Ok Moddb users, heres my first ever promotional video. It only features the 'Labwork' level but I thoroughly enjoyed making it. Expect a a longer one featuring more areas of the game in the not-too distant future!
This one is low-res, but I have a high res and very high quality video I will be posting soon as well. This one will do for now as its going to take forever to upload the high quality one on my crappy internet.
This actually looks pretty interesting. Good job.
looking good .... are you going to do a demo !
I have considered releasing a Demo, though it wouldnt be until close to release if I did. Im not too sure about it yet, its just one of those things I havent decided on yet. I have been considering it since I started the Mod though :)
This is looking to be pretty good. Keep it up!
Thanks :) I work on this almost every day in all of my free time. I am 100% comitted to releasing a polished product. Any suggestions for improvement are always taken into careful thought.
Lovin' the improvement! The map is really starting to develop :)
My suggestions this week: Your rooms look great for the most part, its the halls that still need polish. I thought the broken glass door corner was great looking, its things like that which add the detail you need. I would say details like that would vastly improve the map and add variety over the boxes and models thrown around. The debris (crates/boxes mainly) in the hallway seems out of place to me, the lab is to clean too have things like that thrown around. Your either going to have to clean or dirty the whole place up; the latter would be easier (and generally more fun to make). Put your fist through some walls and ceilings and just trash the place!
Last bit of advice: You need more contrasting color. The red panels are too little (I'm not referring to the light illumination but the actual strips on the walls). Perhaps run a long strip along the entire ceiling/floor on the left and right side. Just don't make it flash or terribly bright. You have enough going on from the ones on the walls, and the long contrasting red panels on the floor would pull your attention deeper through the hall.
That said, I hope I'm not sounding harsh with my comments, I've been trying to be constructive. (With compliment sandwiches) Looking forward to next week!
I like onstructive criticism. Its a whole other point of view outside of my own, which is exactly what helps to build great Mods.
You are right about the boxes and crates; I will take a lot of them out, but some will remain in strategic locations. There will be some in the rooms too, to show where they came from. After all, a Lab needs it supplies handy :) For the most part, I will switch them out for more lab-specific items like the hoverbeds (I dont think Ive featured them yet, but I have some in the actual rooms) and the lab tables (like where the doc would keep his scalpel, etc) and some of the lab furniture. Crates and boxes, when overdone, definitely dont fit as you said. I will have to keep some for cover, variation, and the cardboard boxes are for tripping the laser tripmines. I'll just be a lot more sparing with it.
As for the striping on the floor/ceiling, I might go with a directional arrow, like with a long shaft that ends at an arrow every so often, showing an evacuation route. Kind of like fire exit signs we have in buildings, to guide us to safety in case the need to raipldy leave the building/area should arise. I dunno, just a random thought on that one. I could do that with overlays or decals and not use much resources on it at all. (as opposed to brushwork or models)
Good advice, next update will show the changes...and Ive reworked the bumpmaps and specular maps too, so I will post the next vid with HDR on. I finally gt it looking acceptable, though Im sure I will tweak it a little more in the future.
Looks great! Keep it up.
Feels like FEAR(Gameplay, enemies ect) meets StarWars(For some reason those corridors remind me of it).
FEAR meets Star Wars...I like it! Thats a pretty good description. Its also the second time a Star Wars comparasin was made, which Iars take as one heck of a compliment. (I didnt take any design inspiration from Star Wars though)
Supposedly the enemies are FEAR models but Im not positive on that. They are on loan until I get my own (which I want to look pretty similar) I may use them in the end, but for now they are placeholders since they resemble what I wanted. (Military style, masked, helmets, all that stuff)
I just love the whole look of this more and more. I also appreciate the unobtrusive HUD. Really fine work.
Expanding on GiffE's comment above re: environments, given the story line and the havoc that the infected wreak - madness, chaos, violent physical rending and cannibalism ( and the abandonment of facility maintenance ), I would expect to see clear signs of those factors in the form of more debris and areas where signs of these attacks took place ( blood stains, construct damage, signs of neglect etc., etc. for adding additional mood and atmosphere ). Not everywhere, but continual sterile looking areas won't serve to enrich the story as much if you see what I mean. Keep up the outstanding work agent !
