Um, yeah, stupid pun for a title today. So I’m knee deed in the Crypt section of the second level. In game terms it’s right after the Cavern and eventually leads outside to the cliffs. So I’m working it out on paper right now (always the best I think. It’s cliche, but it is easier to make changes on paper than anything else) and it seems like a mouse maze. So basically, the whole area loops around on itself a few times and is designed from the get go to give a sense of confusion and disorientation, but full to the brim with skelingtons (yes, I know I misspelled it, that’s how I say it – sue me).
So with all of that, this is the first area with honest to goodness combat. Yes, the Prison and Warehouse had enemies, but those were crappy level ones that you could literally bash to death by mashing the attack key, or avoid in all but 1 case. So now we get some really interesting things going on, so it’s an all new(ish) thing in terms of theme. The next area (the Cliffs) are something that I’m also looking forward to, since I want to encourage, what’s the word, trepidation. Where any mishap will, what’s the term? Right, a long drop and a sudden, um, stop. But that’s later. Right now, I want to confuse and misdirect. I want every screen to have have an, “Is a skellington going to attack me? Oh no! I’m low on life! Woe is me!” What’s the word that I really want? Oh yeah, Dread.
-Off topic, got some things cooking in the background, and I’m really excited about that. But don’t want to put anything here, since this is The Diary That (almost) Nobody Reads. So, um, mums the word and all that.
-More stuff. So, my background artist has apparently fallen into a hole in the ground where there are no pens, paper or internet access. So I’ll keep having Producer Eric send messages, but he seems to be hinting that Designer Eric may have to talk to Graphic Designer Eric about using PSP to do the backgrounds for IGF. He may also want to talk to Writer Eric about his weird talking about himself and all of his jobs he has as if they are totally different people, since they aren’t. Either way, this is just a little more pressure for me, from now until 11-1.
-Writer Eric wants to remind Producer Eric that he does that as a coping mechanism.