Development of 'Temple of Silence' continues. I've been focusing on writing the story, which spiralled out into developing plot threads for other books and short stories in the series. Here's another video. This time, Ushen-Takaan's sprite has been updated with his newest model, the breaker box puzzle has been added, and there have been a few graphical improvements.
Not shown in this video (next time) is the hidden object scene template, which has been developed and is now ready to serve in scenes where the player needs to find particular items in order to advance. Typically in HOGs (Hidden Object Games), these items are quite random and are photo-bashed onto a finished artwork, but in this case, the objects will be of limited number, rendered with the rest of the artwork, and fit within the narrative world. For example, in one scene, Sa-Kolis, our protagonist, might be asked to find three circuits in order to repair a generator. The player will need to locate these items in a cluttered HOG scene.
Ushen-Takaan
Ushen-Takaan has been re-modelled, textured and rigged. His appearance is more aligned with what has been shown in the newest edition of 'A Sense for Memory' (with a few tweaks). Ushen-Takaan is Sa-Kolis' 'mission control'. He is on the radio and monitoring the situation as Sa-Kolis investigates the temple. During the game, he is shown with his mask on, but renders have been made of him maskless, as well.
Koivia-Mat:
Further renders of our villainess:
Sa-Kolis' gun:
Always necessary when investigating mysterious fortresses.
Circuit puzzle:
I re-did this area of the temple foyer, and now it includes a jigsaw puzzle of sorts on the wall. Sa-Kolis considers solving this puzzle but then elects to just rip down the fairly-obvious tile which covers the breaker box. Later in the story, Sa-Kolis will try a similar, bludgeoning approach, to dealing with the complex's many traps, and be punished for the impertinence. The painting has been artfully jumbled up, but the original is here:
Next steps:
After Sa-Kolis successfully restores power to the elevator, she is able to descend into the temple proper. The next room is the Grand Hall, an ornate space from which different rooms and corridors can be explored. The door at the far end leads deeper into the sanctum, but specific keys are needed to unlock it. This room is currently in progress and should be ready to go in-game after a few more tweaks.
More hard-surfacing modelling will be required for Sa-Kolis' ship, along with a few other vehicles shown at the beginning and end of the game. Concepting these alien vehicles begins with the silhouette method in order to capture an appealing shape: