Dev Blog: NPCs

[p]Ahoy! [/p][p]Walk of Life is coming along nicely — thanks for asking! We're currently hosting closed playtests to gauge the reactions of our playerbase, so head on over to our Discord if you're interested in taking part.[/p][p]Now then, on to the NPCs.[/p][p][/p][p]Most locations in Walk of Life feature an NPC. For a game with an emphasis on humor, it's important that these characters are colourful and exaggerated, so that players don't get easily bored of them. During our development process, some of the NPCs instantly clicked with us while others didn't feel right. Let's take a look at our first draft of the bank NPC.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]While this guy has many characteristics of a stereotypical smug bank employee, the artwork surrounding him doesn't really have a lot going on. No Time to Relax had a bunch of gags strewn throughout the NPC art, and we thought we could do a bit better. So here's the revised version.[/p][p][/p][p]Say hello to Mr. Moneyman!

Quite a big difference. The NPC is way more exaggerated, which is in line with the whacky style we're aiming for in Walk of Life, but the environment is a lot more lively with all the gags that have been put in. [/p][p]I'm a big fan of the human furniture stockbro. Hang in there, buddy![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Some of the other locations have had less intensive touchups. For Moo Moo Mart, formerly known as simply the 'Grocery Store, we liked the NPC, but felt there was a bit more room for gags. The humiliating employee attire meshes quite well with her weary face, weathered down over decades of work in retail. [/p][p]We're[/p][p] also excited to see what's featured in the newest issue of BLING magazine.[/p][p][/p][p]The girl at the pet store is the newest member of the NPC family, with plenty of curious critters littered around in the background to entice the players to grab a pet for themselves. The pictures you see are of course all static, but we'll have them animated very soon![/p][p]That's it for now. Do you have a favorite? Did you prefer the previous banker? Let us know in the comments![/p]