pre[0.6] update

This is gonna be a long update, so get ready:

First off in response to the feedback I have received I have began to replace the placeholder floor cover, it still isn't as good as I want it to look but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

In addition I have reduced the monotony of the area by placing some objects, including chairs, computers and some recycling bins.

In addition if you look at the title bar you might notice that there is now both an icon and a caption, this will likely be the final icon and title as they sit there quite nicely :)

Onto graphical progress I've added a new sprite into the game, it follows my rough sketch of the first apparition type encountered in the game, called the Lesser Scavenger.

I've done both a lined and line less version of the image (these are the .JPG versions, again for keeping them fit for purpose), please comment on which you'd prefer to see in the game. With the lined one I really want to make the line less thick.

On to functionality updates, the torch is now able to run out of juice. This makes the scene gradually more dim and grim. The issue I'm having right now is making the lighting technique more optimised so that the game can handle more than just the 1 light source in the game.

I guess that I'll be adding the text engine handling and a true A* algorithm for the mobs (mobiles or NPCs) so that they can handle getting around the level without getting stuck on walls. I'll also try to do a bit of optimisation, on the lighting so that I can add some cool effects!

pre[0.3] update

Been a while since I last updated ^^;

So today I've been working on the lighting engine and the HUD that Jamie designed.

The HUD displays health, sanity and battery power. At the moment the lighting bar doesn't do anything nor does the inventory.

When the battery get implemented properly the lighting from the torch dims and the light will be effective.
The green frames are there for placeholders for other objects.

I've changed the zoom level in this version too, the old zoom level was 320px x 240px where as now it's zoomed out to 640px x 480px.

Next up I'll be drawing more NPC sprites/concept art, I might also add the graphics for the Inventory that Jamie makes.

pre[0.2] Info

In this post I'm going to write an update on the prototype version of the game.

Firstly I've settled on a title for the game, the game will be called Somniphobia - Pavor Nocturnus.
The title, Somniphobia, is the fear of sleeping. The sub-title, Pavor Nocturnus, is the Latin for Night Terrors. The title is a bit wordy but it's better than the generic working title of Insomnia, in addition there is less chance of there already being a game with the same title.

Secondly I've improved the tech-demo, in the sense that it now has collision checking and movement. The player's sprite still doesn't animate but the door (which is now an object) animates when the player walks into it.

Using a y sorting algorithm I've made it so that the player and door know when they should be in front of or behind each other, the algorithm doesn't work with tiles however so I'm going to be sparing with areas where the player can go under, or partially behind an object.

The red walls are only visible in the editor the red stands out against the pastel colours used elsewhere.

The wall next to the left door is actually an object so that it can be stepped behind, the boarder wall above the door is also an object (the rest around the other areas aren't) but is excluded from the depth algorithm so that it is always above the player and other objects.

Mock-up Level

I'm posting this quick update on a mock-up level design I made using GM8.1 Standard Edition (Link).
I used an unfinished tile-set that I made using NeoTA's Better OHR Palette (Link) and GIMP 2.6 (Link), which I will put up here in a later post.

The grey portions are areas where there is no colour this will later be replaced with black tiles. The reason that I'm using this shade of grey is because I don't currently have any tiles that use that shade of grey. Later on I will likely use magenta as it is a very bright colour and usually used to mark transparency.

This tile-set is merely a placeholder, and will be replaced with a much more detailed one later. A few elements are still missing, such as the overhead wall boarder (to show where the walls that are hidden by the view are) and decals (other than the notice on the doors).

In this image the only object is the player I plan to make the doors into an object also, as they can be interacted with.

Art Update

In this entry I will show the progress of the first character sprite.

This was my rough concept art for the currently unnamed main character. I threw this together to give me an idea on what I wanted the final sprite to look like.

These images are the original line art and the redline edit. The purpose of the redline edit is to see the clear difference between the first and second image. The redline is the improve image and is drawn on a separate layer so that multiple redlines could be drawn for the same sprite.

These are the first colour version and the final sprite at a much reduced size (and quality). These are saved as .JPEG but the versions I will use for the actual game will be saved as either a .TIF or a .BMP as the quality is what will matter in the long run not the compression.

Game Proposal

The game is intended for an older audience as it contains psychological horror and possibly mild drug use references. I would imagine it receiving an 18+ Certificate, possibly a 16+ if I keep the gore down to a minimum.

The narrative will follow a person who arrives at a night class in a seemingly normal environment, after being sent out to collect supplies for the class he notices changes and then returns to an empty classroom.

As the game progresses the mood slowly changes and more disturbing imagery and themes will be brought in, ultimately the ending is based off how long it takes the player to locate any/all of his classmates and if he escapes his living nightmare.

The graphics will be in a 32-bit style, using sprites similar to that which are used in old Super Nintendo JRPGs (Japanese Role Playing Games), in other words they will be shown from the top down 45^O degree tilted angle.

I will likely use higher definition graphics than that generation as I want to use quite detailed sprites to make sure that the dark atmosphere isn’t broken.

The genre of the game, as previously stated above will be a psychological, survival horror game focusing more on disturbing imagery and concepts over the much overused gore seen in most survival horror games. I will also avoid using cheap jump scares as they tend to break the atmosphere of the game.

The Survival Horror genre seems to have moved on from what, I personally felt made them in the 1990s as such I will be taking the original Resident Evil as a form of inspiration with its limited resources. I felt that this gave the player a feeling that they didn’t always have total control of the situation, and when they did they had more of a sense of achievement.

In addition I want to borrow from and expand upon concepts from Alone in the Dark, where light is the key to survival and like other objects within the game will be a limited resource.

The audio in the game will be made up of eerie ambient sound effects as-well-as tension building music (likely in a minor key using lots of quiet piano and violin tracks with the occasional loud strike from the violin at the peak of the tension). I want to use many context sensitive/zone based sound effects.

Early Development

Today I set up this account. I hope that I can use it for more than just my coursework in the future.

For my first entry I'd like to make a progress report on my early development on the game that I'll be making for my class. I started out looking over my Design Document that I wrote about 2 weeks ago (before half-term) and then got straight to work on the concept art for the main character.

I'm going to work off of the concept drawing to make sprites of different sizes, I'm going to try a 16x16, 32x32 and 64x96 sprite and see which one turns out best/fit for purpose.