Four years ago, I made a procedural text adventure for procjam called Dreamer of Electric Sheep. It uses an AI database known as ConceptNet to generate locations and descriptions. The gameplay consists of wandering around for a few minutes until something starts to happen that will guide you to the ‘end.’ Mistakes in the database lead to some very strange and dream-like situations!
Since then, the APIs it relies on have changed a few times in breaking ways. And since it relies on the Java runtime, it’s hard for some people to set up.
So last week I remade it from scratch in JavaScript, ensuring it would be accessible to everyone, on every OS. The new code is much simpler and will be far easier for me to keep updated now. The gameplay has also gained a few new features, detailed below.
It can be played here (mobile, desktop), or on itch.io (desktop). Alternatively, you can play it collaboratively on twitter via @DreamerGameBot!
The original jam version can still be played, but if the APIs it relies on change in breaking ways, I will no longer update it.
Since our last post, we’ve been busy with a number of things!
Here’s a preview of subterranean squid ‘Tentaluchus,’ our newest boss:
You’ll find Tentaluchus in the dungeon where you get the bombs. You know the drill… ;)
Hi everyone! A new version is available today! Also included in this post is some info about future plans for Lenna’s Inception.
v0.12 update
v0.12 is now stable and available for download on itch.io and Humble. As always, you can get it by following these steps.
If you’ve been playing recently on the unstable branch on itch.io, not much will have changed. The ‘unstable’ branch is intended as a preview of the features I’m currently working on. Compared with yesterday’s unstable branch version, the only change in this new version is a handful of bugfixes.
For everyone else, here’s a quick run-down of the new features:
Local co-op
Local co-op has been completely revamped. The second player now controls Shadow Lenna, a character with all the same abilities and stats as Lenna herself.
Version 0.11 of Lenna’s Inception is now available on itch.io and through humble.
Among other things, this version includes a new boss, new minigames and new side-quests.
For a fuller list of changes and some screenshots, see my previous post.
I’ve been working on the next update for a while now, only sporadically tweeting progress screenshots. Here’s what to expect in 0.11!
The beta10 update is now available. It includes new areas, story events, various graphical and map generation improvements, and fixes for some serious bugs affecting Mac users.
See my previous post for the full summary of improvements:
Lenna’s Inception has come a long way in the three months since beta9. Beta10 is almost here, so here’s a quick roundup of screenshots and information I’ve been sharing on twitter! The storyline has been mostly implemented. Just the endings, and the optional side-quests are missing right now. The laboratory and palace locations have been redesigned and reimplemented, along with hand-designed puzzles you’ll need to solve to get through them. The laboratory has fallen into disrepair:Read the rest of the changes »
Lenna’s Inception has come a long way in the three months since beta9. Beta10 is almost here, so here’s a quick roundup of screenshots and information I’ve been sharing on twitter!
The storyline has been mostly implemented. Just the endings, and the optional side-quests are missing right now. The laboratory and palace locations have been redesigned and reimplemented, along with hand-designed puzzles you’ll need to solve to get through them.
The laboratory has fallen into disrepair:
In the palace, you’ll need to figure out how to get through a locked door, while the key sits on the other side:
The beta9 update is now available. This update contains a lot of new content, bug fixes and polish.
If you have bought the game already, you can get the update by following these steps. If you haven’t bought it yet, but are enticed by the new features below, you can get it on itch.io or on humble.
Amongst the changes are:
- Local co-op multiplayer - attach a second controller to let a friend to control your companion
- 5 new enemy types
- 1 new companion
- Redesigned inventory
- A new telephone that can be used to contact NPCs remotely and access secrets
- Dripping blood that heals monsters when low on health, and the ability of the player to bleed out
- Old-timey CRT shader effect
- Tons of bug fixes
There are some massive story changes occurring, but they’re not complete yet. In its current state, not all quests are completable. If you’re not sure where to go next, check your map for the location of the next dungeon.
More screenshots from this update can be found in the two previous blog posts:
Here’s a collection of screenshots and GIFs of new features I’ve been working on.
I’ve done some work on pets/companions, including adding a ranged companion (below). It’s now also possible for a second player to control companions - local multiplayer! Like in Sonic 2, if there is no player 2, or player 2 leaves the controller untouched for a while, companions revert to their ordinary AI behavior.
Hey everyone! Here’s a quick update of everything I’ve been working on lately.
Firstly, I’ve been working on a new script for Lenna’s Inception with SamuriFerret. We’ve made some large changes to the story-line in order to ensure all the threads come together into a satisfying ending, and to make sure parts of the story don’t obstruct gameplay. As an example of the latter, several story characters will now contact you via Lance’s mobile when something’s up, so that you don’t have to return to the town and hunt down specific NPCs.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve added 5 new types of enemies to the game:
From left to right: smileder, sharktula, dolphinja, snail, bombshell.
Yes, Lenna’s Inception will finally have water-based enemies - the sharktula and dolphinja. I’ve completely rewritten the monster-spawning code to support this properly.
Next up, I’m going to be adding a new follower, and then I’ll start implementing the new script in the game.
Finally, if you haven’t seen it already, Stardew Valley just released on Steam. It’s well worth a look!
