The Future of Nihil Obstat

During the Narrative Design Awards 2024, I had many ideas, and my initial intention was to create a text adventure focused on an Arena. Things evolved, and for now, it’s a linear adventure with many errors in the English version because I haven’t had time to fix everything. However, I am very pleased with what I've done so far and believe there’s a promising future—a truly exciting project I can create based on the foundations I've built. This is my first competitive jam, and it’s also the first time I’ve decided to fully explore the dimensions of the themes I’m interested in. So, here’s what Nihil Obstat will have in the future. For now, I want to continue studying the Choicescript tool and see what I can achieve with it.

Nihil Obstat will include seven key features in the future:

1. Plot Expansion on Earth: Players will be able to manage a city-state during the Rhizome War, integrating war mechanics, resource management, recruiting officers, and a special module that continues Kailani’s story.
2. Xeno Expansion: It will be possible to visit the home system of each Xeno race and have various adventures (and, of course, misadventures) with Kowalski and Solveig. Although only part of their story is currently included, I’ve written extensively about them and enjoyed developing their characters. This expansion will be a recruitment module with mechanics dedicated to powers that aren’t transcendental.
3. Atlasia and Synthetic Collectives Combat the Horde of Anomalies and Abominations: I thoroughly enjoyed creating the Leviathan’s monsters. I have drafts of Atlasia’s journey through the universe, and I plan to expand this into a module focused on the machine versus flesh conflict. Players will be able to visit autonomous stations, manage their ship, customize exojets, and fight Leviathan hordes while searching for Nirvi, thus expanding the dynamics of synthetic collectives.
4. Colossal Battles: I’ve created three drafts, none of which are quite satisfactory yet, for a colossal combat mechanic where a Kaiju (like Godzilla) faces a Leviathan colossus. I’ve conceptualized a team similar to Power Rangers that controls this Kaiju and maintains a security cordon between worlds. This module will feature titanic creatures, super teams with special suits, catchphrases, and fairies. While it looks great on paper and I’ve had fun sketching it out, I’m not yet capable of bringing it to life.
5. Interference of Potestades: Although Excidium and Iudex play a role, my initial intention was for them to serve as a moral compass, offering a transcended perspective on existence. These incorporeal beings, indifferent to life, provide an opportunity to discuss introspective topics, space, stars, and curiosities, adding a profound layer to the world. While I don’t plan to introduce mechanics here, it will significantly expand the metaphysical aspect of the game.
6. Super and Hyper Battles in Pantheons: This will definitely require more careful development. I’ve done quite a bit of work but haven’t successfully implemented it. Super battles will focus on magic and spells, allowing players to create powers, craft their own spells, and perform rituals. Hyper battles, on the other hand, will be between transcendental beings in conditions where time and space are irrelevant. I was dissatisfied with my initial battle mechanics as I couldn’t provide a way for players to choose their approach, despite having established the logic for it. Hyper battles involve degrees of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, relative levels of something absolute. The more I explore this concept, the more intriguing it becomes, and I’m enjoying the creative possibilities it offers.
7. Expansion from Worshiper to Leviathan: This module allows players to experience the game from the other side, becoming a vessel for the Leviathan in a mechanic of contamination, assimilation, and devastation. Initially, I hesitated to pursue this concept because I couldn’t envision a non-violent approach that didn’t feel cartoonish. Violence alone isn’t meaningful, and I’m uncertain how to describe it. However, I have a well-functioning progression system for frontier expansion that opens up discussions about natural order and primordial beings, adding value to the game.

Until now, I haven’t felt the need to expand on any of my previous projects (like Ace of Cups about bank heists, which corrupted the code and I’ll have to redo, or The Siege of Amal, which should be released in two weeks or less, about defending or invading a medieval fortress). I feel that I can do a LOT with Nihil Obstat and intend to explore these features not just to test mechanics or writing styles, but to bring this project as close to my vision as possible. I hope it can entertain someone in its current form, and I apologize for any errors in the English version. After the jam ends, to respect the rules of good faith and competition, I will release a comprehensive correction.