Devlog #1 — Development Start: Concept and Core Mechanics — 25.10.2025

Summary: Two weeks ago, my friends and I started working on Haunted Lie — a psychological digital board game about deduction, deception, and growing mistrust. The prototype already includes key mechanics: asymmetric roles, a strategic 2D map, and the basic round system.

What’s Done

• Finalized the concept and logline of the game.

• Implemented the main roles: 3 Investigators and 1 Traitor, each with basic abilities.

• Built the 2D strategic map — the main field where all player actions take place.

• Added the core gameplay loop: 3 rounds × 180 seconds, with phases Silence (Investigation) / Accusation (Discussion) / Voting.

• The game features cooldown timers that carry over between rounds: they pause during the discussion phase and resume only during the investigation phase.

• Created an early UI prototype for distributing the pool of 6 tools (2 per player) — basic layout and interaction logic.
  
  Technical Notes

  • Cooldown system: timers decrease only during the investigation phase; they freeze during discussions. This makes every use of a tool meaningful in the long term.
  • Networking: planning to implement an authoritative server — replication logic is currently in development.
  • UI/UX: currently features a basic icon layout with cooldown indicators; frozen cooldown visuals during discussions are not yet implemented.

Design Reasoning

• The three-round format with limited time (180s) keeps the pace tight and encourages risk–reward decision-making.

• Carrying cooldowns between rounds gives meaning to previous actions and encourages players to plan ahead.

• Asymmetric roles create social tension — the Traitor knows more and can manipulate the investigation.

• The 2D map focuses the gameplay on decision-making and interaction instead of unnecessary movement.

Issues Encountered and Fixes

• Cooldown desync: plan to move cooldown authority to the server and replicate remaining time to clients.

• Timers not stopping during discussion phase: added an explicit phase flag to pause all local counters.

• Tool balance: some tools were too strong; temporarily increased cooldowns. Future A/B testing and “activation cost” mechanics are planned.

Current Testing

• So far, I’ve only run solo tests to check how tools and timers behave.
  Full multiplayer testing has not yet been conducted.

Next Steps (TODO)

1. Implement a fully functional and stable multiplayer system (cooldown replication, voting, synchronization).

2. Give each ghost a unique ability or characteristic.

3. Design and polish the full UI — indicators, hints, visual feedback.

4. Begin multiplayer playtests with external players.

5. Run A/B tests for balancing tools.

6. Add and test a new tool.

7. Record a short teaser (15–30s) for social media.

Community Questions & Feedback

• Do you like the concept of the game so far? What would you add or change?

• Do you have ideas for new tools or ghost traits? Feel free to share — some of them might make it into the game!

• If you’d like to discuss the project, help with testing, or share your feedback — leave a comment or reach out. I’m always happy to talk and connect with others!