I couldn't agree more! That is exactly what I was getting at jjawinte. Blood stains and dead bodies would do wonders for the environment. If you've ever played any of the Halo campaigns they placed dead marines around were some of the action took place. They served two purposes: provide the player with ammo and give a sense that "something happened here"
As for the crates being used for cover solutions, this is true! I'd say to start thinking more outside the box for other ways to provide cover in a lab too.
Thank you both :)
I have been swapping out a lot of the crates for other Lab-specific items, and even using some added destruction as cover for the player to use. You are 100% correct and I dont even know why I slapped all those crates there in the first place - its boring and too repetetive. Something that I would complain about if I were to play a game/mod that did that. Im also adding some dead bodies, both infected and uninfected, to the mix, especially around destroyed areas. Im even throwing some dead NovaCor Soldiers in to show that the NovaCor Employees can defend themselves effectively at times - but they are severely outmanned and outgunned.
Hopefully, I can have some new screens up to illustrate the changes some time in the near future. Progression is coming along well, but I am also going to ramp up work on some of the other chapters Ive only done concept work in, to add some variety to the front page and my news posts. (heeding Jeffma's advice)
I for one, certainly appreciate your willingness and patience in considering all our feedback without getting all pissy "agent". You've got a fine attitude ( and some excellent mapping skills ). Looking forward to much more from this project !
I think it loox pretty good already :)
I see info on NovaCor in the summary which snds like many companies we already have in the US ahem .. lol but there is no info on our character ?
The crates could be replaced by wheeled cabinets (to give you cover from weapons fire) you could also have the crates stacked on appropriate sized carts.
Otherwise from what I could see in the vid, lighting looked adequate, there werent areas too dark, but you may want to change that in later levels, (having the flashlight) to enter dark rooms and hallways where zombies and the like may pop out, maybe you would have hanging/swinging wires/lights that spark but I detest too dark of levels!!
There are a few things you could do to help w/ the fear factor, put in some *emergency lights* in the hallway that in this case non-flashing red, it needs to be a lil dark but lighting still needs to be adequate enough, kind of like this
Media.moddb.com
but ofcourse in a hallway you would have a few lights to help w/ orientation etc..
You can also put in some flares we can throw down in dark rooms, then in other areas you could also put down permanently lit flares. Important thing is, too dark of or too many dark areas isnt really fun, so they might be reserved for specialized areas.
I'm liking the looks of this. It's amazing how a new colored muzzle flash really transforms the feel of the game so that it doesn't look like another source mod. Also I think it'd be pretty nice to see the muzzle flashes illuminating things in a blue light. Source does this in a few games but it's not always that noticeable.
Oh one more thing, Iron sights? I think it'd be really nice especially using that holo sight would be all kinds of fun.
Gotta have Iron sights !
I am planning to add leaning/peeking, slightly smarter AI and possibly dual wielding pistols and SMGs. I will add ironsights to the list of stuff to try and code in. Personally, I think it would add just the little touch to the gunplay that the Mod needs :)
Mind you, getting angry at this post is the wrong response. But, what I got from this: Intro text!... And some more intro text! Run up to guys and shoot them! Traverse dimly lit hallways! Explode things! Traverse more hallways! Shoot guys, detect boxes, and crouch behind them! Shoot distracted AI! Traverse more hallways, but watch out for loose wires! Break computers by using them!
Suffice to say, this looks like a pretty straight forward shooter. A couple suggestions: Make the crouching process faster, it didn't look very fluid, and seeing as that's the closest thing to a cover dynamic you have, it's gonna be a necessity. That is, unless the player's just gonna be able to tank all the bullets. The scenery could also use some variety I noticed one setting with the following regions: narrow Hallway A, wider Hallway B, and Office/lobby room with a computer terminal. Seriously, I couldn't tell if that was the same shot of a hallway doing different things at the end or if those were three different hallways. Weapon variety didn't seem that high either. There was what seemed like an SMG with a grenade launcher and a shotgun. Ultimately that leaves nothing to identify this as its own thing, not very good for a 'promo' vid if you could be looking at anything with those elements.
The video was shot entirely in an area you'll spend about 5 minutes in. Id certainly hope that there wasnt a lot of variation in 5 minutes of gameplay; it would break the entire feel of the level.
