I'm excited to update you on the progress of STASIS 2 - BONE TOTEM!
GRAPHICS
Once we've decided on how the puzzle works, it can take several days to design and illustrate the associated scenes. A puzzle may span several large screens, so all of the rooms have to be planned and detailed concurrently to ensure that the puzzles and interactions will work. We also have to take into account that our puzzle solutions will often involve multiple characters in different areas. STASIS 2 features character switching like the classic adventure game, Day of the Tentacle.
Working with our 3D technician, Mark, who is a 40-year veteran architectural expert, made all the difference in BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION. Structures actually worked as they would in real life (that is until Chris made them look post-apocalyptic). His work on the new STASIS game is fantastic and brings a real-world ‘this could exist?’ edge to the imagery.
Here are some elements for a yet-to-be-revealed part of the story.
Chris is working on the final chapter of Mac and Charlie and so the gameplay is heating up! We have connected most of the game environments together which means you can traverse from one side of the world to the other. Specific puzzle implementation (ie. puzzle code!) will only happen once all screens are completed.
We are trying to find a balance between the familiar world of STASIS and something new and interesting as you can see in these screenshots.
GAMEPAD
Nic has been hard at work implementing native gamepad control - a first for our games - which has not been an easy task, as the scope of reference for gamepad controlled point-and-click adventures is little to none. We considered the ‘virtual cursor’ method that would be easiest in so far as you have a cursor that the player can move with the gamepad. However, this seems like we're losing a great opportunity to explore a different player interface mechanic. Our games have always been a disadvantage as compared to their 3D first-person counterparts, as we need to rely on the players' other senses to form for immersion. The mouse control forms a disconnect whereas the gamepad is a direct control input of the character which could be interesting to explore. We also don't want to isolate our mouse-only players so it is a fine line to balance.
Bearing this in mind, we also have our limitations as essentially a two-man studio. We did it! You can now hot-swap the gamepad and mouse, and STASIS will play as per normal. The systems are also similar so it means less duplicated code to do the same tasks. This may make future console releases quicker and more seamless to our own internal development QA.
MUSIC
As you know, we pride ourselves on only working with the best. We have a surprise for you, but it shall only be revealed later. It's epic!
WRITING
Daniel has been hacking away at the text descriptions in the world. Whereas we dedicated a month to write the descriptions in the previous STASIS game, Daniel has now spent the better part of the year writing and crafting each description. He is an immensely talented professional RPG writer and I am sure you will love his prose!
WISHLIST
Please wishlist the game if you have not already. This is important for the Steam metrics when we launch.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1426010/STASIS_BONE_TOTEM/
SOCIALS
Be sure to follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StasisGame and we keep our Blog updated with minor news here: https://www.thebrotherhoodgames.com/
Oh, and join our Discord - we love to chat!
https://www.thebrotherhoodgames.com/studio/discord
Take care,
Chris & Nic
