After a year of Mantable being available to the public, we’re thrilled to announce the release of Mantable Chapter 2: 👉 https://101studios.itch.io/mantable-doll-house-chapter-2

Now feels like the perfect time to reflect on the development of Mantable Doll House and share some behind-the-scenes stories, as well as news about potential updates.

Behind the Scenes: The Story of Mantable

The journey of Mantable started about two years ago, in 2022. The first version of the game wasn’t even called Mantable yet. It was an extremely simple build—a single empty room with green wallpaper, rich wood flooring, and possibly even a balcony. The room was box-shaped, with a table in the right corner.

There weren’t any puzzles yet, but we had added a robotic voice, which we now know as Mantable, narrating the environment. Unfortunately, this early build was lost entirely due to a crash, and all the files were corrupted. With no backups, this version of the project became lost media, with no photos or videos to document it.

Losing that early build drained our motivation, and we decided to shelve the project.

The Game Jam That Sparked Mantable

About a year later, we participated in a new game jam. That’s when we revisited the idea and brainstormed fresh concepts. Here’s how it went:

1. First Idea: We envisioned a room full of puzzles with a dark, atmospheric setting. Outside the room, it was always cloudy and rainy. A mysterious man would check on the player every 50–60 seconds. The player had to hide and ensure everything in the room was in place, or the man would kill the player.
   • Why it was scrapped: The time constraints of the game jam made this idea too ambitious.
2. Second Idea (The One That Worked): This idea built on the first but was more refined. The room still had a dark, atmospheric vibe with a cloudy, rainy backdrop. The atmosphere was inspired by a Burton-esque or Coraline aesthetic.

   The core gameplay introduced an AI character called “The Mother,” a robotic figure who would randomly check on the player. If the player wasn’t hiding when The Mother entered, she would catch them and break their neck, restarting the game. To win, players had to solve puzzles to unlock the door and escape.

   • Why it worked: This idea was manageable within the game jam’s time frame, and we immediately began building it

When we first began working on Mantable, we started with a simple idea: a box-shaped room. But as we looked at it, we realized it was far too basic. So, we redesigned it into a T-shaped room, with a central area and rooms branching off to the left and right, leaving the front empty.

Building the Foundation:

We quickly completed the room layout and textured it using Megascans assets for added realism. For props, such as chairs and furniture, we used assets from a pack due to time constraints—we simply didn’t have the bandwidth to model our own 3D assets for the game jam.

Once the environment was ready, we moved on to gameplay mechanics, starting with player interaction and camera shake, which took only a few hours to implement. Next, we created the UI, including the Main Menu, Pause Menu, Options, Credits, and Game Over screens.

The Mother AI:

The Mother AI was a key part of the game and required careful planning. We developed three primary states for her behavior:

1. IDLE: The Mother remains stationary and dormant.
2. HUNT: The Mother actively searches for the player. If the player isn’t hiding, she’ll immediately find and catch them. In this mode, she also reacts to sound—players can alert her by speaking into their microphone.
3. SLEEP: The Mother returns to her original spot and resets the cycle.

To keep gameplay unpredictable, we initially gave the Mother a randomized timer before entering HUNT mode. Later, we adjusted it to a fixed 60-second cycle to improve the game’s flow.

When the player entered a certain radius (using a collision box), the camera would lock onto the Mother, and if she caught the player, a neck-breaking animation would play, followed by the Game Over screen.

Hiding Mechanic:

One major issue we encountered was the lack of a hiding mechanic. Without it, players had no way to avoid being caught. Implementing this feature took almost two days and was fraught with bugs—such as the AI catching players while they were hiding or players moving incorrectly while hidden. After much trial and error, we finally resolved these issues and created a functional hiding system.

Puzzles and Narrative:

Once the core mechanics were in place, we brainstormed puzzle ideas. Here’s what we added:

• A safe that required a combination.
• A coin and coin slot puzzle.
• Papers with hints and passcodes.
• Interactive computers and keyboards.
• Power boxes that required a screwdriver to open.

We realized the game might be overwhelming for players without guidance, so we decided to hire a voice actor to provide in-game narration. We reached out to John R. John (@jellyaction) www.fiverr.com/s/BR08Amk, who had previously worked with us on projects like ProjectAAlive and Snarky’s Burger Joint. He became the voice of Mantable Brown, a calm yet menacing figure with a hidden motive beyond mere entertainment.

Last-Minute Additions:

With a little time left before the deadline, we decided to give the player character a physical body, naming him Dan. This addition helped improve immersion and made the game feel more polished.

Testing and Submission:

We conducted playtests to identify and fix bugs, fine-tuning the game until it was ready. Before we knew it, the submission day for the jam had arrived, and we uploaded the final build.

The Aftermath:

We never expected Mantable to grow as much as it did, but the response was incredible. People started making videos about the game, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. It was amazing to see so many players enjoy our work, and we couldn’t be prouder of what we accomplished.

Thank you to everyone who supported us, played the game, or helped spread the word. This journey has been unforgettable, and we can’t wait to keep creating more Mantable content

In-Game Fun Facts about Mantable and the Universe:

1. Dan’s Origins: The character you play as in Mantable Doll House (MDH) isn’t originally from Mantable. Dan first appeared as the protagonist in The Shortcut to Death here. However, his backstory won’t be mentioned in the Mantable games, as it’s irrelevant to the plot. But don’t worry—Dan will appear in an upcoming title… but we can’t spoil anything just yet! 😉
2. Mantable’s Presence Across Games: Mantable’s influence has spread through several of our projects. His work can be found in:
   • ProjectAALive Lost & Found
   • Incident 12
   • HonestWayToDie
   • The Red Door
   • Snarky’s Burger Joint
3. MantaGramm in Snarky's Burger Joint: In Snarky’s Burger Joint, Mantable created MantaGramm, a programming software integral to the game’s atmosphere.
4. The Endo-Skeletons of Snarky's Burger Joint: Not only did Mantable create the Endo-Skeletons for Snarky’s Burger Joint, but he also made a huge breakthrough in the game’s universe by inventing the first accessible wireless communication programming through computers.
5. Mantable’s Technological Legacy: In the Mantable universe, Mantable is responsible for the creation of much of the modern technology we use today. This includes innovations in security, home improvement, and many other fields.

Will There Be More Updates for Mantable Doll House?

You might be wondering, will there be any updates for Mantable Doll House 1?

• Short answer: "Yes"
• Long answer: "Yeah!"

We’ve got some exciting updates planned for the game, including:

1. Improved Atmosphere
2. Remade Models for a more polished look
3. Puzzle Enhancements to make gameplay even more engaging
4. Improved Gameplay Mechanics for a smoother experience
5. Bug Fixes (including The Mother Slide bug and others)
6. More Animations for doing tasks, making the game feel even more immersive

That’s all for now! We appreciate all your support, and we’re excited to continue improving Mantable Doll House!

- 1.0.1 Studios