Stats, Superstitions and Stories.

This week, Laura & I finalized the Beta version of the Stat system - and Lance already has most of it implemented. This has undergone a few revisions over the past two years, and as originally intended, we’ve stuck with three:

Food:  Pretty much a necessity for everyone, regardless of species.

Vigor: Eventually, your cat will get tired.  Let them take a nap, or make a “deposit” at the nearest litterbox.

These two stats are similar to systems ubiquitous to open-world games: as the cat eats/naps, their stat rises.  As they exert themselves, both stats fall - not necessarily in concert.

Fun: This is a universal term for all things that are enjoyable for cats - “Friskiness” would be a better term, but it’s too long.  This stat is different, in that it does not drain (unless the player does something malicious, like running a cat off a pier into the ocean.)  Rather, it is a cumulative stat that the player can build over time by playing, hunting, exploring, finding the occasional sprig of catnip, or solving quests.

When the “Fun” stat reaches 100%, the cat will temporarily enter a state similar to what we cat owners call “The Zoomies.”  During that time, they will enjoy advantages such as running faster, and jumping higher.  

In addition: the player will be able to take advantage of a special skill that is unique to each cat in this heightened state - however, I don’t want to get into that, as it DEFINITELY leads to spoilers.

So, let’s talk about a few more of the erstwhile humans of Peace Island for a brief time.  We’ll stay clear of spoilers, and remember: these are only hints of two stories out of many that players will encounter in Peace Island.

It had come to the attention of some around the island (particularly Susan over at the market,) that someone from the mainland had set up camp in the woods inland from “Old Town” - A young man intent on stirring up trouble about a beloved local legend that never did anyone any harm.

After all - the legend of “Mr. Radio” on Peace Island predates European settlement, with verified sightings through the centuries - it’s all at the Historical Society for anyone to see.

Susan said that the Terball kid had been working with him on one of those “Podcast” things.  Who knows what else they stirred up, before - well…

You know…

A few audiobook versions of short stories by the Island's reclusive author recently appeared online, as well.

BTW:  Creating this sort of expository content is usually what I'm doing while waiting for Unity to finish processing whatever it needs to at any moment.

Building lore for Peace Island is a wonderful, guilty, yet productive pleasure.

See you again next week!