Dear Insane Children,
Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes where we discuss art, design, and other elements of Alice: Asylum as ideas emerge from the miasma? Well, it’s not very glamorous but it looks something like this:
Omri emails me a rough sketch for a Train Station / Library area (above) and says…
This is just the general feel/concept of the train stations. as we said Train and Library, The pictures can be portals like Joey did, Tightropes, Ropes, ladders, whatever. i merged a ton of photos together with a safe color scheme so we’ll have a feel of how it should be.
I had several thoughts.1. It can be (not a level) an “Area” that will merge organically OR have a “Wall” around the place, in that case it can be located where ever we want it to be.
To which I reply: We’re saying this will be “A Hub” area… but there are many instances in games where hub areas can be accessed (sometimes instantly) from anywhere else in the game. Player can quickly teleport to/from a hub, especially in cases where player has explored a certain area and unlocked the line-station “connector” in that area.
Remember, in AMR, we showed the remains of the old Looking Glass Railway…
So… we should build on top of these… it’ll make it look like we planned all along to include train stations in the prequel game. Hmmm… maybe that was the plan all along?
2. we Can “close” it in a single building, not an area, smaller, more demure, not this concept.
I think it’s an area and a building inside an area. It can/should be both.
3. We can do it like in “Hollow Knight”
Where it’s not a place more of a What. The train can just Be in places and there will be a tiny Hut next to it and that’s it. with minimal tracks, it can even Float so it will be able to literally go anywhere. it can be made of books/paper.
Well… in all the areas to which we travel we can establish a small station (as pictured above) which player can use to instantly travel back to The Hub (the library/station thing) or to other (already explored) areas of the game. Again, lots of games do this, and it’s a clear/easy thing for players to hop on board.
4. I think it depends on How large the map will be and how many “Side missions” we’ll have. If it’s not a Very big game like “Mass Effect” it’s wasting resources that can go towards more worlds than just an unnecessary complex train thing.
Don’t know yet. Let’s explore.
5. The BIG question is how many train stations do we have? and WHERE? each one will dictate the styling and size of that area/building/hut. OR will the trains be like the burning doors in AMR?
Don’t know yet. Let’s explore.
6. CROWS. Tons of them. No idea why.
Yes, but “ravens” not crows. Why is a raven like a writing desk? Because the train is coming…
7. Do you have any idea who will be the art director for the new game? i just wondered
I do not. Do you have someone in mind? Do you think you could tackle it?
8. I think the “Brain” connections should show in Gameplay and not in visual interpretation. in that case, each station will not work, be broken down, Alice will fix it and gain each time a “fast travel” location. Again, if needed, if that’s the direction.
Yes. Like said above. We’re on the same wavelength… train track… brain track.
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And there you have it!! The Intense Creativity which drives the Magical Manifestation of a new Alice Game into existence.
But seriously, I am so very happy we’re bringing this world to life. Very happy to have such talented artists on our team. And very, very happy to have YOU, Insane Children, helping us all the way. Yay!
Meanwhile Alex has some ideas for a cushion / bag idea. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of a bag but now that I’ve seen this I can kinda get behind it. Still think I’d prefer a plush of the Cheshire Kitten… but let us know what YOU think.
Were you a fan of the bag idea before? Does this make you want one more or less?
Did you hate the bag idea before and now… maybe it’s not so bad? Love it? Still hate it?
Throw some constructive feedback our way in the comments below!
And for those of you who were raving about the Cheshire Plush idea… fear not! We’re working on production guidance images to send the factory. That way we can get a sample made and see if it makes sense to pursue the idea further. Expect updates on that soon!
Half-Live Stream
We did host a live stream yesterday and had a lot of fun… though it died about 1.5 hours into the stream. VPN sadness!
Anyway, if you missed it and want to catch up on art, design, Pirate Jam, prizes, etc…
Hit THIS LINK!
We’ll be back next week with a Crowd Design session, another Live Stream, and… who knows what the future might bring?!
Look forward to your thoughts and feedback in comments below!
From Shanghai with Trains,
-American