town came from here.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When designing and open world experience in a story structured progression, we looked at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EverQuest" target="_blank">Everquest</a> and <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/304240/Resident_Evil__biohazard_HD_REMASTER/" target="_blank">Resident Evil</a>. Everquest provided an amazing gaming experience because the players were the ones who created their own goals. This player-created goal is probably more powerful than any game-created goal. We also used the original Resident Evil's ability to explore anywhere in the mansion while allowing players to pick up important keys to unlock the story progression as one of TPK's core mechanic. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LGjgKtl5lmjTKeTu5ghmy2tAreSl7Cd8AzyqIpvJQz-oPTf93-qKDGPnpnctQdDo3xCN-u9oBJA883S9_Ikaw0XxmzlYsEALv4-y-ki7yICmtdSUk7xUmgiRj_OizQzpx3rHm_kYpII/s1600/Resident+Evil+Remake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LGjgKtl5lmjTKeTu5ghmy2tAreSl7Cd8AzyqIpvJQz-oPTf93-qKDGPnpnctQdDo3xCN-u9oBJA883S9_Ikaw0XxmzlYsEALv4-y-ki7yICmtdSUk7xUmgiRj_OizQzpx3rHm_kYpII/s400/Resident+Evil+Remake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Resident Evil laid the foundation of free-roaming within a structured design.) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Look to past games for the great memories, but don't reproduce exactly they way they were because when you do revisit them at this day and age, you will realize they aren't as good as you remembered them to be. The experiences you got from them, however, are priceless. That's what you want to try to achieve in your game while adapting to gamers of the current generation.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYaW0YN9cMWnH6NSckzorMpWX_sK9Zzl5xUdW9W4LIdgAXngzdkldJENBt4iad7BnUEASQksWO6XJQnwTyxnf2QJ7W2WCwT3Ux3cw6aPaL5JCkqejNrGfCPEvicxhqiUd12lI9c_l18s/s1600/upper_guk_maps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYaW0YN9cMWnH6NSckzorMpWX_sK9Zzl5xUdW9W4LIdgAXngzdkldJENBt4iad7BnUEASQksWO6XJQnwTyxnf2QJ7W2WCwT3Ux3cw6aPaL5JCkqejNrGfCPEvicxhqiUd12lI9c_l18s/s400/upper_guk_maps.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(This is one of the many dungeons in the original Everquest where memorizing the layout is the only way to navigate through.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>GO WITH THE NORM OR 'EDUCATE' PLAYERS ABOUT YOUR GAME</b><br />
Sometimes, you have to break the concept of what a game should be. For a murder mystery game, how do you make one feel like a detective? Do you go with what current generation games have to offer, with their auto-targeting quest markers and in-game maps to lead you every step of the way? Or do you want to emulate the way a detective game could be? For us, we wanted players to experience what it feels to solve the case by themselves without being helped by the computer. Should they solve the game completely, the result is theirs to be proud of.<br />
<br />
<b>DON’T FORCE THE NARRATIVE ONTO PLAYERS. LET PLAYERS CREATE THEIR OWN NARRATIVE EXPERIENCE</b><br />
Despite having the 3-act structure and game mechanics well laid out, how do you make it work? Let’s say you think the game’s story should be laid out in a certain way so players can get the most out of it. It definitely works for a film, but will it work for a game? Will players feel that the story is being forced down their throat, or that the game's linear design is limiting them the opportunity to make meaningful decisions? What can you do to avoid this problem?<br />
<br />
One month before the release of The Painscreek Killings, we playtested the game and realized that Act 2B wasn’t working. The problem was that Act 1 and Act 2A were so organic and free-roaming that Act 2B seemed like it was on rails. So we posed a question to the development team: if the first half of the movie is great and the second half is bad, is that still a good film? The answer is it isn't. The solution to that was a revamp of Act 2B.<br />
<br />
<u>Original Act 2B</u><br />
Players are to look at possible NPCs who might have a motive to kill Vivian. Let’s assume the NPCs are Adam, Bruce, Chris, Dean, and Evan, and Adam is Vivian's killer. From their backstories, all of them have a motive and a reason to kill Vivian. The developers know who the killer is, but the players do not, and the developers want players to experience all of the NPCs’ storylines before finding out who the real killer is. So the game is designed such that Adam (the killer) wrote letters to Steve (the P.I.) as a concerned citizen to try and mislead him into suspecting everyone else as a possible killer other than him. Steve would then investigate everyone, thinking that he was being helped by a concerned citizen. As his investigation progressed further, Steve realized the suspects were all innocent. He then came to the realization that his anonymous friend was misleading him. This led him to investigate his anonymous friend. The moment he found out who the killer was, his life would be at stake. This story structure allows players to experience all of the NPCs’ storyline to the fullest. It sounds great, but there's one problem: how do you make a player experience it the same way Steve did while maintaining an free-roaming, open-world structure? It's not possible. Not only will it make the game linear, everyone will experience Act 2B in the exact same way. This was the dilemma we had and we knew it had to be fixed immediately.<br />
<br />
So we abandoned the idea the anonymous friend. Instead, we went with the following.<br />
<br />
<u>Revamped Act 2B</u><br />
Adam, Bruce, Chris, Dean and Evan are still suspects in Vivian’s murder, but their backstories are further expanded and their timeline intertwined. We also made the relationship among them even more connected. This way, players can investigate any NPC that they suspect, and all of them other than the killer will lead to red herrings. This way, we maintained the open-world mechanic and players' experiences in Act 2B will unravel quite differently. The downside to this is that if players suspect the real killer at the start of Act 2B, then the second half of the game can end pretty quickly. To remedy this situation, we implemented a few mechanics, one of them being the % completion system, to encourage players to extend their investigation.<br />
<br />
The original Act 2B felt like a roller-coaster ride. Pick up an item or a
clue and it will lead to another, which leads to another, and finally
to Vivian’s killer. The revamped Act 2B, on the other hand, made it
organic and more of an open-world experience. There’s no handholding, but
the rewards are greater because of the story twists and the emotional
rides portrayed through some NPCs. Certain backstories uncovered earlier
in the game also start to make sense, and everyone will has a closure
to their storyline. Players can feel like they are
