Development Update - Dynamic Fear System
Infliction is a mixture between dynamic AI and scripted events. Scripted events take time to craft. But I can craft them! Add the sound of a fast beating heart, some lights flickering, you get the idea. The problem I was having was when the dynamic AI is in the world, she currently has a creepy ambience that plays on a loop and that's it. You'd be surprised how far that simple solution can take you. But, its not very dynamic and it gets old. Enter the Dynamic Fear System.
So what does it do? Well, the AI, if within 1 room distance from the player, will mess with electronic devices that are in the room the player is in. Kind of like an interference. So TV's, radios, baby toys etc will be affected by the AI and do something like turn on and play incomprehensible sounds. Once this is triggered, the players internal fear system is turned up by one. This will increase the heart beat and that kind of thing.
So why is this needed? I wanted the AI to affect the environment around her a little more. This effect would be two fold. Firstly, it can warn the player that the AI is close. Within one room of them in fact. Secondly, it does a great job at increasing the tension. Picture this scenario. You're in a room looking through items for your objective item. All of a sudden you hear strange noises coming from the TV. You turn around and see the TV is now on and has static playing. The heard beat sound increases and the rumble on the controller starts going a little. Your best chance at survival might be to close the door and wait it out hoping that she doesn't enter your room.
Because of the random nature of this kind of event, the player will never know when its going to happen and what the outcomes might be. This will hopefully build some memorable moments for the player that are theirs and theirs alone.
