[Spoilers] About the puzzles

Spoilers spoilers!

Important note: all puzzles can be solved, no matter what you do :) Thing is, I just hope there isn't a bug anywhere (it was so hard to debug since i had to test all possible scenarios).

Okay, okay, now to discuss the minigame design:

(1) The original minigame was that you and Ricky are walking in the same direction. However, this posed a problem as you have to "pick up" Ricky before going to the exit. I found this design horrible.

(2) The new minigame is inspired from Binary Land (NES game). It was the original idea for the minigame before I even did (1). I just found (1) easier to code (like, there's a whooole lot of bugs while making this game. I even made a thread for the bug reports). I went for this one since it's more fun and more puzzley. Though tbh, once you know the technique, it's easy as heck - when I was designing the maps, I was originally "oh no, this is hard, what if the players can't solve it?" then "ah, I know the technique, so I can't tell if it's easy or hard anymore". I polled with my friends and ended up adding a "SKIP" button if the player is stuck. That said, I ensured that the puzzles are solvable no matter what you do (as mentioned).

Then~ On to the minigame map designs!

Originally, for the good route, there were just 3 planned minigames (no minigame at the end of  the moon viewing scene). But story-wise, I found it better to add another one. Same with the bad route, there were only 2 planned minigames (no minigame for after the columbarium visit scene).

So, let's discuss the maps! You're the red dot, and Ricky is the blue dot. The cyan lines are the walls. And yes, I designed them as pixel art (designed in Pixel Studio to be exact - please try it out (I'm using the mobile version), it's a good app with animation functions as well :D (lol, the advertisement)). The map is 20x19 because... the setting is 2019! If you've read the other devlog, Ricky's death was on Sep 29, 2019.

Good route:

1. Minigame 1 - Processing your feelings

Since this was the first map, I wanted it to be easy. Just  a trial of the minigame.

For the first minigame idea (which I'll refer to as (1) from now on), the map simply looks like this (below). So you just pass through the center, go down (or up) to pick up Ricky, then go back to the goal. Voila, game done.

When I was first designing minigames for (1), this applies for all the minigames designed for (1), I wasn't really thinking about the meaning of the puzzles. I was just thinking of "what should it look like? is this puzzley enough?". For this one, I just went with a cloud theme because it's "heaven". And that's just it.

Now, for the new/latest design, while thinking about the puzzles, I thought of "it should have a meaning" - this thought arose when I was designing the minigame maps for the bad route tbh (I went for that first since... well, I'll discuss later). Then I thought hard as to what is the meaning of the first dream? Why will you even try to reach the goal? What is the goal?

For the last two questions, I thought of "It's you trying to reach peace by reaching out to Ricky, even if it's just through your dreams,"

So then comes the first question: "What is the meaning of the first dream?". I didn't really reread the script anymore (I've been reading it multiple times from scriptwriting to testing out the game, give me some slack, lmao. I've almost memorized it), but I knew it was about you receiving the news, thinking what you could have done and if you could have change something. So I realized that what was happening was that you, or the MC, were processing your grief. I'm not talking about the 5 stages of grief here, just plainly processing your feelings. Hence the maze design... which only has one solution - and straightforward, because again, I wanted it to just be a trial stage for the players, not a whole as puzzle to get stuck in.

When I was testing it out, I forgot that the map isn't symmetric (even number), so I had to add two goals, haha. Otherwise, it would be an impossible map.

2. Minigame 2 - Unable to decide

For the second minigame, for (1), this is a bit trickier because you have to make you/Ricky get stuck first before you reach the goal together. I honestly didn't test if out if it's solvable for every case you do, but it probably is. The design, like the first one, simply had the theme "clouds" because it's heaven. Boring~ hahaha (me dissing myself for my own maps).

And now, this map for (2), the final/latest map. I don't know if it's obvious, but on your side (upper half), it's a shrugging emoji; for Ricky's side, it's a smile. This is because in the second scene, you were thinking of what you have said versus what you could have said and thinking that either way, you know you said the wrong thing (I mean, saying you studied hard to someone who failed really demeans their effort in studying. Saying you were just lucky just sounds stupid). That said, on Ricky's side, he doesn't really care. All he cares about is you listened to him and helped him study. So he's happy no matter what you say. Hence the line "Are you sure it's okay?".

This one has a trickier solution, since unlike the first one, there's only one goal and the map isn't symmetric. That said, you just need to learn the technique to solve it. (I don't want to say the technique... but it'll be mentioned in the 3rd map since it's part of the design).

3. Minigame 3 - Regrets

For (1), I simply thought "Rest in Peace". The End. Yes, it's a morse code of RIP (tehe~).

For the final/latest version, it's a more complicated map, because this time, you're really lost in your feelings and regretting what happened. For the solution, the intended solution is waaaaay more complicated than the "hacked" solution. For both solutions, you have to get either you or Ricky stuck at some point before moving forward. My thought process in this was because, "to move forward, you may get stuck, but you'll still get there".

The main difference between this and the 2nd good route map is that in the 2nd map, you only need to get stuck once (Hint: Ricky, but it's obvious, so it isn't really a hint anymore) - though there's no particular reason why Ricky was the one who had to get stuck. It just happened that it was the design. I was actually intending that it should be the player who gets stuck (stuck in a dilemma) and not Ricky. But oh well, bad map designs happen. Plus, you can think of it as Ricky getting stuck in the exam, but still getting through with you because you reached out. (Wow, I'm great at giving BS meanings).

