After months (Years!!!!! You fibber!!) it's good to be able
to announce a date for The Last Crown. It's most likely to appear in the weeks
leading up to that most perfect of spooky nights, Halloween. I had always
intended to make the game available around that time, but with one thing and
another, it's taken a lot longer than expected. But, 2013 is the one. The game
is actually set during the last few days before Samhain, so it's perfect.
There'll be a nip in the air, pumpkins to carve and a dark foe to defeat. Plus,
a rather super party at The Bear! Apple Bobbing, Pin the Tail on the Goblin,
Musical Statues and all sorts of other shenanigans. But, behind the cheery
ghost bunting and polyester cobwebs an ancient force is stirring. No believes
Nanny Noah, when she says "Saxton is under threat", but they soon
will.
It's been a task and a half getting the game to a state
where I am happy. It's undergone many changes, over the last year or so. A
higher res, better animations, all new locations and a non-linear story with a
beginning, middle and end. There are new characters to play, too. It's not just
Nigel Danvers this time round. There's Lucy to play with, Nanny Noah and
Mr.Tibbs (as well as others), each with their own specific way of going about
things. Mr.Tibb's, in particular, is especially gifted when it comes to
sniffing out those hard to place ghosts. He's got a real knack for it, helped
hugely by Nigel's new found talent for Animal Affinity.
Puzzles too, are a mixed beast this time round. Here's an
example: Witch Bottle Crafting is something that has fascinated me for years,
after finding one in my sisters house. It was walled up, next to the chimney
stack, at some unknowable period in time. The house itself was an old Yeomans farmhouse.
A rather dark, rambling place, with nooks and crannies and a cobwebbed old
loft. The place was in dire need of repair, with some work needed to the actual
structure. So, it was a balmy Summer's afternoon when we took a sledgehammer to
the crumbling wall around the old fireplace. Hidden within the old rocks was a
bottle, an earthenware flask, about 8 inches tall, with a wooden stopper,
sealed with wax. Inside were all manner of esoteric items; hair, a mouse
skeleton, bent iron nails and what looked like old black thorns.
I knew immediately what it was, having seen a rather disturbing
episode of Beasts, in childhood. It was a Witches Bottle, a charm, buried in
the fabric of the building, to bring good luck and protect the house from evil
spirits and bad intent. Naturally, after having a quick look, we placed the
bottle where we had found it and re-mortared the rock back in to place. My
sister sold the house, several years later, but I would imagine the bottle is
there still, protecting the house.
In the build up to Samhain, Nigel is able to craft Witches
Bottles, to sell in Celtic Corner as well as distribute around Saxton. The old town
is under attack, so the harbour folk need all the help they can muster. Hunting
for ingredients should be a fun affair, as there are treasures scattered
throughout the game world, from dead flies (some still twitching with the last
vestiges of life) to rare objects like the Mermaids Purse, or sea smooth green
glass. Each has a power, a different energy, so mixing them up can create all
sorts of wonders. I think you'll enjoy it! I've created quite a few Witches
Bottles in my time, both real and virtual, and can confirm that they do embody
a sort of uncanny power. Whether you 'believe' in witchcraft or not, I think
they inspire a certain 'faith', a bit like the four leaf clover or lucky rabbit's
foot.
In other news, I've also been experimenting with the Unity
Engine, for use in Dark Fall 4. I'm pretty pleased with the results so far. Being
able to look up and down for one! There's a certain tension that 3D brings to a
supernatural adventure, which my 2D games have struggled with. I'm not saying I
am leaving 2D behind completely, only that the Dark Fall games will really
benefit from the freedom of movement and exploration.
In these two demo reels, I played around with lighting, fog,
particles and sound. The first is a rough test using one of the Dark Fall -
Lost Souls locations, the 'Verney Bathroom'. The room was built in low-poly, a
couple of years back, as I was still learning that side of things, so it was
suitable for a try out.
Secondly, Demo 2 features my on-going experiments with torch
lit scenes and bump mapping. It's far from perfect, but you'll get the basic
idea of where I'm going. Obviously, Dark Fall 4 is set on a pier, rather than a
dank basement, but the claustrophobia is fun. Imagine being trapped in an old
arcade, or derelict 'Ghost Train'. It's going to be rather exciting, and
probably quite scary.
Anyway, back to work! Thanks for reading and taking a look.
Jonathan