Conviction Chronicles blog post #37 - Crow + Edgar Reworks

This covers a bit since the Crow reworked worked really well with implementing it along with Edgar's spells. I'm also writing this up before it's mostly done to save time.

Susceptibility

 This is a -10 to 10 meter from having less to having more where actions are taken at a stronger or weaker degree. Let's say someone wants to do a manipulative event to sway votes with a base of 20. So if someone has -10 for susceptibility, they only are moved by 10 instead of 20. If it's 10, then they are moved by 30 instead.

Charisma

Like susceptibility, it's -10 to 10, but for your words against others. If someone have a strong charisma, their words have more of an impact. If the charisma is bad, it may backfire on them.

This makes things a little more interesting with spoken word dynamics. It also impacts gifting. If a the gifter's charisma is 5 or more, they get a bonus. If it's -5 or less, they get a penalty. If the susceptibility of the giftie is 5 or more, the gift gets a bonus effect, etc. This allows mechanics like gifitng to have more depth as it can be used to see how much susceptibility a character has. 

Crow Rework

It's simple, but her susceptibility will reset to 0 every night, and gifting/taking to her alone will raise someone's susceptibility by 1. This is to make her more of a social threat to combat characters like Agatha.

This impacts Agatha as well, as if she has low charisma or the susceptibility of the person is low, then her ability doesn't work. If it's in her favor then her subtleness has a stronger impact. 

The main difference between the two is anybody can use Crow's strength for their own gain. Agatha is much more direct and in control of her ability. This means it's easier for Crow overall, but Agatha can dominate when played well.

Edgar Rework

The tarot system is very good for the AI backend to make him unique, but it doesn't show off too much in gameplay and that needed to change. So now he can cast spells.

The way this works is he has a special pot in his room he can cook a spell with, and it has a timer where it goes down every night and casts again. Usually starts with only lasting a day, but getting a special upgrade will double it, and each kill Edgar has done will add to the timer by 1. 

For example if Edgar kills 3 people and unlocked his special upgrades, a spell will cast 8 times across 8 nights. Mainly since it starts at 1, adds the kills, and doubles it due to the special upgrade.

This makes Edgar much more of a debuffer where he grows stronger over time if being aggressive. Might as well go over the base spells.

• Can raise the hunger meter to someone by 1.
• Can raise the drug meter by 1.
• Can raise the desire to go to the bathroom to someone by 1.
• Can raise energy upon waking up by 2.
• Can lower energy upon waking up by 2.
• Can raise self view points.
• Can lower self view points.
• Can lower susceptibility.
• Can raise susceptibility.
• Can raise charisma.
• Can lower charisma.
• Can open a secret door which has a complicated way for permanent spell upgrades.

Very strong overall. The player can tell if Edgar is casting a spell if the pot in his room is smoking. As you can read, one of these can give energy to someone when they wake up. This is a hard counter to Jade as it's possible to make her overload right away. It's also possible to do subtle manipulations with making them more hungry and making them have to use the bathroom more often. Nothing game breaking. Some of these are perfect for casting against yourself, but they can be cast for anybody for more player depth and control, since there are reasons to raise someone else's charisma if they are an enemy of your enemy for example.

How to upgrade Edgar's abilities?

This has some spoilers, but I'll be light since I doubt most people will do this. If the player casts a special spell to open a special door and they are sent to solitary that same day, then the solitary door will open which will unlock a special dungeon. The camera work here is very trippy on purpose to make the dungeon walls look more like a house of mirrors. You 100% need some pen and paper to tell what is going on due to how messed up the perception can become.

This dungeon does give some more details about Edgar, but it's also framed where it could be all a hallucination from a mad man. Overall it's an excuse for a first person dungeon crawl and some references to past titles. Completing it will unlock Edgar's most powerful spells. This can only happen once.

The more powerful spells

• Can give someone money at night.
• Can increase the chance of making money at the work bench, it gives a 2 dollar bonus.
• Can cause someone to lose money at night.
• Can cause someone to lose an item at night.
• Can place a curse to guarantee a work injury to someone working at a work bench until the curse is up.
• Can decrease the money at a work bench by 2.
• Can add suspicion to someone else.

These are much more direct with manipulating injuries, items, and cash. The suspicion to someone else will also make the first target dislike the second much more. Losing an item at night effectively can give the "vanishing weapon motive effect" at will. These spells also makes motives and trials based around wealth easier to manipulate. 

These can be very broken, especially with certain motives, which is why they are locked behind an event 95% of people will never know will exist.

Item upgrades

Certain items have to be upgraded to work with some of the new mechanics.

Perfume when used will increase Charisma.

Rabbit's Foot when used will reduce susceptibility. 

The player can use them any time when it's in the inventory.

Edgar's base personality will never use them outside of spells. Agatha's base personality will always use perfume and never Rabbit's Foot. Nova base personality will always use Rabbit's Foot when possible. Etc.

The item check by default has a 20% chance to not happen upon every character action. 40% chance for a Perfume check, and 40% chance for a Rabbit's Foot check. This is mainly so there is a bigger chance they are used and a chance they can be gotten as a gift once in a blue moon.

I have to implement charisma/susceptibility more with raising/lowering it with already existing content so it flows better. I'm thinking of going through the 1 on 1 events and changing things based on answers given along with other parts of the game like the first trial. 

Anything else?

With the motive system I realized that for it to flow well, the assistant has to enter the player's room to ask for their selection for their bonuses. This also means since I have to create the system for this anyways, I might as well add events where characters can show up in your room upon waking up for various reasons.

Eventually I want to add a new dialogue system for just talking to people which uses the room and other factors to influence dialogue instead of everybody having the same dialogue depending on how strong their rank is before doing a 1 on 1 event. This also needs the system for the backend with knowing what everybody does for their actions in order and storing it in a calendar like system so it flows realistically. 

Even then there is more I want to do with expanding finding a dead body, and more.

Basically dialogue then dialogue and more dialogue.

It's gonna take a while. It's half way through the year already. I doubt the game will be done before 2027. I have a feeling it might release in 2028 depending on everything I want to add before release. I believe it will all be worth it in the end. I hope at least.