[Nahah]

This is This.

This is an an interactive story game with an overbearingly ambiguous theme. The goal of This is to open minds to higher concepts by creating a truly immersive audiovisual experience.



I will be updating this journal frequently with screencaps and words which will provide insight into the workings of This.

[Nahah]

This is actually just a piece of trash with no coherent story or gameplay.



At this point in the game, you have to use the arrow keys to move.

[asgromo]

So far This looks a lot like Musings to me, so, for my part, i look forward to the screencap where This doesn't look lifeless and self-absorbed. But i am totally interested if you have coherent thoughts to share in a game format. Count me in as waiting with bated breath!

[Dr Lancer-X]

Nahah's description of the game on IRC made it sound a lot more interesting than Musings, but boy this is a hard genre to do well.

[Nahah]

This is a game which evolves as it goes along. You may find yourself revisiting places as they evolve, bringing new puzzles and aspects you would not have expected to see.



This paves way for subtle reminders as to how much Megazeux, the community, and our minds have evolved over the years. You may find yourself wondering how we have evolved over eons as well, hinting at memories we may have experienced before transcending into the third dimension.



This is based loosely on Chinese philosophy, giving way to a new type of metaphysics based on binary primitives. Shown here is the Trigram, which in it's different states can be used to describe eight different elements which are at the core of the design of the game.

[Graham]

I'm not sure I understand it, but I'm intrigued to play it. I'm glad you've gotten back into MegaZeux recently. What got you back in? Also what other games have you released, if any?

[T-Bone]

Based on the first screenshot I thought this was going to be a Simon remake:

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=-iUUWYOf97k

[Nahah]

Eventually, you will find yourself in the Town. It's where most of the game takes place, stretching across 49 boards each with different landmarks and things to do. Over the course of the game, you'll investigate, wander, solve puzzles and talk to strangers all across the town. The story is told from the perspective of 8 different characters, each with their own unique content such as puzzles and cutscenes, all in different styles matching the character.

Each character is based on a particular element explained in the I Ching. Their personalities and actions all loosely revolve around elemental characteristics observable in the universe.

I'll give a brief introduction to each of the characters and explain what you will be doing as them.


The Artist: Sky
The Artist is a quiet man with an interesting agenda. As him you will go around the town to talk to the other characters, to put the mysterious plans into action.




Julia: Earth
Julia is a mysterious girl who is working with The Artist. She goes on errands for him, planting things and meeting people. She may or may not have a hidden agenda of her own. As you try to figure out what you're doing, you'll often need to pick up important items or go on little side quests to appease the other characters.




Toni: Lake
Toni is a sweet and adorable girl who loves making friends. She always has something nice to say to everyone she meets along her journey. She loves to explore The Forest, engaging with the fairies, and coming across mysteries. As her you'll skip around the town meeting friends and giving gifts.




Osiris: Thunder
Osiris is a writer and a scholar. He knows a lot about The Town and of the origins and purposes of the old altars scattered around. His journey is one of knowledge, and as him you will find yourself visiting the altars, referring to the numerous books in the library, and solving puzzles about The Town.




K-Rush: Fire
K-Rush is a cool DJ who is always in a hurry. He has an important party on his mind, as he's trying to promote it. As K-Rush, you'll run all over town, getting lost and asking for squares. He doesn't really care about the altars, mysteries, or Toni.




Merci: Mountain
Merci is a paranoid girl with schitzophrenia who somehow ended up mixed up in a multi-dimensional conspiracy. As her you will try to keep sane, avoiding cultists as demons keep whispering to her about the Crimson Eye and stuff.




Eliza: Wind
Eliza is a beautiful girl and a poet. She's dating K-Rush and her daily activities include reading and wandering carefree around the town. She knows about the party K-Rush keeps talking about and is excited to let other people know about it to. As her you'll be doing a lot of wondering and wandering, not too particularly concerned about anything.




Verona: Water
Verona's a sad girl. To be honest, I don't really know what I'm doing with this character at all yet.

[djtiesto]

I like how you have a DJ as a character. Sounds like something I'd put in one of my games...

[ThDPro]

I wanted to say this earlier, but damn this looks neat. Classic and new is always a "yay" to me. Also, I've always loved the idea of a game unfolding completely differently, but in many ways, ending the same given the character you choose or create.

[KKairos]

Finish this, please, and thank you!

[Bramble]

Okay, neato. It seems as though you did not begin This with a premeditated process before you put pen to board, but instead jumped right into things to see what would happen. As long as the game itself becomes more of a slick product throughout gameplay, you may have an accessible game in the end. Keep up the process!

[kclancy]

This looks like a game that I would want to play.

[Nahah]

This faced very slow progress throughout 2014. I don't know, my creativity just sort of took a hiatus and I wasn't able to get anything done. However, since the beginning of the new year, I have made leaps and bounds and now This is showing lots of developmental progress. I've got an extensive design document and a few flow charts for plot and game events. Within a few months I will likely come back and provide some more detailed insight about the design and purpose of This, but for now I will just drop a few bullet points.

• This is not for people with epilepsy.
  
• This is spiritual in nature and is intimately connected with my spiritual experience.
  
• The primary target audience of This is myself. The secondary target audience is my close friends. The tertiary target audience is the Megazeux community.
  
• This features a dangerously extensive score.
  
• This has the intention of producing a transcendent experience.
  
• This includes a lot of mazes designed to guide your thoughts and connect you with the mindset of each character.

This post has been edited by Nahah: 28 March 2015 - 01:45 AM

[NoahSoft]

Dude this looks really sweet! Do you need any music or sounds for it? I'd love to compose some shit!!!

[Nahah]

NoahSoft, on 09 April 2015 - 11:50 AM, said:

Dude this looks really sweet! Do you need any music or sounds for it? I'd love to compose some shit!!!

Absolutely! I'd love to see what you can come up with. PM me or something with some contact info and I'll give you a rundown of the whole thing so we can figure some stuff out.

(:

[Nahah]

This is definitely still being worked on. I've been making slow, but consistent progress this year and I think I have maybe a year left. The whole process has been one crazy trip, full of emotion, wonder, and even things that go beyond words. The whole experience is meant to twist your mind in ways you never knew it could be twisted, and to change the way you see reality, or at least offer some interesting alternatives. I haven't even gotten to the deployment / presentation phase yet, which is going to be something totally different.

I'm not sure if I'll be coming back soon or not. I'm also not sure what I want to share about the game at this point either. I've got lots to share, it's just that maintaining the peaceful equilibrium between knowing and not knowing is important.

[CJA]

i

am

stoked

[Bramble]

Beautiful. Obviously I love the retro character style and granular environment. Also enjoy your description. The process seems like it's been a brain trip. Always loved the mental space your own games can get you into. Love it.