The Playtest is over - conclusions
Hello Vampires! Thank you for taking part in the Vampire Clans Playtest.
The numerous surveys we received allowed us to make decisions regarding the game's further development.
[h3] World [/h3]
In Playtest, the world was very limited; it came down to a tutorial that told the player what to do. Now, we are preparing an open world where each vampire lord can do whatever they want. The player will be able to explore the world on their own or with the help of quests from other vampires and influential characters.
The world will react to the player's actions; each location will have awareness system that enhances vampire threat level. Suppose the player is constantly killing people in an area. In that case, it will be reinforced with additional patrols of Gendarmes and Vampire Hunters, civilians will hide in their houses, and the atmosphere will become darker and darker, new encouters will be bloodier and more difficult.
[h3] Movement [/h3]
Many of you wanted to enable camera rotation and let the player zoom in, so we did that. We will also enable keyboard controls, limiting the need for point-and-click to Chronostasis mode.
We also plan to develop movement animations to make them more smooth.
[h3] Combat [/h3]
The feedback on combat was mixed, with many surveys indicating that Chronostasis mode was difficult to use but overpowered once learned. We will make it easier to use and limit its capabilities so that it is not too powerful.
We will make combat without Chronostasis more dynamic; we aim to implement more audiovisual feedback, introduce the ability to dodge attacks and make enemy attack animations more predictable.
The combat in Playtest was sometimes difficult (especially with Gendarmes), but combat in Vampire Clans is intended to be challenging. Some areas of the world will be filled with formidable enemies, so you can return to them after upgrading your equipment and vampires' abilities.
The death of one vampire during combat will not interrupt the game; other vampires will be able to resurrect him after the combat is over. When all vampires die during expeditions, they can respawn at the base or a previously activated cemetery.
We will also refine the boss fights so that each is unique and presents some different mechanics.
[h3] Stealth [/h3]
The stealth mode in Playtest was in the early stages of development. Enemies detect the player only after a moment, which is not represented graphically and is confusing. We will develop the stealth mode to make the player more aware of what is happening with a precise cone of detection consisting of different levels of detection. Enemies will react to bodies and pools of blood, and the player's role will be to hide bodies and avoid bloodshed, perform bloodless kills, and distract enemies.
[h3] Story [/h3]
We will limit the story and unnecessary dialogues but allow players to choose their answers. Each quest will be available to complete in the player's own way, avoiding limiting the player with the story and tasks.
[h3] Base Building [/h3]
Base building was limited by tasks in Playtest. In the full game, players can do whatever they want in the base, including destroying rooms and speeding up time. The player can leave the base every night, so in practice, they can do it whenever they want. Day in the base will still exist, but it can be sped up/skipped.
[h3] Customization [/h3]
We will do our best to make character customization as advanced as possible. The main vampire, the clan leader, will not be predefined.
If you have any questions or ideas, please let us know in the comments or on our Discord Channel.
The numerous surveys we received allowed us to make decisions regarding the game's further development.
[h3] World [/h3]
In Playtest, the world was very limited; it came down to a tutorial that told the player what to do. Now, we are preparing an open world where each vampire lord can do whatever they want. The player will be able to explore the world on their own or with the help of quests from other vampires and influential characters.
The world will react to the player's actions; each location will have awareness system that enhances vampire threat level. Suppose the player is constantly killing people in an area. In that case, it will be reinforced with additional patrols of Gendarmes and Vampire Hunters, civilians will hide in their houses, and the atmosphere will become darker and darker, new encouters will be bloodier and more difficult.
[h3] Movement [/h3]
Many of you wanted to enable camera rotation and let the player zoom in, so we did that. We will also enable keyboard controls, limiting the need for point-and-click to Chronostasis mode.
We also plan to develop movement animations to make them more smooth.
[h3] Combat [/h3]
The feedback on combat was mixed, with many surveys indicating that Chronostasis mode was difficult to use but overpowered once learned. We will make it easier to use and limit its capabilities so that it is not too powerful.
We will make combat without Chronostasis more dynamic; we aim to implement more audiovisual feedback, introduce the ability to dodge attacks and make enemy attack animations more predictable.
The combat in Playtest was sometimes difficult (especially with Gendarmes), but combat in Vampire Clans is intended to be challenging. Some areas of the world will be filled with formidable enemies, so you can return to them after upgrading your equipment and vampires' abilities.
The death of one vampire during combat will not interrupt the game; other vampires will be able to resurrect him after the combat is over. When all vampires die during expeditions, they can respawn at the base or a previously activated cemetery.
We will also refine the boss fights so that each is unique and presents some different mechanics.
[h3] Stealth [/h3]
The stealth mode in Playtest was in the early stages of development. Enemies detect the player only after a moment, which is not represented graphically and is confusing. We will develop the stealth mode to make the player more aware of what is happening with a precise cone of detection consisting of different levels of detection. Enemies will react to bodies and pools of blood, and the player's role will be to hide bodies and avoid bloodshed, perform bloodless kills, and distract enemies.
[h3] Story [/h3]
We will limit the story and unnecessary dialogues but allow players to choose their answers. Each quest will be available to complete in the player's own way, avoiding limiting the player with the story and tasks.
[h3] Base Building [/h3]
Base building was limited by tasks in Playtest. In the full game, players can do whatever they want in the base, including destroying rooms and speeding up time. The player can leave the base every night, so in practice, they can do it whenever they want. Day in the base will still exist, but it can be sped up/skipped.
[h3] Customization [/h3]
We will do our best to make character customization as advanced as possible. The main vampire, the clan leader, will not be predefined.
If you have any questions or ideas, please let us know in the comments or on our Discord Channel.