Demo Progress - 04/01/11 Okay, I added just a small bit of story to the demo so check it out. Another environment to explore, yay! Download it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?dd84wc1cvy3417q
It's a time of memories. Remembering the past is nothing but a luxery now. Many people of today's age have lost the ability to recall memories by themselves, so instead they enlist the work of Dream Doctors, or otherwise known as hypnotists. These doctors perform tasks such as Awakenings, which recall memories of the past. The process is simple: the doctor probes the mind of the individual in search of the most vivid memory. What is recalled is determined by the individual. If they wish to have an Awakening about their childhood for example, then it's specified before the procedure.
Alternatively, one can also opt to remove any unwanted memories. The process is dangerous and risky, however, as memories are much harder to erase off the brain rather than just recalling them.
A distressed woman, Rosaline, finds herself at a breaking point. Her hometown is destroyed--parents lost with it, and the love of her life is chasing her down like a criminal. Frederick, the man she thought to spend the rest of her life with, discovers about a certain truth about Rosaline's past and can't grasp it. He swears to hunt her down and bring her to justice. Of course Rosaline has never had this memory Awakened to her, so she's forced to run and not even know why. Reaching a safe location, she seeks the aid of one of the most powerful Dream Doctors she knows: her close friend Jasmine. Her plan is to erase the criminal past she might have, and prove to Frederick she's innocent. However, when messing with the mind, it never goes as planned. Rose's "white blood-cells" come to her aid, thinking Jasmine is a threat to the system. When the cells, in the form of creations, interfere with Jasmine's work, more time is lost in the fight to save Rosaline's life.
Something goes wrong, and she awakes inside her own head right in the middle of being erased. Her physical body disappears from the real world, and Jasmine must fight to save her friend and restore everyone's ability to dream.
This is the story of her escape, her past, her friendship, and more imporantly the inside of her mind.
(https://rmrk.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FCf8Rv.png&hash=baa1712ddb82e315af618dead1f0a0809659c7b9) A hidden forest outpost, safe from the ever-marching Foundation army
(https://rmrk.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FFymqi.png&hash=7d81c9ada73d02b6af836bacfbee80d8ac964dd8) The constant fear of being caught and the knowing of an approaching army
(https://rmrk.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FqweMU.png&hash=8504fc3d48167ef1a0687900f7079cedb1295b3c) Confronting Eva, Denmother of Destonia, but also a creation of the mind
(https://rmrk.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FJfQcy.png&hash=246164822d330eae5ef83ef69c65d985090639ee) Blacksmiths are the means of travel in the mind of Rosaline
(https://rmrk.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FxN3zx.png&hash=f1fa49af5be2c99819e751696aade14bf151fcfd) Explore lush environments, including the underground home of the Risen mutants
(https://rmrk.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FihjDf.png&hash=54a072327448702131f774234c89b0257f05ff13) Unique only to the Foundation, they can track the source of any illegal dreams
Rosaline: A loyal member and servant of the Foundation. She is second in command and lover of the notorious gunslinger Frederick for over 3 years. As long as she's been in the Foundation, she has followed every order that her officer has given her, until recently. A surprising discovery about her past led Frederick to pursue her with deadly intentions. Her scattered past is somewhat hidden to others and even herself. Growing up, she endured the traumatic event of her parents being murdered and hometown pillaged. This has caused her to form a barrier over most of her childhood memories. The earliest moment she can remember is being recruited by the Foundation and meeting Frederick.
Jasmine: Rosaline's closest friend, and closest enemy. Jasmine is a highly praised Dream Doctor, unfortunately this makes her Rose's worst enemy being from different factions. That never stopped the two, however, as they grew up together from a child. Jasmine tries to tell stories of Rose's childhood to her many times, but the memories can only be recalled by an Awakening. Jasmine grew up spoiled under the wing of the Embassy. Even though she comes off as obsessed to fashion, she's actually very smart and can recite any Awakening chant from memory. Unfortunately, Jasmine is confronted with a difficult decision to perform an Awakening on Rose. With the amount of barriers that cover Rose's past, the procedure gets more difficult and more risky. She can deny Rose of her childhood, or show her the past but possibly kill her in the process.
Frederick: The general of the Foundation troops. He's been disciplined since the day he could walk. Rosaline fell in love with him after she was saved from her burning home. After personally training Rosaline to become a fierce soldier, he couldn't help but love her back. Unfortunately, after ordering an unknown Dream Doctor to recall memories while she slept (otherwise known as Sleep Probing), he discovers a highly disturbing truth to Rose's memory. He goes mad, and chases her down to bring her to justice.
Indigo: Rosaline's imaginary clone of herself. Indigo is Jasmine's first obstacle that she comes across when probing Rosaline's mind. From what Jasmine can tell, Indigo is much like a "white cell" to Rose's brain. She appears whenever Jasmine can't control things. Of course, it's both good and bad, as Indigo does not appreciate her home being sifted through and deleted. She has a bodyguard as well, named Wally, who does most of the dirty work getting rid of intruders.
