Release v0.0.1 - It's Alive!

The very first version of the Merchant of Windvale prototype is finally ready to play! This release contains the first set of ideas ready for testing. Below I've listed each of the major features as well as a short summary of what they contain.

View the town map & choose an activity to do

The town map shows an overview of the town of Windvale and all the different activities you can do. Initially this is a 2D image with buttons for each activity. Simple, but an effective way to move the player between different activities. Each activity takes a different amount of time to complete and provides different benefits.

Gain items

No shop game could be complete without items. Currently items only have a base price and a picture. While the game only has a few items at this point, the goal is to have as many as possible, so I'm keeping them simple for now.

Move on to the next day by sleeping

Once the player is satisfied with the progress they've made, or it's getting too late in the evening, they can go to sleep. Sleeping saves the game and skips 8 hours ahead. If the player goes to sleep before 11pm they wake up an hour early. If they go to sleep after 11pm they wake up an hour later.

Have conversations with NPCs

Converse with NPCs by choosing between a set of dialogue options. Each option has between zero and three attributes describing the social emotional aspect of the choice. The intent of this is to clear up discrepancy players face between what the writer intended and what the player read.

Socialize with NPCs at the tavern

Spend time with NPCs having conversations tied to their unique story. This also has a chance to increase their friendship level, which opens up more of the character's story.

Assign NPCs to various jobs around the town

As your friendship with different NPCs grows you will gain the ability to assign them to a job. This a light management aspect to the game, where you assign an NPC to a job and after enough time has passed the job is completed providing various rewards. Currently there is a search job and a battle job.

Battle enemies by playing a card game

A simple card game where you and the enemy play cards simultaneously. Each card played increases a multiplier for that type of card, increasing their effectiveness. The player also gets a clue as to which of the three types of cards the enemy has the most of. This system should give players strategic choices to make in which cards to play and when.

Clean the shop to get random items

Simply a button that has a chance to increase the player's inventory space and reward a few simple items. This was intended as a way to help the player if they run out of items and money, but also allows them to use up extra hours in the day before they go to sleep.

Save the game and load previous saves

A simple save and load system. Currently each time the player saves it creates a new save file. Saving records all items the player has in their inventory and what items are for sale in their shop.

Put items up for sale

Your shop has four spots where you can put items up for sale. Allows the player to choose which items from their inventory to sell.

Go to the market to buy items

Shop keepers also need a way to restock. The market is a random collection of items, including multiples of some items. Each item in the market has a random price between 50% and 125% of its base price. The player needs to learn what the value of an item is by visiting the market, and look for the best deals.

Sell items to NPCs

The player can open up shop and sell any items they've put up for sale. After opening the shop, random NPCs will arrive and choose an item to buy. The player can't control which item the NPC buys, but must try and drive up interest in the item without being too pushy. Once the NPC has enough interest in the item, the player can move on to haggling.

Haggle with NPCs

Players must choose a price to sell the item at, they get three attempts to satisfy the customer before they walk away from the sale. The NPC will respond differently depending on how badly they want the item, and how close your proposed price is to what they're willing to pay.