Detailed Core Mechanics
The game occurs in three modes: RPG, tactical, and strategic, with story and meaningful choices woven throughout. Player choices and actions will resonate in each, but take on a different form and magnitude in the different modes of gameplay. The shared resource that will be affected by all three modes of play and will determine the player's success or failure is Nephesh: the supernatural expression of human existence that all NPCs possess.
All NPCs possess a collection of characteristics, collectively called the Nephesh; a supernatural expression of human existence. The component characteristics define the intentions and strength of effort of each NPC, and determine how their AI behavior functions. The player seeks to nurture each NPC's Nephesh to life, adding them to the supernatural insurgency effort and turning them into Spiritkind, a positive, powerful force in a dark world. The Fallen seek to corrupt every NPC's Nephesh, preventing them from becoming Spiritkind and damning them forever as rulers of death, doomed captives of the Dark Garden. How Nephesh works:
The Nephesh is all the things a person is and can be that are invisible, represented visually in SUPOX view as a procedurally generated tree-like blend of light, neural lace, snowflake, and plant life. Different branches of the tree represent aspects of the human’s character and spirit, like the fruits of the spirit, and glow a dazzling array of colors when fully lit. The distance from the core which the branches gradually become lit depends on that person’s spiritual maturity and perfection, which is only ever fully reached after death when all remaining dead branches are trimmed away. The Nephesh is still visible even when choked with death, but only as a sorrowful shadow of what it should be. Even the smallest of lights is welcome in heaven, but the sorrow for what could have been is evident. This visual representation shows the progress or lack thereof made with each person and provides immediate feedback of the state of affairs when an area or person is examined. When battles take place, the Nephesh is the target around which the angels and demons fight, trying to reinforce a glowing branch with the truth or get a barb in to increase death, respectively. The player's goal is to transform the NPC into a powerful and beautiful Spiritual being by helping the NPC cultivate their Nephesh, growing that which is strong and health-giving, and removing that which is destructive and poisonous. Out of combat, the Nephesh of each NPC generates their behavioral AI. Each will act out their lives according to the state of their Nephesh, helping or hurting those around them throughout the course of their profession or position. A baker may start charging extra for bread because he got greedy, or feed a starving orphan because he is learning compassion. The effect will naturally compound as hurt people, hurt people, and, if too many evil are allowed to fester in one place, the cycle becomes nearly irreversible. Conversely, if a strong base of Spiritkind is stabilized, they will likely remain quite stable, helping each other and staying faithful, at least until tragedy and danger come knocking. An experienced player will begin to be able to read a character's intentions by sight alone, without having to examine each strand of their Nephesh, as they become accustomed to the colors, patterns, and magnitude of certain character traits. Spiritkind posses a leveled-up Nephesh and can gain Authority and attendant skills similar to Guardians if they make choices in alignment with the goals of the player.
