Navigating space and interfaces
June 12, 2016, by Alayna
Game development is a constant process of determining the next logical step for everybody involved.
With our characters and their roles determined, the next step for us was to give them places to inhabit.
As the writer, for me that meant finding physical locations aboard their ship that they can spend their time and be found by the player character as they move around. Discussions led to the following terrible scribble, which outlines each of the areas that can be explored: the cockpit, common area, captain's cabin, medical bay, crew quarters, training area, and engine room.
As the programmer, Pontus's reflection of place revolves more around the interfaces that will display these characters and physical locations to the player. Our game will feature a narrative space, as well as a navigational space for moving around the ship and interacting with objects. Distinctions will be made within the narrative pane to allow for differentiation between conversations with characters, and narration or internal thought. A computer-like interface will allow for the reading of dossiers and reports, which will grow and expand as the narrative continues. An inventory will also be accessible, as well as the ability to train the player character's statistics within different areas of the ship.
So, after making these preliminary decisions about space and interfaces, what's the next next step?
For me, it's time to write more information about the characters aboard our ship (which I also should find a name for) as well as the places they inhabit; for Pontus, it's to begin creating interface mock-ups and figuring out how our systems of visible and invisible traits and statistics will function behind them.
Those are the stars we are shooting for.