Premise:
In Witness (working title that I just came up with right now), you play as John (working name) as he’s questioned about the disappearance — and presumed death — of Ashley (Ash), someone you once loved — or at least believed you did. You are a witness. Or maybe you just want to believe that. But the longer you sit in the interrogation room, the more reality begins to unravel, seams begin to show, and memory becomes flimsy. Dive into John’s memories, relive his past, and uncover the truth as your world falls apart around you.
Choices:
Throughout the game, players are interrogated about Ash and given the opportunity to respond with different branching answers. For example, when Bridget, the interrogator, asks how you know her, you can answer [Neighbors], [Old Friends], or [Coworkers], with each choice becoming canon and creating a new unique backstory for each playthrough.
Decay:
As the interrogation unfolds, reality splinters. Small, absurd breaks in logic flit in the periphery. The environment mirrors your guilt, or your memory, or maybe both. Nothing quite holds still.
Endings:
My current ending iterations are:
- Ashley is found dead
- Ashley survives
- Ashley remains missing
However, I’m not confident that these are the endings I want to keep — or if these are the outcomes that should even be left to player choice. I plan to experiment with different endings over the next couple of days.
Map:
Physically, the current iteration of my game takes place entirely within the confines of the interrogation room. I’m debating whether or not to make memories interactive, and a larger part of the playable experience. If I decide to make this change, there will be an expanded map.
Project Plan:
October 20 – 22: Finalize my narrative plan with all branches completed. Start digitizing my IF into software. Playtest 3 in class.
October 23 – 27: Have everything into my software. Ideally have playtested on software an additional ~2 times over the weekend. Playtest 6 in class on Monday. Keep cleaning up my narrative and making it aesthetically cohesive.
October 28 – 31: Clean up and finalize my deliverable. Complete last playtest in this time.
Potential Challenges:
I’m a pants-writer: I can’t, for the life of me, plan narratives out, but rather write and develop as I go — I know this about myself. As such, I know it’s going to be very difficult for me to stick to finalizing my narrative plan within this timeframe, and it will likely bleed over into the weekend. However, I’m confident that this will be manageable as this is simply part of my creative process and I’m used to it by now. I don’t anticipate many issues digitizing the game, but working with new software is always an unknown variable!
