Sydney friends :bibi:! I will showcase a teaser version of Clea (with updated graphics and animations) at Play Fare next Saturday:



https://www.facebook.com/events/2500963829915681/

Clea will be available between 4 - 7pm, but I will show up early to check out everyone's games.



Please let me know if you decide to attend! Thanks :yoyo:,

(This article contains minor Resident Evil 2 spoilers)

Damn, how scary is Mr X in the Resident Evil 2 remake :vintydread:? Scary enough to make me quit a session early, I must confess. Nonetheless, after overcoming my fears, I started to take notes. Since I am working on Clea, the lessons will no doubt be relevant.

Note: I will refrain from sharing screenshots of Mr X, since I may not have permission to do so.

1. Audio:

Mr X’s footsteps truly put me on edge. Impressively, his footfalls sound different depending on whether he and you are in the same room. When he is in another area, his steps contain more of an echo. Great not only for realism, but also for gameplay.

I have long struggled with this in Clea. If the footsteps sound too soft, players may mistakenly think the Chaos Servant (Clea’s hunter) is a safe distance away. Make the footfalls too loud, and players may hide in closets, not daring to move even though the foe is nowhere near.

Thank you, Mr X. I too will implement different footstep types into Clea.


Players can use sound to predict the Chaos Servant's location.

2. Clarity:

In some rooms, Leon’s footsteps (or Claire’s I assume) sound similar to Mr X’s. Thanks to this, I would freeze at times because of my own footsteps. Adds to the terror, though strategy wise, it caused me some confusion.

One YouTuber said the Chaos Servant has “wet feet”. Indeed, that decision was intentional. Clea has relatively normal footsteps, so there is no chance for any mix ups.


The Chaos Servant's footfalls are distinct, so there is no need for any stoppage in the action.

3. Doors:

As far as I can tell, Mr X never reacts to doors opening/closing (could be wrong). Alien Isolation was the same way from memory. Somehow, as a gamer, this instinctively makes sense. If these villains reacted to every drop of noise, they would turn into irritants more than terrors.

Initially, I had experimented with Chaos Servants who reacted to the creaks of doors. As expected, this resulted in too much stoppage in the action, and the idea was soon scrapped. I am happy to see Resident Evil, a series I admire, appears to agree.


Feel free to open/close doors even if the Chaos Servant is nearby (subject to change).

4. Fairness:

There may be scripted bits when Mr X will pinpoint your location, but when he plays fair, it is such a thrill.

One time, I entered the library, and based on his footsteps, I knew he was in the same room. I peeked through the bookshelves, and there Mr X was, climbing a ladder as he patrolled the mansion to hunt me down. At least for one moment, I felt like I had out smarted him. These emergent moments are worthy of praise.


The Chaos Servant always plays fair.

5. Breathers:

In a game of hide and seek, moments of safety must be provided to players. Otherwise, they will never be able to make progress.

Here is a quick tip for Clea. When the Chaos Servant is in the same room but fails to locate you, he will often venture farther away so you have time to explore. Treat it as a form of reward or bonus.


After a chase like this, give players a chance to breathe.

One time, Mr X had spotted me and was on the hunt. I managed to lose his line of sight by hiding in a room. Once the tense music faded, I peeked out the door and watched as Mr X wandered nice and far away, affording me down time in the same way the Chaos Servant would. Just imagine the smile I had on my face.

Then I made too much noise, and Mr X spun right back around to clobber me :vintywhy:.

Seriously, though. Loving the hell out of Resident Evil 2, and I look forward to Claire’s route next. Clea has been progressing daily, too. Thank you for your support so far :yoyo:!

Hi everyone, Happy Lunar New Year tomorrow :bibi:! As you can see above, our artist, Karousel, has updated the character sprites featured in the prototype!

In addition, Clea now has an idle animation:



Plus some more news:

- Language support implemented. Hoping to feature several languages for the upcoming official demo.
- Possible costume changes for Clea (to be confirmed).

Thank you :vintysmile:!

Hi everyone :bibi:! As you may have noticed, some of the artworks on Clea's Steam page have changed. Yes, this means we have found an artist for this project, and guess what? She is Karousel-k, the illustrator from Without Within!

This whole time, I had been on the search for someone new, since I had assumed Clea's art style differed too much from previous projects to be a good match. Turned out artists like Karo are extremely versatile. This is the lesson I have learned.



The art assets are now being replaced piece by piece. Our next release will be an official demo, hopefully with multiple languages supported. Alongside that, we will have new screenshots, as well as a trailer. Please look forward to them!

Production wise, as mentioned in an earlier post, I have taken full advantage of the Christmas break. I am around 50% complete with the core game. After that, there will be bonus side stories, plus other unlockables will be announced as development continues.

Thank you to those who have added Clea to their wishlists! If you have not done so yet, hopefully you will consider it. I truly appreciate your support :yoyo:.

Thank you!

Happy new year everyone :sasa:! The Christmas break has ended, and development wise, I have taken full advantage. Please keep an eye out for upcoming news.