truly putting their detective’s hats on. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Fa0Q76nAp81_kW9YKIxf9BAQR1CDQML8eLIVZzR1t4g3XO5LHCIcOOfGjR0amckgQa_k8S8qyu8XRHkeg7uCxE8ujNfYeIKh-xfpoaRlknrExiw9nquuu6k_7S_mRHy_8KJYnIcLMjE/s1600/ayye.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Fa0Q76nAp81_kW9YKIxf9BAQR1CDQML8eLIVZzR1t4g3XO5LHCIcOOfGjR0amckgQa_k8S8qyu8XRHkeg7uCxE8ujNfYeIKh-xfpoaRlknrExiw9nquuu6k_7S_mRHy_8KJYnIcLMjE/s320/ayye.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(It is possible to solve the case correctly with minimal information uncovered.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>PROVIDING ‘AH-HA’ MOMENTS FOR PLAYERS</b><br />
You want players to feel smart when playing. You don’t want to make them feel stupid. The point of playing games is for entertainment, not frustration (we have the latter in life already). Let players explore the world, discover stuff, look through chests and drawers, read notes and diaries, find hints and clues, and figure things out on their own. When players solve things on their own, they create their own ‘ah-ha’ moments. This is a very satisfying feeling that encourages them to continue playing the game. Just don't make it too hard or too easy or it will backfire. <br />
<br />
<b>CREATING HOOKS FOR YOUR PLAYERS</b><br />
How do you hook your players from beginning to end? How do you make that happen? From our experience, here are a few principles we relied on.<br />
<ol>
</ol>
First is story hooks, created by using the 3-act structure. Set plot-points and mid-point as story changing hooks. Let the climax be the high point of the game. We recommend a few film books that are useful in this area, namely Syd Field’s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Screenplay-Foundations-Screenwriting-Syd-Field-ebook/dp/B000S1LAYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514444476&sr=8-1&keywords=syd+field" target="_blank">Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting</a> and Robert McKee’s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Story-Structure-Substance-Principles-Screenwriting-ebook/dp/B0042FZVOY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1514444500&sr=1-1&keywords=robert+mckee" target="_blank">Story: Style, Structure, Substance and the Principles of Screenwriting</a>.<br />
<br />
Second is NPC hooks, created by developing characters that your audience can empathize with. Also, leave cliffhangers in some of their diaries so players have a desire to find out more about their storylines.<br />
<br />
Third is player hooks, created by the players themselves. Let players develop their own goals in the game. In TPK, although the story's progression is linear, we give players the chance to explore anywhere they want and create their own goals within the game. Do not presume to tell players what you think is the best way to experience the game. Rather, let them experience it the way they would like it to.<br />
<br />
Using the above principles, we were able to hook players quite successfully.<br />
<br />
<b>MAKING THE GAME SATISFYING FOR THE PLAYERS</b><br />
Have you ever watched a movie that, at the end of it, made you think "Is that it?" There’s a movie called <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1130884/" target="_blank">Shutter Island</a> with Leonardo DiCaprio as the lead actor. The trailer was amazing, and so was the film, until the end when some of us felt cheated. Why did we feel that way? It's because everything that happened was in the protagonist’s head. Nothing was real. Everything that’s built up from the start till the end didn’t matter at all.<br />
<br />
When creating The Painscreek Killings, we knew we will not go that route. After all, our game is to find the truth to Vivian’s murder. The ending has to be concrete and substantial, something that players feel they’ve earned it. That way, players will feel a sense of satisfaction. This can never be emphasized enough.<br />
<br />
<b>CONCLUSION</b><br />
We had a clear idea of the type of detective game we want to play, and it translated very closely to the released version. It’s a style that harkens back to 90s adventure games, but with current graphics and improved game mechanics. In trying to make it happen, we changed certain mechanics to fit the game's design, but we never deviated from the goal, which was envisioned clearly before pre-production even started. In closing, we just want to summarize the points we did when developing TPK.<br />
<ol>
<li>Have a clear vision of the type of game you want to make and give to your players.</li>
<li>Begin by knowing how your game's story ends.</li>
<li>Plot out your story’s plot-point 1, mid-story, plot-point 2, its climax and resolutions. The climax should be the culmination of your entire story.</li>
<li>Develop the 3 acts by establishing the goals and obstacles for your protagonist, antagonist(s), and all characters in-between.</li>
<li>Fine-tune the details along the way. </li>
<li>Step back often to look at the design as a whole. Does it meet your original vision?</li>
<li>Repeat step 3 to 6 as many times as you need until your game is ready for release.</li>
</ol>
That was how The Painscreek Killings was made.EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-9621610818662957372017-12-12T15:08:00.000-08:002019-03-03T03:27:41.552-08:00Painscreek Devlog #3: Designing The Game Mechanics<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOROGajSKzXChfzjI0KGKEhLltHRgpasMHif-uTghxfaiQfweFNdkOSEWjZgzFR5vvcytZC8uaZ4JyjO2HqQp7bsfDEeMtTn2PXDp1YtHNQ1K2PzibCyoU9jG2PNhZYfgCjxlwXjOtv6w/s1600/TPK_StoryFlow.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOROGajSKzXChfzjI0KGKEhLltHRgpasMHif-uTghxfaiQfweFNdkOSEWjZgzFR5vvcytZC8uaZ4JyjO2HqQp7bsfDEeMtTn2PXDp1YtHNQ1K2PzibCyoU9jG2PNhZYfgCjxlwXjOtv6w/s400/TPK_StoryFlow.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(An early draft of the game flow.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Coming up with the game mechanics shouldn't be too difficult. Since we are trying to mimic a real life investigation, that would mean we could skip anything that does not happen in real life, such as quest markers, in-game compass, items highlighting, fast travel, hint button, etc. All we need is a flashlight, a camera, a player journal, an inventory system, a photo album, an auto save/load, character spawn locations, building instances, menu options, NPC navmesh, character health bar, different endings… Wait. What just happened?<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<b>WHAT WE WANTED IN A MURDER MYSTERY GAME</b><br />
We started with a simple question: what kind of game would we want to play? After all, we would not make a game we didn't like in the first place. What we wanted was a game that will make you feel like a detective. Below is a list of things we advocated.<br />
<br />
<u>1. Logical clues, hints and puzzles</u><br />
