Tarot - Swords & Air - Phantasmagoria!
Added 2019-08-21 01:24:37 +0000 UTCDear Insane Children,
Omri sends along a new concept image which continues our exploration of Tarot elements infused with a collection of enemies in Asylum.
Do you remember the Phantasmagoria and Boojum from AMA? I do! And BOY HOWDY do I hate those two!
If you watched my Let's Play of AMA and AMR you'll recall my repeated statements of disdain for flying enemies - especially when found in console game titles. In an FPS on PC with mouse-keyboard... OK, I can deal with it. But when you throw flying enemies at me in a console game with free-look type controls (little or no lock-on)... bleh!
SO I want to preface my response to Omri with this: I like the art/story concept of these characters and how they fit into the lore that we're crafting for Asylum. But I hope that if we do bring them back we do it in a way which addresses my never dying disdain for flying enemies.
Omri says,
"So my thought about the Swords suit / Air Element
was had the Boojum and the Phantasomething in AMA and it never made any sense to me that they were so singular, i think it can be fun to have these specific enemies or something similar to them in this concept.
i think it's an interesting way to see flying enemies, BUT i also fear that maybe it's not original enough. "
To which I responded,
"I really like this idea. There are certainly plenty of elements in AMA which seem to exist on their own - outside of the Wonderland books - and which are never carried over into AMR. Could be fun to provide context for them - origin stories and anchor points.
During this week's Crowd Design Session we touched on a similar topic/issue - that of The Dollmaker (who will be referred to as the Toy Maker in Asylum) and the how-why of his appearance and disappearance. If he's in Asylum why is he not in AMA? It's a good question which leads to answers which can increase the mystery and engagement of the narrative."
But WHO CARES what we think?! Let's hear what YOU think!
Flying enemies? Phantasmawatchathingies? Boojums?
Let us know in the comments below!
Music To Inspire
I previously shared an album from Max Richter when talking about music which inspires me. That was "Four Seasons Recomposed by Max Richter" and I often work with that in the background.
Lately I've found a new "put it on and listen all day while working" album and it also happens to be from Mr. Richter.
It's the soundtrack to the TV series "Taboo" and you can listen to it on YouTube via THIS LINK.
While we're on the topic of "Taboo" - definitely worth a watch. The sets, design, characters, dialog, actors... all Spot On. And in many ways relevant to the era and mood of Asylum (London, c1814). It's perfectly dark, magical, and unforgiving.
Tell me you don't see the Circus in Denial when listening to THIS.
Or see Alice alone in the Asylum lamenting the loss of her family with THIS.
"If the dead don't sing, then how do I hear them?"
From Shanghai with Singing,
-American
Comments
Off topic, an Alice Tarot Card def would be so amazing!!!!!! Lol. All the beautiful artwork on those cards. That would be pretty awesome. Just saying ❤️✌🏼
2019-10-05 12:25:42 +0000 UTCThose [EXPLETIVES DELETED] flying shriekers (and my inability to end them) prevented me from ever completing AMA. Darn it.
2019-08-23 16:32:53 +0000 UTCI played on pc as well, and they gave me a lot of trouble every damn time. But I still want them in Asylum!
Priscila Nosoma
2019-08-21 21:26:47 +0000 UTCMy very first thought was YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS! I ABSOLUTELY HATE BOOJUMS, WITH ALL MY HEART, BUT THEY ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITE ENEMIES. I would LOVE to have them again in Asylum. ❤️❤️❤️
Priscila Nosoma
2019-08-21 21:21:33 +0000 UTCWhenever I heard the sound of the Phantasmagorias and Boojums I would curse, "Here we go again!" They filled me with dread and made life so much tougher, and that is precisely why they should be in the game
2019-08-21 19:41:16 +0000 UTCI personally found phantasmagoria very easy to deal with, Boojum was tricky but, once you learn their attack pattern, two knife throws did the job. Fire snarks tend to be more problematic for me, actually, every enemy with fire attack was problematic on nightmare difficulty because they easily one hit kill you. I just finished watching the last Crowd design video and i have two point i would like to talk about; First, about Bumby and the “Toy maker”/“Doll maker”. I agree that Alice is not old enough to recognize the evil in this character but she heard her sister screaming, she hide in the bed for a reason, her subconscious must know something, I mean, there must be something off with the character. May be, at the beginning, the we first get into the shop, it is a colorful place with a big variation of toys all around the shop and a few creepy dolls in a dark corner and, as we advance in the game, the dolls are taking more and more place in the shelves. The colorfulness is lost against darkness and as this happens, the initial “Toy maker” becomes the “Doll maker”. Alice herself may cement about the change and Bumby may answer with a smile something like “Everithing is changing lately on wonderland my dear”. Second, about the fury level. What about an area that loops constantly? I mean, some place that is clearly distinct, i big room or a garden with a statue, that has various exits, but, whatever exit you take, you always end on the same room. Non euclidean geometry! wink, wink! The only way to break the loop is by reloading the game. We can use Chessire to taunt the player recommending Alice that she needs to take a rest because she seems to be not very focused or something similar… Also, if we add enemies that are clearly cheap the effect is even better, in case that we already have weapons, they may glitch at the dead animation and stand up like nothing happened, or if we still are on hiding mode, making the IA blatantly go close to Alice even if the player has not been seen. (This is a very used way to program IA on stealth games and is infuriating like nothing else!)
2019-08-21 18:29:18 +0000 UTC“On the Nature of Daylight” by Richter is one of the greatest songs in movie history. Not much emotionally effects me anymore, but the swell of emotions that song brings to the surface is amazing.
Hookboy
2019-08-21 15:29:14 +0000 UTCFlying enemies are evil and annoying. That is all
2019-08-21 12:08:03 +0000 UTCEveryone seems to have a deep hate for the Phantasmahomie and Boojum. Maybe they could have a very brief time in Asylum? Like, be there long enough to give the AMA characters a background but not enough to annoy the good people?
Chaussette
2019-08-21 11:43:51 +0000 UTCThe first thing I thought when I saw this concept art was, "Oh God, not those things." 😂
Wendy Jaa
2019-08-21 05:27:04 +0000 UTCWe could have a lock on feature for the flying enemies or we could make it an easier target by only having to hit them once in the air then they fall and we wail on them. So I'd love to see them again. They were very singularly and I love when people expand on the world of alice in wonderland. This is a horror version of the book so maybe you guys could make it a cursed or darkened version of something that flies that's referenced in the books or even poems. Also. I LOVED taboo and was very sad when it ended. So if you had music and themes akin to that show I'm on board the detailed train of thought lol
2019-08-21 02:23:54 +0000 UTCAs a PC player, I never really developed a true hatred of the Phantasmagoria or Boojums, although both are quite annoying. But even on Nightmare difficulty, they die fairly quickly to the thrown Vorpal Blade. Maybe the best way to address the problems is to ship a free mouse and keyboard with every copy of Asylum sold?
Rosuav
2019-08-21 01:59:52 +0000 UTC
