Hey everybody!

It’s already time for a new update. We wanted to tell you about a couple of things but, since none of them is worth a whole update, we’ve put them together. Hope you like it! :-)

Improving dialogues

Writing dialogues in a game like “A Place for the Unwilling” feels a lot like designing levels. You have linear corridors, hubs with multiple exits, loops, doors (or locked branches) and even keys (variables that open branches). It’s almost as if everytime you started talking with somebody you entered a new world, one made of messages and choices.

Even if the narrative is interesting it’ll feel dull if dialogues aren’t well structured.

When we began working on the project we needed to take care of an additional element, exit choices that end the dialogue. They needed to be common so players wouldn’t feel trapped but, at the same time, placing too many of them felt repetitive. After playtesting our first versions many players felt uncomfortable, they couldn’t leave the dialogue when they wanted to as that annoyed them. It took us a bit but we came out with a nice solution for that, letting players end a conversation whenever they want. It doesn’t matter if the other character is right in the middle of a long speech, you can leave if that’s what you wish. You’ll say something polite like “I’m sorry, but I’m in a hurry” and leave right after that.

There will be consequences depending on the topic of the conversation and the character you were talking to. They might feel insulted because of your rush, some of them might take it like a serious offense. But time is your most valuable currency after all, so if you’re running late for a meeting perhaps interrupting them is worth the trouble.

This small addition makes dialogues more organic. And since you can leave a conversation at any time we don’t have to worry about adding choices to end it.

Indie Prize

We’re almost done preparing a new playable version to test all the new ideas we’ve been talking about over the last updates. “A Place for the Unwilling” has been selected for the Indie Prize showcase at Casual Connect, so we’ve been given a booth and free exhibitor tickets (yay! :-D).

We’ll fly to Berlin on Monday, where we’ll spend four days showing our project, getting feedback and having meetings. Be sure to follow us on twitter to see some pictures of the show or visit our booth (if you’re around) to play the game and see some concept art that’ll be on display.

There’ll probably be an update about our experience once we get back, but let us know if you plan on passing by.

Solo

We stopped doing crowdfunding shootouts several months ago but this is a pretty special occasion. Our friends at Team Gotham are working on a gorgeous game about love called “Solo”. You’ll play as a sailor whose partner has gone missing. Looking for her you’ll sail seas, explore new lands, solve puzzles and go on a journey that will make you think about your very own definition of what love is.

Their campaign is live on FIG, where it’s already over 60% of its goal (with 22 days left) so things are looking good for them. We’ve seen how the project evolved over the last year, and we even got to play it a few times, so we can assure you it’s damn good and promising. Don’t miss the chance to support them while the campaign is still active!

And that’s all for today! We’ll be back in two weeks with a new update, which will be probably focused on our trip to Berlin. We’re always around here to answer all your questions. That said, see you in two weeks! :-)