As the game engine and fundamentals have progressed into a semi-usable state now, it is time to start working on actual gameplay design. So this month has been about continuing engine work on missions and dialogue and also to start planning gameplay!

Gameplay planning

First let’s have a look at some concept art. These are drafts of the world and the planned gameplay loop.

World

Concept art of the game world

The player will be progressing through multiple areas from the “Stranded Beach” to “The Volcano”. Each area is supposed to have distinct features and enemies and should require the player to prepare and adapt.

The Ninja Village is different from the other areas as it is the main hub where shops, quest givers, etc. are located. It will be a safe area.

Gameplay-loop

Concept art of the gameplay-loop

The planned gameplay-loop is a mix of fighting, exploring and upgrading the character. It repeats for every of the aforementioned regions.

Complex Dialogues & Lua missions

To enable this kind of complex gameplay there has been progress on complex dialogues and Lua missions.

Complex Dialogues

Dialogues can now be prepared in .json files. They can be interactive, meaning the player can choose different answer options and Lua scripts can be called at arbitrary points in the dialogue.

Example of a dialogue .json file	One path of the resulting dialogue

As you can see the dialogue changes depending on the player’s choices and, in this demo specifically, the time of day is modified by an internal Lua script at specific points in the dialogue.

Lua Missions

Lastly, missions can now also be defined in .json files. They are rather complex files containing various entry points for Lua scripts and will likely be a backbone of game-scripting and the environment reacting to the player’s actions and choices.

Example of a .json mission file

That’s it for this month

See you next time! 👋