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Development update #06 - How resources work in Edge of Sanity

Hello, darkness and insanity lovers,

Greetings, fans of darkness and insanity,

It's time to delve into another gameplay element of Edge of Sanity: resource gathering and its impact on gameplay.

[h2]The basics[/h2]

Living far from civilization in the Alaskan wilderness during the 1960s-70s is harsh. Every day of survival is a reward in itself, but to achieve it, you must live like an animal and battle endlessly for survival.

There are five basic types of resources:
  • food,
  • water,
  • scrap,
  • wood,
  • and Thurul.


The only way to gather them is to risk your life and sanity on expeditions, both story and random. Often, your main objective during a mission might already be fulfilled before you have a chance to collect everything from the area. You must judge whether it's worth risking injury for another flask of water.

[h2]Growing over time[/h2]

As more people join your camp, the demand for resources increases, but your production capabilities will also grow. You must maintain a reasonable level of production, or morale will plummet in the face of undesirable events.



During each expedition, death means an instant loss of all your current resources. So whenever you return to camp, consider leaving the most valuable items in storage, but keep in mind that exploring a mine without any resources on hand is not the best idea.

Another way to acquire valuable resources is to send your crew on their own missions, but be aware of the risks, as you may end up on a rescue mission with no resources acquired.



[h2]Thurul explained[/h2]

You might be wondering what Thurul is. This rock of unknown origin allows you to craft the most powerful items, making it a resource definitely worth fighting for.



There are over 80 in-game items, ranging from various tools that enhance your gameplay, to offensive, defensive, traversal, and more. The good news is that you'll be able to craft items during expeditions as well, but don't forget to grab dedicated recipes whenever you can!

So this is it! We are very approachable, so if you wish to share all kinds of feedback or question, art style related or not, please consider leaving follow here and joining our Discord:

We are grateful for all kinds of support!


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1897110/Edge_of_Sanity/

Talk to you soon!

Development update #05 - Madness, traumas and a publisher deal!

Hello, darkness and insanity lovers,

Today's update is very special. We are pleased to confirm that Daedalic Entertainment, a well-known and experienced German publisher, will publish Edge of Sanity. They will help us fully concentrate on production and prepare an unforgettable Alaskan journey.

[h3]About Daedalic Entertainment:[/h3]
Daedalic Entertainment publishes and develops high-quality games for all platforms. The company has a diverse line-up of high-quality titles, including classic adventures, RPGs, and strategy and multiplayer games. With an international team of around 90 employees, Daedalic is currently developing a new line-up of innovative games across consoles, PC, and mobile platforms.

You can follow them here:
https://store.steampowered.com/developer/daedalic


In today's development update, we will focus on the key part of the game: madness and sanity. We will explore how it affects all gameplay mechanics and your survivability chances.

[h2]Why choices matter[/h2]
The dominant source of madness accumulation are story choices made during expeditions. These will be various dramatic events that might affect your mental state or tough choices affecting other characters.



With each story act, your madness meter will expand, allowing you to obtain a certain number of traumas. There are ways to put your mind into temporary relief, but getting rid of traumas is a rarity. Be patient and carefully explore locations to find a powerful item crafted by local cultists.

[h2]Traumas affecting gameplay[/h2]
What exactly are traumas? Think of them as negative perks that affect your gameplay each time your madness meter fills up. You don't obtain them instantly but face their consequences next time you start your expedition.



One example is the ability to see monsters and items that exist only in your mind. The frequency of mixed realities will depend on your madness level. It can ruin your stealth tactics and drain precious stamina, so be aware when you obtain it. You also don't want to miss out on valuable loot that exists only in your mind.

[h2]People at the camp don't need a madman[/h2]
To survive at the camp, you need to provide food and supplies for the people you've rescued and maintain the morale of other members. Having your madness meter high will make this a much bothersome task.



As a result, you will lack a bonus boost for crafting efficiency and might become a much less likable character. It won't help when sending people out on dangerous expeditions for supplies. But at least you can grab a cup of coffee. It helps even in this unforgiving reality.

[h2]Senses, crafting and combat[/h2]
Sound design is a crucial part of the intense atmosphere in Edge of Sanity and is also affected by your madness meter. Ability to hear your heartbeat loudly in the least comfortable moments will add spice to solving puzzles spread out in various locations.



With your madness meter at a high level, you might craft the same items using different supplies (e.g. monster parts), and the design of those items might be altered, including weapons - changing the way you react when facing monstrosities.