We didn't want to play a game where the puzzles made no sense. We didn't want to pull a lever in room A that unlocked a hidden doorway in room B without being informed. If players have to access twelve locations sprawled across a town, then the clues and hints need to be logical for them to proceed. The game can be hard or even challenging, but it should not be illogical.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJDL1PjF-RYo6jiCehlmsklfOGS-4qGSTanTeBs1pLs7fFJf6_GASWJu9u3FCI_7e2XrNz5bYmDMPJX_CEZ40ZL19Qrei_qtyEFloxIpTwhifnjDASW2uCkhZeanmlOI5lGzgK8Qr2oA/s1600/TPK_01_Tutorial.avi_snapshot_03.17.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJDL1PjF-RYo6jiCehlmsklfOGS-4qGSTanTeBs1pLs7fFJf6_GASWJu9u3FCI_7e2XrNz5bYmDMPJX_CEZ40ZL19Qrei_qtyEFloxIpTwhifnjDASW2uCkhZeanmlOI5lGzgK8Qr2oA/s400/TPK_01_Tutorial.avi_snapshot_03.17.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(When stuck, view the item's description for hints.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><br /></u><u>2. Know Painscreek like the back of your hand</u><br />
In 1999, Sony released a game called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EverQuest" target="_blank">Everquest</a>. In that game, there’s no map, no compass, and no fast travel. The way to know your way around is to memorize the roads and environment. It sounded like a chore but the truth is that most players who grew up with that game loved it. They knew the layout of the towns and dungeons like the back of their hand so when things turned sour during raids, they knew where and how to escape. It made them feel attached to that world. It made them feel special. For The Painscreek Killings, we wanted to achieve that so we abandoned fast travel in favor for maps and road signs.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvwIlFLD7wVkzVB1oPWLWbdDAj_2DcLt6LYFdyGml9HU57lR3Xc5KPxOK5ELfjV3F4_D2LTLUwxFrgJj30qFISNltGXpj7m0BrU53iwklYcAl8qE-i6F7NbRNq9yocakmtynHzafwNn4/s1600/Classic+Everquest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvwIlFLD7wVkzVB1oPWLWbdDAj_2DcLt6LYFdyGml9HU57lR3Xc5KPxOK5ELfjV3F4_D2LTLUwxFrgJj30qFISNltGXpj7m0BrU53iwklYcAl8qE-i6F7NbRNq9yocakmtynHzafwNn4/s400/Classic+Everquest.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The best 3D MMORPG ever made where everything had to be earned by the player, and dying carries a severe penalty.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u>3. Look and observe for anything important</u><br />
We also wanted to encourage players to really look around and search for important clues and items rather than having the items highlighted or outlined. In order not to make it too difficult for players, everything was placed in a believable manner, every puzzle was provided with at least one or more clues, and some puzzles can be solved without finding the hint. An example would be the slim jim. If you grew up in the 90s, you would probably know that it's a tool used by thieves to unlock car doors. Players might also come across an item that do not make sense at that time, but would make perfect sense later when they found it. One such example was the shovel, which was found in Oliver's Photography store rather than a tool shed.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJ7Wf9xnxtcKP754EM7z0A9RTz8Zi6dsuN7woZ3cPjHlM1i4dD9D2IodLSGOwU2kkZDUH9Bx9ICSboz_TvftWUt1Os6RQDkT1MJMVkhHQf8sMgYnHuJDjcD_aghMs1W5Jg3mCVPFiKCI/s1600/Scott%2527s+Cabin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJ7Wf9xnxtcKP754EM7z0A9RTz8Zi6dsuN7woZ3cPjHlM1i4dD9D2IodLSGOwU2kkZDUH9Bx9ICSboz_TvftWUt1Os6RQDkT1MJMVkhHQf8sMgYnHuJDjcD_aghMs1W5Jg3mCVPFiKCI/s400/Scott%2527s+Cabin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(What can you find here?)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u>4. Finding the right clues to proceed</u><br />
Rather than knocking on every door found in the game, we wanted players to find clues that would lead their investigation in the right direction. Many recent games have players clear one stage before continuing on to the next, knowing that they could not proceed further if they did not clear that particular stage. The Painscreek Killings, on the other hand, introduced the whole town right from the start. Because of that, it’s futile to knock on every door and see which doors can be opened. Instead, what was the first thing that caught their attention while investigating the Sheriff’s outpost? Was it the mansion where Vivian’s body was found? How about the Church where Scott, the suspect, used to work? It’s these kind of clues, whether direct or indirect, that should give the players a nod towards the direction in which to proceed with their investigations.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjkw0HDAwChpSv-oybSSooKNMh70pE_xj-Jm-OxXAUvXIJ6RRA-pfTyc_bE5L0iT4GVDYGpht7OXULGXPmU76CbWyTkviMrE7F3z2gskR0Ni3NBm9LIWpr9rc0C_2YR7nrdQ89QuQUxQ/s1600/TPK+-+Mansion.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjkw0HDAwChpSv-oybSSooKNMh70pE_xj-Jm-OxXAUvXIJ6RRA-pfTyc_bE5L0iT4GVDYGpht7OXULGXPmU76CbWyTkviMrE7F3z2gskR0Ni3NBm9LIWpr9rc0C_2YR7nrdQ89QuQUxQ/s400/TPK+-+Mansion.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(How many players thought of investigating the Mansion first?)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u>5. Old-school note taking and photographing</u><br />
To make the player feel like he or she is a detective, we went with the old school method of note taking and photographing anything that might seem important. This game mechanic has been abandoned nowadays to make everything easier and more convenient for the players. However, we believed that not only is it necessary in a murder mystery game, it could add another level of immersion to the game experience.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIb-GfFIt_Ee1sGE9Au8OOSccvAT5tnW5VGhZRtkhEXCm3tD__ac8Q_w9CU79MNcbZOJw5RBdBPXhKGGSHR8LqlLff32QmVtgqi6P_FaSPcWVP1e8M_YWCOxRmsajQMI1zbSbyftYouE/s1600/AH_WallWriting.avi_snapshot_00.50.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIb-GfFIt_Ee1sGE9Au8OOSccvAT5tnW5VGhZRtkhEXCm3tD__ac8Q_w9CU79MNcbZOJw5RBdBPXhKGGSHR8LqlLff32QmVtgqi6P_FaSPcWVP1e8M_YWCOxRmsajQMI1zbSbyftYouE/s400/AH_WallWriting.avi_snapshot_00.50.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photographing a scribbled message using the Janet's trusty digital camera.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u>6. Getting the right atmosphere</u><br />
Why do most horror or scary games happen at night? Could a game take place in broad daylight and still make you feel afraid or uneasy? We looked at games, films and TV shows while researching on this topic. There's a movie called The Ring. The American version had a lot of night/dark scenes while the Japanese version had more daytime scenes. The American version had jump scares while the Japanese version didn't employ that technique. When Sadako came out of the television, the American version was scary for that moment, but that moment only. The Japanese version, on the other hand, had us scared for days. So how did the Japanese film had such a stronger impact than the American version?<br />
<br />
