Bemuse - (by Fluttermind)[Universal]

[Sanuku]

Here you are, folks. The first Demon concept for Bemuse. There is no name or gender attached. It is a Demon. Its name is unpronounceable .. and you probably wouldn't want to mess with that anyway.

I want to create a weird, juxtaposed sense of awe and 'awwww!' with these beings. They each have their own personalities, and different people will have different opinions about them dependent on their experience, past dealings, socio-political viewpoints and so on.

The main influences here are, believe it or not, moths and Glenn Marshall's generative art:


Low bandwidth Version | Pop Up


Bemuse's Demons are neither 'good' nor 'evil' in a traditional sense. They are utterly alien entities that should provoke a sense of... caution and mistrust. They are Demons and serve their own ends. Any good they do you is entirely co-incidental...

...and the costs may well be unpleasant.

If I can, I'd like to do something very different, and force players to tweet to the deities during the day in return for their rewards... or otherwise have the game follow them into real life.

I'd be doing it to creep players out, and have them think about the game even when they're not playing it.

Imagine being told: "Between dusk and dawn thou must tell me Dr Dee's most esteemed patron. Do this, and I shall grant thy boon." Could be cool. We shall see.

2D OR NOT 2D - THAT IS THE QUESTION

With Incoboto, the decision on 2D or 3D was extremely easy. I didn't have a 3D engine! In this case, since I'm using Unity, I have the option to alter my skill set and move toward making the game 3D, and more like the kind of cute stop-motion animation I grew up with (Moomins etc). This is a considerable challenge, and not to be taken lightly.

As such, I'm stuggling with the choice of full 3D or 3D plus some sprites. If I go for the full 3D, I don't know how well things like my Demons will translate. If I go for 'sprites in 3D' then it looks a little strange when rotating... and doesn't play to the strengths of mobiles, as overdraw/alpha is expensive'.

If you have any opinions, or comments, please let me know. Would 3D be a disaster in your eyes?

Source:

• fluttermind.com

[Sharontung66]

The video was so aesthetically pleasing - although I couldn't quite relate how it integrates into the game as yet - I would honestly buy it "as is" and watch as it metamorphosed for hours on end. It's simply gorgeous.

[squarezero]

Anything by Fluttermind is an automatic must-buy. Just sayin'.

[Vovin]

2D(ene) FTW!

[Dene]

Originally Posted by Vovin

2D(ene) FTW!

Cripes - didn't think people would be posting about this so soon! For the record, obviously, the main aim is to get demonology into the hands of the under-fives. I'm seeing it as a mash up of 'Hello Kitty' and 'The Exorcist'*. As such, presentation is everything. :-)

Just for clarity, the video above isn't mine, nor specifically linked with my game - apart from the palette and use of light and shade... and the... um... movement of tentacles. I like to keep a record of what inspired me during development, and this is just one example. 'The Advisory Circle' and 'Space Alone' were my guidance for Incoboto. Bemuse's main muses haven't arisen quite yet.

It is also a while away (even the core look is still being worked on) so don't expect too much too soon. In the meantime, I welcome visitors to the Fluttermind forums. My plan is to offer access to a free web-based version to everyone who comes and says 'Hi' during development.

Thanks for the support, folks!

*Maybe I'm joking about that mash-up. Maybe.

[Dene]

Blog has been updated with another teaser if anyone's interested.