[h2]Is it possible to die because of madness?[/h2]
Putting you on the edge of sanity will take some time, so don't worry about it with every step you take at the beginning of your Alaskan journey. Balancing is still ahead of us, but most likely, at the later part of the story campaign, after reaching a certain level of insanity, the abyss might claim you once and for all. It would require restarting a specific act.



Crafting, base management, story outcomes, exploration, gameplay, sound, and combat - every possible gameplay mechanic might be affected by your sanity level. It's up to you to choose which path to follow or look for a point of balance anywhere in between.

Stay tuned!

So this is it! We are very approachable, so if you wish to share all kinds of feedback or question, art style related or not, please consider leaving follow here and joining our Discord:

We are grateful for all kinds of support!


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1897110/Edge_of_Sanity/

Talk to you soon!

Development update #04 - Engaging in a fight

Hello, darkness and insanity lovers,

In December we have skipped the development update because of Christmas, but production continues at full speed, and today we are ready share insights about the combat system.

[h2]Don’t engage, unless you are prepared[/h2]
First, and most importantly, if you can avoid the fight, do it. Killing the monster won’t reward you with any experience points, and loot doesn't magically appear after killing a monster. Your madness meter will, however, go up. On the other hand, exploring every corner is dangerous, but allows for gathering crucial supplies for you and other camp members. Being well-prepared gives you more options for the fight, so if you need to engage, make sure you have all the tools at your disposal.



[h2]Use enemy senses to your advantage[/h2]
Some enemies are blind and might hear you from a distance, while some are scared of light. Try to learn their attack patterns and use them to your advantage. For instance, your lamp may start to burn some of the maggots, and already start hurting them, giving you a chance of surprise and dealing additional advantage.



We are also working on the system allowing different enemies to randomly start a fight between themselves, giving you a rare occasion to initiate a conflict between the monsters. Another promising opportunity to remain in stealth.

Stealth also gives you an edge (no pun intended) with additional damage dealt when stabbing enemies in the back. You will also perform a critical hit when damaging stunned enemies (using a trap, a stone, or environmental).

[h2]Healing your wounds[/h2]
Edge of Sanity doesn’t feature any health auto-regen, but there are multiple ways to get you fixed up after an intense fight. First of all, try looking for some herbs and alcohol - the ideal combination to get you fixed in the wild (so at least you can make it back to the camp).



[h2]What happens if you die on an expedition?[/h2]
If you fail your expedition, the other camp members will come back to rescue you. It might affect their morale, and you will also lose all the supplies gathered along the way. If you are low on health, you will also have the option to return to your base mid-mission, taking supplies with you and leaving some of them behind.



[h2]Questioning the reality[/h2]
With your madness meter going high, you might start seeing additional enemies which exist only in your damaged mind. The combat system is one of the most affected by the trauma and madness system, which we plan to cover in the next month’s development update.



Stay tuned!

So this is it! We are very approachable, so if you wish to share all kinds of feedback or question, art style related or not, please consider leaving follow here and joining our Discord:

We are grateful for all kinds of support!


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1897110/Edge_of_Sanity/

Talk to you soon!

Development update #03 - Designing missions

Hello, darkness and insanity lovers,

It's time for another monthly development update for Edge of Sanity! Right now, we are focusing on the mission design. That is the topic we will cover in the third episode of the development update.

[h2]Starting from scratch[/h2]

Designing each mission starts with a blank sheet of digital paper, which later becomes a block out. It's just a simple layout of the whole level, with fundamental elements and dynamic events placement. You might think that graphic designers are responsible for that, but our programmers are too. Take a look at the latest example:



We've also been working closely with Joanna Maciejewska, our writer, who helps us to point out the essential elements of each mission, including the characters you meet, the locations you discover, and the choices you are about to make. Then it's the job of mission designers to make sure it blends with the rest of the level.



After we have done the general level concept, we fill it out with monsters, interactive elements, and items. Then it's time to implement it in the game engine and start thorough testing. Finally, the other team members can play them carefully to avoid design bias.

[h2]How are expeditions going to work in Edge of Sanity?[/h2]

You start an expedition whenever you leave your not-so-safe camp set up in the wilderness of Alaska. These are 10-30 minutes long missions during which you risk your life to gather precious resources, find other survivors, or try to solve the mysteries of troubling events.

You can expect the usual distinction between the main story and side missions. All of them are hand-crafted, but the main ones consist of detailed story elements, while the latter allows you to obtain precious resources for yourself and other survivors at the base camp.



