This week, we are thinking about storytelling. No. Wait. We are ALWAYS thinking about storytelling… this week we are thinking about… CUTSCENES. As we close in on the completion of the first chapter of Somnipathy in our internal builds, we are moving to flesh out the encounters and events that inform the world you will be exploring as players in Somnipathy. The image at the top of the page is the initial draft storyboard that one of our talented artists, Ryan, put together for the very first cutscene you will encounter in the game.
When asked about this cutscene, Ryan described the key elements under consideration and what the cutscene’s intended message to the player is.
For this cutscene introducing the Creeper, it is critical to communicate the nature of that entity to the player. The Creeper is an ever-present threat that will come for Aggy even in places she would otherwise feel safe (for example, her apartment). Fighting it through conventional means is futile! The player’s only choice is to run.
Of course, making cutscenes come to life is not solely the work of the artists on our team. In order to make the art and concepts come to life, everything needs to be wired together inside of the game engine. We asked our Technical Director Darius, who is also the driving force behind the studio, about what it’s like implementing a cutscene or other set piece in-engine.
Getting the artwork is only half the challenge. It’s exciting, but then you’re like, “Wait, how am I going to do this justice in engine?” Godot’s animation player is REALLY powerful thankfully, and makes timing things very easy. Still, you have to take off the programmer’s hat and put on the director’s hat, and that hat sits differently.
Because our team is so small, communication is very important, and we keep a constant and vibrant flow of discussion active internally so we can all stay on the same page. Discord for us is key, as none of us sit in the same room at any point during our development. Its all remote work when you can find the time.
That’s all for now, but we’ll be back in this space soon to talk about the Tearcell team and some more of what we’re doing to bring Somnipathy to life. In the meantime, enjoy another piece of wonderful work from Ryan below.
For more information about Somnipathy, check out our Steam store page.