Author Topic: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy  (Read 11154 times)

Offline cupogoodness

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New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« on: February 11, 2011, 02:17:17 pm »


We're proud to roll out the latest info and media for A Valley Without Wind. Today is especially notable for the game, as for the first time actual gameplay has been implemented into the PreAlpha build; thus launching it past the "running around in the woods sim" phase and into the much more satisfying "shooting fireballs and not getting killed by robots" phase.

Much has been tweaked and added to the artwork since AVWW's reveal last week. The placeholder building has been replaced with the real thing, several actually, improvements for the character's run animation and the white borders around certain graphics, the appearance of a pair of magic spells, and the introduction of the game's first enemy.

Chris on the progress:

"We're still just getting started of course, but we're also really proud  of how fast we've been able to get the game to even this stage -- three weeks of dev time! By the time we hit publish alpha in another month to month and a half, this is going to be quite a cool game. And it's still only going to grow from there!...And by the way, the respawns that you see of the character in this video are temporary. Perma-death is still very much coming, so never fear!"

8 new screenshots of the latest build are linked below, and a video showcasing the latest features and additions of the PreAlpha can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_Cn881LSnI&hd=1. The latest in-game music track by Pablo Vega is also in the video, as the composer continues to build and share AVWW's expanding soundtrack bit by 8-bit. Speaking of the composer, Vega has written up a new dev diary giving a glimpse into his methods on constructing a game soundtrack and providing his take on the "no such thing as original music" theory. Check it out here: http://christophermpark.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-look-into-old-sounds.html.

Stay tuned! We'll have new media every week as we get closer and closer to our alpha release in March. Interested parties are encouraged to view the video in HD (720p) and the screens in their original resolution. The shots can be viewed here:

PreAlpha-v003-BurnWinterGrasses

PreAlpha-v003-Characterdeath

PreAlpha-v003-Houses

PreAlpha-v003-Roadside

PreAlpha-v003-RobotAttack

PreAlpha-v003-TeleportCliff

PreAlpha-v003-TeleportWinter

PreAlpha-v003-WinterRobots
« Last Edit: February 11, 2011, 02:45:19 pm by cupogoodness »

Offline Itchykobu

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2011, 05:31:59 pm »
Wow, compared to the last video I saw with just a dude running around in some woods, this is much more intriguing. Also, when I saw the first cloud rolling onto the screen, for some reason I got unbelievably creeped out until it passed harmlessly overhead. If you don't have some sort of slow creeping mist that can kill you, maybe consider adding it? Perhaps the mist is afraid of fire, and setting up torches in your village keeps it at bay?

Or maybe that's a little too much like 'Lost'?

Offline x4000

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2011, 05:34:35 pm »
Having a mist monster is a great idea! :)
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Offline BobTheJanitor

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2011, 05:50:35 pm »
I know this isn't specifically in the horror genre, but misty or other indistinct enemies are great for that sort of atmosphere. And besides, when it's just you alone against the unknown wilderness, the horror element will creep in regardless. I'm reminded of the smoke monsters from the HL2 horror mod Korsakovia. When you got right down to it, they were just the fast zombies from HL2 but with their model replaced by a cloud of black smoke that streamed around after you and made staticky noises when they were close. And somehow, they were terrifying. It's that old Jaws effect. The less you see of the shark, the more monstrous it becomes in your imagination. We're all better at scaring ourselves.

Offline x4000

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2011, 06:15:10 pm »
That is so true.
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Offline cupogoodness

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2011, 06:39:00 pm »
Yup, that's what made Amnesia the scariest game I've ever played. All atmosphere baby.

Offline RCIX

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2011, 08:57:39 pm »
Ok, now that i saw the improved video it looks miles better, a nice rich painterly style that looks so great! I still think *some* sort of shadows would make it looks a bit better, and the scant level of types of walk animation on the chars look odd, but still its definitely better now.

I ahve to say though, for the robot enemy; is it possible to get something other than a monochrome color for him? The color made me think it was some sort of garish skeleton monster :-X. Something with cool grey metals and highlights and glows in whatever color (maybe yellow).
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Offline BobTheJanitor

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2011, 09:13:19 pm »
Or that staple of the genre, the good old palette swap?