Butterfly Effect Mechanic Overview:
How Butterfly Effect works:
Explore a minutely detailed, open-world RPG village teeming with interactive NPCs, each with their own unique, context-driven story arc. Discover every NPC's motivations, behavior tendencies, weaknesses, and potential to join your resistance as Spiritkind. Influence their decisions and environment, engaging their potential and permanently shifting their behavior by performing quests. Observe the results of your efforts, as their individual stories weave together to create a procedurally-generated narrative with life-and-death stakes and never-ending variation. Encounter Fallen when operating in the SUPOX and fight or evade them. How RPG Mode is triggered:
RPG is the default mode of the game, as it allows the closest connection to the human experience that is the ongoing story. Whenever the player is not involved in a tactical battle or examining the game state in strategic mode, they are in RPG Mode. How RPG Mode and Exploration function:
The player moves around in much the same way a human would, in first-person, real-time, three-dimensional open-world exploration. While moving around, the player can switch between seeing the world with NAPOX vision or SUPOX vision, seeing things as they appear to humans or as they appear in the supernatural. Collision is normal in NAPOX view but turned off in SUPOX view. NPCs will react to the player's presence in both views, but will not talk to the player in the SUPOX. When the player explores in this manner they will gain a visceral impression of how things are going and likely to go. How Observing works in RPG Mode:
Different information is available depending on which vision the player is using, with NAPOX offering cues of human emotion, spoken dialog, written notes, and visual cues such as a pointed gun or an attack dog being let off a leash. SUPOX offers information about Nephesh condition, NPC intentions, Fallen presence, and area effects caused by concentrations of Spiritkind, intercessions, and concentrations of spiritdead. The player can watch animated sequences, listen to dialog, and imagine what comes next from the subtext. How Discovery and Interaction works in RPG Mode:
Everyone has a story, and RPG mode is where you learn what they are and how they are progressing. Each NPC will act differently toward every other NPC and the player in every playthrough depending on the state of their Nephesh. By talking with them in the NAPOX, the player can learn what their current struggles and story entail. All NPCs always regard the player as a strange newcomer to town, and if they have a positively-aligned Nephesh, especially if they are Spiritkind, they will speak respectfully and honestly, as if they have met a really nice person who may help them. If they have a negative alignment, they will speak with arrogance and hostility, as if they have met an upstart challenger who must be discredited. Either way, they will speak honestly and openly, generating quests for the player to attempt to derail or support their current behavior. How Quests work in RPG Mode:
When Melphus speaks to Humans in NAPOX form, or observes their intentions in SUPOX form, quests are generated for the player to change the trajectory of what the NPC's current intentions are. Quests will be things like "convince the baker to feed Anne," "find food for Anne," "Prevent Inkeeper from betraying Anne," or convince Anne to become Spiritkind." How Encountering Fallen works in RPG Mode:
As the player navigates the village as Melphus, they will come into close proximity with Fallen angels actively preying on the population. The player must decide whether to confront of avoid the Fallen. Evading enables a more efficient execution of immediate goals with less danger. Confronting is dangerous, and will slow down the execution of current tasks, but can improve the overall game state by crippling their efforts, forcing them into a forlorn state, or perhaps banishing them from the area entirely.
Moments of Crisis (MOC) occur when humans, especially when they are behaving in accordance with the will of the player, come under attack from the twisted Fallen. When a MOC is triggered, you can direct an available Guardian angel to defend them, triggering a battle in which the player takes part. In a turn-based battle format, you command the Guardian and influence the human, using powerful authority skills, and making key decisions to both protect the human from immediate danger and mitigate permanent damage to their psyche. How TBT is triggered:
When NPC behavior causes an intersection of the subversion of the Fallen and the Will of God, it creates a tipping point, or MOC, during which the human will experience significant changes, good or bad, to their Nephesh and resultant behavior AI. When a MOC occurs, the game pauses and the player is given the option to intervene or let the event play out on its own. If the player chooses to intervene, the game enters TBT, and will stay in it until the battle is resolved. How TBT Mode functions:
Battle takes place in a third-person isometric, 3-dimensional, rotatable, and zoomable view, in a contained, spiritually-themed location that is representative of a large model of the NPC's Nephesh. Each aspect of the Nephesh will be represented as an element that can can be damaged, strengthened, or captured. Once an element is captured by either side, it is out of play for that battle and any effects exerted on it will subsequently resonate in other game modes regardless of the battle's outcome. As each element is captured, the focus narrows on the remaining elements, and the battle ends when all elements have been captured either by the player or the Fallen. How Directing works in TBT Mode:
If the player wishes to intervene in a MOC, they will direct an available guardian to team up with the NPC in an effort tip the scales in favor of positive Nephesh development and subsequently improved behavior AI for the involved NPC. If no guardian is available, the player may choose to reassign a currently busy guardian to this time-sensitive task. The Guardian will improve the NPCs chances of a positive outcome, but an NPC who is elevated to Spiritkind may be able to handle the battle on their own (albeit with a proportionately less positive outcome.) How Commanding works in TBT Mode:
If a Guardian is ordered into battle, the player will control its every action, choosing which attacks it blocks, where it moves, and whether it attacks the Fallen directly or focuses on shielding the NPC from attacks. Maneuvering and using the Guardian cleverly will have a decisive effect on the battle. How Influencing works in TBT Mode:
The player can choose to influence the NPC's Nephesh directly, shoring up weaknesses and capitalizing on strengths. The effects will be most prevalent during the battle and largely temporary, but, if significant shifts are made, will permanently resonate in the other game modes. How Using Authority Skills works in TBT Mode:
Guardians will have Authority based on their level, with resultant improved attributes and a selection of skills. The player can activate these skills to achieve more significant effects than base actions will produce. Proper timing, application, and combination of skills can turn a battle dramatically. How Protecting works in TBT Mode:
Guardian angels are called such for a reason. The player may order them to block attacks directly, taking the intended damage in place of the targeted Nephesh element. This will reduce the authority of the guardian, giving up some of their presence in exchange for preservation of a vulnerable target. This is a significant tradeoff, as a guardian who loses too much authority will be both banished from the current battle and unable to be used in other modes until they have recovered. How Mitigating works in TBT Mode:
While capturing Nephesh elements and winning the MOC is the primary focus of TBT, even in a losing battle the player can spread their defensive efforts around to keep the NPC's Nephesh from permanently shifting too far into control of the Fallen.
Examine the war zone from a strategic perspective at critical intervals, prioritizing efforts that will strengthen the resistance and choosing specific actions to influence the human landscape. Direct Guardians to where they are needed most, and command Spiritkind to rally to the cause in a way that may just turn the tide. How STRAT Mode is triggered:
When the player pauses the games, STRAT mode becomes available. This will happen automatically when key events happen, player actions expire, or new actions become available. The player can choose to skip this mode in most cases and continue doing what they were doing before, or take as much time in it as they wish. How God-View (Examining) works in STRAT Mode:
The player can observe the entire play space from high altitude in an isometric 3-dimensional fixed view, zooming closer to a given area to learn more about the overall resultant dynamics in effect there. Levels of detail increase as the player draws closer to a location, and blossom into a wealth of information when human NPCs are viewed. The Nephesh is visible both as an artistic representation of what is, a momentary representation of what could be, and a numerical explanation of how the NPCs will likely act in any situation. By spending time in this mode, the player can learn any detail about the current game state as it applies to winning and losing, and be able to mentally calculate the potential of various plans for success. How Prioritizing and Choosing work in STRAT Mode:
Everything is possible, but not everything that is possible is likely. In STRAT mode, the player compares the likely level of effort and effect of an array of available plans, and chooses short term objectives and methods for Guardians and Spritkind to focus on. Choosing the appropriate options with the right timing will have a marked effect on the overall success of that phase. How Influencing works in STRAT Mode:
By selecting "God's Will" for each NPC, the player can exert influence over the Nephesh of all NPC's in the entire playspace, at once, albeit at a significantly less impact than in other modes. This influence will resonate strongly with Spiritkind, weakly with more neutrally-aligned NPCs, and not at all with those who are actively giving Authority to the Fallen. By zooming to personal contact range, more detailed influence can be exerted via: Mechanic Detail - Presence of God. How Directing and Commanding work in STRAT Mode:
Guardian angels and Spiritkind can be directed to perform specific tasks or maintain certain states and duties. A Guardian can be commanded to protect a specific human with great effect, or a given area with less effect, and will comply. A Spiritkind can be directed to help someone, hide, flee, or stand their ground, ETC., or NOT do something, but their chance of complying is less certain and based on their Nephesh. They are not certain to carry these directions out, and the likelihood drops in proportion to the amount of time since a directive has been issued. Once given, directives can be refreshed each cycle in STRAT mode, streamlining the process in the future.