We realized you don't really need jump scares to make a film or game scary. Jump scares are like fluffs with no substance - the impact is there when it happened, but diminishes quickly when it's over. Movies like Sixth Sense and Zodiac created tension and fear in a way that made their audiences remember them years later. We wanted to achieve that effect so we focused on the tension buildup through music, atmosphere, and most importantly, story hooks.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQkureaVcg6M1r41mNZ1eAH4R3GZNNp0FAzPWAMQMQoP65oQmbkVYV90hVVSNzXYaGQHVh-tqsvYBtEaIjlgNDzU_1Swg_Sw0a6ZsMVd6ZlZe3JlyuuIA4dG8aARoN3bElauTjVH1EuU/s1600/Ringu.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQkureaVcg6M1r41mNZ1eAH4R3GZNNp0FAzPWAMQMQoP65oQmbkVYV90hVVSNzXYaGQHVh-tqsvYBtEaIjlgNDzU_1Swg_Sw0a6ZsMVd6ZlZe3JlyuuIA4dG8aARoN3bElauTjVH1EuU/s400/Ringu.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Ringu, the movie that inspired us to make our game play out in daytime.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u>7. Making it look like a film than a game</u><br />
We decided early on to go for a film look rather than showing off all the hi-res textures that the game engine can pull off. There were two reasons for that. First, due to the nature of our game, it would benefit if it looked and felt more like a film. After all, The Painscreek Killings was a story wrapped inside a game. Second, we weren’t sure if we could pull off all the technicalities, and with all the high-res textures, we weren't sure if the game engine could run without facing huge drop frames, so we decided to play it safe. As long as the game looks like a film, that was good enough for us. Because of that, the visuals in the final release weren't the best when compared with other visually stunning games, but it created an atmosphere well-fitting for a murder mystery investigation.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmY2G_dGavMgbdafez9gHhkbEPnapcL2LJZ_tSrgymb0jpeK06CLNrJiz8F0fmIud2rLLA5PFIeOyMp9n4vnn9rfPIowLzxVAlUfmucjrY27yBQePu3MAdunqXHiFIHP1Q5D-Aj3wSBI/s1600/2012-10-10+10.43.16.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmY2G_dGavMgbdafez9gHhkbEPnapcL2LJZ_tSrgymb0jpeK06CLNrJiz8F0fmIud2rLLA5PFIeOyMp9n4vnn9rfPIowLzxVAlUfmucjrY27yBQePu3MAdunqXHiFIHP1Q5D-Aj3wSBI/s640/2012-10-10+10.43.16.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(An image found online that the game's atmosphere was built upon.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_mO_o5HnEnsAwLofXNJYv41DGKiZMxrKD9UauY6g6ZJaH-6g2w-uI5rdyQo95huowzhI4JsWRzyLT4XOCfq62xQp0teyhw7TdppqYrzOVcZI-TuAmmuTAK-ufw_yb9lD0Ek1_CQwyeM/s1600/VL_Center_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_mO_o5HnEnsAwLofXNJYv41DGKiZMxrKD9UauY6g6ZJaH-6g2w-uI5rdyQo95huowzhI4JsWRzyLT4XOCfq62xQp0teyhw7TdppqYrzOVcZI-TuAmmuTAK-ufw_yb9lD0Ek1_CQwyeM/s400/VL_Center_04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Screenshot taken in-game at the center of town, showing the resemblance of the reference image above.)</td></tr>
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<b>WHAT WE ACTUALLY NEEDED TO DO TO MAKE THE GAME WORK</b><br />
Despite wanting the game to feel as realistic as possible, there were just some things that would not work in a game. For example, we were hoping that players will write down important notes outside the game as reference, but with almost 100 diaries and notes to read, players would probably have stopped taking notes by the tenth book. Instead, we opted for a player journal which not only recorded everything players came across, it also listed them chronologically, making it easier for players to follow the NPCs' backstories. Below are a few key game designs that we implemented to make the gaming experience better while keeping the original design. <br />
<br />
<u>1. Instead of Sherlock Holmes, use used a breadcrumb system and a shape-sorting cube puzzle</u><br />
We love <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1475582/" target="_blank">Sherlock</a>, the TV show. It's a great show that had us follow Sherlock's cases. As a game, we doubted if we could solve even a fraction of what Sherlock did. If so, what could we do to make players in our game feel like a detective? For clues, we used the breadcrumb system where one clue would lead to another. To piece the story, we used a shape-sorting cube puzzle where you insert the right shapes into the right holes as our core design. As crude and simple as it seemed, this wooden toy puzzle actually helps children gain confidence when they did it right. For us, it’s a system that works, knowing that no one wants to be really stuck in a game where they become frustrated and eventually quit the game. Truth be told, that’s the whole game mechanic of our game. If it’s really based on such a simple system, how could we ensure that it will it engage players for hours on end? The key, we believe, was the unraveling of the stories and secrets of Painscreek. (If you missed our last blog and are interested in learning more the game’s story structure, visit our blog <a href="http://eqstudios.blogspot.com/2017/12/making-of-painscreek-killings-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKnJWFCXFVdaenpjcGWOc8xgTBIsu-LzeFpYBYZRkP253LDU-WmmdbZhfrSCAnBzJvK87oeT-IIa3R06yyeP0gG1cicEHgHVSiVDg87Fom4wk93ELpKXqrPsqMWLx0cj34W2cjs3ZIpY/s1600/Wood+Puzzle.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKnJWFCXFVdaenpjcGWOc8xgTBIsu-LzeFpYBYZRkP253LDU-WmmdbZhfrSCAnBzJvK87oeT-IIa3R06yyeP0gG1cicEHgHVSiVDg87Fom4wk93ELpKXqrPsqMWLx0cj34W2cjs3ZIpY/s320/Wood+Puzzle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube, a pre-school toy that inspired the game's design.)</td></tr>
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<u>2. Finding the balance between spoon-feeding and having no hints whatsoever</u><br />
It’s important not to make the game too easy because it will make players get bored easily. Make it too hard and players will quit. For many players who are accustomed to games that have quest markers, in-game compass and mission lists, The Painscreek Killings will feel overwhelmed for them in the beginning, but once they’ve found a clue to follow up on, things start opening up. It’s this mechanic that we believe will find the sweet spot between being too easy and too hard, so we spent a great deal of time planning out the clues and hints. We also considered what players can receive behind each locked door. Information that's easy to obtain would yield small rewards, while those harder to come by would yield bigger rewards. This way, players will not feel cheated or their time being wasted. In addition, the more players invest in the game, the more they will feel rewarded.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxG2_C_GovlBEXqvWX9z_pfRtTchXsblXum5UKCfGFVYrpQzgHTgAdxJkAMLGjkVYDqxARyM3PGjgPc-usqfrYiY1ov07kp6A4xMflL4vtC3pqaOwRYWq8-Fx0pGC_GAWJM4zFi54S14Y/s1600/INN_Random.avi_snapshot_01.13.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxG2_C_GovlBEXqvWX9z_pfRtTchXsblXum5UKCfGFVYrpQzgHTgAdxJkAMLGjkVYDqxARyM3PGjgPc-usqfrYiY1ov07kp6A4xMflL4vtC3pqaOwRYWq8-Fx0pGC_GAWJM4zFi54S14Y/s400/INN_Random.avi_snapshot_01.13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The owner of this room seemed to have some important items. But first, players have to find a way to access this room.)</td></tr>
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<u>3. Different rewards for different players</u><br />
