In Somnia: Negating a Potential Insurmountable Obstacle

So I've decided when thinking about my “in Somnia” that once Orphe has begun a cycle of sleep debt it is altogether too easy for it to spiral down to the Erebus “reset” scenario (I think especially for less skilled players). This could provide a lot of frustration for a player who would then see no way to beat the game, as clearly the obstacles to a good night's sleep are too much. This would also, admittedly, negate any positive effects the game could have on their sleep choices as it would increase the “perceived barriers”.  Hints about potions being bad aren't going to do much good when it requires a potion for Orphe to be able to avoid monsters or fight one because he is so tired and slow otherwise.

So instead of going back to the story (which I am dying to do), I instead feel I should balance the game further so that it is more fun. I think what is largely missing is the system of positive rewards.




Thus far, every “positive” you pick up in Vigil (potions, turning on lights, fighting monsters) comes with an eventual negative consequence. If you drink a potion then Phobetor will try to wake you up in Somnia. If you fight monsters, you get accolades, but your stress also goes up. Too little stress and Orphe can't sleep, too much stress and he faces the monsters in his dreams (Phobetor again-what does he have against Orphe? Or does he just really like his job as god of nightmares?). You turn on the lights to have some more fun fighting monsters and you lose sleep in Somnia.

So, basically, I've created lots of way to lose sleep by making negative choices, but no way to recover any sleep or make positive sleep choices. The more I think about it, the more unfair it seems and I hate things that are unfair (I'm sure some of my elementary school teachers could eye-rollingly attest to this). I have potentially created an insurmountable obstacle—something I especially sensed without even testing that part of the game, when Steve commented on the hitpoints issue.

So, I feel I need to add more resources.

1. Hammocks: Hammocks fit into the world scheme nicely. If a player finds a hammock they can regain 1 hour of lost sleep. This does not help them find Morpheus, but it does improve their ability to function in Vigil without resorting to negative sleep habits (such as drinking potions and running into monsters they could have avoided if they were moving faster). This gives them an hour of sleep in the sleep meter. It also moves time in Vigil ahead 1 hour so that they are that much closer to time in Somnia. They should be randomly generated in the maze so a player can't go find a hammock every time they need one easily (because there would be no challenge). Maybe two will appear during your day if you have received 1-4 hours of sleep, but one if you have received 5-7 hours of sleep. Naps are a suggested way to counter sleep debt.
   
2. Hotsprings: Orphe can also find the Hotspring. The Hotspring effectively removes negative stress from the stress meter. This represents relaxing rituals that help you sleep. There is only one Hotspring. It could be incorporated into a puzzle (like you receive a key from a monster to open the door to the Hotspring—ensuring that you have some stress on the stress meter). This will also advance the clock 1 hour in Vigil. I wonder what positive benefits this could have in Somnia? I was thinking some kind of “power-up” for use against Phobetor or a way to skip an hour in Somnia (which means I wouldn't want it to skip an hour in Vigil then). Thoughts?

I think adding these positives will improve the fun of the game, while still remaining relevant to the Serious Goals. I think it makes the game winnable while allowing “teachable moments” for the Do's and Don'ts of sleep.