Develop varied interior decoration styles for different location types themed decoration sets for different building types region/style-specific furniture and fixture variants

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Feature: Enhancing Visual Diversity - Implement Varied Interior Decoration Styles

Description:

Greatly expand the visual variety and replayability of Unhaunter by introducing diverse interior decoration styles for different location types. This will involve creating themed decoration sets for different building types and region/style-specific furniture and fixture variants. This will make the game more interesting for the player and make the maps less repetitive.

Goals:

• Significantly enhance the visual diversity of the game's interior environments.
• Introduce thematic variation across different location types, such as residential,
  commercial, and institutional buildings.
• Provide a sense of regional or stylistic uniqueness through varied furniture, fixtures,
  and decorations.
• Allow for different gameplay possibilities.

Implementation Details (Potential Tasks):

• 1. Define Decoration Styles and Location Types:

  • Brainstorm and define a variety of distinct interior decoration styles, along
    with associated location types. Examples:
    • Residential:
      • Modern House (already implemented)
      • Victorian House (with ornate furniture, wallpaper, etc.)
      • Rustic Cabin (with wood paneling, simple furniture, etc.)
      • Apartment (modern, older, or themed (e.g., industrial loft))
    • Commercial:
      • Old shop (with counters, shelves, and stock)
      • Abandoned office (with desks, file cabinets, and cubicles)
      • Restaurant/Bar (with tables, chairs, a bar, and kitchen equipment)
      • Antique Shop.
    • Institutional:
      • Hospital Room (with beds, medical equipment, and examination tables)
      • School Classrooms (with desks, blackboards, and lockers)
      • Church (with pews, altars, and religious iconography).
    • Outdoor Locations
      • Roads and Bushes.
      • Forest
      • Camp

• 2. Asset Creation:

  • Create or source new sprite assets for furniture, fixtures, and decorative
    items for each style.
    • Ensure a sufficient range of assets to create compelling environments (i.e.,
      multiple types of chairs, tables, lamps, etc.).
    • Consider the creation of unique props tied to specific ghost types or
      hauntings (e.g., a possessed doll, a Ouija board).
    • Take into account the creation of all the spritesheets, and the
      integration of the new decorations, adding a set of rules to avoid
      duplication of textures
  • Create or modify existing tilesets to accommodate the new assets.
  • Develop a system for assigning the right items according to a map class.

• 3. Implement Procedural Generation/Decoration Placement:

  • Implement a system to procedurally generate the location interiors based on
    the chosen style and pre-defined layouts.
  • Add a high variety to the generation so that levels are not the same, and there
    is a big replay value.
  • Consider the use of:
    • Randomized placement of decorations.
    • Layout templates.
    • Rules for the type of items the ghost will use.

• 4. Region/Style-Specific Variants:

  • Create regional or style-specific variants of furniture, fixtures, and
    decorative items to further enhance diversity (e.g., American, Japanese,
    Victorian).

• 5. Integration with Level Design:

  • Develop guidelines for level design to ensure the new decoration styles are
    used effectively.

• 6. Testing and Refinement:

  • Create testing environments using the new styles.
  • Thoroughly test the implementation to ensure that the new environments are
    visually appealing, that the level layouts work well with the new items, and
    that performance is not negatively impacted.
  • Develop a test routine that detects duplicated textures.

Gameplay Implications (Suggestions):

• Environmental Interactions: Consider ways in which the new decorations can add
  to the gameplay. For example:

  • A possessed doll could provide evidence.
  • A bookshelf might block line of sight.
  • A messy space might lead to a ghost that is easier to find.
  • A clean place will make a smart ghost.

• Storytelling: Add decorations to make the player know the story of the ghost.
  Let it be clear of what happened on that particular place.

Dependencies:

• The existing tilemap system.
• The existing asset management system.
• The game's rendering pipeline.
• The existing AI for the ghosts.
• The existing objects system.

Acceptance Criteria:

• Multiple distinct interior decoration styles are implemented.
• Different location types (e.g., different house styles, commercial, institutional)
  feature thematically appropriate decorations.
• The levels feel visually varied and less repetitive.
• The performance impact of the new decorations is acceptable.
• The gameplay is enhanced by the use of new props and items.

Notes:

• This feature has the potential to greatly increase the visual appeal, immersion,
  and replayability of the game.
• Consider using a modular approach to asset creation, allowing for easy swapping
  of different furniture and decorative elements.
• Prioritize adding content in phases. Start with a few well-defined styles and
  expand gradually.
• Use the new styles in the tutorial to make the tutorial easier for the new
  players to understand.
• This has a high replay value, so let the player play again those levels, for
  example with different ghost types or with different weather conditions.