Our original design was that each play through would be his or her personal experience. There would not be a continue button if players finish a game, despite the ending received. The game would proceed to start over once the start menu appears. This would ensure that no two players would have the same exact experience. However, we realized that while this sounds great on paper, it would frustrate a lot of players. Most players want to know if they are on the right track, how close they are to unraveling the truth, and have the option to reload their previous save game just to complete things they might have missed. To do so, we included the following in the final game: (1) a Grade system, (2) a % Completion system, and (3) the Steam achievements.<br />
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First, the Grade system. This is most important as it determines the player’s ability to uncover the killer’s identity. To prevent players from simply guessing through trial and error, evidence is needed. If players find concrete proof pertaining to the killer, they would be given the respective grade. This method allows players to solve certain puzzles without needing to find the clue for it. One such example is the code to the Mansion’s Gallery Safe. If you come to know that a particular person’s birthday is the code, you can unlock it earlier in the game. Even if you did not find the clue later on in the game, it will not affect your Grade.<br />
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Next, the % Completion system. This isn’t as important as the grade, but is useful as it informs players how much they have uncovered in their progress. The % Completion only focuses on pickable items and readable documents related to the game’s main storyline, and does not affect the Grade. The order of them being read or picked up also does not matter. Using the Mansion’s Gallery Safe as an example again, players can find a clue in one of the NPC’s diary which, if read, will reveal the code for the Safe. If you unlocked it early in the game and then found the code’s hint later, it will still be recognized by this system. This method of progression will draw you closer to finding the killer and contribute towards the % Completion.<br />
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Finally, the Steam achievements. There are actually more achievements to unlock than what is included in the 100% Completion. For example, every ending has its own achievement, and certain items not part of the main storyline also have their own achievements. This might appeal to some players, but is the least important.<br />
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We hope that by having different type of rewards, players can enjoy the game the way they want.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3e141QLp46Cw5LwNYx0xnfg7eQm9GWAldjtWqNlBhG_K17JCqglF0pfK044m38KxPZsHjpkyheNTzJ6fdRlWKcb5eM4_r5iGDGFEcPpZ4Z-DtrhovyXMc6M-SY9rLQEwej1r-8bW6T18/s1600/TPK+-+Ending+Grade+A%252B.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3e141QLp46Cw5LwNYx0xnfg7eQm9GWAldjtWqNlBhG_K17JCqglF0pfK044m38KxPZsHjpkyheNTzJ6fdRlWKcb5eM4_r5iGDGFEcPpZ4Z-DtrhovyXMc6M-SY9rLQEwej1r-8bW6T18/s400/TPK+-+Ending+Grade+A%252B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(sin0r, the first player to solve the case and achieve 100% completion.)</td></tr>
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<b>WHAT WE WANTED TO IMPLEMENT BUT COULD NOT</b><br />
We wished we could have implemented a phone-call system where players can call with the phone numbers found in the game. Some numbers might have been disconnected while others could provide clues. This would provide a fresh take on the investigation and break away the monotony of just reading diaries and notes. Unfortunately, we did not have a programmer at that time and had to abandon this idea.<br />
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We also wanted to implement in-game cinematic. One of them was for the player gets knocked out in the mid-story and find herself encountering Sofia in her dream. Another was for the player to hide under the bed when the killer appears 3/4 into the game. However, this meant that players have to experience it the way we envisioned, which might not be what players want. In the case of having to hide from the killer, what if players decided they want to make a run instead and realized they could not? That would break the immersion. In the end, we left them out because we didn’t have enough time to pull it off.<br />
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Lastly, we wanted to implement random in-game events. Ideas include a flower pot falling onto the ground from the second floor balcony, town gates creaking as the wind breezes by, a town clock that chimes for every hour that passed by, etc. Although we could not implement most of the ideas, we kept some of them, one being the power shut down in the Hospital (which might or might not happen, depending on which act the player accesses it), and the other on the sightings of Sofia.<br />
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<b>CONCLUSION</b><br />
Despite being categorized as a walking simulator, The Painscreek Killings can be said to have gone beyond it by implementing the following game mechanics:<br />
<ul>
<li>A semi-open world game. This means it’s not a linear experience and there’s no set path to follow. Players can explore wherever they want, most of the time based on the clues/hints they found. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A game where players can end the game anytime. If players think they know who Vivian’s killer is, they can leave Painscreek and submit their findings to the editor. The results they chose will be published in tomorrow’s paper. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A traditional murder mystery where players will find themselves having to photograph things and jot down notes they deemed important to their investigation. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A hardcore ”whodunnit’ game where there is no handholding and no quest markers. But the puzzles are fair and there’s more than one way to crack some puzzles. All the puzzles are also there right from the start, allowing players who have the right answers to solve them without having to search for hints.</li>
</ul>
For that, we have made a game that we wanted to play and kept our vision alive - a murder mystery game that makes the player feel like a detective.<br />
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Next: Join us next where we talk about designing the UI and menus.EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-85276094228480460612017-12-05T09:37:00.000-08:002018-05-10T21:19:54.280-07:00Painscreek Devlog #2: Designing The Story<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVIY2_Em7yeyZp-S5R_I6erM1Rx9QzOcMVaZnE4rNpE246reMsltxJ0tC1g7xpXSobzXlitwKPABmWLmnnFI0AeFX_pVRTHO4z_igu3Qvgb-f7OIgVgJ2ysm4fbGtJ-A8tPQDy6yT5h8/s1600/3-Act+Structure+-+a.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVIY2_Em7yeyZp-S5R_I6erM1Rx9QzOcMVaZnE4rNpE246reMsltxJ0tC1g7xpXSobzXlitwKPABmWLmnnFI0AeFX_pVRTHO4z_igu3Qvgb-f7OIgVgJ2ysm4fbGtJ-A8tPQDy6yT5h8/s400/3-Act+Structure+-+a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Image of the 3-act structure found online.)</td></tr>
