Castles in the sky

No time to explain, read the devlog.

New monster: ghost

Before, Zombie was so sad and lonely in the graveyard, but now she has a friend - Ghost!

Ghost is ethereal, which implies that:

• you can't interact with her physically (for example, give her anything);
• you can walk through her!

The ghost is a magical creature, so she feeds on lymph. There's no escape from her attacks, so be warned: if you linger in her company too long, you'll risk being drained dry!

You might reasonably ask: if she's so dangerous, and unlikely to be dealt with normally, how do you handle her? It's very simple: you just need to find a sign like this:

It's a sign of binding - it'll anchor the Ghost to the material plane, so you'll be able to interact with her. One such mark is guaranteed to be generated on the graveyard location, so you shouldn't have any trouble. And if you haven't got to the sign yet, and you're surrounded by ghosts already... well, there's still hope! Try saying something stupid: ghosts'll see you're no good to them and leave you in peace (trust me, I've done it a hundred times).

New map: the skies

This location will be populated by all sorts of spirits, near-divine and simply flying creatures: djinns, angels, phoenixes, etc. Woudn't you like to jump on the clouds?

This look will probably not be the final one. This location has the same problems as the desert - namely, how to make it not too empty and flat? Only if for the desert I had at least some ideas for filling, for the sky nothing comes to mind except clouds. On top of that, the shadows (which, just FYI, were incredibly difficult to implement) aren't looking good enough - maybe its just angle, maybe there's something else.

That's why this map is not reachable in current build - I will continue experimenting and maybe add some elements or even completely redesign it. Or maybe everything will stay as it is xD

Voicelines

Some time ago I added a lot of phrases to the game - but they had a flaw: inconsistent volume level. I tried to fix it, but an unforeseen problem arose during encoding - some files had artefacts, subtle clicks. I didn't have the time or knowledge to fix it at the time, but it kept bugging me, so I finally found the tools to adjust the levels and export everything properly!

I had time to process the audio for the first and third scenes with the Succubus, as well as her greeting phrases. Yes, the third scene now has a full voice (but no effects yet, though).