Blog Post #10 A Return
Th. 11/14/2024
I rewatched this VaatiVidya video on the art of Bloodborne II. I’m going to start playing Bloodborne. I’ve wanted to play soulsborne games for years— I tried playing Elden Ring a bit, but didn’t get very far; I’ve owned Bloodborne for ages, but I’ve never booted it up. I know that soulslikes are challenging, and that I am not a very skilled gamer— but I am motivated to play the genre, especially Bloodborne. I think it will be a great inspiration for Pareidolia: Unbound, in addition to Crossed Stars (set in the same Ettingrad setting), and The Mongrel Sings (my current writing project).
Later.
I just spent about an hour troubleshooting placing my Google Doc of my final homebrew into an InDesign document— for Wanderer’s Guide to Dromknost, 2nd Edition. I have four new subclasses, bringing the number of subclasses for the twelve base, official classes up to an even 50! I lost the InDesign file for v.1 when I was upgrading my storage, so I have to reformat it all. I’m trying to work smart, not hard— so if I do proper research and planning, I should be able to format it way easier than last time. And if I do a small portion each day— like five subclasses a day— then it’ll take like two months, tops.
I added an additional foreword— the essay I wrote about realities for the Clark Dean’s Scholarship. I think it adds a nice philosophical nature to the start of the book.
Later.
I played Bloodborne for about half an hour. Minimal troubleshooting getting the PS4 set up. I like it so far! I mean, I knew I would. I’m still a bit concerned about the difficulty— as I am not a skilled gamer— but skill can be developed. And for this game, I am dedicated to learning from it.
Later.
I got hooked in reformatting my book. I set a time to stop working on it, but I had gotten into a groove with the repetitive motions— and I was concerned that if I stopped for the day, I’d forget the flow— and next thing I know, all of it— all over 300 pages of it— is done. Obviously I’m going to proofread the hell out of it.
For the personalized dedications to my players, I think I’m going to publish individual, unique author copies with typed notes in the front— and send those straight to them. I think it’ll be easier, and definitely faster.
Sa. 11/16/2024
I went to bed early last night, and got up at like 7:30am! I have to polish up the neck and head of my model for my Modeling class assignment, and I sat down and used some alphas to add pores— but I shortly realized that there were holes in the back of the model— including the back of the head. Dynameshing it was a mess; it just made a bunch of spiraling holes throughout the entire thing. I messaged Ezra about it. Waiting on a reply. I tried filling the holes in Blender— first by filling all of them, then just the one on the head (because that’s all I need for this assignment), and remeshing it, but when I re-imported the OBJ back into ZBrush, it just imported a fan of edges— that didn’t look anything like a head. I resigned myself to having to start over.
I spent a bit of time, taking the premade planar head, but I’m having technical difficulties. The planes are getting messed up. For some reason, the head is angled off-center, and I can’t fix it (even by just moving it, because it’s not perfect— and I need perfect for X mirroring). I got frustrated. And I’m going to let it lie for tonight.
I also watched Pt. 2 of Season 2 of Arcane— twice. Isha is my favorite character. Also, the visual effects this season are a real step up— and they weren’t bad Season 1. The oily iridescence effect associated with the Arcane is really captivating.
I have a couple of hours before my monthly online D&D game with my undergrad friends. I’m not sure what I’m going to do right now. I already finished eating for the day.
Su. 11/17/2024 - M. 11/18/2024
I was having some emergent technical difficulties with my Alice model— which I had planned to use for my Organic Modeling self-portrait assignment. Frustrated and draining enthusiasm for that particular model— and excited about my character from my monthly online D&D game with my undergrad friends— I decided to start from scratch for the assignment. I spent 14 hours straight this night making it. I finished all of the sculpt, and even did hair cards— but in class today, I asked about how to UV the cards— of which I had 9,000.
Lucy Weirdbeard, the blind lookout.
T. 11/19/2024
I’m working on the Level Design assignment for my worldbuilding class. I have to define qualities of the enemies in this particular level— including “Attributes”. I’m not really sure what I want to have in terms of stats, so I did a quick YouTube search, and found this video:
Stat System Design - Creating Rpg Game
But I clicked off of it expeditiously. Setting a stat system is attested, and therefore non-innovative. I quickly found the first video for Miscast’s Arcane Ugly TTRPG devlog. (Ep. 1)
I remembered that Trent from Miscast threw away standard stats, in favor of a more complex inventory system— at least, that’s what Arcane Ugly was, ep. 1. A “class-less, level-less” system. I’m really interested in a complex trading/crafting system— in which the player of Pareidolia: Unbound acquires materials (folkparts and artefacts), and can either craft items from them, or trade them for products— maybe even trading your own products for other things? So having an inventory-based attribute system would make sense for this game.