To kick 2019 off, I am on the search for a character artist to join our development team. The tasks are:

1) Redraw current artworks.
2) Complete illustrations for the rest of the game.

Style wise, something like this would be perfect. The artist is not available for work, but I have kindly been given permission to link to that piece as a reference.

Please feel free to leave comments, and I will do my best to keep on top of things. If you are keen, please send an email (with your portfolio) to:

contact(at)invertmouse(dot)com

If you know anyone else who may be interested, I hope you can pass this along.

Thank you so much!

P.S. The special thanks campaign has ended. Thank you to everyone who submitted feedback :bibi:!

Hello everyone :bibi:. The holidays are almost here! I hope to put in tons of work on Clea during this period, and plenty of play as well, of course.

Clea has been revised further since the first batch. Here is a list of changes:

• Alternate keyboard controls (arrow keys rather than WASD focused).
  
• Chaos Servant now spawns from the second area onward, so players now have time to study the controls.
  
• Color changes to some items for clarity.
  
• Added labels on some doors to avoid confusion.
  
• More UI revisions for different resolutions.
  
• Added special thanks section in credits.

New builds are available on Clea's website:

http://clea.invertmouse.com

Again, these are only prototype specific fixes. How about the work I have been doing post-prototype? Friends, you will see.

Last but not least, I am aware there are Linux users who have Clea on their wishlist. Thank you, first of all. By the time we have an official demo, I hope to include a Linux build for you.

Thank you!

Hi everyone. A week has passed since Clea's prototype release, and I have received a lot of helpful feedback! New versions of the game have been uploaded here:

http://clea.invertmouse.com

Here are the bugs I have fixed:

• It is possible for the Chaos Servant to get stuck on the first floor, and if you use an arcane candle on him.
  
• Text overflow issues on lower resolutions.
  
• Keys cannot be used to open doors if another item is in the way.
  
• No shadow on the Chaos Servant.
  
• Game over screen can be skipped by spamming confirm.

Those were the most urgent items. Beyond that, in response to early feedback, I hope to:

• Add fire escape areas so players can tell they are traversing between different floors.
  
• Perform animation tweaks.
  
• Adjust combinable item colors to avoid confusion.
  
• Give the player time to explore the controls before spawning a Chaos Servant.
  
• Add tips upon death to help players improve their next run.
  
• Offer different key types, or complete rebinds.

Please note these are only the feedback specific improvements. I have even more features planned ahead, so I hope you can look forward to upcoming posts.

To those who are not aware of the special thanks campaign, please remember it ends on December 31st. Let's make sure to read up on the rules:

https://steamcommunity.com/games/981020/announcements/detail/1708449632692798961
Thank you!

As promised, Clea’s prototype is now live!

http://clea.invertmouse.com

Please remember for a limited time, players who submit feedback will have a chance to be credited under special thanks. Details can be found here:

https://steamcommunity.com/games/981020/announcements/detail/1708449632692798961
A few YouTubers and streamers have asked whether they are allowed to record this prototype. Not only is the answer yes, I would very much appreciate it. In fact, please get in touch with me, because I want to know you better one on one.

To Linux users, unfortunately, I have encountered some last second issues with my build for this platform, so I will need to address them. If you are affected by this, please let me know. Though the Linux userbase is admittedly small, I would like to do what I can.

Thank you so much :yoyo:!

Hi everyone. So glad to have you in the community for this first post :vintysmile:. The prototype of Clea is almost ready! Please check out this page for some early info:

http://clea.invertmouse.com

The prototype will be released on December 1st, 2018. Until December 31st, 2018, if you submit feedback, you can have your name listed in the credits under special thanks. To become eligible, please read through the following:

1. Once you have played through the prototype, please submit your feedback to contact(at)invertmouse(dot)com.

2. Please submit a reasonable amount of feedback, rather than just "good game thanks for the shoutout". Suggestions, bug reports—all thoughts are welcome.

3. Include your preferred name (or alias) in the email subject. For instance, "Clea feedback (InvertMouse)". For your privacy, those who do not include a preferred name will not be listed.

Several other points to be aware of:

i. Trolls will be ignored, of course.

ii. Unfortunately, there is always a chance your email may end up in spam, or simply be lost for one reason or another. I will keep a closer eye on my junk folder during this period, but I apologize to those who miss out due to this reason.

iii. If there is a large number of submissions (let's say thousands upon thousands), I may also opt to cut off the special thanks period early. Otherwise, I will have no time to develop this game, which is a detriment to us all.

I hope we can focus on Clea as the priority, while this special thanks offer serves as a bonus. With this mindset, hopefully there is no disappointment to be had.

Last, please note it will be impossible to act on everyone's response. Still, your comment may trigger subtle ideas in a future title, so every word is precious.

Thank you! Hope to hear from you real soon.

P.S. Thank you to those who have already wishlisted this game and joined the community group! Please look forward to more news as I develop beyond this prototype :yoyo:.