Offline tigersfan

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2011, 09:37:43 pm »
I ahve to say though, for the robot enemy; is it possible to get something other than a monochrome color for him? The color made me think it was some sort of garish skeleton monster :-X. Something with cool grey metals and highlights and glows in whatever color (maybe yellow).

I thought the same thing. Especially with the odd walk (which is a nice effect, by itself), I though they may have been zombies or something similar.

Offline x4000

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #9 on: February 11, 2011, 09:45:21 pm »
I might do a color swap on him, yeah -- full sized he is very metallic and reflective, but when he's made smaller and painterly the effect is pretty much lost.  He was very much "horror C3PO" which I arrived at completely by accident.  You know... chip away everything that doesn't look like an elephant, and all that. ;)

Glad the painterly style is clearer and more pleasing to folks now. :)
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Offline RooksBailey

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2011, 10:28:09 pm »
I like this video far more than the first!  This time, the world seems believably alive and quite pretty.  The potential for interesting gameplay is also starting to become apparent (the idea of being able to enter all those structures is exciting - assuming that is the plan?).

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The color made me think it was some sort of garish skeleton monster

Umm...until I read that it wasn't a skeleton monster, I thought it was too.   :-[

I'm curious: besides magic, how else will we be able to defend ourselves?  Will there be guns or melee weaponry?  I am kinda hoping for some firearms because I think it could be quite fun to use the various structures for cover, etc.  It also would add a type of Stalker / Fallout 3 vibe to it.  

Speaking about Stalker, that game is my favorite when it comes to the idea of exploring a spooky "Zone" populated with all sorts of unknowable dangers.  I hope AVwW goes more in a similarly dark and dangerous Stalker/The Road direction and less of a sort of fantasy quest realm type of setting.  I also particularly love the weather in Stalker - far too few games make proper use of weather IMHO - and how a particularly nasty thunderstorm can make everything seem even creepier.  Besides the strategic weather (I'm sorry, I forget the term you used in the RPS interview for the strategic map), will there be weather as we explore with our guy on these 'tactical' maps? I might be cool to have bad storms blow in that force you to take shelter in that creepy abandoned factory that you wanted to desperately avoid.... :o  The same for a night/day cycle.

Definitely getting excited by this game.  AI War came out of nowhere and made itself my favorite 4X fleet warfare game of all time.  The idea of merging that type of depth onto a survivalist game is very exciting.
« Last Edit: February 11, 2011, 11:24:48 pm by RooksBailey »

Offline x4000

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2011, 10:42:51 pm »
I also am a big fan of Stalker and it's method of occasional scariness.  This game won't be all that scary most of the time, which hopefully will make the times when it is scary... even more terrifying. (wicked grin)  I hope that going into a deep area will have some of the tension from Demon's Souls, merged sometimes with the atmosphere from the underground areas in Stalker.

That said, it's not to be a purely scary game.  But I believe that in order to really feel like a brave adventurer, there have to be some legitimately scary and intimidating parts.  In Alden Ridge I managed that pretty well for such a low-fi production, but mainly through cheap tricks like darkness and things jumping out at the player unexpectedly (the first time my wife got eaten by an alligator there, she about jumped out of her chair, I recall).  With this one, those sort of tricks are of course fair game, and the sparser they are the more effective they'll be.  But I also hope to, with Pablo's help, do some more atmospheric areas in parts.  He's really good at doing some truly terrifying sounds, actually.

In terms of melee weapons, yes those will definitely be there.  In terms of firearms... maybe.  Though I think that would be kind of redundant with a lot of the magic, honestly.  Well, we'll see.  I do plan to have bows and arrows, so I suppose we might as well have firearms of some sort, too.  The limited ammo is going to make the projectiles way less attractive in most cases, though, because magic can be recharged with time, whereas those would require finite ammo by nature.  Maybe that bit will be skipped for firearms/bows, in a Chrono Trigger / Final Fantasy Tactics sense.  So you choose a gun/bow and an arrow/ammo type, for instance, and then you have infinite of that particular type.  That forgoes realism a bit in favor of player convenience and fun, but hey.  In that case, it would be based on a reload-with-time thing like the magic, and the only difference would be that it's the ranged way to deal physical (as opposed to magical) damage.