For this one, you have to get stuck multiple times (either you or Ricky, or both, I won't say), because well, you're stuck. You're both stuck. For you, you're stuck with your feelings that you made mistakes and prioritized yourself over Ricky. For Ricky, he got stuck in his mind because of his mental disorder (I'm not a psychologist, so I won't diagnose Ricky HAHA. But the answer to what disorder he has is that he has either bipolar disorder or major depression with mixed features).

I kind of want to make a video of how I originally planned the map out. Though I did plan it enough so that if you choose the "wrong" path, you could still finish it. So yeah, just do whatever you want in the game to solve it. If it works, it works.

4. Minigame 4 - Peace

This one's pretty obviously taken from the 3rd good route map of (1). Still the same RIP morse code. Added two goals because the map isn't symmetric.

For both maps, they have the same meaning of attaining peace from what happened. The difference is that in (1), it happened BEFORE you attained peace (before the moon viewing and the soliloquy), this one happened AFTER you attained peace. Which makes more sense. Hence why I added it to the end instead of making the 3rd good route map of (2) as the RIP morse code (also, I added this one because I added another map in the bad route - again, I designed the bad route first).

Then, there's finally the end where you accept what has happened and are finally at peace.

Bad route:

For the bad route, I purposely designed the maps to be impossible. This is because you either can't reach peace with Ricky, or you don't want to.

1. Minigame 1 - Processing your feelings

For this one, designed for (1), there's no "theme" in the design. They're randomly placed to ensure the map is impossible (try it, even just in your head or some paper, you'll get stuck one way or another).

Now this... Is the only bad route map I made AFTER the good route maps. It's obviously a copy of the good route map (which also has the theme of processing your feelings - because the story is similar, but not the same), except you and Ricky are blocked in the map AKA there's no solution.

2. Minigame 2 - Apathy

Now, this one's pretty funny. I just designed it so obviously impossible unlike the previous one. And this is supposedly the last map of the bad route. There's no particular meaning to this, honestly. Aside from trolling.

But then I thought "Wait a minute, if you squint hard enough, THERE IS A MEANING!" - which is you putting up a boundary on purpose to not reach Ricky.

So with that in mind, I set up the theme of "Apathy" and "Boundaries". In this part of the story, you're thinking you're so hypocritical for going to the group therapy just to save face. And the previous part was about you not speaking up for Ricky when he was bombarded with allegations. With both of those, the first boundary is that you don't really care, the next one is that you don't know what to do, and the last one is that you're scared (because of what others will think) and the last one is still you're scared (this time because you simply are. After all, what is the step after that? Simply reaching Ricky? Is it really that easy?).

Well, aside from the small map, I made it on purpose that you only have one space to walk on. Because you're suffocated of all the apathy and boundary you've been setting. So yep, thank you small map.

To be honest, I was debating whether or not to put that last boundary - since both 3rd and 4th boundaries are about you being scared. If I didn't add the last one there'll be "breathing space" after you move on from the fear of what others will think and there will be no boundary of "simply being scared". But I thought of it real hard. Since this is actually my story (if you've read the other devlog, it's literally my life story), I thought to myself, "Am I really just scared of what others will think?". And my answer is "No", I was actually scared that whatever I do, I won't really make a dent, let alone a mark, in the situation - because who am I? I'm simply a nobody who doesn't have any say in the situation aside from the fact that Ricky is my acquaintance. Nobody will listen to me. Maybe Ricky won't listen either - because again, I'm just his acquaintance, not a friend. Still, it really breaks my heart that I didn't break all those walls. I can't reverse time to try breaking those walls anymore. (Okay, enough with the drama, let's move on to the next map)

3. Minigame 3 - Trapped

Now, this... is a fun map to draw. I was originally thinking of just drawing the flowers, but I thought, adding in the candles would make it more obvious that it's because of the visit to the columbarium. Honestly, this map was just drawn out of boredom (not because I planned it to be part of the story). But then, I realized, it does fit the story, so why not add it?

I'm half sure that even if I put your tile in the usual spot (lower left of the upper half), this will still be impossible to solve. But I wanted to be extra, so I put your tile in the flower (could be anywhere actually, the flower, the candle, anywhere; I just put it in the flower since it's the center). Because the story went with "Is this your way of punishing me?". But no, honestly, from all the maps I made, the upper half is always because of you - the shrug, the boundaries, the tricky maze (the only exception is the first map which is you processing your feelings, and it doesn't make sense in Ricky's side, I just made it that way since it's an introductory stage). So actually, you're not really trapped because Ricky trapped you. You're trapped because YOU made yourself trapped. YOU feel trapped. And there's nothing beyond that.

Then, there's the end where you think about how you still don't know how to think of your clubmates and yourself. You've simply accepted the fact that you were part of why Ricky died.

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THE END

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I hope you enjoyed reading the minigame discussion! It's the first game I released as solo, and the first one I developed solo, so it has a special place in my heart. Not to mention, the story is really about my real life experiences, so there's that.

Apologies for using "you" instead of "MC"/"Wings" because it kinda got confusing referring to you or MC interchangeably. Plus, I'm letting you immerse in the story that YOU are the MC. Not like you have any choice in how the MC feels, or however the story moves forward... Because this is from the single choice game jam originally.

Segue: I both hate and love my output in how it's a storytelling "game". I love it because it's just showing the story from that single choice you made, I hate it because it doesn't feel like a "game" (whatever game means) (no offense to the SC GJ, it's a cool idea tbh). I added a minigame so that it feels a bit more like a game, but either way, it doesn't really affect the story, it's just another layer of the story. 

So yeah, that's it. Thanks for reading!