Things I've Done Since My Last Update
Nothing To Hide: Storytelling & Playtesting. (this week's build, and source code)

Things I Will Do This Week
Nothing To Hide: What is this, Half Life 3? Just finish the damn thing already.

Nothing To Hide

The first developer vlog entry from Nothing To Hide! A picture is worth a thousand words, so this video must be worth 24,000 words per second. The math checks out.

Storytelling, and tragicomedy.

“In the last photograph, he is screaming so hard it looks as if he is laughing”.
~ Men Who Stare At Goats, describing a photo of 'enhanced interrogation'.

The biggest feature added has been the intro cutscene in the form of a scrollable social media feed. People love the clever presentation of it! The introduction sets the scene. You're an insecure teenage girl, running away from your emotionally neglectful father. Who's also a big politician. A tragic setting, told through a comic lens. I love writing tragicomedy.

Playtesting, and accidental obscurity

After three in-person playtests, (Katriona, MC, and Thomas) and sending the latest build to my TinyLetter subscribers and the r/gamedev community, and again to r/gamedev… I notice a few recurring sentiments.

• Mixed reception on mouse controls. Some love it, some want arrow keys back.
• Add in-game instructions before publishing a playable build, dummy.
• It takes too long to establish the main mechanic.

On the plus side…

• The crowd goes wild for "Story through a Social Feed"!

Next Steps, and cutting down everything.

• Playtest new control scheme: Keyboard control, with a sneak mode for precise movement. Movement precision was the only reason I made mouse controls in the first place.
• Combine and cull levels: Establish the "you must keep yourself in sight" premise from the get-go. Moving iEyes should be the second level. The next three levels expanding on moving iEyes should be combined into one level. Conveyor levels were well-received, and can stay the same. The Trigger-Eyes mechanic needs to be introduced better.
• Story: Cut out a lot of the bigger story I had planned. It's bloat anyway. Create the ending cutscene. Minimum Viable Story: You're an insecure girl in a nation obsessed with security. You go on the run. You rescue another runaway kid just like you, who's part of a rebellion. You join him. To be continued.

I will kick myself screaming if I do not finish this game by Friday, Jan 3rd, 2014. Screaming so hard, that looks like I'm laughing.

Until next time,
~ Nick