Introducing Death in the Afternoon: Our Vision and Game Mechanics

Welcome to the first development journal of "Death in the Afternoon," a narrative odyssey diving into the depths of alcoholism through the eyes of Arthur, our protagonist. Merging addiction simulation and investigative gameplay, our game invites you on an incessant dance between control and chaos.

Binges and Blackouts: Discover Arthur's World

Arthur is a business school student. He is quite wealthy and enjoys a comfortable lifestyle. However, upon his arrival at school, he begins to sink into alcohol. Integration parties introduce him to this drink, and he can't stop. Every time he goes to a bar, he drinks until blackout.

When he wakes up, he never knows where he is or what he did the night before. It will be up to you to learn more. Thanks to all the clues left on his phone and where he wakes up, you will have to reconstruct the evening piece by piece. With this information, you might be able to find the source of Arthur's alcoholism. Will you be able to save him?

Understanding Arthur's Addiction

Arthur's addiction is at the heart of our gameplay. It is present only during the binge phases in a 3/4 view. The addiction forces you to drink glasses at irregular intervals, and there is no way to stop it. This creates a feeling of powerlessness in the face of alcoholism. However, this phase is important because you can meet people in the bar to collect clues about upcoming events.

Arthur's Shadow

We have developed a shadow that follows Arthur around. It starts out very small and the more Arthur wants to drink, the bigger it gets. Once it reaches Arthur's head, he is automatically drawn to the nearest glass. If you don't want to lose control, you can choose to drink yourself. Drinking a glass brings the shadow back down to zero. But at what cost?

Building an Addiction Mechanic. How Did We Do It?

When the addiction hits, the loss of control is total, there is no way to stop Arthur. When Arthur wants to drink, he moves like a robot towards the nearest glass, no matter the player's inputs. We have built several variations to the addiction.

In Death In The Afternoon, if Arthur talks with groups of people, it slows down the desire to drink because talking occupies him. The more he talks, the less he drinks. However, if the conversation stops and silence sets in the group, Arthur will instantly start drinking all the glasses on the table. This leads him to blackout without having the chance to talk to other groups present in the bar.

Some Bugs We Encountered

We encountered several bugs during this first phase of development, especially during the investigation phase. In this first-person section, the 3D models and the physics of objects are much more important because the player interacts directly with the environment up close.

The Magic Shovel

The shovel in the first puzzle had some glitch issues. When we drop it, it often goes through the floor and can no longer be recovered. This means we're stuck and can't progress in the level. This bug should be resolved when we replace the shovel with a bucket.

A Volatile Body

Mathew's body also had some physics issues. Every time we drop it after carrying it, it flies off due to a collision problem with other objects in the decor. I even managed to get it stuck in a tree. It's funny but not very practical for players, so we'll try to fix that soon.

What's Next, Improvements, and Our Feelings

These first weeks of development have taught us a lot. Between unexpected bugs and initial feedback, we already see how to improve the game. We will focus on the bugs that most affect gameplay, like the shovel and Mathew. We are motivated to make the experience even more immersive and realistic while developing new puzzles that will make the game more complete.

The road is still long, but we are confident. Every problem solved brings us closer to the game we imagine. And you, are you ready for what's next?