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When we first started, there were two areas to consider developing. First, the story and game design. Then there’s the technical part where we need to build the game, something that we are still learning to be efficient at. The story and game design is probably the more important part of making the game succeed, so on this week’s blog, we will explain how we designed the story.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><b>COMING UP WITH THE IDEA </b><br />
What game genre would it be? Which game engine should we use? What should the story be? What game mechanics should be implemented? How much time, money, manpower are needed? Finally, could we literally pull it off? We knew that walking simulator was the only option we had, so that narrowed down our choices a bit. Could we literally pull it off? This was covered slightly in our much earlier blog, ‘<a href="http://eqstudios.blogspot.com/2017/07/how-we-survived-without-programmer-in.html" target="_blank">How we survived without a programmer in our first 3 years</a>’. As for time, money and manpower, we really had no idea how much or how long it will take. After all, it was our first game. But what we knew was to focus on a story that’s worth playing. To do that, we had to come up with a game idea first.<br />
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We were playing <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/215280/Secret_World_Legends/" target="_blank">The Secret World</a> during our ideation stage when we realized how great the missions were. The world was atmospheric, the stories in each mission enticing, and the events when accomplished, fulfilling. Despite it being an MMORPG, it felt like a single-player game that's choked full of memorable content. Players would find a clue which leads to another, look up a phone book to find the address of a key location, stare at paintings to see which one hides the answer to a secret passageway, etc.. The game was challenging and definitely worth playing.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEa6TjP5au-5Y512VYXO7qbZ4SqAtAGFRxDj6SaGcHxbLKHJIaPaCWODIwhl8nHcr0qYkeqGXWB9sG-uDt51xb-E_oGVuhizHOn6gcaazcg1HqXkhNNxofivYpcEj4yyEDDTwgaJYEbn8/s1600/The+Secret+World.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEa6TjP5au-5Y512VYXO7qbZ4SqAtAGFRxDj6SaGcHxbLKHJIaPaCWODIwhl8nHcr0qYkeqGXWB9sG-uDt51xb-E_oGVuhizHOn6gcaazcg1HqXkhNNxofivYpcEj4yyEDDTwgaJYEbn8/s400/The+Secret+World.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(We think that The Secret World is one of the best MMORPG ever designed, rivaling many single-player adventure games in terms of story content.)</td></tr>
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We wanted to make a game that would have players remembering it as time went by. However, we were limited with our design abilities. Since we grew up in the 90s, the era had to be around that time period. This being our first game and not having any programming experience also forced us to abandon the hope of having NPCs (non-playing characters) in the game. All of that led us to tackle the idea of a murder mystery investigation set in an abandoned town in the 90s.<br />
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To make the story work, we turned to a saying “Start from the end, and end at the beginning.” Actually, it’s more like "consider what your ending will be, then proceed to develop it from the beginning". For The Painscreek Killings, we followed the 3-act structure.<br />
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<b>DEVELOPING THE 3 ACTS (SPOILER AHEAD) </b><br />
Ending: It will be a murder mystery solving game. We wanted the players to be the ones who will unmask the killer’s identity. <br />
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Act 1: For the setup, we want players to familiarize with the NPC's backstories, places and locations, and the game mechanics. Players will come across general information, such as those reported in newspapers and articles. Once players have enough knowledge about Painscreek, we reveal the first plot-point, something that will hook them.<br />
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Act 2: This is where players spend the bulk of their time at. We want players to start searching for clues to proceed with their investigation. We want them to let their instinct lead them in the right direction. Along the way, there will be obstacles. The harder the obstacles are, the better the rewards. As players delve deeper into the NPCs’ backstories, they will realize that everyone has something to hide. Whoever seemed innocent at first will reveal something, and those who looked guilty in the beginning might turn out to be innocent. Since act 2 is the longest of all, we had to split it into act 2A and act 2B, with a mid-story inserted in between. <br />
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In act 2A, the goal is to find out if the assumed killer was actually the real killer. <br />
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In the mid-story, players might realize that the media got the wrong person. If so, where do players go from here? Who could the real killer be? <br />
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In act 2B, players will revisit what they have to see what they might have missed. Who's the key suspect now? Do they have the clues that will enable them down that path? Will that suspicion be the real deal or a red herring? We want players to think and play an active role in finding the truth. Should players persist and not give up, they will be able to find key information that leads them to plot-point 2, where they will find the identity of the real killer. But the killer knows that the players have found out about it! What should players do now?<br />
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Act 3: This act consists of the climax and the ending. Everything that has happened is for the climax. The climax should also be the part where the tension is at its highest. Everything before should build up to the climax, and it's here that killer will chase after the players to silence them! Depending on the outcome of the climax, the endings are: (1) either the players survive till the end and tell their stories in the papers, or (2) they are killed.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7kOGTAEcNOK4RKgz0RkQZ2Oh_0eF6vK8xv34cRUBALjtoNrl3KwfDkSd7sOD98Gw1eW6ZFqygWpRC1Kx6OTLmcnEOVuWapsI2VIrpNvsqH3ItKz4UyT7Q0KMkQZQlhwwgv5xlg0eIU4/s1600/3-Act+Structure.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7kOGTAEcNOK4RKgz0RkQZ2Oh_0eF6vK8xv34cRUBALjtoNrl3KwfDkSd7sOD98Gw1eW6ZFqygWpRC1Kx6OTLmcnEOVuWapsI2VIrpNvsqH3ItKz4UyT7Q0KMkQZQlhwwgv5xlg0eIU4/s400/3-Act+Structure.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The 3 act structure summarized in a chart.)</td></tr>
