Developer: Zhihao(Michael) Wang.
Contact: wildpepsi0808@gmail.com
Double Bond: In chemistry, a double bond is a covalent bond between two atoms involving four bonding electrons as opposed to two in a single bond. As in the game, 2 timelines can bring the whole picture and help the player to find the truth.
Puzzle solving game to solve a murder of the player's dad/mom/parents, whatever.
Can travel between same environment but in different times. ( e.g Titanfall 2), Past: lovely home, nice and clean. Now: after murder, rooms dirty and mess
Goal is to find out why the parents are murdered. At least 5 hours of gameplay, I hope
Time travel design ( core gameplay )
How to transition between times, options:
Can do Titanfall 2 like transition aka instant transition, load 2 scenes at same time?
Rewind in time ( but need to consider the resource used, as we don't want to record the position and rotation every frame)
Play a cinematic clock scene
Portals, time machine. ( got some basic features put in, it's looking good) (reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuQao3hEKfs)
Actually, let it be a device that can be attached to any door ( again, use some BS technology to let player know this thing can only attached to a door) to enable the time travel. (reference: Anywhere door), OK, depends on how many doors we have in the house.
Restriction on the time travel:
CD? (pros: kinda slow down the gameplay a bit, cons: player probably don't want to wait if they want to switch to other timeline)
only at certain point of the game? (pros: easy to control, cons: not really a con, but it really needs a good story and I know I'm not a good writer)
free will? (pros: players can travel whenever the player likes, cons: does it make any sense in puzzle solving?)
rechargeable item? Will this make it more like survival game? ( nope, player could stuck in a level)
One time or only a few time throughout the game?
When does the player know he/she going to need to travel through time:
The character says something?
Clear clue: like childhood stuff
Initial setup, like stuff in present time are either broken or missing, need to travel through time to find replacements, however, if we design it like for each puzzle we are going to travel back once seems kinda boring? Maybe can design some puzzles only happen in that timeline. Question is, how does the player know the stuff you are looking for is not at this timeline? Bring dialogue up "I remember I had that when I was young"
4. The differences between 2 time period:
Present time:
First thing is the rooms are messy, seems like the intruder was trying to find something, so your first object is to found out why.
A double way time travel machine in the basement / secret room ( meaning if you open up a portal to the past in present time, you can travel back using same portal in the past)
15 years later after the murder.
Past time:
Everything was neat and clean, parents not home ( can be travel to another place for work, just give a reason to not be in home)
WIP time machine but once the portal in the future opens up, it can travel back through some BS technology.
5. Why travel through time:
The past can influence present and to solve the puzzle in present, but how? It cannot just be solving puzzle in the past and solving puzzles in the present, otherwise it would just be solving stuff in 2 environments and boring.
Plan A: the player need to travel back to the past to bring stuff back because it was years later the murder, and puzzles/ stuff required in the present house got damaged or removed by police. (parallel universe)
Plan B: Alter the present, solving puzzles in the past can influence the present (same universe). Caesar Cipher
stuff in AP package( lever, key, code, solar system model, jigsaw...)
a steam device, can add fog to mirror to show some clues.
Avocado, use knife to cut in half, clue in the core.
Present time
Key card to secret room/basement for time travel machine