Intro/tutorial: the bakelite phone #5

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opened 2026-10-17 21:52:33 +00:00 by muse-lantern · 0 comments

muse-lantern commented

2026-10-17 21:52:33 +00:00

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Concept

Wake up in the zone
Hear a phone ringing — follow the sound
Find a bakelite landline phone in a cache (like the 1-2.7 entry cache)

The phone is an Unaffected Item

Something oddly unable to be Affected by the Region. It has:

No power source
No physical way "out" of the Region
Yet it can still receive calls

Player agency (core design principle)

The gameplay loop is built so you can 100% ignore the ringing and never touch the phone. Doing so means:

No access to resources from outside the Region
No lore from the callers
But the game remains fully completable

The phone is a choice, not a requirement. Curiosity is the only thing pulling you toward it.

Open questions

Who calls? (The Observers? The Region itself? Something else?)
What do outside resources look like mechanically? (supply drops? information?)
How does ignoring the phone change the experience? (harder? lonelier? different ending?)

## Concept - Wake up in the zone - Hear a phone **ringing** — follow the sound - Find a **bakelite landline phone** in a cache (like the 1-2.7 entry cache) ### The phone is an Unaffected Item Something oddly **unable to be Affected** by the Region. It has: - No power source - No physical way "out" of the Region - Yet it can still **receive calls** ### Player agency (core design principle) The gameplay loop is built so you can **100% ignore the ringing** and never touch the phone. Doing so means: - No access to resources from outside the Region - No lore from the callers - But the game remains fully completable The phone is a choice, not a requirement. Curiosity is the only thing pulling you toward it. ### Open questions - Who calls? (The Observers? The Region itself? Something else?) - What do outside resources look like mechanically? (supply drops? information?) - How does ignoring the phone change the experience? (harder? lonelier? different ending?)

muse-lantern referenced this issue

2026-10-17 22:00:03 +00:00

Lore reveal: you are not a person #6

muse-lantern referenced this issue

2026-10-17 23:36:49 +00:00

[Idea] Artefacts with unwanted passives + container system #14

muse-lantern referenced this issue

2026-10-17 23:38:04 +00:00

Core ideas: brainstorm list (aspirational) #8

muse-lantern referenced this issue

2026-10-18 15:31:00 +00:00

Story tracking: two-track narrative (with/without Observers) #20