Essentially, you would have inventory slots— a slot for headwear, etc.— and you can equip up to that maximum— gaining the benefits of the gear equipped. I’m thinking about having a “tag” system, instead of quantitative buffs; each item would have at least one quality (in a multi-branched tier system), which would buff (or debuff) certain abilities of the player character.
Watching that Miscast video.
Ideas:
- A jousting minigame.
- There is no player character death in the game; there is a complex injury/dismemberment system.
—> I definitely want there to be a dismemberment mechanic for attacking enemies, but what if the eldritch power sustaining Alice (the MC) is such that he can continue despite grievous injuries? So, as long as he can move, he can continue. And certain injuries/amputations have tags, as well— and those will affect his performance and ability.
I’m inspired by TTRPGs. What if— in the UI— there are dice rolled— the amount depending on your active tags— to resist mal-effects? (Like dismemberment). So when a powerful attack hits you, in the bottom right corner of the screen, there’s a dice contest between you and the attacker.
A bit later.
Here’s what I have for the worldbuilding Level Design assignment. It’s about the vertical slice for this project.
Level
What are the basics of your level? What is the player meant to do or see here?
This level is physically the hovel of the witch Bena.
Main Objective
Defend the hovel against an onslaught of fairy tale creatures.
Sub Objectives
Practice the alla prima mechanic; rescue Rook the binder faerie from the oven.
Environment
The hovel is a three-story radially symmetric building, composed of rotting planks, rough stones, and sticks. It rests deep in the Wyrdwoods of the Epilogue. The Wyrdwoods have the canopy and understory of a rainforest, with the floor of a swamp.
Mechanics
What mechanics are utilized throughout this level? What can the player interact with? What will make them want to play this level again and again?
The primary mechanic that is taught is the alla prima mechanic— using the MC’s flail to reconstruct the environment around him. Other key mechanics are attacking with said flail, switching combat stances (to one of four), dodging (not rolling, but sidestepping), and interacting with various objects.
The player will be able to open and close doors and windows, pour salt— both around entrances and on enemies— and, before the encounter commences, they will be able to explore the hovel, interacting with various objects strewn about.
The primary foci of the encounter are to 1) introduce the player to key mechanics, and 2) introduce them to the setting and the types of creatures that they will encounter as the game progresses. It’s not really supposed to be replayed— except when starting the game afresh.
Rewards
Defending the hovel and rescuing Rook the binder faerie will allow the player to be able to upgrade their stats (Rook helps with that); they will have gained XP from the encounter, as well as various folkparts with which they can upgrade their gear.
Punishment
If the player character is defeated in combat, they will have to start the level over again— from the point when the onslaught begins.
Items
1) Masinry the stone snake flail, 2) folkparts scavenged from defeated Folk, 3) Rook’s quill and ink (to be used in the stat upgrade process)
Secrets
Bena explains the sound of the baby crying as her nephew in the other room, but if the player moves through the hovel, the sound gets louder closer to the kitchen; Rook is being cooked in the oven. The witch is deceitful— acting kindly despite her harrowing appearance. It is a requisite part of the level to rescue Rook, but the attack begins right before the player has a chance to.
Puzzles
I don’t intend on there being any puzzles, currently.
Mechanics
See above.
People
Many characters and NPCs can appear in your levels. Who will your players interact with and in what ways?
Attributes. I’m not planning on having stats. I’m inspired by Miscast’s early versions of Arcane Ugly (a TTRPG he made), with a “class-less, level-less” system. Instead of stats and levels, there will be a more comprehensive inventory system, with gear slots. You can equip up to your maximum for each gear area (head, etc.), and the gear has “tags”— qualitative attributes (instead of quantitative stats).
And NPCs will have tags, as well, which will, I think, create a more immersive experience than numerical values. Enemies will have a handful of tags— connected to scavengable folkparts following their demise— which will affect their abilities.
Tags. An example would be “Poison”. In this example, equipping an item with “poison” would inflict the “poisoned” debuff on the victim (the person being attacked, etc.). If that victim has an item with the “Stout” tag, they would ignore the “Poison” tag.
Enemies. There will be at least 20 distinct enemies— and some with multiples. They are split into the following categories.
NPCs
Art
Every level should have a distinct identity. How will you use different art elements to create this level’s identity?
Mood
Whimsical, grimy, fantastical
Lighting
Golden hour
Color Palette
Warm/earth tones (interior); secondary (green, purple, orange) (Wyrdwoods)
Objects/Clutter
Inside the hovel are countless journals, books, trinkets, and other paraphernalia that a witch would acquire— all in states of disrepair and disorganization (due to her blindness).