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<b>’THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUTH’ & THE INVERTED PYRAMID SYSTEM</b><br />
There’s a Japanese anime TV show called Detective Conan (Case Closed). In the opening song, Conan always proclaimed “There is only one truth!” No matter what, the truth will be revealed if the clues add up in the right manner. In a way, that lent strongly to the premise of our game. Vivian’s killer will never reveal him or herself. It’s up to the player to find it out.<br />
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When we look at the 3-act structure, it’s hard not to make the game look linear. To avoid that, we approached it like a D&D campaign where the game master creates the world and places everything in it, allowing the players decide where to explore. However, the game master also need to sure that the players don’t lose sight of their goals. So we designed it such that to proceed from one act to another, they would need to find the right ‘key’ to unlock it. This resulted in a system we called the inverted pyramid system where at the start of the game, it seems as if there’s a whole town to explore. As the the investigation deepens, more secrets are uncovered until players reach the one and only truth - the killer who killed Vivian Roberts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YesCJ7362Yu4MIasQByYKLEbu-ApTUEw9aGxyE71EfA3oJKnk0_xlU6zRYdHEd36VJ_4luY9nAGI-137s6rdhyphenhyphenIAJT1wZo6Si-3OPrsEu5xaSfr8hXcTpf6fG7mL17KP7MM6UMtvTrA/s1600/Detective+Conan+-+There+Is+Only+One+truth%2521.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YesCJ7362Yu4MIasQByYKLEbu-ApTUEw9aGxyE71EfA3oJKnk0_xlU6zRYdHEd36VJ_4luY9nAGI-137s6rdhyphenhyphenIAJT1wZo6Si-3OPrsEu5xaSfr8hXcTpf6fG7mL17KP7MM6UMtvTrA/s320/Detective+Conan+-+There+Is+Only+One+truth%2521.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Detective Conan's famous line. Image taken from Pinterest.) </td></tr>
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<b>WHAT WE LEARNED</b><br />
Can a 3-act structure work in games? Just type ‘can 3 act structure work in games’ and there’s a number of articles explaining why it won't work. That’s understandable as games are not simply films that are interactive. Yet without it, it would be hard to develop a story-based game that runs 10 to 20 hours on an average playthrough and still be able to hook players from beginning till the end. The issue is not whether a 3-act structure can work in a game. Rather, it's how you make it work so players are hooked, despite the length of the game. <br />
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In our case, we believe the 3-act structure worked very well.<br />
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Next: Follow us next as we talk about coming up with and implementing the game design of The Painscreek Killings.EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-75039622131703905422017-11-28T08:30:00.000-08:002018-05-11T16:21:28.234-07:00Painscreek Devlog #1: Let's Make A Game!A few years ago, a friend of ours asked how goes our work. At that time, there were three of us and we were working on CG ads. I thought we did fine, although we were always hunting for jobs. He then asked, “Have you considered creating your own IP?” <br />
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So in June 2012, we decided to try our hand at game development, all in the hope of creating our very own intellectual property. Plus, having passive income is a nice change for us. By Summer 2013, we were done with our last freelance job and started working full time on The Painscreek Killings. Looking back, we realized we were very naïve to quit everything and moved to something we have never done before. But at that time, it seemed like the best choice to make.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><b>WHAT GAME CAN WE MAKE?</b><br />
When we started, we were proficient in CG and were teaching high school students about it. Among the classes taught, one of them was 'Introduction to Unreal Development Kit', a topic that the students were interested in. After a semester of teaching, we initiated two group projects, one being a single-player puzzle game and the other a multi-player cop/robber game. The puzzle game was successful, but the cop/robber game failed as the programming part proved too difficult for the students. Despite the failure, the vision of what the end product could be emerged.<br />
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From there, we looked at our strengths and limitations.<br />
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Strengths:<br />
1. We are proficient in creating 3D assets.<br />
2. We love good stories and have some foundation in screenwriting.<br />
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Limitations:<br />
1. We have no experience in creating a game before.<br />
2. We don’t have concept/sketch artists.<br />
3. We don’t know game programming.<br />
4. We don’t know how to create multiplayer games.<br />
5. We don’t have confidence in creating NPCs, nor rig and animate them for games.<br />
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Looking at the game genres at that time, we only have one choice: walking simulators.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_97t74Scx-v0ZaaYqxkuAk2l3I56k8_MDi9LAHNH82FiEzSwp2NYe19yU6GdM3e1M3rlx_msGdGX7gbYjdpF6bK6zVEN1QouBX5UlP2Y83Y-_In4nWitVyZ_Cp0q_GJNzIL2L1ayggXo/s1600/Student+Game+Project+2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_97t74Scx-v0ZaaYqxkuAk2l3I56k8_MDi9LAHNH82FiEzSwp2NYe19yU6GdM3e1M3rlx_msGdGX7gbYjdpF6bK6zVEN1QouBX5UlP2Y83Y-_In4nWitVyZ_Cp0q_GJNzIL2L1ayggXo/s400/Student+Game+Project+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo taken during the development of the second student project.) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>INFLUENCE/INSPIRATION</b><br />
While brainstorming for game ideas, we came across a few games that inspired us as to what we can make. First was <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/466060/Shiver_Vanishing_Hitchhiker_Collectors_Edition/" target="_blank">Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker</a>. At its core, it’s a hidden object game. Underneath it was a captivating story dripping with atmosphere. We loved it and wanted to make a game that is as atmospheric as this. The Vanishing Hitchhiker became our first key influence.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMi3GUrSHmRcGm4U3-xKSNO9-mxoF0UyKKfNPbP8zBYu6sopzMa_h3uRBtCgGYSBNTlAAJLo0Oh_92QoeAbaWVKG7AezZp049lA4Ds5jtvRirUBblosYeNLkJXSyjA2wDbyyrSQeXGuSI/s1600/Shiver+-+The+Vanishing+Hitchhiker.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMi3GUrSHmRcGm4U3-xKSNO9-mxoF0UyKKfNPbP8zBYu6sopzMa_h3uRBtCgGYSBNTlAAJLo0Oh_92QoeAbaWVKG7AezZp049lA4Ds5jtvRirUBblosYeNLkJXSyjA2wDbyyrSQeXGuSI/s400/Shiver+-+The+Vanishing+Hitchhiker.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Can a 2D game be scary? Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker achieved it.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Next was <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/232430/Gone_Home/" target="_blank">Gone Home</a>. After playing it, we thought, “If someone can make this game, we, too, can make a game!”