(Wow, that was a lot of thinking out loud.)

Anyway, so... yes, sounds like there will be firearms. ;)

There will also be traps.  There are five major types of craftable items: weapons, armor, magic gems, consumables (healing, one-off effects, etc), and traps.  Incidentally, today we implemented the third spell, and the first trap.  The particle effects are coming along, too.  And the HUD and first pass at a basic inventory.  Things move fast around here, even though Keith and I were both pretty busy with other stuff today and had limited time for AVWW.

This is looking more and more promising for a more feature-packed Alpha than I'd expected.  Time will tell, of course, but things are looking very much up. :)
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Offline Echo35

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #12 on: February 11, 2011, 10:49:41 pm »
Anyway, so... yes, sounds like there will be firearms. ;)

But will they degrade like Fallout or System Shock? Personally I'm a huge fan of that. Adds a lot of tension to the game when your gun could just jam or break right when you need it.

Offline RooksBailey

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #13 on: February 11, 2011, 11:22:15 pm »
Quote
I also am a big fan of Stalker and it's method of occasional scariness.  This game won't be all that scary most of the time, which hopefully will make the times when it is scary... even more terrifying. (wicked grin)  I hope that going into a deep area will have some of the tension from Demon's Souls, merged sometimes with the atmosphere from the underground areas in Stalker.

Sounds like a plan!  :)

Quote
In terms of melee weapons, yes those will definitely be there.  In terms of firearms... maybe.  Though I think that would be kind of redundant with a lot of the magic, honestly. Well, we'll see.  I do plan to have bows and arrows, so I suppose we might as well have firearms of some sort, too.  The limited ammo is going to make the projectiles way less attractive in most cases, though, because magic can be recharged with time, whereas those would require finite ammo by nature.  Maybe that bit will be skipped for firearms/bows, in a Chrono Trigger / Final Fantasy Tactics sense.  So you choose a gun/bow and an arrow/ammo type, for instance, and then you have infinite of that particular type.  That forgoes realism a bit in favor of player convenience and fun, but hey.  In that case, it would be based on a reload-with-time thing like the magic, and the only difference would be that it's the ranged way to deal physical (as opposed to magical) damage.

That's a good point.  I guess that's a decision that might be best made once the magic system is more fully fleshed out?   Perhaps magic might be limited to certain types of supernatural targets, while guns and arrows would be better employed against more common threats?  If guns/bows are included, I think I might like limited ammo better, though, as having to scrounge for everything in a The Road type of way would seem to make things more believable, not to mention forcing the player to make some tough decisions as to when employ their limited supplies.   But your unlimited system with reload time considerations could also be quite interesting.  I'll just patiently wait and see what you guys come up with.   :)

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There will also be traps.  There are five major types of craftable items: weapons, armor, magic gems, consumables (healing, one-off effects, etc), and traps.

I am really curious to see how these "traps" work. 

Anyway, so... yes, sounds like there will be firearms. ;)

But will they degrade like Fallout or System Shock? Personally I'm a huge fan of that. Adds a lot of tension to the game when your gun could just jam or break right when you need it.

Yeah, that would be a good idea and would lessen the competition with the magic system, I would think.  From what what said above, magic seems repeatable.  Firearms, if made fragile and with limited ammo, would be limited and perhaps best serve as a defensive measure of last resort.

Quote
This is looking more and more promising for a more feature-packed Alpha than I'd expected.  Time will tell, of course, but things are looking very much up. Smiley

I guess a lot of this will be fleshed out in the alpha (can't wait!).
« Last Edit: February 11, 2011, 11:28:47 pm by RooksBailey »

Offline BobTheJanitor

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Re: New AVWW Screenshots and Video Show Off Spells and First Enemy
« Reply #14 on: February 12, 2011, 12:11:03 am »
Adds a lot of tension to the game when your gun could just jam or break right when you need it.
As long as you have a back-up. If a broken weapon can leave you defenseless and with no option but to die, that's just aggravating. You feel like you've died at the hands of RNG. Unless you get a lot of fair warning. A gun that describes its state on a sliding scale from shiny and new down to worn and cracked and gives you fair warning that it could break at any shot is more fair, I suppose.

 

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