Personal build / Games
GuidanceOfGrace
My partner and I like sharing games with each other. Elden Ring is one of my favorites, but its enormous open world was getting in the way of her enjoying it. I wanted to help without turning the game into a checklist or spoiling the discoveries that make it fun.
The problem wasn’t that she needed a walkthrough. She needed a way to pick a thread back up, remember what she’d already learned, and get a little help when the game stopped giving enough direction.
I didn’t want the tool to solve the game for her.
What the companion does
It keeps NPC threads, a searchable reference, and a discovery map together on a second screen. There are spoiler controls and read-only local save tracking, so the help can take account of progress.
The amount of information matters as much as whether the information is correct. A useful hint can point out something nearby without explaining the whole quest or naming a place the player hasn’t discovered.
Deciding what to tell the player
One way I think about it is a bridge with a sign beside it. If the player has reached the bridge but hasn’t read the sign, the companion can suggest looking at it. Giving away what the sign says would skip the discovery.
The example below is made up to show that distinction. The screenshots above are from the actual application, with Show All enabled so the views can be inspected without loading a personal save.
Your progress
Your save loads in a clearing. The companion reads the progress already recorded.
The companion’s hint
Explore the path out of the clearing.
Kept undiscovered
Future locations and discoveries.
Your progress
You have reached a bridge beside an unread sign.
The companion’s hint
Look at the sign beside the bridge.
Kept undiscovered
The sign’s contents and later discoveries.
Your progress
You have read a sign pointing to a rest trail.
The companion’s hint
Follow the rest trail indicated by the sign.
Kept undiscovered
What happens after the rest trail.