Aesthetic
Oil painting
Ambiance
Pre-encounter (cozy); encounter (frenetic)
Story
As this is a narrative design course, narratively, how does your level fit into the overall story? And how will you tell a story throughout the level?
Bena the witch kidnapped Rook the binder faerie from the Court of Whim (her former court, before being exiled). This level introduces the player to the setting as a fantastical land filled with myriad whimsical creatures, and introduces them to the socio-political structure.
Where does it fit in the story?
Near the beginning
Plot elements
- Exposition: Bena invites Alice into her home, and explains, cryptically, the general situation of the Epilogue setting.
- Rising action: Alice nears the oven and discerns that the baby is inside; the assault starts.
- Climax: Nøkken tears the roof off and eats Bena.
- Falling action: The Folk pause the assault to investigate Alice.
- Resolution: Alice opens the iron oven for them, and retrieves Rook.
Explicit storytelling elements
Dialogue; inspecting various books in the hovel.
Implicit storytelling elements
The objects in the hovel betray a sinister nature to the witch.
Emergent storytelling elements
I’m honestly still a bit confused by this concept— but this level is pretty linear, so I think there wouldn’t be much emergent storytelling elements.
Map
Create a simple map of your level. Include important elements like landmarks, NPCs, and interactable elements.
Very basic. This assignment was significantly more complex than I had become accustomed to expecting from this class, and by this point, I was getting a bit worn out.
Flow Chart
Every level has a designed pathway the player is meant to play through. What might this path look like in your level?
Pretty linear, but it is just a vertical slice.
I researched stat systems a bit more— in particular this video.
What Makes A Good Stat System? - Sol Devlog
I still think that a “tag” system would be more interesting for Pareidolia, but it seems imperative to know how to make an alternative to the stat system with it; understand, then change.
I didn’t use it for my Clark application, but for my other grad school applications, I included the rules for an original Trading Card TTRPG— I think I called it On Fickle’s Whim? It had issues. It was really cool, to be fair— with over 60 cards tied to abilities and spells, and it even had a set of rules for PVP tournament play— where you could gamble your cards, with the winner taking them. But it had too many rules. No gamemaster could be expected to know all of the rules necessary to build a good campaign.
I was inspired by my favorite book, Epic by Conor Kostick. In that book, there’s an MMO that the colony of New Earth uses for entertainment, but primarily as a conflict resolution system. They’re extreme pacifists, having left Earth due to war. The game, Epic, is the economic system and the legal system. In that game, there are “hundreds” of character classes, all with a unique set of abilities. Epic works where On Fickle’s Whim doesn’t; it’s a video game. There is no gamemaster; there is only a computer presenting those hundreds of options— fully familiar with them, and, thus, able to adjudicate them.
I think Pareidolia: Unbound could be my answer to On Fickle’s Whim. Maybe not as complex as hundreds of classes— but complex enough with its tag system. And, since its a video game, I can present all of those tags tied to a myriad of items— and it’ll just improve the game.
—
There are two upcoming games that I’ve been watching demo content from recently: Soulframe and Crimson Desert. They both seem very much like my kind of game: 3rd person single player action games. Crimson Desert is releasing quarter two 2025; Soulframe is apparently releasing 2025, as well.
—
Later.
I want to have dismemberment in Pareidolia: Unbound. Lots of it. Dismembering non-Formidables (so every enemy except bosses; bosses require alla prima), but also dismembering the player character. Blood magic is huge in this game. I had an idea a while back of having a ranged attack where you launch your literal knucklebones at enemies— destroying the left hand and forearm of the character. It has a recharge time— how long it takes to regenerate the limb.
But now I’m also thinking about having the player character not have hit points, but instead attacks on him have a chance of dismembering him, too. Fleeting Injuries can regenerate in a short period of time— within that combat encounter (special items can reduce the regen time)— and grievous injuries last until you rest at a save point.
So, the player character will stay alive even with mass dismemberment— they’ll just be limited in their abilities and movement.
I watched this video on dismemberment in UE5. I definitely need to learn blueprints, because I did not understand any of what was shown.
I also saw that there’s a plugin call “EnGore” that automates dismemberment with any skeletal mesh— even with optional blood splatters.
Here’s the setup video for EnGore.
—
I got distracted on YouTube and came across this video about “moldy” worldbuilding— worlds eating themselves— typically after an apocalypse, but not necessarily. How could I make Epilogue a moldy setting? It is, quite literally, what came after a great tragedy.
W. 11/20/2024
Griff informed me that EnGore must be bought. I just looked it up. It’s $95. That’s honestly not much for a procedural addon of that quality, but I don’t currently have an income. Dismemberment shall have to wait. Which is fine.
