GLASSHOUSE - A LOCKDOWN-CRPG CONCEPT
[DEVBLOG #1] The Art of GLASSHOUSE
Hello Flatmates,
In this dev blog we'd like to tell you about the philosophy behind the making of one of our protagonists, Dormitory73B.
FLAT28 is a collective of about 15 people who, during our spare time, set out to tell the story of a proletarian community in a new society, a new world. Given the big elephant in the room (lack of any kind of budget), it was immediately clear that an open world formula would have never worked.
How to deal with the harsh reality accordingly?
Our approach has been to work in the small context. Private property is an honest mirror of society
. The furnishing of a flat or its architecture are not just goods, but can be a means of storytelling.
Often in cRPGs interiors are just a point B between the journey from A to B. In Glasshouse, the apartment building is all that is left of a society in the throes of a nuclear revolution.
Wealdmaer, the player, finds himself in a lockdown situation forced by events he cannot escape.
We therefore took inspiration from the giants creators of "closed worlds" such as Resident Evil
and Haunting Ground, gaming experiences that were able to build a complex and intricate level design
from a single building.
Dormitory 73B is a privileged opportunity to get to know and touch the private sphere of Lundonstoch Feud society. The apartment building will provide unprecedented stimuli for exploration, between shared residential spaces, private flats and the underground network.
Apartment 28 is the central hub
of Glasshouse, the home of the protagonist and his flatmates, Ecgberth and Voitsehk. Two floors in which to interact with each small asset
in order to obtain resources useful for survival or progress in the main story.
In Glasshouse, the exploration of the containers does not stop at the simple "click > drag > drop" but presents a system in which textual exploration
can turn out to be a labyrinth of options that conceal unprecedented interactions. For instance, a seemingly innocuous bookcase could hide secret compartments or the structure itself could be deprived of components such as nails and wood, useful for crafting.
Like a Matryoshka doll, in fact, the architecture and furniture of Dormitory 73B can offer different levels of interaction
at various times during the main quest, whether it be dialogue options unlocked by certain tools
or codes for suitcases belonging abandoned by past housemates.
Each polygonal model has a story to tell (literally, inanimate objects can talk to you and are in fact NPCs with personalities, but that's another story) and is a founding part of the world building of a post-capitalist society where privatisation is at historical limits.
That is why we also decided to make the isometric view closer, we want the player to be able to perceive time and space better. In Glasshouse, the camera can abandon the isometric view to immerse the player even more in the nooks and crannies of the apartment building. The change of perspectiveas a game philosophy, both in form and content!
Thank you so much, that's all for today, see ya next time!
FLAT28 COLLECTIVE
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