I have to say, this was a challenging assignment, as a result of the language of systems dynamics. Developing a solution to this design problem felt natural visually, I just hope that I am able here to articulate everything in the correct terms.
Enter Phobetor: God of Nightmares
In order to make the "Snooze Button" make sense in the representation I have added a new character: Phobetor. Phobetor is Morpheus's brother and the god of nightmares. Yes, he's Orphe's uncle. Don't you love family dynamics? This means Phobetor's overarching responsibility is to call Orphe on all the sleep mistakes he has made in Vigil while he is in Somnia, making sure he is ready to meet Morpheus. As such Phobetor has multiple jobs:
1) To ring the bell for each potion Orphe drinks (up to 4 different bells).
2) To turn into nightmares for each stress threshold Orphe meets (up to 4 monsters). (I am not focusing on this Job of Phobetor, but am trying to decide whether Orphe faces these seperately or together).
[Note there is a limit, as you only spend 8 hours in Somnia).
Phobetor could develop other roles in playtesting and iteration. I admit, it is nice to give Orphe an external conflict that is playing the role of teacher so he gets to Morpheus worthy. Plus, it helps to give a reason why "tips" are given about the potions, etc. throughout the game. It's Phobetor's job.
So, I am obviously focusing on Phobetor: Bellringer (aka, Alarm and Snooze Button Scenario).
Phobetor: Bellringer
Or you can see it larger here.
So what is going on here? Let's talk about what happens in this part of the game.
Prior to the event, Orphe has entered Somnia. When he enters Somnia, the "Potions" he has collected flip over and look like: *shock* skulls. This is the symbol of Phobetor. For each Skull/Potion, you must face Phobetor and the Bell 1x. In this example chart, I only show one Skull/Potion loop, but you should get the idea of how it can repeat.
Of course, the first time through the player is probably like: oh, so that can't be good. Then nothing happens right away (unless they drank 4 or more potions), so they keep playing.
This event can happen in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, or 7th "hour" in the game. We'll say at this time an hour= a minute. That is something that should be playtested. If you have 1 potion it happens in the 7th hour, 2 the 5th and 7th, etc. In my drawing, it happens in the 4th hour, mistakenly, because I drew the chart putting the event precisely in the middle of play during time in Somnia. I then changed my mind about this, but if you have thoughts--please share! :)
To initiate bell ringing, Phobetor and a giant bell first appear at one of four specific map locations. Phobetor begins to ring the bell, which is loud and would obviously wake up someone who is sleeping. Orphe (thus the player) must find Phobetor and defeat him in a battle to stay in Somnia. The player is given a warning to that effect:
"Find the bell and stop Phobetor or Orphe will be returned to Vigil when the sands run out."
A blinking hourglass will then replace the standard time-keeping hourglass. Here, I am having trouble making a choice: should the player have 30 or 60 seconds to find and defeat Phobetor. I think this is another question best resolved with playtesting. It is dependent on how difficult the maze/map is.
The player is then shown a map of Somnia, showing were Phobetor is in relation to Orphe. (To me, that is a matter of fairness--though playing hot/cold with the sound of the bell could be another interesting way for Orphe to seek the bell.)
So, Orphe either:
A) Runs out of time, is chastened by Phobetor, and is returned to Vigil.
B) Finds Phobetor in time and fights Phobetor.
a) He is defeated by Phobetor, is chastened and returned to Vigil.
b) He runs out of time before defeating Phobetor, is chastened, and is returned to Vigil.
c) He defeats Phobetor, Phobetor disappears, the bell breaks, and Orphe continues in Somnia.
How to defeat Phobetor:
This should be based on a simple (like this is ever simple) hitpoints system that can be used for other parts of the game. Phobetor requires has more hitpoints than most Vigil monsters (because if it is too easy in Somnia, then there is no chance the player will learn the lesson). Let's say for now, Orphe has 5 hearts for health (this is after all, another system element that should be worked out) and Phobetor has 10 (double). It takes 10 Orphe hits to defeat Phobetor. Orphe can hit, dodge, and block. Phobetor hits and blocks (I think he may be too arrogant to dodge, being a god). Obviously, there is some math here. That is not my strong suit, so if someone wants to partner with me on chance math, awesome!
Return to Vigil
This is kind of another system dynamic, but it closes the action related to the bell waking Orphe up. The image also explains what happens as Orphe is returned to Vigil: while he is being returned, the hours he stayed in Somnia are counted. He wakes up in Vigil. The game (maybe even Morpheus or Phobetor) gives the message: Orphe achieved x hours of sleep. This is NOT enough! Orphe is now either sleepy, tired, fatigued, or exhausted. At the bottom of the screen is a hint from Phobetor (who's not evil, just takes Orphe to task--and enjoys it): "Taking potions, such as coffee, alcohol, and tobacco, hurts your ability to fall and stay asleep. Have care."
So, tada! There is the snooze button explained. Not so much a snooze button anymore ...
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