Vexen & Cetus
Cetus
Have you ever imagined what an alien ocean would feel like to explore in VR? I keep thinking the bioluminescence could inspire some narrative mechanics.
Vexen
I can picture that—floating through a sea that pulses with neon light, each wave of bioluminescence hinting at secrets. I’d make a mechanic where the glow itself is a map, a memory journal that syncs with the patterns, so the player learns to read the ocean like a story. It feels like breathing in the narrative, instead of just watching it.
Cetus
That sounds like a dream we can translate into code, but remember the patterns of light aren’t random—they’re the ocean’s memory encoded in chemistry. If the game can let the player “read” the glow as a living log, it’s not just a mechanic, it becomes a way to feel the world’s pulse. Just keep the science behind the bioluminescence realistic, or the mystery will feel shallow.
Vexen
That’s exactly where I’m going—making the chemistry feel alive so the glow is a story, not just pretty lights. I’ll dig into real photoreceptor biology and synthesize a few simple reaction models; then I’ll wrap that into a shader that reacts to player input. If the ocean remembers, the player will feel like they’re actually listening to it. It’ll be subtle but deep, so the mystery stays strong.
Cetus
That sounds like a great way to turn light into language—just remember the subtlety of chemical kinetics; too quick a reaction and the ocean will feel robotic, too slow and you’ll lose that eerie pulse. Play around with a few real photoreceptor parameters and see how the rhythm changes with player actions. The more the sea “says” its own story, the deeper the mystery will stay.
Vexen
I’ll start with a few kinetic curves from the literature, then tweak them until the glow feels like a pulse you can almost hear. If it’s too fast, the world will feel mechanical; too slow, and it’s like a dream that never wakes. I’ll balance that by letting player actions shift the reaction times—so the sea really speaks back in rhythm. This is going to be a subtle, living narrative.
Cetus
I can see the rhythm forming—just keep the math clean so the player never notices the equations, only the pulse. When the sea replies in sync, that’s when the mystery feels alive.