Wally: Indigo's bodyguard, and muscles. However, unlike Indigo, Wally is a real person. In the real world, Wally is Rose's "guardian" who has housed her since the destruction of her town. In Rose's mind, Wally is portrayed as a Risen giant. Jasmine tries to piece together why Wally was transformed according to Rose, but maybe Indigo is what Rose thinks of herself?
The Foundation: A group of elites that are trained to their highest potential. Almost all of the recruits are accepted by invite only, making them virtually invisible except to those who encounter them. Led by Frederick Donnaley, the Foundation can be considered the "lawless knights." The Foundation is against Awakenings, and will prosecute any doctors or individuals found guilty of "unnatural recall."
The Risen: A Risen, as described by the story, is a creature who has unsuccessfully passed through the Shade. The Shade is a place where all things go when their spirit leaves the host, either in death or dream. Sometime along the path in the Shade, the spirit is ripped off the predestined road. This causes the spirit to be forced back into the host, who will awaken as Risen. Only malicious spirits have the capability to rip the Shade, so all Risen can be categorized as malicious creatures who only cause havoc. They're an organized group, however, unlike mutations, and have set treaties with the Embassy due to their attraction with Dream Doctors.
The Purgers: The gang of insane religious enforcers. Purgers, or rather they call themselves the "voices of God," have a nasty reputation of judging anyone who's not enlisted in their movement. When found guilty, they will stop at nothing to rid you of the world. They've been known to even make fake WANTED posters for all bounty hunters to see. Purgers despise Dream Doctors, and they usually target them first.
The Embassy: The Foundations biggest enemy. The war against the Embassy and the Foundation has been going on since the establishment of both groups. They are considered the mirror image of the Foundation, but their goal is to stop the Foundation's evil tactics and ways of taking care of things. The Embassy does endorse Awakenings, and provides refuge for doctors.
The Mutations: The beasts of Destonia. Mostly found in the cast-away locations such as the underground and dark, sun-deprived forests. These beasts have no control, and will attack on sight for food or when threatened. Mutations can consist of anything from wolves to humans.
Userbar if you wanna support this project: (Thanks!) (https://rmrk.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi36.tinypic.com%2F149qwsh.png&hash=de2748c1a8700a2357c54ed2bd5d27630df7570c)
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: DarkMessiah on August 28, 2010, 08:57:51 PM
God...Those maps are amazing...This game is very interesting
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: Sophist on August 28, 2010, 09:04:48 PM
This looks extremely awesome.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: modern algebra on August 28, 2010, 09:21:16 PM
The mapping looks great and the story is intriguing. Good luck with this!
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: Oh Summer on August 28, 2010, 11:14:01 PM
Thanks for the comments guys! :3 It's motivated me to work more on this project's thread, cause it was a little rushed. Added a new screenshot, and got a list of features that'll (hopefully) be in the final product.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: cozziekuns on August 28, 2010, 11:49:29 PM
Wow. This looks awesome.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: Strak on August 29, 2010, 04:44:55 AM
AWWWEESSOME maps. Seriously. I wish I could map like that.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: Nessiah on August 29, 2010, 09:54:38 AM
This reminds me so much of Inception :) Nice work tho
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: modern algebra on August 29, 2010, 03:16:29 PM
It reminds me more of Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind; or maybe a mix of the two. Anyway, I think it will be good.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: Oh Summer on August 30, 2010, 04:33:04 AM
It reminds me more of Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind
My favorite movie of all time, so I guess a little bit of it was used as inspiration. ;P
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: Sky_Of_Order on August 30, 2010, 05:06:31 PM
Reminds me of an RPG version of Psychonauts, albeit a lot more serious.
Definitely looks good. Mapping's epic, as people've been saying.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: Sophist on August 31, 2010, 01:04:25 AM
Oh yeah movin out of new topics cause guidelines met
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: Sophist on August 31, 2010, 12:14:04 PM
Moved to the correct place now that i'm a retard
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: Oh Summer on September 01, 2010, 04:04:12 AM
It's ok darling, I forgive you.
On other news, getting a demo together. Excited?! Well.. more like a 'preview' than a demo. But still, something concrete to show.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: beyondtheanonymous on October 26, 2010, 05:30:36 AM
I usually make posts much longer than this but, I don't have that many comments except: AMAZING. Amazing storyline, amazing screenshots. AMAZING.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: Genesis on October 30, 2010, 07:17:42 AM
omg this looks awesome i can't wait till the demo comes out
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: Oh Summer on March 02, 2011, 02:53:37 AM
Hey peeps, just to update everyone that a short gameplay demo is finished! It's quick, but showcases a lot of the storyline and idea that I'm trying to convey. Here's the link (also on the first post): http://www.mediafire.com/?dd84wc1cvy3417q
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream [DEMO RELEASED]
Post by: Dyre on March 02, 2011, 10:38:58 AM
I seem to have hit a snag in trying the demo. The Read Me mentions a font but there are not font files, unless I'm just missing it. I'd be more than willing to hunt it down myself if I knew the name of the font. =/
The screens look fantastic and the story sounds interesting though.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream [DEMO RELEASED]
Post by: Oh Summer on March 02, 2011, 05:09:37 PM
Ooo, I indeed forgot to include the font! Thanks!