I get a fair amount of comments on the environments looking the same, and I will stress that fact that this is only one level/chapter of the game. Other areas are vastly different, one being an almost open-world level. I do not picture these levels because they are largely unfinished, and mostly not even textured yet. If I did picture them, it would draw nothing but complaints as one of it is complete.
The overall plan is to have each level have a very distinct style, not only in construction, but in art and even how you play it. Each level should be memorable when you finish the Mod, and each player should be able to look back and say 'this was my favorite part'. The Labs have a lot of corridors and rooms, as it should. (You cant make a laboratory in a warehouse setting, be logical here) The engineering decks are more open, with lots of vertical combat and views of multiple levels. The commons areas are similar to the engineering decks, with a emphasis on multi-level combat and catwalks. The planet's surface is very wide open, leaving the player free to roam about and be very flexible on how to accomplish objectives.
What you just said insulted he HL2 franchise; it is the exact same formula. Sure I didnt picture how to solve the electrical hazard, I just showed you the wires hanging. Your response basically says this formula is horrible and boring, but yet HL2 itself is to this day still a critically acclaimed game. This not Modern Warfare 2, this is not Mass Effect, this is not Borderlands. This is not a multimillion dollar project employing hundreds of team members working 40-60 hours per week to develop.
This is a free Mod, developed by one man, in his free time.
Oh god, calling forth the HL2 fan base with a rallying cry. Before reading 'This is an afront to all of half-life!'(paraphrase) I was content leaving this page be after my post, but curiosity got the best of me.
'Promo' doesn't really fit the bill when it comes to this vid because promo's are supposed to show some variety. Hence promoting why someone should be interested in this mod. I've been watching your progress for about a month now, and I formatted my previous comment not to imply that you don't have variety in areas, but that /you're not showing it/. I can understand wanting to get a video out there, but this early, those types of videos are usually showing off one or two things in particular, maybe punctuated by some action.
Trying to scare away critics is not good for you, especially after my relatively light comments. Jumping on the defensive whenever someone goes out of their way to give a tip never ends well. For your credit, you didn't do it until the third paragraph where suddenly Hyperbole kicked into full throttle. At no point did I say "Horrible" or "Boring". Why not read my words as "Tried and true testament to classic FPS's"? nor did /anyone/ but yourself compare this to Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect, or Borderlands. Saying something like that invites others to. It doesn't take money to show a screenshot or extra concept of a planned area. This video, rephrasing my point before, seriously undersells what you've got planned. Considering it's only one element of many that you have on the front page, this isn't such a problem, but it won't draw people in on its own. And don't knock mods with a one man team. Lesser modders than yourself use that a lot.
Throughout my time playing quake 2, half-life, many of its mods, the sequels, many of their mods, and dabbling in Doom I've seen many a flickering corridor. I have never seen an item crate in the fashion you display(on your front page), nor a system using collectible chips, or some other such thing.
Well, I didnt mean to sound overly defensive. I did take your comments as saying there wasnt much to the mod; but I suppose you really meant what you said in the reply; that the video itself didnt feature what it should have, not that the Mod is lacking in features/quality.
If you were to read every other response I have to constructive criticism, you would see its very unfair to say I am trying to scare away critics. I would prefer people criticize my work, but puctuated with 'heres how I might fix that' instead of just pointing out potential issues and retreating, as many do. Thats what brings Mods to full potential. I dont follow people's work when I see that they think they can do no wrong and blindly defend their work. Having an open mind is a big part of the business and neccesary to move forward.
Im not knocking single man Mods either, but saying you cant expect a load of features and innovation out of them that you might see with a team, where a person has dedicated their skills to a singular function. That doesnt mean some nice additions are just impossible with a one man team, but you should simply have reasonable expectations.
In taking some of your advice, perhaps I will start working more heavily on some of the other areas to get them ready to show, and not use the "Labwork" chapter as a crutch for other unfinished work. And you are right, so much media of one particular chapter does make the Mod look like a straightforward corridor blaster, which it certainly is not.
As I always do, I thank you for your input and opinions. Perhaps I was up too late last night and a bit cranky and took your post out of context :P
Sci-fi single player? Nice!
Now I'm just aching to play it.