Nephesh
Nephesh Mechanic Overview:All NPCs possess a collection of characteristics, collectively called the Nephesh; a supernatural expression of human existence. The component characteristics define the intentions and strength of effort of each NPC, and determine how their AI behavior functions. The player seeks to nurture each NPC's Nephesh to life, adding them to the supernatural insurgency effort and turning them into Spiritkind, a positive, powerful force in a dark world. The Fallen seek to corrupt every NPC's Nephesh, preventing them from becoming Spiritkind and damning them forever as rulers of death, doomed captives of the Dark Garden. How Nephesh works:
The Nephesh is all the things a person is and can be that are invisible, represented visually in SUPOX view as a procedurally generated tree-like blend of light, neural lace, snowflake, and plant life. Different branches of the tree represent aspects of the human’s character and spirit, like the fruits of the spirit, and glow a dazzling array of colors when fully lit. The distance from the core which the branches gradually become lit depends on that person’s spiritual maturity and perfection, which is only ever fully reached after death when all remaining dead branches are trimmed away. The Nephesh is still visible even when choked with death, but only as a sorrowful shadow of what it should be. Even the smallest of lights is welcome in heaven, but the sorrow for what could have been is evident. This visual representation shows the progress or lack thereof made with each person and provides immediate feedback of the state of affairs when an area or person is examined. When battles take place, the Nephesh is the target around which the angels and demons fight, trying to reinforce a glowing branch with the truth or get a barb in to increase death, respectively. The player's goal is to transform the NPC into a powerful and beautiful Spiritual being by helping the NPC cultivate their Nephesh, growing that which is strong and health-giving, and removing that which is destructive and poisonous. Out of combat, the Nephesh of each NPC generates their behavioral AI. Each will act out their lives according to the state of their Nephesh, helping or hurting those around them throughout the course of their profession or position. A baker may start charging extra for bread because he got greedy, or feed a starving orphan because he is learning compassion. The effect will naturally compound as hurt people, hurt people, and, if too many evil are allowed to fester in one place, the cycle becomes nearly irreversible. Conversely, if a strong base of Spiritkind is stabilized, they will likely remain quite stable, helping each other and staying faithful, at least until tragedy and danger come knocking. An experienced player will begin to be able to read a character's intentions by sight alone, without having to examine each strand of their Nephesh, as they become accustomed to the colors, patterns, and magnitude of certain character traits. Spiritkind posses a leveled-up Nephesh and can gain Authority and attendant skills similar to Guardians if they make choices in alignment with the goals of the player.
Butterfly Effect
***More mechanic detail currently being defined***Butterfly Effect Mechanic Overview:
How Butterfly Effect works:
RPG Mode
RPG Mode Overview:Explore a minutely detailed, open-world RPG village teeming with interactive NPCs, each with their own unique, context-driven story arc. Discover every NPC's motivations, behavior tendencies, weaknesses, and potential to join your resistance as Spiritkind. Influence their decisions and environment, engaging their potential and permanently shifting their behavior by performing quests. Observe the results of your efforts, as their individual stories weave together to create a procedurally-generated narrative with life-and-death stakes and never-ending variation. Encounter Fallen when operating in the SUPOX and fight or evade them. How RPG Mode is triggered:
RPG is the default mode of the game, as it allows the closest connection to the human experience that is the ongoing story. Whenever the player is not involved in a tactical battle or examining the game state in strategic mode, they are in RPG Mode. How RPG Mode and Exploration function:
The player moves around in much the same way a human would, in first-person, real-time, three-dimensional open-world exploration. While moving around, the player can switch between seeing the world with NAPOX vision or SUPOX vision, seeing things as they appear to humans or as they appear in the supernatural. Collision is normal in NAPOX view but turned off in SUPOX view. NPCs will react to the player's presence in both views, but will not talk to the player in the SUPOX. When the player explores in this manner they will gain a visceral impression of how things are going and likely to go. How Observing works in RPG Mode:
Different information is available depending on which vision the player is using, with NAPOX offering cues of human emotion, spoken dialog, written notes, and visual cues such as a pointed gun or an attack dog being let off a leash. SUPOX offers information about Nephesh condition, NPC intentions, Fallen presence, and area effects caused by concentrations of Spiritkind, intercessions, and concentrations of spiritdead. The player can watch animated sequences, listen to dialog, and imagine what comes next from the subtext. How Discovery and Interaction works in RPG Mode:
Everyone has a story, and RPG mode is where you learn what they are and how they are progressing. Each NPC will act differently toward every other NPC and the player in every playthrough depending on the state of their Nephesh. By talking with them in the NAPOX, the player can learn what their current struggles and story entail. All NPCs always regard the player as a strange newcomer to town, and if they have a positively-aligned Nephesh, especially if they are Spiritkind, they will speak respectfully and honestly, as if they have met a really nice person who may help them. If they have a negative alignment, they will speak with arrogance and hostility, as if they have met an upstart challenger who must be discredited. Either way, they will speak honestly and openly, generating quests for the player to attempt to derail or support their current behavior. How Quests work in RPG Mode:
When Melphus speaks to Humans in NAPOX form, or observes their intentions in SUPOX form, quests are generated for the player to change the trajectory of what the NPC's current intentions are. Quests will be things like "convince the baker to feed Anne," "find food for Anne," "Prevent Inkeeper from betraying Anne," or convince Anne to become Spiritkind." How Encountering Fallen works in RPG Mode:
As the player navigates the village as Melphus, they will come into close proximity with Fallen angels actively preying on the population. The player must decide whether to confront of avoid the Fallen. Evading enables a more efficient execution of immediate goals with less danger. Confronting is dangerous, and will slow down the execution of current tasks, but can improve the overall game state by crippling their efforts, forcing them into a forlorn state, or perhaps banishing them from the area entirely.
Turn-Based-Tactical Mode
TBT Mode Overview:Moments of Crisis (MOC) occur when humans, especially when they are behaving in accordance with the will of the player, come under attack from the twisted Fallen. When a MOC is triggered, you can direct an available Guardian angel to defend them, triggering a battle in which the player takes part. In a turn-based battle format, you command the Guardian and influence the human, using powerful authority skills, and making key decisions to both protect the human from immediate danger and mitigate permanent damage to their psyche. How TBT is triggered:
When NPC behavior causes an intersection of the subversion of the Fallen and the Will of God, it creates a tipping point, or MOC, during which the human will experience significant changes, good or bad, to their Nephesh and resultant behavior AI. When a MOC occurs, the game pauses and the player is given the option to intervene or let the event play out on its own. If the player chooses to intervene, the game enters TBT, and will stay in it until the battle is resolved. How TBT Mode functions:
Battle takes place in a third-person isometric, 3-dimensional, rotatable, and zoomable view, in a contained, spiritually-themed location that is representative of a large model of the NPC's Nephesh. Each aspect of the Nephesh will be represented as an element that can can be damaged, strengthened, or captured. Once an element is captured by either side, it is out of play for that battle and any effects exerted on it will subsequently resonate in other game modes regardless of the battle's outcome. As each element is captured, the focus narrows on the remaining elements, and the battle ends when all elements have been captured either by the player or the Fallen. How Directing works in TBT Mode:
If the player wishes to intervene in a MOC, they will direct an available guardian to team up with the NPC in an effort tip the scales in favor of positive Nephesh development and subsequently improved behavior AI for the involved NPC. If no guardian is available, the player may choose to reassign a currently busy guardian to this time-sensitive task. The Guardian will improve the NPCs chances of a positive outcome, but an NPC who is elevated to Spiritkind may be able to handle the battle on their own (albeit with a proportionately less positive outcome.) How Commanding works in TBT Mode:
If a Guardian is ordered into battle, the player will control its every action, choosing which attacks it blocks, where it moves, and whether it attacks the Fallen directly or focuses on shielding the NPC from attacks. Maneuvering and using the Guardian cleverly will have a decisive effect on the battle. How Influencing works in TBT Mode:
The player can choose to influence the NPC's Nephesh directly, shoring up weaknesses and capitalizing on strengths. The effects will be most prevalent during the battle and largely temporary, but, if significant shifts are made, will permanently resonate in the other game modes. How Using Authority Skills works in TBT Mode:
Guardians will have Authority based on their level, with resultant improved attributes and a selection of skills. The player can activate these skills to achieve more significant effects than base actions will produce. Proper timing, application, and combination of skills can turn a battle dramatically. How Protecting works in TBT Mode:
Guardian angels are called such for a reason. The player may order them to block attacks directly, taking the intended damage in place of the targeted Nephesh element. This will reduce the authority of the guardian, giving up some of their presence in exchange for preservation of a vulnerable target. This is a significant tradeoff, as a guardian who loses too much authority will be both banished from the current battle and unable to be used in other modes until they have recovered. How Mitigating works in TBT Mode:
While capturing Nephesh elements and winning the MOC is the primary focus of TBT, even in a losing battle the player can spread their defensive efforts around to keep the NPC's Nephesh from permanently shifting too far into control of the Fallen.
Strategic Mode
Strategic Mode Overview:Examine the war zone from a strategic perspective at critical intervals, prioritizing efforts that will strengthen the resistance and choosing specific actions to influence the human landscape. Direct Guardians to where they are needed most, and command Spiritkind to rally to the cause in a way that may just turn the tide. How STRAT Mode is triggered:
When the player pauses the games, STRAT mode becomes available. This will happen automatically when key events happen, player actions expire, or new actions become available. The player can choose to skip this mode in most cases and continue doing what they were doing before, or take as much time in it as they wish. How God-View (Examining) works in STRAT Mode:
The player can observe the entire play space from high altitude in an isometric 3-dimensional fixed view, zooming closer to a given area to learn more about the overall resultant dynamics in effect there. Levels of detail increase as the player draws closer to a location, and blossom into a wealth of information when human NPCs are viewed. The Nephesh is visible both as an artistic representation of what is, a momentary representation of what could be, and a numerical explanation of how the NPCs will likely act in any situation. By spending time in this mode, the player can learn any detail about the current game state as it applies to winning and losing, and be able to mentally calculate the potential of various plans for success. How Prioritizing and Choosing work in STRAT Mode:
Everything is possible, but not everything that is possible is likely. In STRAT mode, the player compares the likely level of effort and effect of an array of available plans, and chooses short term objectives and methods for Guardians and Spritkind to focus on. Choosing the appropriate options with the right timing will have a marked effect on the overall success of that phase. How Influencing works in STRAT Mode:
By selecting "God's Will" for each NPC, the player can exert influence over the Nephesh of all NPC's in the entire playspace, at once, albeit at a significantly less impact than in other modes. This influence will resonate strongly with Spiritkind, weakly with more neutrally-aligned NPCs, and not at all with those who are actively giving Authority to the Fallen. By zooming to personal contact range, more detailed influence can be exerted via: Mechanic Detail - Presence of God. How Directing and Commanding work in STRAT Mode:
Guardian angels and Spiritkind can be directed to perform specific tasks or maintain certain states and duties. A Guardian can be commanded to protect a specific human with great effect, or a given area with less effect, and will comply. A Spiritkind can be directed to help someone, hide, flee, or stand their ground, ETC., or NOT do something, but their chance of complying is less certain and based on their Nephesh. They are not certain to carry these directions out, and the likelihood drops in proportion to the amount of time since a directive has been issued. Once given, directives can be refreshed each cycle in STRAT mode, streamlining the process in the future.
Quests Mechanic added to RPG mode.