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.

in Somnia: The Snooze Button Mechanic.

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).

in Somnia: A Serious Game Idea

Health Issue:

Sleep Deprivation is a serious problem for students, who are attempting to balance study, social life, and sometimes a job. The average adult needs 8 hours of sleep per night, with some young adults needing up to 10 hours of sleep in order to lead a healthy, active life.  Negative effects of sleep deprivation include learning and memory issues, weight gain, safety problems, negative health effects, moodiness and irritability, and weak immune system.

Target Objective: 
Increase student awareness of the problems associated with Sleep Deprivation and benefits of a proper night's sleep.