Parasite v0.7.1

[infidel]

Hey, everyone.

I've been working off an on on a medium-sized roguelike set in a modern day for a couple years now. The gameplay is survival horror-themed: you play as this parasitic creature that can only survive while sitting on top of a host that is large enough to feed it with energy (i.e. a human or a dog). You can gain knowledge, evolve and grow stuff on hosts. Eventually the midgame opens up that is focused on piecing together the events that happened before the game start while staying below the radar and then the game goes into the endgame phase, the point of which I'll keep a secret



Features include:

• A fully generated modern-day city to explore and survive in.
• A single story scenario that starts with the main protagonist alone, scared and without any memories in a hostile human world.
• Possession mechanics that is critical to the player survival (see, you just die very fast without a host).
• Robust host inventory, skills and knowledges system.
• Player evolution unlocking new improvements and body features for the possessed hosts.
• Building and improving habitat to rest and recuperate.
• Separate difficulty settings for all key parts of the game that will be prompted organically during its course.
• Event timeline investigation to piece together both what has happened before and what to do next.
• A dangerous group of opponents that is tasked with finding and destroying threats to humanity (that is, you).

Now available on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1920320/Parasite/

You can play the web version and purchase the game here: https://starinfidel.itch.io/parasite
The web version contains all of the code and content except most of the music due to engine limitations. If you purchase the game on itch.io, you also gain access to Windows binaries which have better sound quality and all of the music. Also if you're into the ASCII, there's a completely free version, too, at http://www.in-fi-del.net/parasite-06/. Github with the code is here: https://github.com/infidel-/parasite

The game is still in development but fully completable (has been for quite some time). I've just released a new version which adds the music, sound effects and ambience, allows mouse clicking the HUD elements and options window, adds a new habitat growth and does some gameplay fixes and changes. You can read the dev blog post at https://starinfidel.itch.io/parasite/devlog/110553/v06-released




Here are some free keys for the game:
itch.io/get-9AdgLtAK8Egu
itch.io/get-aFNs5SHZTDRN
itch.io/get-FNnLkk7cPMTp
itch.io/get-efndUt6uMkcY
itch.io/get-JFqunCQLsqsM

[Tzan]

I tried the web version.
Pressing alt6 to see that screen works fine.
But when you press 1 to set evolution direction, it switches pages to Goals.
I found that I have to press and release Alt, like it is a mode switch.

So Alt 6, then Alt, then 1 will set evolution direction
Not sure if this is intended but its not natural.

[infidel]

I tried the web version.
Pressing alt6 to see that screen works fine.
But when you press 1 to set evolution direction, it switches pages to Goals.
I found that I have to press and release Alt, like it is a mode switch.

So Alt 6, then Alt, then 1 will set evolution direction
Not sure if this is intended but its not natural.

No, it's definitely not. Alt should be a modifier key. What's your browser and OS? Just pressing and releasing Alt will open the menu in Chrome and lose the focus (you should see the CLICK TO CONTINUE string). Been some time since I've checked the Firefox behavior.

[Tzan]

Firefox 61.0.2 (64bit) 
Win 10

There is Firefox 70.0.1 but I doubt that will change things.

In FF with no game running, pressing Alt highlights "File" in the drop down menu bar at the top left.
Then a down arrow key will open the drop down.

[infidel]

Firefox 61.0.2 (64bit) 
Win 10

There is Firefox 70.0.1 but I doubt that will change things.

In FF with no game running, pressing Alt highlights "File" in the drop down menu bar at the top left.
Then a down arrow key will open the drop down.

I've downloaded a fresh Firefox Portable and I can't replicate that. Holding Alt while pressing 1-8 correctly switches between windows for me. Perhaps there's some program interfering? Like Autohotkey or something else.

[Tzan]

Pressing alt6 to see that screen works fine.
But when you press 1 to set evolution direction, it switches pages to Goals.

Switching windows is fine.
The problem is picking the evolution direction then switches the window
and doesn't set evolution

I dont have any hotkey programs.

Dont worry about it.

The game seems very difficult. I always get killed before getting a second upgrade.

[infidel]

The game seems very difficult. I always get killed before getting a second upgrade.

Usually it's a sign of the player not being careful enough. Are your hosts dying? If so, then their bodies will be found unless they die in the sewers. Also I need to lower the society knowledge limit that doesn't let the player leave the starting area, it's a bit grindy.

[infidel]

Hey, I've remembered I have an account and thread here

I've released the game on Steam Early Access with a lot of changes and the updated UI. I've just released the first bugfix release.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1920320/Parasite/

List of changes from the last version years ago (v0.7):

• all HUD and windows UI elements converted to new system with background art added;
• full UI mouse support finally completed;
• previous inventory, knowledge and body windows have been merged into one "body" window with multiple toggleable segments;
• bitmapped font changed to vector;
• many small bugfixes and tweaks due to these changes;
• no changes in gameplay yet;

Latest version (v0.7.1):

Changes:

• New difficulty setting - survival. ATM it makes the AI calling the law slower on easy setting and makes the calls interrupt when the parasite attaches to host. Normal and hard settings behave as previously.
• Evolution difficulty - slower host degradation when evolving on easy/normal setting. The current speed becomes hard setting.
• Evolution difficulty - now limits total amount of habitats per game. This number is visible in skills section of body window. Note that this number is decreased only when habitat is destroyed. When the last habitat is destroyed, the parasite dies.
• Group difficulty - more severe penalties for habitat destruction on hard, and less severe on easy setting.
• New formula for calculating max ai number on screen - the number is significantly lower for high resolutions and a little bit higher for low resolutions
• Console command for ai stats (dai)
• i1, b1 hotkeys were replaced with ctrl-1, shift-1 (old ones still available)
• Camera is now always centered (added config option for it, will add later to the options window)
• Uncaught exceptions are now logged and message about it was added to contact me
• Initial team timeout raised making the early game easier

Fixes:

• lots of UI fixes for low resolutions
• fix for one habitat being destroyed multiple times
• fixes for azerty keyboards
• mouse cursors fixed
• HUD toggling will be faster
• most of the visual bugs for borders fixed
• optional goals are now marked as such
• added bridge goal between main line and scenario
• arrow keys movement fixed
• disabled the ability for dogs to pick items up
• you cannot leave the habitat when the host is paralyzed now
• disabled inventory action hotkeys when inventory is not yet available
• automatic game over when the parasite has no energy and is attached to host
• actions count made smaller in the HUD
• evolution-related lines are removed from the HUD when there is no evolution happening