you could incorporate gunplay as less of a deadly outcome at larger sizes and more of a delay tactic, if an individual being shot at is fat enough they merely get knocked over by guns based on velocity and size of the associated projectiles…
this opens of avenues of strategy where players have to decide if keeping larger foes at bay with lots of low velocity rounds or potentially knocking them over with high caliber high velocity rounds is better while also doing something risky like hitting a smaller threat and having them bounce off a wall directly into your face if you use a 50 cal round for example… it would also make weight loss a factor to consider because you can play a lot more aggressively with larger rounds if there is more space for smaller foes to not hit you when blasted at 1000 meters per second
Perhaps you can look into having other weapons or abilities for the player as she gets heavier. Perhaps an upgradable drone you can charge like the PDA. Telekinesis that is more powerful the larger the character is. A cloak or invisibility ability you can occasionally use that makes you harder to detect but more vulnerable to certain fattening effects. It gives something the player can learn and upgrade, and also it’s something that can be used regardless how fat the character looks.
I also see a potential for Weight Gain over Time effects (WGoT). If you have abilities that cost fat (either per ability use or constant weight loss) then too you could have situations where the character is afflicted with too much WGoT that even using her abilities can’t keep up with the weight gain. It could add some moments of tension, rushing to stop her weight gain, or find a way to burn more weight before she gets too fat to move).
I might need to revisit another thing I didn’t want to do: procedural content. I was pretty wary of this project turning into Accident in the Alchemy Lab again, but the process of hand-crafting the map is taking an extremely long time. The temptation to put together smaller pieces that connect together is becoming very tempting. If SCP Containment Breach did it, perhaps it makes sense here.
I also added a crowbar and a gun alongside the PDA, but I’m thinking that when the player is aiming the gun they won’t be able to run. It’s a compromise between combat-free and run-and-gun from Control, and feels a little closer to Resident Evil. That does necessitate some slow-moving monsters who can soak bullets, but I have some things planned for that, too.