Re-uploaded the demo. You should be able to play now without installing the font first.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream [DEMO RELEASED]
Post by: Stomphoof on March 02, 2011, 05:13:52 PM
This is going to be my first post on the forums, and the only reason I registered was that I saw the screens for this game.
I am totally going to download the "demo" when I get home!
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream [DEMO RELEASED]
Post by: Dyre on March 02, 2011, 05:41:32 PM
Just finished the demo. That was fascinating, I can't wait to play more. =)
Also, not sure if this was intended but you can open the menu at the title screen.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream [DEMO RELEASED]
Post by: Oh Summer on March 02, 2011, 05:56:00 PM
Oh dear, you can... I love bug reports, thanks! And sorry it's short, I wanted to demo the 'storyline' rather than the game itself.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream [DEMO RELEASED]
Post by: Irock on March 31, 2011, 10:29:55 PM
I think this is very interesting. There seems to be a lot of polish in the game and the environments you've mapped are creative and detailed.
I wasn't a fan of the torch puzzle in the demo. In my opinion, a good puzzle is usually solved by the player thinking and coming up with a solution. Even simple puzzles where you have to light a torch with another torch, like in The Legend of Zelda, requires you to think and come up with the solution. The solution doesn't always have to be revealed by initially looking at the puzzle and can even require the player to do some trial and error before they "get" how to solve it. Maybe it's just me, but there was never a point where I understood how to solve your puzzle or even knew the results of my actions. I wasn't satisfied when I finally solved it because it wasn't my logic that caused me to find a solution, it was me messing around for a while that caused the solution.
Aside from that, I really look forward to the completion of this game. It shows a lot of promise!
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream [UPDATED DEMO!]
Post by: hiromu656 on April 03, 2011, 05:35:00 AM
although the demo was short, the story seems pretty strong, and your lighting fits the mood perfectly. Also, good luck with the Project of the Season dealio.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: modern algebra on April 14, 2011, 12:48:45 PM
Congratulations! This project has won Project of the Season (http://rmrk.net/index.php/topic,40140.0.html) for Spring 2011 (http://rmrk.net/index.php/topic,42205.0.html)! This means that your project will be sticked and featured on RMRK's homepage for the duration of the season. Naturally, you may also mention the award when publicizing the project. Great work and again, congratulations; you deserved it!
Title: Re: [POTS] Perchance to Dream
Post by: RefresherSpray on April 14, 2011, 01:35:49 PM
This game is the best I've seen since... I joined a couple of weeks ago. My own excluded, of course. [/lying to self]
Title: Re: [POTS] Perchance to Dream
Post by: CodeMaster on April 16, 2011, 09:50:14 PM
Just finished the demo really nice maps and the storyline is great only a few problem in the Inn/Tavern you can walk over the tables that have food on them and under the table below the banner (See Below)
Title: Re: [POTS] Perchance to Dream
Post by: hiromu656 on April 16, 2011, 10:13:00 PM
I'm really digging my previous comment now.
Title: Re: [POTS] Perchance to Dream
Post by: Oh Summer on April 17, 2011, 12:06:46 AM
Thank CodeMaster! Don't know how I missed that when doing passages.
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: Oh Summer on July 18, 2011, 01:30:30 AM
Just to update you guys Perchance to Dream is progressing well! My priority with this project has been immersion, due to the fact that it will be battleless. On that note, a rich storyline is needed, and quite often I add to it with plot twists and character development.
Also, the second memory is finished! You run into Indigo again after she was ported out of your first memory. It seems she's going to be much more of a threat than you thought... (https://rmrk.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F1UNbu.png&hash=103c18849a69e0fb836d99a54136c65b659f4275)
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: modern algebra on July 19, 2011, 06:07:25 PM
Looks beautiful. Keep up the good work!
Title: Re: Perchance to Dream
Post by: arnquist on November 21, 2011, 08:52:24 AM
Great game, best thing I've found since Freebird games, kinda similar to "To The Moon" since you enter memories. The demo is so short :( I can't wait for more.
Title: Re: [VX] Perchance to Dream
Post by: Oh Summer on April 02, 2012, 05:14:01 PM
It's been a full year since I posted the (very) short gameplay demo for Perchance to Dream. It sure has been an experience. I took some hiatuses, did some content splurging, and some actual development within the span of this past year. I went to and from the idea of converting to parallax mapping (ultimately trashing the idea because it would mean more time wasted). I also realized during development that the game took a direction I did not intend it to do. It seems more about Elizabeth's struggle to save her friend rather than Rosaline's journey through her head. I'm going to fix this, of course, maybe by doing longer memory scenes. I haven't quite decided yet.
A rant is here mostly due to the fact I don't have much actual content to show yet (soon!) other than what hasn't already been shown. It's more a happy 1 (actually 2) year to my project, and that I'm still working quite diligently to get this fine work to your screens. :]