You won't find any checkpoints during expeditions, so the closer you are to finishing, the higher your concentration should be. If you die, you need to start back from your camp. But you won't need to worry about missing a crucial item without which you won't successfully make it to the end - all the mission requirements will be visible on the map at your camp.

[h2]Getting the atmosphere[/h2]

After successful level testing, Karol, our art director, fills them out with assets. It's usually a mix of the ones made for a specific location + unique ones required for a distinct mission. He also makes sure that all the light sources blend with the rest of the elements. It is a critical factor during expeditions that will focus on the story rather than stealth or combat.

Before considering a mission to be close to finalized, we also need to work on what players can see in front and in the background to create a compelling parallax effect. The tricky part is finding a balance between complete darkness and a location that is too bright and not frightening enough.



We also need to keep in mind that you can approach enemies in multiple ways, craft different items, and on top of that, have different levels of madness and sanity. Want some examples? Players with specific traumas might be able to craft a rope from a maggot's testicles. But again, we ensure that unlocking stuff increases your options, and you can fulfill your missions even with standard equipment.

So this is it! We are very approachable, so if you wish to share all kinds of feedback or question, art style related or not, please consider leaving follow here and joining our Discord:

We are grateful for all kinds of support!


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1897110/Edge_of_Sanity/

Talk to you soon!

Development update #02 - Halloween Scream Fest & Meet our writer

Hello darkness and insanity lovers,

In this month's development update we are going to focus on plot, celebrate Steam Scream Fest and tell us a few words about the recent event we attended.

[img align]https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/42848898/9ad41ff0d2fdb73a15858c91f5a95bb7ce17449c.png

Joanna might be a bit too cautious to do anything even remotely daring or dangerous herself, so she writes about daring adventures and dangerous magic instead. Yet, she found enough courage to abandon her life in Poland and move to Ireland, and then some years later, she abandoned her life in Ireland to move over to the US. She’s determined to settle there, once she finally chooses which state to reside in.

When she’s not writing or thinking about writing, she plays video games or makes amateur art. She lives the happy life of a recluse, surrounded by her husband, a stuffed red monkey, and a small collection of books she insisted on hauling across two continents.

Joanna Maciejewska is writer for Edge of Sanity, so we spent some time to talk about what you can expect throughout your madness trip to Alaska.

[h3]Hello Joanna! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? How did you become a writer?[/h3]
Hello Robert! I’m a fantasy and science fiction author and freelance translator based in the United States, but I’m originally from Poland.

As for becoming a writer… one usually becomes a writer by writing. (laughs) My story is likely similar to many writers out there. We don’t wake up one day knowing that we are or will become a writer. In my case, it was the love for stories that made me an avid reader which combined with the need to create my own stories.

That creativity first found its outlet in tabletop RPGs, and ultimately in writing short stories and novels.

[h3]Do you have any sources of inspiration in your daily work? Books, comics, video games, weird dreams?[/h3]
Last week we had a chance to visit Barcelona and showcase Edge of Sanity during Game BCN Demo Day! Hundreds of participants could check our pre-alpha footage and leave valuable feedback that will help us create a better game!

In general, I read books, play video games, watch movies, and talk to my husband to feed my creativity, and really anything can inspire a story: I wrote stories based on a single sentence, random thought, a piece of lyrics, or an interesting image that sparked an idea...

Once, I played a song in a loop for two days straight when I was brainstorming a story inspired by the song.



[h3]You now have experience in a book series called Pacts Arcane and Otherwise - was that helpful when writing a story for Edge of Sanity?[/h3]
Almost everything that is writing is going to help with writing. Well, maybe excluding shopping lists. (laughs) Pacts Arcane and Otherwise is just a fraction of my experience. Before this series was published, I had already finished about half a dozen other novels, wrote and published short stories, run a few tabletop RPGs and small-scale LARPS, and each of them was an experience that left me with something valuable that helped me write the story for Edge of Sanity. And similarly, Edge of Sanity is an experience that will contribute to the projects that will come after it.

[h3]Is there any known universe/movie/book/comic/video game that inspired you most when creating a story for Edge of Sanity?[/h3]
There isn’t anything specific, but when I learned what ideas the team had for Edge of Sanity, I tried to immerse myself in similar settings and atmosphere. Karol, the Art Director, recommended some titles, including The Thing. I’m very picky about horror movies I watch, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and its setting of an unforgiving wintery land, so similar to what the team had in mind for Edge of Sanity, had definitely sparked some ideas.



[h3]Could you tell us what happened before the start of the game?[/h3]
I suppose it depends on how much you want the story spoiled… Discovering what happened in the past and how our character had found himself in his current predicament is part of the game’s story. Let’s just say that it all started shortly after the 1964’s earthquake in Alaska.