<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFgwvyZMvy8BoBFEAgFcydu3AAse8gyYNlHaC1923s-KSAMTbFNunN7hE_2mRuB87P9HizTPeDIPXeDgrsbeuqXW1sH9NPzUW7gBUZh8EOy2F7cqmYeGZK5O31o2sHG8vmNlOd6uxY-M/s1600/Gone+Home.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFgwvyZMvy8BoBFEAgFcydu3AAse8gyYNlHaC1923s-KSAMTbFNunN7hE_2mRuB87P9HizTPeDIPXeDgrsbeuqXW1sH9NPzUW7gBUZh8EOy2F7cqmYeGZK5O31o2sHG8vmNlOd6uxY-M/s400/Gone+Home.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Despite the controversial content, the game design was done very well.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Third was <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/265950/Ether_One/" target="_blank">Ether One</a>. We loved it! It was an amazing puzzle game that rewarded you with a very satisfying feeling when you could solve it, and the story was very emotional. The problem is that most of the puzzles were too hard. Despite that, we saw the beauty of its design, the way it was meant to be.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvPTIu4dGmWAAU1_0jFlcncMs1TSwHe6DnBl6ZxPhhJ038LGBp66I59UM8o-JAObfjS9qOc_mCzDhNRZ1QxB12rszc_SphETYUwzzvCPqVdZeQCHDLmrnNpRBkEAT_dV1CBdAMV2k8jU/s1600/Ether+One.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvPTIu4dGmWAAU1_0jFlcncMs1TSwHe6DnBl6ZxPhhJ038LGBp66I59UM8o-JAObfjS9qOc_mCzDhNRZ1QxB12rszc_SphETYUwzzvCPqVdZeQCHDLmrnNpRBkEAT_dV1CBdAMV2k8jU/s400/Ether+One.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Ether One is of the best puzzle solving game ever made.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>WHAT GAME WILL WE MAKE?</b><br />
We knew at this point in time that we could only attempt walking simulators, but we wanted to go beyond the traditional walking simulators. We wanted players to think during gameplay, and have them feel they are controlling the game rather than being controlled. In the end, we decided to make a murder mystery walking simulator where players have to find out the real killer.<br />
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<b>LET’S MAKE IT IN TWO YEARS</b><br />
There were three people at the start. Two of us were gamers and the other was into CG and visual effects. Okay, not a problem. Let’s make a walking simulator with a good story and have it done in two years. Well, we did not expect that our game turned to be five years in the making. The thing was, what we didn't know was actually a blessing in disguise. If we had known the number of obstacles to face and the time it took to finish, we might not have started at all.<br />
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<b>WHAT WE LEARNED</b><br />
There’s a saying that ‘ignorance is bliss’. Personally, I believe in ‘the truth shall make us free’. But in this case, I cannot deny the former. If I could explain it in a way that makes sense, it’s that you don’t have to be completely ready in order to make the first step. Know what you want to achieve and let faith guide you along the way. As long as you don’t quit, your dream can eventually come true.<br />
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Next: Join us next on how we designed the story.EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-14163186855390183712017-10-29T07:21:00.000-07:002018-05-10T21:20:59.328-07:00Announcing 'Painscreek Devlog' SeriesAs The Painscreek Killings is now on the market, we looked back and reflected on our five-year journey. Through a series of articles, we will illustrate the problems we faced, the breakthroughs we had, and how we brought an idea into a full commercial product. We hope anyone interested in or currently making a mystery solving walking simulator can benefit from our experience.<br />
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Hope to see you all next month. EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-666773391860678072017-10-15T08:11:00.000-07:002018-05-10T20:55:52.139-07:00Available Now On Steam And Green Man Gaming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXPsfKZl3QJwDXpDkzr7nthrwHrum2YlUcYjnlo-bAoUORnQ5hC91EZ0rjkVxL5h-JTs1ivzOeOtEUtDKuIJbHiem4IhDe-bO3G1P8M01jymMW4rbXrrt03YuslVWu6DW7UqR2zNUnMY/s1600/Screenshot_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="1600" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXPsfKZl3QJwDXpDkzr7nthrwHrum2YlUcYjnlo-bAoUORnQ5hC91EZ0rjkVxL5h-JTs1ivzOeOtEUtDKuIJbHiem4IhDe-bO3G1P8M01jymMW4rbXrrt03YuslVWu6DW7UqR2zNUnMY/s400/Screenshot_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
We are happy to announce that our first game, The Painscreek Killings, is now available for purchase on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/624270/The_Painscreek_Killings/" target="_blank">Steam</a> and <a href="https://www.greenmangaming.com/games/the-painscreek-killings/" target="_blank">Green Man Gaming</a>.<br />
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In this game, you play a female journalist whose job is to investigate a 4-year old murder case in a town called Painscreek. You are free to roam anywhere to proceed in your investigation. Using your camera and power of deduction, you are to find the truth about the murders that happened there. When your game ends, you will need to point out who the killer is.<br />
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Key features of the game:<br />
<ol>
<li>It's a semi-open world game. This means it's not a linear game and there's no set path to follow. You explore wherever you want, most of the time based on clues/hints you found.</li>
<li>You can end the game anytime. If you think you know who the killer is, you can leave Painscreek and submit your findings to your editor. The results you choose will be published in tomorrow's paper.</li>
<li>It's a traditional murder mystery. You will find yourself photographing important stuff in-game, and maybe even jot down notes outside the game for easier reference.</li>
<li>There's no handholding and no quest markers. All the puzzles are there right from the start rather than hidden until you found a clue about it, and there's more than one way to crack some puzzles. Should you come across them early in the game and have them solved, you can quicken your investigation time.</li>
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For those who are thinking of getting it, <a href="https://www.greenmangaming.com/games/the-painscreek-killings/" target="_blank">Green Man Gaming</a> is currently offering a 24% discount on its site. EQ Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08343114698475118583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7160732928459214862.post-91498604860020937222017-09-15T12:20:00.000-07:002018-05-10T21:08:25.811-07:00New Trailer Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l-00kM1rngA" width="480"></iframe></div>
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We have a new trailer for The Painscreek killings. Hope you enjoy our new trailer and add our game to your wishlist.<br />
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