Hey everyone,

It's me again, giving you another Weekly Devlog update for NIRAVASI. Last week, I showed you a bit of the work that went into designing the icons/logos of the game and the design process behind them. This week, we'll be bringing things back towards Ishani Bazaar, Niravasi's 3rd level, as well as talking a bit more about Lotulanda, the game's 4th level. Without further ado, let's get into the devlog!

Market of Wonders

So it's been almost two months since I first started working on Ishani Bazaar, and we've almost reached the point where work on this level will be fairly minimal. After finishing the Stepwell of Dhara Hanirr, I wasn't quite sure how well the vision I had for the city of Niravasi would transition onwards. After all, we're talking about shifting the visuals from old, dilapidated ruins into futuristic modern city streets. I had a faint idea of what I wanted this level to look like, but there was no telling whether it would work well in execution. However, I'm extremely proud to say that despite my worries, Ishani Bazaar (in my opinion) is an incredibly beautiful set piece and I have simply adored exploring and working on the little shops and secrets this place has to hide. I thought designing a skybox like the one you find when entering the level would've been too much, as well as being too technically demanding of the RPG Maker MV engine. But as I've continued working on this level, I started finding out more and more ways into making it work. As I explained in a previous Devlog, I didn't believe that I could make rainfall work in a setting like this. I was also worried if players would have difficulty navigating its streets. While that still remains to be seen, I believe that there's a lot of identifiable landmarks in this place that players will be able to refer back to when walking around the Bazaar.

Right now, I have just finished the work done on the Cinema area and all that's left to do is one more Street for players to explore. This will include a few more apartment buildings, a new shop and maybe a little something else. Other than that, I'm confident that there's going to be enough for players to interact with in the Bazaar and the sheer amount of storytelling I've added into this area is absolutely crazy. Heck, I even had to add a brand new interactable device in the form of Audio Players, which contain the recorded voices of those long dead. But at the end of the day, the most important thing about an area like this is how engaging it is for players. The last thing I want is for people to play through the area and feel frustrated that they're not able to get anyway. That's why as Ishani Bazaar nears completion, I'll start working on getting another Demo build of the game sorted out for players to get into and absorb the content. This should also include all the improvements that was included from all of the feedback you all gave me when trying out the Kickstarter Demo.

Reading & Running

As I explained in a previous Devlog, NIRAVASI's next level will focus on Lotulanda, the Grand Library of the city. Here, you'll come across the SARA unit, a schizophrenic machine that may or may not try to kill you, depending on your actions. AEON will have no direct influence of this place and so you can use it as a chance to explore the history of the city, as well as learning different things about humanity in general. However, the key issue for development here will be figuring out how to get the Players from A to Z in this level. I know how I want Lotulanda to begin and end, but I'll need to figure out all the good start inside before I can guarantee I know what I'm doing.

The biggest idea I have for it so far is that Lotulanda is split into 6 different wings, with each representing a different aspect of humanity. For example, one side represents humanity's history, while another represents biology and all of its little intricacies. Part of me is even wondering if I should make Lotulanda a level that players can complete fairly easily, but only the most curious (and dedicated completionists) can solve its puzzle and make its way out of the place. Not to mention that players will need to be wary of the SARA unit and the lethality of its design. If you're not careful, it will end your journey very quickly.

Finally, I would like to point out that Lotulanda will be a much smaller level than Ishani Bazaar is. The latter is actually the biggest level in the game so far, and my plan is to spread the length of these levels fairly evenly (Level 0: Short, Level 1: Average, Level 2: Big, Level 3: MASSIVE, Level 4: Average). But please, if you have any thoughts and ideas on what you think would be cool to add in a massive library, please let me know!

That wraps it up for this week's Devlog for NIRAVASI. But before I end things off here, I need to make the announcement that next week will not have another Video Devlog right off the bat. This week and the next are particularly busy for me personally and I'll have to keep things fairly simple. With that being said, thank you all very much for reading this week's Devlog and I'll talk to you all again soon!

Kind regards,
Angus (Sangos)