A hardworking and smart contractor had found a mysterious stone in the debris. He realized that it had the potential to change the world, so he combined his resources with an elusive millionaire, and thus Prism Organization was founded. What they intended to do and what happened next… Well, you’ll have to play the game to find out as my lips are sealed.



[h3]You had a chance to write not only dialogues but also shape the game missions. How different was it compared to writing a story for your books?[/h3]
At the core, writing a story for the book and a story for a video game are similar, but as they say, the devil is in the details. As a novel writer, I can control the information much more precisely: at any point of the story, I know exactly which information the readers already have and what is concealed which makes it easy to control where the twists and reveals come.

Readers rarely skip chapters or read out of order. In a video game, players have much more freedom and can explore the story in their chosen sequence. Of course, some missions only become available after certain conditions are met, but in other cases, the player is the one to choose which mission or part of the story to explore next, so when writing missions and dialogues, I can’t always assume they have specific bits of knowledge: they might not have gotten to that part yet.

There’s also the matter of brevity. In a book, I can take much longer to unveil a plot or story, play with style or narrative tools, while in video games, information has to be more condensed as reading onscreen isn’t always optimal. As a gamer, I can relate since I’m definitely guilty of sometimes skimming through quest descriptions or dialogues.



[h3]Could you offer a few words about one of the characters we meet along the way?[/h3]
Out of the colorful bunch of the characters players will get to meet, Scot probably stands out the most. He used to be a scientist, but then madness claimed him, and he embraced it with a surprising eagerness, so instead of being a crazed madman performing shady experiments in his evil laboratory, he is mostly himself.

That is, if you don’t mind that communicating with him is somewhat broken as his madness offers him unique perspectives. I think his character will bring a little bit of absurd-lined levity and everyone seeking a moment of respite from the horrors and the darker side of madness will enjoy interacting with him.



[h3]Do you see any similarities in game acts vs. book chapters? Is having them making your job easier or the other way around?[/h3]
To me, book chapters are nothing but a way of organizing a story. I write in scenes, sometimes even out of order, until I’m satisfied that I told the story the way I wanted it to be told. At that stage, I might be moving scenes and events around for better flow or story impact, or rewriting and removing various pieces of the story.

Therefore, in my workflow, chapters come when I have an overview of the events and know how they fit together. I do not plan initially how many chapters I will have or what will go in each chapter, but I know of writers who work this way. At the same time, game acts seem to echo the 3-Act Structure that many writers use to plot out their books, and that has been with us pretty much since ancient times. I don’t have a need to rely on it heavily in my own writing, but I’m familiar with it, so game acts don’t come as something foreign or difficult. It’s just another way of dividing a story into structural pieces.



[h3]What’s your favorite element of the game setting?[/h3]
Why, tentacles of course! (laughs) To me they have the appeal of otherness and eeriness, especially when paired with other horror elements. But in general, what I’m drawn to in settings is how various pieces are connected rather than being drawn to single elements.

Once you’ve consumed enough books, movies, and video games, it sometimes feels like “you’ve seen it all”: elves, robots, zombie goats, and whatnot, so it’s more about how those seemingly seasoned pieces are combined into a unique and fresh setting or story that has the most appeal.

In Hyperion, one of my favorite novels of all time, Dan Simmons managed to combine such unlikely-fitting elements like religion, posthumanism, time travel, AI, and poet John Keats among others into a cohesive, heart-wrenching, and suspenseful story in which all those pieces make perfect sense. Similarly, Edge of Sanity combines survival in an unforgiving environment with madness, corporate conspiracy, and tentacles of course, and that’s the main appeal to me.



[h2]Showcasing the game in Barcelona[/h2]
Last week we had a chance to visit Barcelona and showcase Edge of Sanity during Game BCN Demo Day! Couple of hundreds of participants had a chance to check our pre-alpha footage and leave valuable feedback that will help us create a better game!



[h2]Steam Scream Fest[/h2]



Starting from October 25th, 7:00 PM CEST / 10 AM PT until November 1st, Steam celebrates horror games and Edge of Sanity is part of the event!

If you haven't already, wishlist Edge of Sanity on Steam - it helps with our development a lot!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1897110/Edge_of_Sanity/

So that’s it! We are very approachable, so if you wish to share all kinds of feedback or question, art style related or not, please consider leaving follow here and/or joining our Discord:

We are grateful for all kinds of support!


Talk to you soon!