By the way...the first 'chapter' worth of the OST is out, featuring a sneak preview of the Pediatric Ward's theme! Check it out!
IT HAPPENED AGAIN LADS
Halloween Update
Hey, all!
Happy Halloween! We may not have much in the way of the full game or a demo update, but we do have significant news regarding the progress of development.
Firstly: Pediatric is rapidly approaching completion, and while you may not see it in the demo, you can see plenty of it on the game twitter which I am trying... VERY hard to update frequently, though it may not happen as much as I like.
Secondly: As we continue to rebalance characters and enemies and overhaul the combat, we've decided to overhaul the Despair/Anxiety system! While I was alright with the current system- the way it is in the demo as it is- after some feedback and talking with our encounter designer, we've thought of a more dynamic and engaging way for players to interact with this mechanic, while still preserving the feeling of anxiety and the helplessness that comes with it. So, come the next demo update- or the full game, god willing, your menu will look like this!
That stress meter will be the new implementation of the Despair system. Put simply, the more you have, the less you can do, and a lot of stuff makes it go higher- taking damage, using moves, and certain events. As the player, your job is to manage that bar so Robin can continue to take part in the action, keep up her pace, and avoid the Panic Attack state- a state where Robin isn't likely to take commands, and may skip her turn entirely! With more detail on it, a word from our Encounter Designer regarding the system:
All of Robin's unique abilities will essentially have two costs:
1. The amount it increases her Stress by.
2. The overall amount of stress she must be at or below to use the skill.
This means that exceptionally powerful abilities can be balanced around either their availability or stress cost or even both, leading to a greater level of decision making for players.
Certain skills, like Deep Breath, regulate stress and lower it alongside their other effects. A means of showing her character growth and support network through the game can be to give her and her allies progressively better coping skills that lower stress by a greater amount and may even supply other benefits!
To compensate for managing a somewhat complex mechanic like this Robin is, generally, being balanced to be a strong character. This is already true in the current demo version and is something I want to carefully hone in future versions.
Having her be a strong party member is also an incentive for players to learn and engage with the new Stress mechanic as, currently, it is generally faster to win battles non-boss battles with just Jay and SG. Even in cases where using Robin as well is ideal having every battle require a single, static action that completely purges Stress for just one battle is not engaging in a way we are seeking.
If Robin's stress meter caps out or goes above a value of 100 she will enter a 'shutdown' state, much like the current status effect where she cannot take most actions until her stress is properly regulated. She is still in combat and still can be targeted by skills and attacks.
I (the encounter designer) will be drawing up an in-game booklet explaining these mechanics in simple, easy to parse terms that will be given to players by Jay shortly after meeting him. That way, players can easily reference it if they are ever confused or forget how part of this mechanic works. I don't want this mechanic to be stressful for our players! Just for it to represent Robin's own stress.
I still intend for the game to be completable without a huge amount of trouble for players. This is mostly a way of making Robin's stress more engaging and parseable for all parties! It also gives us, the developers, the ability to make more challenging and complex optional battles for players who want to dig into those!
Thank you all for taking the time to read this and I look forward to doing my part to help deliver the best version of Ghost Hospital that we can!
And lastly, not so much of an announcement, but please remember that if you want to have some custom dialogue or add your own NPC to the game, have custom icons and art made for you, or just want to support the project, please consider subscribing to the Patreon! While I may not post there that much, I try to make up for it by posting elsewhere.
Thank you all, and happy Halloween!
Another quick doodle of Robin from @ghosthospitalgame by my friend @spitblaze. No idea what she is looking at, but she knows its some srs shit.
I had a dumb joke occur to me. Please accept hair whappity. Maybe pray for Jay.
This time I actually @ my friend, @spitblaze. I r great at this internet.
Pats top of Robin’s head, this baby can fit so much depression in her.
I’ve been meaning to draw Robin for a long ass time, so here is a doodle.
Go play Ghost Hospital, you cowards.
Absolutely Normal Ghost Hospital fanart
Last stream did pretty well, so you know what? Let’s do another! Join me Saturday the 6th at 2pm EST for Gingiva, Middens, and Jet Set Radio! Once again, all donations will go to @bailproject , and donations are eligible for rewards! See you then!
Playing Gingiva now! For some reason! Come watch!
Last stream did pretty well, so you know what? Let’s do another! Join me Saturday the 6th at 2pm EST for Gingiva, Middens, and Jet Set Radio! Once again, all donations will go to @bailproject , and donations are eligible for rewards! See you then!
Hey, everyone! If you like the art I do, the games I make, or just want some art in exchange for donations, I’m streaming today! Come hang out with me on Twitch at 3:00 pm today while I work, and donate to The Bail Project! See you then!
Join me later today to see the game being made in real time, for access to rewards normally only available to patrons, and to keep unjustly arrested protesters out of police custody! Be there or be square! 3:00 pm EST!
Updates and Patreon!
Hey, guys! I know it's been a while, but I wanted to check in with you all and let you know that the project is still up and running, and thanks to a new person brought aboard, has been given a bit of an injection of life!
Currently, the two major things being worked on are the next area of the game, the Pediatric Ward, which will focus more thematically on the visceral feelings of anxiety rather than the overarching doubt and panic that Emergency did. To do this, the first step is making an environment that, unlike the Emergency Ward, will be able to let the player feel like they could truly get lost, so I've been working hard on making the scenery fit! This is just the starting hallway, not a maze yet, but I think it's coming along pretty nicely, take a look!
Along with this, our composer has been composing great music to go along with this, and really drive home the pressure- unfortunately, we can't show this off quite yet, but believe me when I say it does the job!
The other major thing that's being worked on, once again thanks to the new team member brought on board, is a massive overhaul of the combat! The system itself isn't being changed, but rather, the numbers. Considering that I was doing all of that myself, previously, and had absolutely no idea what I was doing, I'm still honestly shocked people had as much fun with the combat as they did! Balancing the game is tough work, and something that was frankly intimidating to me, so I owe our new team member a lot. With this being handled, though, it gives me a lot more motivation to get the rest of the game going, and to go back and fine-tune things I was too scared to touch before, so when we're finished with the retooling of the combat up to the end of the Emergency Ward, we will be re-releasing the demo, with that, and multiple other improvements alongside it that we're excited for everyone to be able to experience!
Lastly, one more important announcement, a lot of people have been asking how to support the project, and yes, throwing a few dollars our way in exchange for the demo is a great way to do that, but if you'd like a more substantial way to do that, I finally have a Patreon up and running! This is for me, Lev Lefton, rather than Ghost Hospital as a project, but I plan on adding specific Ghost Hospital-related benefits when the updated demo comes out! So, with all of that, thank you all for sticking with me despite the sporadic updates- this is a passion project, and I don't always have the time or energy to work on this, but I still want to give everyone the best work I can, so thank you all again, and please consider donating on Patreon or putting a few dollars down on the demo! Thank you, and see you in the next update!
Libitina commits tax fraud
It’s okay, Robin I’ll lead the way!!!
We end up at Carna’s office and have a few questions that need answers, but not without a fight!
@spitblaze hey i love ghost hospital and y’all should know,,,