I reached out to some people at Clark, and got referred along a chain of people directing me to more appropriate individuals— about grants. I really want to get a grant to work on Pareidolia: Unbound over the summer here in town. (I don’t really want to go back to California.) I was referred to Pivot-RP, an institutional funding website designed to help academics further their research. I set up my account, but I still need to fill out my profile.
To secure a grant, I assume that I should have a clear set of project goals and foci. Here’s a few ideas:
1. Alla prima. Obviously. This is the core mechanic unique to the project. Reshaping the environment around you, smearing two-dimensional paint to create a new three-dimensional environment. I have a basic idea of how I’m going to go about this. I’m going to follow and deconstruct the Viewfinder in UE5 tutorial; I’m going to have a basic attack animation, with a refraction weapon trail; I’m going to make the refraction trail the “photo” for the procedural environment generation. I think it’d be easier to do what I initially started— toggle into 1st person perspective when using alla prima, but I think that would be really jarring, in terms of gameplay. I also want to do what God of War (2018) did, with one seamless shot— so toggling between perspectives would directly oppose that.
2. Inventory and Crafting. I’m listing these together because they’re connected, and because the inventory system won’t take much work. As of now, Pareidolia will be level-less and class-less— with abilities tied to gear equipped. For the inventory system, I want it to be a two-dimensional UI where the shapes and sizes of the items must be configured (Tetris-style)— the only limit to your inventory is how much you can pack onto your person. Griff had a cool idea of the MC’s backpack literally swelling as more is packed into it. But not everything will be in the backpack. Oh! Wait! There could be a grid for the backpack— where items must be configured geometrically— and then a standard paper doll of the character, where gear can be placed on certain body parts. Those two systems would show up side-by-side whenever you access the inventory.
In terms of crafting, I want to implement a scavenging-and-crafting system. Whenever you slay an enemy, you can loot their body, and if they are Folk, scavenge folkparts. I’ve talked about those before. Ex. The middle finger of Baba Jaga, etc. Depending on the tags that that creature had in life, the folkparts can be combined with other items to impose that tag onto the resulting creation. You can also scavenge materials just from the environment, with similar effects. The tags of items equipped on your paper doll affect either your abilities, or the effects of the bound item. An easy example for the latter is imposing the Poison tag onto your crucifix, the stone snake whip. Attacks with that weapon will poison the struck target (not sure what that will effectively do yet), and, if you activate alla prima with it, it changes the refraction trail.
So I need to have a system based on the tags, and a generative system where items can be combined to create visually unique new products— with those tags.
3. Dismemberment. If I get a grant, purchasing EnGore will be one of the first steps in this process. With that addon, you can swap in different gore effects, so I’m thinking of changing the blood to ink. That will take some research. I also want to modify it to have smaller parts of the body able to be dismembered. This is for enemies, but also for the player character. Fleeting Injuries and Grievous Injuries. The former will regenerate during the active combat; the latter will regenerate after the next rest (at a save point, similar to the iconic bonfire). There are no hit points; there is just a constant reduction of ability and movement; you can keep fighting as long as you physically have the limbs to do so. Is this balanced? I don’t know. But it’s interesting! And new!
—
I’m taking a quick Inspiration BreakTM. Rewatching an Arcane Ugly devlog. This one. I just clicked on it from the playlist, and it’s perfect for the ideas that I’m throwing around. Wands in Arcane Ugly have qualitative modifiers, like “fiery” or “combustive” or “grotesque”. When you cast a spell with a wand, the modifier affects that casting of the spell. So Ronin Firefist’s Little Book of Big Summons’ frog conjuration spell of d100 ft. size— with the “combustive” modifier on the wand used— would create an explosive frog. Sound familiar?
Yeah, Arcane Ugly is a big inspiration for the tag system that I’m developing for Pareidolia.
The same episode talks about magical tattoos. Which is also interesting in how I thoughtlessly picked which video to watch— because I had this idea early on that your character progresses through Rook the Binder Faerie doing tattoos on the player character during rests, detailing in words and images the events since the last tattoo session. That was when I was still planning on having an XP/level system. I still want those cinematics of Rook tattooing Alice— probably with the camera panning away from the tattoo until it’s done. What effect would those tattoos have? Not sure yet. Maybe an alternative set of tags could be baked into the biology of the player character himself? That’s actually a dope idea. Maybe that’s how the player gains magic? I’ve always thought of this game as the Bloodbound class (a homebrew class that I made for D&D 5e— it has 20 subclasses!) as a game; the bloodbound binds magick to their biology. I hadn’t planned on the MC actually having magic spells; I just planned on him having the knucklebones ranged attack and the regeneration— but spells could be really cool! This is turning into a much bigger project— which I love.
